The Impact of Being Justified

Transcript

GR 1423
03/14/10
The Impact of Being Justified
Romans 5:1-5
Gil Rugh


Romans 5 in your Bibles. We've been talking about the matter of justification by faith. Paul began the letter by demonstrating that we are all sinners. We are all under condemnation, the objects of God's wrath and destined for judgment. We cannot be saved by works, by our own efforts, by our religious deeds. But what he does then, following that demonstration of the terribleness of our condition, is show us how God has graciously, in mercy and love, provided His righteousness for sinful human beings. So he begins in chapter 3 verse 21, “But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe.” And that has been the emphasis through the rest of chapter 3 and through chapter 4. And as we begin chapter 5 verse 1 we begin, “Therefore, having been justified by faith,” having been declared righteous by faith. So you see the connection back to chapter 3 verse 22, the righteousness of God through faith in Christ for all who believe. We all need it because all have sinned in verse 23 of chapter 3, we are justified in chapter 3 verse 24 as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.

What Paul did following this was demonstrate that salvation, the receiving of God's righteousness is by faith alone, not by works. The great example was Abraham in chapter 4. Abraham was justified by faith. God gave Abraham a promise. Abraham believed the promise, God credited it to Abraham as righteousness. That becomes the pattern that permeates the scripture. Everyone who is ever saved, justified in the sight of God by a holy God will be justified by faith alone. The demonstration was Abraham who lived 500 years before God gave the Law to Moses, was declared righteous by God in Genesis 15. Abraham was not circumcised until Genesis 17, over fifteen years later. Therefore circumcision could not be necessary in order for a person to be declared righteous by God. The argument is overwhelmingly simple. Abraham didn't keep the Mosaic Law. The Mosaic Law hadn't been given, including the Ten Commandments. Abraham wasn't baptized, Abraham didn't join a church, and on we go. Abraham believed God, God credited it to him as righteousness. That's the plan of God. We believe truth is revealed and when we do believe that we are declared righteous.

We noted that's a legal term, remember. We are absolved of guilt in the courtroom of God. We are found innocent because the Son of God has been our propitiation. Back in chapter 3 verse 25, “Whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith.” Propitiation He turned away the wrath of God with His death from us. So it's through faith, by believing in Him, God's wrath that would have come out upon us is applied to Christ. He bore that. That's applied to my account, credited to my account. So I am redeemed. He paid the price to set me free from the power and penalty of sin. So now God can declare me righteous.

Chapter 4 ended by that reminder, verse 23, from Genesis 15:6, when Abraham believed God it was credited to him as righteousness. “Now not for his sake only was it written, that it was credited to him, but for your sake also.” It was written for our benefit. This which was written by Moses 3500 years ago about Abraham who lived 4000 years ago, this is for our benefit. “Our sake also, to whom it will be credited,” verse 24, “as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, He who was delivered up because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.” He had to die because of our sin. And He was raised because righteousness had been provided for us. He had been the propitiation, the Redeemer to enable us to be justified.

So chapter 5 begins, “Therefore having been justified by faith.” He's going to talk about some of the impact that justification has upon us. In this he'll come to a great theological unfolding in comparing Adam and Christ and the impact of the action of both of those upon the human race. “Therefore, having been justified by faith.” And that's the only kind of justification before God there is. You understand that. There is only one God. That means everyone else, whatever their religious practice, is under the wrath of God. They will be sentenced to an eternal hell unless they recognize their sin and guilt and turn and place their faith in Jesus Christ and His death to pay the penalty for their sin, His resurrection, because the penalty was paid. Apart from that they are doomed to an eternal hell because you cannot be justified by works. Tremendous statement here.

“Therefore having been justified by faith.” He is addressing those who have believed in Jesus Christ and experienced the power of the gospel for salvation to everyone who believes. As Paul wrote in chapter 1 verse 16, the gospel “is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes,” and saves us from wrath and condemnation and enables us to be justified before the throne of God.

“Therefore having been justified by faith.” Certain things happen. Justification is not just something that happens at a point in time, God declares us righteous, now we go on with our lives. But when we are declared righteous by a holy God everything changes. And that justification now is the beginning of a life that is lived in light of the fact that we have been justified by God.

