The villain in Romans 7 isn’t the law, it’s us. The problem is our fallen nature. The problem is our indwelling sin. We can’t blame God’s law. We have no one to blame but ourselves. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Romans: The Power of God in the Gospel of Christ
TEXT: Romans 7:7-13
TITLE: The Problem Isn’t The Law
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA:  The law isn’t the problem; we are.

POINTS:
I. The Law Exposes Sin
II. Sin Exploits the Law

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes and text emphasis are taken directly from the pastor’s notes.

“Imagine for a moment that you are caught red-handed breaking the law. The police arrest you, you go to trial, the jury finds you guilty, and you go to jail. In one sense, it’s the law that convicted and sentenced you. The law says you can’t do that. You did it, so off to jail you go. So if the law didn’t exist, you wouldn’t be in the mess you’re in. But you can’t blame the law for your incarceration. You want to, but you can’t. You have no one to blame but yourself. That’s the message of our text today. The law isn’t the problem; we are.”

“The villain in Romans 7 isn’t the law, it’s us. The problem is our fallen nature. The problem is our indwelling sin. We can’t blame God’s law. We have no one to blame but ourselves.”

“The truth is, we crave sovereignty. We treasure personal autonomy above all else. We think it’s the ultimate measure of a person’s dignity and greatness. As the popular funeral song goes—I did it my way. Even as Christians, when we are told not to do something, our hearts whisper back—That sounds exciting—Go for it!”

“In today’s passage, Paul helps us see this by making a clear distinction between the righteousness of the law and our sinful response to it. Last week, in Romans 7:1-6, Paul unpacked the relationship between the law and the believer. We were once married to the law, but in Christ we’re no longer under it. Now, in today’s passage, Paul shows us how the law and sin relate.”

“Paul cites the tenth commandment in Exodus 20:17—Do not covet—to make his point that the law isn’t sin. To the contrary, it exposes sin. It shines the light of God’s truth on our sin, bringing it into the light and unmasking it for what it really is. How does it do that? By making us aware that what we do is wrong. Secretly desiring my neighbor’s new motorcycle is coveting, even if no one tells me what coveting is. But the law unmasks my coveting for what it really is—Sin. The law acts like a mirror, not only reflecting God’s holy character, but also revealing what is in my heart.”

“To be clear, the ultimate focus here is not merely outward behavior; it’s the heart. Notice what Paul does in 7. He could have gone after the observable sins like stealing, taking the Lord’s name in vain, or murder. Those are outward actions. Paul makes his point with coveting. Coveting lies beneath the surface. I can covet my neighbor’s motorcycle without them ever knowing. Coveting is a heart disposition. So the law doesn’t merely expose sinful actions; it exposes our hearts. This was Jesus’ point in the Sermon on the Mount. The problem is far greater than we realize. Even if I kept every external command perfectly, my heart problem would remain. I covet my neighbor’s motorcycle because I am not content with God’s provision in my life. I want what I don’t have. I want what you have, and only then will I be content, because I treasure, love, and worship material things of this world more than God.”

“So Paul says, probably to the antinomians in the room (those who want to abolish the law completely), that the law is not the problem—sin is. The law is not sin; it reveals sin.”

“In 8, Paul says—But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandments. He says the same thing in 11—For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandments. These bookend phrases help us understand Paul’s point: Sin exploits the law.”

“Sin is an opportunist. An opportunist is a person who exploits circumstances to gain an immediate advantage rather than being guided by consistent principles or plans. That’s what sin does through the law.”

“The law comes and draws a red line—Do not covet—and sin, the opportunist that it is, seizes the opportunity and weaponizes the law as a launching pad for more sin.”

ILLUSTRATION: Grandkids and the forbidden room

“That’s the way human nature works. Put a restriction on me, and a strong desire to break it is triggered. In the medical world, it’s known as contra-suggestibility, a psychological trait in which an individual responds to a suggestion, request, or expectation by instinctively doing or believing the exact opposite.”

“But the light of Scripture reveals what’s really going on—sinful passions exploiting the good and holy law of God for the glory of self. More than a psychological trait to be managed or navigated, the extreme sinfulness of sin is revealed—read 12-13.”

“The problem isn't the law. The law is holy, just, and good because it comes from God to clearly reveal and define sin in all its sinfulness and to show us our need for a Savior. The law isn’t the problem; it reveals our problem. The problem is us. It’s our sin and what it does to the law. Look back up at 8—read 8-10.”

“Paul remembers a time when he thought he was fine. No worries. No guilt. Blissfully indifferent to the demands of God’s law. But then the commandment came—Leviticus 18:5 You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the Lord—awakening sin in his heart. Sin had been there all along, just waiting to pounce. Paul, in the power and conviction of the Spirit, quickly learned he could not live as God required and stood condemned to death under the law apart from Christ. It was the same and still is the same for us. I was happy. I was having fun. I was just being one of the guys. I was running my hell-bound race, indifferent to the cost. I had no worries. I wasn’t worried about the law.”

“This is why the gospel is our only hope. This is why we need a Savior for our justification and the Spirit for our sanctification, which is ultimately what Romans 7 is about. The law can’t save or preserve us, not because it’s bad, but because our indwelling sin is always with us. We are desperate! But our law-fulfilling Savior is sufficient.”

“For 33 years, Jesus perfectly fulfilled the demands of the law. Then he died for our failures. Right now, people are sitting at home blissfully indifferent to the demands of a holy God’s law on them. They need Jesus.”

“God’s law is holy, righteous, and good. It’s not the problem; we are. But thanks be to Jesus, who justifies apart from the law, enabling us to freely follow it for our good and God’s glory.”

APPLICATION:
1. Delight in the law, don’t devalue it. Paul could not be clearer in 12: the law is holy, righteous, and good. The law is not the issue; we are. We are free from the law’s demands, yet the law should be precious to us because:
- It continues to reveal our sins and exposes our rebellious hearts. 
- It shows us how to live a life of worship to God
- And, as adopted children of God, it reflects His holiness and beauty to us so we can know Him more.

2. Let the law do its job in your evangelism. Verses 8-11 show us how the law reveals our sin and points us to our need for a Savior by telling us we can’t be good enough.
“That much” sin will take you to hell. That much is too much because God is that holy and our sin is that sinful. Though the law is good, it isn’t good enough. The law can be our friend in evangelism by teaching us to stop trusting in ourselves and to trust only in Christ. This is where repentance and faith begin: a clear understanding of our total inability and hopeless condition. When someone finally sees their true condition, they also see the beauty and sufficiency of Jesus, apart from the law. He has freed us from the law. He didn't come to improve us. He came to save us. He is our only hope, and there is nowhere else to run.

3. Rest in Jesus, not the law. Last week, I mentioned Law-fulfilling or better yet, Law-following Free People. This person rejoices in their blood-bought freedom from the law in justification and sanctification. They also understand they have been set free to serve God His way. So they delight in God’s law as an expression of His will for us and seek to obey it by the power of God’s grace and the indwelling Holy Spirit, without fear or condemnation, knowing they are secure in Christ.

QUOTES:
R.C. Sproul - “If we think back to our pre-Christian days, were we overburdened by a sense of sin and guilt? Not until the Holy Spirit brought his conviction on us, quickened our consciences, and made us alive to the law that we feel for the first time the weight of our guilt. This is what drove us to Christ and gave us a new life.”

SCRIPTURE MEMORIZATION:
Romans 6:8-14

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Come Behold The Wondrous Mystery
All I Have Is Christ
Nothing But The Blood Of Jesus
In Christ Alone
Our Only Hope Is You

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Romans 7:14-25

THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

CLICK BELOW TO PURCHASE OUR BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

“Encouragement: How to See and Celebrate Evidences of Grace” - Jared Mellinger

You are not the Christian you want to be. Yes, you know the gospel has freed you from the power and penalty of sin. But in a fallen world, temptation is around every corner, and sin’s presence is right there with you every step of the way. So what do you do? Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Romans: The Power of God in the Gospel of Christ
TEXT: Romans 7:1-6
TITLE: But What About The Law?
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: The gospel frees us from the demands of the law so we can freely obey from the heart.

POINTS:
I. The Principle
II. The Illustration
III. The Conclusion

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes and text emphasis are taken directly from the pastor’s notes.

ILLUSTRATION: Five year felony removed

“I was not the person I wanted to be. I needed to try harder. I needed to do better. I needed to take the law seriously. The voice in my head said—Derek, just follow the law, and the problem is solved. Maybe you’ve never committed a felony, but spiritually speaking, you know exactly what I mean. You are not the Christian you want to be. Yes, you know the gospel has freed you from the power and penalty of sin. But in a fallen world, temptation is around every corner, and sin’s presence is right there with you every step of the way.”

“So what do you do? One option is to try harder. Be more disciplined. Take the rules seriously. Longer devotions. More meetings. Stricter boundaries. Press into God’s law like never before. That sounds right and good. After all, the pursuit of holiness is a biblical priority. But there’s a problem with that thinking: The law won’t solve my sin problem. It can’t make me good. That’s Paul’s point in Romans 7.”

“In the first three chapters of Romans, Paul reveals our devastating reality: everyone is a sinner under God's wrath and desperate for salvation. No exceptions. Whether religious or not, we are all guilty before God.”

“Then, in chapters 3 and 4, the gospel breaks in. There is only one hope for the sinner: justification by faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ.”

“In chapters 5 and 6, Paul goes off, piling gospel blessings upon blessings. In Christ, we have peace with God, the hope of glory, joy in suffering, God’s love poured into our hearts, and freedom from sin’s enslavement. In other words, the gospel doesn’t just free us from something; it frees us to something. In Christ, we are no longer under the law but under grace!”

“Now, in chapter 7, Paul explains how we should think about the Mosaic Law, particularly the Ten Commandments, since we are no longer under the law.”

“I think it’s helpful to identify, right up front, three attitudes we can hold toward the law: 
Legalist: The legalist lives in bondage to the law. They act as if their acceptance with God depends on obedience to God. The better they keep God’s commands, the greater God’s pleasure and love for them. Their walk with God is like being on a treadmill. Gotta keep up, or else you’ll fall off. This is the attitude Jesus excoriated in the Pharisees and that Paul warns us about in today's text. For good reason: the performance treadmill of legalism leads to joy-sapping, gospel-denying moralism. 

