Romans 5 - Experience Grace

You are listening to a message from Southwood Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, Alabama.

Our passion is to experience and express grace. Join us.

Turn with me this morning to Romans chapter 5. Romans 5.

Romans 5 · chapter mention

The text will be on the screen behind me or in the Bible in the pews in front of you.

It's on page 942. 942.

The new year is a great time to examine some of your core commitments, your fundamental priorities,

things that are most important to you as a person and as a church as well.

As a church that seeks to see God's kingdom advance, that's our vision,

Southwood's particular mission is to experience and express grace.

If you've been here a little while, you've probably heard that or read that.

Hopefully you've seen this slide on the screens around the building.

To experience and express grace.

That's what we want to be about.

That's a catchy mission statement, right?

Experience and express grace.

But having a mission statement is only helpful if we actually know what we mean by that.

And that's really important, not merely because a church made this its mission statement,

but because this is actually the way God designed for all of us to live.

We're going to see that this morning.

Individually and corporately, those two pistons firing together is God's heart for the people

He created to fill the earth with His glory.

Experience grace and express grace.

I mentioned earlier during the announcements that next weekend is our Express Grace Conference

where we're going to talk for the weekend about what it can look like when God's grace transforms us

so that His heart flows through us to others, right?

Express grace.

So I thought this morning we would look for a few minutes at what we mean when we say experience grace.

How would I know if I've experienced it?

How often does that happen?

What difference does it make to be a person or to be a part of a church that is regularly experiencing grace?

What does that even mean?

There are a lot of angles we could take on that, a lot to say about it.

But this morning I want to look at Romans 5 as our starting point.

We'll just read the first two verses now and then talk about the experience of God's grace together

from this great passage and others.

God's holy word in Romans 5 where Paul has just been talking about the righteousness of God

that comes to sinful people.

They receive it by faith.

And then he says this, chapter 5 verse 1.

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

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.

Thus far God's holy word.

Let's pray and ask for His help as we study it together.

Father, Father, we come to You as we love to do because You love to show us Jesus in Your Word.

You love to make our hearts see our need of You.

You love to teach us by Your Spirit.

And so we come as those who need to learn again this morning,

who need to know You more, to love You more, to serve You more.

And we ask that as You meet with us this morning, You would change us.

That we would not be the same.

That we would see Jesus as more glorious.

And we would love Him more.

Would You do that in each of our hearts?

We ask for His sake.

Amen.

About this time two years ago, as Southwood was entering a season of transition,

we learned together from the book of Ephesians that what we needed as a church was not a new pastor,

but a renewed vision of the glory of God and of the incredible dimensions of His love for us in Jesus.

About this time last year, as I was about to become that new pastor Southwood didn't need,

which was a little awkward,

we talked about our ongoing need for Jesus.

Not me, not a new program, but for Jesus.

And we said that grace was best understood not as an abstract theological concept,

but rather as a person.

That experiencing grace meant our constant needs, constantly being met in Christ.

So I'll let you in on a little secret this morning for this sermon.

This is basically that same sermon.

It's all about Jesus.

And we hear that every week from every page of Scripture.

But this week, as we talk about experiencing grace from Romans 5,

God is reminding us again that it is all about Jesus.

That all of His Word, all of our mission, what He's called us to.

I wanted to tell you that while that glorious melody of fairest Lord Jesus was still in your heads.

Because it needs to stay in our heads.

It needs to stay there.

It needs to work its way from our heads to our hearts

that we would actually see Jesus as fairest, as most beautiful and glorious.

You see, if Jesus isn't beautiful and glorious to us,

and if we aren't desperate for His presence and power in us and through us,

then I can yell and scream and hire staff and build playgrounds and fund budgets and write mission statements.

But if Jesus isn't beautiful and glorious to us,

and if we're not desperate for His presence with us and His power in us and through us,

we might as well shut the doors.

We might as well stop pretending.

We will still be missing God's heart for us.

We'll still be failing to advance God's kingdom as He has called us to,

if we're not desperate for Jesus.

Just notice in Romans 5 how Paul shows us we have experienced grace one way,

and one way only, and that is through Jesus.

All the blessings we have, we don't deserve,

they're inextricably linked to who He is and what He has done for us.

Verse 1,

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith,

we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

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.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Through Him.

That's how it is that we have grace.

Notice all of it.

Everything that happens in there,

we're going to talk about these glorious gifts that we have.

Everything in these two verses.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Through Him.

