For a scripture reading, turn
with me to Romans chapter 4. Romans chapter 4. The theme of Romans is justification
by faith. That's the subject of it. And
in chapter 4, he's dealing with this thing of faith. Now he's
been since the very first chapter. dealing with this thing of faith,
and he's laying a foundation for it, and he builds. You know that when they're writing,
they're building because they use terms like therefore, for,
and so on. They'll say something and then
build on that, and then say something else and then build on that.
And he says here in Romans chapter 4 verse 16, Because, or therefore, it is
of faith that it might be by grace. This is why God calls
us and gives us faith, that our salvation may be of grace. If it weren't of grace, there's
no possibility of us being saved. But if it's going to be by grace,
then it's going to be by faith. You see what he's saying here?
He's laying a foundation. He's adding a building block
to this thing. It is of faith that it might
be by grace to the end. The promise might be sure to
all the seed. If it weren't this way, it wouldn't
be a sure thing. He may have purposed some things.
He may have intended some things that won't be. That's what he's
saying here. It's to the end that the promise
might be sure to all the seed, not to that only which is of
the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who's
the father of us all. The Jews look to Abraham. We
have Abraham to our father. That's what they say it is. But
he's saying here that Abraham is the father of all who believe. As it is written, I have made
thee a father of many nations before him whom he believed,
even God, who quickeneth the dead and calleth those things
which be not as though they were, who against hope believed in
hope. He's talking about Abraham. That
he might become the father of many nations according to that
which was spoken, so shall thy seed be. And being not weak in
faith, he considered not his own body, now dead, when he was
about a hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Saviour's
womb. He staggered not at the promise
of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory
to God. And being fully persuaded that
what God had promised, God was able also to perform. And therefore
it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now here's what I want you to
see. This has a lot of bearing on what I want to say this morning.
Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed
to him, but for us also to whom it shall be imputed if we believe
on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered
for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification.
Chapter 5, verse 1, and this will be my text. Therefore being
justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ. If you will turn back with me
now to Romans chapter 5. I'm going to use this one verse
of Scripture, although you can include that second verse and
all the rest of them with it. But I want to talk to you this
morning about peace with God. Peace with God. Romans 5.1 says,
therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace. with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ. And I know that our young adults
and children are saying to themselves, because I said to myself when
I was their age, I'm not at war with God. I'm not fighting with God. I'm not at war with God. I'm
not opposed to God. I don't hate God. I'm not a lawbreaker. I'm not a thief or a murderer.
I'm not a malicious person. So what are you talking about
when you talk about peace with God? You're always talking about it.
What do you mean? What is this reconciliation? Why must I be reconciled to God? And we don't know any different.
I didn't at that age, because it's all I've ever known. This
is the only life I've ever known. Religion is the only life I ever
knew when I was a kid, from the time I was old enough to sit
in church. Couldn't get through a whole
service. I'd honk out, lay down on my mother's lap, go out. Just a little guy. But I heard
it, and I heard it, and I heard it, and I heard it till I was
a teenager. And I didn't say anything to anybody else because
they all seemed to know what it meant. So I didn't ask any
questions, I just thought, I don't know what I thought, I thought
I was foolish and ignorant, not being able to understand what
they were talking about. What is this peace with God that
we're always talking about? What is this reconciliation that
you read to us out of the scriptures. Well, let me start with this.
When I was growing up in the 60s, we were at war with Russia. But not with tanks and guns. Not with armies. There wasn't
a missile fired. There was missiles talked about,
but there was no missiles fired. There was no armies employed. No Navy, no Air Force. It was a war of attitude. It was a war of mind and ideals. We were anti-Russian. It was
taught in the schools. We were anti-Russian, anti-communism,
anti-dictatorship. And it was called the what? Cold
War. A cold war. This is the kind
of war that we're at with God. Always at odds with His ways
and means. We were against anything the
Russians talked about. Weren't we? Huh? We're always
at odds with God about His ways and means. You mean I have to
hear a preacher to be saved? Well, God said it. Well, I don't
like it. That's what I'm saying. You're
at war with God. Why do I have to come to this
church? Why can't I hear out on the river? Because God said,
forsake not the assembling of yourselves together. That's why. And we're opposed to that. We
don't like that. always rejecting his doctrine. I don't believe in absolute sovereignty. I don't believe in eternal election. We're at odds rejecting his doctrine
and teaching always against his authority and rule. We can't
stand the thought of somebody ruling over us, can we? And I don't care how it is. It
can be the wife and the husband. It can be the parents and the
children. It can be any kind of rule that's established by
God. We don't like it. We don't like
it. It ain't fair. Ain't that what
we say? That ain't fair. Always against His authority
and rule. Always resisting His mercy and
His grace. My soul! God said, here it is,
I'm giving it to you. No, I don't want it. I don't
want it. I'll work it out. Really? Really? Why do we resist mercy? Why do
we resist grace? Why do we resist these things?
