Justified
Series: Romans
Speaker: Debbie Gould
Date: 26th August 2012
Passage: Romans 5:1-11
00:00:00 --> 00:00:00 Let me pray for us.
00:00:01 --> 00:00:05 Our Father and our Lord, we thank you that we can come and open your word.
00:00:05 --> 00:00:10 And we ask, Lord, that by your spirit you will speak to each and every one of us.
00:00:11 --> 00:00:14 Father, might you show us things that we might already know,
00:00:15 --> 00:00:19 but might you illumine it and make it new and fresh for each of us.
00:00:19 --> 00:00:21 We ask in Jesus' name. Amen.
00:00:23 --> 00:00:28 Okay, well, Elsa Piper is an Australian writer.
00:00:28 --> 00:00:36 And she was intrigued by the concept of individuals being made right with God
00:00:36 --> 00:00:41 by walking the Pilgrim's Walk in Spain.
00:00:42 --> 00:00:46 Walking 1 kilometres is all it takes.
00:00:46 --> 00:00:52 Every time you pass through a village, you get a stamp to say that you've walked through.
00:00:52 --> 00:00:58 And when you get to the end, voila, your sins are forgiven.
00:00:59 --> 00:01:03 And you are classed as righteous before God.
00:01:04 --> 00:01:06 Now, this story intrigued me.
00:01:06 --> 00:01:11 It's a book that I heard about and read with great enthusiasm.
00:01:12 --> 00:01:16 Here is a woman who didn't know if there was a God.
00:01:16 --> 00:01:25 Well, she wasn't certain what constitutes a sin, if in fact there were such things as sins.
00:01:26 --> 00:01:33 And if there were such things as sins, she wasn't absolutely sure that there was a God
00:01:33 --> 00:01:37 who was going to do something about removing those sins.
00:01:37 --> 00:01:49 But nonetheless, Elsa blogged and she said on her blog that she was happy to carry the sins of other people
00:01:49 --> 00:01:53 and she would do the walk for them.
00:01:53 --> 00:01:54 She'd walk the 1 kilometres.
00:01:56 --> 00:02:00 And in that, they would have their sins removed from them.
00:02:00 --> 00:02:05 Now, many people contacted her.
00:02:05 --> 00:02:07 They confessed their sins to her.
00:02:07 --> 00:02:08 Some of them confessed.
00:02:09 --> 00:02:14 It was the very first time that they'd ever confessed their secret sins to another person.
00:02:16 --> 00:02:20 And so she promised that she would walk the pilgrim's walk.
00:02:22 --> 00:02:28 But interestingly enough, in the book, she never felt the need to confess her own sins.
00:02:28 --> 00:02:32 It was actually carrying other people's, which I found quite fascinating.
00:02:33 --> 00:02:36 And so she decided to do that.
00:02:36 --> 00:02:41 But to do justice to the fact that she was carrying the sins of other people,
00:02:41 --> 00:02:49 she decided that what she would do is read the page of sins or pages of sins every day.
00:02:49 --> 00:03:00 Just in case there was a God, and if there was a God, that he would, in fact, deal with those sins
00:03:00 --> 00:03:07 and see that she was dealing with them in an appropriate way, and hence God would then forgive the people.
00:03:08 --> 00:03:13 Now, the intended result would be owners would be released of the sins.
00:03:13 --> 00:03:20 And let me say, it's an exercise that is not new.
00:03:20 --> 00:03:27 It has happened for many, many years with the Catholic Church, and it's called Buying Indulgences.
00:03:29 --> 00:03:40 Now, it's nothing new that people believe that they have to do something for God to see them as righteous,
00:03:40 --> 00:03:48 without sin, and therefore just as if they had never committed any sins at all.
00:03:50 --> 00:03:52 Am I knocking all the time?
00:03:53 --> 00:03:54 What is it exactly?
00:03:54 --> 00:03:55 My earring, maybe?
00:03:59 --> 00:04:01 So sorry, folks.
00:04:02 --> 00:04:05 Just remind me I only have one earring on later.
00:04:05 --> 00:04:14 Now, as many of you know, you know, sort of over the years, I've loved talking to people about Jesus.
00:04:15 --> 00:04:25 And it's easy sometimes to understand where a person is at in their relationship to Jesus by asking a couple of questions.
00:04:26 --> 00:04:30 Now, I'm not being judgmental of the people when I say this,
00:04:30 --> 00:04:39 but if I asked a hypothetical question of why would God let you into his heaven,
00:04:40 --> 00:04:46 then often the answer will be, I haven't murdered anybody.
