Enemies Given Grace and Peace through Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:6-11) (6/7/26)

Let us now pray. Our God and our Father, we thank

you for sending your Spirit to give us life and

to empower us for the call that you have given

us to carry your words of life to the ends of

the earth. Please allow the words of my mouth

and the meditation of all our hearts to be acceptable

in your sight, O Lord, our rock and nearest kinsman,

Redeemer, Jesus Christ, our risen Lord. Amen.

Our scripture passage today is from Romans chapter

Romans 5 · chapter mention

5, Romans chapter 5, beginning in verse 6. that

Romans 5 · chapter mention

while we were still sinners, Christ died for

us. Much more than having now been justified

by His blood, we can be saved from wrath through

Him. For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled

to God through the death of His Son, much more,

having been reconciled, we shall be saved by

His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice

in God through our Lord Jesus Christ. through

whom you now received reconciliation. These are

the words of Almighty God. Receive them in your

hearts. There are three things that I want you

to see and contemplate as we look through this

passage together. And they are this. One, God

is holy, righteous, and good. God is holy, righteous,

and good. Number two, man's chief problem is

our sin, thus by death separation from God. Man's

chief problem is our sin, thus death by separation

from God. And finally, though once enemies of

God, we have been given grace and peace unto

a life of good works. Though once enemies of

God, we have been given grace and peace unto

a life of good works. We are now in the season

after Pentecost. And that brings us a change

in colors. We see green all about us, right?

We've got green banners, our runner, my tie,

maybe even for a few of you out there, different

colors that you're wearing. And the season after

Pentecost, it's all building, it's all growing,

but it's bringing us to be green and growing

in Christ and in maturity. So again, this summer

we'll be working on growing our foundations in

a summer series. And so with this, we will be

working on the foundations of the Christian life.

