Participants: Nathan Renner
Series Code: FC
Program Code: FC000351
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00:31 Welcome to Faith Chapel, I'm Nathan
00:33 Renner, Senior Pastor of the Troy 00:34 Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Troy, 00:36 Michigan and today we're gonna be 00:38 discussing how to have peace with God? 00:41 How to have peace with God? 00:43 Before we get into our topic though of course 00:45 we have to pray because we need to 00:46 ask the God of the Bible to be with us and to 00:49 inspire our thoughts as we study His word. 00:52 So, let's pray. Father, as we look at your word, 00:57 we ask that you would speak to our hearts. 01:02 We pray that we could hear your voice 01:04 and we would understand your 01:06 message, bless us now Father as we read, 01:10 speak, we pray in Jesus name, amen. 01:15 We're gonna begin our study today in Romans 01:17 the fifth chapter, Romans chapter 5 verse 1. 01:22 We'll read that text just now it says, 01:24 "Therefore, since we have been justified by 01:28 faith, we have peace with God through our 01:32 Lord Jesus Christ." In Romans 5 verse 1, 01:36 Paul tells us how an individual can have 01:39 peace with God and that is by 01:42 being justified by faith. 01:45 What does justified mean? 01:47 What is the definition of justified? 01:50 Justified means just as if I'd never sinned. 01:55 It means to be accounted righteous. 01:58 So, Paul says that we can be justified by faith, 02:02 that is God can look at us as we had never sinned. 02:06 We can be accounted righteous by putting 02:09 faith in Jesus Christ. And the result 02:11 according to Romans chapter 5 verse 1, 02:14 of being justified by faith is that we have 02:17 peace with God. Now, there's a couple 02:20 of ways to understand this 02:22 concept of peace with God. 02:25 There's the psychological interpretation which 02:29 is goes a little something like this. 02:32 Since I've become a Christian, my life has 02:34 just been filled with such peace. 02:38 Well, certainly when you become a Christian, 02:40 the Lord does fill your life with peace, 02:43 but I don't really think that's the Apostle Paul's 02:47 thought right here. That's not the Apostle 02:49 Paul's thought in fact, Paul is saying something 02:53 much more significant then simply that your 02:55 life is full of peace once you become a Christian. 02:59 He doesn't just say that you have peace; 03:00 he says that you actually have peace 03:03 with God, you have peace with God. 03:06 And so, Paul here is saying that when you 03:09 believe, when you have faith and because of 03:12 your faith God treats you just as if you had 03:14 never sinned, he regards you as if 03:16 you're perfectly righteous. 03:18 Because that is true, the Bible says that 03:20 have peace with God. Now, the concept here 03:23 is that the war between human beings and God 03:27 is over, when a person puts faith in Jesus. 03:31 Look in Romans 5 verse 6, and we'll read 03:34 several verses here in a row. 03:36 Romans chapter 5 verse 6, it says, 03:40 "For while we were still weak, at the right time 03:43 Christ died for the ungodly." 03:48 In Romans 5 verse 6, the Apostle Paul 03:50 describes humanity as being weak and ungodly. 03:54 Notice how we describes humanity in verse 8. 03:58 The Bible says in Romans chapter 5 verse 8, 04:01 "But God shows his love for us in that while 04:03 we were still sinners, Christ died for us." 04:06 So, we are weak, ungodly and according 04:09 to verse 8, we're sinners. 04:12 Now, let's look in verse 10. 04:14 How does Paul described humanity in verse 10. 04:18 "For if while we were enemies 04:20 we were reconciled to God by the death of his 04:23 Son, how much more shall, now that we are 04:27 reconciled, shall we be saved by his life." 04:30 Notice Romans chapter 5 verse 10 describes us 04:33 as enemies of God, we were enemies, 04:37 we were reconciled to God. 04:38 So, now notice the language, we're weak, 04:41 we're ungodly, we're sinners, and we're 04:44 enemies, we're enemies. 04:47 So, in Romans chapter 5 verse 1, when the 04:49 Bible says, therefore being justified by faith, 04:51 we have peace with God. He's not talking about 04:54 a psychological peace; he's talking about the 04:57 kind of peace that is ours when we have 05:00 seized to be enemies of someone else. 05:04 Romans chapter 5 verse 1, is telling us when it 05:07 says we're justified by faith, 05:09 we've peace with God. He is saying that the 05:11 war between you and God is over, that we are 05:16 now at peace with God. That's His promise. 