Five Things That Accompany Salvation (An Exposition of Romans 5:1-11)
THE DISTINCTIVE CHURCH
(An exposition of Romans 5:1-11)
I AM GOING TO PREACH A MESSAGE THAT SOME HAVE CONSIDERED TOO BOLD. IT HAS RUFFLED FEATHERS AND UPSET CHURCH GOERS.
YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THIS BIBLICAL MESSAGE WILL DEFINE WHERE YOU ARE SPIRITUALLY; WHOSE YOU ARE; AND WHAT YOU ARE NOT!
THIS MAY SEEM LIKE A BOLD AND ARROGANT WAY TO BEGIN A SERMON, BUT I AM NOT HERE TO STROKE ANYONE’S RELIGIOUS PRIDE, BUT TO PREACH THE TRUTH – ONLY THE TRUTH SETS FREE!
“Distinctive” - Dictionary: “Different and easily identified”; “A discrimination between things as different.”
Can YOU say that this Church, and You are “Distinctive” - “Separated apart due to being different?”
? “BY DEFINITION, IS FINE CREEK A DISTINCTIVE CHURCH?”
Another Big Question: “IF WE ARE DISTINCT, ARE WE LIVING DISTINCTIVELY?”
Heb. 6:9 – READ (There is more to learn & grow in)
There are things that make Christians distinctive from non-Christians. These “Distinctions” are NOT tangible, they are not earthly (MATERIAL), they cannot be worked up, or purchased,….YET they are Relevant for Today, for Today’s culture - they are in fact NECSSARY—that is why they accompany salvation.
These “Distinctions” are for everyday life ==the class room at school, the work place, the market place, the ball field, the meeting rooms, Shopping Malls, and in the living room.
These “Distinctions” are wholly ours as BA Believers, AND though they are intangible, when they are polished to maturity, they are to be WORN like you would wear a coat for the PURPOSE of: GLORIFYING the REDEMPTIVE WORK of our SAVIOR!
I Am SET APART– “DISTINCTIVE” – by the work of Christ … ARE YOU?
ROMANS 5:1-11 --- GIVES US FIVE CLEAR DISTINCTIONS:
Ø None APPLY to the non Christian. None of them!
Ø These 5 Distinctions should be CLEAR to us, for they make both: (1) The Child of God; and (2) The Church of God ---- “DISTINCTIVE” from those who walk in darkness and know not their Maker!
Romans 5:1-11 – “First notice the “Much Mores”
Mark these: vs.3 “And not only that, but..”
Vs.9 “Much more then,..”
Vs.10 “Much more..”
Vs.11 “And not only that, but”
5:1
I. “Therefore” – “Because” - you are Justified by Faith in Christ……
“JUSTIFIED” = Define:: “Acquitted”……of what?
II. 1st DISTINCTION: “Peace With God”
A. Two Kinds of Peace - “Peace OF God” and “Peace WITH God”
B. How many times have you heard, “Make peace with your creator” or “Hopefully he made peace with God before he died.”
C. ? – Why would there not be peace b/w an individual and God?
i. Vs.6 – “UN”godly
ii. Vs.8 – “Sinners” – in God’s Eyes - breakers of God’s moral law
iii. Vs.10 – “Enemies” of God
iv. Vs. 9 – we need saved from His Wrath? (
D. Man Alone does not have a Peaceful relationship with his Creator, but the opposite! = Man is in the cross-hairs of His Anger/Wrath. – man NEEDS to have Peace With God!!! == Eph. 5:6 “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience."
ILLUSTRATION OF PEACE
Only two kinds of peace follow war b/w enemies, said a States man after WWII.
First, is the Peace IMPOSED upon the defeated by the conquered;
Secondly, is the Peace ACCEPTED by the defeated thru Surrender.
There is a vast difference Between: “The Peace which one imposes” AND “The peace which one accepts.”
The Peace Treaty signed on the deck of the battle ship Missouri after WWII was IMPOSED by the Allies and Forced to be ACCEPTED by the Japanese. Can you not see the difference?
If there is to be Peace with God the terms must be IMPOSED by God Himself. WHY? = b/c HE is Right & HE is the Conqueror, & You are Not!
If a person is to have PEACE WITH GOD, it MUST be on His Terms! = What are His Terms? --- KEEP LISTENING! YOU’LL LEARN HIS TERMS AND HIS KINDNESS TOWARDS THOSE WHO SURRENDER.
NOTE:
The wording of Verse 1: Peace With God is THROUGH Jesus Christ & HIS Lordship!