Since December in the church calendar, we have

been reminded of the life of Christ. We have

studied it in some detail. And starting in December

with Advent, we, like the saints of all, waited

in great expectation for the coming of the Son

of God to be the deliverer of His people. We

were reminded. Again like the people of the Old

Testament of our bondage of sin and our helplessness

to remedy the death of separation from God Which

has wreaked havoc on men's lives and our entire

world We rejoiced in the Christmas season at

Jesus humble birth We saw the Son of God Revealed

during the season of Epiphany which goes from

Jesus baptism Where the Trinity is revealed and

God the Father declares that Jesus is the Son

in whom he is well pleased Epiphany ends at the

transfiguration where again the Father declares

This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased

and he adds here We've observed the Lenten season

considering the great sacrifice of Jesus as He

courageously walked in obedience to His Father,

despite all the opposition and every temptation

and every shortcoming imaginable that was presented

to Him. We humbly stood in awe at His suffering

and death on Good Friday. We rejoiced at Easter

where Jesus rose from the dead having paid the

price for the sins of all those that He has called

as His. We stood in amazement at Jesus' very

personal restoration with His disciples and the

wonderful preparation for the establishment of

the Church to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ

to all the nations. This, of course, climaxes

with two events. Jesus' ascension to the right

hand of the Father with all authority in heaven

and on earth. and the gift of the Holy Spirit

at Pentecost to empower His heralds, transform

the dead in sin to life in Christ Jesus. We've

now entered the season after Pentecost. Except

for Trinity Sunday, which was last week, All

Saints Day, these days has marked as ordinary

time. Now, What that means is we're not studying

the life of Christ exclusively. Don't think about

it as it's some sort of step down. But it is,

when you hear the word ordinary, think about

I live an ordinary life. So how do I grow, follow

God in my ordinary day -to -day routines? Now

our sanctuary colors here return to the growing

green. as we focus on the growth and maturity

of the church and the outworking of the kingdom

until we cycle back to purple and advent. So

then, here is the question. How do we grow and

mature? We must first consider the basics of

who God is, who we are, and the triune God's

work on our behalf. Dearly beloved, You have

been marked out by God in your baptism the triune

God place his name upon you God in his grace

Mercy and peace by the atoning work of Jesus

has brought you into his covenant people and

has declared for all of you That you are mine

As the spirit hovered over the waters of first

creation So in baptism the spirit hovered over

the waters in your baptism Now right now for

all of you this needs to be and should be a great

assurance God called you he marked you out the

spirit hovered over the waters at creation He

hovered over the waters of the new creation in

your life in baptism That assures us that gives

us comfort Now inspired by the Holy Spirit the

Apostle Paul wrote a letter To the church in

Rome which throughout church history has assisted

the people of God to understand God Men and the

good news of the gospel which transforms men's

hearts and lives Now Paul like many of his when

he writes a book of Romans like many of his other

epistles or letters includes introductions like

this. We see in Romans chapter 1 it says this.

Romans 1 · chapter mention

To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called

to be saints, grace to you in peace from God

our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I want

to read that again. This is verse 7. To all who

are in Rome, so basically to the church in Rome,

and here today for us, for everyone in this room,

beloved of God, Called to be saints grace to

you in peace from God our father and the Lord

Jesus Christ Who here today needs grace and peace

from God our father and Jesus Christ That's very

interesting this is the beginning of the epistle

at the end of the epistle of Romans after all

that he says Between the beginning and the end

he says this in Romans 16 verse 20 And the God

Romans 16:20

of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you."

And he concludes that verse with the word, amen.

So be it. And all the instruction given throughout

scripture and the sermons that you've heard,

God's grace and peace are declared to you. The

very people. God Now you may wonder about God's

grace to you because you struggle at times to

find peace to feel at peace Right now in your

daily life in your circumstances You might be

saying I don't know that I have God's grace if

peace goes along with it because look at my life

Look at all of these circumstances And you may

wonder Do I have God's grace and peace? Jonathan

Edwards, the great American Puritan, said this

in his treatise on grace. He points out that

the Holy Spirit is the grace and peace of God

our Father and Jesus Christ. So just think about

this for just a moment. We studied the life of

Christ. We studied His plan for His church. He

ascended to the right hand of the Father and

the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and

the Son and was poured out upon His church at

Pentecost. What happened at Pentecost? Repent

and be baptized and 3 ,000 not counting women

and children were added to the church that day.

New creation. We are made alive from the dead

by the Spirit flowing to to the world and we

are Transformed the scripture tells us we see

this both in Ezekiel and in Revelation Into trees

beside the river of life that river is the Spirit

of God Bearing the fruit of the Spirit all year

round and our leaves are for the healing of the

nations Dearly beloved God called you before

the foundations of the world to be his he marked

at baptism and the spirit to win to his covenant

of grace and peace Now here's the thing about

Romans chapter 5 Romans chapter 5 offends our

Romans 5 · chapter mention Romans 5 · chapter mention

pride It points out not only our sin, but our

inability to save ourselves Again looking at

Romans 5 6 for when we were still without strength

We had no ability No, no way to save ourselves

when we were without strength in due time Christ

died for the ungodly verse 10 even tells us that

the ungodly are you ready for this are the enemies

of God As you know, the triune God is love, He

is good, He is righteous, and He is holy. Man

dead in his sins is separated from God and so

lives in self -serving ways, in hate, and wicked

ambitions and pursuits, and so lives contrary

to God. When we think of God's goodness and His

holiness and His righteousness, we see in His

Word. Let me pause here. We're going to read

this verse, Psalm 100, verse 5. It says, for

Psalms 100:5

Yahweh is good, His mercy is everlasting, and

His truth endures to all generations. Now, for

most of you, you already know this. I try to

say this routinely. Why do I say the word Yahweh?

When you look in your Bible, you see the word

Lord, and it's capitalized. All the letters are

capitalized. When you see that, that is actually

the word Yahweh. And why do I want us to hear

that word? I want us to hear it because that

is the covenant name of God to His people. So

every time you see Lord, or you see it in your

translation that says Yahweh, you want to be

thinking, wait a minute, this is the covenant

name of God, and He is speaking to His covenant

people. When you are baptized you are brought

into the covenant people of God So when it says

Yahweh is good and his mercy is everlasting Right

the covenant. God is saying that to his covenant

people It should assure you of who he is And

then someone 1968 speaking of God says you are

good and do good and then the psalmist says teach

me your statutes In Mark 10 verse 18, Jesus himself,

Mark 10:18

when speaking to the rich young ruler, says,

why do you call me good? No one is good but one.

