Rejoicing in the Gospel

Julius is not produced by the ease but by pressure on the results of the works of Spall's character tested character in Romans chapter 5 the apostle Paul talks about our justification and how it leads to peace with God provides access to God through faith allows us to rejoice in the hope even in the midst of our suffering because that suffering is actually producing endurance today on Renewing Your Mind were pleased to feature a message that look in her teaching fellow, Dr. Sinclair Ferguson delivered originally for our ministry partners we like to share it with you. It's titled rejoicing in the gospel when the looking at our stuff suggested to me. I might record a special message of the month for ministry partners. I thought this was really a great idea because when you speak when you're a preacher girl was speaking to the people who are there on a not to people who make you do the carbon unsold from a personal point of view it's it's actually very helpful to me to be thinking about you outside bring this message today because this is message for the ministry partners as well as a message for myself. I want to reflect with you on a passage list be much on my mind recently from Paul's letter to the Romans chapter 5 in verses one through 11, let me read it, but for some Spall since we have been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God more than about we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope fund hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who is been given to us for what we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

For one will scarcely die for a righteous person, though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die. But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us since not for we have not been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God for us while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his son, much more now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life more than about. We also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Christian forefathers in the reformed tradition often used to speak about the danger of living. Below are privileges by that they meant that we have a great gospel and we believe the gospel, but often we don't take stock gospel the way we should all life's don't reflect the saver and the power and the grace of the gospel. I think many of us are very conscious of this week.

We may set under preaching that exalts Christ and yet we feel that our lives do not match the privilege that we have in hearing about Christ and knowing Christ. I don't think that is just a 21st-century issue in the church. Seems to me from the New Testament, but that's always been an issue, and so the New Testament is punctuated by passages that hold out to others but wonder about privileges so that we may taste them so that we may grow in them so that our structuralist Christians may begin to match the privileges that are ours in Christ uncertainly. Romans 51 through 11 is one of those passages it's held together by an expression of phrase found that Paul uses three times he uses it.

First of all, in verse two. Again in verse three, and again he uses it in verse 11, because we been justified by faith and of peace with God. We rejoice in hope of the glory of God. In verse three.

More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, and finally in verse 11. Even more than that. We also rejoice in God himself through our Lord Jesus Christ, which is unmasked in most translations perfectly.

Understandably, is that this is a file but Paul has already used several times in Romans. Although I do not always been differently translated. He uses it four times, I think, in chapter 2 verse 17 and 23 in chapter 3 verse 27 and in chapter 4 verse two in each of these occasions is usually translated boast, but it somebody boasting" policy been demonstrating in the sound. The chapter says that we actually have nothing to boast about before God. Religious people of Boston landmarks the Jewish people of boasted in the possession of the law and we do that by nature, don't we wait boast in our own accomplishments, and Paul's argument from chapter 1 verse 18 through two chapter 3 verse 20 is intended to silence our boasting NDT says towards the end of the argument I'm unreasoning this way from the word of God so that every mouth may be shut of the whole world may be held guilty before God goes on to say, even Abraham if Abraham had accomplished something he would've something to Boston but not before God.

Even Abraham had nothing to Boston so this is his position by nature as we stand before God. Our mothers are shot.

We have nothing to Boston just to say we have nothing in ourselves that we can rejoice in before God.

But then comes the gospel.

Christ the propitiation for our sentence.

Christ, in whom we have redemption. Christ, in whom we have justification and our model several current and we begin to boast to exalt to rejoice, but not in ourselves.

We rejoice in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, and he saying that we do this in three ways. Actually, almost seems as though he's walking with us up three steps we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. We rejoice in our sufferings, we rejoice in God himself. So first of all, we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God and interesting glory is also a Tatum that's been used alone in Romans and in a rather parallel way, remember Harlan chapter 1 he had said would eventually exchange the glory of God for foot creation we worship creatures, rather than the glorious Lord and then later on in a very famous statement.

He says we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. I think if I were finishing that sentence in Romans 323, I would've been inclined to say with all send them broken the law of God, and that's the evil of arson, but Paul wants us to understand the tragedy of arson.