00:04:46 --> 00:04:49 I have kept the Ten Commandments.
00:04:49 --> 00:04:51 I'm a nice guy and I do good deeds.
00:04:51 --> 00:04:55 That would be the very, very common answer that people would give me.
00:04:55 --> 00:05:02 And so then they would think that they could actually enter into heaven.
00:05:03 --> 00:05:07 But like the author walking the pilgrim's trail in Spain,
00:05:09 --> 00:05:11 and many others walking the trail, I might add,
00:05:11 --> 00:05:16 there was even, Vanda reminded me today, we've seen a movie of this same thing,
00:05:16 --> 00:05:18 walking the trail called The Way.
00:05:19 --> 00:05:22 A very fascinating movie for anybody who wants to see it.
00:05:22 --> 00:05:28 But there are many, many people who feel that doing good things,
00:05:28 --> 00:05:34 being a good person, a nice person, will earn their way to God.
00:05:35 --> 00:05:36 That is nothing new.
00:05:37 --> 00:05:39 Now, when we look at Romans up to this point,
00:05:40 --> 00:05:47 Paul's focus has been on the power of the gospel for all people who are locked in their sin,
00:05:47 --> 00:05:51 and they are under sentence of God's wrath.
00:05:51 --> 00:05:54 Sam preached about that a couple of weeks ago.
00:05:54 --> 00:05:57 And we learned that through the preaching of the gospel,
00:05:58 --> 00:06:02 God invites all people, Jew and Gentile alike,
00:06:02 --> 00:06:07 to believe in Christ and enter into this new relationship with him.
00:06:08 --> 00:06:11 And chapters 5 and 8, where we get to 5 now,
00:06:12 --> 00:06:16 chapters 5 and 8 is where we see Paul tie it all together,
00:06:17 --> 00:06:20 righteousness by faith with a future hope.
00:06:20 --> 00:06:25 That's sort of the umbrella between 5 to 8 in Romans.
00:06:26 --> 00:06:29 Now, in these 11 verses of chapter 5,
00:06:29 --> 00:06:37 our attention is turning not to only the blessings that come from those who are in Christ,
00:06:38 --> 00:06:46 but also these verses give us a picture of what it looks like to be one of Christ's people.
00:06:46 --> 00:06:52 Verse 1 tells us we have been justified through faith.
00:06:52 --> 00:06:54 The word here is a legal word,
00:06:55 --> 00:06:59 and it's meaning that our debt has been cleared.
00:06:59 --> 00:07:04 So that when we respond to the gospel in faith,
00:07:04 --> 00:07:06 God declares us innocent,
00:07:07 --> 00:07:10 and our relationship with him begins straight away.
00:07:10 --> 00:07:13 It's as if we had not sinned.
00:07:14 --> 00:07:19 Now, in Jewish theology, justification and its opposite, condemnation,
00:07:20 --> 00:07:24 they were verdicts that would be delivered, they believed,
00:07:25 --> 00:07:26 only on the day of judgment,
00:07:27 --> 00:07:30 not something that one could experience now.
00:07:30 --> 00:07:33 Don't get me wrong, though.
00:07:33 --> 00:07:36 The day of judgment will actually occur.
00:07:36 --> 00:07:39 Romans tells us that very clearly.
00:07:40 --> 00:07:42 But being justified, Paul is saying,
00:07:42 --> 00:07:45 is both now and it's in the future.
00:07:46 --> 00:07:48 And now but not yet, as we say.
00:07:49 --> 00:07:52 And Paul is asserting that God is justifying us.
00:07:52 --> 00:07:57 He has already pronounced his verdict over us in doing so.
00:07:58 --> 00:08:02 It neither can be rescinded, and it cannot be changed.
00:08:02 --> 00:08:05 True, we still need to face God
00:08:05 --> 00:08:09 and have our case disposed of on judgment day.
00:08:10 --> 00:08:14 But we can face that day with utter confidence.
00:08:15 --> 00:08:20 Since God in Christ has already decided our case in our favor,
00:08:20 --> 00:08:28 justification releases us from any uncertainty or fear about that judgment.
00:08:29 --> 00:08:32 We're justified through faith.
00:08:33 --> 00:08:36 That is a radical thought.
00:08:37 --> 00:08:42 Contemporary Judaism believed that a man was right with God
00:08:42 --> 00:08:45 based on the works of the law.
