[The following is the manuscript of my sermon delivered as Pastor of Pilgrim Reformed Church in Lexington, NC on Sunday, June 1, 2014.]
Today we are reading from Paul’s letter to the church in Rome, the fifth chapter, verses 1 through 11:
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. 6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. 10 For if while 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. 11 And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.--Romans 5:1-11 (NASB)
Let us pray... Father, we come together this morning to worship You, to hear Your word and the message Your Holy Spirit speaks to us, to grow ever closer to Your Son, Jesus. Grant us the wisdom, please Lord, to heed what You whisper into our hearts. In the holy name of Jesus Christ our Savior we pray. Amen.
A man was hiking along the Appalachian Trail when he came upon a huge grizzly bear trying to scoop honey from a hollow tree trunk. Startled, the bear turned and started chasing the man. Through the woods they both ran, the bear slowly gaining ground as the man kept tripping and stumbling over the rocks and tree roots. Nearly exhausted, the man’s feet got all tangled up and he went down in a heap. The man reconciled to his fate this bear represented as it drew nearer now, huffing and puffing from all the exertion. Grasping for that last straw, the man closed his eyes and prayed, “Oh God, please make this bear a Christian!” Immediately the bear stopped in its tracks and fell to its knees. Bringing its forepaws together, the bear bowed its head and said, “Father, thank you for this meal which I am about to receive.”
The word “reconciled” can have a number of meanings. That little joke just spoke of one: accepting or being resigned to something that is not really desired. The man didn’t want to die, but the bear was almost on top of him, he had fallen and was just too tired to get up; the end looked certain and near. He was becoming reconciled to his envisioned fate when he had the last gasp idea to pray to God for help. Maybe he should have thought of that first.
Another meaning for reconciled is one we don’t hear very often, if at all: to re-consecrate something, such as a building or grounds that have been desecrated, so as to set it apart once again for the use of our Lord. But neither of those are what Paul is referring to when he says we are reconciled to God through the death of His Son.
Paul did not start up every church he wrote a letter to; he didn’t even visit all of them. The church in Rome was one such exception. Paul did not plant it nor had he even visited it when he wrote this letter. In fact, the church was thriving and widely known at this point in time. Paul was writing to them because he wanted to go there to minister to them. That makes this letter sort of an application for employment. And believe me, it is a lot better than the one I wrote in hopes of coming here.
Maybe this is why this letter is so much more formal sounding than those Paul sent to other churches. Maybe he wanted to impress the church in Rome so they would call him. Whatever the reason, Paul uses this letter to establish the doctrine of justification by faith, and the ramifications of justification.
The section we are looking at today was subtitled in a couple of bibles I referenced as “the Benefits of Righteousness” and “the Results of Justification”. Justification would be a great subject to discuss because it is a wonderful gift from God, His declared purpose for mankind, where He would treat those sinners who believe in Christ Jesus as if they had never sinned, based purely on the grounds of the actions and sacrifice of our Savior Jesus. We who believe are justified by the precious blood of our risen Lord, shed on our behalf. Being justified, God will look at us through Jesus’ eyes when we stand before Him for judgment. Paul lays that all out for us right there in verse 9.
Justification is definitely a benefit of righteousness, isn’t it? King David affirms this in his 103rd Psalm, verses 1-4…
A man was hiking along the Appalachian Trail when he came upon a huge grizzly bear trying to scoop honey from a hollow tree trunk. Startled, the bear turned and started chasing the man. Through the woods they both ran, the bear slowly gaining ground as the man kept tripping and stumbling over the rocks and tree roots. Nearly exhausted, the man’s feet got all tangled up and he went down in a heap. The man reconciled to his fate this bear represented as it drew nearer now, huffing and puffing from all the exertion. Grasping for that last straw, the man closed his eyes and prayed, “Oh God, please make this bear a Christian!” Immediately the bear stopped in its tracks and fell to its knees. Bringing its forepaws together, the bear bowed its head and said, “Father, thank you for this meal which I am about to receive.”
