Where We Have Been? Series 1 - The Wrath of God Revealed (Romans 1-3:20) Sermon 1: Introduction to the Book of Romans: No Excuses Sermon 2: God s Wrath against Unrighteousness: Worship and Sex Exchanges Sermon 3: God s Wrath against Self Righteousness: Hypocrisy Sermon 4: God s Wrath against Everybody: Descriptions of Hell Series 2- The Righteousness of God Revealed (Romans 3:21-5:21) Sermon 1: Justified The Great God Exchange Sermon 2: Justified Cha-Ching! Your Account is Full!! Background/Review: A. Righteousness is a key word in the book of Romans. It means fulfilling all the demands required within the relationship. If you want to understand the book of Romans, you must get a grip on the term righteousness. The Greek term is diakaiosune and it is synonymous with being declared righteousness, which is the exact same thing as being justified. From Romans chpt. 3 8 the term diakaisune is used over 35x s. B. Paul still wants the Christians in Rome not to get confused about the means of righteousness. C. Righteousness does not come by trying to obey the law of God. We all fall short. He gives his Jewish audience a flashback into their own Jewish history. Righteousness came by faith (as illustrated by Abraham) way before the law was ever introduced (under the life of Moses) D. Righteousness does not come by means of circumcision. Just because you were dedicated to the Lord as a baby does not mean that today you are in right standing with God. Paul does another flashback into their own tradition proving that faith came before circumcision and that faith is the basis for being declared righteous by God. 1
Rom 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified, through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. I. Recognizing Your Legal Status before God: Therefore, since we have been justified Since you have been declared the righteousness of God Since you are in right standing with God In other words, since you have fulfilled all the requirements of being in good relationship to the Father, not through the law of Moses and not through circumcision (sorry Jews), rather it is through faith, through our Lord Jesus Christ Declare that Faith, not works, is the means of your good standing with God on a regular basis. 2
II. The Results of Your Justification A. You have peace with God (5:1) B. You stand in the Favor of God (5:2) Understanding that it is through Jesus in which you have gained access into the grace (unmerited favor of God) in which you now stand. Do not be afraid, to express your faith out-loud that you have peace with God and now stand in the favor of God since you have been justified. Other ways that you could interpret the theology of Romans 5:1-2 1. Therefore; because of your faith, the God of Justice has already justified you in his courtroom of Judgment through Jesus Christ your Lord and this is the whole reason on why you have peace with God and stand in the undeserved favor of God. 2. Therefore, since the Great God exchange whereby you believe that Jesus Christ your Lord took away all of your sin in exchange for giving you all of his righteousness you now have peace with God and stand in his favor! 3. Therefore, since you believe that your Lord Jesus Christ not only paid your debt, but has also accredited into your account all of his righteousness - you now have peace with God and also stand in his favor. 3
III. Rejoice in your Right Standing (5:2b-5) A. For your Eternal Future Rom. 5:2b And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 1. Rejoice means to boast. 2. Hope means to be confident. 3. In other words, we are to boast in our future expectation by being fully confident in that we will inherit the kingdom of God because of our good stance. The mere fact that all of your sin (bad debt) has been cleared before God, that all of Christ s righteousness has been credited to your account, that you have peace with God, and that you stand in the favor of God should give you a future snapshot of what life will be like in the presence of God s glory. B. During your Present Hardship Rom. 5:3-5 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. 1. Do not believe the false teaching that says Christians will never have hardship. Many are tempted to believe that if they are suffering then that means they have somehow lost their good standing before God. 2. Just because you are going through hard times, does not mean at all that you have lost the favor of God. If you could lose the favor/grace of God, then that would mean that it was earned favor and not unearned grace as a gift. 4
3. There is a difference between Godly Suffering and Ungodly Suffering a. Godly Suffering happens when you are suffering for doing what is good in wanting to be obedient to your Lord. Godly Suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, then produces character. When this happens something clicks in your spirit man where you get to a point where you know that you are not going to give up even if that means dying. Jesus warned his disciples that they would be persecuted (John 15:18-20) Jesus suffered and endured the cross because of the future hope he had of redeeming man. This gave him persevering joy despite the deep suffering (Heb.12:2). Jesus encourages the church in Smyrna not to lose hope despite their present suffering (Rev. 2:8-11). b. Ungodly Suffering happens as a result of our ungodliness, which may have consequences such as divorce, the loss of life, broken relationships, and being fired. Nevertheless, God uses that type of suffering to get people to a place of repentance so they can, over time, be restored and learn from their mistakes. 4. Despite whatever hardships we go through we have the seal of the Holy Spirit within our hearts as a deposit into the future hope (Eph. 1:13-14). The Holy Spirit in our hearts serves as an inner witness that you belong to God. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. 5
IV. God s Motive for Giving us a Right Standing Rom 5:6-11 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! 10 For if, when 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! 11 Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. A. To demonstrate his love (5:8) We were sinners We were God s enemies deserving his righteous wrath B. To reconcile us back into relationship (5:10-11) This is the heart of the gospel. This is the heart of justification. God needed to remove our sin by charging it to Jesus (he suffered our wrath), while crediting us with his righteousness (so we could be blessed). God s justice and mercy are both satisfied. We have peace with God and now stand in the favor of God. It is with this understanding that we talk to the Father in Jesus name. When we talk to him in the name of Jesus, He is pleased because it displays the beauty of his salvation. God wants relationship. 6