Antinomian: The Greek word nomos means law. Anti means against. The antinomian rejects the law. It’s irrelevant to their lives. The Ten Commandments have no place in the Christian’s life because they undermine and are antithetical to the grace of God. As a result, the antinomian mocks true gospel liberty by turning it into a license to sin. This is the attitude Paul confronts in 7-13. 

(John Stott) Law-fulfilling Free People: This person rejoices in their blood-bought freedom from the law in justification and sanctification. They also understand they have been set free to serve God His way. So they delight in God’s law as an expression of His will for us and seek to obey it by the power of God’s grace and the indwelling Holy Spirit, without fear or condemnation, because they know they are secure in Christ. This is the attitude toward the law that Romans 7 as a whole exhorts us to, and 14-25 explains.”

“Here’s the message: The gospel frees us from the demands of the law so we can freely obey from the heart.”

“Paul is still unpacking the significance of what he said in 15—We are not under law but under grace. He begins with a principle—read 1

The principle is pretty straightforward. The law is binding on a person only while they are alive. The word binding means to have mastery over. The point is that the law has no authority over a dead person. Death releases you from any and all obligations to the law. Pretty simple: the law is for the living.”

“Paul now applies the principle to marriage. Don’t draw conclusions about marriage, biblical reasons for divorce, and remarriage from this text. That’s not Paul’s point. Other texts, such as 1 Corinthians 7, address that. Here, Paul is simply using marriage to illustrate a believer’s relationship to the law. As long as the husband is alive, the wife is bound to the marriage. If she marries another man while the first husband is still alive, she is guilty of adultery because, under the law, she remains married to the first husband. If the husband dies, the widow is free to remarry because his death releases her from the marriage obligation. Death frees her to enter a new relationship. Pretty clear, right: the law binds the living; death changes everything.”

“When Paul says Likewise, he draws a comparison between the marriage illustration and the Christian life—just as physical death terminates marriage, spiritual death terminates our bondage to the law. The Conclusion: Christians are no longer under the law.”

“Before Christ, we were bound in an unhappy marriage. But just as the widow is no longer married to her dead husband because a death occurred, we are no longer bound by the law because God considers us to have died in and with Christ (union with Christ in 6:1-14). Death ends your obligation to the law.”

“The moment you believed in Jesus, your old self, which lived under condemnation to the law, entered into union with Jesus and was sealed by the Spirit. That means you are now free from the law’s condemnation and in a new relationship with Jesus.”

“Question) If the law is no longer binding on the Christian, is it still relevant in a Christian’s life? Answer) Yes and No.”

“NO, the law is no longer relevant to the believer in the sense that we have been set free from obedience to the law as the basis of our relationship with God. We are no longer trying to justify or sanctify ourselves by keeping it. Jesus, who fulfilled the law for us, is the basis of our relationship with God. We are justified, not by our obedience, but by faith in the Obedient One who gave his life for us on the cross. Jesus, not the law, is our Master. On the other hand, YES, the law is relevant to believers. Jesus came to fulfill it, not abolish it (Matthew 5:17). The law still stands. It still reveals sin. It still reflects God’s holiness. It still reveals God’s ways. It still points us to Christ. Interpreted through Jesus’ teachings and sacrifice in the NT, the law shows us how sinners freed by the gospel can live in God’s goodness and for His glory, bearing good fruit without fear of condemnation.”

“Why do you obey God? Not because the law demands it and your salvation requires it, but because your heart desires it and your salvation leads to it.”

“This is what it means to be free in Christ. And the purpose of our freedom in Christ? Look at the end of 4 with me—in order that we may bear fruit for God.”

“This grand purpose is impossible under the law. The law can tell me what to do, but it cannot empower me to do it. Paul says, when we were in the flesh, still in Adam (5:12-14), our sinful passions were aroused (stimulated) by the law. The law gives us knowledge, but it can’t bridle our sinful passions.”

“To this point in Romans, talk about the law has been largely pejorative. But next week we’ll see that the law is actually good. It’s not good enough, but it’s good. Here, Paul says that ultimately the problem is not the law; it’s my sin. If the law is going to arouse sin, there has to be sin in my heart.”

“The point is that a marriage between an unregenerate heart and the law is unhealthy and destructive. It bears only the fruit of death. Here’s the good news—read 6.”

“But now signals a change. Once dead in our sin and captive to the law, by faith and grace we have died with Christ. Remember what death does? It releases us from the law. Having been released from the law, we are now captive to another. We belong to another. We have been set free to serve God and bear fruit in our lives for His glory. How? Not under the old written code (the Old Covenant, where the Mosaic Law was central), but in the new life of the Spirit that characterizes the New Covenant inaugurated in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The gospel changes everything by freeing us from the demands of the law so we can freely obey from the heart.”

“The truth is, we all have a little legalist living inside us. Maybe you've never stopped running on the performance treadmill. You've always assumed God accepts people who perform. Maybe you're on and off the treadmill, depending on the season or category of life. Legalism has crept into your walk with God here and there. Here's the good news: Jesus didn't come to give you better rules. He came, died, and was raised from the dead to give himself to you so you could live freely for his Father.”

“I had to earn my freedom from a felony by obeying the law. But in Christ, you aren’t striving to get free—you’re living as the free person you already are. The key to a vibrant faith is not trying harder, setting stricter rules, or exercising more willpower. It’s the gospel. It’s your union with Christ. It’s life in the Spirit. You no longer serve a written code—you walk with a living person—Jesus Christ! The gospel frees us from the demands of the law so we can freely obey from the heart.”

APPLICATION:
Where do you need to top asking rules to do what only Jesus can do? Here are some clues to help identify: absence of joy, consistent condemnation, spiritual dryness, exhausting sense of duty, self-righteousness, lack of growth. These are the fruits of legalism. Let me remind you:
- The Spirit gives you desire where there was only duty by causing you to value and want what God values and wants.
- The Spirit doesn’t just give you knowledge of what’s right, as the law does; He empowers you to follow it.
- The Spirit seals your heart, assuring you that you belong to Christ, so you can obey from a place of being loved rather than striving for favor through the law.

Here's the good news: Jesus didn't come to give you better rules. He came, died, and was raised from the dead to give himself to you so you could live freely for his Father.

QUOTES:
John Stott - “The law says, do this and you will live. The gospel says, you live, so do this.”

SCRIPTURE MEMORIZATION:
Romans 6:8-14

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Man Of Sorrows
All Sufficient Merit
O Great God
I Am Not My Own

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Romans 7:7-13

THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

CLICK BELOW TO PURCHASE OUR BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

“Encouragement: How to See and Celebrate Evidences of Grace” - Jared Mellinger

Psalm 100:1–2
”Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into His presence with singing!”

Church, we have the privilege of participating in this joy-filled worship of the Lord in a unique way each week as we gather on Sunday mornings. One of the ways we do this is by singing together.

This summer, we'll be introducing a few new songs in our Sunday gatherings. I encourage you to take some time to learn them, meditate on the truths they proclaim, and come ready each Sunday to make a joyful noise to the Lord as we sing them together as His church. Check out the resources below and enjoy!

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I Am Not My Own by Keith & Kristyn Getty, Skye Peterson (singing this Sunday!)

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxCb6l3jkis
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/00YlUQ5LoLXX5qY5Tiii7j?si=6c6520784d68426c

We Are Thankful by Sovereign Grace Music

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1zmMGIGH8k
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/2q6bIMUzRF7XmCAFixpNpp?si=65f29fe82a604b73

Spirit of God by Sovereign Grace Music

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeKV8ilW-c4
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/26gxZWCrglsqgu0kR2rc77?si=17ac817609834260

“The phrase [Under New Ownership] signals a new start for an organization. Operational shifts, product enhancements, and renovations. There’s a new boss in town, and we’re doing things their way. Out with the old, in with the new. And you’re going to love it! Today’s text teaches us that, as Christians, we are Under New Ownership. The message today is: The gospel sets us free from sin so we can freely pursue a life of righteousness and receive all its blessings.”

SERIES: Romans: The Power of God in the Gospel of Christ
TEXT: Romans 6:15-23
TITLE: Under New Ownership
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: The gospel sets us free from sin so we can freely pursue a life of righteousness and receive all its blessings.

POINTS:
I. The Inescapable Reality of Slavery
II. A Different Kind of Slavery
III. The Joyful Freedom of Slavery

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes and text emphasis are taken directly from the pastor’s notes.

“Paul opened this chapter by making clear that no one should walk away thinking that the core truth of Romans—Justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone—gives a person the freedom to sin. Now, following his statement in 14 that we are not under law but under grace, Paul does the same in 15. Paul says—Are you kidding me? Of course, we don’t pursue sin to receive more grace. To the contrary: The gospel sets us free from sin so we can freely pursue a life of righteousness and receive all its blessings.”

“It’s a critically important message. We've all been guilty of treating grace as a get-out-of-jail-free card rather than the power that breaks sin's dominion and compels us to holiness. It’s a theological truth that can easily be twisted and distorted beyond recognition—I know it’s wrong, but I’m under grace. God will forgive me. It's a real temptation that threatens every believer's spiritual health.”

“The gospel sets us free from sin so we can freely pursue a life of righteousness and receive all its blessings.”

“Paul makes his point using the imagery of slavery. The word slavery dominates our text, appearing eight times. Now, given our country’s history, slavery is an uncomfortable topic. But Roman slavery was different. It wasn't race-based. Many slaves volunteered themselves due to dire poverty. A slave could purchase their freedom and become a citizen. Slavery is always wrong because people are created in the image of God, but it was different in Paul’s day.”

“In 16, Paul uses the powerful imagery of slavery to explain a fundamental truth: We are all slaves. Everyone is a slave. You are either a slave to sin, which leads to death, or a slave to obedience, which leads to righteousness. To be a slave to obedience is to be a slave of God, as it says in 22. In other letters, Paul says we are slaves of Christ. But in a context where Paul argues that grace doesn’t give us the freedom to live in sin, the word obedience is meant to emphasize that life under grace is marked by specific, concrete submission to God’s will.”