None of it comes to us any other way.

It's through Him.

That's Paul's point later in this chapter when he talks about sin and death coming through one man, Adam,

and grace and life coming through one man, Jesus.

Look at verse 17.

I think it's on the next slide.

For if because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man,

much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness

reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men,

so one act of righteousness leads to justification in life for all men.

For as by the one man's disobedience, the many were made sinners,

so by the one man's obedience, the many will be made righteous.

This is that beautiful section where Paul is talking about Jesus as the second Adam.

Adam has done this in his sin, his disobedience,

and we've all become sinners as we follow from him.

But in Christ, something entirely different.

There's so much rich theology just in this one chapter,

but just realize for a second what Paul is saying Jesus has single-handedly done for us.

This is grace, y'all.

These are the things we get that we could never earn for ourselves.

He has secured our right standing with God.

Justified by faith.

Peace with God.

For a rebel like me who failed to keep God's holy law

and could never do enough to be declared innocent, much less righteous,

Jesus takes my sin on the cross

and he gives me his perfect righteousness, justification.

That's the big word we use for that.

Picture the courtroom where God is the judge sitting behind the bench

and he's reviewing my rap sheet.

All of the things I've done and failed to do

and he's prepared to issue the guilty verdict

and the death penalty is coming to me

until Jesus steps in

and takes my punishment, pays my penalty,

and I'm declared not guilty.

Even righteous.

Perfectly righteous.

Justified before God.

But it's more than just that, isn't it?

Grace says this.

It's not just that I'm declared not guilty and perfectly righteous.

The judge jumps down from behind the bench.

He grabs my hand and he walks me down the hallway of the courthouse

to family court.

And he walks in there and he throws off his robe

and he's wearing a shirt that says,

Proud Dad.

And he walks into my adoption proceedings and says,

I want this one to be mine.

Adoption.

Jesus has secured for us the Father's love.

That access that verse 2 is talking about

is the access of a son to a father.

Can you believe that?

It's not just that you're not facing death for your sin anymore.

It's that the God of the universe would want to adopt the death row convict

as his own beloved son.

He wants us sitting at his dinner table.

Sitting in his lap and talking to him.

Jesus has assured us of the Father's love and adoption.

Jesus has empowered us to live for God's glory.

Previously, we only cared about our own glory, right?

This is sanctification.

That's the word we use for it.

What he does in our lives in an ongoing way.

He gives us a new heart and he dwells within me by his spirit

so that, as Paul says here,

grace and life might reign in the place of sin and death.

I'm directed by a new authority.

I'm governed by new desires, Paul says.

I'm a new person because of Jesus.

And finally, of course, there's glorification.

Had to see how many Asian words we could get in in one sermon.

Jesus has guaranteed our eternal inheritance as well.

That's the hope of the glory of God that verse 2 says we rejoice in.

That one day, someday, I will be changed into the image of his son,

God, perfect, and I'll be with him forever.

I was the guy with no future, no hope.

There was nothing to look forward to.

Facing the penalty for my sin,

but now I have a glorious future that can't be taken away.

No one can steal it from me in Christ.

All of that.

All of that.

That we have in Jesus.

None of it we ever could have earned for ourselves.

It's all of grace.

It comes through one man.

Jesus Christ.

That's not merely the message of Romans chapter 5.

Romans 5 · chapter mention

That's the heart of the Bible.

Grace and Jesus.

All the things we get that we don't earn are inextricably linked to him because he earned them.

Justification, adoption, sanctification, glorification.

Every spiritual blessing in Christ.

Ephesians chapter 1.

Ephesians 1 · chapter mention

Jesus comes full of grace and truth and from the fullness of his grace,

we've all received grace upon grace.

One blessing after another.

John chapter 1.

John 1 · chapter mention

So that it's always the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ

that's over and over said to be with you all.

So that we can be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 2.

That's where it's found.

It's not anywhere else.

Because if we abide in Jesus,

if Jesus is living in us,

if we're abiding in him,

Jesus himself tells us,

John chapter 15,

John 15 · chapter mention

we will bear much fruit.

But apart from him,

we can do what?

Nothing.

Apart from me,

Jesus says,

you can do nothing.

So for us as a church,

that's what experience grace means.

That we have one hero.

One perfect Savior.

One in whom we hope.

And so the rest of us are death row convicts

upon whom the Father has poured his grace to overflowing.

It's easy in a church to start thinking we need gifted people.

