Romans 5:1-11 "Greatness of God's Righteousness"

A famous preacher of a previous generation offered this evaluation: “Good preaching afflicts the comfortable and comforts the afflicted.”

Today we get some of that second half! The last month I have purposefully used sad or dark terms to describe the person outside of Christ. Too frequently the lost do not realize how bad off they are and have false comfort. Too frequently believers do not contemplate the destiny of our friends and family outside of Christ and dwell in a bubble of false comfort. I have attempted to convince all with this false comfort of their need and the offer to receive and share the gospel.

Today we marinate in the comfort of offered righteousness that FAR surpasses any scheme we could plan or any sacrifice we could offer.

In words I have often heard from my Southern Baptist friends during an altar call, “you will never regret saying ‘yes’ to Jesus!”

TRANSITION: In this text which serves as a transition to the next few chapters, Paul reveals several blessings of conversion that will remedy any fear of buyer’s remorse

God’s Righteousness grants peace (Romans 5:1-2)

Romans 5:1–2 “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

This past week I drove over 1200 miles through 5 states. As our daughter and I drove we noticed a phenom that caused Sarah to say, “every time I see a cop in the median I automatically apply the brakes before I even look at my speedometer.” based upon the shining taillights, she is not the only one.

To be honest with you, that used to be my response as well. I used to abuse grace and regularly intentionally drove at “4 over” then I would have to be concerned that the grade of the road had not caused my cruise control to slip up past the “nine is fine” limit of kindness. At the prompting of one of our elders, I have adjusted my driving habit to setting the cruise at the actual speed limit, even if I get tailgated every time I drive on highway 50.

By setting the cruise at the actual speed limit, I have confidence that even IF I crest a hill and the engine slips up a few miles per hour, I still have no fear of a $75 greeting card. Driving the speed limit means I have peace with the po po and my decreases stress FAR outweighs any benefit of arriving 2 minutes earlier. Compliance benefits both my journey with less stress and my arrival with a clean conscience.

Paul says that being in our lord Jesus Christ, is like driving within the boundaries of the law - we obtain access into grace here and now AND the hope of glory from and with God as our final destination.

TRANSITION: As if this peace is not enough, God’s Word continues with not only that…

God’s Righteousness produces hope (Romans 5:3-5)

Romans 5:3–5 “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

When the Bible mentions hope, it is not talking about the wish one has while blowing out candles on a birthday cake.

Some of you remember when a salesman came to your house offering a collection of Encyclopedias. I still remember the red binding of the Encyclopedia Brittanica set my parents secured as an investment in the education of their 4 children. Similar to World Bookor Brittanica, TDNT is a 10-volume set translated from German that is all about the words of the New Testament.

TDNT defines hope as “Expectations and hopes are man’s own projections of his future”[i]

I recall a few years back when physician-assisted suicide was debated by ethicists as a dignified way of dealing with end-of-life struggles. I’m pleased that most people whom I know are choosing hospice or palliative care rather than euthanasia when making end-of-life decisions. These choices are occasionally made when one writes an advanced directive, but most wait until projections of one’s earthly future are short-range plans.

I deeply appreciate godly people who contemplate these verses and whose character produces a living, and eternal hope that does not put us to shame.

While Hebrews offers a great definition of what faith is, Psalms clarifies Biblical hope:

Psalm 62:5 ESV:2016

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.

Psalm 39:7 ESV:2016

“And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.

Psalm 146:5 ESV:2016

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God,

One’s earthly hopes are tied to human strength and medical treatments, but eternal hope is a result of God’s love that has been poured into our hearts. This hope prevents shame for the individual and provides comfort for those who love him or her. Godly hope empowers a person to rejoice in sufferings with dignity.

Similar to TDNT is a resource known as BDAG, for the last initials of the 4 authors. BDAG defines the word hope with

the looking forward to something with some reason for confidence respecting fulfillment, especially pertaining to matters spoken of in God’s promises of Christian expectation.[ii]

That is a truth upon which you can filter life’s sufferings in a way that causes rejoicing.

TRANSITION: the Bible goes on to say that these blessings of peace and hope are displays of God’s love for you.

God’s Righteousness displays love (Romans 5:6-8)

Romans 5:6–8 “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

While it may be difficult to admit it to others, the explosion of depression and anxiety medications and herbal treatments leads me to believe that inside most of us we feel weak (v.6) and still sinners (v.8).

This doesn’t mean you are worth less than any other human being! It simply means we all need love that we do not deserve.

My doctor tells me how much water I should consume daily. My thirst tells me how much I enjoy a cold drink. When I am aware of my thirst, I appreciate the remedy.

When we are aware of our weakness and sin, we appreciate that God offers at the right time, a lavish, and unordinary remedy—Christ’s death and God’s righteous declaration [the exchange when God chooses to direct his wrath to what Christ did, not what we deserve!]

It is not the righteous or good (in their own eyes), but those who admit their weakness and sin who are the objects of God’s amazing love.

TRANSITION: God’s love fixes something that was broken.

God’s Righteousness heals (Romans 5:9-11)

Romans 5:9–11 “Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”

I am SO glad that God does not treat broken bones the way most cowboys treat a broken leg on his horse!

If Romans chapter 4 deals with the righteous declaration, chapter 5 introduces the righteous healing!

Earlier this week I watched a documentary on the 2011 Joplin tornado. Part of that documentary deals with a victim who was invaded by a flesh-eating fungus that got transferred when the twister moved so much soil and water in the region.

The only remedy for that ailment was amputation. The doctors did a series of operations where each procedure cut away more and more of the necrotic tissue.

The difference between that victim’s outcome and the righteousness of God is that after his amputations all he was left with were scars. When God does divine surgery, He removes the old dead heart of flesh and he replaces/transplants it with a new spiritual heart where the life of the Son is imputed to us so that we are not left with a gaping scar, but we are reconciled, put together, or made whole! This divine transplant is called 3x reconciliation.

One discussion between a patient and his surgeon is reported to have involved the question, “Doctor, after the surgery will I be able to play the piano?” The doctor replies, “I don’t see why not”. The patient gets a huge smile and says, “That’s great, I never have been able to play the piano before!”

The transplant or “setting right” of reconciliation makes you capable of realities that were only wishes and dreams before God’s great love. Countless souls have heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ and focused upon what would be cut away, without any thought of what would be gained. If that is you this morning, I tell you, “You will never regret saying ‘yes’ to Jesus!”

Conclusion:

To all who are afflicted today (those who see themselves as weak sinners) God offers great comfort! God’s gospel provides peace, hope, love & healing.

Light & Lamp Application:

A Light for my Path

God’s solution far exceeds any plan you could scheme.

A Lamp for my Steps

True peace is more than “absence of conflict”, receive it!

Christ provided a solution while you were still weak, accept it!

[i] Bultmann, Rudolf. 1964–. “Ἐλπίς, Ἐλπίζω, Ἀπ-, Προελπίζω.”In Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, edited by Gerhard Kittel, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, and Gerhard Friedrich, electronic ed., 2:518. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

[ii] Arndt, William, Frederick W. Danker, Walter Bauer, and F. Wilbur Gingrich. 2000. In A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed., 319. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.