Sermon Notes - Romans 5:1-11 - Littleby Baptist Church - October 20, 2024

1.        Abraham believed that God would fulfill His promise.

a.        He trusted in God.

b.       His faith was solid.

c.        But not perfect.

d.       He took matters into his own hands several times.

e.        But his faith was not like a surging sea where one would be tossed around with a lack of trust.

f.          His faith grew as he looked to God.

2.        As we draw closer to our God.

a.        As we trust in Him.

b.       Our faith will grow.

c.        Our ability to handle the ups and downs that this world throws our way improves.

d.       As we learn to trust Him in what we are dealing with today.

e.        The more we will be able to trust in God down the road.

3.        Romans 5:1

a.        Therefore – tends to stand alone and point back to something we have covered.

b.       Here it includes the first part of the verse. (through by faith)

c.        In a way this sums up the first 4 chapters of Romans.

d.       By believing in Jesus Christ.

e.        By putting our faith in Him.

f.          We have been declared righteous.

g.        Even though we have fallen short of the glory of God.

h.        We have been cleansed of our sins.

i.          Our Lord has stepped in and taken care of our sin problem.

j.          We are righteous.

k.        We are Holy.

l.          We are God’s children.

4.        Then Paul tells us we have Peace with God.

a.        This isn’t the feeling of peace that we like to have.

b.       This is more than that.

c.        This is a peace that comes from being connected to God.

d.       From being God’s child.

e.        A connection that only comes from faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

f.          Re-read verse.

5.        We are righteous, through our faith and given a perfect connection to the Father through our belief in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

6.        Romans 5:2

a.        In addition to the peace of being God’s child.

b.       We have gained ‘grace in which we stand’, by our faith in Jesus.

c.        Not just a one-time brushing of grace.

d.       We are able to stand in the Grace that our God has given us through our faith.

e.        Stand in the security that it provides, like anchoring.

f.          Stand in His love.

g.        Stand knowing that our hope is secure.

h.        That we can rejoice in the promised hope of an eternity with Christ our King.

7.        Romans 5:3-4

a.        Rejoice in our afflictions – Not something we normally want to sign up for.

b.       Paul was talking about all of this wonderful righteousness, peace, grace, and hope.

c.        Now he is wanting us to rejoice in our afflictions.

d.       As Paul was writing this to the Roman church, he was telling them that in the face of peace, grace, and hope you will have illness, persecution, and difficulties.

e.        Being a Christ follower does not mean our troubles go away.

f.          It means we are to focus on Christ at all times.

g.        But we will have struggles.

h.        Struggles that will help us grow in faith.

i.          Help us to remember that we have been saved by our faith in Christ.

j.          And ultimately, we should rejoice as our faith grows.

8.        Affliction produces endurance – as we encounter struggles in life, our faith grows.

a.        Which increases our endurance down the road.

b.       Meaning we can handle more of the junk.

c.        More of the stuff we don’t want to deal with.

d.       Because we have drawn near to our God and our faith has grown stronger.

9.        Endurance produces proven character – As we endure, we mature as a Christ follower, we move farther along the Sanctification process.

a.        With that comes a more measured or mature way of responding to things.

b.       We become less reactionary.

c.        We are more inclined to take the time to seek Godly wisdom.

d.       Let the Holy Spirit guide us.

e.        To ultimately respond in a Godly manner.

10.   Proven character produces hope – belief that God will be with us no matter what.

a.        As a young believer we may hear the words and even say them, but do we believe them?

b.       When you go through a mild trial or two, we might start believing that God is with us.

c.        It was a struggle, but we saw how God was with us.

d.       After holding onto Christ through a life altering event, we know that we know that Jesus will never leave us or forsake us.

e.        Re-read starting at ‘because we know…

f.          It is a process.

g.        It takes time.

h.        It takes those trials or afflictions.

i.          But as we trust in our God.

j.          As we live by faith, we grow.

k.        We have the peace from being a child of God.

l.          We stand in the grace that we have been given by Jesus.

m.     And we have hope in Him.

11.   Romans 5:5

a.        A Hope that will not disappoint.

b.       A Hope that is eternal.

c.        A Hope that is a reflection of God’s Love.

d.       A Hope that all believers have through the Holy Spirit being in us.

e.        If you are a Child of God.

f.          If Jesus is your Savior.

g.        You have the Holy Spirit.

h.        You have the most perfect Hope to hold on to.

i.          Knowing that your faith has saved you.

j.          That your salvation means you will spend forever with God.

12.   Romans 5:6-8

a.        Paul is describing the charter of God’s love.

b.       It is not some mushy feel-good love.

c.        Or I love those shoes kind of love.

d.       No, God’s love for us is that He was willing to pay the ultimate price for us kind of love.

e.        Looking at these verses we see a few things.

f.          While we were still helpless… while we could do nothing for ourselves.

g.        At the right time… At the perfect time in history for events to play out exactly as they needed to.

h.        If he had shown up 500 years earlier, the Apostles may not have had the means to travel as well as they did.

i.          If Jesus has shown up today, He likely would have likely been written off as crazy or fake news.

j.          Jesus came exactly when He needed to, to show His love for us.

k.        He paid the ultimate price by laying down His life for us out of love.

13.   Romans 5:9

a.        John 5:24

b.       When our time comes.

c.        We will not experience wrath.

d.       We will experience perfect joy.

e.        We will be in the presence of God for all eternity.

f.          The blood of the Lamb will cover our sins and wash us white as snow.

14.   Romans 5:10

a.        If we have been saved by His blood.

b.       Redeemed by His death.

c.        Our debt was paid.

d.       With His resurrection from the dead.

e.        We too we be given a new life.

f.          1 Corinthians 15:20-22

g.        Sin came to the world through Adam.

h.        We all have sin and will die because of it.

i.          But, through Christ and our faith in Him we will be made alive.

j.          Christ defeated death.

k.        And we get to follow Him.

15.   Romans 5:11

a.        Take all of this.

b.       Faith that leads to peace, grace and hope.

c.        The afflictions we face that will lead to endurance, proven character, and then hope.

d.       Couple that with the fact that our Lord showed up at the perfect time in history.

e.        He willingly died for us when we had nothing to give Him, when we were helpless.

f.          That His love drove Him to that cross.

g.        That His death paid our debt in full.

h.        That Jesus defeated death.

i.          Giving us a new life now and when this one is over.

16.   Take all of that… and add to it something we have touched on.

a.        Through our Jesus we have been reconciled to God.

b.       Our rightful place has been restored.

c.        The place that we belong.

d.       The place that was lost when Adam and Eve ate the fruit in the garden.

e.        Though our faith in Jesus we have been restored.

f.          Our Hope is secure.

g.        We should be rejoicing that God sent His Son Jesus to die for us.

h.        We should be rejoicing at how truly Awesome the gift we have been offered is.

i.          A gift that provides grace and covers our sins.

j.          A gift of peace that restores our connection with the Father.

k.        A gift that allows the Holy Spirit to dwell in us.

l.          A gift that allows us to follow Jesus in resurrection.

m.     A gift that is secure in the Hope we have in Jesus.

n.        A gift we should rejoice in.

17.   If you have yet to accept this amazing gift.

a.        Jesus is waiting for you.

b.       He loves you and wants to spend forever with you.

c.        If you would like to learn more or to take the first step, I would love to talk to you.