We need spiritual superstars.

The good looking family.

The members with money.

God would remind us this morning that we are all grace beggars.

Hopeless without it.

Bankrupt on our own.

Completely dependent on Jesus.

That's the one other thing about grace that I want us to see this morning in this passage.

You'll notice in verse 1,

that for people trusting in Christ,

Paul says there is grace in their past.

They have been justified.

Jesus has come,

and through his life, death, and resurrection,

he's made us right with God.

And when he came and lived and died and rose,

he has obtained for us access to the Father.

You'll see there's also grace in our future.

That's where we're rejoicing in the hope of the glory of God.

Future grace.

But the thing I want us to see, especially this morning,

there's a unique reminder that I think is the heart of the passage,

and it's the heart of our mission.

What we really mean when we say we're experiencing grace,

and that is its present value.

This is the grace that we need today.

The grace in which we stand.

Today.

And continually.

This is what Paul's talking about.

This is what we've obtained.

What we've gotten access to through the Father

is we have grace in which we stand.

Grace is what we need.

What we must have to stand before God today.

Moment by moment.

Because God has designed us for relationship with Him.

To live in constant dependence upon Him.

Abiding in Jesus.

Never weaning off of Jesus.

That's God's heart in creation and in redemption.

People who constantly experience grace.

Not just one time in their past.

Not just one day to look forward to in their future.

But what we're talking about when we say in our mission statement

to experience grace is today.

Again, today I need to experience grace.

To live moment by moment in need of Jesus.

Standing only in Him.

No other way.

Let me see if I can explain what I mean with a medical example.

Some Christians, in fact, many of us,

tend to live as though they need Jesus like a vaccination.

He was really important when they first received Him in the past.

And He'll protect them from things in the future.

He'll protect me from hell and maybe some other bad things along the way.

But my deep need of grace was back there in the past when I needed that.

It's something I got already when I got vaccinated.

Sometimes Christians tend to live as though they need Jesus like a vitamin.

They show up regularly because they need their weekly dose of grace.

Their dose of Jesus.

It's important to my health and my life.

It just makes me feel well-rounded.

And perhaps some of us even need daily vitamins.

When we remember to get them, they build us up and make us stronger.

And we need to go and learn of Jesus and read and be with Him even daily.

It kind of builds me up a little extra.

But in both of those scenarios, we're talking about getting grace.

Like it's a vaccination or a vitamin.

Something we can just get.

You know, I get grace.

You've said that maybe before.

I get grace.

I've had that.

But grace is a person.

So it's a person with whom we always need relationship.

Not an item we get enough of.

Or a concept that we master.

Grace is a person.

So we live in relationship with Jesus.

You know, the Bible presents Jesus to us not as a vaccination.

Not as a vitamin.

But as oxygen.

If oxygen were a person, what kind of relationship would you need with him?

Kind of a decent one?

A close one?

Would you need to talk with him often?

Would you live regularly in dependence on them?

Would you need to see him some?

That's how the Bible depicts our need for Jesus.

Spiritually speaking, we need Jesus desperately.

We don't stand for one moment apart from him.

And that's not something we're trying to grow out of.

It's not something we hope changes next week when you all get back and have things figured out.

That's God's grand design.

That we have that close, essential relationship with him.

That's what he wants for us.

That's his goal, not the starting point.

We believe we can't stand for one moment apart from grace.

That we are that needy.

And Jesus says he comes for needy sinners.

Not the healthy, but the sick.

God says he gives his grace to whom?

To the humble.

The needy.

So here's the point.

You won't experience grace to meet your needs if you don't have any.

You won't experience grace to forgive your sin if you don't have any.

You won't experience grace for your failures if you don't have any.

You won't experience grace to give direction in your confusion if you never have any.

You won't experience grace to be sufficient in your weakness as God promises if you don't have any weakness.

I know for those of you who know Jesus, you say your relationship with God is based on grace alone and Christ alone.

And we say that, but do we live that way?

As though that's our only hope and that we need him like we need oxygen.

Or do we relate to God as though we can sometimes do it on our own?

That we relate to him based on our own performance often, don't we?

We know I'm better than him and I'm more spiritual than her and I'm expecting a pretty good day today because I did really well yesterday.

God's probably going to pay me back for that.

And so you'll notice, in fact this is cheating and looking ahead to next week and expressing grace.

But for just a second, if that's something, when you're struggling with that, what you'll notice is if you're relating to God on your own performance,

you'll relate to others that way too based on their performance.

