When Grace Reigns

Imagine a soldier, born and raised in a rebel province that has been at war with the rightful King for generations. From his earliest days, he was taught that the King is a tyrant, his laws are oppressive, and his rule must be resisted at all costs. He has spent his entire life fighting against the King's forces. He is, in every sense of the word, an enemy of the throne.

One day, in a fierce battle, he is wounded and captured. As he’s dragged away, he knows his fate is sealed. The law of the land is clear: treason is punishable by death. He fully expects a swift execution.

But instead of being taken to a military prison, he is brought, wounded and dirty, into the breathtaking throne room of the King himself. He braces for his sentence, but the King doesn't pronounce judgment. Instead, the King holds out a scroll, sealed with the royal signet. It’s a declaration of peace. A full pardon. The document declares that his crimes are forgiven, his rebellion is forgotten, and his status as an enemy is officially terminated.

Stunned, the soldier asks, "Why? On what grounds?"

The King gestures to his own Son, standing beside the throne, who bears fresh wounds. The King says, "My Son went onto the battlefield in your place. He met the demands of justice for your rebellion. Because of his sacrifice, the war between us is over. You are no longer my enemy. You now have peace with me."

Not only is the soldier pardoned, but he is told he now has free access to the King’s court. He can stand in the very presence of the King he once fought against, not in fear, but in grace.

(Transition to the sermon text)

That story of a rebel finding peace with his King is not just a story; it is our story. By our very nature, we were born into a rebellion against God. We were, as the Bible says, enemies in our hearts, hostile to His rule. We stood guilty and awaited a just sentence.

But God, in His incredible mercy, did not give us the sentence we deserved. He sent His Son to secure a peace we could never earn. This is the triumphant reality the Apostle Paul turns to in the beginning of Romans chapter 5. After spending four chapters explaining how we are made right with God by faith, he opens with one of the more powerful "Therefore's" in all of Scripture. He says, because of all that, because of faith, here is your new reality.

And our first point this morning is this: 1. Peace is Secured through Christ.

1. Peace is Secured through Christ.

Romans 5:1–5 ESV

1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 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. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 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.

VERSE 1

“Therefore,” what is the therefore, there for? It connects it to the chapter four and how the promise has been realized through faith. Abraham’s faith and trusting God counted to him as righteousness.

“we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God, through…Jesus”

We can only be found to be just before God if we have believed and trusted in Jesus as our Lord and savior. Once we have confessed Jesus as our Lord we are declared to be righteous before God.

Because we have been declared righteous, we receive peace with God. Now this is not necessarily peace in the sense of a laid back, tea sipping, beach laying kind of peace. Or the sense of calm serenity inside. It is the kind of peace that means an end to hostilities between us and God!

And the reason we have this kind of peace is because of the work of Jesus on the cross and his resurrection.

VERSE 2

“Through Him (JESUS) we have also obtained access by faith into this grace”

It is through Jesus that we obtain access to grace and how we access this grace is through faith. That is through belief in Jesus. The lost world will try and earn a seat at the table but that is a waste of time. The only way to have a seat before the King of kings is through Jesus and to receive the grace needed to be given a seat at the table is through right faith in Jesus.

As a result of this right faith, we can “stand” and “rejoice” in the hope of the glory of God.

apart from right belief we cannot stand nor do we rejoice in the works and presence of God. Jesus has made us at peace with God so that we can stand with God and rejoice in the glory of God!

Verse 3-5a

“Rejoice in our sufferings…Suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame.”

Paul tells them that “not only” do they rejoice in the Lord God and all He has done. But they, having the right belief, rejoice even in the hardships they face for the name of Christ.

The reason for this rejoices is that suffering allows them to build up endurance and strong character, and allows them to hold on to the hope that is found in Jesus. Ultimately, Paul saw the suffering as the necessary part of growing in faithfulness.

ILLUSTATION

Any athlete who has played at a decently high level will tell you. Training is the hard work that leads to the fun and success of playing the game. They grind it out pushing their muscles to the absolute maximum output to create micro tears in the muscle so that they can grow back bigger, stronger, and more capable. It is what the athlete does when there are no fans that determines the success they have when fans are in the stands and their feet hit the court or turf.