The tragedy of our sinners, we were made for the glory of God.

We were made to live for lack glory unto reflect light, glory, and ultimately to live in the glory and we have sold that inheritance for nothing and so he says this is the wonder of the gospel. But when we are justified. We have this hope of the glory of God. I'm sure you know that in the New Testament hope is not wishful thinking. Hope is not saying well I hope it's going to be a good day tomorrow because my neck and going play golf know in the New Testament hope is an assurance of something we haven't fully yet experienced. Think of it this way better so there's a grandson and your family are perhaps even your own young son that he's looking forward to Christmas and he looks through the curtains one night and he sees you bringing something into the house seems to very strange thing sticking out of it on to round things 11 Landon one of the other and it's all covered up and you don't know that he senior and then perhaps someone in the family system. Sean put what are you wanting for Christmas and he says I'm hoping to get a new bicycle is not wishful thinking. He knows the bicycle is already hidden in the garage that says assurance that he is going to experience what is coming. Christmas because he's already tasted I was the point Paul is making here we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God because we have this wonderful assurance that Jesus Christ who is saved is no will keep us to the end because he's justified us and that means that this is the wonderful truth of the gospel, but because the righteousness that is imputed to us is Christ's righteousness.

There is a sense in which we can say we are now before the judgment seat of God as a righteous as Jesus Christ himself and thought righteousness can never fail. No wonder Paul says we have peace with God and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

But I notice he takes a step up.

I think even an unbeliever can respectively assurance that Christians have perhaps even see it is enviable but not what Paul speaks about is something that we unbeliever finds remarkable.

We not only rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. He says we rejoice in our sufferings, not Paul did not rejoice in pain what he says as he rejoiced in productivity under notice. That's the way he puts it, we rejoice in our sufferings, not because of what we feel, but because of what we know, knowing that suffering produces and Hunter produces his endurance water uses healers who pulmonary under is the ability to remain under pressure.

Always think of these Olympic weightlifters every four years suddenly become onto the dais. They put the chocolate hands, and I may lift these massive waves above their heads.

You can see the knees and legs almost buckling and I think a green light goes on, the way it comes down like a ton of bricks will be able to do that.

It's not because they eat your oatmeal in the morning it's because over the months and the years. The pressure that has been placed upon them that the stretching of their bodies.

The children's tasks that we've been through the increasing weights that are been placed on them that slept the pressure has produced three and children's and this is what Paul is saying sometimes say I wonder if you know a Christian who who gives the impression with Dr. altogether and you're with them and suddenly they lose the plot a bit embarrassed on my tongue to you and say I don't know what came over me and I'm usually a very patient person. That's what Paul is speaking about here. I'm usually a very patient person in the truth is that actually a very impatient person whose impatience has never really been tested because in Julian's is not produced by ease, but by pressure on the results of that since Paul is character tested character, but then you notice what he goes on to say. He says this character produces hope, hope of what actually is the hope of glory and you see how his doctrine on his experience of no United. The truth of justification leads me to rejoice in the hope of the glory of God but the work of God in my life was.

He produces in Julian Sunderland children's produces tested character actually then begins to what that hope deeply into my soul and then he notes on this whole does not put us to shame. Alternately, older translations, the school doesn't disappoint, because it doesn't let us dine the how do we know that how do we know that are not experienced while he answers our question because God's love has already been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who is been given to us for the red light sermon of Jonathan Edwards entitled-a world of love. Heaven is a world of love and perhaps we can picture recklessly when the Lord Jesus sends his Holy Spirit into our hearts. It is a slow in order to get into our hearts. He punctures a whole in the floor of heaven, and thus he comes down to us that love which is the atmosphere of heaven comes down with us and floods. Our hearts that perfect sense of the love of the Lord Jesus, that the saints in glory now comes down and measure into our hearts. And the reason we have this hope within us is because we've already begun to taste the reality for which we hope remember words that were spoken describing Richard Serbs the great Puritan pastor and theologian of that blessed man let this just praise because in that heaven was in him before he was in heaven. But you know that's true of every Christian believer, the love of God poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, but then fast forward for a minute to chapter 5 in verse 11 we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

We rejoice in our sufferings, and then I think even more remarkably, I think this is actually beyond the unbelievers understand we rejoice in God himself.

