Romans Ch5v1-11

I'm a silly Billy. Sorry, thank you Monica.

I've just made a mess. I always make a mess.

I've spilt my drink all over the floor.

As we're getting this cleaned up, I wonder, Natasha and Karina, where's Karina?

Oh yeah, yeah. You speak a little English.

Okay. I wonder, just to help, if some of the younger people, if you wanted to sit a little closer and you could do Google Translate,

through the sermon, just a few words and sentences. Is that possible?

Yeah, are any of you able to do that? Did you understand me?

If anybody, I don't know how to do it, that's all.

Okay.

Thank you.

Thank you.

So let's open our Bibles to Romans.

Romans chapter 5.

Romans 5 · chapter mention

Can you do it?

Yes, so we're going to do a Google Translate.

You can help.

Well done.

Thank you.

Yes.

Anybody, can you go to German?

Okay.

Do you speak German?

No.

No.

Good try.

Trevor, can you do it as well?

I can get the Bible verses.

Yeah.

Yeah, just move around.

It's okay.

I don't mind people walking around and move your seats a bit closer.

Yeah.

Okay.

So we're looking at Romans.

Okay.

So please, just help.

Just help.

That's all we're asking.

You can move your seats.

Isabel, if you want to move your seats across the aisle, it's right.

You're very good.

Thank you.

So, Romans chapter 5.

Romans 5 · chapter mention

And we're going to read verses 1 to 11.

Yeah, just show if you've got it there.

You can just pass it over and they'll follow along.

Romans 5, 1 to 11.

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 boast 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 into our hearts

through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

You see, at just the right time,

when we were still powerless,

Christ died for the ungodly.

Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person,

though for a good person,

someone might possibly dare to die.

But 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?

For if, while we were God's enemies,

we were reconciled to him through the death of his son,

how much more, having been reconciled,

shall we be saved through his life?

Not only is this so,

but we also boast in God

through our Lord Jesus Christ,

through whom we have now received reconciliation.

So we're going to pray and ask for God's help.

Our Father God, thank you for your word.

Thank you for your Holy Spirit.

Thank you that you speak our language.

You communicate with us.

And we ask that you would help us all today

that we may understand something of your word and your truth,

that it may build us up in our walk with you,

that we may all leave encouraged and refreshed.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

So as we start, I have two questions.

Here's the first question.

Can you explain the gospel?

If someone asked you,

what's the gospel?

What's it all about?

Would you be able to give an answer?

Can you explain the gospel?

The second question is related but different.

Have you experienced the gospel?

Do you know what effect or what change it brings in your life?

You see, the gospel isn't just something that we know in our heads.

It's something that's to be lived in our life.

We're not just to understand the gospel,

but we are to enjoy the gospel.

So before we go any further,

we're going to explain what the gospel is.

And the gospel can be explained

by using two words that we find in our text.

One is a legal word and one is a relational word.

Here's the first one, justification.

Look at verse one.

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith.

This little phrase justified by or through faith summarises all of chapters one to four.

It's all about what Jesus has done for us.

Jesus Christ came into the world to exchange places with you and I.

That's what we see at the end of verse eight.

End of verse eight.

While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Jesus takes our place.

He takes our record of sin on himself.

And in its place, he gives us his record of righteousness.

So our sin, he takes.

His righteousness, he gives.

In other words, Jesus is treated as we deserve to be treated.

So that by faith, we are treated as Jesus deserves to be treated.

And that's what it means to be justified by faith.

We are declared right with God.

We're put into a right relationship.

It's a legal term and it gives us a status that can't be changed.

So we are right with God.

The second word is reconciliation.

These are the results or the effects of justification.

So look down at verse 11.

Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

through whom we have now received reconciliation.

So reconciliation means that we can now enjoy a living and vibrant relationship with Jesus today.

We're no longer his enemies, but we're now his friends.

And it's all possible because of what Jesus has done.

That's a relational status.

It's something to enjoy.

So you see, the gospel isn't just something we need to explain.

It is something to be experienced.

It's not just something we know in our heads.

It's something to enjoy and to live out of our hearts.

So what we want to do today is to discover and think about what it means to enjoy the gospel every day.

How can I enjoy the gospel?

