34 | Romans | Romans 5:1-2 | Rejoice in Hope

INTRODUCTION

Our prayer for this series is that over the coming years the Lord would build for us a foundation for our faith in the power of God for salvation.

I mean this. You know that churches grow and mature together as a body.

CPCoast | Pineda and CPCoast | Cape are not the same church that we were a year or two ago because of what God is doing in us by his word in Romans.

We are growing up together.

So that as the Lord adds to our number …

… those who join us are brought into a church that is all the more grounded in the grace in which we stand.

Praise the Lord.

Lord, build for us a foundation for our faith in the power of God for salvation for all who believe.

We are now stepping into the next section of Romans.

Chapters 1-4 = Coming Under Grace | Grace Alone Through Faith Alone

Recap Romans 4 (mini-series) = The righteousness of God obtained by faith alone.

Chapter 5-8 = Living Under Grace | From Death to Life

So far in Romans:

The gospel is to be proclaimed (in all the world).

The gospel is to be received with faith.

Now, we will see the gospel is to be the ground of a life of worship.

Romans 8 is all about how union with Christ brings life.

So that is the bookends of this section of scripture—union with Christ.

through our Lord Jesus Christ

Through him

If Romans 4 was the faith alone chapter, here at the beginning of Romans 5 we see that salvation is in Christ alone.

The point of our passage this morning is that this reality, what we have in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ secures our life of worship.

And what is a life of worship?

Worship is a life of joy and thanksgiving lived in the presence of the holy God with reverence and awe.

PRAY

6:00

Consider v1-2.

We have peace with God.

We obtained access by faith into grace in which we stand.

We rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

WE HAVE PEACE WITH GOD

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith

That is, in light of faith alone.

This is a sort of summary recap of what has gone before …

… where Paul previously focused on faith alone as the means by which the believer takes hold of the promise of grace.

Now Paul will begin to focus on the result, which is peace with God which results in joy in God.

we have peace with God

This is the statement of fact. It is the condition in which the believer finds himself.

I am using the word believer to indicate the one who has faith in the promise of God and so is justified.

This is important because the condition of “peace with God” is not universal.

It is for the believer alone because it is by faith alone.

Oh, I hope you heard that.

Peace with God is for those who have been justified by faith alone.

Do you believe?

9:00

through our Lord Jesus Christ

Paul is careful to qualify this peace which is by faith as through Jesus Christ.

That is, the faith is in the promise of God.

But the substance of that promise is Jesus.

Jesus: v25

who was delivered up for our trespasses

and raised for our justification

11:00

APPLY

We have established a couple things so far already in v1.

We have been reminded that justification is by faith alone.

We have been reminded what justification has accomplished.

That is, the wrath of God was revealed against all mankind.

There was no peace.

But the promise of God is to justify and reconcile sinners to their holy and just God.

For the one who believes, he is declared righteous and has peace with God.

Oh, and all of this is through our Lord Jesus Christ.

12:00

Now, Paul is pressing on to what peace with God, which is through Jesus means.

WE HAVE ACCESS INTO A NEW STANDING

Through him … by faith

Oh, and again, it is both through him and by faith.

Again, in Christ alone and by faith alone, we enter into grace alone.

IMPLICATION: Paul never tires of saying this even when it has been so recently made clear.

I think this mean something for how we should talk about the gospel.

Always speak with a repetitive clarity that salvation is in Christ alone by grace alone through faith alone.

These are words that we should use to express qualities of salvation.

They should be explicitly attached to our language about salvation … and never assumed

This access into grace is now our state and solid footing.

14:00

Read v2.

I had a hard time understanding what verse two is saying:

NIV — no also. The NIV translators do this sort of thing often to help english readability.

But here I think they missed something.

also — It seems to be saying we have obtained a second thing?

In addition to peace with God.

So, what is it?

Access into grace?

Yes, but there is more!

What we have obtained is something deeper than just a general, passive peace with God.