Because we hate God. That's why. Paul tells us in
Romans 8, verse 7, that the carnal, that is the natural, fleshly
mind, is enmity. What's that mean? Hostile. It's hostility against God. It's not subject to the law.
And here that word law means authority. It's the broadest
sense of the law. Authority. Everything God says
is a commandment because He's God. Is that right? But we resist
it. We resist it. It's not subject
to the law of God, the authority of God, neither indeed can be. I can't make you submissive to
God. And no law can. God commands repentance. He commandeth
all men everywhere to repent. Acts 17 verse 30. Well, why don't
they repent? Why don't we turn? Why do we
keep going the same direction? Huh? Because you hate God. You
hate God. You're opposed to God. You won't turn to God. God commands
all men everywhere to believe, but men and women refuse. As
much as saying this, no God for us. The fool has said in his
heart, no God. There is no God. He's talking
about no God for us. God rules over all things, but
men and women cry, we will not have this man to reign over us. We'll accept him as Savior, but
not as Lord. We're not going to bow to his
authority. There's a cold war going on in
the hearts of every unconverted sinner, but most are unaware
of it. I was. I was unaware of any kind
of hostility toward God because I've never known anything else.
And this is what I'm trying to tell you about the Word of God.
We're ignorant of God. We don't know anything about
God. There's nothing in us to even give us a hint about who
God is. Knowledge of God comes from His
Word. Knowledge of ourselves comes
from His Word. If you're looking inside for
some evidence of these things, you're not going to find it.
It's in the Word of God. The reason why we're unaware
of it is the same reason I was unaware of the Cold War in the
late 50s, because I was ignorant of what was going on. Nobody told me, I was just a
little kid. They figured I didn't need to know. Now I have four questions I want
to ask this morning and answer from the scriptures. And I pray
God will use it to bring the truth to our hearts about this
thing of peace with God. And the first question is this,
why do I need peace with God? Well, peace with God supposes
a prior conflict, don't it? There'd be no reason to talk
about peace if there wasn't a conflict. If I didn't have a problem, there'd
be no reason for a cure. That's what our Lord told those
self-righteous Pharisees. Think not that I come to call the righteous. I'm not
come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. The whole
need not a... They don't need a physician.
Just sick people need the physician. And that's what I'm trying to
tell you. You don't need a remedy if you don't have a problem.
But I assure you the scripture says we all have a problem. You
take time to read this entire chapter and he'll show you these
two men, Adam and Christ. By one man, sin entered into
the world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men
for that all have sinned. By the offense of one, many were
made sinners. This is the conflict. It's our
nature. It's our nature. We're born under the curse. We're
born in sin. In sin did my mother conceive
me, David said. In sin. That's all I've ever
known. I was born in sin. I've lived
in sin. I'm ignorant of sin. In Romans
1 and 2, Paul shows us something of the nature of man's sin, both
religious and heathen. He tells us that the invisible
things of God from the creation of the world are clearly seen,
being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal
power and Godhead, so that all men are without excuse. There's
too much order, too much preservation, too much authority, too much
power in creation to be of chance and evolution. But natural man, professing himself
to be wise, becomes a fool, and he becomes vain in his imagination,
and his foolish heart was darkened. What did he do? He changed, listen
to this, he changed the glory of the uncorruptible
God into an image made like unto man, and birds, and four-footed
beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God gave him up. He
gave him up. Gave him over to his vain imagination. Just let him. You want to worship
an ant? There it is. You want to worship
a cow? There it is. You want to build
an altar over there in the shape of an angel? There it is. Gave him up. Gave him up. Professing themselves to be wise. Isn't that what men do? Romans 1, he talks about natural
men, carnal men, men who don't know God. And then in Romans
2, he talks about the Jew. And he said, thou that condemnest
these Gentiles for their idolatry, don't you commit idolatry? And then he goes over to chapter
3 and describes what he's already proven in the Word of God. And
here's what he says, there is none righteous, no, not one. Not one. You can't have communion
with God without a righteousness. The Lord is righteous, the scripture
said, in all His ways. You can't walk together with
God and be in disagreement with Him. Not only is there none righteous,
there's none that understandeth. There are no self-taught Christians
No such thing. They shall all be taught of God,
the Scripture says, taught by His Spirit, and by His means,
evangelists and pastor-teachers, and by His Word, the prophets
and apostles, and by the person and work of His dear Son. And
then there's none that seeketh after God. They're seeking after
their God, or a God of some kind, a God of their imagination, but
they're not seeking after the living God, because they don't
know Him. He tells us in Romans 10, you
can't call on an unrevealed God. None that seeketh after God,
that is of his fallen self and without the work of God. They're all gone out of the way.
