Reconciled

Along with Brad's friend and their family, Lord over. The miraculous turnaround of his daughter. Our dad. Something as simple as tripping over a dog leash. And Can have such tragic results, but Lord, you intervened on her behalf and Lord, we thank you for that. Lord, we pray that you will continue to heal her from this injury. And Lord that all the glory will be yours and Heavenly. Father we lift up Keith to you as he recovers from surgery Lord. We thank you for skilled surgeons and nurses who were able to provide the care and the treatment, he needed. And Lord we pray that you will just help him to continue to heal. Well and that you will help restore his stability and some of his Mobility. Lord, Nordby lift up. Hundreds of different things that are on all of our minds. Lord, I pray that you will give us the confidence to trust in you that you will deliver on the Promises of may. We pray the song, your most, holy name. Amen.

So, as we continue our journey through the book of Romans this week is chapter 5 and, you know, there is a lot of deep theology in chapter 5. At the more and more I dug into it. I was like, wow, this I could spend the rest of the year on chapter 5, if I really wanted to But I tried to stick with the theme of where we've been heading the last few weeks with this. You know, last week we talked about how we are Justified. By Christ through our faith in him. And we'll see this week. How Paul continues with that theme in chapter 5 and he talks about us being reconciled to God.

Romans chapter 5 verses 1 through 5 to start out. Says therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord. Jesus Christ through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we both just in the hope of the glory of God, not only so but we also glory in our sufferings because we know that suffering, produces perseverance, perseverance character, and character hope. And hope does not put us to shame. because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us,

In the last week, we talked about to know the doctrine of justification and what that means. But we see hear that Paul is referring to that doctrine of justification as something that has already taken place. When he says, therefore we having been justified by faith. you know, Paul is I guess he know in Paul's way, putting it out there to kind of end an argument amongst Scholars and theologians of how long that process is. But Paul saying that for those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ, it's not a prolonged. Wait until you're Justified. You are Justified. At that moment you put your trust in Jesus. You know as soon as you come to Faith, God covers you with the righteousness of Christ. So then you're seen as righteous in his sight in that way. You are Justified.

But Paul is saying that it is something that has already been accomplished. The work of Christ is complete. It was complete on the cross. It's been done.

We received it the minute, we believed. So, you know, last week we talked a lot about justification and what are the benefits of being justified? That's kind of what Paul is rolling into here in chapter 5. The first benefit of being justified by faith. Is that we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

You know, peace comes through Jesus. He makes it very clear here. You know who we often? Call are Peacemaker. The Prince of Peace. Our Lord and savior. Now, Paul wants to make sure that we understand that Jesus Christ is the one through whom we gain that piece. But, you know, the type of piece he's talking about is different than we often think of when we think of the word, peace, when we think of the word, peace, we think of Earthly conflicts that are going on, right boards that are happening places and unrest. but, you know, That's not what Paul is really writing about. There's a big contrast between the peace with God that he's talking about in the peace among men. Is really what Paul is talking about is the only piece that can end the worst of all possible Wars. And that is the war between a holy God and sinful mankind that goes on every day as we battle our sinful nature,

You know, the New Testament repeatedly declares and I've said that numerous times already as we flipped at the book of Romans that, you know, in our Natural State, we are Fallen ungodly creatures. And because of that, our fallen nature fights against this whole idea of a holy God who's trying to rescue us, it doesn't want that to happen. So

By Nature. We are an enemy of God before we are safe cuz we are opposed to his ways and we don't want to live by his laws or acknowledge who he is. But we often don't want to say it that way. No one wants to say, hey yeah, I'm an enemy of God.

And you know, we start out the book of Romans with kind of a lengthy discussion that Paul does about the wrath of God. And we talked about that is not a pleasant subject. Something we don't like to think about but it's reality. I think Paul starts his book out because he wants us all to accept that reality that, you know, God does have anger against sinful people who refuse to honor him, people who refuse to show him. Gratitude people, whose tendency is to exchange the truth that he has offered us for Ally. They would rather believe in the live then go with the truth because the truth may just interfere with the way that they want to live their life, and they don't like that. And we talked about how so often, we put other things in the place of God and you know, that is just a form of idolatry, but we do it. And when we do those things, it's impossible for us to have peace with God.

But God doesn't give up on us. He keeps fighting for us. And that is where this whole idea of being at war with God, comes as it's really God's fighting for you. But the crazy thing is God's fighting against you for you. But we don't realize it when we are apart from God, when we're separated from him. And it's because of that separation that happens when we're a sinful man. And he is a holy God that we need reconciliation. You know, we need something to end that separation. And the only thing that brings it is the good news of the Gospel. And that's what Paul's been building up to so far in the Book of Romans. You know that good news that tells us hey the war is over. Jesus fought that final battle on the cross and now. You can live at peace with God. Twice. As you know, having been Justified, we have peace with God. But it's important for us to realize that it was God. Who took the initiative to establish. Peace. Not us. And we did not surrender and ask for peace. God conquered us and his gracious. Mercy, he enabled us to be reconciled to him through the sacrifice of his son. So do you see how really God is the one who put forth all the effort?