“But as unappealing as it is, we need to come to grips with Paul’s broader point here: We are all enslaved either to sin or to God. You may think you're in control. You may believe you’re your own person. You may think you’re free from any compelling force—I am my own person. I don’t belong to anyone. I am completely free and unfettered in the decisions I make and the direction I take. It’s a myth. And a dangerous one at that.”

“In his new book, The Desecration of Man: How the Rejection of God Degrades Our Humanity, Carl Trueman argues that this myth of freedom is the source of society’s chaos. The greatest risk to complete autonomy is a God who claims to own us and calls us to worship Him with our lives. So we reject God and set out to desecrate all things. The more we desecrate, the deeper our enslavement to sin—It’s insanity in the name of pride!”

“In his new book, The Desecration of Man: How the Rejection of God Degrades Our Humanity, Carl Trueman argues that this myth of freedom is the source of society’s chaos. The greatest risk to complete autonomy is a God who claims to own us and calls us to worship Him with our lives. So we reject God and set out to desecrate all things. The more we desecrate, the deeper our enslavement to sin—It’s insanity in the name of pride!”

“Paul could not be clearer in 16: No one is free. You are either a slave to sin or a slave to God.”

“Here’s the question: Whose slave am I? Who am I actually serving? Not who you claim to serve, but who gets your consistent obedience. What has commanded your loyalty this week? What have you been passionately pursuing? What are you fiercely justifying? What is hopelessly irresistible to you? Who really controls you? You are a slave, but whose slave are you—Sin’s or Christ’s?”

“After telling the Romans Christians they are not neutral, he reminds them they have been freed from slavery to sin to serve a new Master—and it’s all God’s doing.”

“Once, you were a slave to sin. Just as metal is drawn to a magnet, you were drawn to it. You were dead in your sin. You couldn’t help but sin. You were enslaved to it. Sin was your Master, and death was your destiny. But now you are under new ownership. The Lord is your Master. Thanks be to God. He did this. The word for committed in 17 means handed over or delivered. The Lord committed your heart to the gospel and all its moral and ethical claims in God’s Word. This is the Lord’s doing! Look down at 22.”

“God sets us free from sin. We don’t ultimately set ourselves free. By His grace, God sets us free. He transforms our hearts and gives us the Holy Spirit by whose power and work we see the beauty of Jesus and treasure him above ourselves.”

“The gospel has been stamped on your heart, marking you and committing you to Christ so that your life is now characterized, not by rote or legalistic obedience, but by willing, joyful, grace-motivated obedience that flows from the very core of who we are in Christ. This is the New Covenant promise of Ezekiel 36.”

“This is God’s doing, and it is true freedom—being transferred from the dominion of sin to the dominion of righteousness! Serving and living for God isn’t bondage; it’s the deepest and most profound freedom you will ever know. And in 19, Paul essentially says, So live like it!”

“Pursue obedience with the same zeal you once pursued sinfulness. In short, you are Under New Ownership. You have a new Master—Live like it!”

“Here’s the truth: Sin wants to reclaim you. Sin wants you back. Don't give in. Don’t present your members—your actions, words, time, energy, and yes, your body—to sin. They all belong to God for righteousness’ sake. So don’t give them over to sin.”

“In Christ, you are Under New Ownership. You have a new Master. A better Master. A Master who is always with you, loves you, is for you, and is working all things for your good. You belong to Christ. You don’t have to answer sin’s call. Let it go to voicemail as you pursue a new life of righteousness for your Master’s glory—That’s true freedom!”

Illustration: When Your Old Demanding Boss Keeps Calling

“In Christ, that’s our relationship with sin. We know its voice. We spent years jumping when it calls. But the moment you came to Christ, you changed employers. Sin still calls. It’s a familiar and powerful voice. But ultimately, it has no power or authority over you if you don’t allow it (stay tuned for Ch 7).”

“In these final verses, Paul shows us why slavery to God is infinitely better than slavery to sin. Paul says that when sin was your master, your life was dominated and defined by it. Righteousness had no place in your life—you were free of it. When you think about what you believed, how you acted, and what you treasured and valued—you’re ashamed.“

“By the way, shame is real. It can be overwhelming. As a Christian, here’s how we deal with the shame over the past— Lord, thank you for forgiving me. Thank you for your grace that makes me a new creation!”

“Enslavement to sin only and always results in shame and death, physical and spiritual. Nothing good comes from it. But your new life in Christ, with God as your Master, is stunningly different. The fruit is beautiful, not shameful, because it reflects the character of Christ, and it results, not in death, but in sanctification and eternal life.”

“Freedom to pursue righteousness that leads to greater Christ-likeness as we head for heaven to receive, not wages that we deserve, but the free gift we don’t deserve of eternal life with Jesus Christ our Lord. What a privilege and joy to be slaves of God!”

“Paul began asking—What then, are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? Answer empahtically) By no means! Why? Because we are Under New Ownership. We serve a new Master. We are slaves of Christ called to profound obedience and recipients of the glorious benefits and blessings of heaven, in this life and the life to come. That’s true freedom.”

“And the key to enjoying our spiritual freedom is obedience. Last week, we learned that the pathway to freedom is our union with Christ. This week, Paul says we experience the fullness of that freedom through obedience.”

“Obedience matters in the Christian life. Grace does not make obedience irrelevant or unnecessary; it makes it possible. It makes it desirable. It makes it beautiful. And when we say no to sin and yes to righteousness, there is a fullness of joy that we experience (John 15:10-11).”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Ezekiel 36:26-27
John 15:10-11

APPLICATION:
“Do you lack joy in your walk with God? Are you spiritually dry? Are you increasingly disillusioned spiritually? Today is the day. How is God speaking to you in your life—Obey Him. Whatever it is. Whatever the implications. Whatever the cost. Obey Him. He is your Master. His yoke is easy, and his burden is light.”

“Right now, begin living in conformity with the One who has mercifully and graciously made you His. You are Under New Ownership—Live like it!”

The gospel has set you free from sin so you can freely pursue a life of righteousness and receive all its blessings 

QUOTES:
F.F. Bruce - “To make being under grace an excuse for sinning is a sign that one is not really under grace at all.”

Sam Storms - “We became the slaves of God and righteousness when he purchased us by the blood of his Son. When God redeemed us, he didn't put a piece of paper in our hand and declare: “This is documented proof of your freedom. You are now at liberty to go and do as you please. You are free to live however you wish.” No. He said: “I purchased you with the precious blood of my Son. You now belong to me. Enter into the true freedom of being empowered to live in accordance with my will and for my glory”

SCRIPTURE MEMORIZATION:
Romans 6:8-14

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
This Is Our God
We Are Yours Forever
Our Song From Age to Age
Is He Worthy
The Steadfast Love Of Christ

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Romans 7:1-6

There is only one “pathway to freedom” in Christ, and Paul outlines it for us in today’s text! Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Romans: The Power of God in the Gospel of Christ
TEXT: Romans 6:1-14
TITLE: Dead To Sin And Alive In Christ
PREACHER: Tom Wilkins
BIG IDEA: In our union with Jesus, we are now freed from power sin and alive in God.

POINTS:
I.  Being united with Christ, we have died to sin
II. Being united with Christ, we are now alive to God

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes and text emphasis are taken directly from the pastor’s notes.

ILLUSTRATION: “Pathway to freedom”, Dunkirk in World War II

“In our text today, we find that the Christian has a greater pathway to freedom. Formerly enslaved by the power and reign of sin, our union in Christ secures our freedom from sin and ushers in our new life in God. The big idea of our text this morning is: In our union with Jesus, we are now freed from power sin and alive in God.”

“The pathway to freedom is paved by the reality that we are united with Christ. Knowing, remembering, and recounting that we are united with Christ is foundational to knowing that we have been freed from the power of sin and are now alive to God.”

“In verse 5:20b, Paul makes an amazing assertion, “...where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,” - we heard, and we sing that though “Our sins, they are many, His mercy is more!” GRACE ABOUNDED all the more! Look with me - today in verse 1, “What shall we say then,”  …if this is true (sin increases, grace abounds all the more) Q. “Are we to continue in sin?… Are we to go on sinning that grace may abound?” Has grace opened the door for us to go on and keep sinning so that we get more grace?”

““What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?” and his emphatic answer is in Vs. 2, and then he unpacks that answer in verses 3-14. We are united with Jesus, we are now freed from power sin and alive in God.”

“Are we to go on sinning that grace may abound? - Vs 2. BY NO MEANS! God forbid! No NO NO  - Paul emphatically answers the question. His answer could not be more direct. It seems crazy to Paul to even think for a moment that somehow grace opens the way to sin. Yes, though our sins are many, God’s mercy is more… but this glorious gospel truth should BY NO MEANS ever lead us to believe that the Christian is to continue on freely sinning. Sin does NOT produce Grace. Grace does NOT grant permission to sin.”

“Then PAUL answers the question in verse 1 with a question in verse 2: “How can we who died to sin still live in it?” Something radical has happened to the Christian! We have died, and we have died to sin.”

“Sin is a Master.

“‘Sin’ in this context is not simply the actions of breaking God’s law. Rather, it is the real power and rule of sin that controls and enslaves. We find it described in 5:17, 21, 6:6, 9, and 12 as power that reigns, takes dominion, it is a lord that rules those under its power and sway. It’s not simply the action. It is the power that enslaves the sinner in their sin. Sin is a Master.”

“In Paul’s answer in vs 2 - We have “died to sin.” This is GOOD NEWS. And Paul unpacks in Vs 3-7 what it means that we have died to sin. The nature of our question in vs reveals that we need to KNOW something. Paul asks us in Vs 3 “Do you not know…” In light of what we often wrongly believe, there is a truth that we need to know when it comes to matters of sin and grace.”

“Hear the progression in vs 3-4:

• Do you not know…

• Those who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death.

• Therefore, we were buried with Jesus by baptism into death

• We were raised with Jesus, and with Jesus, we too would walk in the newness of life.”