05:21 His promise is that when you put your 05:24 faith in Jesus and God looks at you just as if 05:27 you had never sinned. When you put your 05:29 faith in Christ and he says, I look at you as 05:32 if you have never sinned; I look at you 05:33 as if you're perfectly righteous. 05:36 He says, now you are at peace with God. 05:39 The war is over. You're no longer enemies 05:43 with God, you're no longer ungodly, 05:46 he no longer looks at you as if you're a sinner. 05:49 He looks at you if you're righteous 05:51 and that you are at peace. 05:55 Now, we're gonna look at Romans chapter 5 05:58 verse 2, let's read Romans chapter 5 verse 2. 06:01 Of course we've read verse 1, we know we're 06:03 at peace with God verse 2 now says in Romans 06:05 chapter 5 verse 2, "Through him we have 06:08 also obtained access by faith into this grace in 06:14 which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope 06:18 of the glory of God." Now, notice what it 06:21 says, it says that that by faith we have gained 06:25 access to God's grace. So, when we put our 06:28 faith in Christ, we received peace with 06:31 God and we also have obtained access into 06:37 grace, that's grace in which we now stand. 06:40 We have obtained access into grace. 06:42 Grace is God's favorable disposition 06:45 towards us; it's His loving kindness toward us. 06:49 When we put our faith in Christ, we now have 06:52 access to all of the goodness and the 06:55 kindness and the mercy of God. 06:59 In fact, I like the language of 07:01 verse 2 it says, "Through him we 07:02 have also obtained access by faith into 07:04 this grace in which we stand." 07:07 The concept there is, is, is an amazing 07:10 concept, it's a glorious concept, 07:13 it's, it's, it's, it's one of the greatest 07:15 concepts in the entire Bible. 07:16 It says that you are now standing in grace. 07:21 Grace is the, the environment in 07:24 which you live, when you have 07:25 faith in Jesus Christ. When you have faith 07:28 in Jesus you are immersed and standing in grace. 07:31 The picture I have is, it's almost like a 07:33 swimming pool you, you're standing in 07:35 water and when you're in a pool and the water 07:37 has surrounded you. That once you have 07:40 faith in Christ, grace is the environment 07:43 in which you stand. In fact, it's fascinating 07:46 in, in the original language when it says, 07:49 you stand in grace, it's, it's perfect 07:51 indicative and, and what that means 07:54 is that it's, it's something that begins 07:56 at a particular point in time and continues 07:59 indefinitely into the future. 08:02 When you put your faith in Christ at that 08:03 moment you're standing in grace. 08:06 And you continue to stand in grace 08:08 indefinitely into the future as long as an 08:11 individual has faith in Christ, 08:14 they're standing in grace. By the way, we need 08:18 to be clear, the Bible does not teach one 08:21 saved always saved. The Bible teach us that 08:23 if a person rebels against God 08:26 and does so flagrantly disregarding who God 08:32 is, and what God has done for him, 08:33 if that person had been a believer, 08:35 they have ceased to be in a covenant 08:37 relationship with God and probably 08:38 the best way to describe what Paul is describing 08:41 here? Is, is through marriage, an illustration 08:45 for marriage when, when I was marry 08:47 I looked into the eyes of my wife. 08:50 And she looked into my eyes and the minister 08:53 you know, he called on us to affirm our vows 08:56 together and she looked at me and said, 08:59 I do and I looked at her and said I do and then 09:02 we were married. And we were bound 09:05 in a covenant relationship. 09:08 We were bound in a covenant relationship. 09:11 Now, here's the fascinating thing. 09:14 When my wife and I, we have a 09:15 disagreement, lets say even the disagreement 09:19 were to get heated and I sinned against her 09:21 in the course of the disagreement 09:23 or she sinned against me. 09:26 We don't have to be remarried every time 09:29 we have a disagreement, we don't have to be 09:32 remarried every time we sin against each other. 