Being Reconciled

Focus: Being Reconciled

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we [a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith [b] into this grace in which we stand, and we [c] rejoice [d] 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.

Prayer: Father thank you for this corporate gathering at Dream Church. We have come because you have been faithful, graceful, merciful, and kind to us, we are thankful. Please transform our hearts for your glory as we read and listen to your scriptures today, please have your way our lives in Jesus' name Amen!

Over the last few weeks, we have been defining and teaching on major words found in this letter of roman’s like:

Wrath what it is or is not...

God's wrath is not a reckless rage, an uncontrollable anger, a senseless fury, or an unjust vengeance. The wrath of God is a precise and controlled response to the belittling of his holiness. Everyone who perishes under the wrath of God in eternity will not be because God lost his temper with them and mistreated them.

Righteousness or what it is to be righteous...

Week after week I have been stating A person is righteous coram deo, that is, he is in a right relationship with God, when he simply receives the imputed obedience of Christ and the forgiveness of sins through faith. ... A human person is not

righteous in God's eyes because of his choice or commitment, his good works or his piety, his emotions or intellect. He is righteous because of the forgiveness of sins through faith in Jesus.

Justification, to understand and make application...

In Christian theology, justification is God's righteous act of removing the condemnation, guilt, and penalty of sin, by grace, while, at the same time, declaring the unrighteous to be righteous, through faith in Christ's atoning sacrifice.

Whereby it gives us Hope and perpetuates our continued belief in God and what God has promised...

In the text Paul begins and serves the church with gospel affirmations, causing them to see the big picture with incremental defined steps toward their future with God the Father. He inserts this level of faith and understanding we should have and demonstrate or live out as Christians.

Point #1- Rejoice in hope

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we [a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith [b] into this grace in which we stand, and we [c] rejoice [d] in hope of the glory of God.

Because of our faith in Jesus, we understand that Jesus removed the condemnation, the guilt and the shame with the penalty of sin by His atoning sacrifice. Which gives us peace as a believer. Living and understanding grace, that is only giving by God which is why we have access to this hope... which moves us to rejoice in hope!

We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide-open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.

Quoting John 3:16 “For God so loved the world,[a] that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Point #2- Because of God's love we rejoice...

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.

How do you rejoice while suffering?

“The people of God rejoice not only in the future glory but in the present trails and sufferings, not because trails are pleasant but because they present a step-by-step transformation that makes believers more like Christ”

Endurance produces character.

Character produces hope

Hope does not put us to shame because our hope is in the salvation of God

It’s the holy spirit which pours out Gods love and reminds us of his love

There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles...

Because of God's love we rejoice... we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!

Point #3- Christ died for 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.

Christ died for us because he loves us. Love is the root of His plan.

Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn’t, and doesn’t, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn’t been so weak, we wouldn’t have known what to do anyway.

“We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But

God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.”

Point #4- You have been reconciled and you can be reconciled through Christ

9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

• As a result of the virtue of Christ blood, his blood poured out in his death on the cross, we can be sure that we will be saved on the day of judgement from God’s wrath.

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.

• We are no longer enemies of the cross, we are friends defining what it looks like to be reconciled. We are saved because of the sacrifice and resurrection.

11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

• Now that we are set right with God by means of this sacrificial death, the consummate blood sacrifice, there is no longer a question of being at odds with God in any way. If, when we were at our worst, we were put on friendly terms with God by the sacrificial death of his Son, now that we’re at our best, just think of how our lives will expand and deepen by means of his resurrection life! Now that we have received this amazing friendship with God, we are no longer content to simply say it in plodding prose. We sing and shout our praises to God through Jesus, the Messiah!