Peace That Can't Be Shaken

[0:00] Welcome to this week's message from Faith Bible Church of Lake Charles.! We're excited to share a practical Bible-based teaching that we hope will encourage you and strengthen your faith.

[0:13] ! Thanks for listening. Now, here's today's message. When was the last time you really felt at peace?

[0:23] Not just necessarily relaxed, not just distracted from your problems, but real deep-seated peace. For many people, it's probably been a while.

[0:36] Because we live in an anxious world. People tend to worry about the economy, tend to worry about their health, tend to worry about their kids, and we're anxious about so many different things.

[0:50] We're anxious about the future as well. Because let's be honest, we live in unsettled times, and times are changing. And what makes it worse is so many people are seeking peace in all the wrong places.

[1:07] We think if we just had a little more money, then we would have peace. If our relationships were just a little bit better, we would have peace. If I just had a little bit better job, I would have peace.

[1:20] If the diagnosis came back clear, then I could have peace. If the political situation settled down, then maybe I could have peace. But the thing is, peace like that never really sticks.

[1:35] It never really stays. And we never have a settled peace over the long haul because it's built on circumstances. It's built on things around us being like what we would like them to be.

[1:49] And the thing about circumstances is, they always change. Our health changes. The older we get. You know, they talk about getting older is not for wimps.

[2:00] Well, that is very, very true. And the longer that we live, the more we see change. And it's not always good change. So what do you do when the things that give you peace, or typically give you peace, keep moving and keeps letting you down?

[2:19] That's exactly what the Apostle Paul is addressing in Romans 5, verses 1 and 5. And what he reveals in these five verses in the book of Romans is possibly one of the most stabilizing truths in Scripture.

[2:34] It's the truth that anchors you when everything else around you is shifting. And here's the main idea that I would like for us to hold on to this morning.

[2:45] If and because you have been justified by faith, you have peace with God that nothing in this world, nothing in this life can ever shake.

[2:57] And from that peace flows everything else that you need in your life. It's not about money. It's not about relationships. It's not about having the newest car. It's not about having the newest phone.

[3:08] It's about that deep-seated peace that comes from knowing that you are right with God and that not only that you have peace from God, but that you have peace with God.

[3:20] That's it. Because once you've been justified by faith, you have peace with God that nothing else can shake. And from that peace, like we said, everything else flows out and you can face life with.

[3:33] Let's start reading this morning in the book of Romans, chapter 5, verses 1 through 5 this morning. The apostle starts off, Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand and rejoice in the hope of glory, hope of the glory of God.

[3:59] And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance and perseverance, character and character, hope.

[4:11] 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.

[4:23] Now, Paul is shifting gears in chapter number 5. He's done explaining how we become justified with God. It's not through works. It's not through religion.

[4:34] It's not through our ancestry. But it's through our faith in God. He's brought out Abraham. He's brought out others who they're being made right with God came through faith.

[4:47] We talked about Abraham. 14 years before circumcision was given, Abraham was declared righteous by faith. 430 years before the law was given, Abraham was declared righteous by faith.

[5:01] So what does it mean for our daily life? Just for going through Monday, Tuesday, as we go through our week, what does being justified with God mean for us?

[5:13] The answer? Everything. Because being made right with God really is everything. And it starts with, verse 1 starts with which word? Hmm?

[5:25] Therefore. He says, therefore. The book of Romans really is a book of therefores. Paul is about to draw a conclusion from everything else he's been talking about prior to.

[5:39] And this therefore in verse number 1 is pretty massive. It's the hinge point of the entire letter. Therefore, everything before explains our problem.

[5:51] We're sinners. We're lost. And it also explains the solution. Faith in Jesus Christ. Everything after Romans chapter 4, the end of chapter 4, talks about the benefits.

[6:06] And Paul is going to explain the benefits and the implications of being made right with God. So let's take a look this morning at what justification gives us.

[6:16] What justification with God. How it can change everything. Because we've already been made righteous, we can rest in the peace that we already have in God.

[6:28] Look back at verse number 1. Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

[6:38] The first phrase I want you to notice is that we have been justified. That is past tense. It is a done deal. Case closed.

[6:49] If you've placed your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, the Bible says, we have been declared righteous with God. That's not something we're working toward.

