SOME RESULTS
OF SALVATION
ROM 5:1-11
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom
also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and
rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not
only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation
produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance,
character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because
the love of God has been poured out in our
hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. 6 For when we were still
without strength, in due time Christ died for
the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet
perhaps for a good man someone would even dare
to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we
were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9
Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be
saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if
when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His
Son, much more, having been
reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only that, but we
also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus
Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. NKJV
Introduction:
Jan Smith sent me a cute story on email. It showed a
little boy just sitting with the cat. A little later the Mother saw the
boy playing church with the cat he was the preacher and the cat
looked very interested.
A little later she saw the cat as if it had been almost drowned, and she ask the boy what happened. He told her, "I baptized him."
Mom said you know he doesn't like water, and the boy said,
"he should have thought of that
before he joined my church."
1.
Salvation Results in New . . Advantages. 5:1-2
1 Therefore, having been justified by
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2
through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we
stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of
God.
A. The Advantage Of
. . Peace v 1
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Illustration: TOPIC:
Peace INDEX:3013 DATE:11/1985.11
Several years ago a submarine was being
tested and had to remain submerged for many hours. When it
returned to the harbor, the captain was asked, "How did the terrible
storm last night affect you?" The officer looked at him in surprise and
exclaimed, "Storm? We didn't even know there was one!" The sub had been
so far beneath the surface that it had reached the area known to
sailors as "the
cushion of the sea." Although the ocean may be whipped into huge waves
by high winds, the waters below are
never stirred. The Christian's mind will be protected against the
distracting waves of worry if it is resting
completely in the good providence of God. There, sheltered by His grace
and encouraged by His Holy Spirit, the
believer can find the perfect tranquility that only Christ can provide.
B. The Advantage Of . . Access To
God. v 2a
2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand,
and rejoice in hope of the
glory of God.
1. The GREEK Word Access. (prosagoge)
NT:4318), lit., "a leading or bringing into the presence of" (pros,
"to," ago, "to lead"), denotes "access," with which
is associated the thought of freedom to enter through the assistance or
favor of another. It is used three times, (Vine's
Expository Dictionary)
Eph 2:18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. NKJV
Eph 3:12 in
whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.
NKJV
Illustration
I serve on the Executive Board of the Missouri Baptist Convention. I
lead a young man into the meeting so he could
show off his Deer Antlers. He was afraid to go in until I took him.
Illustration
John Phillips tells the story of a little boy who once stood outside
the gates of Buckingham
Palace in London. He wanted to speak to the king but was harshly
rebuked by one of the guards
at the gate. He began to cry and walk away. Then along came a very
well-dressed man who asked
the little boy to explain what was wrong. After he had heard the story,
the man smiled at the lad
and said, "Here, hold my hand, sonny. I'll get you in. Just you never
mind those soldiers." As the
little boy took his hand and they walked toward the guards, he was
amazed as he saw the soldiers
stand at attention and present arms. They walked past the guard and
into the palace. They
continued along carpeted halls, through huge doors, past many
officials, until they were standing
before the throne of the King. The little boy hadn't known that he had
taken the hand of the
Prince of Wales, the king's son! Through him he had gained access. And
if we take the hand of
the King of Kings Son we will gain access and acceptance by God.
Some may ask what makes you
think you can talk to God anytime you want to, and I have a one word
answer. JESUS!
2. The Phrase Standing In Grace.
Illustration:
STANDING IN THE OCEAN, IF YOU FALL YOU FALL INTO THE OCEAN.
IN CHRIST WE STAND IN AN
OCEAN OF GRACE.
C. The Advantage Of . . Hope v 2b
"and rejoice in
hope of the glory of God."
Illustration:
TOPIC: Hope INDEX: 1692 SUBTOPIC:
Eternal
In his book Dare
to Believe, Dan Baumann illustrates the
unique experience of knowing that something is ours, yet
longing to enjoy it more fully. He explained that at Christmas time he
would always do a lot of snooping, trying to
find the gift-wrapped presents and figure out what was in them. One
year he discovered a package with his name on
it that was easy to identify. There was no way to disguise the golf
clubs inside. Baumann then made this observation:
"When Mom wasn't around, I would go and feel the package, shake it, and
pretend that I was on the golf course. The
point is, I was already enjoying the pleasures of a future event;
namely, the unveiling. It had my name on it. I knew
what it was." But only "Christmas would reveal it in its fullness."
Application
Salvation Results
in New . . Advantages.
2. Salvation
Results in New . . Awareness. 5:3-8
A. The Awareness Of . . How We Get
Patience. v 3-4
3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that
tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and
perseverance, character; and character, hope.
Do Some of the Finest Children of God Have Tribulations?
