Romans 5:1-5 - Your Standing before God

Our passage today starts with the word 'Therefore', which gives us a clue that there is a discussion that has already resulted in some sort of conclusion.  As a result of which we have the passage in front of us today.  It is also Paul at his difficult best. You can almost hear him having thoughts and getting them down on his paper.  He didn't have my luxury of word processing, once it was written it was written, no going back and changing it.  When a new thought comes along that really fits somewhere further back it must be recorded and dealt with there, he can't go back and re-do the last paragraph or two.
So, before we deal with the therefore lets try to get sense of what Paul is saying.  I sat down and tried to re-write the thoughts, it helped me to get closer to the text.  See what you think, if it helps you too – great, otherwise, just ignore the next slide.
[Slide 3]
We are standing in Grace and we are at peace with God because we have been justified by our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
So we rejoice in the hope of the God's Glory. We continue to rejoice even when that faith brings us troubles, because we know that those troubles produce perseverance, and perseverance produces character, and character hope. 
Our hope does not disappoint us because we have God's love, brought to us by the Holy Spirit, who, himself was given to us by God.
Now that may or may not help you.  It certainly won't if you don't understand all the theological language, so we will take a look at some of those words later, as we try to get a better understanding of exactly what Paul is talking about and what it means for us.
First, though lets go back and take a look at how Paul arrived at the 'Therefore'.  We have to go back to Romans 3:21 to see what Paul is talking about. 
[Slide 4] – Romans 3:21-26
Ro 3:21 But now a righteousness from God, b  apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. c  
Ro 3:22 This righteousness from God d  comes through faith e  in Jesus Christ f  to all who believe. g  There is no difference, h  
Ro 3:23 for all have sinned i  and fall short of the glory of God, 
Ro 3:24 and are justified j  freely by his grace k  through the redemption l  that came by Christ Jesus. 
Ro 3:25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, 16 m  through faith in his blood. n  He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished o  — 
Ro 3:26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
In verse 21 Righteousness (being right with God) came from following the Jewish law – completely and perfectly.  Now though another way of righteousness has been revealed.  Before Jesus people couldn't have known about what he would do, unless they had studied the scriptures very closely and listened carefully to God speaking through them.  No-one had, although some had come close. Now though righteousness comes through faith in Jesus – whether as a Jew you have tried to follow the Law, or as a Gentile you had no knowledge of the Law.
'There is no difference' Paul says at the end of verse 22, for all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God.
[Slide 5] – Tin rolling demonstration – ask for a volunteer.
[Slide 6] – Tin rolling explanation.
The tin represents us.  However hard we try we cannot keep on the straight and narrow.  We will always fail, get distracted from our purpose, or change our focus.
Jesus said
Mt 7:13 “Enter through the narrow gate.  For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 
Mt 7:14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Paul then goes on to explain that righteousness under the Law is not possible and justification is only available by faith – even to Abraham. Being Paul he does this in great detail, you can read it later, the key thing for us to understand is that God knows that righteousness is impossible for us living in a fallen world. 
[Slide 7] – Bible Passage
Coming back to today's passage lets take a look at some of these technical words and try to get a better understanding of them all.
[Slide 8] – Bible Passage
Justified    verse 1
Faith        verse 1
Peace        verse 1
Grace        verse 2
Hope        verse 2
Suffering    verse 3
[Slide 9] – Justified
Justified can be easily explained, it simply means put right. You can remember it by saying “Just as if I'd”.
Here's just about the best illustration of justification that I've ever come across.
There was a man in England who put his Rolls-Royce on a boat and went across to the continent to go on a holiday. While he was driving around Europe, something happened to the motor of his car. He cabled the Rolls-Royce people back in England and asked, "I'm having trouble with my car; what do you suggest I do?" Well, the Rolls-Royce people flew a mechanic over! The mechanic repaired the car and flew back to England and left the man to continue his holiday. As you can imagine, the fellow was wondering, "How much is this going to cost me?" So when he got back to England, he wrote the people a letter and asked how much he owed them. He received a letter from the office that read: "Dear Sir: There is no record anywhere in our files that anything ever went wrong with a Rolls-Royce." That is justification.
Dr. Roy Gustafson
So lets see how that might relate to you and God.  What would he write back to you, if you wrote asking what the cost of your justification was?  [Ask the question]
[Slide 11] – God's response.
[Slide 12] – Faith
The second word I want to talk about is faith
It may seem fairly obvious what faith is, but sometimes the obvious does not really get to the point.
[The Chair illustration. - get someone to sit on a chair]
That shows faith, but is is a very simple faith, God expects more from us than that.