00:08:47 --> 00:08:50 Just like the pilgrim walking in Spain,
00:08:50 --> 00:08:54 the thought was and continues to be
00:08:54 --> 00:08:59 that people instinctively think that salvation
00:08:59 --> 00:09:01 depends on human goodness and self-effort.
00:09:03 --> 00:09:07 Look with me at Romans 3.20.
00:09:07 --> 00:09:10 Therefore, no one will be declared righteous in his sight
00:09:10 --> 00:09:12 by observing the law.
00:09:12 --> 00:09:16 Rather, through the law, we become conscious of sin.
00:09:17 --> 00:09:18 Verses 23.24.
00:09:18 --> 00:09:21 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
00:09:21 --> 00:09:24 and are justified by his grace
00:09:24 --> 00:09:27 through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
00:09:27 --> 00:09:28 28 says,
00:09:28 --> 00:09:32 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith
00:09:32 --> 00:09:34 apart from observing the law.
00:09:34 --> 00:09:37 And of course, Ephesians 2.8.
00:09:37 --> 00:09:42 For it is by grace alone you have been saved through faith.
00:09:42 --> 00:09:46 And this is not by works so that no one can boast.
00:09:47 --> 00:09:50 Now, don't you find scripture absolutely amazing?
00:09:50 --> 00:09:55 Because just in case you think that being saved
00:09:55 --> 00:10:00 has anything to do with about how faithful you are,
00:10:01 --> 00:10:04 how many people you might financially support,
00:10:05 --> 00:10:09 how kind you might be to everyone around you,
00:10:10 --> 00:10:12 how many ministries you might get involved in,
00:10:12 --> 00:10:15 be they here at church or elsewhere,
00:10:15 --> 00:10:23 being saved has nothing to do with anything
00:10:23 --> 00:10:26 that you have done or will do
00:10:26 --> 00:10:28 so that you can't boast.
00:10:29 --> 00:10:34 How God understands us so clearly
00:10:34 --> 00:10:38 that we innately would want to take some credit.
00:10:38 --> 00:10:43 But clearly we're told that it's not about us
00:10:43 --> 00:10:45 and that we can't boast.
00:10:46 --> 00:10:48 I find scripture quite fascinating
00:10:48 --> 00:10:51 with things so clear as that,
00:10:51 --> 00:10:53 to know what we are like as people,
00:10:53 --> 00:10:55 that we would want to actually take that credit.
00:10:56 --> 00:10:58 But righteousness comes from God,
00:10:58 --> 00:11:00 depends on his grace.
00:11:00 --> 00:11:03 Arising from faith, not works,
00:11:04 --> 00:11:05 is a great surprise.
00:11:05 --> 00:11:09 And because God has declared those who have faith in him
00:11:09 --> 00:11:11 to be right with him,
00:11:11 --> 00:11:13 we therefore have peace.
00:11:14 --> 00:11:16 Now, we all want peace.
00:11:17 --> 00:11:20 People want to be at peace with themselves
00:11:20 --> 00:11:23 and they want to rest in peace.
00:11:24 --> 00:11:26 World peace is called for,
00:11:26 --> 00:11:28 mainly in pageants, I feel,
00:11:29 --> 00:11:31 and in Miss Congeniality.
00:11:32 --> 00:11:35 Poems are written, songs are sung,
00:11:35 --> 00:11:37 and, you know, sort of,
00:11:38 --> 00:11:41 we know that that's what people call for.
00:11:41 --> 00:11:42 We pray for peace.
00:11:43 --> 00:11:47 Yet no ultimate peace is possible
00:11:47 --> 00:11:50 for those who are searching for it
00:11:50 --> 00:11:55 without coming to terms with God first.
00:11:56 --> 00:11:58 Peace here has two aspects.
00:11:58 --> 00:12:03 First is the peace of God.
00:12:03 --> 00:12:06 And in a sense of security and serenity
00:12:06 --> 00:12:09 that wells up in our hearts
00:12:09 --> 00:12:13 when we appreciate the blessings that we enjoy in Christ.
00:12:14 --> 00:12:17 We read in the verse in Philippians 4-7,
00:12:17 --> 00:12:19 and we often say it in church here
00:12:19 --> 00:12:20 at the end of our services,
00:12:20 --> 00:12:23 and the peace of God,
00:12:23 --> 00:12:25 which transcends all understanding,
00:12:26 --> 00:12:28 will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
00:12:29 --> 00:12:31 But it's the second aspect
00:12:31 --> 00:12:34 that Paul is referring to in verse 1,
00:12:35 --> 00:12:37 which is peace with God.
