Title: The blessings of Justification: rejoicing in suffering
Text: Rom 5: 3-5
Date:10-28-07.am
Passage:
Introduction:
I know you’ve heard over and over as we’ve talked about this passage, but now if someone asks you won’t be able to say you’ve never heard of justification by faith. Here’s a simplified explanation of what we’ve been talking about how we are justified by faith and what that means. First a person hears the gospel message. We find the gospel message presented in the book of Romans through a number of passages we refer to as the Romans Road. Paul made clear we are all sinners we are separated from God because of sin. But God loved us so much so He sent Jesus Christ His Son into the world to die for sinners and Jesus arose from the dead triumphant over sin, death and hell to bring salvation and eternal life to all who believe in him.
By our faith the Spirit of God has united us to Christ so that His death becomes our death, and His life becomes our life. God placed on him our sin and iniquity, and credited us with His righteousness. Jesus takes our sin, though he didn't commit it. We receive His righteousness, though we didn't deserve it, so by faith in Christ we stand before God forgiven for all our sins clothed with or covered by the righteousness of Christ. (John Piper) That’s justification.
The Blessings we’ve seen so far:
1. Peace with God
2. Direct and continual access to God by grace through faith in Jesus
3. Hope in the glory of God - One day we will be like Him. We will fully and finally transformed into the likeness of the Lord’s glory.
4. Rejoicing in tribulation
This morning we want to look at a 4th blessing of justification that comes about because of the hope we have and that is rejoicing in tribulation. We briefly mentioned that last week.
We understand Christian hope which is sure and certain and a present possession looks towards the future. Hope looks towards a time when we will be with God and see Him and enjoy His presences for all eternity and be free of sin and death.
Trials and Tribulations of life
Ro 5:3-5
And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. NASB
Before we enjoy the fullness of our hope we will face trails and tribulations in life in the here and now. The word translated tribulation literally means pressure. Pressed down tightly. Though it is probable Paul referred particularly to persecutions and trials which Christians were called to endure as a result of their faith, the word literally refers to all kinds of pressure we encounter in life from the day to day kinds of things to more serious troubles and afflictions from health problems and especially to persecution.
Jesus said in Jn 16:33, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." NASB
In Acts 14 the Bible tells us Paul was stoned in Lystra and left for dead, but he got up and went to the city of Derbe and continued to preach and then we read beginning in verse 21 , And after they had preached the gospel to that city [referring to Derbe] and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, 22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, "Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God." NASB
The issue for Christians is not whether we have trials and tribulations in either form, but how do we handle them.
Exult in Tribulation
Paul began verse 5 with the words “not only this” in others words not only are we to exult or rejoice in the hope of glory of God but also we are to exult as well in our tribulations. Remember that word exult or rejoice means to have "an abundance of joy," the picture of a person who is overflowing with joy. It’s a little easier to understand that kind of joy when we are talking about looking forward to the glory of God, I have no trouble rejoicing in good things. But in tribulations? That’s not as easy to comprehend. James said the same thing in Jas 1:2
2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials.
I suffered with flu like symptoms this week fortunately they didn’t get severe but I didn’t find anything that made me particularly joyful and that was just a minor thing. What then are Paul and James telling us?
First tribulations themselves, whether they be of the everyday variety or the more serious kind, are not good things, in and of themselves. As a matter of fact they are bad things. Paul and James are not saying to rejoice over the tribulations themselves, but to find joy as we go through them.
It’s easy to get discouraged and downhearted when we go through tribulation that’s our natural response. The only way we can respond with joy is supernaturally. The ability to rejoice in times of tribulation comes only by the grace of God in which we stand.
As a result of our justification and by God’s grace we know (1) our life, our welfare and our well-being are completely under His control. (2)We know that whatever comes into our lives good, or bad is allowed by God for a reason. (3) We know that God will take the trials and tribulations of our life and work them out for good even if we can’t see or understand how that could be.
