romansholyspiritgiven

Last week we studied verses 1-2:

The point of that message was that because we are justified;

three things must be true:

1. we have peace with God,

2. we have access to God;

3. and the firm assurance {hope} that we shall be glorified, through our Lord Jesus Christ.

But we are not yet in glory!

This study is on verses 3-4-5.

Last Tuesday {09-11-01}: before 9 am CDT - Just as I began to prepare for this message on sanctification, or how to deal with tribulation, I was interrupted by the startling news of the terrorist attack on our country. I was in the process of typing: “How we react to tragedy, be it personal, family, national, or foreign, will tell us a great deal about where our trust lies.”

President Bush said at the National Prayer Service on Friday, quoting an unnamed source: “Adversity introduces us to ourselves.”

This tragic event calls up a wide range of emotions. In our Wednesday night prayer service we discussed what our response, as Christians, should be to this horrible thing. Why did this happen to America?

We read a comment from Dr. Jeff Lee: Another Tower Collapsed

Shocked and a sense of helplessness are the immediate reactions we have from witnessing human tragedy. Later, perhaps not speaking aloud but silently, we deem the victims less fortunate because "they happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Referring to two tragic incidences, Jesus corrected the mindset of His listeners.

"Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! However, unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them--do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish." Luke 13:2-5 (NIV)

While some were ready to attribute tragedy or accident directly to one's sin, Jesus instead stressed the sinfulness of all of us. There is no "worse" sinner! I should not consider others guiltier simply because tragedy or accident happened to them.

It is easy to feel a bit of spiritual smugness when we witness people suffer and tragedy taken place. But, the truth is, we are all beneficiaries of the greatest tragedy, the death of the only truly innocent and sinless man on the cross. And it is only by His grace and the faith He granted us that will deliver us from the eternal tragedy, Hell.

There are those who teach that Christians who have enough faith are exempt from sickness, distress, and debt. Just last night I watched, but only for a few minutes, a TV preacher telling his audience: “I stand in the gap! Between your car payment and you.” “I stand in the gap! Between your power bill and you.” “But you can go with a full payment.” He was claiming that if you give money to him, he will “stand in the gap,” God will bless you and your bills will be paid. Does anyone have to tell you he is a fraud?

First of all he is misapplying a wonderful phrase of Scripture, “... stand in the gap!” is from Ezekiel, who sought a deliverer for Jerusalem - but he found none! Ez 22:29-31

That preacher is lying for his own selfish gain.

What believers do have is the “... patience and comfort of the Scriptures....” Romans 15:4

Another insight we examined Wednesday night was from John Piper.

Without reading his comments, the gist of them were that while we must not harbor personal anger and thoughts of revenge, a duly constituted government has the duty to defend its citizens. {Romans 13}

My own immediate reaction to this cowardly attack was, that this country, starting with me, needs to repent. On a national level: we have legalized abortion and killed millions and millions of babies for convenience; we have virtually removed God from any public notice; we have tacitly accepted the media onslaught to make homosexuality an acceptable lifestyle; our public schools are devoted to the false religion of humanistic evolution; and perhaps the worst failure on the part of many Christians is their reluctance to stand for the unique claims of Jesus Christ as the only way to God. It is one thing to defend freedom of religion. It is a dangerous thing to call Jesus a liar by making all religions equally valid!

Personally, I have not done as much as I could to fight against all this sin.

God help us!

If it is not too late.

There was day in history when it was too late for Israel to repent; and then it was too late for Judah to repent.

Is it too late for America to repent?

It is providential for this local church that we are at this particular text of Scripture, Romans 5: 3-5. If I were to select a passage that is suitable for the hour, I probably couldn’t find a mor appropriate text.

First, look again at 5:2“... and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

“Hope” is a good Bible word. The way we generally use the word “hope” is, e.g.: “Do you think it’s going to rain?” “Well, I hope so.”

But we are not confident that it will indeed rain.

Even the weather forecasters say, “There is a 60% chance of rain.” {meaning that six out of ten meteorologists think it will rain}

But “Bible hope” is a sure, confident expectation of the glory of God!

There is nothing doubtful in the way the Bible uses “hope.”

“My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus’ blood and righteousness... ”

Why is this hope sure? Because the believer is “right” with God.

Justified by imputed righteous

This “hope” is enhanced, not destroyed by tribulation.

A believer’s hope can never cause disappointment {shame}, because it is grounded in the love of God. So do not let the trials of life detract you from your hope. Know that there is no such thing as a “comfortable Christian.”

