Romans chapter 5. I'm going to
work my way down through the first ten verses, but the tenth
verse is the one that has my attention. Title of the message,
Reconciled by His Death, Saved by His Life. Reconciled by the
death of the Son of God and saved by the life of the Son of God. that we have been saved from
the wrath of God and that the salvation of the Lord has been
secured to us by his death. We know this. We know it by the
word of God. We know that justification is
given to us by faith in Christ. Look over in verse 28 of chapter
3. Therefore, we conclude, this is the conclusion of the matter,
that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. At no time and in no way are
we justified by anything that we do. At no time, I mean not
even in the least degree. It never enters into it. We are
justified by faith in Christ. It says over in Romans 5 verse
9, we are justified by His blood. It says, much more than being
now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through
him. Another place it says we're justified
by his grace. Justification is all of God. The faith that's spoken of here,
by which we are justified, is the gift of God. We didn't come
up with it. God gave it to us. Faith is a
gift of God. The blood is his blood. Grace
is his grace. When we speak of justification,
it's all of God, from Alpha to Omega. Now, let's look at these
first ten verses, and then I'm going to close with three points. Saved by his life, in these three
points, the life he lived in the flesh, the life he gave on
the cross, and the life he lives right now at the right hand of
God. So, let's look at it. Verse one. Since we are justified,
acquitted of all charges, acquitted of all charges through faith,
let us lay hold of the truth, of this truth. Let us lay hold
of this truth and enjoy this, that we have peace with God.
Let's enjoy this now. Let's not look at it as something
future. Let's enjoy it now. We have peace with God. We've
been reconciled to God. through the Lord Jesus Christ.
He said, enjoy this now. Get out of this now. It is through
Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ, that we have access by faith
into this grace, listen, into God's favor. That's what grace
is. You have God's favor. And through
faith in Christ, you have access into God's favor and you stand. You stand firmly there and don't
you move. Don't you move. And moreover,
in verse 3, let us be full of joy now. I'm writing it out as
I'm paraphrasing what you might say. Let us be full of joy now,
even though we may be in trouble, even though our hearts may be
broken, even though we may be weeping tonight, we may cry ourselves
to sleep. He said, let us be full of joy
now, even though we'd be in trouble, knowing this, knowing this. You
know, trouble doesn't spring from the ground. God sends us
our troubles. He faithfully afflicts us. He
faithfully trials us. And know this, about these trials
and these troubles that come upon us, that these trials and
troubles produce patience. Patience. I was watching a movie
one time, it was cold. And the movie ended, and I wanted
to turn it off. And he said, it's not, it's not
ended. You know, he had the credits.
He has to watch the credits. He said, be patient, Pawpaw.
Be patient. Wait. He's going to watch the
credits. And he said, be patient. Be patient. Now, we need spiritual patience.
Spiritual patience is nothing more than confidently waiting
upon God. That's what it is. Knowing that
trouble produces patience which develops maturity of character. Talking about maturity of character,
who you really are, who the believer really is. It produces, it develops
maturity of character and it proves faith. Do you want to
know that you have faith now? You know the way to judge me.
I want to know now. I want it now. Now some years
have gone by and I know what it takes to prove that. I've
seen it and I've experienced some of it. It takes trials,
it takes trouble, it takes heartaches. And character that is produced
in this way, through God-given trials and troubles, it produces
a joyful, confident hope into eternal salvation of God. It's
going to happen. You're just waiting on it. You
know, you know it's coming. You know it's going to happen.
You know by the Word of God, by the witness of His Spirit,
that you're going to stand in God's presence, holy, accepted
in the beloved. You know that. And that kind
of hope, that kind of hope, a hope that's built on nothing less
than Jesus' blood and righteousness, that kind of hope will never,
ever delude you. It will never delude you. It
will never bring you to shame. Over in the book of Job, It says
they were confounded because they had hope. Do you know what
the Pharisees did? Didn't they hope? Didn't they
hope to be saved, those Pharisees that hated God? Christ said,
you're going to be a father to the devil. They had a false hope. And those old boys are confounded
right now. They're confounded. But this kind of hope that's
built on Christ, that's been tried, it's been proven, will
never bring you to shame. It'll never delude you. He said,
for God's love has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy
Spirit who's been given to us. If it were not so, this wouldn't
have happened. You wouldn't have this kind of
hope. You wouldn't have the love to Christ and love to one another.
You wouldn't have it if it wasn't for the Holy Spirit within you.
Pouring out. Pouring out the love of God. Can you imagine that? Pouring
it out. Just like taking this water, pouring it out. Here in
verse 6. Let's look at when God, when
did he do this? When did he reconcile us? When did he do this for us?
It says in verse 6, for when we were yet without strength,
without strength, broke, unable to do anything, in due time,
in God's time, in the appointed time, in the ordained time, Christ
died for the ungodly. That let me in. If he said he
died for the rich, He died for a six foot tall? I wouldn't be
in it, would you? A whole lot of us wouldn't be
in it. There's a lot of ways he could have described it. He
would have missed us. But he said the ungodly. He got
me. That opened a door wide open
for me. Well, scarcely. It's an extraordinary thing for
someone to die for another person. Wouldn't that be extraordinary?