“Paul has been teaching that righteousness comes through faith alone in Jesus. He has reminded us that we were justified by faith alone in Jesus (ch 5). He has just spoke of salvation through Christ has been accomplish by the “free gift of grace of the one man Jesus Christ.” (5:15). Our baptism, the outward, public testimony, of what has happened to us in our union with Christ is the perfect illustration for Paul to anchor our dying to sin in our union with Jesus that had been obtained by our faith in Christ. And the picture of our Baptism hangs over what comes next in vs 5-7.”

“Verse 5 is key to it all! ‘For if we have been united with him…!’ IT IS KEY TO OUR TEXT. Being united with Christ, we have died to sin. Emerging in vs 3 and 4, we find that we were ‘baptized into Christ Jesus’ (vs 3) and ‘we were buried therefore with him’ (vs 4), and then in Vs 5 ‘we have been united with him.’”

“The essential meaning of this word “united” is a botanical term - the original meaning is being “grown together” - a branch now bound together - that we have been “grafted” into Christ! Paul does not want us to miss this!”

“At our conversion, in repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, we were then, now, and forever more bound together with Christ Jesus forever!  We were united with him! Vs. 3, being baptized into Jesus, we were baptized into his death. In that union, our sinful old life was plunged into death! When our Savior died, we died with him! When our Savior died, our sinful old life (in Adam) was bound therefore with him, Vs 5.”

“What wonderful news! This is our reality now! Our “miracle of deliverance” has been secured by Jesus Christ, and the pathway to our freedom from the power and reign of sin is our union with Christ! Here in these verses, Paul wants us to know why we cannot believe even for a second that grace gives us a pathway to go on sinning in order to get more grace!”

“Paul goes on to explain with Baptism as illustration, THE CROSS of Christ is now brought into view. Our ‘old self was crucified with Christ!’ When Jesus was crucified, our old self that was under the power of sin was crucified with him! The rule of sin has been definitively ‘brought to nothing.’ The rule and reign of sin has come to an end forever! AND when our old self was crucified with him, we are ‘no longer enslaved to sin!’ (6) We have ‘been set free from sin!’”

“When our Master died, our old slave master died with him, and we will never again be enslaved to sin! We have been FREED FROM SIN - freed from the sin-master! We have been set free from the power of sin and the penalty of our sin! It is true that our ability to sin remains - sin that indwells and crouches near. But the GOOD NEWS is that the enslaving realm of sin no longer controls us and now we can say no to sin! The chains of dominion of sin are now gone! Vs. 14 ‘For sin will have no dominion over you…’”

“THIS IS YOUR PRESENT REALITY AND HOPE: If you are now united with Christ. You are no longer under the power and reign of sin. In Christ, you have died to sin. And the GOOD NEWS GETS EVEN BETTER.”

“Beginning with ‘Now…’ Vs 8, Having seen that we have died to sin, we now focus our attention on what Paul mentioned earlier at the end of Vs 4 - ‘walk in the newness of life.’ Now, knowing that we have died to sin, we now ‘believe that we will also live with him!’”

“Remembering the question in vs 1 ‘How can we who died to sin, still live in it?’ Instead of believing that we can still live on in sin, Vs 8 is now what we believe: We believe that we will also live with Christ. Instead of ‘living in sin,’ we will live in the newness of our life that is ours now that we have been grafted, bound together with Christ. We ‘live with him.’”

“Paul shows us Christ!
- Christ has been raised from the dead
- Christ will never die again
- Christ has dominion over death (death no longer has dominion over him - the reign of death has come to an end in Christ)
- Christ’s death brings and end to sin, once for all
- Christ lives to God”

“With Christ, we are raised from the dead. With Christ, we will never die again. With Christ, death no longer has dominion over us - the reign of death has come to an end in Christ. Vs 14 declares an amazing eternal hope for the believer - Sin will not have dominion over you! You are under a new dominion - GRACE! With Christ, our sins have been brought to an end, once for all. With Christ, we now live to God. Our union with Christ is a “vital union” - a “living union!” - it is a living reality!”

“WARNING: If you are not in Christ. You remain in the reign and slavery to sin. You might think that you can simply make some choices to be a better person. Stop this, start doing that. BUT in reality, you will do only what the power of sin demands of you. You cannot break free from the power of sin, and its penalty - the wrath of God. You need a Savior! But turn to Christ for salvation and eternal freedom.”

“The very sinful thing that looked so good to us, so promising, now will not let us out from underneath its crushing power. Isn’t this true as we wrestle with destructive sins that have habitually caught us and will not let us go? But now in Christ, that power is broken, and we are called to something that is now possible to refuse to obey the sinful cravings of our body, we - 13 - do not ‘present your bodies as weapons of unrighteousness to sin’ (Schriner). And 13 - Because you have been ‘brought from death to life’, present your bodies as weapons for the purpose of righteousness’”

“We are in a fight, and the members of our bodies are weapons, weapons used for either unrighteousness (the old self that has died) or for righteousness in the reality that we have been brought from death to life - walking in the newness of life! Consider the eye, the hand, the ears, the feet, but also the tongue…James 3:5-6.”

APPLICATION:
BEFORE YOU attempt anything that follows in Vs 12-13, consider the reality that you are truly dead to the power and reign of sin and truly alive in the power and reign of God (under the dominion of grace - 14). Count these things. Reckon these things. Engage your thoughts, mind, and will! You are “dead to sin and ALIVE to God in Christ Jesus.” It is crucial that we understand that we cannot move quickly to 12-13.

You have a new Master now, and his name is Jesus. You are forgiven IN HIM. You are set free IN HIM. Sin no longer has a hold on you. You are under the reign of grace. Take heart (vs 14)... Sin will not have dominion over you! Turn and walk in the newness of life that you have now been given in Christ! Those who are presuming upon the grace of God. Do not be deceived! Verse 1 is your way of life. Sure, I’ve sinned here and there, but I am good! You think you have been given a pass to sin. You have not. 

QUOTES:
John Stott - “... in counting (considering) ourselves dead to sin and alive in God through Christ, we are to recall, to ponder, to grasp, to register these truths until they are so much a part of our way of thinking that a return to the old life is unthinkable. Regenerate Christians should no more contemplate a return to unregenerate living than adults to their childhood, married people to their singleness or discharged prisoners to their prison cell. For our union with Jesus Christ has severed us from the old life and committed us to the new… We have died, and we have risen. How can we possibly live again in what we have died to?”

Christopher Ash - “A famous World War II cartoon shows a tiny Hitler embracing (and being embraced by) a huge Russian bear. The caption has Hitler saying, ‘I have caught a bear, and he won’t let go.’”

SCRIPTURE MEMORIZATION:
Romans 5:8-14

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
All Creatures Of Our God And King
Death Arrested
Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me
Christ Is Mine Forevermore
My Life Is An Offering

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Romans 6:15-23

THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

CLICK BELOW TO PURCHASE OUR BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

“Encouragement: How to See and Celebrate Evidences of Grace” - Jared Mellinger

‘It can be frustrating. I’m trying my best to be a really good person—but I keep doing bad things. Sin keeps raising its nasty head in my life.’ Good news! Our text explains the problem and offers a solution. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Romans: The Power of God in the Gospel of Christ
TEXT: Romans 5:12-21
TITLE: God’s Mercy Is More
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: Our sins are many, but God’s mercy is more.

POINTS:
I. The Bad News: We Were Born This Way
II. The Good News: Jesus Is Our Better Adam

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes and text emphasis are taken directly from the pastor’s notes.

ILLUSTRATION: “You’re a natural!”

“Has anyone ever told you that you are a natural at something? If your answer is no, today is your day. Ready?—You are a natural born sinner! All of us are born with an innate ability to sin. There’s your talent! Here’s the truth: Most of us go through life believing we’re fundamentally good. Who walks around saying, I’m a bad person? Most of us believe that we’re good people who want to do good things, but occasionally mess up. We’ll admit we’ve made mistakes, but nobody’s perfect.”

“It can be frustrating. I’m trying my best to be a really good person—but I keep doing bad things. Sin keeps raising its nasty head in my life. Good news! Our text explains the problem and offers a solution. And it’s all based on this premise: You’re not good. You aren’t a good person who occasionally does sinful things. By nature, you are a sinful person who occasionally does good things. We don’t like to hear that. That might even offend you. But it’s the biblical truth. Here’s what we learn today: Our sins are many, but God’s mercy is more.”

“In Adam, we are all guilty of sin, but in Christ, by faith, we are forever forgiven and free from the power and penalty of sin. Our sins are many, but God’s mercy is more.”

“In just 25 words, Paul explains the ruinous effects of the first sin ever committed. The backstory is Genesis 2-3. God created humanity as fundamentally good. He provided Adam and Eve with everything they needed to flourish physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The only thing He prohibited them from was eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But Adam chose to disobey God by eating the forbidden fruit. At that moment, sin and its wages, death, entered the world, and the nature of man was radically changed.”

“This is Paul’s point in 12. Since sin and death entered the world through one man (Adam), death (physical and spiritual) also spread to all people because all sinned. When Adam, who represented mankind in the Garden, sinned, we all sinned. I wasn’t there in the Garden, yet I inherit his guilt and fallen nature.”

“This reality that all men sinned means that God thought of us all as having sinned when Adam disobeyed is what Paul explains in 13-14.”

“Paul says that from Adam to Moses, people didn’t have God’s written laws. Those were given to Moses at Mt. Sinai. Paul isn’t saying sin didn’t exist from Adam to Moses; it just wasn’t like Adam’s sin, which was an infraction of God’s clear command or His written Law given through Moses. Yet (14) death, the wages or effect of sin, reigned.”

“Genesis 5 lists the descendants from Adam to Noah, a time before the law. The constant drumbeat is—He died! The point is that Adam’s sin wasn’t limited to him; it had a radical effect on every human being who came after him. Paul reinforces this a few verses later—read 18-19.”

“When Paul says many were made sinners in 19, he uses the aorist tense, which denotes a completed action in the past. How were many made sinners? Answer) (19) By one man’s disobedience. (18) As one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all.”