Christian suffering is like working out those muscles of faith. Allowing us to endure more, remaining faithful, and clinging to the hope that this world is only temporary. Giving us the ability to glorify God in the highest moments of our life and in the darkest most depressing moments. Because God is using all of those moments to grow us to be more like him. And here’s the thing. If you place your hope fully in Jesus it will never put you to shame!

Don’t miss this in the last part of verse 5,

VERSE 5b

the reason we can suffer well building endurance for the purpose of strong Christ like character, that allows us to continue to hope in Christ alone is that God has given you his Love through the Holy Spirit!

It is God’s love that allows this to be possible! It is the fuel that empowers our growth, our hope, our security!

So not only do we see that Peace is secured through Christ; secondly,

2. Love is Proven through Christ.

Romans 5:6–11 ESV

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 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. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

VERSE 6

“while we were still weak…Christ died for the ungodly.”

Paul tells the church that while they were still “weak…Christ died.” If a person was strong enough to save themselves there would be no need for Jesus to die on the cross. If we were able to do just enough good that God would see us as righteous enough for his blessing and praise then Christ had no need to die! Which is the reason Paul tells the church that “Christ died for the ungodly.” Praise God that he sent Jesus to die for sinners like you and I otherwise not a single one of us would have a chance to be saved. Yet Jesus died so that we might be made righteous through him!

VERSE 7

“one will scarcely die for a righteous person…perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die”

Paul essentially tells them look guys. I need you to get this, you guys might die for a good person, and a few might die for a truly righteous person, but you know good and well you wouldn’t dare die in place of a criminal.

look at verse 8

VERSE 8

“but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Paul tells them, you were are all sinners. You weren’t good, nor were you righteous but you and I were sinners, enemies of God and God sent Jesus to die for us.

It is through this sacrifice that God demonstrated his love to us!

How great the love of God! It should not only move us to worship but to be sold out for Jesus!

VERSE 9

“we have been justified by his blood, shall be saved by him from the wrath of God.”

We are declared righteous through Jesus’ blood and as a result of right belief in Jesus not only are we declared righteous we are saved from the wrath, the war of God against all ungodliness!

Apart from saving faith in Jesus, all the unbelieving world is cursed to an eternity in hell! Don’t miss this, belief in Jesus is the only way to heaven. Some might want you to believe that there are many ways to get to heaven or if you don’t take the gospel to people they will be okay because they haven’t heard. That is straight out of Satan’s playbook. Do not buy the lie. The truth is that it is only through belief in Jesus and trusting him alone that will save and spare people from the wrath of our loving God!

VERSE 10-11

“while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son…we shall be saved by his life…through Jesus we have have received reconciliation.

Paul’s choice to use the world reconciled is significant. Paul transitioned from a more legal term in justification to the personal relationship language of reconciled. Both senses of meaning are important. It shows the encompassing work of Jesus’ death and the results of right faith. In this case. Paul is telling them that Jesus death on our behalf God’s demonstrated his love and desire to be at peace with us. He has made us in right relationship allow us to be saved and to receive peace from God.

Lean in here, I don’t want you to miss this. What Paul has outlined to the church in Rome and to us is that only God can do the reconciliatory work of saving, justifying, and declaring peace between us and him. This work is only done through Jesus and we can only receive this loving work through faith in Jesus alone!

That’s the good news of the Gospel!

Illustration:

The Firefighter and the Arsonist

Concept: A simple, powerful narrative to capture the shocking, unmerited nature of Christ's love for the "ungodly."

A firefighter rushes to a building engulfed in flames. He is told there is one person left inside. Normally, he would risk his life without hesitation to save an innocent victim. But this time, the chief tells him, "The man inside is a known arsonist. He's the one who set this fire."

Human logic would say, "Let him burn. He's getting what he deserves." Who would risk their life for the criminal who caused the destruction? It would be one thing to die for an innocent person, but who would dare to die for the arsonist?

But this firefighter, representing Christ, doesn't hesitate. He runs into the blaze, suffering the searing heat and choking smoke to rescue the very man who created the danger. He pulls the guilty man from the flames he started. That is the Gospel. We were the arsonists, trapped in the fire of our own sin. And while we were still weak, ungodly, sinners—the ones who started the fire—Christ ran into the flames of God's wrath to save us. His love is not for the deserving; it is proven by rescuing the guilty at the cost of his own life.

