Law Breakers

 Romans 3:9-17. "Law Breakers" Safe Haven Community Church. Sunday August 28th, 2022. Romans 3:9-17. What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; 10 as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one." 13 "Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive." "The venom of asps is under their lips." 14 "Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness." 15 "Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 in their paths are ruin and misery, 17 and the way of peace they have not known." (ESV) People generally like to believe they are basically good. That belief is continually reinforced by psychologists, counselors, and a great many religious leaders. But deep in the human heart people know there is a problem. No matter whom or what people may try to blame for that feeling, we cannot escape it. There is the evident reality of guilt, not only about things we have done that we know are wrong but also about the kind of person we are on the inside. As the Apostle Paul has already forcefully declared in the first two chapters of Romans, both the pagan Gentile and the religious Jew are sinful and stand condemned before a holy God. But human nature strongly resists that truth. Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse said, "It is only stubborn self-pride that keeps man from the confession to God that would bring release, but that way he refuses to take. Man stands before God today like a little boy who swears with crying and tears that he has not been anywhere near the jam jar, and who with an air of outraged innocence, pleads the justice of his position, in total ignorance of the fact that a good spoonful of the jam has fallen on his shirt under his chin and is plainly visible to all but himself" (Donald Grey Barnhouse. God's Wrath: Romans 2-3:1-20 [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1953], p. 191). People feel guilty because they are guilty. The guilt feeling is only the symptom of the real problem, which is sin. All of the psychological counseling in the world cannot relieve a person of heir guilt. At best it can only make them feel better, superficially and temporarily, by placing the blame on someone else or something else. That, of course, only intensifies the guilt, because it adds dishonesty to the sin that caused the guilt feeling in the first place. Human guilt has only one cause-our own sin-and unless our sin is removed, our guilt cannot be. That is why the first element of the gospel is confronting people with the reality of their sin. The word gospel means "good news." But the good news it offers is the way of salvation from sin, and until a person is convicted of their sin, the gospel has nothing to offer. The gospel therefore begins by declaring that all people in their natural condition are fundamentally sinful and that the greatest need of our lives is to have that sin removed through trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul was well aware of the human disposition to deny sin. Therefore, from creation, from history, from reason and logic, and from conscience, Paul has already presented powerful testimony of human sinfulness. Now he presents the ultimate testimony, the testimony of Scripture. Paul introduces before the court, as it were, the testimony of God's own Word as revealed in the Old Testament. The charge in verse 9 begins with two questions. The first is simply, What then? The idea is, "What is the point of further testimony?" Paul has already condemned the immoral pagan, the moral pagan, and then both the moral and immoral Jew. Anticipating what some of his readers would think, his second question asks rhetorically, Are we better than they? That is, "Do we have a better basic nature than those who have just been shown to be condemned? Are we made from a different mold, cut from a different piece of cloth than they?" It seems that the "we" here directly refers to Paul himself and his fellow believers in Rome, both Jew and Gentile. The question would then mean, "Are we Christians, in ourselves, better than the other groups of people already shown to be condemned before God? Are we intrinsically superior to those others? Were we saved because our basic human nature was on a higher plane than theirs?" Immediately answering his own question, Paul unequivocally asserts, Not at all. "No, we are not in ourselves any better than others," he says. He has already pointed out the condemnation of everyone, from the most reprobate, vice-ridden pagan to the most outwardly moral and upright Jew. In other words, the entire human race, with absolutely no exceptions, is arraigned before God's court of justice: For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks are all under sin. Proaitiaomai (already charged) was often used as a legal term to designate a person previously indicted for a given offense. Hupo (under) was a common Greek term that frequently meant not simply to be beneath but to be totally under the power, authority, and control of something or someone. That is obviously the sense Paul has in mind here: Every unredeemed human being, both Jews and Greeks are all under, completely subservient and in bondage to, the dominion of sin. Therefore, the problem with people is not just that they commit sins; their problem is that they are enslaved to sin. What is needed, therefore, is a new power to break in and set people free from sin-a power found in, and only in, the gospel of Jesus Christ (Moo, D. J. (1996). The Epistle to the Romans (p. 201). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.) Paul now in verse 10, presents an appalling thirteen-count indictment against fallen humanity. To reinforce the inclusiveness of the indictment, he reiterates the fact that all of fallen humanity, Jew and Gentile alike, is under sin (cf.. v. 9). The indictment comes directly from Old Testament Scripture, to which it is written refers. It is written translates the Greek perfect tense, indicating the continuity and permanence of what was written and implying its divine authority, which every faithful Jew and every faithful Christian, whether Jew or Gentile, acknowledged. The thirteen charges of the indictment are presented in three categories-the first concerning 1) The Character (Romans 3:10-12), the second concerning 2) The Conversation (Romans 3:13-14), and the third concerning 3) The Conduct (Romans 3:15-17) of the accused. As Law Breakers, God's charge against sinful humanity is seen through: 1) The Character (Romans 3:10-12) of the accused. Romans 3:10-12. What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; 10 as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one." (ESV) In verses 10-18, he uses the term none (and its equivalent, not even one) six times in referring to humanity's absolute lack of righteousness before God. Under the heading of what could be called character, Paul lists the first six of the thirteen charges. Because of the unredeemed fallen nature, people are universally a) evil (v. 10b), b) spiritually ignorant (v. 11a), c) rebellious (v. 11b), d) wayward (v. 12a), e) spiritually useless (v. 12b), and f) morally corrupt (v. 12c). First, humanity is universally evil, there being absolutely no exceptions. Quoting from the Psalms, Paul declares, None is righteous, no not one. The full text of Psalm 14:1 is, "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God.' They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; there is no one who does good." Paul here is using the term righteous in its most basic sense of being right before God, of being as God created people to be. Obviously, people are able do many things that are morally right. Even the vilest person may occasionally do something commendable. But the apostle is not speaking of specific acts or even general patterns of behavior, but of people's inner character. His point is that there is not a single person who has ever lived, apart from the sinless Lord Jesus Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 5:21), whose innermost being could be characterized as righteous by God's standard. To prevent some people from thinking that they might be exceptions, Paul adds, no not one. There are obviously vast differences among people as to their kindness, love, generosity, honesty, truthfulness, and the like. But no not one person besides Christ has come remotely close to righteous perfection, which is the only standard acceptable to God. God's standard of righteousness for humaniy is the righteousness that He Himself possesses, which was manifest in Christ. "You are to be perfect," Jesus declared, "as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matt. 5:48). In other words, a person who is not as good as God is not acceptable to God. Human righteousness is like Monopoly money. It has its uses in the game we call life. But it is not real currency, and it does not work in God's domain. God requires divine righteousness (Boice, J. M. (1991-). Romans: Justification by Faith (Vol. 1, p. 293). Baker Book House.) Second, humanity not only is universally evil but also spiritually ignorant. Quoting again from the Psalms, Paul says in verse 11 no one understands (cf Pss. 14:2; 53:3). God gives every human being sufficient knowledge of himself and his law, even through general revelation (1:18-21; 2:14-15). This is the kind of understanding to which this texts refers. The problem is that no one receives this knowledge with a pure and open heart (Jer 17:9); hardness of heart leads to darkened understanding and willful ignorance (Eph 4:18). We tend to suppress the truth in favor of foolish and futile speculations (1:18, 21), and exchange truth for lies (1:25) (Cottrell, J. (1996). Romans (Vol. 1, Ro 3:11). College Press Pub. Co.). Please turn to 1 Corinthians 2 Humanity has no innate ability to fully comprehend God's truth or His standard of righteousness. From God's magnificent creation, humanity has sufficient evidence of His "invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature" to make every person "without excuse" for not honoring and glorifying God (Rom. 1:20). But apart from the ability to see that general revelation of His power and majesty, people have no spiritual capacity to know or understand God. 1 Corinthians 2 explains why. The Apostle Paul explains how true understanding only comes through the Holy Spirit, beginning in verse 6 1 Corinthians 2:6-15. 