[7:00] That is something we're working from. We're working from that point in time where we've placed our faith and trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary.

[7:10] He was buried and he was raised again on the third day to prove that God was satisfied with the penalty that had been made and had been purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ.

[7:22] We are made right with God. It's something that's already happened. And once we trust Christ, and this morning we have seen and witnessed a baptism.

[7:35] Water baptism by immersion, which is what we see in the New Testament. Once a person placed their faith in Jesus Christ, the next step was to make it public, to not be ashamed of Jesus.

[7:50] And so before the watching world, to step down into the water, whether it was a river, whether it was a lake, wherever there was water, and to publicly confess their faith in Jesus Christ.

[8:04] We've spent some time in Japan and many of those who trusted Christ as their Savior, probably just like many who were living in the day that the Apostle Paul wrote, there were some believers who were hesitant to be baptized.

[8:22] Why? Because of their religion, they knew that once they made their faith public and was baptized, their family would disown them.

[8:35] They would no longer have anything to do with them. And the same thing was true in Paul's day. So T. Dan, what you did today, not only was brave, but also it was obedience.

[8:47] Obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ. And that is important. So we're justified by faith, and it's something that is ongoing. It's something that took place in the past.

[8:59] We've been declared righteous. The verdict is in and the case is closed. And because of that verdict, the Apostle Paul says, therefore, having been justified by faith, we have what?

[9:10] We have peace. We have peace with God. And that is one thing the world today is lacking. There are so many people that are turning to alcohol or turning to drugs, turning to whatever it is so they can find some kind of peace in their life.

[9:24] And there's really only one way to find lasting peace. And that is through knowing that we're made right with God. And now we need to stop here because this is important.

[9:35] That word peace used here is the same word used in the Old Testament, was the Greek translation of the Old Testament word, Hebrew word, shalom.

[9:45] And it didn't just mean a peace or freedom from conflict. It means wholeness. It means completeness. It means well-being.

[9:57] It was a... And it is a relational word. So when someone says to someone, shalom, it means more than just... I hope you have the absence of conflict.

[10:09] It is an idea of completeness. Because before we were justified, the Bible says we were at war with God. We were sinners. And because of that, we were separated from Him.

[10:21] And in Romans 5, verse 10, Paul says we were... He will go on to say later that we were enemies at one time with God. Isaiah 48, 22 puts it pretty bluntly.

[10:33] There is no peace, says the Lord, for the wicked. The law declared us guilty. And guilt brings condemnation. And condemnation means hostility between us and God.

[10:47] So because we've been declared righteous, we can be complete. And we can have that kind of peace. Justification with God really does change everything in our life.

[10:58] This isn't just a feeling of calm when things are great. This is that deep-seated peace that knows that we are right with God. Our sin is forgiven. And that we have the hope of glory one day when we come to the end of our life.

[11:13] The hostility with God is over. This peace with God is a settled fact. Warren Wiersbe writes, Condemnation means God has declared us sinners, which is a declaration of war.

[11:27] Justification means that God declares us righteous, which is a declaration of peace. We can live in peace because we know that we are right with God.

[11:39] This week, when anxiety rises up, when there's the possibility that you may lose that sense of peace, what you can do is you can tell yourself, I am at peace with God.

[11:51] The case is closed. I don't have to prove anything. God is in control. We can rest in the peace we already have. And secondly, we're going to see that we can use the access that we've been given.

[12:04] Look at verse number two, the first part. Through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand.

[12:15] Now, peace with God doesn't simply settle our legal status. It opens a door. The apostle Paul says, He says, we have been given access into this grace that we have with God.

[12:27] That word here, that access is a word that was used, that referred in ancient times, it described being ushered into the presence of a king.

[12:38] No one could just walk in to the king's throne. It took someone who had the authority to grant you access to the king.

[12:49] And so once you're there, you are able to then converse with the king. So someone who had authority to usher you in. That's what Jesus does for you.

[13:00] And that's what Jesus does for me. He's that go-between. He is the one that gives us the authority that we can, as the writer of the Hebrew says, we can come boldly before the throne of grace.

[13:11] Not necessarily as a supplicant, not as someone who is, but as a friend, as a child of God, we have access to Him. Not as criminals hoping for mercy, not as strangers hoping to be noticed, but as children who belong there.