Not just know it, but enjoy it.

So here we go.

The first one is experience the gospel.

Let's read verses 1 and 2.

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 boast in the hope of the glory of God.

So did you see those three things?

Because of what Jesus has done, we have peace with God.

We now stand in his grace, and we have the hope of glory.

There's a past, present, and future.

The peace that came because of what Jesus has done,

the grace in which we now stand,

and the hope of glory that is yet to come.

To help us understand this, I want us to picture this scene.

I want you to think of yourself as standing under a great big waterfall on a hot day.

That water rushing down,

and you're standing underneath the waterfall as it comes rushing down.

It's fresh, and it's cool.

And at the bottom of that waterfall is a great big poo.

And from that poo is a series of other mini waterfalls that flow down to it,

to another poo.

It's a picture of what we have here.

The main poo is the relationship we have with Christ,

because we are justified and reconciled.

And that overflows into peace, grace, and hope.

The gospel is to be experienced as it overflows into our lives.

So we're going to look at these three pools in turn.

The first one is we have peace with God.

Peace isn't just the absence of an enemy,

but it's the presence of a friend.

That's what chapters 1 to 4 is.

It's all about explaining how we were enemies,

how we were under God's just judgment,

but now we have peace with God.

And that peace is not unlike the peace

that was enjoyed in the Garden of Eden.

Humanity in harmony with its creator

and with creation.

There was a sense of safety and security,

a place of well-being and wholeness,

in search of nothing because you have everything,

satisfied and fulfilled.

That's something that we can enjoy today,

a living, vibrant relationship with God.

So we have peace.

The second, we have grace.

See what it says?

We have peace through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Verse 2,

Through whom we have now gained access by faith

into this grace in which we now stand.

Grace is God's continuous generosity towards us,

which is unearned and undeserved.

In practice, it means God no longer treats us

as our sins deserve.

He treats us now as if we were his own son,

loved and treasured.

And because of Jesus,

all our sin is covered,

past, present and future.

And that's something extraordinary

because it means that

when I sin and when I fail,

I don't fall out of favour from God

and I don't have to work my way back into God.

I am always forgiven,

always accepted,

always welcomed,

despite my sin.

We stand safe and secure

in God's grace.

So not only do we have hope and grace

in which we can enjoy,

but we have the hope of glory.

Verse 2,

end of verse 2,

we boast in the hope of the glory of God.

We all know, don't we,

from our own personal experience

that the world we live in

is terribly broken and disordered.

Nations are at war.

Cultures clash.

Families are broken.

Individual lives are wrecked

through abuse and selfish addiction.

None of us gets to go through life

without being untouched by this brokenness.

It affects every one of us.

We get sick.

We die.

We face injustice.

But, as Christians, as believers,

we have the hope of glory to come.

And hope in the Bible

is not,

oh I hope it will happen,

a kind of,

well,

if I work a little bit harder

I might get a bit closer.

Hope in the Bible

is always absolute certainty.

One day

we have the hope of glory

when this world will be renewed and restored.

Paradise promised in all its perfection.

This is ours to enjoy.

Guaranteed and assured.

So this is the gospel.

This is for us not just to know in our head,

but to experience every day.

And the invitation is to come to that waterfall

to experience the flood of grace and mercy

and joy and peace

flowing down on our life.

You see, so often we can spend our time

trying to find enjoyment

in other things.

If only I could find that right job.

If I could get the right partner.

If I could just get that right thing.

Then everything will be okay.

But those pools are stagnant.

We are to experience the gospel

by immersing ourselves in the gospel.

But before we move on,

let's note that these things

can never ever be taken from us.

Look at what it says.

We have peace.

We have gained access to his grace.

And we boast in the hope of glory.

These can never be taken from us

because they have been secured

through the Lord Jesus Christ.

These are benefits of the gospel

that can be never taken

never changed

and never altered.

So we experience the gospel

every day.

The second thing

when it comes to enjoying the gospel

is to know how to apply the gospel.

Working it out in our life.

So read with me verse 3.

Not only so,

but we also glory in our sufferings

or we rejoice in our sufferings.

Did you read that carefully?

Did you?

That's hard, isn't it?