And so you'll be thinking things like, well, I don't know, is he performing well enough to earn my favor today?

Is she worthy of my love today?

And if you're not currently, actively in an ongoing way experiencing grace for needy, sinful, failing, confused, weak you,

you will have no grace and very little time for the needy, sinful failures in your life.

For those who are confused and weak in your circles of influence.

If none of that grace is being poured into you, you'll have none to pour out on others, right?

Makes sense.

But that's next week.

The gospel invites us to come weak and needy to Jesus and to experience the present value.

In that moment, the present value of his grace.

To find that not just once in the past, but again today in this moment, in that difficult situation,

all of his blessings are ours.

Again today, in our weakness, he secures our right standing with God.

Sinner, you stand forgiven in this moment because of Jesus.

Again today, he assures us of the Father's love.

Listen, lonely and rejected one.

God never takes off the proud dad shirt.

He doesn't just wear it at your adoption proceedings.

He never takes it off.

You never lose his smile.

Even in this moment where you feel rejected,

you have his smile.

He is the proud dad because of Jesus.

Again today, he empowers us to live for God's glory.

So if you're failing and you're just faced with that,

there's hope for change in this moment, in this situation because of Jesus.

Again today, he guarantees our eternal inheritance.

If you're discouraged or doubting today and you remember once upon a time when eternity was taken care of

and you weren't going to worry about it, but you're struggling again,

you can trust.

He has secured your eternal inheritance and it's true again today.

Your glorious future is just as certain even in this moment because of Jesus.

Are you sure, Pastor?

How do you know?

Romans 5 verse 6.

Romans 5:6

For while we were still weak,

at the right time,

Christ died for the ungodly.

One will scarcely die for a righteous person.

Perhaps for a good person,

one would dare even to die.

But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners,

Christ died for us.

The grace of Christ is particularly designed for the weak and the sinful.

I love that phrase,

at the right time.

While we were still weak,

while we were still sinners,

at the right time.

It wasn't that that was a terrible time.

Why don't they get it together and get a little stronger and act a little bit better

and then maybe I'll send my son for him.

No, it was right there at your low point.

When you're at your worst,

when you're struggling the most,

that God said,

that's the perfect time because what I'm giving is grace.

And it goes right there.

Jesus died for us.

Right then.

Before he can clean himself up or earn his way back into the family,

the prodigal son sees his father slay the fatted calf,

run off the porch,

throw his arms around him,

and rejoice that his beloved son is home

at just the right time

before he could do anything else.

That's my story.

That's your story.

That Jesus has loved you like that.

He loves you like that again today.

Today again,

Jesus ushers you in to the presence of the holy God

where you can imagine being

and Jesus says,

stand.

Weak one,

stand in the presence of God.

Outcast rebel,

stand in me.

Before God.

Good church kid who could never be good enough.

Stand in the presence of God.

In this grace,

in which we today stand

in God's presence.

Jesus says,

I'm your oxygen.

You couldn't stand.

A moment without.

But I'm with you

and you have me.

So you stand.

What kind of family would you be a part of

if Southwood was your church family?

Robert Farrar Kapan once described life under grace

as the life of a cripple on an escalator.

It's a great image.

Made me think of this short video I saw.

I hope that wasn't any of y'all.

I don't think it was.

But is that you?

Do you see yourself

in that little video clip?

Do you see yourself weak

and helpless?

No way to stand

at the top of the escalator

before God.

Imagine there he is up there

waiting for you

and just a few steps to climb

to get up there to him

and you know you'll never make it.

Life keeps coming at you

bump after bump

and you're gonna fall.

You're gonna fall.

You're never making it to the top

and if you do

you're certainly not standing

before God

in his presence

except

in falling broken

on Jesus

and letting him

carry you

up to the top.

In Jesus

you are certain

to stand

in the presence

of your father

glorious

and without fault

with great joy.

I'm so thankful

to be a part of a church

where this is not merely theoretical

but it's a practical reality.

Listen,

we're far

from perfect.

We're far from perfect

in this way

but Southwood

is a family

where it's a safe place

for weak

and broken people

to experience

grace.

And we need to be safer

because there are some

who come and don't find that.

But I'm thankful

that many

do find that here.

Just from the stories

that I know

you know who makes up

a congregation

like the one sitting

right here this morning?

People walking

through divorce.

People coming out

of prostitution.

Fathers who

lose their tempers.