To give us a chance to have peace with him.

You know, if you really let that soak in, you can start to understand how scripture can tell us that. When we have peace with God, it can be a peace that is beyond all human, understanding beyond anything, the world can comprehend.

Because the peace, the world often tries to find is a false peace. It's just a temporary truce between two enemies. As they think of other ways, they can get back at the other one, right? It's not that same piece cuz when you're at peace with God, it becomes a permanent peace.

That once you believe in Jesus, you can have that peace with God for all eternity.

A second benefit of being justified by faith. Is that we have access by faith into his grace in which we now stand.

You know, when we say we're Justified it's not just about forgiveness, it's not just about the covering that we receive the righteousness of Christ. You know, it's not just about escaping Judgment of divine Wrath. It includes all those things, but it's much much more.

because the problem is when we were in our Unholy Fallen State, when we were living on that side of the cross, we were barred from having any access to God. We are not able to get to him, to be able to be in his presence.

But once we have been justified by the righteousness of Christ, once we've been reconciled to him, we can now do well in the presence of God.

You know, I've said this before that Grace is the unmerited favor. I've got.

And we have access because of our faith in Jesus Christ to that Grace. In faith and grace are two things that are like inseparably related. You know it was our faith that brought us to a place to put our trust in Jesus, right. We trusted him. We trusted that the promises of God we reading scripture true. Which that then gives us access to God's Amazing. Grace.

And if you think about it, the most unmerited favor we could ever earn as Fallen human beings is the grace of being allowed to be in the presence of God. The most holy God, but we're allowed that because of what Christ accomplished on the cross and all the things that it covers.

The third benefit of that Paul mentions in the beginning of chapter 5, as we're working through, it is the hope of the display of the glory of God.

You know, hope. Is a word that can have a lot of different meanings to different people.

but, The way that hope is used here is radically different than the way we normally think about hope. The word that the Greek word that Paul used for hope it was not the normal word. It's actually a word that's more often used to express, Joy or Rejoice sing. Or sometimes it's even translated as boasting or bragging in something. You know, it's supposed to give you a sense of Celebration and happiness, excitement beyond what normal Joy is. That's the word that Paul is using for Hope here. Nobody wants you to see is that the target of the joy that we can have and should have is Christian's is the Hope. That we can find in God and seeing God glorified. You know, when we typically use the word, hope we use it to describe something that we wish will happen, right? Or we hope that this will turn out this way, but the reality is as Skeptical adults. We are hoping it happens, but we aren't really expecting it to happen, but that's not the way he's using the word hope.

You know, Hope and Faith are very similar words. And the only difference is that faith. Looks at what has already taken place. you know, and it says, hey, you know, this has happened, you can have faith in it, you can trust in it. Where hope is merely Faith? Looking forward.

You know the whole idea of the phrase. He's been Faithful Before. He'll be faithful again that's what hope is. It's taking our faith and looking forward at events are things that we know are going to happen and realizing I can trust God on this. We can have that hope. so, hope is created by The Holy Spirit working within us to strengthen our faith in to give us more confidence in those promises. You know, hope is not taking a deep breath and wishing that everything is going to turn out. Good.

The hope that is talked about here in scripture is an assurance that God is going to do all the things that he has promised to do. So as we look through scripture, as we read those promises, We can say He's been Faithful Before. He'll be faithful again. And it's through this, hope that we can find Joy even in the most difficult circumstances. Even when we go through really challenging things, we can have joy as we face those things because of our hope, in our hope is rooted in Christ. Our Hope is rooted in our faith, in our hope is rooted in, knowing that God will be faithful on the promises that he's made.

You know, the fruit of justification is the presence of joy. In a Christian's life.

You know, we have found the pearl of great price and no matter what the pain is that we go through.

We can do it and we can face it knowing. that those things are nothing compared to the joy that God can bring us. That any suffering, we have this side of Heaven is only a temporary thing that God wants more for us that God is going to be faithful. And no matter what this challenge might be He will, stay faithful. You know, and we could lose everything that we have in this world but that's okay. Because we still have our faith. We still are Justified before God because of Christ's righteousness. We still have that relationship. And that's the most viable thing that we have.

continuing on and Romans chapter 5 verses 6 through 9

Says you see? It just the right time when we were still powerless Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely, will anyone die for a righteous person do for a good person? Someone might possibly Dare To Die. The god demonstrates, his own love for us in this while we were still sinners Christ died for us. since we have now, been justified by his blood How much more shall we be saved from God's Wrath? Through him.

You know, the point that Paul is making here when he starts out in verse 6 is that Christ died for the ungodly. Which includes us? Yeah, he wants to make sure that we realize we are included in that and while we were without strength when we were powerless to do anything about how ungodly an Unholy we were, that's when Christ died on the cross. That's when he made all of this possible.

And you know what? Paul is really talking about when he says we were powerless, when he says, we didn't have the strength as he's talking about our spiritual strength. It wasn't there. We had nothing.

