I'm a silly Billy. Sorry, thank you Monica.
I've just made a mess. I always make a mess.
I've spilt my drink all over the floor.
As we're getting this cleaned up, I wonder, Natasha and Karina, where's Karina?
Oh yeah, yeah. You speak a little English.
Okay. I wonder, just to help, if some of the younger people, if you wanted to sit a little closer and you could do Google Translate,
through the sermon, just a few words and sentences. Is that possible?
Yeah, are any of you able to do that? Did you understand me?
If anybody, I don't know how to do it, that's all.
Okay.
Thank you.
So let's open our Bibles to Romans.
Romans chapter 5.
Can you do it?
Yes, so we're going to do a Google Translate.
You can help.
Well done.
Thank you.
Yes.
Anybody, can you go to German?
Okay.
Do you speak German?
No.
Good try.
Trevor, can you do it as well?
I can get the Bible verses.
Yeah.
Yeah, just move around.
It's okay.
I don't mind people walking around and move your seats a bit closer.
Yeah.
Okay.
So we're looking at Romans.
Okay.
So please, just help.
Just help.
That's all we're asking.
You can move your seats.
Isabel, if you want to move your seats across the aisle, it's right.
You're very good.
Thank you.
So, Romans chapter 5.
And we're going to read verses 1 to 11.
Yeah, just show if you've got it there.
You can just pass it over and they'll follow along.
Romans 5, 1 to 11.
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.
And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.
Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings
because we know that suffering produces perseverance,
perseverance character, and character hope.
And hope does not put us to shame
because God's love has been poured into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
You see, at just the right time,
when we were still powerless,
Christ died for the ungodly.
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person,
though for a good person,
someone might possibly dare to die.
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this.
While we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.
Since we have now been justified by his blood,
how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him?
For if, while we were God's enemies,
we were reconciled to him through the death of his son,
how much more, having been reconciled,
shall we be saved through his life?
Not only is this so,
but we also boast in God
through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have now received reconciliation.
So we're going to pray and ask for God's help.
Our Father God, thank you for your word.
Thank you for your Holy Spirit.
Thank you that you speak our language.
You communicate with us.
And we ask that you would help us all today
that we may understand something of your word and your truth,
that it may build us up in our walk with you,
that we may all leave encouraged and refreshed.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
So as we start, I have two questions.
Here's the first question.
Can you explain the gospel?
If someone asked you,
what's the gospel?
What's it all about?
Would you be able to give an answer?
Can you explain the gospel?
The second question is related but different.
Have you experienced the gospel?
Do you know what effect or what change it brings in your life?
You see, the gospel isn't just something that we know in our heads.
It's something that's to be lived in our life.
We're not just to understand the gospel,
but we are to enjoy the gospel.
So before we go any further,
we're going to explain what the gospel is.
And the gospel can be explained
by using two words that we find in our text.
One is a legal word and one is a relational word.
Here's the first one, justification.
Look at verse one.
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith.
This little phrase justified by or through faith summarises all of chapters one to four.
It's all about what Jesus has done for us.
Jesus Christ came into the world to exchange places with you and I.
That's what we see at the end of verse eight.
End of verse eight.
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Jesus takes our place.
He takes our record of sin on himself.
And in its place, he gives us his record of righteousness.
So our sin, he takes.
His righteousness, he gives.
In other words, Jesus is treated as we deserve to be treated.
So that by faith, we are treated as Jesus deserves to be treated.
And that's what it means to be justified by faith.
We are declared right with God.
We're put into a right relationship.
It's a legal term and it gives us a status that can't be changed.
So we are right with God.
The second word is reconciliation.
These are the results or the effects of justification.
So look down at verse 11.
Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have now received reconciliation.
So reconciliation means that we can now enjoy a living and vibrant relationship with Jesus today.
We're no longer his enemies, but we're now his friends.
And it's all possible because of what Jesus has done.
That's a relational status.
It's something to enjoy.
So you see, the gospel isn't just something we need to explain.
It is something to be experienced.
It's not just something we know in our heads.
It's something to enjoy and to live out of our hearts.
So what we want to do today is to discover and think about what it means to enjoy the gospel every day.
How can I enjoy the gospel?
Not just know it, but enjoy it.