We have gained a whole new, secure, unshakable, grace secured and grace guaranteed standing.

So, when v1 says that we have peace with God …

… we might be tempted to think that this is a passive state.

Yes, there is nothing that the believer has done or will do to earn or maintain peace with God.

But that does not mean that nothing is being done at all.

What we will see is that it is the grace of God to maintain the believer’s peace …

… until we finally enter into our eternal inheritance

In this life we enter into grace in which we stand …

… until we finally enter into glory.

That the believer has this place to stand …

… that the believer has entered into peace with God

… is both secured and guaranteed by the power of God.

18:00

What is grace?

Grace is not merely the kind intentions of the Lord toward humanity in general.

Grace is the active work of the Lord Jesus Christ to secure and establish a redeemed people, by faith alone, so that the glory of his grace might be to his praise at all times and forevermore.

Romans 5:21 ESV

so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

That verse is so helpful in understanding grace.

Sin reigned.

It held an authority and power over us.

And it would reign until it finally brought us to our final state—wrath and death.

But, through the righteousness of Jesus Christ revealed …

Grace now reigns.

Grace holds authority and power over us.

And it reigns until we are finally brought to our final state—glory and life.

So, in this age, we have been granted access by faith into grace …

… in which we stand.

Even as we rejoice in hope of glory!

23:00

So, the redeemed rejoice! … in the hope of the glory of God!

What greater glory than the glory of our God who causes us to stand in the security of peace with God by faith alone …

… so we are no longer afraid, but rejoice.

This is why it is peace.

It is not just that enmity has been laid on Christ instead so that there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

It is that we have rest, shalom.

We have a solid place to stand that is secured and maintained by grace alone.

We are no longer striving, but have been given free access to enjoy God now …

… even as we begin to lean forward by faith in hope of our final rest of glory forever.

26:00

Read v2.

What is grace? Grace is a gift.

That is why we call it grace.

But a gift is simply the name for some-thing given.

But what is the thing itself that is given.

It is a gift, but what is it?

A gift, grace, is a thing freely given by the giver …

… and recieved by faith alone by the one who receives it.

The giver holds out the gift in a veiled form (wrapped in mystery) …

… and the receiver holds out his hands to receive because he trusts the goodness of the giver.

That is what grace is. That’s what grace is.

But what is the thing itself that is given?

Remember, again, that we are asking this question because …

v2 - Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace

What is this grace?

27:00

ILL: Give a pocket watch to a friend at Christmas.

What is it? It is a gift.

But, is that what the thing itself is?

What if a third person was in the room? What would that person see?

Yes, he would see a gift being given.

But he would also see that the gift itself is a beautiful pocket watch.

So, let’s say an angel is watching the Lord give the gift of grace.

The angel leans forward as he longs to look into this mysterious gift as it is revealed.

What is it? What is this gift? What is this grace that the believer has gained access into?

What does the angel see?

He sees the believer standing in this grace.

He sees the believer transferred from the kingdom of destruction, which was his prior home …

… and transferred to the kingdom of life.

What is this gift? What is this grace?

It is the power of God at work to redeem us from sin and to give us peace with himself.

Romans 1:16 ESV

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

You hear that? The gospel, the grace of God to all who believe …

… is not just a disposition of generosity and kindness from God our maker

… but is the power of God for salvation from God our redeemer.

So, when Romans 5 says that through Jesus we have been given access into this grace in which we stand, he is not saying …

… “Oh, isn’t it so nice to have the kind disposition of God? Isn’t it nice to stand here? So peaceful? So pleasant?”

No, he is saying, REJOICE!

You have access to a permanent place to stand where the power of grace is active toward you!

APPLY

Do you see grace for what it is?

Have you unwrapped grace, looked into grace, and been amazed by this power of God in which you now stand?

If you have, it will surely lead you to a life of rejoicing.

31:00

WE REJOICE

Read v1-2.

