Since We Have Been Justified

Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because Godʼs love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

‭‭(Romans‬ ‭5:1-5‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

 

We have been justified - pardoned - acquitted - of our sinful acts - this means that we are declared blameless in God's sight.

This justification comes through faith - our confidence of and assurance -  in Jesus Christ. 

Because of this we have peace - unity and harmony - with God our Father. And why wouldn't we have peace with The Almighty God, knowing that He views us without blame? Furthermore we have peace with Jesus knowing that He has reconciled us with God. 

Now we stand unified with Jesus as our Savior - as the one that saves us from the penalty of sin - and Lord - as the one that leads our lives. 

Through Jesus - our Savior and Lord - we have access to God's marvelous, matchless grace. This grace in which we stand safely and securely in. 

So, given all of this, let us boast. We do not boast in our own selves or our own abilities. No, let us rejoice - with great joy - I say it again, rejoice - in Jesus Christ - in the hope of the glory of God. 

We have this hope only through Christ - and in what He has done for us. We have the hope - the great expectation - that we will one day soon stand before God and He will impart His glory on us. 

Yet, we not only rejoice in hope, we also rejoice in our current suffering. We are able to rejoice because we trust that our suffering - our trials, our hardships, our distress, our pressure, our trouble - produces perseverance. We learn not to give up or give in - even in the midst of suffering. This perseverance, then, produces spiritual maturity - because it drives us to a total dependence on God and a complete reliance on Him. 

In all of this, we will not - now or ever - be disappointed. How could we be disappointed? We are basking in God's eternal and unsurpassable love. And, God's Spirit is living in us bearing constant witness to His great love to us. 

Since we have been justified by faith, what else do we need? 

Rejoice - Pray - Peace

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7)

This is a Scripture passage that I often struggle with. While I find it easy to be joyful in many of the circumstances of my life, I find it very difficult to be without anxiety. Often times I feel like this is just the way that I am, this is the way that God has made me. If you are struggling with anxiety this morning, if you have moments of your life that you are fearful of what is going to happen next or how you are going to find your way through a certain situation, this morning’s message is for you!

There are two commandments that we will look at this morning as we walk through this passage together, two requirements of a Christian that Paul writes of. The first commandment given to all Christians can be found in verse 4.

REJOICE ALWAYS!

Rejoice in the Lord always. This means that regardless of the day, whether it is dark or bright, whether it is difficult or easy, whether it brings problems and temptations or a clear path to success. We are commanded to rejoice. He repeats it, in case we missed it the first time: “again I say, Rejoice.” 

Joy is something that we cannot produce ourselves; it is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, sometimes we forget this! Many of us are familiar with the fruit of the Spirit, we rattle it off and go on with our lives, Galatians 5:22-33; “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. This same chapter in Galatians gives a list of the characteristics that oppose the fruits of the Spirit and goes on to warn that “those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God”. I would urge you to read Galatians chapter 5 this next week and gauge where you stand with the fruits of the Spirit. Gauge where you stand in your joyfulness.

You see, you can’t be a Christian with power if you lack joy, that’s what gets up the steam. Joy in the Lord is the source of power.  A successful salesman is a happy one. None of us have ever gone into a store to buy something and had some sad salesman begin to cry on our shoulder when we asked about something in the store! Of course not. He begins to smile and tell us how wonderful hisproduct is. On the same hand, how can we be good witnesses of what Christ is if we are not joyful, if the world cannot see the joy within our lives of the power that is Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior? 

“Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.” Paul believed that the Lord would soon return and he wanted to remind others of this truth. We should be willing and eager to do the same with joyful hearts.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Philippians 4:6)

In his inaugural address Franklin Roosevelt said: “let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself- nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance”. Perhaps this is where you are today. We have no lack of things to be fearful of and to be anxious about. But, you see, Paul took a different approach, which is where we find our second commandment of the passage. 

WORRY ABOUT NOTHING, PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING!

Paul says that we are to worry about nothing because we are to pray about everything. This means that we are to talk to the Lord about everything in our lives. Nothing should be left out.  If joy in the Lord is the source of power, prayer is the secret of the power.