Turn over to II Peter 1. And he identifies himself and says he is writing to those, verse 1, “who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.” He's writing to those who have received the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ. And note what he says, verse 3, “seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us.” His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness. So in that salvation when He declared us righteous on the basis of our faith in His Son Jesus Christ, He also provided for us everything necessary for life and godliness. You see, that was the beginning. It's not just something that happened at that point in time and that's it until we get to heaven. No, that was the beginning of a life.

So you come back to Romans 5 and that's where we are going. “Therefore having been justified by faith we have peace with God.” That's a follow through of what we've been talking about. We have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Before being justified by faith we did not have peace with God. We were the enemies of God. Remember back in Romans 1:18, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.” A holy and righteous God was filled with wrath against us. We were His enemies, the object of His hatred, the Bible says. God hated us? He poured out His wrath on us? Yes. I don't like to think of a God like that, I think my God is a loving God. He is a loving God. He has demonstrated His love in the giving of His Son Jesus Christ to pay the penalty for our sin. He is also a holy and righteous God and as a holy and righteous God He is filled with wrath, hatred against those who have not believed in His Son. We'll talk more about the hatred of God later in our study in the book of Romans where it is declared that God does hate individuals. That is why His wrath is poured out on them, they are His enemies, the objects of His hatred. That's the amazing thing about the love of God. Those that He hated, has poured out His wrath upon, were the very ones that He loved and had His Son die for. Amazing. We who were under the wrath of God, the enemies of God, doomed to condemnation, now have peace with God. The enmity is gone. The hostility is gone. The wrath is gone. The hatred is gone. We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Turn over to Ephesians 2. We never want to forget the wonder of the transformation that the gospel has brought to our lives when we believe, the power of God in justifying us, in causing us to be born again. Verse 1 says, “You were dead in your trespasses and sins.” To be dead in your trespasses and sins means that you were separated from God, you had no relationship to Him. You thought you were praying to Him, you were praying to the ceiling. You thought you were honoring and serving Him by being religious, it was an offense to Him. You formerly “walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.” You were a child of the devil. You were serving the devil, Paul says. You were doing the will of the devil. You could be characterized as a son of disobedience because disobedience was the dominant characteristic of your life from God's perspective. We lived in constant disobedience to God. “Among them we, too, all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind,” now note this, “and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.” We'll talk about that being by nature children of wrath as we get further on in Romans 5. That's what we were—by nature children of wrath, those who were the object of God's wrath, condemnation, on the road to an eternal hell. And justly so.

“But God being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us.” You see He loved us in that wretched condition. He provided His Son to be the Savior. That's God's love. He acted on our behalf and did for us what we could not do for ourselves. “Even when we were dead in our transgressions, He made us alive together with Christ, and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places...” that in the ages to come He might demonstrate what a gracious God He is. We will be there through all eternity, demonstrating God's grace.

Angels will be there, unfallen angels, but they never experienced saving grace because they never sinned. So we will be there as those who were by nature children of wrath, the enemies of God destined for hell. But demonstrating what a gracious and loving God He is—He saved us. “For by grace,” verse 8, “you have been saved through faith. That salvation is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not as a result of works that no one should boast.”

Verse 13, “But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” Verse 17, “He came and preached peace to you who were far away, peace to those who were near.” It was preached to Jew and Gentile alike. Peace! You can have peace with God. You know one of the condemnations of false religious leaders in the Old Testament is in Jeremiah 6:14, Jeremiah 8:11. They heal the sin, basically, paraphrase that, of my people lightly saying peace, peace when there is no peace. A mark of a false religious leader is: what do they tell you? “Everything is okay, God is a God of love. He loves you, He accepts you, He knows you are doing your best, you are trying, you are trying to be religious.” They are saying peace, peace when there is no peace. That's an offense to God. But the amazing thing is He has made it possible for us to have peace with Him, but only through our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Savior that He has provided.