Because of justification we have peace with God.

Because of justification we have obtained access into grace.

Because of justification we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

What is it that we rejoice in?

What does it mean to rejoice … in hope of the glory of God.

It means that the ground of grace in which we stand …

… is sure footing in this age to rejoice

… until, in hope of, with the sure expectation that

… the glory of God has been secured and is guaranteed

… for all who believe.

Until that glory is finally received, we rejoice in hope.

Let me take you to another place in scripture that follows a nearly identical line of thought.

Titus 2:11–13 ESV

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

33:00

So, what does it look like to rejoice … in hope?

ILL: Dreaming to Disney

When I was born I was given a little Mickey Mouse porcelain statue.

When I was a toddler I was given a little Mickey Mouse stuffed animal.

I’ve always dreamed of Mickey.

You who were raised in Florida probably don’t really know what I’m talking about.

But growing up in the Midwest in a family that didn’t travel for vacations I knew I would never go to Disney.

I would hear stories of friends who got on a plane and flew all the way from Indiana to that far off, exotic land of Florida, but I knew it was never for me.

Disney is a place that excites the imagination and is the object of many a child’s dreams.

Now imagine a little boy being told by his parents that he would finally be going to Disney!

Now the dreams actually begin.

Previously the idea of Disney mere fantasy.

Now, based on the promise of his parents, the idea of Disney is sure faith.

He begins to research the rides.

He find the most popular rides in each of the parks.

He finds the most opportune times to ride and which fast passes to go for.

He watches all the old Disney films and recounts all his favorite characters.

He collects up all his posters and stuffed animals and sticker books and any memorabilia he owns to remind him of the great joy he is about to encounter.

You see it, right?

How does a little boy who actually believes …

… actually has faith that his parents are going to bring him where he never thought he could ever go, wait?

He’s an awfully busy boy for a boy who is only waiting, right?

To hope, to truly wait in hope, is to dream and imagine and remember and stoke every desire and dream that is within you.

Thomas Manton It informs us of the reason why the world and sin have such a power over men, why they lie under the power of present things; we do not awaken our hopes, and consider blessedness to come so much as we should.

Is salvation in the grace of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ an impossible dream come true for you?

If it is, surely it has captured your imagination.

Surely, you don’t look like you are completely ignoring the very object of your heart’s longing and satisfaction.

Surely, the appearing of the glory of Jesus Christ will not come as a surprise for you.

Surely, we will be found looking up. Expectantly waiting.

Surely, you will be found rejoicing in hope of the glory of God.

The believer who waits is a person who …

… reaches in his heart and mind for what is to come.

… who researches all the glories of heaven.

… who searches out the expectations and promises of the scriptures.

… who knows and is enamored with and emulates the character of the King who is at the center of his eternal dwelling.

38:00

APPLY

Let me put this simply.

To have hope is to wait on hope.

It is to rest in its comfort and expectation.

And for those who wait for hope in this way …

… we will surely find that it is a blessed hope.

APPLY

The Young, the Old and the Busy

The Old

For some, the hope of the glory of the Lord is ever closer to the next big event in your life.

What rejoicing that life is what awaits you after this life.

And that life is the life of promise—the glory of God.

The hope of the glory of the Lord will give strength to your weary bones.

In this grace we stand.

The Young

For some, the hope of the glory of the Lord seems like a far off, irrelevant consolation.

Listen to those who have gone before you.

The things of this world are fleeting, and in them there is no glory.

But there is a glory that is to come.

Now, in your youth, begin to dream.

Stir up the desires of the would to await glory.

The hope of the glory of the Lord will give direction for your life.

In this grace we stand.

The Busy

For so many, you don’t have time to even contemplate whether you’re old or young, because you are just busy.

Life is hard. It is true. It is full of trials and cares.

The Lord has given to his people a sabbath rest from the cares of ordinary labor.

Use today to consider the hope of the glory of the Lord.

In this grace we stand.

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