Rejoice in God Because of the benefits of Justification
Rejoice in God, b/c of the Benefits of Justification
Introduction:
1. If I gave you something how would you respond?
a. You would probably say that it depends on what it was.
2. What if I were to perform and act of love towards you?
a. Probably about the same response
3. You see when someone performs and “act of love” (does something for you) we tend to qualify the service into four areas.
a. First, the costliness of the act of love.
i. How much inconvenience or sacrifice did it cost them?
ii. The greater the sacrifice the deeper the love.
1. If it cost an afternoon of time and sweat, it is one thing.
2. But if it cost his life, that is another thing.
b. Second, how undeserving are you of the act of love.
i. Jesus said, “If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?” (Matt. 5:46-47)
ii. In other words the depth of our love is shown not just in how much we sacrifice, but in whether we will give it to people who don't return it—and who may not deserve it at all.
iii. The love that overwhelms us is the love that comes to us authentically from those we have deeply hurt.
c. Third, how great is the benefit of that act of love.
i. If a person claims to love us with sacrifice, but we are not really helped by their love, we might begin to wonder if this kind of love really means anything.
ii. Love is not just making a sacrifice. Love is making a contribution to someone's life—at least that's the intention.
iii. And the greater the gift, the more amazing the love. John wrote,
1. “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1)
2. The greatness of God's love is seen in the incredible benefit of being made children of God.
d. Fourth, was the act of love done willingly?
i. If, for ten or fifteen years, you tell your son to get his brother a birthday present, and even sometimes buy it for him so he'll have something to give, that is one degree of love between brothers.
ii. But if, in his first year away from home at college, he calls, without you reminding him, the week before his brother's birthday and tells you he knows of a store where there is a special knife sharpener his little brother really wants, and asks you to take the money from his account and buy it for him, then love is manifest in a whole new way.
4. Jesus has loved us in all these ways to a degree that is beyond human comprehension.
5. You see the sacrifice of his Son and the gift of eternal life is far beyond our comprehension.
6. Because of this God Justifies us
7. But what is Justification?
a. Webster’s defines Justify as:
i. To prove or to show to be just, right, or reasonable
ii. To show to have a significant legal reason,
iii. To show a sufficient lawful reason for an act done
b. In our Christian circles we usually say it this way:
i. Just as If I’d Never sinned!
8. You see when God justifies us He takes the blood of Jesus Christ and uses it as a filter that he look through at us.
a. Before that filter he would look at us and see wicked sinful men and women.
b. But now once you are Born Again he sees “Perfect” men and women.
c. What an awesome God we have to do something for us that was out of our control. It was all up to His own plan and preformed solely by God.
9. But that is not where it stops the benefits of Justification go further.
10. And that is what we are going to look at this morning.
Please turn with me in your Bibles to Romans 5:1-11
Outline:
First off we have …
I The Benefits of Justification: Eternal (5:1-5)
A Peace with God (5:1-2a)
1 What does peace mean:
a Webster’s defines it as:
1) A state of tranquility or quiet as freedom from civil disturbances
2) A pact or agreement to end hostilities between those who have been at war or in a state of enmity
b How much of our history has been recorded as “Peace Time”
· Peace In 8% of History Only eight percent of the time since the beginning of recorded history has the world been entirely at peace. In over 3,100 years, only 286 have been warless and 8,000 treaties have been broken in this time. —Christian Victory—7700 Illustration
c I am sure that you have all at least heard about this next illustration but…
· Nest over Waterfall Two artists set out to make a picture representing perfect peace. The first painted a canvas depicting a carefree lad sitting in a boat on a little placid lake without a ripple to disturb the surface. The other painted a raging waterfall with winds whipping the spray about. On a limb, overhanging the swirling water, a bird had built its nest, and sat peacefully brooding her eggs. Here she was safe from her predatory enemies, shielded and protected by the roaring falls. Real peace is the result of remaining CALM and COOL in the midst of trial.
d What a beautiful picture that they painted for us. The peace that we have is not only good when we are in the midst of a calm pond but is also just as good and reassuring when we are in the midst of a raging waterfall.
e This Christian life is not a calm pond it is the raging waterfall.
2 You see an unsaved person does not have any chance at “Real Peace” with God. Because they are his enemies.
a Isa. 48:22 “There is no peace, says the Lord, for the wicked.”
b Condemnation means that God declares us sinners, which is a declaration of war.
c Justification means that God declares us righteous, which is a declaration of peace, made possible by Christ’s death on the cross.