Moms who gossip

about other moms

they're better than.

Pastors who

crave the approval

of man.

Cynics

wrestling with doubt.

Addicts

battling pornography.

Church kids

who flunked church.

And y'all listen.

There's a lot of others

you can come up with

your own description.

All of us.

We all need

and we all

get

the same

great

gracious

Savior.

all of us.

We all

need him

and he comes

for us.

We all

find

grace.

Or it's

actually even better

than that isn't it?

Grace

finds us

floundering.

Jesus

finds us

weak

and broken

and lying

on our backsides

and unable

to get up

and get into

God's presence

and he

carries us

up into the

presence of God

and says

stand

today

stand

I'm with you.

That's grace.

Jesus

comes

to us.

Listen

absolutely

this glorious

grace

should make us

those

who run

as fast

as we can

to Jesus

by reading

his word

by praying

by worshipping

with his people

by confessing

our sin

and receiving

his forgiveness

absolutely

of course

we need

all of those

things

those are

good and

right

and they

breathe

life

into our

souls

and yet

the most

glorious

part

is that

he

keeps

coming

to us

it's not

how many

times

we've

run

to him

the best

part

is that

he keeps

running

after us

that's what

we just

celebrated

at Christmas

right

the word

became

flesh

and dwelt

among us

so we should

come

weak

and needy

and hungry

for grace

to this

table

this morning

and

we should

be encouraged

to remember

that Jesus

has come

running

toward us

to set

the table

already

with his

body

and his

blood

he was

here

before you

this morning

he ran

towards you

to get

ready for

this

to eat

with you

he himself

is the

grace

we all

need to

experience

this is his

account of

when he was

with his

disciples

at that

last

supper

as they

were eating

Jesus

took bread

and after

blessing it

he broke

it and

gave it

to the

disciples

and said

take

eat

this

is my

body

and he

took a

cup

and when

he had

given

thanks

he gave

it to

them

saying

drink

of it

all

of you

for this

is my

blood

of the

covenant

which is

poured

out for

many

for the

forgiveness

of sins

I tell

you I

will not

drink

again

of this

fruit

of the

vine

until

that

day

when I

drink

it

new

with

you

in

my

father's

kingdom

this

is the

Lord's

table

he

said it

for you

this

morning

it's not

Southwood's

table

it's not

a

Presbyterian

table

if

your

only hope

for standing

in the

presence

of the

God of

the universe

is Jesus

that he

would carry

you there

and that he

would have

died for

your sins

and given

you his

perfect record

in place

of yours

then come

come and

celebrate

with us

his body

and blood

given for

us

if

you

don't

know

Jesus

or

if

you're

not

actively

trusting

him

to be

your

only

hope

with

the

father

then

our

invitation

to you

this

morning

is

not

to

come

to

a

table

not

to

come

to

some

bread

and

some

juice

but

instead

to

actually

come

to

Jesus

himself

to

know

him

to

put

your

trust

in

him

we

would

love

to

talk

with

you

about

that

we

would

love

to

pray

with

you

about

that

please

come

just

come

and

talk

with

us

come

and

tell

us

I'm

not

coming

to

take

these

elements

will

you

just

pray

for

me

you

can

come

and

you

can

participate

in

a

different

way

and

you

can

come

and

know

Jesus

nothing

would

make

us

more

delighted

than

that

you

would

know

for

yourself

the

things

we've

been

talking

about

and

rejoicing

in

this

morning

let

me

we

hope

only

in

you

there's

no one

in this

room

who

could

roll

out

a list

of

spiritual

resume

that

would

commend

them

to

a

holy

God

except

that

you're

here

meeting

with

us

you've

wiped

our slate

clean

and

you've

given

us

yours

all

the

times

you

trusted

your

father

all

the

times

you

obeyed

all

the

times

you

suffered

and

you've

given

us

your

perfect

record

and

so

we

stand

now

to

eat

with

the

father

at

his

table

and

that

astonishes

us

we

thank

you

for

that

we

ask

father

that

you

would

set

aside

these

common

elements

for a

very

sacred

purpose

that

would

build

faith

in

our

hearts

that

we

would

know

that

you

actually

long

to

eat

with

us

that

you

fellowship

with

us

that

you're

delighted

in

us

and

you

rejoice

over

us

because

of

Jesus

do

that

in

this

time

we

ask

in

his

name

amen

for

for

more

information

visit

us

online

at

southwood.org