Rejoice in our sufferings

or glory in our sufferings?

That's hard because I know that many of you

suffer in different ways.

We've just said we live in a world

that is broken,

disordered and distorted.

Not just the physical world,

but our own personal lives.

As we go through our life,

we experience suffering

in all kinds of different ways.

Physically, emotionally and mentally.

And the last thing we feel like doing

is rejoicing.

How am I to rejoice

in my illness?

How am I to be grateful

in my condition?

How am I to see good

in my struggle?

Well, let me make it clear.

Rejoicing doesn't mean

that we jump around the place

with a big smile on our face

as if this is wonderful.

No, it means that through Christ

we now have a new way

at looking at our suffering

which we can rejoice about.

It gives us a different perspective.

You see, most of the time

we see nothing good in suffering.

The only good that can happen

is to get rid of it.

But the Gospel tells us

something different.

Because of the Gospel,

we can look at our suffering

through a different lens

and see that it brings good.

So look at verse 3 again.

Not only so,

but we also glory or rejoice

in our sufferings

because we know

that suffering produces

perseverance,

perseverance character

and character hope.

It builds perseverance.

You know, as we journey through life,

as we walk through life,

there'll be many times

we want to give up and give in.

It's too much of a struggle,

too much of a burden.

But through our suffering,

we learn our dependence on God

and as we depend upon Him,

so we persevere.

He gives us the ability

to keep on going.

He gives us the strength

to carry on.

So through our suffering,

we build perseverance.

And that has a knock-on effect

because it builds our character.

Have you noticed

that some of the most generous-hearted,

kind-loving people

are those who suffer?

Why is it that those

who suffer the most

care for others the most?

Because the Gospel

has taught them

that through suffering,

they have patience,

understanding,

and empathy.

They can come alongside people

who are also suffering

and say,

you know what?

I've been there.

I know what it feels like.

And let me show you

a God

who will hold you

and keep you

and never let you go.

You see,

the perseverance

that God gives us,

the strength He gives us,

changes our character

so that we

are able to draw

alongside others

to help them

in their suffering.

But there's a third link

to this chain.

Not only perseverance

and character,

but it builds hope.

You see,

when we're fit

and healthy

and all is good,

heaven and our eternal rest

can seem irrelevant

and not required.

But when suffering comes,

it reminds us

that this earth

is not our home.

We're longing

for something better

and greater.

Suffering fuels

our desire

to be finished

with the struggles

of this world.

to be released

from our decaying bodies,

to be set free

from our tortured minds.

Suffering builds

within us

an anticipation

and an expectation

of our final home.

So all of these

knock-on effects.

God strengthens us

to give us perseverance

that builds

and changes

our character

so that we are able

to help those

who are suffering

and together

it creates

an astounding

expectation

of the glory

that is to come.

You see,

because of the gospel,

we can rejoice

in our suffering.

Do you see

what it says there?

Glory

or rejoice

in.

It doesn't say

glory

about your sufferings.

There's nothing

good

about suffering

in and of itself.

But we can glory

in it

because we now

have a new perspective,

a new way

of thinking

about it.

Well,

you say,

that sounds great.

But how can I

know that

as a reality

in my life?

Well,

look at verse 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.

We know

God loves us

because he's

proved his love

by dying for us

on the cross.

But we just

don't want to

know that

in our heads.

We want to

experience that

in our life.

And how does

that come about?

By the work

of the Holy Spirit

who pours,

who takes

the demonstrated

love of God

and pours

that into

our life

so that

even in

our suffering

we know

that he loves

us because

he's producing

perseverance,

character

and hope.

So think of

yourself under

that roaring

fountain

or that

waterfall

cascading

down upon

you,

the love

of God

pouring down

on your life.

The Holy

Spirit

internalises

that

so that

we know

even in

our most

difficult

times

God is

doing a

work in

our life

for good

and for

his glory.

So

we apply

the gospel.

We experience

it.

And third,

we're to

remember

the gospel.

You see,

if we're to

know this

gospel,

if we're to

experience it

in our life,

we need to

remember what

it's all about.

How do we

remember?

Well,

two very

simple things

that we should

all know.

We remember

it by

focusing

on the

cross.

Look at

verse 6.