The following letter was found in a baking-powder can wired to the handle of an old pump that offered the only hope of drinking water on a very long and seldom-used trail across Nevada's Amargosa Desert: "This pump is all right as of June 1932. I put a new sucker washer into it and it ought to last five years. But the washer dries out and the pump has got to be primed. Under the white rock I buried a bottle of water, out of the sun and cork end up. There's enough water in it to prime the pump, but not if you drink some first. Pour about one-fourth and let her soak to wet the leather. Then pour in the rest medium fast and pump like crazy. You'll git water. The well has never run dry. Have faith. When you git watered up, fill the bottle and put it back like you found it for the next feller. (signed) Desert Pete. P.S. Don't go drinking the water first. Prime the pump with it and you'll git all you can hold."
Keith Miller and Bruce Larson, The Edge of Adventure.
Desert Pete's faith is much stronger.  He has faith that unknown people will follow his instructions, and be good enough to replace the water, so that his instructions can be followed by the next person.    People in these extreme situations are usually a lot more careful and responsible than people are in normal daily life.  His faith is tied in with the things he has done – but that's another sermon.
There is a deeper faith still – the sort of faith that God wants us to have
When Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego were ordered to worship the Babylonian gods they refused, so the King threatened to put them in his furnace.  This is their response:
[Slide 13] – Faith
Da 3:17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue n  us from your hand, O king. 
Da 3:18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up. o  ”
Faith here remains, regardless of the actions of God.
Can you and I say that.  We believe that God will answer our prayer, but even if he doesn't it will not change what we believe about him or the quality of our belief in him?
[Slide 14] – Peace
Take a look at the images – someone asleep, a mountain brook, friends enjoying food together, soldiers with a white flag, a pile of money, a couple of hippies.
What do they say to you about peace?
Sleeping peacefully, the peace found in the wilderness, being at peace with your friends, the peace of having enough not to worry about the future, the peace of a very relaxed   way of life.
God's peace is different, although it incorporates all of these things. The peace mentioned here is peace with God.  It's the peace that comes from being totally secure in the company of someone else, it's the peace of always wanting and doing the same things, of being in agreement.  It is not in-action, although rest is certainly involved. 
[Slide 16] – Peace - Shalom
The biblical word is Shalom, but that is also another sermon.
[Slide 17] – Grace
In the words of the song “Grace is when God gives us the things we don't deserve”
[Slide 18] – Grace spells Gods Riches at Christ's Expense
Through God's grace all the rich blessing of God are availabe to us because of the death of Jesus on the cross.
Charles Spurgeon and Joseph Parker both had churches in London in the 19th century. On one occasion, Parker commented on the poor condition of children admitted to Spurgeon's orphanage. It was reported to Spurgeon however, that Parker had criticized the orphanage itself. Spurgeon blasted Parker the next week from the pulpit. The attack was printed in the newspapers and became the talk of the town. People flocked to Parker's church the next Sunday to hear his rebuttal. "I understand Dr. Spurgeon is not in his pulpit today, and this is the Sunday they use to take an offering for the orphanage. I suggest we take a love offering here instead." The crowd was delighted. The ushers had to empty the collection plates 3 times. Later that week there was a knock at Parker's study. It was Spurgeon. "You know Parker, you have practised grace on me. You have given me not what I deserved, you have given me what I needed.
[Slide 19] – Hope
A man sentenced to death obtained a reprieve by assuring the king he would teach his majesty's horse to fly within the year--on the condition that if he didn't succeed, he would be put to death at the end of the year. "Within a year," the man explained later, "the king may die, or I may die, or the horse may die. Furthermore, in a year, who knows? Maybe the horse will learn to fly." 
Bernard M. Baruch.
That is very much like saying, before you've seen the forecast, “I hope it will be a warm dry  day tomorrow.”  If you're talking in June, then your hope may be reasonable, if you're talking in February it is probably not.
We though have a more solid hope.  We rejoice in the Hope of the Glory of God, yet to be revealed, just as in the days before Jesus the Jewish hope was in the Messiah.  The Messiah came, although for many it was thousands of years in their future.  For us it may also be thousands of years in the future, or it may be that God's Glory will be revealed today.
We KNOW its coming, even if some of the Jews may not have Known the Messiah was coming.
We KNOW its coming, because God has given us the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit not only marks us as God's, but continually reminds us that God is there working inside us and brining us closer to God's Glory day by day.
[Slide 20] – Suffering
You may remember that when I re-wrote these verses to try to help me understand them better I did not use the word suffering.  I used troubles.  This is because when you make peace with God, you immediately undo any peace that you had with your fellow human beings.  You are no longer one of them and they will try to undermine your faith.  This may be subtle, or it may be quite direct.  One way or the other it will go against your new found peace with God, they will try to deceive you, or force you to deny your faith.
This testing of you faith is allowed by God and it is sometimes quite unpleasant.
God has promised though that we will not be tested to breaking point.
There is a purpose to this testing, it is to develop your character, so that you will become more and more like Jesus.
[get someone to identify coal]
[Slide 21] Coal
What happens when coal is put under extreme pressure for millions of years?
    Diamonds
[Slide 21] Coal & Diamond
The pressure, or trouble that we are subject to changes us, so that our characters are built, until we are diamond – fit for heaven.
Conclusion
Paul is reminding his readers, or perhaps explaining to them for the first time how they stand before God.  The passage also describes how we stand before God.  We are able to have a relationship with God because we have accepted as true that Jesus was the Messiah the Jews were expecting, and that he suffered and died, taking the consequences of our sins.  So we can rejoice in the hope of the Glory of God that is yet to be revealed.  Even when our beliefs get us into trouble with others in the world we will continue to rejoice.  We can do this because we know that the trouble that come our way are for a purpose – to develop our God-like character.  This gives us hope, which does not disappoint us because God has given us his Holy Spirit so that we can know his love.
We have sung about it this morning when we sang “In Christ Alone”
All this for simply believing that Jesus died for you.