Come back to Isaiah 53, this great prophetic passage, that hundreds of years before, proclaims Jesus Christ would come and be crucified was so clearly set forth. Verse 5, “He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities. The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him.” You see He was the propitiation for our sins. He was bearing our penalty, the wrath of a holy God that demanded justice and yet God provided the payment for that in the person of His Son. “All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way, but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.” So that's the picture. That's why there is salvation in no one else. It's not because we think our way is better. My way of salvation is not better than someone else's. The point is God's way of salvation is the only way for anyone. That's why Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father but by Me.” That is narrow, that is exclusive. It's narrow, it's the only way; it's exclusive, it excludes all who don't come this way. But it's plenty broad because anyone can come. “Come unto Me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest,” Jesus said. There is only one way but it's a way offered to all.

Back in Romans 5. “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Not the peace of God primarily here, but peace with God. That relationship of hostility is over because of the provision of Christ and our faith in Him. Now that will result in the peace of God becoming our portion.

Note how he follows through with this. It's through our Lord Jesus Christ, “through also whom we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand.” Through whom, through Christ we have obtained our introduction, our access. We have come into this grace by faith. You see how often “by faith” is mentioned? One of my grandchildren said to me after last Sunday's sermon, “Do you know you used the word faith 62 times?” Even had it written on the back of their hand. I don't think that could be right, but the point is this is all about faith. That's what Paul is driving home. It's by faith. Verse 1, we've been justified by faith; verse 2, we've obtained our introduction by faith. You know 2000 years after Paul wrote this there are still people who think they are going to be saved by their good works, by going to church, by trying to be good. It can't be any clearer.

We have through Christ obtained our introduction by faith. Faith apart from the work of Christ is worthless, faith in your faith does nothing. I'm a person of faith. What is that? I believe something. Well, fine, everybody believes something, but it's through Christ we have “obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand.” Amazing statement here. “Our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand.” We are those now who stand in grace, we have been justified, we have entered into a relationship of being declared innocent by God, absolved of all guilt, declared righteous. By faith, on the basis of God's grace, we stand in that grace. But you'll note something, we stand in that grace. It's not just justifying grace, but with that grace that justified us we have entered into grace. We stand in that grace today. If you were saved 20 years ago you stand today in that grace you entered into 20 years ago when you believed in Christ and were justified by Him. Paul deals with this in the book of Galatians when he tells them, you think you're saved by grace and now you're kept by works? Saved by faith and now you are on your own? No. We enter into a salvation when we are declared righteous by God, justified. It's by grace. For by grace you have been saved through faith. We enter into that grace. Now we stand in that grace as a justified person. And that grace is what envelops me, provides for me and enables me throughout life.

So, through Christ we have “obtained our introduction by faith into this grace.” There is no getting into this grace apart from Christ. And there is no getting into this grace apart from faith in Christ. So that connection. You think about the beautiful simplicity of it. Think of the multiplicity of religions in the world. Think of the multiplied people, Protestant and Catholic in our own country and other variations, missing the beautiful simplicity of this. You can enter into God's grace by faith in Christ, be justified.

Now, you stand in that grace. It's like we said your initial faith was when you placed your faith for that first time in Christ and were saved, justified. But that's not the end. That was the beginning of a life of faith. Well, it's the same with the grace. I entered into that grace when I first believed in Christ, experienced its provision and fullness. But now I live in that grace day by day. I'm not struggling on my own. No, that grace that brought God's salvation to me and declared me righteous is now His ongoing provision. I stand in grace as one justified by Him.

What does that mean? “And we exult in the hope of the glory of God.” We exult, a word that is a little difficult to translate. It's sometimes translated boast, it's sometimes translated rejoice. I like what one writer suggested—confident rejoicing. Gives a flavor of the word. We exult, we greatly rejoice, we have a confidence that is mixed with joy. As those who stand in grace, having been declared righteous by a holy God, we confidently rejoice in hope of the glory of God. You realize the change and transformation that has been brought about.

Go back to Romans 3:23, as he summarized what he has demonstrated in chapters 1, 2 and the first part of chapter 3. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. “Now I read in chapter 5 verse 2, “We exult in hope of the glory of God.” We've turned around from one who falls short of the glory of God and the perfection of His character that is required for admission into His presence, if you will. And now I am one who has a confident rejoicing in the glory of God, that it is mine. And some day I will realize it fully in glorification, the glorification of the body.