The word “petition” caught my eye as I read this verse, by prayer and petition, other versions use the word “supplication” but I like the word petition. If we have a request, a need, God says bring it to me, I want to know what you desire, I want to know what needs you have so that I can meet them. Hebrews 4:16 tells us to “approach the throne of grace, the throne of God, with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” When we think of a petition we think of a list of names brought before a person or a committee to show support or displeasure over something. When I think of praying by petition I think of bringing my request before God day after day, I think of sharing my requests with others and asking them to pray for me and with me over this request until I am clear on the Lord’s answer. ”. And God answers every request that we bring before Him, sometimes the answer is not yet, sometimes it’s just no. Often times the best answers that we receive for our requests is no. A prayer by petition lets the Lord know that this need is important enough to you to talk to Him about, that you believe that He is your source of hope, that you believe He is able to meet this need and you are trusting in Him to do so.

As believers we need to get in the habit of bringing everything to Him in prayer, nothing excluded. And Paul says that when we go to God with a request, thank Him. Thank Him right then and there. Paul never lets prayer become a leap in the dark. It rests on a foundation. 

Romans 10:17 says that faith comes through hearing and hearing comes from the Word of God. Prayer rests on faith and faith rests on the word of God. Romans 5 says “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ , through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.” 

REJOICE ALWAYS!

WORRY ABOUT NOTHING, PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING!

Given these two commandments, what is the outcome? What will follow? Paul tells us in verse 7. 

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

(Philippians 4:7)

The Scripture speaks of other kinds of peace which we can understand. There is world peace. We have the assurance that someday peace will cover the earth as waters cover the sea. And it will come through Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. Jesus said in John 14:27; “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

As we close this morning allow me to summarize by saying, prayer does change things. But that is not the primary purpose of prayer. We entered this passage in anxiety, with worry, and we come out of the passage with peace. Between the two was prayer. Have things changed? Not really. The storm may still be raging, the waves still rolling high, the thunder still resounding. In our anxiety we want God to change everything around us. “Give us this.” “Don’t let this happen.” “Open up this door.” We should be praying, “Oh God, change me.” Prayer is the secret of power. We enter with worry, we can come out with peace. Joy is the source of power, prayer is the secret of power.

Complaints

Everyone else in the family is asleep at this hour. I just flipped through some channels and found nothing good on television this evening. And so, I scanned through my phone and landed on Facebook. 

Looking through my Facebook timeline I found a common theme. So, I decided to spend a few minutes complaining about the amount of complaining that people participate in. 

The Greek word for “complainer” means “one who is discontent with our lot in life". Complaining steals our joy and our peace, and it rarely productive. Perhaps we find one or two others that agree with us yet they are rarely ones that can bring results and answers to our complaints. 

Often we complain to one person, which leads to complaining to another, and then several more. I've thought before that if we call it "venting" then it is still acceptable. Yet our "venting must stop before we are "steaming" lest we "boil over". 

And I wonder if complaining on Facebook doesn't do more harm than anything else. Does the occasional "like" mean that much to us? Does it bring with it a feeling of worth or acceptance? For ever comment of support, keep in mind, that dozens are reading and disagreeing with your argument - and your attitude. Keep in mind that, with each complaint you broadcast, you are building on to the culture of discontent, impatience, and hatred. 

We have been complaining since the very beginning. The very first complainer was Adam who, after he and Eve disobeyed God, he complained to God that “the woman you put here with me – she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it”. 

So, what does God think of complaining? What are we - as Christians to do when we are "disconnect with our lot in life"? Two passages come to mind, the first is a command, the second is a teaching. 

(Philippians 2:14-15) Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky.

(James 4:1-3) What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

What are we to do? Stop grumbling! Stop complaining! Start praying! Seek God's heart! Ask God for our desires! And be content in Him! 

Unity Through The Holy Spirit

Romans 15:5-6,13

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow  Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

As The Church - established in Christ - we must find endurance, encouragement, hope, joy, peace, trust, and power. This can only be accomplished through unity and this unity is only possible through the Holy Spirit. 

Therefore, let us - as The Church of Jesus Christ pursue the unity of the Holy Spirit - so that we may glorify God with one heart and one mind and one voice. 

