Peace Perseverance Promise
Notes
Transcript
OPENING: Review
OPENING: Review
We have been studying JUSTIFICATION THROUGH FAITH
and there is ONE WORD in SCRIPTURE that always
IDENTIFIES a CONCLUSION
THEREFORE
I text opens today with that WORD
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.
Justified by Faith
PEACE with GOD
ACCESS TO FAITH
ENTERING INTO GRACE
and REJOICING IN THE GLORY OF GOD.
GOD IS SO SO GOOD
Paul is definitely address JEWISH BELIEVERS — ENCOURAGING but CORRECTING
the Jewish Believers —- same as US today are caught in FALSE BELIEFS
We slide into thinking it is WHAT WE DO
and NOT what CHRIST has DONE
the LAW BROUGHT PRESSUE, CHRIST brought PEACE
through RECONCILATION
and WE ARE REMINDED
that THROUGH FAITH we gain ACCESS to HIS GRACE
but
FRIENDS GRACE LEADS to RECONCILATION
this RECONCILATION leads to a CHANGED LIFE,
a CHANGED HEART
and a CHANGED ATTITUDE in ALL that we do
Many of us—- believe that being GOOD is the KEY TO
the CHRISTIAN LIFE
it is CHRIST that is the KEY
We have more in JESUS, than we lost in ADAM
FAITH leads us to be HIS
We are now PEOPLE OF GOD
not of this world
though we don’t like the FORMULA
the FORMULA exists
SUFFERING LEADS TO CHANGE
Many of us have a some point in our lives played sports
and I think that we can agree
that TRAINING is the FORMULA that STRENGHENS an ATHLETE
THE BENEFITS
THE BENEFITS
take a moment and ask yourself a QUESTION
Do you approach and resolve things differently than you did in the PAST?
Do you remember ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, PAIN, HURT in your PAST?
How did you Handle it?
What was your mind thinking?
I want to encourage you
STOP asking WHY GOD, and START to ask WHAT GOD?
Look here in Romans 5: 3-5
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.
TRAINING
TRAINING
When i was in High School, and through most of my life I was a competitive RUNNER
Cross Country
5k
10 k
Marathons
and IRONMAN
Truth TIME: I had to SIGN UP FOR ALL of THOSE
But SIGNING UP did not get me a MEDAL
SIGNING up DID not get me across the FINISH line
I had to TRAIN ——- the Harder I trained
the more that i understood that i could not
sit on my chair and proclaim I AM A RUNNER
I need to TRAIN
and TRAINING was not always PLEASANT
I remember running a HILL in PENNSYLVANIA —- called PAGODA HILL
it was a TIGHT ROAD with massive CURVES and nothing but STRAIGHT UP.
It was easily one of the TOP TWO or THREE steepest HILLs that I ever RAN
But let me be honest
the FIRST time i ran that HILL
i had to SHUFFLE, THEN WALK, THEN stop and REST
But i PERSEVERED
i committed to RUNNING THAT HILL
the second time i did a little better
I did training off THAT HILL
I learned to BUILD strength, and my ENDURANCE grew
the REJOICING was on going
each time I ran a little further before walking, it was a TIME OF CELEBRATION
The days that i FAILED —- i knew that a bad day on that HILL was JUST THAT —- a BAD DAY
Tomorrow was a NEW DAY
23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Here it IS
KEEP TRAINING
that HILL was a CHALLENGE
I knew that if i kept TRAINING i would conquer it
I was NOT—- GIFTED the SUMMIT
BUT I KNEW that i was the LITTLE ENGINE that COULD
Looking back NOW—— i thought it was my training, my skill, my perseverance
BUT today i see that GOD made me
GOD supplied the muscles, the water, the strength, the very AIR that i was GULPING in
GOD granted me the promise of that SUMMIT
GOD provided EVERYTHING that i needed to SUCCEED
BUT i needed to DO THE TRAINING, I NEEDED TO FOCUS on the END RESULT
I see now that it was not JUST THAT HILL
it was a TRAINING that made me STRONGER
as i progressed through more YEARS
Running 26 miles in a marathon with many a HILL
became DOABLE —- it brought GREATER and more AMAZING CHALLENGES
From that HILL —- with a Coach and team members PUSHING, ENCOURAGING, GUIDING
I became a RUNNER
Not because of the DECLARATION, but BECAUSE of the TRAINING —-BECAUSE of GOD’s DESIGN
We TRAIN —- WE SUFFER —- WE BECOME STRONGER —- our ability to ENDURE more and MORE
PRODUCED a DEEPER CHARACTER
Conclusion:
Faith leads to PEACE—- GRACE GRANTED —- RECONCILATION COMPLETE
We live TODAY — for the PROMISED HOPE OF TOMORROW
The FUTURE is PROMISED
ETERNITY IN HEAVEN
SUFFERING ENDED —- PARADISE RESTORED
that PEACE comes from CHRIST’s WORK, not yours
No matter how hard we try —— WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND IT IS CHRIST
13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
it is not based in unfounded OPTIMISM,
But in the BLESSED ASSURANCE
We give the GLORY TO HIM
WE BOAST in HIM
and WE REJOICE that we are HIS
When you were a young CHRISTIAN
you believe what you are told
as you mature, you will start to see conflict in Man
Maybe a piece of SCRIPTURE that you can not RESOLVE
or an ACTION you were REQUIRED in CHURCH that doesn’t make SENSE
as you MATURE—- you start to change
the struggle is mitigated
by PAUSE< PRAY> PONDER ——- PROCEED
AS a runner depends on our things than there selves
you start to see the Victory in the TRAINING
the BLESSING in the SUFFERING
and the JOY OF THE VICTORY of crossing that FINISH LINE
You see the value of CHURCH —- you need the TEAM
You see the need for a PASTOR —- and under Shepard of CHRIST
You desire to be INVOLVED in the RACE
you love the POWER OF TEAM
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.
ALL GLORY TO GOD —- Suffering is STRENGTHENING YOU
You go from LOST, to SAVED
From UNKNOWING TO KNOWING
Your mindset is changed
GOD I NO LONGER ask WHY —— BUT WHAT SHOULD I DO
My CHARACTER —- More and more like CHRIST
Things that CHALLENGED me in the PAST, are APPRECIATED
because of the RESULT that HE BROUGHT THROUGH YOU
You BOAST in the VICTORY because of CHRIST
You handle things different
you KNOW NOW
that you can CONQUER that HILL
for it is only a HILL
A mountain becomes a place to be CLOSER TO HIM
for HE gave you the STRENGTH through the PAIN
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.
Let us PAUSE
think on that
and lets PRAY
Pondering this WEEK on the PRECEPTS that GOD revealed today
Lets PRAY
AMEN