So we have that confident rejoicing in hope of the glory of God. The hope carries it to something future, that ultimate realization of glory. Glory for me personally has not yet been realized. Turn over to Romans 8. We'll get into more details on this as we move through Romans. Verse 30, “Those whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified.” There is our word: justified. “These whom He justified, He also glorified.” That's stated as a settled fact, a done deal, if you will. But I haven't been glorified yet. Glorification refers to that time when this body will be transformed into a body of glory, brought into conformity with the glorious resurrected body that Jesus Christ had. All sin, all remnants of sin, all defilement of sin, all scars of sin will be gone. I have the hope of glory, the glory of God because the salvation He has brought to my life through faith in Christ has assured me of the ultimate realization of the completeness of that work of God, bringing me into complete conformity with the beauty of His character. His glory. So we have a confident rejoicing in anticipation of the glory of God.

Turn over to I John 3:2. Verse 1 starts out, “See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the children of God. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” What a hope. God is not done yet. I have received a complete salvation but it is not yet completed in my experience. I have the hope of glory, the hope of the glory of God. I entered into that when I believed in Christ and was justified by Him. I received, if you will, the package of salvation and the end of that will be glorification that will prepare me finally for eternity in the glory of His presence.

Back up to Colossians 3:3, “You have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” We have been joined with Christ in His death. We've been raised with Christ. Verse 1 started that way, “If you have been raised up with Christ.” When we get to Romans 6 we'll find those who have died with Christ have been raised with Christ to newness of life. Look at verse 4, “When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you will also be revealed with Him in glory.” In glory. You aren't going to look at me and say, “That's Gil! I thought he'd look better in heaven.” I'm going to look great. I'm going to be perfected. I'm going to be glorified. And so is every other believer. And we call that our hope, the hope of the glory. Any wonder we have a confident rejoicing? God has guaranteed the outcome and I am looking forward to it with great joy.

Stop at Romans 8 where we just were a moment ago. Look at verse 18, and this is going to tie to where we are going in chapter 5. Romans 8:18, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Then he says, all creation is groaning in anticipation of the time when we will be ultimately brought into the glory of our God and experience that glory in what we call glorification, which we saw presented in chapter 8 verse 30.

Come back to Romans 5. Now for most of us who have believed in Christ, we find it easy to draw a line right after verse 2. So it all seems to fit to me. I have been justified by faith. I have peace with God. I have entered into a standing of grace. I have a confident rejoicing in anticipation of the completion of the process, the glory of God manifested its fullness in my life with glorification. Then I read verse 3, “And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations.” Wouldn't you think when you've been the enemy of God under the wrath of God and He intervenes with the power of His salvation in your life through faith in His Son, He makes you new, He declares you righteous, you now stand in His grace, that life is going to get a lot easier? Whether we say it out loud or not, we tend to think that way. I expect God is going to protect me from some of the more painful or serious trials of life. Now stop and think, doesn't it often happen as a believer when something of a great trial, painful, heartbreaking, wrenching comes into your life, the first question you have is, “Why, God? Did I do something wrong? I've been trying to live for the Lord. I've been trying to honor Him with my life and testimony.” And we think there should be with our salvation some kind of shield. And in one sense there is, but we ought to understand what God is doing here. He says, “and not only this.” Not only do we exult and rejoice in the glory of God, but we have this confident rejoicing in our tribulations. Not in spite of our tribulations, but in our tribulations.

Tribulations. A word that basically means pressure. That's what trials are, aren't they? They are pressures in our lives. What happens? Things are going well. Everything is good. Then something comes into our lives that is a trial and all of a sudden we feel like we're under pressure. Right? The pressures are there. That's tribulation. Those trials bring pressure on us and sometimes we say, “Lord, this is more than I can handle, more than I can bear. It's overwhelming.”

And here we are told that those who have been justified by faith, we have peace with God, we stand in God's grace and we have confident rejoicing in hope of the glory of God and also we have that same confident rejoicing in tribulation. In the pressures and trials that come into our lives. A reminder, I have been justified by God. I stand in His grace. That is not a pass for me to avoid trials, pressures. And this word would include all kinds. I went through and looked at all the uses of it in the New Testament. Sometimes it is talking about specific persecution for your testimony for Christ. Paul uses it that way in his own situation. But it is also used to refer to any kind of pain, suffering, hardship, trial, pressure that comes into our lives. I'm a believer now. Does that mean I'll never get cancer? I'll never suffer greatly? My children won't have the same kind of problems or difficulties that unbelievers' children have? And on it goes. Will the Lord spare me? No. He doesn't promise to spare me, but He tells me I have confident rejoicing in those difficult and trying times. We exult. We have confident rejoicing in our trials.