Stay Connected

I was reading through John 15 this morning. Jesus is speaking to His disciples and the chapter begins with an illustration of His - a vine and its branches. Jesus stresses the importance of staying connected to God for life and for power, apart from God we can accomplish nothing and we are worth nothing. Jesus then begins to talk with His disciples about the importance of remaining connected to God's love, apart from God's love there is no peace and there is no joy. Jesus continues by telling His disciples to stay connected to God through obedience, all wisdom comes to us through God and He has a greater plan in mind, desiring us to live a fruitful life and bear fruit that will last.

So, stay connected. 

From Merton's Palace of Nowhere by James Finley; "Mertton once told me to quit trying so hard in prayer. He said: 'How does and apple ripen? It just sits in the sun.' A small green apple cannot ripen in one night by tightening all its muscles, squinting its eyes and tightening its jaw in order to find itself the next morning miraculously large, red, ripe, and juicy beside its small green counterparts. Like the birth of a baby or the opening of a rose, the birth of true self takes place in God's time. We must wait for God, we must be awake, we must trust in his hidden action within us."

So, once again, stay connected.

Tired of The Construction

I don't want to complain BUT...the construction in our town is "driving" me crazy! Main Street has been torn up for over a month now.

·        there is a huge gulf on one side of the street that I'm afraid I'm going to catch my front tire on and flip my car over. 

·        there are those huge orange barrels that we have to navigate around to avoid

·        the main traffic light near our house has been a 4-way stop for a almost a month and you never know when you'll get stopped by the construction going on and add several minutes to any trip

·        many of the turn lanes through town are nonexistent - either that or the side roads are inaccessible due to the construction 

 

I'M TIRED OF IT!

 

I think about the construction on Main Street, and I consider the words of Isaiah 57:14; "Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people."  Then it occurs to me that many of us try to live our lives in the midst of construction - in the midst of broken roads, huge orange construction barrels, stopped traffic and traffic jams, and inaccessible roads. 

I'M TIRED OF IT!

"Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people."

 

·        When there is a huge gulf on the side of the road we operate in fear; fear of what might lie ahead, fear of being drifting off, fear of crashing. 

·        When there are huge orange barrels in the middle of the road we are restricted; having to carefully navigate; change lanes, take detours, restricted to the lanes these barrels keep us in

·        When there is constant construction traffic we are frustrated; we stop moving; we stop growing, we stop moving

·        When the turn lanes and side roads are closed, we lose access; to God's joy for us, God's power in us, and God's peace over us

 

I'M TIRE OF LIVING MY LIFE LIKE THIS! ARE YOU? 

 

"Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people."

 

Build up the road to God – Remove the obstacles in your life

 

Isaiah 57 goes on to state that:

 

• God desires to revive your spirit and your heart (15)
• God desires to heal you and restore comfort to you (18)
• God desires to grant you rest and peace (21)

 

Build up the road to God – Remove the obstacles in your life

 

What are the obstacles in your life that keep you for true peace?

• What are the obstacles in your life keeping you for God?
• Let God remove these obstacles for you.
• Stop living a life of limitation
• Take full access of God’s life for you

All I Want For Christmas Is Jesus

This past Sunday we began new series. It was unable to be recorded. Below are some of the sermon notes from the first sermon in this exciting series.

I often find it odd that We spend a season celebrating what we are most thankful for and then we immediately follow it with a season concentrating on what else we want - what else we still need.

“What do you want for Christmas?” This is, perhaps, the most frequently asked question at Christmastime.

Personally, I never have a good answer for this question, ether because I don’t know what I want or because I don’t want to ask someone for it. And it is frustrating to hear “I don’t know”

“What do you want for Christmas?” My mother-in-law asked me this question, to which I responded “I don’t know”.

“What do you want for Christmas?” Children ask their parents this question. To this day when we ask mom she will say “to have all of my family to be healthy and to be together”. This answer is even more frustrating than “I don’t know” because I can't provide this for my mom.

But it is sometimes that things that we want – and need – the most that we don’t ask for, we won’t ask for, we don’t even talk about them. Most of us have a need that we rarely recognize. Most of us have a need that we seldom express - a need we would never state on our Christmas list - even though it’s all that we really want and all that we really desire

What do you want for Christmas? What do you really need? Joy?  Peace?  Love? Hope?