Ro 8:28 says And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. NASB
We see this principle at work in the life of Joseph in the Old Testament. Thrown into a pit by his brothers because of jealousy, sold in to slavery, imprisoned and yet God took all of that and brought about good. We see it in Paul’s own life, all the things he endured all the tribulations and hardships he faced and how God used all of that for good so that today we can open God’s word and read from Paul about how we can find joy as we go through tribulation. And now he helps us understand the process by which tribulation is turned from despair to hope.
He reasons for rejoicing as you go through tribulation:
1. Tribulation produces perseverance
And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; Ro 5:3 NASB
The word perseverance also means endurance. It’s active rather than passive. In other words it’s not just about stoically bearing up under some trial it’s about facing it head on conquering and overcoming the trail like Joseph. When something happens in your life that is hard and painful and frustrating and disappointing, by grace through faith you look to Christ and to His wisdom, His power and His sufficiency and you face the trial head on and you refuse to give in to bitterness and resentment and frustration and despair. As you do that your faith endures and perseveres and you become stronger because of the trial. Like fire tempers steel and makes it stronger trials and tribulations temper faith and makes your faith stronger.
2. Perseverance produces proven character.
3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; Ro 5:3-4 NASB
The key word in this verse is “proven character.” It’s one word in Greek which means the quality of being approved after testing. And endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of character (approved faith and tried integrity). AMP
The strength that comes from going through tribulation by faith brings about proven or mature character. The group of words Paul uses here are all related to the refining of metals. Paul’s idea is flowing in this direction - when you put metal through the furnace or the fire and it comes out it’s stronger, as metal goes through the refining process and the impurities are removed, the metal is "proven" it’s the real thing. That's the sense he has here. When we go through tribulation, and our faith is tested, and it perseveres we come to know that our faith is real. It has been tested. It has stood the test with perseverance it proves to us the genuine nature of our faith. We don’t have to prove anything to God about our faith, but we need to know. And when we persevere through trials and hardships we know more about the presence of God, the power and wisdom of God, the fellowship of God in our lives and we are strengthened spiritually. Our faith grows stronger and it matures which produces a more Christlike person. So that the life of Christ reflects in us and though us in all we do.
1 Pe 1:6-8 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, 7 that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; NASB
3. Proven character solidifies hope.
Ro 5:3-5 3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; NASB
We’ve come full circle back to where we started with hope. As people who have placed our faith in Jesus Christ we possess a hope that is certain and secure. We may not recognize it sometimes and may not utilize it, but we possess it. The major causes for not recognizing it or utilizing hope is we haven’t learned to trust it.
As we go through trials and we persevere and we prove the nature of our faith to ourselves and learn to rely on God learn the certainty of hope, the certainty of God’s promises and His provision for our lives.
Not just looking at Paul’s life and seeing how God worked or looking at Joseph’s life to see how God brought him through tribulation but from our own tried and proven experience we know God is true and we can trust Him in the hard times as well as the good times. It’s that dependence on Him during the tribulations of life that most matures our faith, shapes us and teaches us the truth that we can depend on God. As Christians we learn by experience that we not only have a hope for the future, but we develop confidence in the ability to persevere and overcome the present trials of life.
HOPE DOES NOT DISAPPOINT
We conclude again this morning with verse 5 and hope [The hope that is guaranteed by God through the resurrection of Jesus, hope which has been proven through tribulation in the life of others and can be proven through your own experience] does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. NASB
Remember it's not the tribulations we rejoice in. It's not the tribulations that cause us to rejoice or teach us the sureness of hope. Tribulations by themselves produce anger and bitterness. It is tribulation plus Christ that produces perseverance. It is perseverance plus Christ that brings about proven character or genuine faith. It is proven character plus Christ that solidifies our hope.
We do not rejoice over tribulation, or about tribulation, but in tribulation, because God is at work in our lives as we go through them by faith.
The blessing of being able to find joy in tribulations and trials of life are available if we only trust Him. Are you trusting Him today?