The word “reconciled” can have a number of meanings. That little joke just spoke of one: accepting or being resigned to something that is not really desired. The man didn’t want to die, but the bear was almost on top of him, he had fallen and was just too tired to get up; the end looked certain and near. He was becoming reconciled to his envisioned fate when he had the last gasp idea to pray to God for help. Maybe he should have thought of that first.
Another meaning for reconciled is one we don’t hear very often, if at all: to re-consecrate something, such as a building or grounds that have been desecrated, so as to set it apart once again for the use of our Lord. But neither of those are what Paul is referring to when he says we are reconciled to God through the death of His Son.
Paul did not start up every church he wrote a letter to; he didn’t even visit all of them. The church in Rome was one such exception. Paul did not plant it nor had he even visited it when he wrote this letter. In fact, the church was thriving and widely known at this point in time. Paul was writing to them because he wanted to go there to minister to them. That makes this letter sort of an application for employment. And believe me, it is a lot better than the one I wrote in hopes of coming here.
Maybe this is why this letter is so much more formal sounding than those Paul sent to other churches. Maybe he wanted to impress the church in Rome so they would call him. Whatever the reason, Paul uses this letter to establish the doctrine of justification by faith, and the ramifications of justification.
The section we are looking at today was subtitled in a couple of bibles I referenced as “the Benefits of Righteousness” and “the Results of Justification”. Justification would be a great subject to discuss because it is a wonderful gift from God, His declared purpose for mankind, where He would treat those sinners who believe in Christ Jesus as if they had never sinned, based purely on the grounds of the actions and sacrifice of our Savior Jesus. We who believe are justified by the precious blood of our risen Lord, shed on our behalf. Being justified, God will look at us through Jesus’ eyes when we stand before Him for judgment. Paul lays that all out for us right there in verse 9.
Justification is definitely a benefit of righteousness, isn’t it? King David affirms this in his 103rd Psalm, verses 1-4…
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul,--Psalm 103:1-4 (NASB)
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits;
3 Who pardons all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases;
4 Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion.
Both David and Paul want to make sure we don’t forget the benefits of God, the benefits of righteousness. God pardons our sins, and then some: that’s justification. He heals our diseases, especially those of the soul. He redeems us from the pit, from the lake of fire, from eternal damnation, and crowns us with lovingkindness and compassion. Justification is a beautiful message in and of itself.
But the Holy Spirit kept whispering “you are reconciled” as I pondered over what to focus on today. You are reconciled… Yes, we’re justified, because we believe. We’re also reconciled to God, because Jesus loves us so much.
Let’s look at those definitions again, because I left one out, on purpose. To be reconciled is to be brought into harmony, made compatible or consistent. Hmmm… by that definition, I guess our choir is doubly reconciled – brought into harmony in God and in song.
This is what Paul means; this is what he is trying to tell us. By the same act of justification, Jesus reconciled us to the Father. And unlike being eaten by a bear, this is a fate we truly want to be reconciled to!
Paul declares that while we were still sinners, while we were enemies to God, Jesus sacrificed His own flesh and blood to reconcile us to God, to save us. While we were helpless, at just the right time, Jesus died for us, for mankind, the ungodly. Remember that Paul started this discussion by noting that since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God? Well, we would not have that peace had we not been reconciled.
And with this peace we have hope in the glory of God. We exult in that hope, and more than that, we rejoice in our tribulations! He says so, right there in verse 3. What possible excuse could Paul give for expecting us to exult in our tribulations, to rejoice when everything is going bad for us? Look in verse 5: because of that hope - the hope resulting from the peace of God, the hope building from persevering through the tough times; because that hope does not disappoint.
But getting through really challenging times can be scary, especially when the bear is closing in and we keep tripping over the stumbling blocks Satan places along our path. Fortunately for us, Isaiah has a remedy for being scared, in the 41st chapter of his book, verse 10…
But the Holy Spirit kept whispering “you are reconciled” as I pondered over what to focus on today. You are reconciled… Yes, we’re justified, because we believe. We’re also reconciled to God, because Jesus loves us so much.
Let’s look at those definitions again, because I left one out, on purpose. To be reconciled is to be brought into harmony, made compatible or consistent. Hmmm… by that definition, I guess our choir is doubly reconciled – brought into harmony in God and in song.