[13:29] And notice where this access leads us to. Into this grace wherein you and I stand. That word grace is charis.

[13:40] It means unmerited favor. Something that you and I could never do for ourselves. And Paul says, what do we do? When we come in, when we've been ushered into the throne of grace, we have new access.

[13:53] And Paul says, what's our position there? What do we do? That grace wherein we stand. And it's important.

[14:05] The tense of that word here is a perfect, active, indicative. And what that means, it refers to an event that took place in the past that is still working in the future.

[14:18] It's something that took place in the past and the result is still active in the future. We have been given access to God and we still have that access so that we can stand in the presence of God.

[14:32] This is our permanent position. We're not visitors in grace. We are residents and grace is our home. And think about what that means practically.

[14:42] In the Old Testament, the average Israelite couldn't come into the presence of God. Matter of fact, the high priest could only come once a year into the Holy of Holies and then only with the blood of a sacrifice.

[14:56] And there was a thick veil that separated the people from God. But when Jesus died on the cross, Matthew 27, I believe it's verse 51.

[15:08] The Bible says, that veil was rent or was torn from top to bottom and it gave you and it gave me access to God. Something that those prior to did not have access to God.

[15:20] Hebrews 4, 16 says, we can come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. We have access and we have an invitation to stand in God's presence anytime you need Him.

[15:36] Isn't that amazing? That we can come to God anytime at all. And because our peace with God is through Jesus Christ. Paul says in Ephesians 3, verse 12, and in Him and through Him and through faith in Him, we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

[15:58] So let's use the access we've been given. Prayer is not a last resort. We should always be talking to God because we have permanent access. We have 24-7, 365 access to the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings, and we can come to Him at any time.

[16:16] Let's not let prayer be a last resort. We have a standing invitation. Let's use it. Come regularly into God's presence. Not simply because you're in a crisis, but any time at all.

[16:29] And when you come, remind yourself, I have a right to be here. I am God's child. I have been declared righteous. Jesus gave me access. I stand in this grace.

[16:41] So let's use the access we've been given. We have peace with God. We have access to God. And we can rejoice in the hope that's coming.

[16:51] Let's look at that second part of verse number two. And we can rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Paul adds another benefit to being justified with God.

[17:05] We can rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. This is confident, joyful celebration. We're boasting about what's coming. And what's coming? Glory with God.

[17:17] Remember what Paul said back in Romans chapter three, verse 23? All have sinned and come short of the what? The glory of God. So before we came to know Jesus Christ as our Savior, we fell short.

[17:32] We could not hit the mark. We've always missed the mark. And what was the mark? Perfection. The glory of God. Sinners. God can never allow sin into His presence.

[17:44] And something needed to be done. And that was Jesus Christ who went to the cross. Him who knew no sin became sin for us. And when He rose again from the dead, proved God was satisfied.

[17:56] He paid an eternal price for your sin and for mine. And He went to be at the right hand of God. He's ever making intercession for you and me. We have access to Him.

[18:07] And also, we have the hope of glory. One day, one day, when you and I breathe our final breath, if you have trusted Christ as your Savior, we're going to be ushered into glory.

[18:20] Paul says, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. So Paul didn't say, well, maybe, hopefully, it's possibly, if you live a good enough life, and maybe, if you don't have any sin on your record, no spots on your record when you die, then maybe, no, Paul says, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

[18:41] He had that confident hope because his faith was placed in Jesus Christ. So we know that sin separated us from God.

[18:51] We were created to reflect God's image, to display His character, to live in His light. But sin, cut that off. But now, because of justification, we have the hope of reclaiming that glory.

[19:05] One day, we'll share in the glory of God. We'll see Him face to face. We'll be transformed into His likeness. The Bible says, we will know as we are known. And we will have the mind of Christ.

[19:19] See, it's certainty about the future. Now, this hope is, our English word, hope, implies at least some sense of uncertainty, right? You know, we say, I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow.

[19:31] or, this past weekend and this weekend, I hope the pipes don't burst because of the freeze. No, it's a, it has a certain amount of uncertainty in it. But when the Bible talks about this kind of hope, it is a certainty.

[19:45] This word that was used here means certainty of the future. It's not wishful thinking. It's settled assurance. Paul's going to expand on this in Romans chapter 8 and verse number 18.