Transition:

Not only is peace secured through Jesus, and Love proven through Jesus, third,

3. Grace Reigns through Christ.

Now Paul turns his attention to comparing Adam and Jesus look at this ,

Romans 5:12–21 ESV

12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. 15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. 18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. 20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

VERSES 12-14

“Just as sin came through one man, death through sin, all have sinned.”

In the Garden of Eden, Adam sinned and through his sin, death entered the world to all of humanity. There is not one single person who is able to avoid the curse of sin’s poison.

Paul points out that sin was present before the law was given. Remember the law he is referring too is the law given to Moses. This law was not given into hundreds of years after the flood where God sent his judgement on the world only sparing Noah and his sons and their wives from the judgement of God.

Paul’s point is that all regardless of the law’s presence in time are cursed to die physically because they all have sinned.

Too many miss understand what Paul means when he says sin is not counted where there is no law. This statement emphasizes the reality that even without law, death reigned and all have sinned. There was a common belief in the Jewish community that without the law there was no sin. This is simply not true. And Paul testifies as such in this text. And emphasizes it saying that death reigned from Adam to Moses an age without the law.

All of humanity is cursed to die and be separated from God apart from Christ.

VERSES 15-17

Paul now tells the church that the sin of Adam is different from the grace that Jesus brings. Through one sin, the entire world suffered condemnation. Adam gave birth to sin throughout all creation. Yet, it is through Jesus even in the face of a multitude of sin that one act of Jesus covered the trespasses of all who repent and believe in Jesus.

Death’s reign came into the world through Adam’s sin, and the reign of righteousness and grace came at the death and resurrection of Jesus!

VERSES 18-19

It was through Adam that sin cursed our world. But through Jesus there is redemption and hope for all people through faith in Christ alone. There is no discrimination between Jew or Gentile all who believe will be declared righteous before the Lord.

Adam made us all sinners but Jesus makes all who repent and believe righteous! Jesus is the greater Adam! He did what Adam and we could not. He lived the perfect life an example to us, died for us, and rose from the grave defeating sin and death so we can have life!

Verse 20-21

Paul then declares that the Law was to increase the trespass. In other words, the law was given so that the world would be able to see how sinful they really are and how desperate we are for Jesus to redeem us through saving faith. Even though the Law “increased sin.” Jesus grace abounds all the more!

There is nothing in this world that cannot be redeemed at the hands of Jesus. Your sin is not greater than him! You can rest assured that there is nothing that cannot be forgiven. You can bring all your sins to him and he will be faithful to forgive you and give you life!

And here’s the good news! That where Adam’s sin brought the reign of death for all humanity. Through Jesus death and resurrection, he has brought righteousness and eternal life to all who repent and turn to him! You do not have to allow sin to rule your life because Christ Jesus has given us victory over it through his life!

Illustration: The X-Ray and The Cure

Imagine you go to the doctor because you feel a general sense of fatigue and sickness. You know something is wrong, but you can't see the full extent of it. This was humanity's condition before the Law of Moses—we knew sin and death existed, but we didn't grasp its depth.

The doctor then puts you in front of a powerful X-ray machine. This machine is the Law. When he turns it on, the screen reveals not one or two problems, but that your entire skeletal structure is riddled with countless fractures and diseases you never knew you had. The X-ray didn't cause the fractures, but it revealed their true, terrifying number. In a sense, the X-ray "increased the trespass" by making you aware of just how broken you were. The diagnosis is devastating.

But right at that moment of despair, the doctor smiles and says, "I didn't show you this to condemn you. I showed you this so you would understand your desperate need for the cure I am offering." He then provides a medicine so powerful that it not only heals the fatigue you first felt but mends every single fracture the X-ray revealed. This is grace. The Law is the diagnostic tool that shows us the full extent of our sin. But where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, providing a cure that is infinitely greater than the sickness it heals.

Jesus is the cure for the sin that you see in your life. Will you believe in him and allow him to save you today?

CONCLUSION We have seen that you can have peace through Jesus! How God’s love is prove to us through Jesus, and how grace reigns through Jesus!

For some this morning has been a time of remembering the cost of our salvation and you want to sing praises to the Lord for the work he has done. For others, you have never received the free gift of righteousness from God will you confess him as Lord this morning?

With every head bowed and eye closed.