“Theologically, this is what we call original sin, a term that doesn’t refer to Adam’s first sin but to its effects. In Adam, we have all sinned; we stand condemned, and our nature is corrupted. Simply put, we aren’t sinners because we sin; we sin because we are by nature sinners.”

“We aren’t as bad as we could be, but every part of our being is affected and polluted by sin. This is the idea of original sin, and it’s what Paul means in Ephesians 2:3 when he writes—We were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”

“If you’re not a Christian, here’s the takeaway: Fundamentally, you are not a good person. I know that’s hard to hear, but it’s true. If you are to have any hope, it begins with acknowledging that, at the most basic level, you are not good. You try to do good. You occasionally do good. But even your goodness is polluted by sin. By nature, you are a sinner, which is why you sin.”

“This is why Jesus came: to save you from your sin. You need a Savior. Our problem isn’t our parents and how they raised us, or our boss and how he sets us off. Your problem isn’t that you need more counseling or education. We all need a Savior. That’s why Jesus came – not to help you but to change you. Jesus came so you could become a new you. That begins with repentance and faith.”

“Adam’s single act of disobedience in the Garden was consequential, plunging mankind into ruin and making sin and death universal. But thanks be to God for the end of 14—Adam, who was a type of the one to come.”

“Paul introduces another man. A second Adam. And what a difference between the two. Adam went his own way, rejecting God's will. Jesus submitted himself to God, selflessly emptying himself in the incarnation, becoming a servant and humbling himself to the point of death. What Adam ruined, Jesus came to rescue. What Adam plunged into sin and death, Jesus would raise to righteousness and life. This is what Paul celebrates in 15-19 as he highlights a series of contrasts between Adam and Jesus—read 15.”

“Twice, Paul uses the phrase free gift to describe what Jesus has done (three more times). The free gift is the atoning sacrifice of Jesus, which brings forgiveness and eternal life.”

“Here’s the contrast: Unlike Adam’s disobedience, which brought death’s decay upon all mankind, the abounding grace of God in Jesus reversed the curse of death for all who believe in Jesus.”

“Christ’s grace is greater than Adam’s sin!”

“Now n 16, Paul contrasts the results of the two men’s actions—read 16. Where Adam’s sin brings condemnation before God for all, the free gift of Christ’s sacrifice results in justification before God. Condemnation means separation from God, while justification means acceptance by God. This is the abounding grace of God in the gospel, that He reconciles guilty and condemned sinners, by their nature and actions, to Himself.”

“And there is something critically important in Paul’s language here. Midway through 16, he says—For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation. Condemnation for all came after one sinful act. That’s all it took to plunge mankind into condemnation; just one sin set off a cascade of sins.”

“In a culture, even a Christian one, that loves to make light of sin by using language that softens its impact, lends it a degree of respectability, or simply ignores it, we are reminded of sin’s seriousness. It deceives us and damages our relationships with God. We know how it affects everything – our relationships, our work, our marriages.”

“At our first Eastside service last Sunday, we talked about being a gospel-centered church above all things. To be gospel-centered is to be serious about sin because it’s a holy God who has redeemed us to reveal his wisdom and glory.”

“Back to 16, in contrast to Adam’s sin, which brings condemnation, look at what Paul says at the end of 16—but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. Christ’s work is very different from Adam’s. Even though we are guilty of many trespasses, what Jesus did on the cross was sufficient to provide forgiveness not only for Adam’s sin that brought sin into the world but also for many sinners like us and for our many sins. Grace covers ALL your sin.”

“The contrast gets even starker in 17. God intended Adam to rule the world for His glory. Instead, because of Adam’s sin, death ruled over Adam and the rest of mankind. In Adam, we enter the world spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1) and are destined for physical death and eternal judgment (Hebrews 9:27).”

“But in Christ, there is a Great Exchange. Sin for righteousness. Condemnation for justification. Death for life. In Christ, we can walk in newness of life, fully accepted and loved by God, and victorious in life and death. How? Because as great as our sin is, the grace of God in the gospel of Jesus Christ is even greater. This is Paul’s point in 20-21.”

“Is our sin great—Yes. But grace is greater! We will spend the next two weeks unpacking the implications and applications of our text today, covering 6:1-14 and then 6:15-23. If you are visiting or new to SGC, this section of Romans is critically important to us as a church. We believe the Bible calls us to live out our new life in Christ together, helping one another put sin to death, grow in righteousness, and live in the goodness of the gospel as the victorious children of God we are.”

“That begins with this understanding: This thing called sin is no longer the core of who I am. I don’t have to give in. Because in Christ I am no longer a slave to it, sin has no power over me. Here’s the promise: Your sins are many, but God’s mercy in Christ is more!”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
2 Corinthians 5:19
Hebrews 13:3

APPLICATION:
Today, the takeaway is this: When you are in Jesus Christ, your nature undergoes a fundamental change. Jesus didn’t just come to rescue you from the power and penalty of sin; he has changed your will. 

When you become a Christian, whatever it is—greed, anger, dishonesty, lust, or whatever you fill in the blank—it can still tempt you. You can still choose to sin. But in Christ and by the power of the Spirit working in you, God gives you freedom from its power. You don’t have to give in. Your nature has been changed. You are no longer a slave to sin. You’ve been set free from its power over you. You live in victory over sin.

QUOTES:
John Calvin - “Christ is much more powerful to save, than Adam was to destroy.”

SCRIPTURE MEMORIZATION:
Romans 5:6-11

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
His Mercy Is More
It Was Finished Upon That Cross
The Power Of The Cross
All Sufficient Merit
Come Behold The Wondrous Mystery

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Romans 6:1-14

THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

CLICK BELOW TO PURCHASE OUR BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

“Encouragement: How to See and Celebrate Evidences of Grace” - Jared Mellinger

The God who knows your every failure, weakness, and sin, even the secret ones, loves you beyond comprehension. That is a life-changing truth that should give us assurance and produce boundless joy in our hearts. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Romans: The Power of God in the Gospel of Christ
TEXT: Romans 5:6-11
TITLE: Our Joy in God’s Love
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: The God who knows you completely loves you lavishly.

POINTS:
I. The Wonder of God’s Love
II. The Assurance of God’s Love

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes and text emphasis are taken directly from the pastor’s notes.

“One of humanity's deepest longings is to be loved. Everyone wants to be loved; everyone needs to be loved. There’s nothing like the feeling of being loved.”

“If we’re honest, the struggle to believe anyone would truly love us, especially if they knew what we were really like, is real. So we work hard to put on a show, always trying to project the most lovable version of ourselves. Here’s the problem: We may fool some people, but we can’t fool God. Take heart. The good news in our text today is this: The God who knows you completely loves you lavishly.”

“Today’s text begins with the word For. This links it to the previous 5 verses and, in particular, to one of the most remarkable truths in the Bible—(5b) God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

“What follows in 6-8 are two objective truths that help us capture the wonder of the Lord’s love that has been and is being poured into our hearts.”

“Objective Truth #1 We do not deserve God’s love.”

“6—while we were still weak: We were utterly powerless to save ourselves. Morally, we could contribute nothing to our own salvation. We were completely unable to advance our cause before God. 6—we were ungodly: Created as His image-bearers to live and reflect His glory, our intellect, reason, and capacity for communion with God had been so marred by sin that we became entirely unlike God. 8—while we were still sinners: We were offenders and trespassers against God’s holy character. When it came to His righteousness, we completely missed the mark. We were wicked, we were rebellious, and we hated God, exchanging His glory for our own. 10—while we were enemies: In our sin, our hearts hardened against God with deep hostility. In all this, we stood guilty, without excuse, and fully deserving of his wrath.”

“All of these descriptions are impossible for the world to accept. Tell someone they are ungodly or that they have enmity toward God—then duck. But this is what the Bible teaches about every human being: our sin has made us wholly undeserving and completely unlovable. God knows all your failures, weaknesses, and hidden sins. Yet from before the world’s foundations, He set His divine affections on you and shed His Son’s blood to overcome your unlovability.”

ILLUSTRATION: Pastor Peter Miller

“What a precious story. If we look hard enough, we can find amazing stories of human love, like Pastor Peter’s. Even the best of them pale in comparison to God’s love. Christ didn’t just show up and appeal for your pardon—he bled and died for your pardon. Wonder at that!”

“Objective Truth #2 God’s love came to us at great cost.”

“Our justification is free, but it is not cheap. The cost of God’s love was the death of His only Son. Not only does this reveal the severity of sin, in that God had to send His Son to us and sacrifice him for us, but it also shows the depths of God’s love. As 1 John 4 says—This is ultimate love. No love compares to God’s love in the gospel. Paul illustrates this in 7.”

“Paul says—Sure, someone might die for a good person. They are far and few between, but I can see it. But that’s not what we are talking about here. Weak. Sinner. Ungodly. Enemy. That’s who God sent His Son to die for. The point is, God’s love is in a class by itself. It is a holy love, flawless, with no sin, no selfishness, and no deception. God’s love is transcendent. It is beyond any human experience. The Lord’s love, demonstrated in the death of Christ and poured out into our hearts by the Spirit, is in a category of its own. And in the gospel, He pours this holy and transcendent love into our hearts through His Spirit.”

RUNNING APPLICATION: If you’re not a Christian, you can know this love. If you’re a believer, do you find yourself doubting God’s love for you?”

“Maybe you feel no one has ever truly loved you. Some have tried, but their feelings faded. Perhaps you carry the hurt of failed love from a parent, a spouse, or a child.”

“God knows you completely, sin and all, Romans 1-3 and all. Yet, He loves you lavishly. He loves you unfailingly. He loves you unchangingly. And the highest expression of His love for you is the selfless gift of Himself to you in Jesus Christ. Don’t make the mistake of judging God’s love for you by how your life is going today. Look back 2000 years to the cross and wonder at His divine affections for you!”

“Verses 9 and 10 are parallel statements with one tweak. In verse 9, Paul says we have been justified by the blood of Jesus. Justified is a legal term that evokes a courtroom scene. It means you stand righteous before the Judge. In 10, Paul says we were reconciled to God by the death of Jesus. The term reconciled, which replaces the term justified, is an interpersonal term. It’s about relationships and friendship. The picture is not a courtroom but a family room. The two terms present two distinct and powerful images of what Christ has done for us.”