The assurance of the love of God never produces self-confidence or pride; but always humility, self-abasement, wonder, gratitude, and praise. The believer sees that the mysterious fountain of this love is in the divine mind; it is not in himself, who is ungodly and a sinner. {Hodge}

Last week we saw in 5:1-11, that there are three aspects of “salvation”:

Justification {1-2}:

We have been saved, a once and for all event!

Sanctification {3-5}: We are being saved, a continuous process!

Glorification {9-11}: We shall be saved, eternity rolls on!

Up to this passage {3-5}, we have stressed almost exclusively the objective fact of justification. By objective, of course I mean, something that occurs not only outside of you but totally outside of your control.

Righteousness is not infused [as per Roman Catholicism], it is imputed.

If, in fact, we are justified; God did it without our permission.

But now we come to sanctification:

Personal Sanctification, is the process of growing in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and sanctification is both objective and subjective. Outside and inside of you.

Believers have a perfect sanctification in Jesus Christ - objective.

And believers also have a subjective, personal sanctification.

The “Promised Land,” “Canaan Land” is an illustration of Sanctification, not glorification {heaven}.

After wandering in the wilderness for 40 years, the Israelites, were about to go into Canaan, “The land of the Promise,” and the land was theirs.

God had given it to them! We have a perfect sanctification in Christ.

But they still had to possess it! We must possess our personal sanctification.

Let us then look at the meaning of these three verses {3-4-5}.

Because we are justified:

we have peace with God,

we have access to God;

and the firm assurance {hope} that we shall be glorified,

through our Lord Jesus Christ.

3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations,

knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;

And not only that

We can and should “rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

But Paul says there is more, And not only that...

There is something even more remarkable; and it is the way our faith enables us to face tribulations.

Glorying in tribulation is a fruit of faith, for it is not the natural effect of tribulation, which, we see, provokes a great part of mankind to murmur against God, and even to curse Him. {Calvin}

“... in tribulations...” means “in the midst of and because of” the

tribulations we experience in carrying on the work of the Lord.

We do not rejoice in the tribulation itself, that would be stupid!

“Oh Joy, I just learned that I have cancer!” No! But, we can endure the tribulation and glory in it because we know that we will somehow benefit from it. And another thing, I don’t have to understand what is happening, Job never did!

Do we believe that God, in His providence, is in control of every single thing?

The terrorists’ attack on America was a despicable, cowardly, deliberate act of war. How could anything good come out of that?

What if America repented? What if our elected representatives began to put the interests of America before their re-election campaign? What if partisan demagoguery stopped? What if America repented?

I am not a “prophet or the son of a prophet,” but I believe we are about to go through some very difficult times in this country because of what happened last Tuesday. We are entering into a changed way of life. There will be retaliation from our government, and we must do that if we are to remain free. But that will bring on more terrorists strikes and they will keep it up until the cost of terrorist activity becomes unbearable to the terrorist and the countries that give them safe haven. That will not happen in a few weeks.

It is important that we talk straight with our young people. Beginning with Korea, about fifty years ago, and in every conflict afterward, America could be at war and the average person could go on with their life as though nothing was happening.

That will not be the case in this war. The fighting is on our soil for the first time in modern history. Everyone will know that we are at war!

But we have the sure word of Christ.

Jesus said: These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

(John 16:33)

Paul in: Acts 14: 21 And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, 22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God."

An afflicted believer’s own weakness, by way of contrast, serves to magnify God’s power. It is exactly when the sufferer recognizes that he is weak but God is strong and ready to help that he will seek help from above.

Thus suffering produces perseverance.

Tribulation produces perseverance, patience, steadfastness.

4 and perseverance, character; ....

Perseverance {steadfastness} produces character {approvedness}.

The old preachers called character: “approvedness,” approved character.

Steadfastness under trial provides the Christian with subjective evidence of his own sincerity. This steadfastness is not a delusion, but is based on sure hope.

One of the surest tests of the genuineness of our faith is how we deal with problems. Have you known people who “go to pieces?”

Let me help you understand the blessing of tribulation.

Many people look at their conversion experience for their assurance.

They may say, “I have assurance that I am saved because I remember how good I felt and how relieved I was when I confessed Christ and was baptized.”

In my case, I was baptized when I was 14 years old. In ignorance, I thought I was saved. But my life for the next 19 years gave the lie to my deception.

But when God the Holy Spirit began to convince me of the truth and the authority of the Word of God; and of my condemnation, and Christ revealed Himself to me, I was never the same again.

Now not everyone has a dramatic, and emotional conversion experience.

It is only necessary that you know that you are lost - and that you trust Jesus only - not that you must know a date and time.