So here we go.
The first one is experience the gospel.
Let's read verses 1 and 2.
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand,
and we boast in the hope of the glory of God.
So did you see those three things?
Because of what Jesus has done, we have peace with God.
We now stand in his grace, and we have the hope of glory.
There's a past, present, and future.
The peace that came because of what Jesus has done,
the grace in which we now stand,
and the hope of glory that is yet to come.
To help us understand this, I want us to picture this scene.
I want you to think of yourself as standing under a great big waterfall on a hot day.
That water rushing down,
and you're standing underneath the waterfall as it comes rushing down.
It's fresh, and it's cool.
And at the bottom of that waterfall is a great big poo.
And from that poo is a series of other mini waterfalls that flow down to it,
to another poo.
It's a picture of what we have here.
The main poo is the relationship we have with Christ,
because we are justified and reconciled.
And that overflows into peace, grace, and hope.
The gospel is to be experienced as it overflows into our lives.
So we're going to look at these three pools in turn.
The first one is we have peace with God.
Peace isn't just the absence of an enemy,
but it's the presence of a friend.
That's what chapters 1 to 4 is.
It's all about explaining how we were enemies,
how we were under God's just judgment,
but now we have peace with God.
And that peace is not unlike the peace
that was enjoyed in the Garden of Eden.
Humanity in harmony with its creator
and with creation.
There was a sense of safety and security,
a place of well-being and wholeness,
in search of nothing because you have everything,
satisfied and fulfilled.
That's something that we can enjoy today,
a living, vibrant relationship with God.
So we have peace.
The second, we have grace.
See what it says?
We have peace through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Verse 2,
Through whom we have now gained access by faith
into this grace in which we now stand.
Grace is God's continuous generosity towards us,
which is unearned and undeserved.
In practice, it means God no longer treats us
as our sins deserve.
He treats us now as if we were his own son,
loved and treasured.
And because of Jesus,
all our sin is covered,
past, present and future.
And that's something extraordinary
because it means that
when I sin and when I fail,
I don't fall out of favour from God
and I don't have to work my way back into God.
I am always forgiven,
always accepted,
always welcomed,
despite my sin.
We stand safe and secure
in God's grace.
So not only do we have hope and grace
in which we can enjoy,
but we have the hope of glory.
Verse 2,
end of verse 2,
we boast in the hope of the glory of God.
We all know, don't we,
from our own personal experience
that the world we live in
is terribly broken and disordered.
Nations are at war.
Cultures clash.
Families are broken.
Individual lives are wrecked
through abuse and selfish addiction.
None of us gets to go through life
without being untouched by this brokenness.
It affects every one of us.
We get sick.
We die.
We face injustice.
But, as Christians, as believers,
we have the hope of glory to come.
And hope in the Bible
is not,
oh I hope it will happen,
a kind of,
well,
if I work a little bit harder
I might get a bit closer.
Hope in the Bible
is always absolute certainty.
One day
we have the hope of glory
when this world will be renewed and restored.
Paradise promised in all its perfection.
This is ours to enjoy.
Guaranteed and assured.
So this is the gospel.
This is for us not just to know in our head,
but to experience every day.
And the invitation is to come to that waterfall
to experience the flood of grace and mercy
and joy and peace
flowing down on our life.
You see, so often we can spend our time
trying to find enjoyment
in other things.
If only I could find that right job.
If I could get the right partner.
If I could just get that right thing.
Then everything will be okay.
But those pools are stagnant.
We are to experience the gospel
by immersing ourselves in the gospel.
But before we move on,
let's note that these things
can never ever be taken from us.
Look at what it says.
We have peace.
We have gained access to his grace.
And we boast in the hope of glory.
These can never be taken from us
because they have been secured
through the Lord Jesus Christ.
These are benefits of the gospel
that can be never taken
never changed
and never altered.
So we experience the gospel
every day.
The second thing
when it comes to enjoying the gospel
is to know how to apply the gospel.
Working it out in our life.
So read with me verse 3.
Not only so,
but we also glory in our sufferings
or we rejoice in our sufferings.
Did you read that carefully?
Did you?
That's hard, isn't it?
Rejoice in our sufferings
or glory in our sufferings?
That's hard because I know that many of you
suffer in different ways.