“Justified: Once guilty sinners, we now stand as righteous and pardoned in God’s eyes. That’s what justification means. Reconciled: Once enemies of God, we are brought into an intimate relationship with him, He our Abba Father and we His beloved children, all because of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. That’s reconciled.”

“But in both 9 and 10, Paul’s logic is clear: Because God has saved you, He will save you. We have been saved by Jesus’ sacrifice; therefore, we will be saved from God’s wrath on the final day. The two go together. They can’t be separated. God does not save us and lavishly pour His love into our hearts in this life only to abandon us on Judgment Day. God’s love gives us hope in life and death. This is the assurance of divine affections.”

“God loved you as His enemy. Will He destroy you as His beloved child—No! When you were a hardened sinner, God reconciled you to Himself through the death of Jesus. Will He not preserve His children by his life-giving resurrection—Yes! If God has already removed the greatest obstacle to peace with Him, namely our sin, enmity, and guilt (6-8), will He not ensure you are spared His wrath on the final day (9-10)—Of course He will!”

“This is the hope and assurance that God’s redemptive love poured into our hearts the moment we were justified by faith provides. Our salvation doesn’t rest on our ability to please God or preserve our salvation through our performance.”

“Your salvation rests in the unchanging, unfailing love of an unchanging God. As Paul goes on to say in Romans 8:31-39 (a parallel passage to ours)—If God is for us, who can be against us? No one can condemn you, and nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Because God has saved you, He will save you. Those He has justified (an action in the past), He has glorified (an action at the coming of Jesus, but so sure it’s stated in the past tense). This is the wonder and assurance of the love of God that has been poured into our hearts in Christ!”

"What should our response be to this great love we have received in our justification? It should produce overwhelming joy in our hearts.”

“This is the third time in 1-11 that Paul uses the word rejoice to describe the Christian life. In 2, we rejoice in our hope. In 3, we rejoice in our sufferings because of our hope. But here in 11, we rejoice not in the benefits of our justification but in the person of our justification—We rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

“Everything required for your eternal salvation has been accomplished in Christ. The pressure’s off. The price has been paid. The verdict is in. You are secure in God’s grace and love forever. You are reconciled to Him and have peace with Him. God loves you—Rejoice!”

APPLICATION:
What fears and doubts are overshadowing God’s gracious and eternal love for you? Romans 5:6-11 should dismantle them all. 

• Are you discontent?—God’s love is the greatest treasure you could ever possess. 

• Are you lonely?—God’s love always satisfies the heart that clings to it. 

• Are you afraid?—God’s love is unwavering, unfailing, and unchanging. The greatest thing to fear is God’s eternal wrath, which is no longer your reality in Christ!

• Are you reluctant to love others?—Love is at the heart of the Christian life. God’s love gives you the security and freedom to live out 1 John 4. Because you have been loved, you love others. 

Your life can be an exuberant, joyful celebration and service to your Savior because God's love for you is incomparable, Christ's work for you is sufficient, and your salvation is secure. Rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

QUOTES:
Charles Spurgeon - “The Lord loves you. He has a complacency and a delight in you. You give him pleasure; he watches for your good; you are one of his household; your name is written on his heart. He loves you….He that made the heavens and the earth loves me! He whose angels fly as lightning to obey his behests, the tramp of whose marching shakes both heaven and earth, whose smile is heaven, and whose frown is hell, loves me! Infinite, almighty, omniscient, eternal, a mind inconceivable, a spirit that is not to be comprehended; but he, even he has set his love upon me.”

John Sott - “We should be the most positive people in the world. We cannot mooch round the place with a dropping, hang-dog expression…No, “we exult in God.” Then every part of life becomes suffused with glory. Christian worship becomes a joyful celebration of God and Christian living a joyful service of God. So come, let us exult in God together!”

SCRIPTURE MEMORIZATION:
Romans 5:6-11

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Sing
God Is For Us
Rise My Soul The Lord Is Risen
The Glories Of Calvary
Rejoice

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Romans 5:12-21

THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

CLICK BELOW TO PURCHASE OUR BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

“Encouragement: How to See and Celebrate Evidences of Grace” - Jared Mellinger

Nothing shapes our thoughts about the church more than Ephesians 3:7-11. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

TEXT: Ephesians 3:7-13
TITLE: There is Nothing Like the Church
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: Nothing is like the church.

POINTS:
I. The Gospel Creates the Church
II. The Church Reveals the Glory and Wisdom of God in the Gospel

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes and text emphasis are taken directly from the pastor’s notes.

ILLUSTRATION: My pastor—Move for a good church

“It may sound radical, but it’s not. Nothing compares to Christ’s Church. It’s imperfect, and we don’t worship it. But there is nothing like it on this planet.”

“Nothing is like the church. This is the key takeaway from our text today. Nothing compares to the church. In a society that idolizes individualism and distrusts anything organized, it’s good for God’s people to be clear-eyed about what God thinks of His church. Whether it’s planting a church on the other side of the city, faithfully serving year in and year out in the same church, or giving sacrificially to raise up new pastors, our thoughts about the church need to be shaped by God’s thoughts.”

“Church, make no mistake, our thoughts about the church are being shaped. Too often, they are shaped by our felt needs, past experiences, unmet expectations, and seasons of life. Our thoughts about the church need to be shaped by God’s thoughts. Nothing shapes our thoughts about the church more than Ephesians 3:7-11.”

“Paul begins 7, saying—Of this gospel. With these three words, Paul points us back not only to the first six verses of Eph 3 but also to the first two chapters. In Eph 1-2, Paul brilliantly unpacks God’s plan of salvation. Before the world’s foundations, God devised a plan to choose, save, and make sinners His own. Through the long-awaited sacrifice of Jesus, sinners who were once dead in their sin and alienated from God and His promises are now mercifully saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.”

“In these verses, Paul uses the word mystery when he speaks about the gospel. What does he mean? He does not mean something unsolvable. By mystery, he means something once hidden but now made known. What has been revealed to Paul?”

“The gospel was foretold in part in the Old Testament, but now, in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, it has been fully revealed—Jew and Gentile are made part of God’s people in Christ. Belonging to God and all the promises and blessings that accompany it are no longer confined to being Jewish. God’s people are now marked by their union with Christ, made possible through the Spirit’s regenerative work in the heart and Christ’s sacrificial work on the cross. The new covenant foretold by Ezekiel and Jeremiah radically changes the nature of God’s covenant people. They are no longer defined by nations, bloodlines, ethnicity, or rituals, but by a new humanity, one man, created by the gospel and called the church. This is the point of 2:11-22. I encourage you to read it this week for personal application.”

“Think about that. Once an enemy of God, you are now a beloved heir in Christ and a member of God’s heavenly family, represented on earth in just one place—the Church. This is the fruit and effect of the gospel—the Church. Not merely in the general sense scholars call the church universal, but in a very specific sense we know as the local church. If you’re visiting with us, we hold a robust doctrine of the local church.”

“Your pastors are grateful for your conviction about the local church. We pray that the Spirit grants each of us the grace to live with daily awareness of who we were apart from Christ and who we are now in Christ, not only as individuals but also collectively as His beloved Church.”

RUNNING APPLICATION: Are you struggling to live with a joyful sense of privilege in being part of the church, a privilege the gospel has granted you? Maybe, in your eyes, you have been burned by the church. For a variety of reasons, you are disillusioned with it. Allow me to encourage and challenge you today: Throw yourself into your church. Get ready, because as you do, God will grow your gratitude and sense of privilege in being part of it more and more and more.

“Paul didn’t want the Ephesians to be discouraged as his ministry grew difficult, and he doesn’t want us to be discouraged when ours does. Why? Because church work is the work of God’s eternal glory! And you have been saved to be part of it.”

“The claim in verse 10 is stunning: God makes His manifold, multifaceted wisdom known to the cosmos through the church. Just as a diamond’s brilliance is revealed in its multifaceted cuts, so the multifaceted wisdom of God is revealed in the collective people of God—the church.”

“God could have used any means He desired to make His glory and wisdom known—He’s God! He has endless resources. But He chose the church, you and I together, to make His wisdom known not only to mankind but also to (10) the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.”

“Stunning! God intends for the angels He created to worship Him endlessly, to keep their eyes on the earthly church so they can witness the greatness and glory of His wisdom. The angels of Psalm 148:2 who praise God; the angels in Revelation 7:11 who fall on their knees before the throne and worship God; and the angels who cry out, Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts, in Isaiah 6:3 are better able to glorify and worship God as they witness all He is doing in His church. What they see is stunning. The gospel is preached, and sinners are saved. People are being transformed from one glory to another, living in unity, growing in holiness, and sharing the good news. In the church, the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places see God’s manifold wisdom in ways they could never otherwise perceive.”

“The angels aren’t waiting with bated breath for the midterm election results. The heavens aren’t on the edge of their seats for AI’s next big reveal. The angels aren’t laser-focused on the Middle East. They are fixed on and enthralled by the church. Not convinced? Turn to 1 Peter 1:10-12.”

ILLUSTRATION: Trophy Case in School

“The world isn’t impressed with the church. They aren’t impressed with our church-planting efforts. They aren’t enamored with the sacrifices you make to give generously to Mission Tucson. It’s all foolishness in the eyes of the world.”

RUNNING APPLICATION: What kind of investment strategy do you have? Here’s the truth. Here’s real value. Here’s the best return on your investment. Here’s the best use of your time. God has devised an eternal plan in which ordinary people like you and me, living ordinary lives shaped and informed by the gospel, together as a local church, reveal God's extraordinary glory and wisdom to the cosmos! Unfathomable! Unimaginable! Unmatchable!

“There is nothing like the church. All earthly things and institutions fade into insignificance when compared with the church. The church alone, including our church, represents the grandest of all His works. It is, in the words of Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the most wonderful phenomenon in the universe, the most amazing thing that God has ever done.”

“This is why we are passionate about the church. This is why we prioritize the church. The church is Christ’s priority. He designed the church in eternity past. He left his place in the Trinity for the church. He suffered in this world for the church. He died for the church. His love for the church is so profound that he regards her as his bride. He is interceding for the church right now. Jesus is returning for one reason—the church. Jesus has one thing on his mind and in his heart—the glory of his Father through the church!”