6 Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. 7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is written, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him"- 10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. 14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16 "For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ. (ESV) * Ever wonder why when you talk about spiritual things, the person you are talking to seems to have no basic comprehension for what you are saying? Apart from the Holy Spirit opening up their eyes and mind, it is all nonsense. That is why we need to pray for his when we talk to another. We need to be patient and try to explain, and we also need the Spirit to guide our discernment and understanding for all elements of our lives. (cf. Rom. 2:15; Eph. 4:18) Back now in Romans 3:11, we see that in addition to being universally evil and spiritually ignorant, fallen humanity is third, rebellious. No one seeks God, Paul is alluding again to Psalm 14:2. Judging from the vast number of religions in the world with millions of zealous adherents, one would think that a great many people are diligently seeking after God. But Scripture makes clear, in this passage and in many others, that all religious systems and efforts are, in reality, attempts to escape the true God and to discover or manufacture false gods of one's own liking. Every person who comes to Jesus Christ for salvation has been sent to Him through the divine initiative of God the Father (John 6:37). "No one can come to Me," Jesus goes on to say, "unless the Father who sent Me draws him" (Jn. 6:44). The only person, therefore, who seeks God is the person who has responded positively to God's seeking him. The natural inclination of unredeemed humanity is to "seek after their own interests" (Phil. 2:21). No one, except those in whom the Holy Spirit has already performed the entirely irresistible work of the new birth so that, as a result of this miracle, the spiritually blind eyes of the natural man are opened to see God's truth, and the totally depraved mind of the sinner, which in itself has no spiritual understanding, is renewed to embrace the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior (Boice, J. M. (1991-). Romans: Justification by Faith (Vol. 1, p. 302). Baker Book House.). Fourth, Paul charges that humanity is naturally wayward. Continuing to quote from the Psalms (Ps. 14:3), he declares in verse 12, that all have turned aside from God. The person who is naturally evil, naturally ignorant of God's truth, and naturally rebellious against God, will inevitably naturally live apart from God's will. It is characteristic of sinners to turn from God rather than toward him. Turned aside (ἐκκλίνω, ekklinō) means to avoid or to deliberately turn away, not just to accidentally lose one's way (cf. 16:17; 1 Pet 3:11). In a military context it referred to a soldier's running the wrong way, in other words deserting in the midst of battle. "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way" (Isa 53:6). (Cottrell, J. (1996). Romans (Vol. 1, Ro 3:12). College Press Pub. Co.) Fifth, Paul charges that natural humanity is spiritually worthless. Together, that is, all of fallen humanity, have become worthless/useless. The Hebrew equivalent of the Greek term translated here as useless was often used to describe milk that had turned sour and rancid, thereby becoming unfit to drink or to be used to make butter, cheese, or anything else edible. In ancient Greek literature the word was even used of the senseless laughter of a moron. Apart from a saving relationship to Jesus Christ, a person is a spiritually dead branch, totally unable to produce any fruit. As such, it is lifeless and worthless, fit only to be thrown into the fire to be burned (John 15:6). Paul's letter to Titus emphasizes the same tragic reality when it reflects on the utter worthlessness of even the religious (Titus 1:16). Unredeemed humanity is worthless/useless for the purposes of God and, much like the worthless/useless dead branch, is destined for the fires of hell. The failure to seek God does not leave a person immobilized; rather, it sets him or her on a course of destruction. Whatever does not include the seeking of God ends up being worthless/useless (Barton, B. B., Veerman, D., & Wilson, N. S. (1992). Romans (p. 68). Tyndale House Publishers.). Sixth, unredeemed humanity is charged with being corrupt, which is both a repetition of the first charge and something of a summary of the previous five charges. No one does good, Paul says, not even one. Chrēstotēs (does good) refers to what is upright, specifically to what is morally upright. Measured by God's perfect standard of righteousness, unredeemed humanity has no ability to do anything upright and good. Relative to other human beings, some people obviously are better behaved. But no human being has within themselves either the desire or the capacity for the good that is holy, perfect, and God-glorifying by the divine standard. This refers to what theologians speak of as total depravity, i.e., not that people in their natural state are as bad as they can possibly be, but rather that their entire being is adversely affected by sin. (Harrison, E. F. (1976). Romans. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor's Bible Commentary: Romans through Galatians (Vol. 10, p. 39). Zondervan Publishing House.). The 'totality' of our corruption refers to its extent (twisting and tainting every part of our humanness), not to its degree (depraving every part of us absolutely). As Dr J. I. Packer has put it succinctly, on the one hand 'no one is as bad as he or she might be', while on the other 'no action of ours is as good as it should be' (Stott, J. R. W. (2001). The message of Romans: God's good news for the world (p. 101). InterVarsity Press.). Illustration: Some years ago a fascinating but pathetic story of a duck in a Toronto park made headlines for several days (Toronto Star, Nov 4-13, 1971). The duck, who came to be called Ringo, made her home at the park lake. One day she accidentally poked her bill through the ring of a pull tab from a pop can and was not able to extricate herself. She was, of course, unable to eat and would soon starve to death. When her plight was noticed by some park visitors, she became something of a celebrity. Park personnel and animal experts tried numerous ways to catch Ringo so she could be helped. They even called in a champion duck caller. People tried luring her with food but without success. Unfortunately, the frightened Ringo mistook all the efforts to help her as being threats. The rescuers lost sight of her and never did catch her. It is not known if Ringo eventually dislodged the pull tab before she died. Fallen and condemned humanity, trapped in his sin, is similarly confused. Because people sees it as a threat to thier life-style rather than an eternal blessing, they make every effort to escape the gospel, which the Lord has so graciously provided for their salvation. Because people fear intruding on the life of others, they don't often hear of the consequences of a life apart from Christ until it is too late. If we love people enough to tell them the truth, and share our experiences of being apart from the truth, perhaps the Lord will gracious open people's eyes and soften their hearts to the truth. As Law Breakers, God's charge against sinful humanity is seen through: 2) The Conversation of the Accused (Romans 3:13-14) Romans 3:13-14. 13 "Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive." "The venom of asps is under their lips." 14 "Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness." (ESV) We can see beginning in verse 13, a person's character will inevitably manifest itself in conversation. Continuing to quote from the Psalms, Paul here illustrates the truths about a person's character as they are reflected in conversation. In doing so, he adds four more charges to the divine indictment against the unregenerate man. That is why the seventh charge of Paul's indictment is that by nature fallen humanity is spiritually dead, demonstrated by the metaphor of their throat being an open grave (cf. Ps. 5:9). A grave contains the rotting and putrid remains of a corpse; when it is opened, it emits a horrible stench. The sinner's throat (λάρυγξ, larynx) is like this grave. When an unrepentant sinner opens it to speak, all sorts of ugly, rotten, obscene words pour forth. (See Eph 4:29.) This follows Jesus' specific teaching in Matt 12:34: "Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks" (cf Matt 12:35; 15:18-20). Nothing reveals the state of the heart more consistently than how a person talks. A rotten heart produces rotten speech (Cottrell, J. (1996). Romans (Vol. 1, Ro 3:13). College Press Pub. Co.). Please turn to Jeremiah 9 The eighth charge is that by nature fallen humanity is deceitful: they use their tongues to deceive. Dolioō, from which deceive is derived, has the basic meaning of luring and was used of baiting a hook by covering it with a small piece of food to disguise its danger. When a fish bites the food, thinking he will get a meal, he instead becomes a meal for the fisherman. The imperfect Greek tense of the verb here indicates continual, repetitive deceit. For the unredeemed person, lying and other forms of deceit are a habitual and normal part of their life. James gives almost an entire chapter to the tongue, and its capacity for destruction (James 3)...The tongue is likened to the rudder of a ship, the very small piece that determines the course of the large vessel. How difficult is the tongue to control. It is like a spark, with the capacity to set forests ablaze. So many sins that the New Testament speaks of are sins of the tongue. Think how we wound other people with unkind remarks, with slander, insult and unnecessary criticism; how we use the tongue to blaspheme God, to tell lies and desecrate the sanctity of truth (Sproul, R. C. (1994). The Gospel of God: An Exposition of Romans (p. 68). Christian Focus Publications.) Jeremiah also exposed the tendency of the unredeemed for deceitfulness, saying of the wicked, in Jeremiah 9 beginning in verse 3: Jeremiah 9:3-6. 