That is God. So we see that God is good. He is

righteous. He is holy. By contrast, Paul, early

in his letter to the church in Rome, says this,

quoting from the Old Testament in Romans chapter

three. He says this, what then are we better

than they? That is the Jews and the Gentiles.

Not at all, for we have previously charged at

both Jews and Greeks that they are all under

sin as it is written. There is none righteous,

no not one. There is none who understands. There

is none who seeks after God. They have all turned

aside. They have together become unprofitable.

There's no one who does good no not one and that's

actually quoting from Psalm 14 Psalm 53 and Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes 7 · chapter mention

chapter 7 Paul goes on quoting the Old Testament

saying their throat is an open tomb With their

tongues they have practiced deceit Psalm 5 The

poison of the asps is under their lisp their

lips Psalm 140 Whose mouth is full of cursing

and bitterness Psalm 10 their feet are swift

to shed blood Destruction and misery are in their

ways and the way of peace they have not known

Isaiah 59 and Finally, he says this there is

no fear of God before their eyes And he is quoting

Psalm 36 All people enemies of God if left in

their sins. Men since Adam in the garden have

attempted to establish their own ethics apart

from God as if in some fashion they were equal

to God. Adam had one rule and two commands. The

one rule was not to eat of the tree of good and

evil. By the way, God puts all the fruit trees,

all the trees that you could eat off of in that

garden. And all he does is set up one thing I'm

going to prohibit you from. What's he want to

do? The one thing God says don't do. He also

had two commands. And that was to tend and guard

the garden. To guard and tend the garden. Adam

abandoned everything to be like God. He did not

guard his wife and permitted her to be deceived

without intervention. He was not tending the

garden or his wife. For his own glory, he was

willing to sacrifice his wife to gain what he

thought was equality with God. For most of you

here. You know what the commands of God are You

know what they are But even if you only know

one command of God You know that you have broken

that commandment your violet Now we justify ourselves

by comparing ourselves to one another I go. I'm

not as bad as that guy I might have some wickedness,

but man, this person over here, this is the problem

with Dante's model of the different levels of

hell. Now, I do think there are worse punishments

for some. But we use that model and we go, well,

I'm not as bad as those people. They're so wicked.

They're the ones with all the problems in the

world bringing all the sin here. You see? We

justify ourselves We minimize our own sin Now

James chapter 2 tells us this in verse 8 if you

James 2 · chapter mention

really fulfill the law according to the scripture

You shall love your neighbor as yourself You

do well, but if you show partiality you commit

sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors

For whoever shall keep the whole law and yet

stumble in One point he is guilty of all Again

it is our habit to rank our sins I'm not that

bad You know just before the list of the fruit

of the Spirit in Galatians 5 it says this now

the works of the flesh that is sin The works

of the flesh that sin are evident which are adultery

fornication uncleanness lewdness, idolatry, sorcery,

hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of

wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,

envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the

like, of which I have told you beforehand, just

as I told you in times past, that those who practice

such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Lord, have mercy on us all. This is where we

actually see the good news in Romans chapter

Romans 5 · chapter mention

5. Let us hear it one more time. Will one die

yet perhaps for a good man someone would even

dare to die But God demonstrates his own love

towards us that while we were still sinners Unable

to save ourselves Christ died for us more much

more than having now been justified by his blood

We shall be saved from wrath through him for

when we were enemies We were reconciled to God

through the death of His Son. Much more, having

been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

And not only that, but we also rejoice in God

through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we

have now received reconciliation. When Jesus

rose from the grave, what did He do? A lot of

times we race right to the ascension. And this

is important. Ascension is important. But we

forget what did He do. When He came back to life,

He went to His disciples. He reconciled them.

He taught them. He prepared them. He explained

how all the Scriptures about Him. He served others.