Back up to John 16. We are in the world but not of the world. But, you understand, we are in the world and we experience the difficulties and trials that come with life. And often those are added to because now the world, the flesh and the devil are working against us. Jesus told His disciples, He is here with them on the last night. Crucifixion is going to occur shortly. He says to them, verse 33, “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation.” There's our word. We have confident rejoicing in our tribulations, thlipsis, is the way we transliterate it over. “In the world you have tribulation, but take courage I have overcome the world.” Now note this, He doesn't say because I have overcome the world you will not have tribulation. He says you will have tribulation, but in those tribulations you understand I have overcome the world. Well if He's overcome the world why do I have to have tribulation? That's the health and wealth message of some preachers today. “Jesus Christ has overcome the world, you are an overcomer too.” Aren't we called overcomers? We've studied the book of Revelation together, I John. We're overcomers. That means in our tribulations we will have the victory, and the ultimate victory is ours. That's why we have confident rejoicing in our hope of the glory of God, even as we have confident rejoicing in our tribulation. We're going to have them but Christ has overcome the world and that means as one who has been justified by grace through faith in Christ I have the hope of the glory of God, an assured hope, a promised hope, a settled hope because God promised that He has begun a good work in me and He will bring it to completion, perfection in the day of Christ.

Turn over to II Corinthians 4. We don't have time to look at a lot of verses on this. Verse 16, “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction....” There it is, affliction, tribulation, pressure. It's momentary, it's light, it's producing for us an eternal weight of glory. You see, the same basic thing he wrote to the Romans. We have the hope of the glory of God and these momentary light afflictions are producing for us an eternal, in contrast the momentary, weight, in contrast to light, of glory, far beyond all comparison. So you see these pressures, these pains, these sufferings for us as believers, they have a purpose in the plan of God for us. This is where Paul is going in Romans 5. They are preparing us for the eternal glory that God has prepared for us.

While we look not at the things which are seen but the things which are not seen. The things which are seen are temporal, the things which are not seen are eternal. Let's be careful. The world wants to draw our focus into now. What you see, what you have, what you touch, what you enjoy. For the world, it's a great loss to lose their health, but the Lord, in His sovereign purpose, may choose to bring that trial into my life but then it won't be a loss for me. It will be part of what God is using to prepare for me the eternal glory. To the world it's a loss because everything they have is here and now. What they can have and what they can enjoy. You understand we are in a time of preparation in getting ready to enjoy the glory that God has prepared for those who love Him. And this body won't be able to do it because He's going to glorify it. What a time, what a hope, what an anticipation.

Come back to Romans 5. I don't want to make light of tribulations here. You know they're not tribulations. We have minor blips. But we're talking about things that can be very serious. Think of Job. He lost his health, lost his wealth, lost his children, lost any respect, was reduced to sitting in ashes in pain. The trials and difficulties that come to the life of a righteous person can be very great. It can be a searing pain, you think, I don't know why I do this. That's what Paul is talking about here, how do we do it.

“We exult in our tribulations, knowing....” You know the devil plays and preys on the ignorance often of God's people. And nothing is an anchor for me like having the word of God and claiming and clinging to it. In tribulations we know that tribulation brings about perseverance. Perseverance, compound word, we've talked about it before. Hupomeno, hupomena. Hupo, under; mena, to live. Living under difficulty, pressure. Well, what do they do? Well, trials, tribulations develop in you endurance, that stick-to-itiveness and ability to stay with it. We recently came through some Olympics and it was interesting to watch different sports and different people out there doing what they do. You know what's behind that? Months and years of work! I look at that and think, “I wonder if I could that?” They put the camera where you come down the ski slope and go off into the air. What kind of fool would throw his body out multistories up and spin around? I have to close my eyes. I get dizzy. I'd land on my head. How do they do that? Persevering, staying with it, the hard work, the broken bones, whatever came to get to that point. How do we grow and mature? How do our children grow and mature? Well, there are bumps in life. We'd like to shield them and put them in a little box and keep them from any hurts or any difficulties or any pressures or any trials. Then they would be a 35-year-old two-year-old. What is God doing with us? Developing us, endurance, stick-with-it. You know one of the marks of maturity as a godly person? Stick-to-itiveness, dependability, reliability. They're going to stay the course. What happens to an adult who runs from every difficulty? We say they don't have any maturity. God is developing in us endurance so we will have that ability to stay with it through pressure, with trial. That builds. Ever look at a believer going through a difficult time? You say, “I don't know how they do it.” One thing is God is not giving me that special grace; another is I may not have matured to that point. I don't have that same kind of tenacity and staying with it. But trials produce endurance.