3 They bend their tongue like a bow; falsehood and not truth has grown strong in the land; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not know me, declares the LORD. 4 Let everyone beware of his neighbor, and put no trust in any brother, for every brother is a deceiver, and every neighbor goes about as a slanderer. 5 Everyone deceives his neighbor, and no one speaks the truth; they have taught their tongue to speak lies; they weary themselves committing iniquity. 6 Heaping oppression upon oppression, and deceit upon deceit, they refuse to know me, declares the LORD. (ESV) (Cf. Ps. 5:9; Ps. 36:1-3; Isa. 59:1-3) * There is great weariness in our land for lack of truth. From politicians, advertisers to journalists, people have come to expect to be deceived. God is the author of truth and expects His people to be a people of truth. When we love someone, we tell them the truth. There is a unique opportunity now for the people of God to be known as preservers and disseminators of truth in a time of famine of the truth. The ninth charge in Paul's indictment of unconverted humanity back in Romans 3:13, is closely related to the previous one. Quoting from part of Psalm 140:3, he says of the ungodly that the venom/poison of asps is under their lips. The psalmist precedes that charge with the observation that "they sharpen their tongues as a serpent." Because of the spiritually damning false doctrines and the deceitful character of most of the religious leaders in Jesus' day, both He and John the Baptist described them as broods of vipers (Matt. 3:7; 12:34). In describing asps, one writer says, "The fangs of such a deadly snake ordinarily lie folded back in the upper jaw, but when the snake throws his head to strike, these hollow fangs drop down, and when the snake bites, the fangs press a sac of deadly venom/poison hidden under the lips, ejecting venom/poison into the victim." This is all a chilling and graphic way the far-reaching destructive capabilities of words spoken from a sinful heart. Sometimes it is the frontal venomous attack of an irate enemy couched in violent, vitriolic verbiage which is so debilitating; at other times it is the sudden sharp sting of the unexpectedly bitten heel that produces an even more devastating result. James, expressing similar strong sentiments, said, "But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly venom/poison" (James 3:8). ( Briscoe, D. S., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1982). Romans (Vol. 29, p. 80). Thomas Nelson Inc.) The tenth charge in the indictment continues the imagery of speaking, describing the ungodly in verse 14 as those whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness (cf. Ps. 10:7). Ara (cursing) carries the idea of intense malediction, of desiring the worst for a person and making that desire public through open criticism and defamation. Pikria (bitterness) was not used so much in regard to physical taste as to describe openly-expressed emotional hostility against an enemy. David described cursing, bitter persons as those who "have sharpened their tongue like a sword ... aimed bitter speech as their arrow, to shoot from concealment at the blameless; suddenly they shoot him, and do not fear" (Ps. 64:3-4). Every age of humanity, our own certainly included, has been characterized by people who use their tongues as vicious weapons. Their attacks not only are against those they know well enough to hate but sometimes, as David seems to intimate, even against strangers, simply for the perverse pleasure of venting their anger and hatred. To curse someone is to verbally call for harm to befall him. It usually springs from a heart that is full of bitterness or hostility or anger toward that person. The sinner's heart is "full of" such bitter curses, i.e., it is not just an exception but is typical of their lifestyle in general (Cottrell, J. (1996). Romans (Vol. 1, Ro 3:14). College Press Pub. Co.). Illustration: Most Potent Venom (James 3:6) A scientist has found out that poison from the skin of a tiny South American tree frog is far more toxic than any other known venom. Rain forest Indians use the venom from the skin of the kokoi frog to poison their blowgun arrows. There is a poison even more deadly-the poison from an evil tongue. "The tongue is a fire, a word of iniquity." "With their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness" (James 3:6 and context; Rom. 3:13, 14). Are you a Christian, able to control your tongue? If so, you are a mature Christian. "For in many things we offend all. If any one offends not in word, the same is a perfect, and able also to bridle the whole body" (James 3:2). (AMG Bible Illustrations. (2000). AMG Publishers.) Finally, as Law Breakers, God's charge against sinful humanity is seen through: 3) The Conduct of the Accused (Romans 3:15-17) Romans 3:15-17. 