[19:57] For I consider, excuse me, for he says, for I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

[20:10] So Paul says, one day we have that hope of glory. And here's the thing about the hope. It changes how we live today. Because if we know that our home in heaven is reserved and we're going to be there with him, we can live in that present hope every single day of our life.

[20:29] Because if we know where we're headed, think about this, if you know where you're headed, you can handle where you are. Think about this, have any of you ever gone on a vacation that you were just so excited to get there?

[20:44] I mean, like, the vacation of all vacations. And you're driving, I mean, those of you who like cruises, maybe you're on the way to the cruise terminal, maybe you're on the way to the airport, or maybe you're on a road trip and you are just looking forward to all the things that you have planned, but then there's an accident somewhere ahead and there, the traffic comes to a standstill and then you're stuck in traffic.

[21:10] Think about it. You know what's waiting for you at your destination. And when we know what we're waiting on, it makes the present discomfort manageable.

[21:22] You know, we know that this won't last. We know that ultimately we're going to be able to enjoy our destination. So when things in life get really tough, when things in life get difficult, when things in life get painful, what does Paul say?

[21:37] You know what? This is temporary. We will exchange our temporary sufferings, Paul says, for the weight of glory. When we compare our suffering presently to what awaits us, it doesn't even compare.

[21:55] And so Paul says, we have that hope of glory. And we have a reason to press through the difficulty and the pain. That's where the Apostle Paul goes next.

[22:05] Don't get bogged down in the difficulty of your presence. Rejoice in the hope that's coming. Let's go to verses three and four. The next thing really won't seem at first glance to be joyful.

[22:21] You know, we're told to let your suffering build your character. Look at verse three. And not only that, Paul says, not only do we have a hope of being in glory one day, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance, perseverance character, and character hope.

[22:41] This is where Paul gets practical, but it also, he gets pretty counterintuitive. Now, Paul, come on, this really doesn't make a whole lot of sense. We glory in tribulations. You know, wait, you know, what?

[22:52] We boast in tribulations. That sounds crazy. But look at what Paul says next. There's a reason why we can boast in our present suffering in this life.

[23:04] He says, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance. That word tribulation that the Apostle Paul used in the Greek is the word philipsis, and it meant to be pressure, affliction, distress.

[23:21] It comes from the word that means to press or to crush. In Paul's day, tribulum, which we get the English word tribulation, was a heavy threshing board that was used to separate the wheat from the chaff.

[23:37] It was the image of being crushed under weight. That's the word the Apostle Paul used. He says, our tribulation, that pressure that we experience in life, when we're pressed from all sides and it's painful, he says, what that can produce, he says, it can produce perseverance.

[23:57] Now, Paul's not talking about minor inconveniences. He's not talking about a traffic jam. He's not talking about having to wait three changes of the light before you can get through.

[24:07] No, he's talking about real suffering, real hardship. And he says that pressure produces something. He said that word produce, it means to work out, to accomplish, to bring about.

[24:22] Suffering doesn't just happen to you, it produces something in you. What does it produce? Perseverance. That word means steadfast endurance.

[24:32] It means to bear up under. To bear up under the weight of that tribulation. To be able to bear up under the pressure without giving up. Thing is, you can't develop perseverance and comfort.

[24:45] Just like you can't develop muscles by not lifting weight, by not putting pressure on your muscles. You can't build endurance, you can't build perseverance in comfort.

[24:59] That's why someone says, you know what, I think I want to go ahead and run a marathon. You don't just run a marathon. You don't even run a 5K. What do you have to do?

[25:09] You have to work up the endurance. And it takes work to work up that endurance. And what the Apostle Paul is saying, if you want perseverance, if you want stick-to-itiveness, if you want to be able to continue on, he says, you're going to have to suffer a little bit.

[25:24] Why? Because it's tribulation, it's suffering that produces perseverance. And what does perseverance go on to produce? He says, it goes on to produce character within our lives.

[25:39] This word refers to something that's tested. Like when you test metals and we know that it's pure, it's the idea of metal that's been refined by fire and it's found to be genuine.

[25:51] All the slag has been burnt off. Suffering doesn't just test our faith, it proves our faith as well. It shows what you're made of, so to speak.