In my case, I believe I can tell you precisely when the Holy Spirit convinced me of my condemnation. Saturday, about 9 pm. September 28, 1968. So what!

That “experience” of 33 years ago cannot answer for me today,

September 16, 2001.

The more sure test of my conversion is do I trust Jesus and His righteousness now? Especially in the face of tribulation.

Christianity is not Stoicism, which is mere resignation.

“Grit your teeth and bear it.” More like just being stubborn.

The Christian is making progress through tribulation.

James 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,

3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

1 Peter 4: 12-14

12 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;

13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.

14 If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.

4 and perseverance, character {approvedness}; and character, hope.

We have completed the circle which begins and ends with hope.

Lloyd-Jones quotes an unnamed source:

“Christian hope is both the parent and the child of hope.”

How is that so?

We start with “hope” in verse 2, the parent. Because of this hope, we can learn to be patient in the endurance of tribulation, which in turn leads to a further grasp of hope, the child, verse 4.

5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Now hope does not disappoint {does not make ashamed}.

“Just in proportion as his hope is strong, will he make an open and a bold profession of the truth . . . This shows the great importance of keeping our hope unclouded. If we suffer {allow} it to flag or grow faint, we will be ashamed of it before men.” [Romans 1:16] {Haldane}

As we read from James and Peter, there will be tribulations but you will never be put to shame. Paul was in prison when he wrote to Timothy:

2 Timothy 1:8-12

8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God,

9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,

10 but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,

11 to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.

12 For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.

because the love of God

This is the love of God to us and not our love to Him as will be seen in the following verses. We see the greatness and freeness of His love in the unworthiness of its objects {ungodly, sinners, and enemies}.

has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

This is an important statement because here the Apostle introduces the Holy Spirit. The doctrine of the Holy Spirit is more fully developed in Chapter 8.

The work of the Holy Spirit makes us to know the love of God for us

and to fill our hearts with love to God.

Romans 8:8-11

8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.

10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

Romans 8:14-17

14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father."

16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

17 and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

Though sinners hear ten thousand times of the love of God in the gift of His Son, they are never properly affected by it until the Holy Spirit enters into their hearts, and until love to Him is produced by the truth the Spirit. {Haldane}

poured out - not rationed drop by drop,

but poured out in sufficient abundance, freely, and lavishly.

Hendriksen compares the Earthly Judge and God as Judge:

The Earthly Judge

God as Judge

Finding the accused “not guilty”

Finding the accused guilty- as is

acquits him; or finding him guilty,

always the case - blots out his guilt,

sentences him.

on the basis of Christ, God’s Son.

Dismisses him from the courtroom

Through His Spirit pours out His love

and has no further dealings with into his heart and adopts him as His

him.

own son or daughter

But human adoption, as much as parents may wish, cannot impart something of their character to the adopted child. But when God adopts us He also plants his own Spirit into the adopted one’s heart, transforming him or her into God’s own image.

The work of the Holy Spirit is either largely ignored or grossly and shamelessly misapplied. Let’s put an ad in the paper: “Holy Spirit revival at the Civic Center next Friday night!” Jesus told Nicodemus that the Spirit was like the wind:

John 3:5-8

5 "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

7 Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'

8 "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."

That is why I don’t use the term “revival,” to refer to a series of evangelistic preaching services. It may please God to send revival. Revival is the reviving of God’s people. If revival comes it won’t be because we planned for it. Prayed for it? Perhaps.

Without the work of the Holy Spirit you are not born from above {regenerated}.

Every believer in Jesus Christ has the Spirit indwelling him:

We read:

Romans 8: 9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.

The teaching of the charismatic: that you can be saved and then later receive the Spirit in a “second blessing,” is simply false teaching.

You cannot divide the Godhead!

If you have Jesus the Son, you have the Father and the Spirit.

Jesus rebuked the church of the Laodiceans because they had grieved the Spirit.

One of the most misunderstood and misused verses in the Bible is Rev 3:20.

It is often used in a vain attempt at evangelism.

You have probably seen the picture of Jesus standing at the door and knocking. There is no doorknob on Jesus’ side of the door.

The message is that you must open the door and let him come in. “Poor Jesus.”

But dear souls, Jesus is not a beggar!

Listen to what Jesus said:

Revelation 3:14-22

14 "And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write,

'These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God:

15 "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.

16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.

17 Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'--and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked--

18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.

19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.

20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." ' "

Jesus is not making an appeal to a lost person, but to a church that had grown lukewarm in its love for Him.

So how do we express our love for our blessed Savior?

Revive us Lord, grant this nation and us repentance.

Amen