00:12:38 --> 00:12:41 The position we find ourselves in
00:12:41 --> 00:12:47 because God has ceased to be hostile toward us
00:12:47 --> 00:12:49 and has reconciled us to himself.
00:12:50 --> 00:12:51 Verse 10 says,
00:12:51 --> 00:12:54 For if, when we were God's enemies,
00:12:55 --> 00:12:56 we were reconciled to him
00:12:56 --> 00:12:58 through the death of his son,
00:12:59 --> 00:13:02 how much more, having been reconciled,
00:13:02 --> 00:13:05 shall we be saved through his life?
00:13:06 --> 00:13:09 There existed a state of war
00:13:09 --> 00:13:12 between God and ourselves
00:13:12 --> 00:13:17 before any of us were made right before him.
00:13:18 --> 00:13:21 That is, we were enemies of God.
00:13:21 --> 00:13:25 We distrusted God and we resented God.
00:13:25 --> 00:13:28 But now, for those who believe,
00:13:28 --> 00:13:29 there is a peace,
00:13:30 --> 00:13:32 but not a passive peace,
00:13:33 --> 00:13:35 a mere absence of conflict,
00:13:36 --> 00:13:38 but positive, harmonious,
00:13:38 --> 00:13:40 and loving relationships with God
00:13:40 --> 00:13:42 that he himself has initiated
00:13:42 --> 00:13:45 through Jesus Christ our Lord.
00:13:45 --> 00:13:50 Ephesians 2.14 tells us that Christ himself
00:13:50 --> 00:13:51 is our peace.
00:13:52 --> 00:13:55 And because we can have peace with God,
00:13:56 --> 00:14:00 we can then enjoy the peace of God
00:14:00 --> 00:14:02 that passes all understanding.
00:14:03 --> 00:14:06 But the blessings of being justified with God
00:14:06 --> 00:14:08 continue beyond peace.
00:14:08 --> 00:14:10 We also have access to God
00:14:10 --> 00:14:13 through faith into his grace.
00:14:13 --> 00:14:16 This grace reminds us
00:14:16 --> 00:14:19 that God intervenes on our behalf
00:14:19 --> 00:14:20 of his rebellious creation
00:14:20 --> 00:14:22 out of his own free will
00:14:22 --> 00:14:24 and without obligation.
00:14:24 --> 00:14:28 We not only get into relationship
00:14:28 --> 00:14:30 with God by grace,
00:14:31 --> 00:14:34 but we live out that relationship
00:14:34 --> 00:14:39 day by day by day by God's grace.
00:14:40 --> 00:14:42 The daily provision that we enjoy
00:14:42 --> 00:14:45 comes not from our hard work,
00:14:46 --> 00:14:47 but from God,
00:14:48 --> 00:14:51 who has chosen in his grace to bless us.
00:14:51 --> 00:14:56 So whatever good that we might accomplish
00:14:56 --> 00:14:58 each day
00:14:58 --> 00:15:03 comes because God has graciously worked through us.
00:15:04 --> 00:15:06 We stand in grace,
00:15:07 --> 00:15:09 as our verse tells us.
00:15:09 --> 00:15:14 And we rejoice in the hope
00:15:14 --> 00:15:16 of the glory of God.
00:15:16 --> 00:15:19 We read that this hope
00:15:19 --> 00:15:20 will not disappoint us,
00:15:21 --> 00:15:23 meaning that we will not be disappointed
00:15:23 --> 00:15:25 or ashamed on the day of judgment.
00:15:27 --> 00:15:30 Our claim that God will rescue us
00:15:30 --> 00:15:32 from God's wrath
00:15:32 --> 00:15:34 will someday be vindicated.
00:15:35 --> 00:15:39 God will do what he has promised to do.
00:15:39 --> 00:15:40 How can we be sure?
00:15:41 --> 00:15:43 Well, Paul gives us two basic reasons.
00:15:44 --> 00:15:48 One is that God's love for us in Christ
00:15:48 --> 00:15:52 and the second one is God's work for us in Christ.
00:15:53 --> 00:15:56 God does not hold back his love to us
00:15:56 --> 00:15:58 in any way whatsoever.
00:15:59 --> 00:16:01 He pours out his love
00:16:01 --> 00:16:03 into our hearts by his spirit
00:16:03 --> 00:16:04 and the Holy Spirit
00:16:04 --> 00:16:07 communicates God's love to us.