What way? The way that God established
way back yonder in the garden. the way of the blood, the way
of grace, the way of mercy, the way of reconciliation. They're
all gone out of the way. They have a way, but it's not
God's way. There's a way that seemeth right
unto a man. The end thereof is destruction. It's the way of works and free
will and universalism and ceremonialism and sensualism and legalism and
spiritualism and on and on the isms go. They are together become
unprofitable of no value. They're worth nothing. Everybody has a sense, some sense
of self-worth, don't we? Scripture says we ain't worth
anything. Ain't that what that says? They
are together become unprofitable, of no value. I heard a story one time about
an artist. I think it was over in France. And they were walking through
the city, and this famous artist looked and he saw a beggar. And
he was perfect. Man, he wanted to catch him on
campus. He wanted to get this beggar just like he said, somehow
capture that and put it on his canvas. So he went over and approached
him and he said, I'll give you so much money if you'll just
come to my studio and let me paint you. And yeah, yeah, he
said, I'll do it. So he gave him the money. And
the day came and the artist had all this stuff together and his
canvas set and everything, but this man had taken the money
that he gave him and he went and got Went to the public bath,
and he got all cleaned up, and he went down, bought him some
new clothes, got a haircut. And here he comes in there looking
like a fine gentleman before the artist. And when the artist
sees him, you don't even recognize him. And then after a minute,
he realizes who it is and says, oh, oh, no, he said, I can't
use you. I can't use you. I wanted you
just like you was. Salvation is manifested for the
glory of God. He wants us just like we are. Not with some pretended covering
and appearance. He wants us just like we are. I came to save sinners. Because
only in the salvation of a sinner can God's glory be revealed.
That's how it's revealed. Grace to sinners, mercy to sinners,
the love of God for enemies. God loved you while you were
yet enemies. We get all cleaned up and he
says the same thing to the artist. I can't use you. I can't use
you. You're no value. You see what
he's saying here? We're unprofitable. ungodly sinners under the influence
of anti-Christ religion are unprofitable. There's none that doeth good,
he said, no, not one. And we need to be careful how
we use that word good. Our Lord said there's none good
but God. And then listen to this, he said
their throat is like an open grave. Nothing comes out of an open
grave, nauseating stench. You remember Lazarus had been
dead quite a while, and the Lord said, take away the stone. Martha
cried out, oh no, don't take away the stone, by now he stinketh. There's nothing but a nauseating
stench that's going to come out of that grave. And that's what
our Lord said, their throat is an open grave. Everything comes
out of their mouth is a nauseating stench in the nostrils of God. The poison of asps, he said,
that's translated in the Psalms as an adder. Venomous, poisonous
snake. It's under their lips. He has
fangs under his lips. Their bite is infectious. Their
mouth is full of cursing and bitterness, destruction and misery
is in their ways. There is no fear of God before
their eyes. And because they are left to
their vain imaginations, they have no concept of the living
God. They feed on ashes, the prophet
said. A deceived heart hath turned
them aside, and he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not
a lie in my lips? He don't know if a lie is on
his lips or not. And the carnal mind, oh, the
carnal mind is enmity against God, hateful. Paul said, oh, he said, wretched
man that I am. Not that I used to be. There is a beginning with that
revelation of who you are and a beginning of that revelation
of sin. And you see yourself horrible then, but as time goes
on, the more light he shines, the more filth you see. Until
finally here, Paul the aged is crying, oh, wretched man that
I am. You discovered in the last years
filth that you never saw in the beginning. Things that you never
dreamed would hinder you in the beginning. And now here they
are, like a cancer. When we were enemies, the scripture
said, we were reconciled to God. That's what reconciliation is
about. The converting of enemies. The man who knows little about
his sin knows little about peace with God. Man's under the curse
of a fallen nature and his flesh is totally depraved. He's at
war with God. It's a cold war. It's a war in
the heart and the mind. It's a war he can't even explain
his feelings toward God. He just resents the things that
are said to him. Natural men walk in the vanity
of their minds, having their understanding darkened. And how
many untold thousands have left this world, comparing themselves
with others, and thinking to themselves, I'm not so bad. I'm not so bad. and expecting God to judge them
accordingly. And then they wake up before
the holy, just, and righteous God whom they hated. It's a fearful
thing, Christ said, to fall into the hands of the living God. Can I take my place as the sinner? Can I own my character with the
fallen? There go I, but for the grace
of God. Can I admit my sinnerhood and
confess myself as an enemy of God? If I can, there's some hope
for me. There's some hope for me. All right, here's the second
question. Why do I need peace with God? I'm a sinner. I'm at
war with God. And then here's the second question.