09:36 We have to repent most certainly, 09:38 but we don't have to be remarried. 09:40 You only need to be remarried, if you have 09:42 been divorced. You follow, yes or no? 09:47 And, and so it is with God, when we put our 09:49 faith in Christ and we enter into a covenant 09:52 relationship with him. When we say to Jesus, 09:54 Jesus I put my faith in you, I believe 09:57 that you died for me on the cross. 09:59 He says, I look at you now as if you are just; 10:02 I look at you now as if you're righteous. 10:05 The war is over, you are now standing in grace, 10:09 your position with me is grace. 10:11 And you stand in that position of grace 10:13 indefinitely into the future, you are with 10:17 God in grace, you're not in grace one day 10:21 and out of grace the next. You're not with God 10:23 one day and not with God the next. 10:25 As long as you have faith in Christ, 10:28 you are standing in grace. 10:33 Just like as long as I'm married, 10:36 I'm standing in that marriage relationship. 10:39 Now, certainly a married man 10:40 can divorce his wife. And a Christian can 10:43 divorce his God, but on, but every time 10:47 there's a mistake or a failure in the 10:49 relationship, it does not a divorce make. 10:55 You follow that idea, yes or no? 10:56 It's, it's a critical important idea. 10:59 Paul says, when you have faith, 11:00 you stand in grace. You're in grace, 11:03 you're not in grace and out of grace, 11:04 you are in grace. You can choose to 11:06 get a divorce, but every time you make a 11:09 mistake you don't get a divorce. 11:11 Now, it's fascinating because what he says 11:14 in verse 2 and let, we'll read the verse again, 11:16 again here in Romans chapter 5 verse 2. 11:20 Romans 5 verse 2, it says, "Through him 11:24 we have obtained access by faith into 11:27 the grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in 11:31 the hope of the glory of God." 11:36 It's fascinating what he says there, he says 11:38 that when you have put your faith in Christ, 11:41 you're standing in grace. Now, you rejoice in the 11:44 hope of the glory of God. You rejoice in the hope 11:49 of the glory of God. That's a promise, you 11:52 rejoice in the hope of experiencing all of 11:55 God's glory. It's really a promise of 11:56 going to heaven. It's a promise of going 12:00 to heaven, when you put your faith 12:02 and trust in Christ. He says that you're 12:04 gonna stand in grace, you're gonna be 12:06 immersed in grace. And that you will 12:09 stand there indefinitely into the future. 12:10 Now, you have the hope of going to heaven. 12:13 As long as you don't ask for a divorce, 12:16 you have the hope of going to heaven. 12:19 Now, it's fascinating what he says in verse 3 12:21 because I, I don't know about you, 12:22 but I, I'm really happy that I'm going to 12:24 heaven, aren't you happy that you're 12:26 going to heaven? If you have put your 12:27 faith in Christ. I'm sure that you are, 12:30 but notice what he says in verse 3. 12:36 "More than that, we rejoice in our 12:39 sufferings, knowing that suffering produces 12:43 endurance." We'll read verse 4 as well. 12:46 "And endurance produces character. 12:49 And we're gonna read verse 5, 12:54 "And character produces hope and 12:57 hope does not put to shame, because God's 12:59 love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit 13:03 who has been given unto us." 13:05 You follow what, what Paul is saying here? 13:07 Well, first of all Paul says in verse 2 that 13:10 we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 13:12 We rejoice essentially that we're going to 13:13 heaven. I'm happy about that, 13:15 you're happy about that, but in verse 3 he says, 13:18 more than that, more than the, the amount 13:21 that we rejoice that we're gonna go to 13:22 heaven, we rejoice in our sufferings. 13:29 My friend, I want you to think about that, 13:32 if you put your faith in Christ and you have 13:34 confidence that you're going to heaven and 13:35 you're happy about that. 13:38 Are you more happy when difficult, 13:40 when difficulties come your way then you 13:42 are about the fact that you're going to heaven. 