3 So true Peace is having a right relationship with God and being on his side of the battle line.
4 In having this peace we also have…
B A Sure Hope (5:2b-5)
1 We use the word hope in many different ways, i.e.…
a “I hope I will see you again.”
b “I hope you are right.”
c “I hope not.”
2 While these are all true real uses of the word “Hope” the thought and concept here in these verses is that of assurance.
3 These other forms let it up to chance and a whimsical approach of, “well maybe it will happen but I can’t make any promises.”
4 Whereas the concept here is that of a wonderful blessed assurance.
a There doesn’t have to be a shred of doubt in your mind.
b What God has said he will do.
c You have probably all heard the saying: “God said it; I believe it that settles it.” But if we were to make that more accurate it would read: “God said it, that settles it, whether I believe it or not!”
d You see we can have hope because of the glory of God.
e And because of this Hope we can develop other characteristics
f Vs. 3-4 “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”
g It is a circle: when you have hope you can rejoice in your suffering because you know the promises that God has given you. And our suffering is what develops so many Godly characteristics in our life.
C So now that we have looked at some of the benefits of Justification lets turn our attention to…
II The Basis of Justification: A Contrast (5:6-8)
· As we wait for this hope to be fulfilled, the love of God is “poured out into our hearts”
A Human Love: Fickle, Fleeting (5:7)
1 Aren’t you glad that God’s love is not a reflection of mans love?
2 For us love is not a very strong word because we use it in many ways:
a “I Love You!” “I Love Pizza!”
b You see the two are not even close.
B God’s Love: Sacrificial (5:6, 8)
1 What did he sacrifice?
a John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
b Christ gave it all so that you and I could be with him forever in heaven.
c When did He give His life for you and me?
1) Once we accepted and believed and were on his side.
2) No, vs. 8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
3) He did it when you and I were his enemy.
4) You see this is the contrast here vs. 7 and vs. 8
2 How many of us could honestly say that we love anybody else that much.
a Maybe a few select people, family, close friends.
b But surely not our enemies.
3 God loved us and sacrificed his one and only son for you and me when we were his enemy.
4 What an awesome “Act of love.” So you see in the introduction we talked about our response to an “Act of love.”
a Well God in this act of love took each of those four areas to the extreme.
b We can’t do anything less than surrender our lives to Him.
c After all, he paid the price for our lives.
C And because of Justification we now have…
III Salvation, and Reconciliation: The Relationship (5:9-11)
A Salvation from Future Wrath (5:9-10)
1 Paul starts with the lesser and moves to the greater
a “Since we have been justified by His blood, how much more will he save us from His future wrath?” vs. 9 The LCD Version
b There is a wrath to come but God saved us from that wrath
1) “They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.”
(1 Thess. 1:9-10)
2) “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thess. 5:9)
c Paul further argued that if Christ’s death accomplished so much for us, how much more will He do for us in His life as He intercedes for us in heaven?”
d Because He lives we are eternally saved.
2 Illustration:
a A will is of no effect until the one who wrote it dies.
b Then an executor takes over and makes sure that the will is carried out.
c But suppose that the executor is selfish. He may try to get everything for himself and do all kinds of conniving things to get more of the inheritance.
d Jesus Christ wrote us into his will and he wrote it with his blood
1) “This cup is the New Covenant in my Blood, which is shed for you.” (Luke 22:20)
2) He died so that His will would be in force; but then He arose from the dead and returned to heaven that He might enforce the will Himself and distribute the inheritance.
3) Christ is there taking care of His will so that no one may cheat anyone out of their inheritance as His Children.
e As Born Again Believers we are His Children Forever.
B Reconciliation with God (5:11)
1 “Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” Vs. 11
2 Reconciliation: brought back into fellowship with God.
a In earlier chapters here in Romans Paul explained how men have declared war on God, and because of that, deserve to be eternally dammed.
b But God did not declare war on man; instead he sent His son as the Peacemaker, that men might be reconciled to God.
3 So in verses 9-10 Paul focused on the future assurance that we can have as His children.
4 But here in vs. 11 He brings us back to the “Here and Now.”
a We can rejoice because we are right now, as born again believers, reconciled to God.
b We are on his side of those battle lines and we are his children, participants in his inheritance
Conclusion:
1. If I were to give you something how would you respond?
· Depends on what it was.
2. If I were to show an “act of love” to you how would you respond?
· Depends!
3. Since God gave us the free gift of Salvation and Justified us through the blood of his one and only Son, how will you respond?
4. What will you do with your life to show your appreciation for such a great sacrifice?
5. God gave us so much how can we be doing so little for him?
Closing Hymn #210 “Jesus Paid it All”