This is what Paul means; this is what he is trying to tell us. By the same act of justification, Jesus reconciled us to the Father. And unlike being eaten by a bear, this is a fate we truly want to be reconciled to!
Paul declares that while we were still sinners, while we were enemies to God, Jesus sacrificed His own flesh and blood to reconcile us to God, to save us. While we were helpless, at just the right time, Jesus died for us, for mankind, the ungodly. Remember that Paul started this discussion by noting that since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God? Well, we would not have that peace had we not been reconciled.
And with this peace we have hope in the glory of God. We exult in that hope, and more than that, we rejoice in our tribulations! He says so, right there in verse 3. What possible excuse could Paul give for expecting us to exult in our tribulations, to rejoice when everything is going bad for us? Look in verse 5: because of that hope - the hope resulting from the peace of God, the hope building from persevering through the tough times; because that hope does not disappoint.
But getting through really challenging times can be scary, especially when the bear is closing in and we keep tripping over the stumbling blocks Satan places along our path. Fortunately for us, Isaiah has a remedy for being scared, in the 41st chapter of his book, verse 10…
10 ‘Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
--Isaiah 41:10 (NASB)
That was God speaking to Isaiah, instructing him what to tell the children of Israel. God says, “Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be anxious, for I am your God.” The same God that Jesus reconciled us to is with us. He doesn’t want us to be afraid or anxious, ever again. We have been brought into harmony with Him and He will strengthen us with His righteous right hand.
Paul echoes this and adds a little to it, in his letter to the Philippians, chapter 4, verse 6…
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.--Philippians 4:6 (NASB)
Be anxious about nothing, do not fear. Not only is God with us, He is ever ready to answer our prayers.
Why would God protect us? Why would He even consider answering our prayers? After all, we’re just sinners, right? Why? Because we have been made compatible with Him. When He looks at us now, He sees us as being consistent with His will for us. And it’s all because Jesus reconciled us to Him. His Son, our Brother, brought us back into harmony with our Father.
So before we think we’re justified to do anything we want, we need to remember the price Jesus paid to give us that justification, the debt we owe Him for our reconciliation. There’s no way we can ever repay that debt. Nothing we’ve ever done or can ever hope to do will allow us to justify ourselves. The good thing is, we don’t have to. Jesus did it for us. Jesus covered the cost.
So let us rejoice in our trials and tribulations. Let us humbly pray, and always with thanksgiving, knowing our Father will hear; for we are at peace with God.
We are reconciled.
Amen.
Let us pray… Heavenly Father, we have been justified by the grace You gave us, redeemed by Your one true Son, through whom we have received reconciliation by His sacrifice, by His blood. You have asked so little in return, simply that we love You, love one another, and believe in Jesus. Forgive us, please Lord, when we fall short of what You would have us be and do. Father, we pray in the most glorious name of Jesus Christ, our Strength and our Redeemer. Amen.
Why would God protect us? Why would He even consider answering our prayers? After all, we’re just sinners, right? Why? Because we have been made compatible with Him. When He looks at us now, He sees us as being consistent with His will for us. And it’s all because Jesus reconciled us to Him. His Son, our Brother, brought us back into harmony with our Father.
So before we think we’re justified to do anything we want, we need to remember the price Jesus paid to give us that justification, the debt we owe Him for our reconciliation. There’s no way we can ever repay that debt. Nothing we’ve ever done or can ever hope to do will allow us to justify ourselves. The good thing is, we don’t have to. Jesus did it for us. Jesus covered the cost.
So let us rejoice in our trials and tribulations. Let us humbly pray, and always with thanksgiving, knowing our Father will hear; for we are at peace with God.
We are reconciled.
Amen.
Let us pray… Heavenly Father, we have been justified by the grace You gave us, redeemed by Your one true Son, through whom we have received reconciliation by His sacrifice, by His blood. You have asked so little in return, simply that we love You, love one another, and believe in Jesus. Forgive us, please Lord, when we fall short of what You would have us be and do. Father, we pray in the most glorious name of Jesus Christ, our Strength and our Redeemer. Amen.
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