13:46 I want you to think about that. 13:50 And, ask yourself why is it that Paul would 13:53 say that we are more happy about our 13:56 sufferings then about the fact that we're 13:59 going to go to heaven. Why is Paul saying that? 14:02 Is Paul a masochist, is he someone 14:04 who loves pain, is Paul someone who loves, 14:08 loves to suffer, absolutely not. 14:12 Paul is, is, is committed, Paul does not love pain, 14:17 what is it in Romans chapter 5 here verse 3 14:21 and 4 that Paul is saying, when he says, 14:24 we rejoice on our sufferings. 14:25 Paul says in verse 3, more than that we 14:27 rejoice in our sufferings because we know that 14:29 suffering produces endurance. 14:32 Paul is not happy to suffer 14:34 for suffering's sake. He is happy to suffer 14:37 because he knows what suffering produces 14:41 in the life of the believer. 14:42 Paul says that suffering produces endurance and 14:47 endurance produces character and character 14:53 produces hope. You follow what Paul 14:56 is saying? He is saying, yes I'm standing 14:58 in grace, yes I know that when Christ 15:02 comes again, I'm going to share God's glory 15:04 and go to heaven, I'm very happy about that. 15:08 I'm so wonderfully happy about that. 15:11 However even more than the fact that 15:14 I'm going to heaven I rejoice in my 15:17 sufferings, why do I rejoice in my sufferings? 15:20 'Cause sufferings produce endurance 15:22 and endurance produces character 15:24 and character produces hope. 15:27 My friends, I want you to understand 15:28 something here my friend. 15:30 When suffering comes your way, 15:31 if you are a believer and suffering comes 15:33 your way, don't get discouraged, 15:36 don't give up, why? Because you know, 15:40 that God is gonna take anything and 15:42 everything that comes your way. 15:44 And He's gonna use that to change 15:46 the person that you are. That suffering is gonna 15:50 give you endurance and that endurance 15:52 is gonna change your character and the 15:55 character change is gonna fill you 15:58 with hope and encouragement. 16:00 Now, let's read verse 5 again. 16:03 Romans chapter 5 verse 5, in what way 16:06 does suffering produce endurance and 16:10 endurance produce character and 16:11 character produce who? Hope. In what day, 16:13 in what way does character 16:15 transformation produce hope? 16:16 Verse 5, "Hope does not put us to shame, 16:21 because God's love has been poured into our 16:24 hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been 16:27 given unto us." Notice what the text says, 16:30 the hope that we have will not be put to 16:34 shame, because God's love has been poured 16:38 into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who 16:41 has been given unto us. What does he mean? 16:44 When he says the hope that we have? 16:46 The hope of going to heaven, the hope of 16:48 transformation, what does Paul mean when 16:50 he says that will not be put to shame? 16:53 Well, imagine that you're a child and 16:56 that your parents had promised you a 16:57 fantastic, glorious, lovely vacation next 17:04 summer they said, we're going to go to 17:06 that place that you've always dreamed have 17:09 going, I don't know. When I was a boy 17:11 always dreamed of going to Disney land. 17:12 Now, of course I'm an adult. 17:13 Now, Disney land doesn't really interest 17:15 me too much, but imagine you're a child, 17:17 and your parents have told you, you're gonna 17:19 go to some kind of fantastic place and you 17:23 have looked forward to it all year long and, 17:26 and you are days and weeks away from going 17:29 to where you always dreamed of going. 17:34 And then dad comes home, 17:38 and dad says I need to meet with the family 17:42 and the family gathers around. 17:46 And dad says, you know, we were planning to go 17:48 on vacation to this glorious, fantastic 17:50 place, but today on, on my, on my way at home 17:56 after work, after work they gave me an 17:58 envelope and when I got to my car, 18:00 I open the envelope and in the envelope 18:03 was my layoff notice. In the envelope the, 18:08 the boss told me that I no longer have a job, 18:12 I no longer have employment, 18:14 I no longer have income from this particular 18:16 place, and so children though I have promised 18:20 to take you on this glorious vacation, 18:23 though we have been looking forward to 18:25 this glorious vacation, we are not able to go. 18:29 We cannot go because I no longer have a job, 18:32 we cannot afford to go. The, the hope that that 18:36 child had in that vacation has been totally 18:40 completely put to shame, it's been put to shame. 