RUNNING APPLICATION: Aren’t you glad and grateful to be part of His church?

QUOTES:
Martyn-Lloyd Jones - “There is nothing beyond the Church. She is the highest and the most supreme manifestation of the wisdom of God; and to look forward to something beyond the Church is to deny not only this verse but many other verses in the Scripture. The Church is the final expression of the wisdom of God, the thing above all others that enables even the angels to comprehend the wisdom of God.”

Sovereign Grace Statement of Faith - “As an expression of Christ’s universal church, the local church is the focal point of God's plan to mature his people and save sinners. Therefore, all Christians are to join themselves as committed members to a specific local church.”

Martin Lloyd-Jones - “The Apostle is asserting that what is happening in the Church is so stupendous, so glorious, that even the brightest angelic beings who have spent their entire existence in the presence of God, even they are staggered and amazed at what they see in and through the Church.”

SCRIPTURE MEMORIZATION:
Romans 5:1-2

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
We Are Yours Forever
God Is Faithful (Psalm 114)
Oh What High And Holy Privilege
Let Your Kingdom Come
As You Go

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Romans 5:6-11

THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

CLICK BELOW TO PURCHASE OUR BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

“Encouragement: How to See and Celebrate Evidences of Grace” - Jared Mellinger

Justification through faith alone truly is, as Sproul would say - a Christmas gift worth rejoicing in “over and over again!” Today, we are tearing the ribbons and wrapping paper off! Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Romans: The Power of God in the Gospel of Christ
TEXT: Romans 5:3-5
TITLE: Our Hope In God
PREACHER: Tom Wilkins
BIG IDEA: Because God has given us an anchored hope in our suffering, we rejoice in our suffering.

POINTS:
I. God has given us a hope that is produced in our sufferings
II. God has given us a hope that will not disappoint us

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes and text emphasis are taken directly from the pastor’s notes.

“We have hope because we have Peace with God.”

“Look how Paul transitions from point v2 to v3 with these words “Not only that…” These words point us back to our justification (vs 1). They point us back to the shocking reality that we “have peace with God” (vs 1). Through faith in Jesus, we are justified, and we have  “obtained access to the grace of God in which we stand.”  The words “Not only that,” point back in the text… back to the future in verse 2… “rejoice in our hope of the glory of God!” This is shocking! If Paul stopped here, wouldn’t this already be enough?... What else does God need to do? Isn’t our justification wondrous!”

“BUT Paul’s rejoicing is not finished as he rejoices again in what God has done in justifying us! Paul HAS MORE! Without flinching, he declares justification is the ground from which we can rejoice even in the face of our present tribulation, afflictions, sorrows, and griefs.”

“First, (following Not only that…) we “rejoice,” we “glory,” “we boast,” we “exult.” The word “exult” captures Paul’s meaning best in this context, and he uses this word here in Verses 2 and 3, and again in 11.”

“The exultation in God is described as a profound, triumphant joy and boasting arising from recognizing His salvation… often expressed through singing, praising, and glorifying. It’s intense emotion and physical, dancing, leaping, and spinning with joy.”

“Paul, doesn’t hold back when it comes to our justification through faith in Jesus Christ, the ground on which we spin in joy! Look around, Christian! The floor upon which you exult in God is paved in your justification - REJOICE!”

“This wrecks the preacher’s desire as a pattern to start off in a crescendo, building from quieter melodic sounds in the sermon and building toward the crashing of cymbals and thunderous finale! GOD LEADS IN THE TEXT WITH THE DEAFENING SOUNDS OF JUBILANT TRIUMPH - YOU HAVE BEEN JUSTIFIED IN MY SON! EXULT IN THE GLORY THAT AWAITS!”

“First, Rejoice!, but then… Second, we exult in… and there’s a surprise in the text - we rejoice IN OUR SUFFERINGS.”

“…here we have the astonishing statement: “We rejoice in our sufferings” - Rejoice in the horrific sufferings that we long to be set free from in this life? Vs 3 - This is not some strange attraction to pain and suffering. It is not rejoicing in the troubles themselves, but rather rejoicing while we find ourselves in the midst of trouble. The “suffering” here is tribulations, trials, griefs, and afflictions that are the crucible of the Christian’s life. IT is also impossible to do this in our own strength!”

“So, we see that we rejoice IN our suffering.

Third, we rejoice “knowing.” 

This “knowing,” this “knowledge” is the reason we boast in suffering. We are now given that reason. We are being reminded (and now we “know”) how and why we are able to boast in suffering.”

“Suffering produces Endurance (vs 3) - In our sufferings, God quite literally toughens us up. God is at work in the fiery heat and duration of our trials. In fact, they only serve, in his providence, to make us stronger, to last longer, growing a patient perseverance. The joy we have in verse 3, is that God is at work in suffering, producing endurance.”

“Endurance produces Character - “tested Character” (vs 4) - 

God strengthens our endurance, and in so doing, the trial proves out our moral character. He is bolstering our character by degrees, making us holy. Justification made us right with God, “Not only that,” he effectually weaves the moral fabric of our character. NOTE: His testing of our character doesn’t simply reveal our sinfulness (and our sin at times is certainly revealed). In the midst of suffering, he is not standing on the other side waiting to see how we come through it. No, he is “working all these things,” all of our afflictions, for the good of our character.”

“Tested Character produces HOPE (vs 4) - Our hope only grows stronger as tested character. He is building our endurance. He is building our character, and now we discover THE goal of suffering! The fact that our character is strengthened is a testimony that God is at work in us. This testimony of God changing us produces hope.  This is where all of this has been leading us - HOPE!”

“Paul has not listed out the various kinds of pain and suffering. Nor does he minimize our sufferings. This is a perfect place where Paul could list out his sufferings, but he doesn’t. His goal is to preach to sufferers this amazing truth. His goal is to prepare future sufferers with this amazing truth. God, who knows all of it, who sees all of it, and that truth is he is with you in all of it, and is at work in all of it, is giving you GOSPEL-GROUNDED, JUSTIFICATION-SECURED hope.”

“DON’T FORGET verse 3 - We now know something! What we now “know” is that God’s providential design is the driving force behind the mounting elements of our affliction. God is taking us somewhere through suffering. We come to KNOW something.”

“As we marvel that God is at work in our afflictions, no matter what they are, God is at work producing a deep-seated hope in your soul. In our suffering, God produces an unwavering, anchored hope. Not Only That… see what Paul takes us to next in verse 5.”

“Let’s look at verse 5 again: Here in the English Standard Version, “and hope does not put us to shame.” Other translations will say that hope “will not disappoint.” This hope that God is producing in us will not embarrass us. Let’s remember the CONTEXT: The gift of Justification brings with it an anchored hope in the midst of suffering.”

RUNNING APPLICATION: How can I be sure that my hope will not be in vain, that it will not disappoint? In our suffering, our hearts give way. They doubt. They faint. The forget. Our soul shrinks back. Our hearts question God’s love for us. How can we be sure that our hope will not have been foolish? The answer: Paul, in Romans Chapter 5, is teaching us that our hope is not rooted. It is not anchored in us. It is found in our merciful God and in what he has already done for us in justification. It is anchored in “we have been justified by faith” in Jesus. Our hope cannot put us to shame or disappoint us because it is anchored in the Rock of Jesus Christ, through whom we now have peace with God and access to his grace.”

“This assurance is not simply an implication of the text; it is an assurance anchored in the very next words: “...because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.””

“The Holy Spirit has “poured” God’s love into our hearts at our justification and CONTINUES to pour his love into our hearts forever. The Holy Spirit continually and profusely pours God’s love into our hearts. This is what he does, not what we struggle to do. How can I get that into my soul? I can’t, BUT HE DOES! WHAT A GIFT THE HOLY SPIRIT IS TO US, and what a gift He is in our suffering.”

“THE foundational reason that we can be assured that our hope in our present and future sufferings will not put us shame, is we know already come to pass - THE CROSS OF CHRIST - the atoning sacrifice of our suffering Lord and Savior on his cross is the basis of all of our joy, worship, boasting, exulting… we glory in Jesus Christ, and him crucified recalling the old hymn:
“On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
the emblem of suffering and shame;
and I love that old cross where the dearest and best
for a world of lost sinners was slain.””

“Our hope will not put us to shame, because Jesus bore our shame! Our future sufferings will not come with shame, but will come with faith in what Jesus did, and our Hope will be in what He said he would do.”

“The enemy “prowls around seeking whom he may devour,” particularly in our sorrow and suffering… BUT HE CANNOT HAVE US! Our Savior has crushed his head and at the same time has justified us!”

“Our HOPE in Christ, in suffering, will not put us to shame, because he bore our shame and suffered for us, and through faith in him, we are secured forever in God’s love. The Holy Spirit is pouring the love of God into our hearts!”

“To the Unbeliever: Turn away from your sin and cry out to Jesus for salvation. You are completely exposed before God in the shame of your sins; your worst nightmares cannot compare to the day of judgment when you stand before Christ, the Judge of heaven and earth. All may be well with now, but an eternity of affliction, suffering, sorrow, grief, and pain awaits you! BUT you have an everlasting hope waiting for you if you turn to Christ in repentance!”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
John 16:33

APPLICATION:
1. Your justification is your reality! You belong to God, through Jesus, and the Holy Spirit is pouring God’s love into your heart! Last Sunday, we learned that the doctrine of justification through faith is truly “a gift that keeps on giving.” Today, we heard R.C. Sproul say “For Paul, Christmas never ends!” - one gift inside another gift that leads us to rejoice… to glory… in God.

Q. When was the last time you pulled on the bow and opened that gift of the gospel? Again and again, turn to Romans and recall (memorize) the mounting joys that your justification secures for you forever. Open the gift of your justification and preach THIS gospel to yourself daily.

2. Another reality is that we do suffer, and for some, the affliction is almost unbearable.  So, we must be prepared for suffering! 