That's not the end, brings about perseverance, endurance. And perseverance, that staying with it, that keeping at it, that not giving up produces proven character. Proven character, a word that is related as family words to testing and trying something. Can be used of metals, testing and trying metals, refining them, putting them through the fire, removing the dross and the impurities. I've shared with you a number of times, when I worked at U.S. Steel it was my job to monitor the furnaces. And they put the ingots of steel in, then they'd heat them up. The purpose is to burn the dross off, the imperfections, the impurities. That's what is going on, God is refining us, developing proven character, tested character tried and strengthened.

So our trials develop perseverance, endurance and as a person stays with it and matures and endures their character develops and strengthens. They develop proven character. It is tested. It is refined. Those of you who have walked with the Lord for years and have experienced trials, as painful as they were yet you grew through them. Often as I talk to a believer who is going through a trial and they say, “It sounds strange, but I thank the Lord for this trial.” Well, as one not going through it I might look at it and say, “I don't think I'd thank the Lord for that trial.” But they are growing. They are experiencing the work of God's grace in their life and it is shaping them and refining them and purifying them so that their character is proven and tested and they are developing. And God is preparing them for what He has planned for the glorious future.

Proven character, and we're back to hope. We're told at the end of verse 2, we have confident rejoicing in hope of the glory of God. Now somehow we got off track and got into trouble, under pressure, tribulations. And that's going to develop perseverance, and that's going to develop proven character, and that's going to lead to greater hope. And we find these are all connected together. We have confident rejoicing in hope of the glory of God and God is developing that further in us as He prepares us for that time of glory. He could do it today, and He does it, transfers them to glory. But until He is done with us He continues that process.

You know it does sharpen our hope. Does anything impact your prayer life like trouble? When you are going along, your life is busy, you can sprinkle some prayer in on the run. What happens if one of your kids gets seriously ill or your husband or your wife? All of a sudden now I can get focused in prayer and it's not like I just can't get myself to pray. I can pray now like I haven't prayed for a while. What is happening? Those trials and tribulations are focusing me, aren't they? And they focus on my hope. How often in trials and tribulations you say, “Lord, if only you would come today.” Why didn't I think that way yesterday? Well, yesterday everything was good. Yesterday I didn't know I was sick. I was planning on a good vacation. The Lord can wait until after vacation to come when I'm feeling good. Have money for vacation and everything is fine. “There is no hurry, Lord, I'm looking forward to your coming. But if you want to wait a while that's okay.” But what happens when the pressure really is applied? All of a sudden, “Lord, come tonight!” If I'm going in for major surgery tomorrow, you know the best time for the Lord to come? Tonight. I mean, “you can come the end of the week, but Lord, if you're coming the end of the week you could bump it up. No sense in my going through surgery if you're coming.” It does sharpen my hope, it fills me with anticipation. That's what I'm doing. I'm maturing. It's burning off the dross. It's clarifying things for me. The hope of glory becomes more important, more the center, and He's preparing me for that as He brings trials into my life.

And what a way to end. We put trials in the middle of this because the ultimate end of the work of God in justifying me wasn't just to justify me, it was to glorify me in His presence. And the promise, the hope of the glory of God at the end of verse 2, which is developed more fully in my anticipation by the trials and pressure that God brings in my life, in verse 5 is a hope that does not disappoint. It won't fail. I won't be ashamed. You know like I've been hoping, and I'm hoping and the time comes and it doesn't come through. What a disappointment. This hope does not disappoint. God is the One who has guaranteed it. If you will He has signed for it. He is the One who assures that it will not be disappointing.