00:16:08 --> 00:16:09 Verse 8 says,
00:16:10 --> 00:16:12 but God demonstrates his own love for us
00:16:12 --> 00:16:14 in that while we were still sinners,
00:16:15 --> 00:16:16 Christ died for us.
00:16:17 --> 00:16:19 The emphasis in this verse
00:16:19 --> 00:16:22 is on the fact that we were still sinners
00:16:22 --> 00:16:24 when Christ died for us.
00:16:24 --> 00:16:30 You see, the wonder isn't that Christ should die for us,
00:16:30 --> 00:16:33 but that he should do so
00:16:33 --> 00:16:35 while we were powerless,
00:16:35 --> 00:16:37 while we were ungodly,
00:16:38 --> 00:16:41 while we were rebellious sinners,
00:16:42 --> 00:16:44 while we were enemies of God.
00:16:45 --> 00:16:47 He didn't die for his friends.
00:16:48 --> 00:16:50 He died for his enemies.
00:16:50 --> 00:16:54 He died for those who crucified him
00:16:54 --> 00:16:56 and he died for you and for me.
00:16:57 --> 00:16:59 So we have a hope
00:16:59 --> 00:17:03 because of God's love for us,
00:17:03 --> 00:17:08 but also because of God's work for us in Christ.
00:17:09 --> 00:17:12 Since we have now been justified by his blood,
00:17:13 --> 00:17:15 how much more shall we be saved
00:17:15 --> 00:17:17 from God's wrath through him?
00:17:17 --> 00:17:20 For if when we were God's enemies,
00:17:20 --> 00:17:21 we were reconciled to him
00:17:21 --> 00:17:23 through the death of his son,
00:17:23 --> 00:17:25 how much more, having been reconciled,
00:17:26 --> 00:17:28 shall we be saved through his life?
00:17:28 --> 00:17:30 Not only is this so,
00:17:31 --> 00:17:32 but we also rejoice in God
00:17:32 --> 00:17:34 through our Lord Jesus Christ,
00:17:35 --> 00:17:37 through whom we have received reconciliation.
00:17:39 --> 00:17:43 We are to rejoice in the hope of Jesus,
00:17:44 --> 00:17:47 but we're also to rejoice in our suffering.
00:17:47 --> 00:17:51 In verse 3, it says,
00:17:51 --> 00:17:52 not only so,
00:17:52 --> 00:17:55 but we also rejoice in our sufferings
00:17:55 --> 00:17:59 because we know that suffering produces perseverance,
00:18:00 --> 00:18:02 perseverance produces character,
00:18:02 --> 00:18:03 character produces hope.
00:18:04 --> 00:18:06 And hope does not disappoint us
00:18:06 --> 00:18:09 because God has poured out his love
00:18:09 --> 00:18:12 into our hearts by the Holy Spirit
00:18:12 --> 00:18:14 whom he has given us.
00:18:14 --> 00:18:15 Boy, oh boy,
00:18:16 --> 00:18:18 how many times have I wished
00:18:18 --> 00:18:22 that verses talking about suffering
00:18:22 --> 00:18:24 did not exist in the Bible.
00:18:26 --> 00:18:27 At first glance,
00:18:28 --> 00:18:30 there seems to be a contradiction.
00:18:30 --> 00:18:33 We've seen that peace is given in Christ Jesus
00:18:33 --> 00:18:36 and now we see that suffering is expected
00:18:36 --> 00:18:38 and what's more,
00:18:38 --> 00:18:40 we're to rejoice in it.
00:18:40 --> 00:18:43 Let me say straight up,
00:18:44 --> 00:18:47 these verses and the others in the Bible
00:18:47 --> 00:18:49 that talk about suffering
00:18:49 --> 00:18:52 are not saying that we must be happy
00:18:52 --> 00:18:53 with our suffering.
00:18:55 --> 00:18:58 No, it's about a joy and a confidence
00:18:58 --> 00:19:00 in Jesus Christ
00:19:00 --> 00:19:04 and a knowing that God is sovereign
00:19:04 --> 00:19:05 in all things
00:19:05 --> 00:19:08 and is working out his purposes.
00:19:10 --> 00:19:12 Now, I have experienced
00:19:12 --> 00:19:15 a great deal of personal suffering,
00:19:15 --> 00:19:18 which I can't go into at this moment in time,
00:19:19 --> 00:19:22 but one day I will share my testimony,
00:19:23 --> 00:19:26 which is really our whole family's testimony.