He prepared and built the Kingdom. God demonstrated

his love towards us when we were without strength.

We were hapless We were dead dry bones in our

sins and trespasses. We bring nothing to our

salvation but our sin But the good news the joyful

news you all y 'all have been justified by Jesus

blood and we will be saved from the wrath of

God We were enemies of God now reconciled and

brought back into relationship with God because

Jesus died for us. Much more, you see, because

we've been reconciled, we are saved in Jesus'

life. But wait, there's more. Ephesians chapter

two tells us this, that we were raised and we

should rejoice, but it's not just for the future,

it's okay, I've come to Christ as I ask forgiveness

for my sins. My insides are good. I can just

keep living my life. There it is. No. Ephesians

chapter two tells us that God made us alive who

were dead in our trespasses and sins and reminds

us that we once walked in the way of sinful men

of disobedience under the prince of this world,

Satan. But God, rich in his mercy and his love,

that He loved us and raised us up to sit in heavenly

places in Christ. And then Ephesians 2 goes on

to emphasize that we are not saved in ourselves,

but by grace and faith because of the kindness

given to us in Christ. And we are saved by Jesus,

not of our own works. But Ephesians chapter 2

Ephesians 2:10

verse 10 tells us this, For we are His workmanship,

created in Christ Jesus for good works, which

God prepared beforehand that we should walk in

them. Just like when Jesus was raised from the

dead, He went and He worked and He transformed

the world and He prepared and He took the kingdom

and laid out the foundation of the kingdom, we

too have work to do. We're delivered from our

sins reconciled to God because of Jesus and this

is just not a reality for our future alone But

we have been reconciled Because God made us and

has given us a new life His workmanship created

in Christ Jesus for good works that God has prepared

for us beforehand Dearly beloved God mercifully

and full of grace towards you all, in His Word,

He has placed you in His world for times such

as this, right now. There are no circumstances

in your life that God was surprised by. You might

feel you don't have grace and peace, and you're

looking at your circumstances and you're looking

at the difficulties. Brothers and sisters in

Christ. He has placed you here now. He has placed

you in your circumstances now. He has given you

His grace and peace to go and be a blessing.

He has called you. He has made you alive as His

servants to do good works. So here's the question.

These good works, Ask yourself this. If He made

you alive to do good works, are you faithful

to God by doing glorifying works in your homes,

in your marriages, in your parenting, in your

church, and in your community? When you get up

and start your day with morning prayers, are

you rejoicing in God with Thanksgiving and gratitude?

making petitions for God to be glorified in you

because of Jesus I Just want to point one thing

out to you. I want you to ask yourself. You're

a Christian, right? You've been baptized. He's

called you out How much does the name of Jesus

come into your life on a daily basis? When you

speak to your wife or husband or your children

or your neighbors or your coworkers, do you say

Jesus? I'm not talking about you're saying your

grace in Jesus' name. It's not just about petitioning

God and asking God. Are we acting as if, like

the little children's song, we hide his light

under a bushel? Oh no. Or does Jesus' name permeate

your world Now sometimes you might be saying

Jesus. I don't know what you're doing Right or

you say to your I don't know what Jesus is doing

in your life But I know that his word says this

that Jesus says this When you correct your children

and discipline your children Are you saying mom

says? Or are you saying? Jesus says Do the actions

in your marriage with your children and family,

relationships at work, and your community reflect

Jesus and the good works that are in this new

life? That He has prepared for you beforehand.

For you to walk in. All these things that you're

facing in your life, all these difficulties,

all these struggles, all these places, you don't

feel at peace? And you don't think you have enough

grace for? Dearly beloved, the Spirit is upon

you. His grace and peace is with you. for these

very works. Nothing in your life is a surprise

to God. No circumstances are accidents, but rather

the sovereign Lord of all. The living triune

God has placed you here and now. By the living

waters flowing from his throne he's placed you

in these things to be fruitful and multiply the

fruit of the spirit as You take dominion and

all that he has given you authority over You

are to be transforming your portion of the world

That his kingdom comes into that and that his

will be done on earth as it is in heaven What

portion has he given you? What is he giving you

authority over? We must study the Bible and do

it We're not just saved to go to heaven one day.