Why? “Because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts.” It doesn't disappoint and I know it. How do I know it? “Because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” The love of God here is the love that God has had for us. This ties us back to having been justified by faith. Well that provision was made by God in His grace on the basis of His love. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son in order that whosoever believes in Him might not perish but have everlasting life.” Enjoy the glory of His presence forever. The love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. When you placed your faith in Christ and were justified by God, the Holy Spirit of God, God Himself took up residence within these very bodies, our inner person. That's why we became the temple of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. And in His presence there He brought that assurance of the greatness of God's love for us. There is a difference here. People who are not believers can talk about the love of God, sing about it, quote verses on it. But you who are believers, you know there is a difference. When you placed your faith in Christ and experienced the power of His salvation and He declares you justified and the Spirit comes in, there is that settled knowledge within you that God loves you and made you His own. We have to be careful here. People say, “I know God loves me and I feel it.” Wait a minute, remember where this starts. It starts based on the promises of God in the word of God and the response in faith to that promise. There is nothing worse than a false assurance—I feel good about myself. How many people I've talked to say, “I feel okay, I think I'm all right with God. I feel good about my relationship.” Well wait a minute, I can't depend on that. But when I have responded to the word of God by faith, there is that subjective aspect of it. The love of God has been poured out. There is an abundance of it. I have no doubt about God's love for me, confirmed it to my heart. That doesn't put me in conflict with the word because I believe everything He said in the word. My hope is based upon the finished work of His Son Jesus Christ, and nothing else. And there has been brought to my heart and mind and life of the inner person a richness of the knowledge of the love of God that is real, even as the Spirit of God who dwells in me is real. The part of His indwelling presence in the life of a believer is to bring that confirmation, realization of the wonder of God's love.

See, we've come full circle. Justification is not something, now I've taken care of the penalty of sin, now we go on and muddle through life and go up and down and bail out when trouble comes, I can't keep going to church and I can't do this ....... Wait a minute, my trials are put into perspective. Doesn't guarantee that I won't have trouble, doesn't guarantee my kids won't have trouble. I wish we could say the word of God guarantees that if you're a believer and you raise your kids in a godly home and you bring them to church then they won't cause you any trouble. And now that my kids are grown I wish I could have that assurance for my grandkids. But God doesn't promise freedom of trouble, does He? Of any kind. All I know is when the trouble comes my God is in control. I stand in His grace and whatever the trial is, whenever the pressure seems like it's going to crush me, seems like the temperature, you know I'd watch those ingots and they'd be glowing red and I'd be watching the temperature and it would be disaster when you let it get to the melting point because it makes a mess in a furnace. The big furnace with those huge ingots and it's melting, somebody has to get in and clean it out and you've caused great damage. It's got to get to the point and God is working and I'm under them and I say, “Lord, I'm dripping, I'm melting, I think Gabriel is not watching the gauge.” All under control. This pressure is more than I can bear. But My grace is sufficient for you. I stand in His grace, I don't stand in my strength. This is the grace now on which we stand. It is a pressure that would crush me, a temperature that would melt me, but God's grace is where I stand. It doesn't keep me from the trial, but it preserves me in it so that even in that trial I experience the grace of God and the love of God and I can have a confident rejoicing in that trial. Contradictory as it seems, there is a joy in my heart, an assurance in my heart. And it is refining and developing me in anticipation of the hope of the glory of God. And that hope will not disappoint, no matter what the trial. I'm going to arrive at the appointed end because He who has begun a good work in me will continue to bring it to perfection until the day of Christ Jesus.

Let's pray together. Thank you, Lord, for the completeness of your work in our lives. Lord, we rejoice in the fact we have been justified. And Lord, what a joy it is to know that when you justified us we entered into a relationship with you. Now we stand in your grace, the grace of your justification and the grace that you provide for us for every moment of every day. That's our confidence, that enables us to have a confident rejoicing in trial because these are all part of the work in molding and shaping and preparing us for the glory of our God and a hope that will not disappoint. We praise you for the Savior who loved us and died for us. We praise you that you have made salvation a gift that is received by faith in the One who loved us and died for us. And we pray in His name, amen.