A Dog called Demolition

I was given this book as an introduction to Robert Rankin.  I read it.  That's probably the best that can be said.  It's a nice science fantasy idea but the execution of the no beginning, middle and end story just doesn't work.  I didn't really get to care about any of the characters, except perhaps the one who died near the beginning (at the end of the beginning?)
Some of the 'music hall' humour was out of place, some of the other humour has already dated.  The ending was more Monty Python than a fantasy story, and so hugely disappointing.

Billericay Hustings

Three candidates attended the hustings: John Baron (Conservative), our MP; Mike Hibbs (Liberal Democrat); Alan Davies (Labour).  The decision was taken not to invite the BNP, and I'm not sure what happened to UKIP.  I would like to have seen them all.  I believe that not inviting the BNP is dangerous precedent and an attack on freedom of speech.  It didn't work with Sinn Féin for Margaret Thatcher, and it won't work now, it just lets them 'skulk in the shadows' as John Baron said, picking up disaffected unthinking voters.  My church disagrees, apparently the C of E synod has ruled that they are not allowed to be given a platform.  So they were not there to condemn themselves.

The debate was structured around some introductory pre-notified questions, and then questions submitted on entry by those attending, sorted into categories.  So here are some of the comments I recorded (it is not a transcript in any way):

About Yourselves
John: Started his career in the army, and entered politics with a desire to help people
Mike: Started as a sales assistant at a builders merchant and is now an architect, and entered politics because of the importance of community and to give people hope that things can improve.
Alan: Started at Marconi's, and is the only one of the candidates to have been born in the constituency.

Personal Passions
Alan: Stamp collecting, trainspotting (as a joke?), and his Christian faith.
John: Family, Politics
Mike: Sustainability, Young people

The questions from the floor followed:
NHS & Basildon Hospital
Mike: Too many managers. Some with over inflated salaries.  Reduce and re-invest the savings
John: Basildon Hospital is doing good work and improving, they have met their cleanliness tragets
Alan: Only has good things to say about the hospital, and reminded us that Labour created the NHS.

NHS Parking Fees
Alan: Opposed
John: Uncomfortable with the idea and wants to understand where the money goes
Mike: OK, so long as it doesn't disadvantage the poor or those in long term care.  Wanted to look at other ways to travel to the hospital.

Integrity
John: Has not always been in tune with his party, and is his 'own man'. There is a need for honesty in public service
Alan: His faith produces honesty and integrity.
Mike: Politics is the problem.  The Liberal Democrats make their policy at their conferences and it is agreed democratically.

Gordon Browns 'Bigot' comment
Alan: He apologised face-to-face immediately.  It can be forgotten.
Mike: He apologised face-to-face immediately. That's that!
John: It was an unfortunate word. Gives insights into the traits of the man.  Immigration is a real issue which must be addressed by politicians because it is a real concern for many people.
Alan: Responded by talking about the BNP.
Mike: less than 4% of non-British origin in this constituency.  The problem is we don't really know where the immigrants are as border controls have been abandoned.  Must ensure that the discussion is based on facts.

Education and the chance of getting a job at the end of it
Alan: Primary schools are at a reasonable level, spending has been doubled, training to 18 will be offered.
Mike: Phase out university tuition fees (when the economy can afford it).  Look at schooling outcomes and try to improve the areas with poor outcomes.
John: Voted against tuition fees.  Will give extra help to business to improve employment prospects.

The Equality Law and the problems it has caused for those of faith
Alan: Ask What Would Jesus Do?
John: Was involved in the defeat of the most invasive provisions of the bill.
Mike: Expressed concern over religious groups causing unrest.

What is the one thing that would make people vote for you?
Alan: Is a local and a Christian with a socialist voice.
John: Is dedicated to public service, helping people and improving government.
Mike: represents the best chance for real change in the way we are governed.

Did it change who I will vote for? - No, but:
It gave me a much greater insight into candidates, and their beliefs and motives.

Who won on the night?
John clearly 'won' on the presentation front.  He understood the issue behind the question, and knew how he would answer it.  He should have - he's had nine years of practice.


That was my first ever hustings - and a very interesting and stimulating evening it was.