00:19:26 --> 00:19:29 And really,
00:19:30 --> 00:19:32 suffering still continues day by day
00:19:32 --> 00:19:35 in various ways.
00:19:38 --> 00:19:41 But I knew this week
00:19:41 --> 00:19:43 when I was preparing this
00:19:43 --> 00:19:46 that I needed
00:19:46 --> 00:19:49 to preach these words to myself
00:19:49 --> 00:19:52 over and over and over again
00:19:52 --> 00:19:55 before I had the right
00:19:55 --> 00:19:57 to stand up in front of you
00:19:57 --> 00:19:59 and to encourage you
00:19:59 --> 00:20:01 to persevere in any suffering
00:20:01 --> 00:20:02 that you might be going through.
00:20:03 --> 00:20:05 I actually had to own these words
00:20:05 --> 00:20:06 and believe the truths
00:20:06 --> 00:20:07 of these words myself.
00:20:09 --> 00:20:11 Sufferings are not an end
00:20:11 --> 00:20:12 in themselves,
00:20:13 --> 00:20:14 for they nurture
00:20:14 --> 00:20:16 something inside of us.
00:20:16 --> 00:20:18 They nurture a peace
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 and a patience.
00:20:19 --> 00:20:22 As active people,
00:20:22 --> 00:20:24 we want to change things.
00:20:25 --> 00:20:25 And especially,
00:20:25 --> 00:20:27 we'd like to change
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 the unpleasant circumstances.
00:20:29 --> 00:20:31 So this patience and endurance
00:20:31 --> 00:20:33 does not come easy
00:20:33 --> 00:20:34 for any person.
00:20:35 --> 00:20:37 The word that Paul uses here
00:20:37 --> 00:20:38 comes from the world
00:20:38 --> 00:20:39 of the blacksmith,
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 where it was used
00:20:41 --> 00:20:43 for hammering
00:20:43 --> 00:20:47 of the red-hot horseshoe
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 or plough
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 where they are shaping it
00:20:49 --> 00:20:50 and testing it
00:20:50 --> 00:20:51 on the anvil.
00:20:52 --> 00:20:53 This shaping
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 and testing
00:20:54 --> 00:20:56 engenders hope
00:20:56 --> 00:20:57 that is the hope
00:20:57 --> 00:20:59 of the glory of God.
00:21:00 --> 00:21:01 Where do I go
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 when I suffer?
00:21:03 --> 00:21:05 I go to the cross of Jesus
00:21:05 --> 00:21:06 and hope
00:21:06 --> 00:21:06 that,
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 and the hope
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 that comes in knowing
00:21:09 --> 00:21:11 that I have a saviour
00:21:11 --> 00:21:13 who in verse 6
00:21:13 --> 00:21:14 tells me
00:21:14 --> 00:21:15 he died
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 for the ungodly.
00:21:16 --> 00:21:18 That is you and me.
00:21:18 --> 00:21:20 It is God's
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 unconditional love
00:21:21 --> 00:21:22 and his solution
00:21:22 --> 00:21:23 that I cling to.
00:21:24 --> 00:21:25 And when I go
00:21:25 --> 00:21:26 to the cross,
00:21:26 --> 00:21:27 it is God
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 who is glorified
00:21:28 --> 00:21:29 because of Jesus.
00:21:30 --> 00:21:32 To turn to Jesus
00:21:32 --> 00:21:33 and the cross
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 is a choice
00:21:34 --> 00:21:36 of each and every one of us
00:21:36 --> 00:21:38 when we have suffering
00:21:38 --> 00:21:39 in our lives
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 and also
00:21:40 --> 00:21:42 just in the everyday,
00:21:42 --> 00:21:43 day-to-day living.
00:21:43 --> 00:21:45 But we're not alone.
00:21:47 --> 00:21:48 That verse tells us
00:21:48 --> 00:21:48 that we have
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 the Holy Spirit
00:21:49 --> 00:21:51 who will guide us
00:21:51 --> 00:21:52 and direct us.
00:21:53 --> 00:21:53 Now,
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 I don't know
00:21:54 --> 00:21:56 if you fully appreciate
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 the work
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 of the Holy Spirit,
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00 but let me assure you
00:22:00 --> 00:22:02 without the Holy Spirit
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 in our lives,
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 we would be
00:22:05 --> 00:22:07 totally on our own
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 and unable
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 to do any of this.