He said that would be an extraordinary thing. Yet for a good man, some
would even dare to die. There's some who would do that.
But you and I, we're not good. We're not noble by nature. We were not good. We were enemies. Look here, but God commended.
He commendeth us continually. God continually commendeth His
love to us. But God commendeth His love toward
us, and that while we were yet sinners, God-haters, enemies
in our minds, that's when Jesus Christ died for us. That's when
He died for us. Now listen, that's when He reconciled
us. He reconciled me when I was an
enemy to God. He satisfied God's law. He reconciled
me by His death. Reconciled to God by the death
of the sinner died. The sinner died at the cross.
Everyone whom God saves died in Christ. Put the death in Christ. Much more then, much more then. If we've been justified by the
blood of Jesus Christ, how much more certain if we've been justified
by His blood, we've been reconciled by His death, How much more certain
is it that we shall be saved by him from the wrath to come? How much more certain is that?
It can't be any more certain. I cannot give you, the word of
God gives us no more certainty than that. That's all that's
needed. If we've been reconciled by the death of Christ, justified
by the blood of Christ, how much more certain is it that we shall
be saved from the wrath of God to come? Or if, when we were enemies,
every last one of us, no one in here has believed God forever.
You haven't done it. Henry said one time, that's just
too long. That's just too long. You haven't done it. I haven't
done it. Or if when we were enemies, shooting
at God, hating the very nature of God, Or if when we were enemies, we
were reconciled to God. While we were enemies, we were
reconciled to God. Read that thing over and over
tonight. Read it over before you go to
bed. We were reconciled to God by the death of His Son. Much
more. Don't you like the much mores
of the Word of God? For sin abounded, grace did.
Much more abound. much more being reconciled, we
shall be saved by his life. I'm going to deal with it in
these three points. The life he lived in the flesh,
the life he gave at the cross, and the life he now lives at
the right hand of God. The life he lived in the flesh,
turn over to Hebrews 2. Hebrews chapter 2. This actually, this really happened. 14, Hebrews 2.14. For as much then
as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself
likewise took part of the same. The Son of God, second person
of the Trinity, actually became flesh. He took part of the same, that
through death, his death, he might destroy him that had the
power of death that is the dead one. He became bone of our bone,
flesh of our flesh. The Word was made flesh, it says,
and dwelt among us. He was made, look over in Romans
chapter 8, Romans 8. Look at verse 3. Romans 8, 3. For what the law could not do,
in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son
in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin and condemned sin
in the flesh. He was made in the likeness of
sinful flesh. And then he was made under the
law. That's what it says over here in Galatians. Look over
in Galatians chapter 4. This is the life he lived in
the flesh on this earth. In Galatians chapter four, but when the fullness of the
time was come, that appointed time, in due time, God sent forth
his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, made under the
same law we are under. The same law. God required perfect
righteousness out of everyone who's going to stand in His presence.
Everyone who's going to be in the presence of God is going
to be there perfect, righteous. You're not going to be there
any other way. It's not going to happen. It's got to be righteous
in Christ being come into flesh. Become a man. He was subject
to every law as our representative and our surety. And now listen.
He fulfilled all righteousness by the life he lived on this
earth. He obeyed the law of the home.
He obeyed the law, the ceremonial law. He obeyed the civil law. He obeyed the moral law. He obeyed
God's law perfectly. And that is my righteousness.
That's your righteousness. His perfection, His perfect obedience
is our righteousness. It says in the Scripture, He
was tempted at all points. What does that mean? That means
all. You know, I can't grasp this. Christ was made to be sent for
us who knew no sin. That really happened. He was
really made to be sinned. It says he was tempted in all
points that I'm tempted. All points. There's not a temptation I will
ever endure that he was not tempted. That he did not face down. That's
how he can be a merciful, faithful high priest. That's how he can
be touched with the feeling of my infirmities. If he was not
tempted in all points as I've been tempted, he could not be
touched with every point of my infirmities. Right? He knows
right. He was tempted in all points
as we are, yet without sin, yet without yielding. Get thee behind
me, Satan. Adam failed. He just... The second Adam, a real man,
I mean a real man, withstood Satan. And he never yielded. Satan said, you're hungry. He's
out there in the desert 40 days and 40 nights. He said, I know
you. He knows our weakness. He knows how much we think of
our bellies. He says, you're hungry. There's nothing wrong.
Take those stones and turn them into bread. Didn't do it, did
he? When you read through the Gospels,
You will not find one time where our Lord relieved himself of
any suffering, of any pain, of any hunger. He suffered everything
perfectly. He wore it out. He suffered it
to the end and beat it. Now you and I, we either give
in to it or God removes it. He took it all the way to the
end. He was tempted in all coincidences
we are, yet without sin, that he might be a faithful high priest.