We've just said we live in a world
that is broken,
disordered and distorted.
Not just the physical world,
but our own personal lives.
As we go through our life,
we experience suffering
in all kinds of different ways.
Physically, emotionally and mentally.
And the last thing we feel like doing
is rejoicing.
How am I to rejoice
in my illness?
How am I to be grateful
in my condition?
How am I to see good
in my struggle?
Well, let me make it clear.
Rejoicing doesn't mean
that we jump around the place
with a big smile on our face
as if this is wonderful.
No, it means that through Christ
we now have a new way
at looking at our suffering
which we can rejoice about.
It gives us a different perspective.
You see, most of the time
we see nothing good in suffering.
The only good that can happen
is to get rid of it.
But the Gospel tells us
something different.
Because of the Gospel,
we can look at our suffering
through a different lens
and see that it brings good.
So look at verse 3 again.
Not only so,
but we also glory or rejoice
in our sufferings
because we know
that suffering produces
perseverance,
perseverance character
and character hope.
It builds perseverance.
You know, as we journey through life,
as we walk through life,
there'll be many times
we want to give up and give in.
It's too much of a struggle,
too much of a burden.
But through our suffering,
we learn our dependence on God
and as we depend upon Him,
so we persevere.
He gives us the ability
to keep on going.
He gives us the strength
to carry on.
So through our suffering,
we build perseverance.
And that has a knock-on effect
because it builds our character.
Have you noticed
that some of the most generous-hearted,
kind-loving people
are those who suffer?
Why is it that those
who suffer the most
care for others the most?
Because the Gospel
has taught them
that through suffering,
they have patience,
understanding,
and empathy.
They can come alongside people
who are also suffering
and say,
you know what?
I've been there.
I know what it feels like.
And let me show you
a God
who will hold you
and keep you
and never let you go.
You see,
the perseverance
that God gives us,
the strength He gives us,
changes our character
so that we
are able to draw
alongside others
to help them
in their suffering.
But there's a third link
to this chain.
Not only perseverance
and character,
but it builds hope.
You see,
when we're fit
and healthy
and all is good,
heaven and our eternal rest
can seem irrelevant
and not required.
But when suffering comes,
it reminds us
that this earth
is not our home.
We're longing
for something better
and greater.
Suffering fuels
our desire
to be finished
with the struggles
of this world.
to be released
from our decaying bodies,
to be set free
from our tortured minds.
Suffering builds
within us
an anticipation
and an expectation
of our final home.
So all of these
knock-on effects.
God strengthens us
to give us perseverance
that builds
and changes
our character
so that we are able
to help those
who are suffering
and together
it creates
an astounding
expectation
of the glory
that is to come.
You see,
because of the gospel,
we can rejoice
in our suffering.
Do you see
what it says there?
Glory
or rejoice
in.
It doesn't say
glory
about your sufferings.
There's nothing
good
about suffering
in and of itself.
But we can glory
in it
because we now
have a new perspective,
a new way
of thinking
about it.
Well,
you say,
that sounds great.
But how can I
know that
as a reality
in my life?
Well,
look at verse 5.
And hope
does not
put us
to shame
because God's
love has been
poured into
our hearts
through the Holy
Spirit
who has been
given to us.
We know
God loves us
because he's
proved his love
by dying for us
on the cross.
But we just
don't want to
know that
in our heads.
We want to
experience that
in our life.
And how does
that come about?
By the work
of the Holy Spirit
who pours,
who takes
the demonstrated
love of God
and pours
that into
our life
so that
even in
our suffering
we know
that he loves
us because
he's producing
perseverance,
character
and hope.
So think of
yourself under
that roaring
fountain
or that
waterfall
cascading
down upon
you,
the love
of God
pouring down
on your life.
The Holy
Spirit
internalises
that
so that
we know
even in
our most
difficult
times
God is
doing a
work in
our life
for good
and for
his glory.
So
we apply
the gospel.
We experience
it.
And third,
we're to
remember
the gospel.
You see,
if we're to
know this
gospel,
if we're to
experience it
in our life,
we need to
remember what
it's all about.
How do we
remember?
Well,
two very
simple things
that we should
all know.
We remember
it by
focusing
on the
cross.
