Dr. Cecil A. Fayard - 2001 Sermons
Sunday, April 22, 2001   

In this wonderful fifth chapter of Romans, we have the blessed results of justification by faith (5:1-11). There are eight blessings of justification by faith found in the first five verses alone:

1. Peace with God.
   
2. Continual access by faith into His grace.
   
3. Rejoicing in hope.
   
4. Glory in tribulations.
   
5. Patience.
   
6. Experience.
   
7. Hope.
   
8. The love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost.

1. VERSES 1-2, WE, BELIEVERS, HAVE PEACE WITH GOD
   1. Verse 1, The "therefore" in this verse points us back to chapter two and three. These chapters establish a fact. That fact being that believers are justified by faith - faith in the resurrected Savior.
      
      1. "Justified"-- justification is a declarative act. Believers are declared as righteous in the sight of God.
         
         1. To be justified also means to be pardoned and acquitted.
            
         2. Justification is something done by God for us. We could not do it ourselves.
            
         3. Justification means that we are reinstated to a right relationship and position with God.
            
      2. "We have peace with God." This peace is far more than a feeling; it is a fact.
         
         1. Peace means a cessation of hostility, not just a tranquility of mind.
            
         2. "It is not that we have ceased to be hostile to God, but that God has ceased to be in righteous hostility to us as sinners" (Thomas 148).
            
         3. Those justified by faith have peace:
            
            1. Peace of conscience in the mercy of God.
               
            2. Peace of heart in the love of God.
               
            3. Peace of mind in the truth of God.
               
            4. Peace of soul in the presence of God.
               
         4. This peace is an abiding peace, a continuing peace.
            
      3. "Through our Lord Jesus Christ." Christ is the key to peace.
         
         1. When we believe the Gospel, when we trust Christ Jesus, our war with God is ended forever.
            
         2. Those who go on in unbelief have no peace. The wrath of God abides on them (John 3:36) and eternal damnation faces all who go on in the sin of unbelief (Ephesians 5:5-6).
            
         3. Colossians 1:20-22 tells us that Christ has made peace for us through His blood. Those of us who were separated from God are brought near by the blood (Ephesians 2:13-14).

   2. Verse 2, By whom" points us back to the last part of verse one. It is by our Lord Jesus Christ that we have access.
      
      1. Through Jesus, we have direct access, an introduction , this grace wherein we stand.......
         
         1. Jesus, our Savior, ushers us into the very presence of God. He opens the door, and we find grace.
            
            1. Grace not condemnation.
               
            2. Grace not vengeance.
               
            3. Grace not judgment.
               
         2. The Greek word for "access" is prosagoge, which can also mean a harbor for the storm-tossed ship.
            
            1. As long as we trusted in our efforts, we were storm tossed and battered.
               
            2. When we heard and believed the Gospel, we entered into the harbor of God's grace and found calm for our souls.
               
      2. "Wherein we stand...... This speaks of permanence. We are saved and kept by grace (II Timothy 1: 1 2, "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep...").
         
      3. "Rejoice." The child of God will share in the glory of God. Our future is sure: rejoice.

2. VERSES 3-5a BELIEVER CAN FACE THE STORMS OF LIFE
   1. Verse 3, Christians are not exempt form troubled and trials. Life is a series of storms. The storms of life will help us grow if we face them. We can glory in tribulation; we see what can what God will do for us through our trials.
      
      1. "Tribulation"-- the Greek word is thlipis meaning, "pressure, trouble." Many things trouble the Christian. We are not exempt from the pressures of life.
         
      2. Tribulation works patience. Patience is the spirit which can overcome the storms of life. When the great composer Beethoven knew that he was going deaf, he said: "I will take life by the throat." Do not run from the storms of life face them.

   2. Verse 4, Patience does its work and produces experience. "Experience" comes from he Greek word dokime. It speaks of that which produces character. An illustration of "experience" is the tempering of metal.
      
      1. Patience produces character.
         
      2. Character produces hope, hope in God.

   3. Verse 5a, "Hope maketh not ashamed." This hope is not disappointed.

3. VERSES 5b-8, BELIEVERS HAVE EXPERIENCED GOD'S LOVE
   1. Verse 5b, "The love of God..."
      
      1. The love of God does not speak of our love for Him, but of His love for us (John 3.16).
         
      2. Those who receive Christ have the love of God "poured out like torrent" with their hearts (Romans 8:14).

   2. Verse 6, Christ came at the right time. He came to die for the hopeless and the helpless.
      
      1. He came to die for the ungodly, for the undeserving of His love.
         
      2. Man has no strength of His own. He is depraved, dead, and unable to save Himself.

   3. Verse 7, scarcely, with difficulty, will one bring his mind to die for a just man. For a good, benevolent man, one who does good for others, "some would even dare to die."

   4. Verse 8, This kind of love is so great. It is beyond our comprehension.
      
      1. The very holy God who hates sin, who hates every filthy thought and deed, loves the sinners who think and do wrong.
         
      2. Christ died for us when we were enemies of God (I Peter 3:18).

4. VERSES 9-10,BELIEVERSAREDELtVEREDFROMWRATH
   1. Verse 9, What we find here is wonderful and awesome. Even more wonderful that what has already been discussed.
      
      1. "Being now justified by His blood." This speaks of our salvation.
         
      2. Because we are justified, "we shall be saved from wrath through him."
         
         1. We are delivered by Christ from the wrath to come (I Thessalonians 1: 10; 5:9).
            
         2. On the cross, Christ suffered our hell. He took the wrath we deserved.

   2. Verse 10, the dying Savior reconciled us to God. The living Savior will keep us reconciled.
      
      1. He is alive to make intercession for us.
         
      2. He is alive to help us and guide us.