And he can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. He
understands our temptations. He understands my weakness. He understands my sorrow. He understands it. He understands
my need. He understands it, listen, he
understands it fully. You and I can identify with each
other, especially if we go through the same thing. If we haven't
really gone through the same thing, we can still have some
identification, but not a lot. If we go through the same thing,
it's like bosom buddies, kindred spirits. But still, there's a
point where we can't go. There's a point where I just
can't feel your pain. He does. You remember when Mary
and Martha was crying over Lazarus, and it said Jesus wept? He felt
everything he took away. He felt it to the fullest. He's a faithful high priest that
can be touched with the feelings of our infirmities. So, we've
been saved by the life he lived for us on earth. Secondly, we're
saved by the life he gave at Calvary. Look over in John 10. In John 10, look at verse 18. Well, let's look at verse 17.
Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life. Nobody takes it from me. I lay
down my life that I might take it again. No man takes it from
me. Did they take the life of Christ from him at the cross? When he cried, it's finished,
he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. He gave it up. He laid it down. No man takes it from me, but
I lay it down of myself. I have power. You and I don't
have any power in this area, do we? He did. I have power to lay it down,
and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received
of my Father. Scripture says He was made sin
for us over 2 Corinthians 5, verse 21. He who knew no sin
was made sin for us, and we might be made the righteousness of
God in Him. He was perfect Yet our sins were laid on Him."
Isaiah 53. In verse 6, Isaiah 53, 6. All
we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned every one to his
own way, and the Lord has laid on him, has made the meat on
him, the iniquity. of us all. It says in 1 Peter he bore our
sins in his body on the tree. He was put to death for our sins. The Son of God died on Calvary. The blood of God was shed. Now think about this. The blood
of God was shed for our sins. You realize that? Turn over to
Acts chapter 20. Acts 20 verse 28. and to all the flock over which
the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church
of God which he hath purchased with his own blood." Purchased by the blood of God. That's just mind-boggling, isn't
it? The Scripture says the wages
of sin is death. And he was really put to death.
1 Peter says he was put to death in the flesh. 1 Peter 3.18. He was on that cross. The life he
gained on that cross, he gave it to the fullest. He yielded
up the ghost. What was John 19? John chapter 19, look in verse 30. When Jesus therefore
had received the vinegar, he said, it is finished. The redemption price has been
paid. It's been paid. And he bowed
his head so graciously So willingly, he didn't drop his head like
he was dying. He bowed. Well, get a hold of
that. He bowed. Bowed to the will of
his Father. He bowed to Him. And he gave
up the ghost. He really died. You're dead when
the Spirit leaves the body. The Spirit left the body. He
said, in thy hands I commend my spirit. He died. Thirdly, the life he now lives
at the right hand of God. Saved by the life he lived in
the flesh. Saved by the life he gave on the cross. Saved by
the life he now lives right now at the right hand of God. I don't
remember if Barney and I heard say this on tape or who it was. I've been aiding you. He said
a dead Christ can save no one. It's the risen Lord. Risen, living
Lord. Turn over to Hebrews chapter
9. Hebrews chapter 9 and verse 12. Neither by the blood of goats
and calves But by His own blood, the blood of God, that's what
went in the veil, the blood of God. By His own blood, He entered
in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption
for us. And He's still there. He's there. If any man sinned, anybody sin
today? Any of the children of God sin
today? We have an advocate with the
Father. who's alive and well and is seated at God's right
hand. Jesus Christ, the righteous one. So it says over 1 John 2, it
says there's one mediator between God and men. Right now. Right now. The man Christ Jesus. He lives and he mediates. He intercedes for us right now. Every second. I can't bring this
out like it should be, but you who believe the gospel, every
second He represents you. Every second. Just His presence continually
intercedes for you. Just His presence there. He ever liveth, it says in Hebrews. Let me read this over in Hebrews
7. I'm already in Hebrews, Hebrews 7, 25. Wherefore he is able also to
save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing
he ever liveth. He ain't dead. He's not dead. He's alive forevermore. He ever
liveth to make. Intercession for them. In one place he said, Father, I
know you always hear me. I know you do. In another place,
John 17, he said, Father, I will that they be with me where I
am. That's intercession. That's intercession. Paul said,
The life which I now live In the flesh, I live by the faith
of the Son of God. It's no more I, Paul said in
one place, it's no more I that do it, but Christ that liveth
in me. Turn over to Philippians 3. Verse 8, Paul says, Yea, doubtless,
and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge
of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I suffered the loss of all
things, and I'm not going to cry about it, and I'm not going
to whine about it. He said, I do count them but dung. I count
them the same way, dung, that I may win Christ. That has to
do with knowing Him more and more. Get rid of these things
that's hindering my relationship is what he's saying. Get rid
of these things that's hindering that relationship. and be found
in Him. Not having my own righteousness
which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of
Christ. The righteousness which is of God by faith. That I might
know Him. That I might know the risen,
living, reigning Lord more and more right now. Right now. That I might know Him and the
power of His resurrection. And it could be read like this.
That I might know Him and the power of His resurrected life
in me. To know that, to experience that
daily. And the fellowship of His sufferings
being made conformable unto His death. Oh, that God would give
us that desire. So you see, We will reconcile
to God by the death of His Son and saved by His life. The life He lived for us, the
life He gave for us, and the life He lives right now for us.
Saved by the life of the Son of God.