18:46 Paul says, that if you're a believer, 18:49 you're standing in grace that sufferings change 18:53 the person that you are. Paul says, that if you're 18:56 a believer that suffering will 18:58 produce endurance, endurance will produce 19:00 character, and character will produce hope 19:02 and that hope that you have of going to heaven 19:05 will never ever, ever be put to shame, why? 19:10 Why won't it be put to shame, it won't be put 19:12 to shame because God's Spirit is living 19:15 in your and He is, is your constant 19:18 reminder that God is true. That God is not gonna 19:22 turn his back on you. That God, if God has 19:24 told you that He's gonna take you to heaven 19:26 then God is going to do it. 19:31 Your hope of heaven will never be put to 19:33 shame; your hope is based on 19:36 something substantial. My friend, if you're 19:40 looking here in Romans 5, what He is saying is, 19:42 it's a glory message when you put your 19:45 faith in Christ, you have peace with God, 19:48 the war is over. You're standing in grace, 19:51 God looks at you and treats you with grace 19:53 it's not in grace and out of grace; in grace and 19:56 out of grace as long as you have faith, you are 19:58 being treated with grace. Now, you can divorce 20:00 God, you can, you can say to God. 20:03 God I don't wanna be in grace anymore, 20:04 I don't want to be in a relationship with you, 20:07 but as long as you have faith in Christ, 20:09 you are in grace and you have the hope of 20:11 going to heaven, but more than the hope 20:13 you have of going to heaven, you rejoice in 20:16 your suffering 'Cause you know that 20:18 everything you experienced here on this earth. 20:20 Good, better and different everything 20:22 you experience, God is taking it to change 20:25 who you are to, to craft your character and all 20:30 the hope that God fills your heart with, 20:33 you know, that you'll never be put to shame, 20:35 that your hope will not be disappointed, 20:37 that you will actually make it. 20:41 And your conformation that you're gonna 20:42 actually make it according to Romans 5 20:44 verse 5, let's read the verse again. 20:46 Romans chapter 5 verse 5, your conformation 20:49 that your hope is not gonna be put to shame 20:51 is found there in Romans 5 verse 5, 20:53 "Hope does not put us to shame, because 20:56 God's love has been poured into our hearts 20:59 through the Holy Spirit who has been given 21:02 unto us." The Holy Spirit is our ever 21:06 abiding confidence that we are going 21:10 to heaven that eternal life is ours. 21:14 Our hope of heaven is not gonna be put to 21:16 shame because we are experiencing God's 21:19 love day-by-day, we are experiencing God's 21:22 love in our hearts as a guarantee 21:25 that heaven is our home. 21:28 My friend, if you put your faith in Christ 21:31 then you have peace with God, the war is over. 21:34 He will treat you with the amazing grace of 21:38 God, that amazing kindness of God. 21:42 It says, that you'll rejoice in the hope 21:46 of going to heaven, but more than that you'll 21:48 rejoice in suffering 'cause suffering changes 21:51 who the per, the person you are, 21:52 it changes who you are. But all through it all, 21:55 it doesn't matter how bad you suffered, 21:57 it doesn't matter any of that does not matter 21:59 because it's changing who you are and you 22:01 have confidence that you are 22:03 actually going to make it. 22:05 Heaven is your home because the spirit of 22:07 God is that constant abiding presence 22:11 reassuring you of the love of God. 22:14 Now, in Romans chapter 5 verse 6, 22:17 the Apostle Paul describes the love of 22:21 God, he describes the love of God in the 22:24 most glorious language. This love of God that's 22:27 our constant abiding presence, when the 22:29 Spirit of God has been given to us, what does 22:33 he say about the love of God? 22:35 "For while we were still weak, at the right time 22:39 Christ died for the ungodly." 