Over the next month we will take part in a series together; "All I Want For Christmas Is…" Throughout this series we will continue to ask the question: "What do you want for Christmas?” And we will continue to come back to Isaiah 61 - the mission statement of Jesus - the purpose of why He came to earth.

Isaiah 61:1-3a: The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.

All I want for Christmas is Jesus.

·       Jesus is our Joy

o   Good news for the poor and the afflicted

·       Jesus is our Peace

o   Healing for the brokenhearted and troubled

·       Jesus is our Love and our Salvation

o   Freedom for the captives and a pardon for all prisoners

·       Jesus is our Hope

o   The time of the Lord’s favor has come for us

Where all other gifts fall short, Jesus fulfills. This year He can bring you joy, peace, love, and peace

It’s time that we take our focus off of the hurry, the greed, the chaos, and the rush of Christmas – that’s not Christmas anyway! It’s time we stop asking and wishing for gifts that break down, spoil, rust, and disappoint us. It’s time we focus on the true gift of Christmas – Jesus Christ. Who reigns eternally and fulfills our every desire and need.

All I want for Christmas is Jesus. Jesus is our peace. Jesus is our love. Jesus is our salvation. Jesus is our hope. Now and for all of eternity

This Christmas let us look for opportunities to speak Jesus into lives - to speak Jesus into our own life and to speak Jesus into the lives of others.

Trials at Walmart

Every week I preach about peace, patience, love, and a attitude that mirrors that of Jesus Christ. However, every week I also find myself at the local Walmart department store where these very qualities are being tested!

First off, I hate to shop, not because I don't have time to shop, but because shopping is not enjoyable. So, unless I am in need of something specific I will not be out shopping. Further, if I am in need of something specific I will head for the closest parking spot and take the quickest and most direct route to the product I am in need of and then take the quickest and most direct route out.

Combine this general hatred of shopping with a department store where the isles are barely wide enough to fit two carts side-by-side, a department store that has built a niche of "end caps" - meaning that the narrow isles are all that much narrower, and a department store where, on average, one checkout lane is open for every six people desiring to "checkout", and my peace, patience, and love begin to fade way.

Then, you top this off with the numerous people you will encounter on a typical trip to Walmart - not to pick on any particular group of people - and I have quite a bit of trouble mirroring an attitude like that of Jesus Christ.

• Just the other day I watched someone push their cart directly into a parked car, shrug their shoulders and then walk off.
• Last year I saw a woman spit in a man's face before getting in her car and driving away.
• Yesterday I woman was walking in the crosswalk as I sat waiting, she stopped and stared at me, threw her hands in the air and yelled "what are you looking at?".
• A month or so ago I came upon a guy working on his car in the middle of the parking lot, in the middle of an isle - I had to cut turn around and go out the wrong way because he blocked the entire isle.
• Some time back a group of kids on Razor scooters came out of nowhere and I almost picked one of them off.
• Once I saw three teens laying in  the middle of the parking lot after dark - two of them wearing black shirts.
• I can go on, and on, and on...

I believe - half-joking here - that Walmart is what Satan uses to tempt me and to try me in the way I respond to others. Several times my wife has had to remind me that I am a Pastor in this town and - on any given Sunday - the people that I encounter at Walmart could walk into our church.

So what do I do? Rather than getting frustrated in the isles or the checkout lane of Walmart, rather than yelling at or injuring some of the people in the Walmart parking lot, I simply send my wife!

Thoughts on Titus 3:1-2

This past Sunday our class was reading from Titus 3;

1 Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, 2 to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone.

Of course, just as this verse points to, we began to discuss our view of government, authorities, and politics. We began to talk about a believer's role regarding these matters and when we are to stand up, step forward and declare that "enough is enough".

In light of this, I considered this passage from Titus, Verse 2 specifically struck me, especially the words "slander", "peaceable", and "considerate".

First Paul writes that a believer is to slander no one. This speaks of our leaders and those in authority, but also of our family members, friends, co-workers, and neighbors - everyone! This means no gossip, no ill talk, no lies - nothing - no slander.

