No images? Click here PASSING THE BATON PT. IIRomans 5:1-11 September 18th, 2022 Last week we began a study of Romans 5:1-11 which begins “Therefore”, meaning “since we have been justified by faith” certain benefits follow because of our justification. The first two benefits we saw are peace and hope of the glory of God. The Bible speaks of two distinct types of peace. The first is the peace of God which is a sense of well-being as described in Philippians 4:6-7 where we are told to bring our requests to God and trust His goodness. The second is peace with God which results when we are no longer at war with God. Though we remain sinners, the war is over; God has conquered us with His mercy, grace, and love. The hope of the glory of God is both 1) a hope in heaven (Philippians 3:20; Colossians 1:5; 1 Peter 1:3-4) and 2) the hope of being glorified with Jesus (Romans 8:17; 1 Corinthians 15:49).
Thoughts of heaven are not frequently on the mind of young people but, like the older gentleman that Pastor Ben worked for as a handyman in Los Angeles, he frequently thought about heaven. As a young man, he went to the mission field for a few years, then decided that he could have a greater impact for the gospel on his hometown by becoming a science teacher. There he had a platform for the gospel and an opportunity to disciple students. He was an author and wrote a children’s book. This gentleman was an ordinary man who made sacrifices for the gospel ministry. He had his spiritual house in order, but he also wanted to get his physical house in order; thus, he hired Pastor Ben to fix several of his problems. He understood that he would not need his home much longer and he was preparing for heaven.
The truth is, today could be the last day on earth for any of us, and we need to have our spiritual house in order. That may mean laying down your weapons of war against God; it may mean confessing and repenting of sin; it may mean asking forgiveness from anyone you have wronged, etc. Heaven is real and the beauty is beyond our understanding. Paul was not permitted to describe the things he heard and saw when he was caught up to the third heaven (2 Corinthians 12) and the apostle John described it as best he could in The Revelation. We would all benefit by thinking more about the glories of heaven. "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him" (1 Corinthians 2:9)
In the first five verses of Romans 5, Paul lists three benefits of our justification. They are:
The benefit of suffering is counter-intuitive to all our natural instincts and to all that we have been taught. Because of Adam’s sin, suffering is a part of the human condition. In Genesis 3, God told Eve that He would multiply her pain in childbirth, and He told Adam that work would now be hard; He also told Adam that he would die and return to dust. All people suffer, but there is a special significance and purpose in suffering for the Christian. However, to put suffering in perspective, no one has or ever will suffer more than Christ, and His suffering was for us, and it was voluntary.
In verse three, Paul says that he rejoices in sufferings. How can this be? Also, after being beaten and thrown into prison, how could Peter and the other apostles rejoice that they had been counted worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus? (Acts 5:17-42) They could rejoice in these trials because they had a gospel focused life with the right perspective of suffering. While Paul had a hope in being glorified with Jesus in Romans 8:17, there is a condition attached to this promise: he says we are “heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” Suffering is not pointless. Paul continues in verse eighteen, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” The gospel focus that Paul maintained was the source of his ability to endure suffering.
Three times in these eleven verses, Paul tells us to rejoice in our justification (vv. 2,3 & 11). While suffering in prison, joy was a major theme of the letter Paul wrote to the Philippian church. In Philippians 4:4 he says, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.” Also, in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, he says “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” In Colossians 1:24 he says, “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake.” Paul rejoiced that he could suffer not only for the sake of Christ and the gospel, but also for fellow believers. Twenty-seven times in Paul’s epistles he commands us to rejoice, and twenty-two times he references joy in his letters. With all that Paul endured for the sake of the gospel, we marvel that he could be so joyful!
When we encounter someone who should be distraught by their difficult circumstances but are joyful, we are tempted to ask ourselves who does such things? The answer is they have a strong biblical understanding of suffering and even embraced suffering, knowing that suffering is necessary for Christian maturity. Such people do not think of themselves as super saints; this is just who they are, the people we rub shoulders with every day.
A lack of a proper understanding of suffering can lead us to resist what God is doing in our life, or we may even try to deny the problems we face. In either case we stunt our spiritual growth. With a proper understand of suffering, we can actually live for Christ every day. Peter says, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.” (1 Peter 4:12-13) Justification is the core of the gospel, and suffering is the core of the Christian life. Jesus said, “If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” (John 15:20) Paul warned Timothy, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (2 Timothy 3:12) Suffering is a normal part of the Christian life.