22:42 This is what God's love looks like; this is what 22:45 God's love looks like. It looks like; it looks 22:48 like a willingness to die for the 22:51 weak and the ungodly. That's what God's love 22:54 looks like. Verse 7 describes God's love; 22:58 verse 7 describes God's love. 23:00 "For one will scarcely die for a righteous 23:03 person though perhaps for a good person one 23:06 would dare to die." We'll read verse 8 as well. 23:11 "But God shows his love for us in that while 23:16 we were still sinners, Christ died for us." 23:21 Here he is describing God's love and it's 23:23 glorious terms. He is saying, when you 23:25 were weak, and when you were ungodly, 23:27 Christ died for you. He said, you know, 23:29 in the world somebody might die for a good man. 23:33 He might die for a good man, but what about 23:37 the ungodly person? What about the ungodly 23:40 person? Who's gonna die for him? 23:46 Who' gonna give their life for that person? 23:49 And the answer is that God shows His love to us. 23:55 Even when we're desperate sinners 23:58 by sending Christ to die for us. 24:05 My friends, when we have believed in Jesus, 24:08 when we have put our trust in Him, we're at 24:10 peace with God, we're standing in grace, 24:17 we are rejoicing in the fact that we're going 24:20 to heaven, and when we suffer we know that 24:25 God has a plan in suffering that it changes 24:27 who we are and, and even in the midst of the 24:30 pain of suffering, we have the love of God 24:32 as our constant abiding presence, the love of 24:36 God that says, when you were a rebel, 24:38 when you were ungodly, when you're 24:40 weak, when you are a sinner, when you were 24:43 separated from me, not thinking about me, 24:47 I was thinking about you, I was loving you 24:50 and I gave myself for you, even when you 24:54 were in that condition. He says, God shows his 24:58 love for us, in that while we were still 25:01 sinners, Christ died for us. 25:09 Oh, my friend, God didn't wait till you got better, 25:13 He went for you when you were wretched, 25:17 poor, and miserable, while you were still a 25:20 sinner, Christ died for you. 25:24 If he was willing to die for you when 25:26 you were a sinner. According to Romans 25:28 chapter 5 verse 9 he says something glorious. 25:32 "Since therefore we have now been justified 25:34 by his blood, much more shall we be saved 25:40 by him from the wrath of God. 25:45 Follow the beautiful truth 25:47 contained in that scripture. 25:48 It's glorious, Romans chapter 5 verse 9, 25:51 has just said, if God loved you when you 25:53 were a sinner, so much that he was willing to 25:56 send Christ to die for you. 25:58 Now, that you have believed and are 26:00 justified, how can you expect, but to be saved 26:05 from the wrath of God. In other words it's 26:07 saying essentially that if God was willing 26:08 to do acts for you when you were a sinner, 26:11 now that you are a believer, how much 26:13 more can you be confident that he 26:15 will treat you kindly. If Christ was willing 26:17 to die for you when you were a sinner, 26:20 how can you expect anything other than 26:23 God to save you now that you have 26:25 become a believer. My friend today, 26:30 you can be confident that if you trust in 26:33 Christ right now that the war will be over, 26:37 that you will be at absolute peace with God, 26:40 that you will not be his enemy, but that 26:42 you will be the subject of His awesome 26:44 loving kindness, His awesome grace, 26:47 that he is gonna treat you with that kindness 26:49 and that grace as long as you believe, 26:52 as you're trusting Him. You have the hope of 26:55 going to heaven. And it doesn't matter whatever 26:58 bad things come your way, whatever suffering 27:00 and pain comes your way, you are confident 27:02 that God is just gonna allow that to change the 27:05 person you are to form your character into what 27:09 He would like it to be. And you know, 27:13 that your hope of going to heaven is going to be 27:16 realized, it's not gonna be put to shame because 27:18 God's love for the power of the spirit is 27:20 your abiding presence, it is 27:22 your abiding presence. The Spirit is constantly 27:25 reminding you of the goodness of God in 27:28 sending His son to die for you while 27:29 you were a sinner. My friend, today put 27:33 your confident trust in Jesus, tell Jesus 27:37 that you believe in Him, tell Jesus that you know 27:40 His death was for you, that He died for you 27:43 when you were yet a sinner. 27:45 And you trust Him and you could be 27:47 confidence that heaven is your home, 27:50 that Christ is your Savior and 27:52 that you are at peace with God. |
Revised 2014-12-17