God is Sovereign over:
Life's Problems (5:1-5)
Salvations Plan (5:6-11)
Man's Plight (5:12-21)
We have seen that in Life's Problems a Grace that is Sovereign (5:21) is a Grace that is Sufficient: allowing the believer to “glory in tribulations also” (Rom 5:3)
In those verses we:
First narrowed / focused down the ministry and we saw that for us to find good to glory in the problems of life we must first know Gods Salvation (5:1) for it is God by His Spirit (5:5) who turns these situations around. These promises can only really belong to the believer since it is Gods purpose in these problems to deepen my relationship with Him and to bring about in me a likeness to Christ by creating in me “faith” (5:1), “hope” (5:5) and “love” (5:4)
Then we broadened out these verses and we suggested that whilst they only apply to the circumstances of a believers life they surely apply to all of the circumstances of a believers life; eg Jonah, who was in the belly of the whale because of his disobedience and sin but God was able to turn that situation around for his good, Ninevehs blessing and the Glory of God, and by the way just consider how in those circumstances Jonah was drawn closer to the person of Christ!
Noted a condition: “By whom also we have access by faith into this grace” (5:2) – Gods treasure chest of grace is accessed by the key of faith. How often we cut ourselves off / lock ourselves out of grace and try to get in with a crow bar! Such a believer approaches the trial in faith, not simply the faith that 'it will all work out in the end' or the faith that says 'what's fur ye will no go bye ye' but rather the faith to rest in Him and to draw our resources from Him! We go into the trial in faith, we come out of the trial in faith. If we go into the trial in hope we come out of the trial in hope. If we go into that trial in unbelief we will either come out in unbelief or not come out at all. In those trials and tests we need to be “exercised thereby”. If you are a believer who in the trials and tests of life, does not pray, does not feed upon His Word, does not seek the “rainbow through the rain”, does not meditate upon His Word you run the very real risk of wasting your suffering. He gives us grace for every trial – we must take that grace to ourselves!
There are resources for those trials:
The Sword of the Spirit: “the Word of God” - Emphasised in Luke 4
Prayer (5:2) – to the fore in Romans 5:1-5
As we approach the trial in “faith” (5:2) and drawing from those wells, that sufficiency in Him, I can profit from those trials.
The “tribulation” worked “patience” - not just patience as a general characteristic or feature of life but patience with a prospect, patience in a person, the one whom I have experienced in the problems of life I can wait patiently on! I wait patiently for Him, at the place I met Him, a place of suffering and a path of suffering stained first by His own blood!
“and patience experience” - “experience” or “proof” of the reality of our salvation.
Hope expected in trust becomes hope experienced in trial!
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednigo – the reality of their salvation was proven in the furnace.
The life of the believer is lived out with the same perspective, our life, our hope, our expectation is lived out waiting for our Lords return by a pool of His blood. Our life is lived out in the shadow of Calvary and I must interpret my life in the reality of His cross. Life is not a fun fare it is a furnace, not a picnic but a battle field! It is His cross and His work that brings sense and sheds its light on all of my life!
“For” (v6) – these 2 sections are connected by the same idea / thought
These are not 2 unrelated or unconnected sections
What is the connection between the 2 sections?
We have just found that it is in the extremities of life that we have enjoyed the experiences of God
Is this a surprising discovery?
Is this an unexpected finding?
Why should it work like this? That when I come to the trials and tribulations of life and find that in these trials I am pushed beyond:
Mind and its wisdom - wisdom
Body and its strength - work
Wealth and its riches - wealth
That instead of crumbling in the crises of life, in Him I can find triumph in the tragedy?
Is Christianity just pie in the sky when you die? If it is then the crises and problems of life are a recipe for Christian Crumble!
Instead we have found that when these trials are approached in faith we have seen that these ovens of adversity become a furnace which forges faith in the God who reveals Himself in your trials and tests and tribulations, as the God who is all sufficient for our problems!
Pity the believer who when faced with any: opposition, trial, discouragement, challenge, any fight for the faith gets up and hides, runs away, goes off in the huff – such a believer will never grow!
At the end of verse 5 we ask the question: “why” either :
'Why' in a negative way: 'But why does it have to be this way?' / 'Why can't I have an easier life?'
'Why' in a positive way: 'Why is it that I keep finding Christ in the Crises of life' / 'Why is it that when I come to the end of my resources I find that the cup that I thought was so empty, so useless, so hopeless, so desperate has just suddenly been gloriously filled by Him?'
Why is it this way?
Recently when my son decided to take up fishing the first reaction of my wife was to purchase him a life jacket, amongst the instructions on the life jacket:
Not a substitute for a baby sitter
This life jacket will keep your body floating on the surface of the water – providing you don't struggle!