1. Ask Abraham and he will point to Mt. Moriah.
2. Ask Jacob and he will point to a pillow of stone.
3. Ask Joseph and he will point to a Egyptian prison.
4. Ask Moses and he will point to the backside of the desert.
5. Ask the three Hebrew children and they will point to a fiery furnace.
6. Ask Daniel and he will point to a den of lions.
7. Ask Peter and he will point to a Roman fire and his three denials.
8. Ask John and he will point to Patmos.
9. Ask The Apostle Paul
and he will point to prison, and beatings.
Illustration:
A VIEW FROM THE ZOO
Such is the title of Gary Richmond's
book published in 1987. Illustrations from the animal world fill the
pages with spiritual truths. The birth of a giraffe gives insight to
life's trials and hardships.
When a calf is born, he
falls ten feet and lands on his back. The mother then momentarily
hovers over the newborn
before kicking the baby head over heels, if the calf doesn't get up, he
gets another good kick.
This process is repeated to stimulate his efforts. Finally, when the little giraffe gets up on his wobbly legs, the mother kicks him off his feet again. To an outsider such behavior seems cruel and unnecessary. To the mother it is an expression of love. This first lesson in life helps the newborn to quickly develop the skills needed to move rapidly with the herd when predators are near.
Sometimes we feel as though
God has no sooner gotten us on our feet when He turns around and knocks
us down. The next time that happens, think about the newborn giraffe.
God may simply be strengthening you for your own
protection in the future.
B. The Awareness Of
.. How We Received the Holy Spirit. v 5
5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured
out in our hearts by the Holy
Spirit who was given to us.
1. The Holy Spirit Is A Gift From God.1 Cor
12:11
11 But one and
the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one
individually as He wills. NKJV
C. The Awareness Of . . How We Got
Saved. 5:6-8
6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for
the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a
righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would
even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates
His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ
died for us.
5:6 Without Strength.
5:6 Christ
Died for the ungodly.
Lk 18:13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' NKJV
5:6 The Sinner Is A Weak Man - "Without Strength"
5:6 The Sinner Is A Wicked Man - "Ungodly"
5:8 The Sinner Is A Wayward Man - "Sinners"
5:10 The
Sinner Is A Warlike Man - "Enemies"
Illustration:
Snobbish Woman Our Daily Bread July 29, 2000
I read a story about a woman who was dying. She had lived a good and
moral life and had never felt she needed a Savior. But
when a minister offered to come and talk with her, she allowed him to
visit. The pastor explained the way of salvation by grace through
faith in Christ. Emphasizing that Jesus died for the sins of everyone
in the world, including her, he urged her to trust the Savior.
The woman responded, "Do you mean to tell me that if
I'm going to be saved, I have to come to God on exactly the same terms
as
anyone else--even the most wicked person in the world?" "That's
right," the pastor answered, "there's only one way." The woman
thought for a moment and then declared, "Well, if that's the case, I
want no part of it!"
Because of her pride and her
unwillingness to come to Christ as a sinner, She had to face the
judgment of God. She failed to
recognize that even "good" people do not qualify to stand before a holy
God.
We all need a Savior to
deliver us from our sins. We must humbly admit our guilt, acknowledge
that we could never save
ourselves, and receive by faith the gift of eternal life that God so
freely gives. The Lord has graciously offered salvation to
all--because we are sinners all! --RWD
Application:
Salvation Results
in New . . Awareness.
3. Salvation
Results in New . . Assurance. 5: 9-11
A. The Assurance Of . . Salvation by
His Blood. 5:9
9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be
saved from wrath through Him.
5:9 How Justified? Through His Blood.
5:9 How saved from wrath?
Through HIM!
B. The Assurance Of
. . Salvation by His Life. 5:10
10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the
death of His Son, much more, having been
reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
5:10 When Reconciled? While still enemies.
5:10 How Reconciled? Through Christ
5:10 What did we do to
become reconciled? Believed!
Paul does not conceive it as his
or our task to reconcile God to us. God has attended to that himself
(Ro 3:25 f). We
become reconciled to God by means of the death of God's Son. "Much
more" again we shall be saved "by his life.
(Robertson's Word Pictures)
2 Cor 5:17-18 17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things
have passed away; behold, all
things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to
Himself through Jesus Christ, NKJV
C. The Assurance Of . . Joy. 5:11
11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus
Christ, through whom we have now
received the reconciliation.
5:11 Have received!
Conclusion:
Success filled Steve McQueen's life until alcohol and a failed marriage
left him empty. In his despair he attended
a crusade led by one of Billy Graham's associates. McQueen made a
profession of faith and requested an
opportunity to speak with Billy Graham. The great evangelist shared
numerous scriptures with him.
Steve McQueen
struggled with the thought of God giving eternal life to a man who had
such a checkered past. In
Titus 1:2, Steve McQueen found his hope - "the hope of eternal life, which
God , who cannot lie, promised long
ages ago." He requested something to
write down the verse but Billy Graham gave McQueen his Bible instead.
Later, Steve McQueen died in Mexico while seeking experimental treatment for his terminal cancer. He passed into eternal life with his Bible opened to Titus 1 and his finger resting on verse 2.