What is this peace with God that Paul says we have through Christ? I'll give you a few things to
think about. First of all, peace is a state of being. Religion likes to talk about
that time when you made your peace with God. You can't make
peace with God. You don't have anything God wants.
You can't make your peace with God. God makes peace. That's what He says in the Scripture
plainly. He made the Jews and the Gentiles
one, so making peace. That's how He did it. There's
one in Christ. There's one people, Jew and Gentile.
One people, Old and New Testament. All of them believers, all in
Christ. And that's how peace was made. And peace is a state
of being. Peace is not something I see
and hope to have in some future date. Paul uses the plainest
language here. We have peace with God. And this is Paul's signature
opening in nearly all his epistles. Grace be unto you and peace. From God our Father and from
the Lord Jesus Christ. Peace. Peace is a state of being
and peace is the fruit of the Holy Ghost. The fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy, peace. Peace. I'm not at war. I'm at peace. I have peace. He made peace for me. Why am
I upset? Why am I arguing? Why am I fighting
with folks? Quit fighting. Stop your shotguns
in the corner. The war is over. While there may be an inward
conflict with sin, we're at peace with God and all those that we
minister to. The fruit of righteousness is
sown in peace of them that make peace. We sow in peace. Be careful about being critical
to people. Be careful about judging people.
Isn't that where God found you? That's exactly right. Such were some of you. That's
what Paul said. But you're washed. You're cleansed. You're called by the grace of
God, sanctified. Peace is a state of being, peace
is the fruit of the Spirit, and peace has a reigning effect on
all them that believe. Listen to this, Colossians 3.15. And let the peace of God rule
in your hearts. What's he talking about? Well,
somebody says something and it's a little out of order. Oh, I'm
going to straighten him up. Peace dictates what's going to
come out of here. Peace. You're at peace. You're
at peace. And you're going to answer then,
peace of God. Peace of God. And it's going to turn away wrath.
If you go the other way, it's just going to pour gasoline on
the fire. That's all it's going to do. It has a reigning effect. Let
the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also ye are
called in one body, and be thankful. Do I see a fault? Thank God that
He's helped me to see it. Be thankful. All right, thirdly,
what's the foundation of this peace with God? If I have peace
with God, what's the foundation of it? There's three words in
Romans 5-1 that we need to understand in order to discover the foundation
of peace with God. The first word is therefore.
When you see a therefore, look to see what it's there for. Go
back and read what he just said because he's building on something.
And the first word is therefore. The Apostle's subject in chapter
4 of Romans is justification by the righteousness of God through
faith. Abraham believed God and was
charged to him for righteousness. And then he tells us it wasn't
written for his sake alone, but for us also, to whom it shall
be imputed if we believe on him that raised up Christ from the
dead. Now listen, here's the heart
of this therefore, talking about Christ, who was delivered for
our offenses and raised again for our justification. Faith is not the leading cause
of justification. That's not what Paul teaches
in the book of Romans. If that were true, faith would
be our savior. Faith is not our savior. Christ
is our savior. The death, burial, and resurrection
of Christ is the cause of justification, and faith is how it finds its
intended object. In Romans 3, 23, Paul said, For
all have sinned, talking about Jews and Gentiles, and come short
of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace. Now watch
this, through the redemption that's in Christ Jesus. The only
part faith plays in this thing of justification is to mark out
who it is that this justification is for. Who did he justify when
he raised from the dead? All that believe. All that believe. How are they going to believe?