Q. What can you do now to prepare for future suffering? Maybe your life is going well. But suffering is coming. 

First: Do not be surprised. 1 Peter 4:12
Second: Do not lose heart. Take heart! 2 Corinthians 4:16–17, John 16:33

3. One more reality is that everyone around is suffering.

Q. How do you prepare others for suffering?
Q. How do you help others who are suffering?
Q. How can I witness to others who are suffering?

Church: Minister to and pray for those in the midst of suffering. Oh, how they need to be lifted up with an encouraging word from God’s word. They need to be reminded of verse 3 “Not Only That…” Come alongside them and endure with them. When the time is right…Gently remind them that the Holy Spirit is persevering them. Gently remind them to turn to the Lord for his grace and mercy. Witness to your suffering neighbor.Do not promise them that their suffering will go away if they believe in Jesus. But, do promise them that they will have an eternal anchored hope in Jesus if they will believe in him. Promise them that God will forgive them and love them forever, no matter what may come!

QUOTES:
R.C. Sproul - “Salvation is not like receiving just one gift under the Christmas tree but gift after gift all wrapped up together. The first package we find is our justification, and when we open that package, we find inside it another - peace with God. Inside that package is access into His presence, and inside that is the ability to rejoice in glorifying the glory of God. Inside that package, we find there is joy in the midst of tribulation, and that very tribulation gives us another gift - perseverance. Tear off the ribbon from that gift, and there is another one, which is the character that perseverance gives us, and within that gift is hope that will never embarrass or disappoint us. Finally, we open one more present, and it is the love of God poured profusely into our hearts by the grace of God. All these are the gift of our justification. Do we wonder, then, at that doxological writing of the apostle Paul, who rejoices in these things over and over again? For Paul, Christmas never ends!”

Thomas Schriner - “This is an astonishing statement, since future glorification is prized precisely because afflictions are left behind.”

SCRIPTURE MEMORIZATION:
Romans 5:1-2

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
My Soul Will Wait (Psalm 62)
Christ Our Glory
Help Us See Christ
From Everlasting (Psalm 90)
It Is Well With My Soul

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Ephesians 3:7-13, Nothing Compares to the Church

THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

CLICK BELOW TO PURCHASE OUR BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

“Encouragement: How to See and Celebrate Evidences of Grace” - Jared Mellinger

Peace with God is truly the “gift that keeps on giving!” Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Romans: The Power of God in the Gospel of Christ
TEXT: Romans 5:1-2
TITLE: Gospel Powered Peace
PREACHER: Tim Lambros
BIG IDEA: Justification eternally transforms unbelievers and empowers  believers daily.

POINTS:
I. A Point in Time Gift
II. A Present Day Gift

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes and text emphasis are taken directly from the pastor’s notes.

ILLUSTRATION: The origin of the phrase “The gift that keeps on giving”

“‘THEREFORE’…put your phones down, turn your TV off…now that in Romans 1-3 you’ve heard of your NEED for justification…now that in Romans 3-4 I’ve argued THE WAY of justification…THEREFORE, SINCE WE HAVE BEEN JUSTIFIED BY FAITH.” [Paul is trying to capture our attention using the word therefore.]

“You’ll notice also that Paul changes his prepositional usage. It’s now WE! vs. Romans 1: ‘I am not ashamed of the gospel’, Romans 1: ‘So they are without excuse’, Romans 2: ‘So you suppose, O man’ and ‘Now you, if you call yourself a Jew’, Romans 3: ‘Their throat, their mouth, their feet’”

“[This] is to [show us] how God’s past action puts the accent on God’s activity not  ours.”

“Notice also that Paul is speaking in the past tense. We have been JUSTIFIED – past  tense – we are not BEING JUSTIFIED. Scripture says believers HAVE BEEN  JUSTIFIED. There is a point in time event in each believer’s life that God justifies us.  Declares us righteous in His sight.”

“Let’s be clear. God’s justifying action in our lives is an absolute gift of grace. WE HAVE  BEEN JUSTIFIED. In other words, it was a point in time event that happened to you.  Theologians call it a monergistic work of grace. Scripture is clear that this is a work that God does to undeserving sinners.”

“So when Paul writes “we have been justified by faith” let’s make sure we put the accent  where Scripture puts the accent. GOD JUSTIFIES.”

“We have been acquitted of our sins. Justification radically  transforms us and permanently transforms our eternal status. Formerly, like Romans 3:23  stated we were in the group that ‘sin and fall short of the glory of God’ but now we have eternally been radically transformed.”

“We have received a gift of grace that keeps on giving. One of the most powerful  implications of being justified by grace is Paul’s first implication of this eternal and  powerful transformation. We have peace with God.”

“Peace with God must be understood Biblically. The secular understanding of peace is the  absence of hostility. When the Bible speaks about peace, it deals with your deepest, most inner, unrest in your soul, a well being not known since the garden – in other words a peace that only comes with salvation and reconciliation with God Himself.”

“We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ – Peace with God comes to us  only one way. It only comes through Jesus Christ. Justification doesn’t stop at God’s  acquittal of our sin. IT KEEPS ON GIVING.”

“We have peace with God because our sins are acquitted but there’s more. The greatest  exchange – Jesus righteousness imputed to us only comes through the atoning work of  Jesus. Paul likes to say this comes to those who are IN CHRIST.”

“The OT understanding of peace - SHALOM - is not simply the absence of war or even an inner sense of well-being or feeling of peace. Shalom – is a deep sense of peace that arises out of an outward status of having peace with God.”

“Isaiah 9 prophesied that this Shalom would come through a person THE PRINCE OF  PEACE. God’s justifying work of grace comes through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  

“You’ll notice when we get to the end of this section of chapter 5:10-12, Paul uses the word reconciliation – now that we are reconciled and v. 11 we have now received reconciliation. Peace with God is reconciliation with God, but it only happens – can only happen, in and through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

RUNNING APPLICATION: Has God justified you? Do you have peace with God? Are you reconciled with God? What is the implication of justification by faith alone and the peace with God we now enjoy? How does it  affect our present lives? 

ILLUSTRATION: phrase “in the now but not yet”

“Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in  which we stand, - We have access – DAILY, MOMENT BY MOMENT ACCESS. The NT calls us to boldly enter – this gift that keeps on giving means we don’t have sporadic access to God nor is it a precarious relationship with the King of Kings. It’s a gift that gives us continual and secure access to God.”

ILLUSTRATION: imagine the common OT saint having access to God’s presence once a year getting teleported to the NT understanding of access – the gift that keeps on giving.

“Church, through Jesus Christ’s justifying work in our lives we have peace with God in a  reconciled relationship. But there’s more to this amazing gift. We also have access by  faith – ALL THE TIME.”

“This gift that keeps on giving is meant to be used daily and moment by moment while  we live in the now but not yet. Not only is this a gift but we need this! When your inner voice tells you lies about your status before God. When you have sinned and fall short. In that fight to put to death or weaken a life besetting sin. When your adult kids aren’t pursuing the Lord – in fact they have no interest. When you need patience with the inevitable health struggles as your body falls apart.”

ILLUSTRATION: Having access by faith into this grace which we stand is like God providing a  water fountain in the back of the Church. You are told you have access any time for a  drink, for your water jug or to fill your 5 gallon buckets and take it home. It’s pure Swiss  water and it’s chilled all the time. Access is granted only to members of our Church.  What would it be like if members continually walked by and said “I’ve got my water  bottle I’m fine” … we would honor this gift by accessing it as often as needed!

“Justifying grace is the grace we stand in when we are tempted, when we face suffering or  anything [difficult] in this fallen world.”

“Church, justification by faith alone is a point in time event for sure. But it’s so much more. What we receive is peace with God but so much more. This access into this grace Paul is talking about is an ongoing state or realm we operate in until He returns.” 

“We have been transferred from the realm under the law to a realm of grace.”

“You’ll notice there’s an additional gift that is spoken about at the end of v. 2. We have  been justified and enjoy peace with God. We are transferred to this realm of grace  where we can approach the king without fear of losing favor. Notice what comes next.  Paul says ‘we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.’”

“We are a people who are a rejoicing people. There is much to rejoice in and Paul’s going  to develop this over the next sections of Romans 5:1-11. But here is the core truth about our justification – our hope is in the glory of God and that hope is rooted in God’s glory being displayed in the justification of sinners. We rejoice in the truth and reality that on that [final] day there will be no condemnation – God’s justifying grace will be on display and His glory will be honored. We get the benefit TODAY – there is NOW no condemnation - so we rejoice in the hope of God’s glory being on display in the future.”

ILLUSTRATION: Adoption - There was a legal declaration decided upon outside of you that powerfully changes your life.

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Titus 3:3-7
Ephesians 2
John 6:44
1 Peter 1:3
Numbers 6:24–27
Ephesians 2:6

APPLICATION:
Because we have been justified, because we have a new ID, we can live humbly until the Lord returns. Being declared righteous is not the same as being actually righteous. By faith we have access to this grace because God follows the point in time event with a process of showing us what growth in actual righteousness looks like. We call it sanctification. Actually growing more in righteousness. Growing in God-likeness. 

Justification is a one-time event. It’s followed by a process. It’s that process where we need to stand in the grace of sanctification. We need to be humble. When we fail we  don’t run from our reconciled Father, we stand by faith in justifying grace.  

We don’t run away from God, we run to God. Daily.

QUOTES:
Douglas Moo - “While justification brings to the believer a new and permanent status, justification itself  is a once-for- all act by which God acquits the sinner.”

Stott - “The pursuit of peace is a universal human obsession.”

Douglas Moo - “Paul, along with the rest of the NT (John 1:17) so focuses on God’s work in Christ as that act in which God’s grace was decisively and finally realized that he can picture the new status of the believer as one in which grace is characteristic and dominant. While this state of grace includes our justification as a key element, the notion goes beyond justification to all that is conveyed to us by God in Christ.”

SCRIPTURE MEMORIZATION:
Romans 5:1-2

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Sing
There is One Gospel
Grace and Peace
Christ Our Hope In Life And Death
Rejoice

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Romans 5:3-5

THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

CLICK BELOW TO PURCHASE OUR BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

“Encouragement: How to See and Celebrate Evidences of Grace” - Jared Mellinger