III. 2nd Distinction: Rom. 5:2 = “Access”
A. B/c JC Justified us by His Blood, we have Peace w/ God, We also have ACCESS to the Father.
ILLUSTRATION:
The story of Abraham Lincoln’s Son
B. ?? Why don’t I pray to the Virgin Mary, or to a Saint? = 2 REASONS
#1 I have Access to the Father myself thru JC, why go thru a human?
- (I Tim.2:5) “There is ONE mediator b/w God and man, the man JC.”
#2 The Bible shows us that death separates the two worlds. The dead have no dealings with this world. (no matter what TV shows tell us)
Any approach to God that “LEAVES OUT” or “ADDS TO” the Blood of Christ is a dead-end = FUTILE; WORTHLESS; VAIN
IV. 3RD DISTINCTION - “..AND….Rejoice”
A. REJOICE in what???? IN the hope of the glory that awaits us =
i. “Hope In God” = defined = NOT a hope that Maybe Will or Maybe Won’t, but HOPE that is described as “Something guaranteed / Assured, and Looking forward to receiving w/ anxiousness.” = Vs.5 says it is a Hope That Does Not Disappoint..B/c He has given us Himself to us NOW to guaranteed we’ll be with HIM forever!!
ii. Colossians 1:7 – “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
iii. We have joy b/c we will enter into HIS Glory b/c we are in JC.
B. Why aren’t more Christians living this 3rd Distinction?
Possibility #1: Haven’t learned what awaits them, therefore cannot put their Hope in something they know not of.
Possibility #2: They d/n understand their Justification in Christ
Possibility #3: They are basing their joy on temporal circumstances.
C. Non Christians differ: Eph. 2 – “Having No hope and without God in this world”
4th DISTINCTION Vs. 9 – “Much more….. Saved from Wrath”
C. Why do we need saved from WRATH? - Vs. 10 = “Enemy of God”
D. Vs. 10 Says that is what we are SAVED from: - The Wrath of God!
E. I Thess. 5 - “We are not appointed unto Wrath” …BUT…
Romans 2 - The Unbeliever IS “storing up wrath for the day of wrath.”
F. This should be reason enough to Rejoice !
James Bisse wrote:
We were chaff, now we are wheat;
We were dross, now we are gold;
We were ravens, now we are sheep;
We were thorns, now we are grapes;
We were thistles, now we are lilies;
We were strangers, now we are citizens;
We were harlots, now we are virgins;
Hell was our inheritance, now heaven is our possession;
We were children of wrath, now we are sons of mercy;
We were bondslaves to Satan, now we are heirs of God and co-heirs with Jesus Christ.
V. 5th DISTINCTION Vs. 11 – “And not only that… We are NOW / Already reconciled to God”
A. What does “NOW” mean? Though it d/n look or feel like it, we are Already His Children. The promise begins now!
B. When this life is painful, hurtful, just remember WHO you are –WHOSE you are…NOW, TODAY, and Rejoice, Again I say Rejoice !!!!
I John 3: 1-3 -
"Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, NOW we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure." - ? Do you have this Hope in you NOW?
VII. CLOSING
A. It is B/C of one person that we have all of this: JC. = Nothing is b/c of our effort or beliefs or good works.
B. Here is the Bottom Line: Every person should be Thankful to God for every breath, every meal, every heart beat…. BUT..
ONLY the Christian can REJOICE in God.
ONLY the one who has been Born Again by the Spirit of God has something beyond
this earth to Rejoice about.
ONLY the child of God has a relationship of Peace with God.
ONLY the child of God has absolute guaranteed forgiveness and access with a Loving & Holy God.
Let me tie all of this ROPE up in a big Knot for you to
grab a hold of and hold onto tightly when you leave here today:
1. B/c of JC, you ARE “Distinctive” from the non-Christian.
2. You have Specific Distinctions that separate the way you that you are to live and talk
thru this life Now.
3. I am calling you to Purposefully CAUSE an IMPRESSION on the Darkness of this
world with these “Distinctions!”
If a person is to have PEACE WITH GOD, it MUST be on His Terms! = What are His Terms?
(1) Acknowledgement of War w/ the Holy God.. b/c you have broken His Laws, & rebelled against Him.
(2) Accept total, unconditional Surrender…Acknowledging your Guilt;
(3) Recognize that Jesus Christ, the Living God is the ONLY door to Forgiveness;
(4) REPENT: Humble yourself & Turn to Serve the Only Living God;
(5) TRUST: In Jesus Christ Alone for Salvation from His Wrath for all eternity.