Well, faith is the gift of God, isn't it? Sure it is. That's
part of God's ordained means. Christ didn't die for all of
Adam's race, but for those chosen in Him before the foundation
of the world. And all those He chose unto salvation
from the beginning. How did He do it? How did He
do it? Through sanctification of the
Spirit and belief of the truth. Whereunto He called you by our
gospel. Paul tells the Thessalonians,
I know your election of God. Because our gospel came not unto
you in word only, but in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in
much assurance. Assurance of what? That Christ
accomplished my redemption. That I have free justification
in Him. He's my Savior, and He can save. And then it was said, as many
as were ordained to eternal life believe. And then in John 10,
11, our Lord said, I'm the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth
his life for the sheep. And then some more verses, and
then he tells them this. They said, if thou be the Christ,
tell us plainly. He said, I told you. But you
believe not, because you're not my sheep. As I said unto you,
my sheep hear my voice. Justification by faith is God's
work of imputing his righteousness to us, reconciling us to himself. Listen to this, 2 Corinthians
5, 18. And all things are of God, who
hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given
to us the ministry of reconciliation. How did we get reconciled? He
reconciled himself to us. Us to himself, I'm sorry, by
Jesus Christ. Reconciled me. How'd he do that? says, in the body of this flesh
through death. That's how he reconciled all
things, not just us, but all things in heaven and earth. Our peace with God is in a person
he abolished in his flesh, the enmity, even the law of commandments
contained in ordinances. For a making himself would twain
one new man, so making peace. and that he might reconcile both
unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby.
We have peace with God, Paul said, through our Lord Jesus
Christ, by whom we have access by this faith into this grace
wherein we stand. How did we get in this grace
that was given to us? How? By faith. By faith we have
access. The door is open. What was absolutely
impossible for you is now possible. Not only possible, it can't fail. He opens the door. And then he
says, come to me. And something you never did in
your whole life, you come to him. And you'll spend the rest
of your life trying to explain to somebody how you did it. How you did it. All right, fourthly, one more
question. How is this peace with God obtained? Well, I would say, first of all,
by divine decree. That's where I'd have to start.
God ordained for you to have faith, else he wouldn't have given it.
How do I know that? Because he worketh all things
after the counsel of his own will. That's how I know it. Being justified. Peace finds its beginning before
the foundation of the world. And I know this is going to make
the enemies of Christ jump up and down. Because they don't
believe in an eternal justification. But I'm telling you, His sheep
were justified before the foundation of the world in the mind and
heart of God. That's the only reason creation
was allowed to continue when Adam sinned. It's recorded that it is from
God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. And peace was a
provision provided for all God's elect in Christ. And therefore
the coming Redeemer is called the Prince of Peace. Isn't he? The Prince of Peace. Peace I
leave with you. My peace, he said, I give unto
you. Not as the world giveth, give I unto you. They'll give
you something and take it away from you. That's why I hate to
get gifts from the government. I know they're going to take
it back. They're going to get it back somehow, someway. They're
going to get it back. Peace was appropriated in Christ,
accomplished in Christ, dispersed under His present reign, and
made known by the means of preaching Christ and Him crucified. We obtain peace by faith through
the preaching of the Gospel. Listen to this, Ephesians 2.17,
And He came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and
to them that were nigh, both to the Jews and to the Gentiles.
For through Him we both have access by one Spirit unto the
Father. And God help me when I'm preaching
to point you or anybody else that's listening to Christ who
is our peace. Christ is peace. To have Him
is to have peace. And that's what Paul's saying
here. Therefore, therefore, based on Him and His work and His person
and His death, His righteousness, we have peace with God. through
our Lord Jesus Christ. And to have Him means that He
has you. I love that little passage over
there in the early chapters of John. I'm trying to remember
who it was, Philip, I think. The Lord found him and called
him. And he run and told his brother,
he said, I found the Lord. Well, the Lord just said he found
him. But when He finds you, you find
Him, don't you? And you have Him because He has
you. If He doesn't have you, you'd never have had Him. And all that the Father giveth
me, Christ said, shall come to me. And him that cometh to me,
I will in no wise cast out. And all the benefits, the benefits
of this peace, what are the benefits? Justification. Redemption, righteousness, faith,
joy, love, assurance, fellowship with God. Truly our fellowship
is with God. Oh, great God in heaven, teach
this poor sinner something about being at peace with God.