Look at
verse 6.
You see,
at just
the right
time,
when we
were still
powerless,
Christ died
for the
ungodly.
Very rarely
will anyone
die for a
righteous
person,
though for a
good person
someone might
possibly dare
to die.
But God
demonstrates
his own
love for us
in this.
While we
were still
sinners,
Christ died
for us.
It reminds
us of
what we
were like.
Do you
see what it
says there
in verse
10?
Or,
sorry,
verse 6
and verse
7?
That we
were ungodly.
We were
sinners,
enemies of
God.
But perhaps
what is most
revealing is
it tells us
we were
powerless,
verse 6.
No one
has the
power to
change their
relationship
with God.
Nobody has
the inner
resources to
make God
love us
or for God
to change
us.
It is
something that
God does
for us.
He takes
the initiative.
He intervenes
in our life.
He's the one
who dies
for us.
Twice it
tells us,
in verse 6
and in
verse 8,
Christ
died
for us
because he
loves us.
He loves
us deeply.
So as we
remind ourselves
of this gospel
truth that he
intervened into
our life
to die for
us so that
we could
experience his
peace,
his grace,
his hope,
so that we
could rejoice
in our
suffering and
know that he
is bringing
about perseverance,
that he is
bringing about
strength to
our life,
changing our
character and
giving us
hope.
So we
focus on the
cross and
we focus on
the resurrection.
Look at
verse 10
with me.
For if
while we
were God's
enemies,
we were
reconciled to
him through
the death
of his
son,
how much
more,
having been
reconciled,
shall we
be saved
through his
life?
You see,
the fact,
and I think
there it's
talking about
his resurrection
life.
How shall we
be saved
through his
resurrection
life?
The fact
that Christ
rose from
the grave
is the
proof that
we need
to know
that we
will receive
our full
salvation.
Because
Christ
rose,
we will
rise.
And because
he rose
again,
we know
that we
will experience
peace and
grace and
joy in
all its
fullness in
eternity to
come.
I need to
remind myself
of that
truth.
We have it
because we
are saved
through his
resurrection
life.
So these
are the
twin truths
that we
are to
carry with
us every
single day.
We need
to remind
ourselves of
these truths,
the cross
and the
resurrection.
Remember
that waterfall
that we
talked about?
As the
water comes
cascading down
and it
fills up
that pool
and from
that pool
it overflows
to other
ones?
Well,
if that
waterfall
stopped,
those pools
would not be
there.
In other
words,
it needs to
be continually
filled up
and overflowing.
And we
need to
fill up in
our life.
We need to
fill our
lives up
with the
gospel,
to go
back to
the truth
of the
cross and
the
resurrection.
And as
it does,
it overflows
into our
life with
peace and
grace and
hope,
giving us
a future,
giving us
strength to
live for
today.
So my
invitation and
encouragement
for us all
is that we
would swim
in the
gospel every
day.
Don't just
dip your
toe in,
and just
kind of
put a
finger in
and see
what it's
like.
No,
jump in,
immerse
yourself,
apply it,
and enjoy
the gospel.
We have
been justified.
We are
reconciled.
We have a
great relationship
with our
God.
Let's
pray.
Amen.
God,
we are
going to
pray.
Amen.
Our
Father God,
we thank
you so
much for
the truth
of the
gospel.
Thank you
that you
have saved
us,
you have
rescued us,
and you
have given
us peace
with you
today,
grace to
cover all
of our
sin,
the hope
of glory
to come.
Would you
please help
us as we
go through
our struggles
and trials
to be able
to look at
them with
your perspective,
to know that
you are working
good in them
and through
them,
strengthening
us,
building us
up,
transforming
our character,
and giving
us the hope
of what we
have to come.
Father,
help us
that we
would remember
the truth
of the
gospel
every day,
that Jesus
died for
me,
that Jesus
was raised
for me,
so that I
can be safe
and secure
with him
now and
forever.
We give
you our
praise,
we say
thank you,
in Jesus'
name,
Amen.
Well,
we're going
to sing
together,
one that
helps us
to rejoice
further
in the
gospel,
to God
be the
glory,
great things
he has
done,
so loved
he the
world
that he
gave us
his
son.
So let's
stand
together
as we
sing.
Thank you.