It is a very foreign concept to us, but we need to recognize that suffering is a glorious gift. In verse two Paul says, “and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God”, that is we rejoice in the hope of heaven. But then in verse three he says, “More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings”. Paul was so focused on bringing the truth of the gospel to people that he to able to glory in his tribulations. He lists some of his sufferings in 2 Corinthians 11:23-30, where he boasted of beating, stoning, shipwreck, constant danger, sleepless nights, hunger, thirst, cold, exposure – and the daily pressure of anxiety for the churches. The kind of pressure to which Paul refers is a crushing pressure, not like losing a job or having a headache or pressure to succeed in school or a job or a game. He was greatly burdened and consumed by his love for the church and concern for its purity. He identifies the reason for his boasting in 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20, “For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy.” Paul was so focused on gospel ministry that hardships were of no concern for him. James expresses the same attitude: “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.” (James 1:2)
Our nature is to try to avoid anything unpleasant. We are taught that to avoid suffering is good, but Paul is telling us to welcome suffering. We try to build a fortress to avoid suffer but this is antithetical to the gospel. Or we may have an attitude of, if I can just get through this, life will return to normal. The problem is that our theology of suffering is wrong. Sadly, many Christians today are confused when they suffer; many were taught a false gospel that says, if you become a Christian, your troubles are over, and life will be wonderful. As anyone committed to gospel ministry will testify, when you become a Christian, your troubles are just beginning.
If we are serious about gospel ministry, we need to realize it is going to be hard. Whether it is teaching children, working with the youth, leading a Bible study, or any other ministry, we will face obstacles. When things don’t go smoothly in our personal ministry, or we find it takes more time and energy that we expected, we back out, throw up our hands and think to ourselves, maybe I am not called to this. How can you have a perspective on life that will encourage you make difficult decisions, even endure difficult circumstances for your ministry of the gospel? How can you champion suffering? How can you have a perspective on life that is going to encourage you to live as every Christian should? All Christians are called to the gospel ministry, so how do we avoid shrinking back, or worse, how do we avoid walking through life and missing this all together? How do we make certain that the next generation understands the significance of their calling to the gospel ministry and be prepared to face the inevitable suffering that will follow? These are things the apostle Paul wants us to understand as we pass the baton. This is discipleship.
- Perseverance With the right perspective on suffering, the fruit of endurance results. James calls this “steadfastness” (James 1:3), and he continues by explaining that, when steadfastness has had its full effect, the believer will be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. Peter explains that the resurrection of Jesus gives us a living hope for our future resurrection, but we will have to endure various trials, testing the genuineness of our faith, all resulting in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:3-7) The endurance, or steadfastness or perseverance produces wisdom, and along with wisdom comes pressure, tribulation, and trials. In order for God to perfect in us the things we lack, He needs to take us through trials which build up our perseverance, so that we have a right perspective; this is true biblical wisdom.
- Character Character is proof of our justification; it is holy living. Job proclaimed, “But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.” (Job 23:10) The trials of which Job speaks are fiery trials. When impure gold is put into the fire, the dross (impurity) is burned off or skimmed from the top, leaving pure gold. Peter encourages us (1 Peter 4:12-14), “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.” The trials we endure in life give us wisdom and purify us.
Character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame. We have hope in the glory to come, the glory to be revealed in us. As we stand justified, we have peace with God in a state of grace, confident of our future hope, and we willingly embrace the sufferings that come as we persevere, and the perseverance produces character, and the character produces holiness, and the holiness produces more hope. We have joy in the midst of difficult situations and the world looks at us and asks who is this God you serve? This hope will never put us to shame. Rather we will come through the trials boasting in them, glorying in them, and giving praise to God. If, rather than fighting tribulations, we embrace them, God will give us wisdom that we can pass along to the next generation. This how we pass the baton.
We need to understand that it is impossible to grow to maturity in our faith or to be in the will of God unless we are part of a local church body. We need those who are facing great trials as much as they need us. We need to encourage them while we learn how they deal with their struggles, for all of us will likely have to deal with tribulations at some point in the future. Paul says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) Those who live in isolation, live a very lonely, unfulfilled life.
Jews believed that blessings in a person’s life was proof of godly living while tribulations were due to sin. That is what Jesus’s disciples assumed when they encountered the man born blind in John 9. In verse two, they asked Jesus, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered that this blindness was not a result of sin, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. A careful search of Scripture reveals that some of the most godly people endured great tribulations.
When God brings tribulation to one of His servants, glorious fruit results. For example, any believer who has been forced to live with a chronic illness has a perspective of God that is far greater than others can comprehend. There is much we can learn from them. As they walk by faith, totally dependent on God’s grace, they make a mockery of the illness. A great example is Joni Eareckson Tada, a quadriplegic since age seventeen when she dove into the Chesapeake Bay fifty-five years ago and broke her neck. Her ministry bears much fruit and extends far and wide. She was asked if she would trade her life for what it might have been if the accident had not happened. Her answer was an emphatic NO. This is a woman who has truly embraced her suffering. A. W. Tozer said, “Whom God will use greatly, He will hurt deeply.” Stop fighting trials, embrace them, grow to maturity, produce fruit.
Selah:
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