00:22:09 --> 00:22:12 And any time
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 that we're in a place
00:22:13 --> 00:22:13 of suffering,
00:22:14 --> 00:22:15 we need to turn
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 to the hope
00:22:16 --> 00:22:18 that is Jesus Christ,
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 knowing that we are
00:22:20 --> 00:22:21 being moulded
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 and shaped
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 into the person
00:22:23 --> 00:22:23 that God
00:22:23 --> 00:22:25 intended us to be.
00:22:25 --> 00:22:27 After one endures
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28 many difficulties,
00:22:28 --> 00:22:29 there's a strength
00:22:29 --> 00:22:30 of character
00:22:30 --> 00:22:31 that develops
00:22:31 --> 00:22:32 that was not present
00:22:32 --> 00:22:33 previously.
00:22:34 --> 00:22:36 Such testing,
00:22:36 --> 00:22:38 such tested character,
00:22:38 --> 00:22:39 in turn,
00:22:39 --> 00:22:40 generates hope.
00:22:41 --> 00:22:42 And why does it
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 produce hope?
00:22:43 --> 00:22:45 Because moral transformation
00:22:45 --> 00:22:47 is evidence.
00:22:48 --> 00:22:49 That change in us
00:22:49 --> 00:22:50 as people,
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 it's evidence
00:22:51 --> 00:22:52 that one is really
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53 being changed
00:22:53 --> 00:22:54 by God.
00:22:54 --> 00:22:55 And so,
00:22:55 --> 00:22:55 therefore,
00:22:55 --> 00:22:56 assures us
00:22:56 --> 00:22:57 that there is
00:22:57 --> 00:22:58 the hope
00:22:58 --> 00:23:00 of a future glory,
00:23:00 --> 00:23:01 that it's not
00:23:01 --> 00:23:01 an illusion,
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 that we haven't
00:23:03 --> 00:23:04 made it up.
00:23:04 --> 00:23:06 Because we know
00:23:06 --> 00:23:06 that we cannot
00:23:06 --> 00:23:07 change ourselves
00:23:07 --> 00:23:08 by ourselves.
00:23:10 --> 00:23:11 Friends,
00:23:11 --> 00:23:12 any time we're
00:23:12 --> 00:23:13 tempted to doubt
00:23:13 --> 00:23:14 God's love for us,
00:23:14 --> 00:23:16 we need to go back
00:23:16 --> 00:23:17 to the cross
00:23:17 --> 00:23:18 as we constantly
00:23:18 --> 00:23:20 say here at St. Paul's.
00:23:20 --> 00:23:21 If you struggle
00:23:21 --> 00:23:22 to believe
00:23:22 --> 00:23:23 that God loves you,
00:23:24 --> 00:23:25 think about this.
00:23:26 --> 00:23:28 If God loved you
00:23:28 --> 00:23:30 enough to give you
00:23:30 --> 00:23:31 his son
00:23:31 --> 00:23:33 to die for you
00:23:33 --> 00:23:34 when you were
00:23:34 --> 00:23:35 his enemy,
00:23:37 --> 00:23:38 surely
00:23:38 --> 00:23:39 he loves you
00:23:39 --> 00:23:40 enough
00:23:40 --> 00:23:42 to care for you
00:23:42 --> 00:23:43 now that you
00:23:43 --> 00:23:45 are his child.
00:23:46 --> 00:23:47 Having given
00:23:47 --> 00:23:49 such a priceless
00:23:49 --> 00:23:50 gift as his son,
00:23:51 --> 00:23:52 he will most
00:23:52 --> 00:23:53 definitely
00:23:53 --> 00:23:54 give everything
00:23:54 --> 00:23:55 else
00:23:55 --> 00:23:57 that is consistent
00:23:57 --> 00:23:59 with his glory
00:23:59 --> 00:24:00 and what is good
00:24:00 --> 00:24:01 for you.
00:24:01 --> 00:24:04 we've been
00:24:04 --> 00:24:04 given
00:24:04 --> 00:24:05 everything
00:24:05 --> 00:24:05 in Jesus.
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 We are
00:24:07 --> 00:24:07 justified
00:24:07 --> 00:24:09 and the blessings
00:24:09 --> 00:24:10 come
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 with being
00:24:11 --> 00:24:12 made righteous.
00:24:13 --> 00:24:13 We have
00:24:13 --> 00:24:14 peace with God.
00:24:15 --> 00:24:15 We have
00:24:15 --> 00:24:17 access by faith
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 to the very
00:24:18 --> 00:24:18 presence
00:24:18 --> 00:24:20 of God
00:24:20 --> 00:24:20 himself.