15 "Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 in their paths are ruin and misery, 17 and the way of peace they have not known." (ESV) The last three charges in Paul's indictment, beginning in verse 15, relate to the conduct of natural humanity. The eleventh charge is that the ungodly are innately murderous: their feet are swift to shed blood. During the past century more than thirty-nine million people lost their lives in wars. And by conservative estimates, human governments killed an additional 125 million people-led by Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Hitler, and (pol pot) others (Blum, E. A. (2017). Romans. In E. A. Blum & T. Wax (Eds.), CSB Study Bible: Notes (pp. 1784-1785). Holman Bible Publishers.). The modern state sponsored abortion movement makes these exterminations seem small in comparison. We are seeing a full speed drive in our day as well through euthanasia. Even without physically killing, Scripture makes dear that the seed of murder is one of a multitude of evil seeds that are universally found in the human heart (Mt. 5) and that, to some degree, inevitably grow and bear fruit. The shameful milestones of history are marked with bloodstains from the atrocities committed by those who freed themselves from God. There is always talk of peace, but apart from God, there can be no real peace (Barton, B. B., Veerman, D., & Wilson, N. S. (1992). Romans (pp. 68-69). Tyndale House Publishers.). The twelfth charge in the overall indictment in verse 16, and the second one that is manifested in human conduct, is that of general destructiveness. "in their paths are ruin/destruction and misery. Suntrimma (Ruin/destruction) is a compound word that denotes breaking in pieces and completely shattering, causing total devastation. The manifestation of wanton ruin/destruction is becoming more and more evident in much of modern society. This highlights the depravity of the sinner's heart by describing the wreckage they leave in their wake. Such a person pursues their selfish desires and purposes with no concern for others and without caring how hey may be harming them. The picture is that of a village devastated by a killer hurricane that has passed through. "Ruin/destruction" describes the shattered wreckage itself; "misery" refers to the pain and suffering experienced by those over whom the sinner has run roughshod. "Wherever they go, they leave behind them a trail of destruction and misery" (Cottrell, J. (1996). Romans (Vol. 1, Ro 3:16). College Press Pub. Co.). Please turn to Romans 5 The thirteenth and last of the charges in Paul's indictment of condemned person in verse 17 is that of his peacelessness: And the way/path of peace have they not known. The apostle is not speaking of the lack of inner peace-although that is certainly a characteristic of the ungodly person-but of humanity's essential inclination away from peace. This charge is therefore something of a counterpart to the previous one. Peace has never been more highly extolled than in our own day. But few would argue that peace, whether personal or international, actually characterizes our times. Nevertheless, as in Jeremiah's day, many modern leaders are trying to heal the brokenness of their people superficially, crying, "Peace, peace," when obviously there is no peace" (Jer. 6:14). God's Word gives much counsel as to what makes for peace, and those individuals and societies who have chosen to follow His guidance have experienced relative times of peacefulness. Everything Paul has said thus far on the action that destroy peace, have but one solution. He lays out that solution in Romans 5, beginning in verse 1: Romans 5:1-11. Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. 6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person-though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die- 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (ESV) * If today you will believe in Jesus Christ, and turn from your sin, and renounce all forms of self-salvation, the very righteousness of God will be yours as a gift, and replace your unrighteousness for which Christ suffered and died on the cross. I beg you, on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. Trust him for his great salvation (Piper, J. (2007). Sermons from John Piper (1990-1999). Desiring God).. Prayer Praise: "At Calvary" (3 Verses) Sign off for Video steam Communion meditation: Romans 5:1-11 Call elders forward to serve communion Closing Hymn Medley 055 Benediction To you who are debtors to mercy alone, And free from the terrors of the law. Walk in the light, as he is in the light, so that the blood of Jesus, God's Son, purifies you from all sin. In His name we pray. Amen (cf. 1 Jn. 1:7)