You see,

at just

the right

time,

when we

were still

powerless,

Christ died

for the

ungodly.

Very rarely

will anyone

die for a

righteous

person,

though for a

good person

someone might

possibly dare

to die.

But God

demonstrates

his own

love for us

in this.

While we

were still

sinners,

Christ died

for us.

It reminds

us of

what we

were like.

Do you

see what it

says there

in verse

10?

Or,

sorry,

verse 6

and verse

7?

That we

were ungodly.

We were

sinners,

enemies of

God.

But perhaps

what is most

revealing is

it tells us

we were

powerless,

verse 6.

No one

has the

power to

change their

relationship

with God.

Nobody has

the inner

resources to

make God

love us

or for God

to change

us.

It is

something that

God does

for us.

He takes

the initiative.

He intervenes

in our life.

He's the one

who dies

for us.

Twice it

tells us,

in verse 6

and in

verse 8,

Christ

died

for us

because he

loves us.

He loves

us deeply.

So as we

remind ourselves

of this gospel

truth that he

intervened into

our life

to die for

us so that

we could

experience his

peace,

his grace,

his hope,

so that we

could rejoice

in our

suffering and

know that he

is bringing

about perseverance,

that he is

bringing about

strength to

our life,

changing our

character and

giving us

hope.

So we

focus on the

cross and

we focus on

the resurrection.

Look at

verse 10

with me.

For if

while we

were God's

enemies,

we were

reconciled to

him through

the death

of his

son,

how much

more,

having been

reconciled,

shall we

be saved

through his

life?

You see,

the fact,

and I think

there it's

talking about

his resurrection

life.

How shall we

be saved

through his

resurrection

life?

The fact

that Christ

rose from

the grave

is the

proof that

we need

to know

that we

will receive

our full

salvation.

Because

Christ

rose,

we will

rise.

And because

he rose

again,

we know

that we

will experience

peace and

grace and

joy in

all its

fullness in

eternity to

come.

I need to

remind myself

of that

truth.

We have it

because we

are saved

through his

resurrection

life.

So these

are the

twin truths

that we

are to

carry with

us every

single day.

We need

to remind

ourselves of

these truths,

the cross

and the

resurrection.

Remember

that waterfall

that we

talked about?

As the

water comes

cascading down

and it

fills up

that pool

and from

that pool

it overflows

to other

ones?

Well,

if that

waterfall

stopped,

those pools

would not be

there.

In other

words,

it needs to

be continually

filled up

and overflowing.

And we

need to

fill up in

our life.

We need to

fill our

lives up

with the

gospel,

to go

back to

the truth

of the

cross and

the

resurrection.

And as

it does,

it overflows

into our

life with

peace and

grace and

hope,

giving us

a future,

giving us

strength to

live for

today.

So my

invitation and

encouragement

for us all

is that we

would swim

in the

gospel every

day.

Don't just

dip your

toe in,

and just

kind of

put a

finger in

and see

what it's

like.

No,

jump in,

immerse

yourself,

apply it,

and enjoy

the gospel.

We have

been justified.

We are

reconciled.

We have a

great relationship

with our

God.

Let's

pray.

Amen.

God,

we are

going to

pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Our

Father God,

we thank

you so

much for

the truth

of the

gospel.

Thank you

that you

have saved

us,

you have

rescued us,

and you

have given

us peace

with you

today,

grace to

cover all

of our

sin,

the hope

of glory

to come.

Would you

please help

us as we

go through

our struggles

and trials

to be able

to look at

them with

your perspective,

to know that

you are working

good in them

and through

them,

strengthening

us,

building us

up,

transforming

our character,

and giving

us the hope

of what we

have to come.

Father,

help us

that we

would remember

the truth

of the

gospel

every day,

that Jesus

died for

me,

that Jesus

was raised

for me,

so that I

can be safe

and secure

with him

now and

forever.

We give

you our

praise,

we say

thank you,

in Jesus'

name,

Amen.

Well,

we're going

to sing

together,

one that

helps us

to rejoice

further

in the

gospel,

to God

be the

glory,

great things

he has

done,

so loved

he the

world

that he

gave us

his

son.

So let's

stand

together

as we

sing.

Thank you.