00:24:21 --> 00:24:22 We have
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 a grace
00:24:23 --> 00:24:25 and a hope
00:24:25 --> 00:24:26 in a glorious
00:24:26 --> 00:24:26 future
00:24:26 --> 00:24:27 with the
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 King
00:24:28 --> 00:24:28 of Kings.
00:24:28 --> 00:24:30 friends,
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 we can walk
00:24:31 --> 00:24:32 away from
00:24:32 --> 00:24:32 here
00:24:32 --> 00:24:33 tonight
00:24:33 --> 00:24:34 from this
00:24:34 --> 00:24:34 message
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 with head
00:24:35 --> 00:24:36 knowledge
00:24:36 --> 00:24:37 of all
00:24:37 --> 00:24:38 that these
00:24:38 --> 00:24:38 verses
00:24:38 --> 00:24:39 have given
00:24:39 --> 00:24:40 us
00:24:40 --> 00:24:41 and still
00:24:41 --> 00:24:41 not
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42 appropriate
00:24:42 --> 00:24:43 it
00:24:43 --> 00:24:44 to our
00:24:44 --> 00:24:44 lives.
00:24:45 --> 00:24:46 Not apply
00:24:46 --> 00:24:47 what this
00:24:47 --> 00:24:48 actually means
00:24:48 --> 00:24:48 and not live
00:24:48 --> 00:24:49 it out.
00:24:50 --> 00:24:50 Do not be
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 fooled into
00:24:51 --> 00:24:52 thinking
00:24:52 --> 00:24:53 that knowing
00:24:53 --> 00:24:53 with your
00:24:53 --> 00:24:54 head what
00:24:54 --> 00:24:55 the gospel
00:24:55 --> 00:24:55 is,
00:24:55 --> 00:24:56 is going
00:24:56 --> 00:24:56 to save
00:24:56 --> 00:24:56 you.
00:24:56 --> 00:24:59 but engage
00:24:59 --> 00:25:00 your heart
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 and with
00:25:01 --> 00:25:01 great
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 thankfulness
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 that brings
00:25:03 --> 00:25:04 you to
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 your knees
00:25:05 --> 00:25:06 in humility
00:25:06 --> 00:25:07 knowing that
00:25:07 --> 00:25:09 all that
00:25:09 --> 00:25:10 the gospel
00:25:10 --> 00:25:10 gives,
00:25:11 --> 00:25:11 you do not
00:25:11 --> 00:25:12 deserve one
00:25:12 --> 00:25:14 iota of it
00:25:14 --> 00:25:14 and yet
00:25:14 --> 00:25:15 it is there
00:25:15 --> 00:25:16 for the
00:25:16 --> 00:25:16 taking.
00:25:18 --> 00:25:19 Our passage
00:25:19 --> 00:25:20 today is a
00:25:20 --> 00:25:21 renewed
00:25:21 --> 00:25:22 invitation
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 to take
00:25:23 --> 00:25:24 advantage
00:25:24 --> 00:25:25 of all
00:25:25 --> 00:25:26 the blessings
00:25:26 --> 00:25:28 all the
00:25:28 --> 00:25:28 privileges
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 of being
00:25:29 --> 00:25:30 a child
00:25:30 --> 00:25:31 of the
00:25:31 --> 00:25:31 king.
00:25:33 --> 00:25:33 Cling
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 to Jesus
00:25:34 --> 00:25:35 as i will
00:25:35 --> 00:25:36 rejoice
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 in the
00:25:37 --> 00:25:37 hope
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 that is
00:25:38 --> 00:25:39 for all
00:25:39 --> 00:25:39 those who
00:25:39 --> 00:25:40 believe
00:25:40 --> 00:25:41 and you
00:25:41 --> 00:25:41 will know
00:25:41 --> 00:25:42 the joy
00:25:42 --> 00:25:43 and the
00:25:43 --> 00:25:43 peace
00:25:43 --> 00:25:45 that comes
00:25:45 --> 00:25:45 from
00:25:45 --> 00:25:46 only
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 from the
00:25:47 --> 00:25:47 one who
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 saves
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49 the one
00:25:49 --> 00:25:50 who counts
00:25:50 --> 00:25:50 you
00:25:50 --> 00:25:51 as
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 righteous
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 before a
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 holy
00:25:54 --> 00:25:54 God.
00:25:55 --> 00:25:55 Amen.