[26:02] Then he goes on, proven character produces hope. The same word from verse number two. When you've been through the fire and you've come out the other side, your confidence in God grows.

[26:14] Just like the writer of Psalms, the Old Testament. He went through so many trials, he went through so many troubles, and he was able to say, God, you've taken care of me in the past, you're going to be able to take care of me in the future.

[26:24] I know that you did this for me. Now I know that you're going to do this for me this time. And that experience deepens our hope.

[26:35] You see the progression, tribulation, to perseverance, to character, to hope. Suffering isn't random. It's not meaningless. It's a process, and the end process produces hope.

[26:47] James, in the book of James, writes something pretty similar. James chapter one, verses two and three. Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

[27:01] Now Paul's not saying suffering's fun, but he's saying suffering produces something in us. And so that is something that being made right with God produces in our life.

[27:13] And then, lastly, he said, let suffering build our character, and then experience the love that's been poured out. Finally, look at verse number five. 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.

[27:32] And Paul brings it all home in verse number five. Hope doesn't disappoint. The word means to put to shame, to let down. Paul's saying, this hope won't leave us hanging. This hope won't leave us in a lurch.

[27:44] God loves us enough to carry us through. It won't fail us, and it doesn't just prove to be wishful thinking. Why? Because it's based in something unshakable. It's based in the love of God.

[27:56] What led Jesus to the cross? For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

[28:11] But God demonstrated His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. It's the love of God that sent Jesus to the cross. It's God's love for you and God's love for me that allowed the death of Jesus Christ to pay that sacrifice for you and for me.

[28:36] God's love sent Jesus to the cross so that the death of Jesus Christ and the resurrection could make us right with God through faith in Him.

[28:49] And notice what Paul describes here in this verse. He says, it's been poured out. The love of God has been poured out. This isn't a trickle. It's a flood. God is not rationing His love to you and to me.

[29:04] And the agent of this outpouring is the Holy Spirit. And it's not just something that we know in our heads. We know it through experience.

[29:15] The Spirit's the one who makes God's love real to us. It's not simply a doctrine to believe in. It's the personal presence of God's Holy Spirit within us, ensuring us, and helping us to experience that love of God.

[29:30] And this is what sustains us through suffering. Knowing that God cares. Knowing that God loves us. The Bible says we don't have a mediator in heaven that doesn't know what it's like to suffer.

[29:41] Jesus knows what it's like to be hungry. He knows what it's like to be cold. He knows what it's like to lose a loved one through death. And He knows what it's like to suffer.

[29:53] Think about what Jesus suffered on the way to the cross for you and for me. He did that knowing what it would produce. It would make the way for Him, for us to have a relationship with God through Him.

[30:09] So don't just believe that God loves you. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you experience it day by day by day. So this morning, if there's anyone here or anyone listening to the sound of my voice, and if you've not yet experienced that love of Jesus Christ, that love of God, if you've not yet placed your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, and you have not been made right with God, then I beg you this morning to realize that the Bible says all of sin comes short of the glory of God.

[30:50] Realize that you're a sinner. Realize that you're separated from Him because of your sin, and that Jesus Christ demonstrated the love of God to you through Jesus Christ dying on the cross of Calvary, and through that faith, you can be made right with Him this morning.

[31:10] Paul has given us an incredible picture about what justification means for you and for me. We have peace with God. We have access to His grace. We have the hope of glory.

[31:22] We have character through suffering, and we have His love poured out through His Holy Spirit. See, we don't have to chase peace through our circumstances.

[31:33] We can have peace with God through our faith in Jesus Christ. Let's pray. Father, we come to You this morning. We're so very thankful for being who You are. We thank You, dear Father, for the love that was poured out through Your Holy Spirit.

[31:48] And Father, we pray that if there's anyone that does not know Jesus Christ as their Savior this morning, they might experience being made right with You through faith in Jesus Christ.

[32:01] Lord, we thank You for everything, and we pray that You help us to accomplish Your will as we obey You this week. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

[32:13] Thanks for joining us today. We hope this message encouraged you and gave you something to apply to your life this week. If you'd like to learn more about Faith Bible Church or connect with us, visit our website at meetfaith.org.

[32:28] We'd love to hear from you. Have a great week, and we'll see you next time.