The life vest will save you – if you let it!
Upon this principle God saves
Upon this principle – the same salvation principle I enjoy His salvation!
This simple principle of the life vest underpins Gods dealings with me in :
Tribulation (5:1-5)
Salvation (5:6-11)
The Principles by which God works in:
Life's Problems
Are the same principles by which He works in:
Salvations Plan
The Conditions in which God saves (v6)
By His Strength “when we were yet without strength”
In His Season “in due time”
By His Son “Christ died for the ungodly”
The Character of Gods when He acts (v6-9)
Grace (v6-7)
Love (v8)
Mercy (v9)
The Consequences of God Acting (v9-10)
Justified (v9) – Right Relationship
Reconciled (v10,11)
Salvation (v10)
Rejoicing (v11)
The Conditions in which God saves (v6)
By His Strength “when we were yet without strength”
Not our strength
We come to our weakness – I can't cope anymore, I can't manage it any more!
God takes me beyond my:
Mind and its wisdom
Body and its strength
Wealth and its riches
God takes me beyond my:
Intellectual ability
Physical Strength
Financial Resources
“Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.” (Jer 9:23-24)
In His Season “in due time”
In “due time”: “καιρός” : in fullness of time
Gods plan of salvation was not a:
Reaction
Reflex
Response
To the need of man but rather Gods solution precedes mans problems!
“But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,” (Gal 4:4)
Gods perfect timing in Salvations Plan is paralleled by His perfect timing in Life's Problems – saw last week the testing of Christ in the wilderness: lasting 40 days – God was in control, a set time, Satan may buffet and test but God is in control:
40 days, often linked in scripture with:
Division – 40 days of trial effectively separate what come before from what comes after that trial, eg the 40 days of rain in the time of Noah – separated the old and the new world, Josephs mourning for Jacob 40 days in Gen 50 marks a water shed experience in his life!
Provision – the 40 years in the wilderness for the nations of Israel were a time of Gods gracious provision (Ex 16:35; Deut 8:2,4) when they learned dependence on Him.
Decision – Caleb at 40 years of age spied out the land of Canaan (Josh 14:7) and Elijah after 40 days in the wilderness (1Kings 19:8) had a life changing experience and decision to make!
Preparation – for 40 days at Sinai Moses prepared himself to receive the law from God! (Deut 9:11-25)
Limitation – Deut 25:3 – punishment by whipping, within the nation of Israel was limited by God to 40 strips, a trial with set limits, under Gods control: “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” (1Co 10:13) – Gods judgement is tempered with Gods Grace.
Satan may be on the attack but God is in control of the trial, it lasted 40 days , God had set the bounds and the limits to this testing.
Every testing and every trial has its perfect completion and conclusion in the purposes of God.
“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” (1Co 10:13)
By His Son “Christ died for the ungodly”
Our salvation begins with Gods provision in His Son
Our salvation is sustained by Gods provision in His Son:
“And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” (Luk 4:4)
“And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.” (Deu 8:3)
“And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” (Joh 6:35)
The Character of Gods when He acts (v6-9)
Grace (v6-7)
We get what we don't deserve
Love (v8)
Underpinning Gods plan of salvation and yes revealed in all His dealings with us even in those trials and tribulations; this is the great discovery that beckons, the eye of faith at the end of all of life's trials (Rom5:5).
Mercy (v9)
We don't get what we do deserve!
In His salvation and in His tribulation God seeks to steer me away from His wrath, His anger, His displeasure: cf. Jonah in the belly of the whale, it may well have taken him down to the depths of hell: “And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.” (Jon 2:2) – that same fish which also in Gods purpose took him down to hell also took him back to the path of service and fruitfulness from which he had strayed!
The Consequences of God Acting (v9-10)
Justified (v9) – Right Relationship
Reconciled (v10,11)
Opportunity for salvation
It is not we but God who brings us into Grace
His Grace needs to be “received” (v11), this opportunity requires a response
Salvation (v10)
Rejoicing (v11)
Believers 190
O Christ, he is the fountain, the deep, sweet well of love! the streams of earth I've tasted more deep I'll drink above: there to an ocean fullness his mercy doth expand, and glory, glory dwelleth in Emmanuel's land. With mercy and with judgment my web of time he wove, and aye, the dews of sorrow were lustered with his love; I'll bless the hand that guided, I'll bless the heart that planned when throned where glory dwelleth in Emmanuel's land.
Believers 181:
verse 4 – Salvation that lies in the eternal counsels of God
verse 5 – Salvation that is realised in the circumstances of every day life
Click here to listen online to: 'Life's Problems and Salvations Plan'
https://graceinchrist.org/romans
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