But then Paul writes that we are to be peaceable. Yet this isn't always easy. There are things that really seem to get my blood boiling and things that upset me and make me downright angry. Is Paul stating that we truest need to be peaceable at all times? Weren't there times when Jesus wasn't peaceable? And, aren't there things in our culture that we are to stand for and to stand against? As believers aren't we called to speak for the rights of the oppressed and persecuted? Aren't we called to preach the Word, be salt in the world, and to be a light for the world? So, how can we do all of this and still be peaceable at all times?

See, that's where the third word comes in; "considerate". There will be things that strike us, upset us, or even upset us. And these are the moments that we must remember to be considerate. As believers we must step back, even remove ourselves from the situation for a time, to evaluate and consider the larger picture. Ask; "Am I angry because this inconveniences me or causes me some sort of personal difficulty?" or "Am I angry because this us something that God's Word speaks against and breaks His Heart?"

If your angry stems from a personal inconvenience than peaceable you must be! Pray for it and it will come. But, if yourconcerned based on an attack on God's will and His way, you must stand against the matter and peace may not be the answer. Yet here is where Paul's final statement cones in; "always to be gentle toward everyone".

Whatever the case, in peace or in conflict, we are called to be gentle. As believers we are called to be hard on sin but not harsh toward sinners.

Setting Your Heart for Holiness

Holiness is possible! If it wasn't God would be a liar (Romans 6) and there would be no hope of heaven (Hebrews 12:14).

Set your heart on Christ-like peace

 John 14:27; Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. 

John 16:33; I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

o   This is a heart that has the peace and knowledge that Christ was victorious over death

o   This is a heart that has the assurance and faith  in Christ’s  promise to us that He will grant us victory as well

o   This is a heart that is confident that Christ is in control of the large and small matters of life.

Set your heart on Christ-like worship

Matthew 15:8-9; “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.”

o   This is a heart prepared to receive the God of all creation

o   This is a heart that craves more of Jesus

o   This is a heart that is deeply connected with His Spirit

Set your heart on Christ-like treasures

Matthew 6:19-21; Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

o   This is a heart that is concerned with matters of heaven

o   This is a heart that desires to build the Kingdom of God

o   This is a heart that longs to do the will of Jesus

Set your heart on Christ-like thoughts

Matthew 15:17-20; Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’  For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man ‘unclean’

o   This is a heart that has been cleansed from selfish desire

o   This is a heart that is aligned with the will of God

o   This is a heart that has pure motives and actions always.

Set your heart on Christ-like speech

Matthew 12:33-37; “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

o   This is a heart that seeks to honor God with respect

o   This is a heart that aims to encourage fellow believers

o   This is a heart that strives to inspire others with truth

Holy living is all of this – holiness is a heart that is Christ-like. And setting your heart for holiness is all about motive.  

So, what is the motive –  the intent – of your heart?

Remember Hebrews 12:14; “without holiness no one will see the Lord.”

Jesus said it a different way in Matthew 5:8; “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”

What motives of your heart must you give up - and do away with - for holiness to be a possibility in your life? 

What motives of your heart must you embrace - and better take hold of - for holiness to be a reality in your life?

We Have Jesus

If you have ever read the account of Job you know the horrible suffering, pain, and despair that he faced. But you also know of his words during this time of anguish and how he refused to curse God. At one point, when it seemed like he could handle it no more, he speaks of God and says;

“He is not a mere mortal like me that I might answer Him, that we might confront each other in court. If only there were someone to mediate between us, someone to bring us together, someone to remove God’s rod from me, so that His terror would frighten me no more. Then I would speak up without fear of Him, but as it now stands with me, I cannot." (Job 9:32-35)

"If only there someone to mediate between us" - "Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance —now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant." (Hebrews 9:15)

"someone to bring us together" - "But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit." (1 Corinthians 6:17)

"someone to remove God's rod from me" - Jesus "was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5)

"so that His terror would frighten me no more" - "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." (John 14:27)

"but as it stands now with me, I cannot" - in Christ Jesus we have now what Job never did - we have Jesus; our mediator, our unified, our sacrifice, and our peace.