That is true Well, we are to live to the glory

of God in all things so that others when they

see our good works Do not praise us but praise

our Father in heaven We must study God's Word

and walk in obedience to it as one commentator

says The Bible then is God's spectacles or overlay.

It doesn't flatten or replace reality. It clarifies

it. It reveals what the human eye and heart can

no longer perceive clearly on their own. It shows

us where the rivers of righteousness are found,

where the cliffs of destruction wait, and where

the old landmarks of wisdom still stand. It reveals

not only what is, But what ought to be? It gives

shape to the invisible spiritual structures of

the world. When you come to your evening prayers,

do you reflect on your day, your interactions

with others? Do you look at your intentions and

what your words and actions are reaping? When

you consider the Word of God, Do you believe

that on the last day God will say to you, well

done, thy good and faithful servant? Now you're

saved by Christ. He's empowered you by the Spirit.

But the real battle in our life every day is

to ask these questions. In all that I'm doing,

in all that God has given me responsibility for,

am I flourishing in the fruit of the Spirit?

And am I causing others to flourish in the fruit

of the Spirit? People of God is what transforms

the world When we think about that question By

being the good and faithful servant We fall short

What must we do we must cling to Jesus We must

daily confess our sins and we must corporately

come together as the people of God and confess

our sins corporately. You are saved first and

brought into the people of God and you are a

stone which is added to the temple, the new temple

of God. You're an individual but you are in the

covenant corporately. So we have to also confess

our sins corporately. But don't neglect the daily

reflection and confession of your sins We must

set out each morning to honor God with the portion

that he has given us large or small Easy or difficult

and then each evening reflect By the fact that

we are reconciled to the father in Christ Jesus,

we are no longer enemies of God, but as new creatures

we have We have been fruitfully multiplying the

fruit of the Spirit. This is the question we're

asking. And are we taking dominion in this world

to the glory and praise of our King, Jesus? When

we consider multiplying and being fruitful in

this, let's hear what the fruit of the Spirit

is. Love, joy, peace, long -suffering, kindness,

goodness, faithfulness. gentleness, self -control.

Against such, there is no law. And those who

are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its

passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit,

let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become

conceited, provoking one another, envying one

another. Dearly beloved, this may seem overwhelming,

but remember, that during this season after Pentecost,

what Jesus promised us. In John 14, Jesus says

this, these things I have spoken to you while

being present with you. But the helper, the Holy

Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name,

he will teach you all things and bring to your

remembrance all the things I have said to you.

Now listen here, he goes on and says, peace,

I leave with you. My peace I give you, not as

the world gives you, do I give you. Let not your

heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Rejoice in the love of God the Father, rejoice

in the work of the Son, and rejoice in the power

of the Spirit. For as it says in 2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1, For all the promises of God in him.

That's Jesus our yes and in him That's Jesus

amen to the glory of God through us now he who

establishes us with you in Christ has anointed

us is God who also has sealed us as Baptism and

given us the spirit in our hearts as a guarantee

He didn't abandon us as orphans. Cling to Christ.

Know that he is giving you all that you need

for the circumstances you're in. If you're on

the realm you would have seen yesterday when

I sent out the notes at the end of the notes

of the scripture references for this sermon,

I included a prayer by Jeremiah Burroughs, a

Puritan from times past. We're gonna say this

prayer is our closing prayer, but we're gonna

say it in the plural in plural because it is

for all of us here today Lord you have given

us a portion in the world You have given us credit

and a reputation among others But what is all

this to us? If we are without Christ If we do

not have the one who gives grace to our soul

the one who is Lord, you have taught me or taught

us this day that the distance between you and

us is so great that without a mediator I perish

forever. So whatever else you deny me and you

deny us, give us Jesus. Amen. Let us now continue

our worship by the giving of our tithes and offerings.

Let us pray. Blessed are you, O Lord God, for

through your goodness we have these gifts to

share. Accept and use your tithes and our offerings

for your glory and for service in your kingdom.

Blessed be God forever and ever. Amen.