You know, it's Paul's continue to say throughout this book to the Romans so far, you know, there's nothing we can do on our own to save ourselves.

But then, as we read through this,

Romans 5:8, which has always been one of my favorite verses in scripture, we notice a shift in the language.

There is a shift from the generic ungodly to the more specific for us.

While we were in a state of sin, God set his plan in motion to rescue us from ourselves.

Again and again in his letters, Paul speaks of you know that specific work of Grace. That Christ does for the believer. And we have to realize that when he talks about us, he's talking about those who are in Christ Jesus. He's talking about Christians,

You know? Yes. Christ died for the ungodly, but he died for us as Christians as well.

That's something we need to continue to remember, you know, that, on the cross, Jesus reconciled God, the Father to the father's people us.

You know when Christ died on the cross, he paid for our sin and God's Wrath that we talked about there and chapter 2. It was satisfied completely once and for all And that ended the separation that was there, so we're not only Justified we're now reconciled to him.

You know. as I said last week, we often forget that the person who is being offended,

Is God. That's why sin is such a bad thing because it goes against who he is, it denies who he is?

But when we are Justified, when we are reconciled, we are now brought back together with God and His wrath has been satisfied. He no longer remembers it. No longer separated from him. We can now the wall in his present.

And that is a great thing. I hope that's pretty obvious. But the problem with it is, you know, God still gives us free will. So even though all that has happened on behalf of every human being across all time it doesn't automatically change us. We have to accept that gift. We have to acknowledge it. Basically, we have to end our hostility towards God.

Which we probably never like to put it in words like that. Our hostility towards him. But every time we send that is A hostile act towards God.

Any dollar put this in a little bit easier terms that I'm sure we all understand, you know who has ever forgiven someone. but, you know, they haven't really forgiven you By the way, they act mean you don't have to raise hands, but we all have had that experience, right? You forgive someone for something they did to you. She can tell if things still aren't right or maybe you've went to them and ask for their forgiveness, said hey I am really sorry about what happened. Please forgive me and they might tell you, they forgive you. But did they really?

Unfortunately, a part of our fallen human nature is even when we offer forgiveness to people, we still like the hold on to it a little bit. You know, we got to keep it back there. In case we ever need to use that again, right? So if we ever need to bring that back up that hey, you offended me in this way. But that's not what happens here. That's not what God does when he forgives us. He totally forgets about it. You'll re-reading the scripture that your sin is as far as the East is, from the West. And if you haven't figured that out, they continued traveling away from each other. They never run into each other.

Like I said, he's not like us. We like to hold on to it. God doesn't In otherwise he wouldn't have offered his own son as the sacrifice to make this possible.

And sometimes, the problem is, we know that God has forgiven us But we haven't forgiven ourselves.

We know God has forgiven us but we haven't forgiven that person who offended us. We know that God has forgiven us, but Maybe we haven't forgiven God for what happened? Because we just don't understand it. I said, we like to hold on to The bad stuff that happens to us. We often carry it with us for much longer than we need to

I think part of it is especially in American culture, we have this idea, you got to work it out on your own right. That shows your strong, your independent. You don't need anybody.

That is a lie straight from the pit of Hell is all. I have to tell you is we need each other were meant to live in community to do life together.

Until we finally accept that forgiveness, completely accept the Forgiveness, that God gives us, we're never going to experience that Joy. We're never going to experience that hope that I've talked about knowing that, you know. He's been Faithful Before. He'll be faithful again. He'll continue to lead us.

Cuz once we get to that point, where we stop fighting God, where we stop trying to do it all on her own and maintain control of everything, you then. We can joyfully enter into that, loving relationship, that we were intended to have with the father, all the way back there in the Garden of Eden. The way that he wanted it.

This Fallen World does everything it can to keep us from getting there. I think Satan loves to point out all the negative you know, he make sure you noticed when your bank accounts dwindling or when your home gets damaged in a storm or maybe you lose your job or as you get older everyday aches because of the stuff you did. The other day, write your bodies wear out, they have disease and things go on. We lose loved ones in clothes. Friends. Him basically.

You Know, The Enemy likes to fill our heads with the idea that we have every reason to complain wine and weep

If we will just take a moment to lift our eyes to the cross and remember what Christ accomplished there and that it defeats, all of those reasons to weep.

We will see once and for all that, God loves us. He wants to embrace this. And, you know, he adopts us as his children because he wants to spend eternity with us. He's been reconciled to us, but we have to accept that.

Your reconciliation is a gift that God has given to his people through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The result of that reconciliation should be unspeakable joy.

You know, the Christian Life is meant to be one that is filled with joy, unexplainable, Joy. You know, we should be living our lives in such a way that people will be like, how are you still happy?

How can you rejoice in the middle of this? How can you be filled with joy? That should be the question, people are asking.

So as we come to take communion today, I want us to be pondering that question.

Yo, what is it that we are allowing to keep us from getting to that point in life where we are filled with just an unspeakable, joy, joy. That's tough. Even for us