Note that statement is, of course, the conclusion of the reasoning that Paul has worked out from verse five right through to verse 10 and his reasoning is less. Why is it what we rejoice in God himself for himself on the answer is because we know the kind of God to use. He is the God of infinite love for his people. He loved us from the first of time and people love us to the last. We measure love will usually measure love by the dignity of the lover don't way.

On the one who is loved us is the one who has eternal dignity out heavenly father. The blessed Holy Spirit, our Savior Jesus Christ and we measure love by that the distance the gulf between the lover and the left one under notice how Paul describes the loved one here he uses a variety of vocabulary to tell us who we really are we out of the ungodly. We are sinners we are enemies. That's the people he has lost. And then we measure love by for the loved one is willing to receive from the level because of what the level is willing to do for the left one. And if I can greet translate or reformulate what Paul says here, I think you will get the point he makes curious what he says literally while we were still weak, at the right time for the ungodly. Christ died for one for a righteous person will scarcely die but perhaps for good person one would dare even to die. But God shows his love for us and why we Westerners still sinners follows Christ died every statement he makes emphasizes the word died.

That's the measure of his love.

It's not just that he came from heaven to seek us is that with his own precious blood. He bought us. That's why we are able to rejoice in God because there is nothing in him.

Unlike the Lord Jesus the Lord Jesus and manifests the love of my heavenly father and we are therefore able to bask in that love and not only do we bask in my love. But we know that that love will secure us to the end. He says now that we are reconciled through his love. Would we ever doubt that we will be saved by his life and how he puts it in Romans 832 if God didn't spare his own son for us, but gave him up for us all. We wouldn't ever dilute that he would give us everything we need to get to heaven Woodway and this is why essentially a parcel that we rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

I wonder if like me you sometimes feel your living below the level of your privileges. Paul is saying here Christian are your privileges are if you're not a Christian, yet here in the privileges that you will find in Jesus Christ. I think my favorite illustration and Pilgrim's progress comes in the second question the pilgrims life Christiana is making her way to the heavenly city and an interpreter.

So she shown this picture of a man who was standing with a muckraking expand on is raking about in the market looking for treasure and he hasn't lifted up his eyes to see someone standing in front of him holding a kind of goal but could be a picture of someone who is not yet a Christian, you're looking in the wrong place. But Jesus Christ has a kind of goal to offer you and perhaps as a Christian, you've taken your eyes off him and you need to lift them up again to him and enjoy the kind of gold he wants to put on your head and then you will know what it is to rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, even to rejoice in your sufferings and especially to rejoice in God himself out. Heavenly father, we thank you for the riches of your grace to us in Jesus Christ. I pray for myself for friends who hear this message to govern our lives may reflect the privileges that are ours about those privileges make through our witness be extended to others who will join us in loving trust be with us today we pray, forgive arsons strengthen us whenever we are to serve you for your specific Jesus. Amen. That message of hope comes from our good friend than regular teaching fellow, Dr. Sinclair Ferguson. He took the time to record this message from his home to to be an encouragement to our ministry partners here for dinner and we thought it would be helpful for you are Renewing Your Mind listeners at a time when so many are feeling anxiety over things that are happening here and around the world. We want to bring the power of God's word to bear no was more than 30 years ago that I first heard teaching like this from Dr. Ferguson and our founder Dr. RC Sproul a common refrain of mine was. I've never heard this before it help me to connect the dots of my Christian faith and it's not hyperbole to say it was life-changing for me, life-changing, 241 of our listeners named Brian when he first heard RC teach about what no one else is about predestination or election credible and its market interest in me. I started reading Romans Romans nine in Ephesians 1 and I started reading things like a heavy paint and all the other theologians I just he ignited a passionate being yummy understand the historical context why Protestant separate RC scroll and is teaching is the alley no one else is teaching theology and everyone else the Bible I will know, teaching systematic theology known was tell you what to believe and why apologetics it was a Bible college and seminary came through the airwaves and reached me, even though I never went and had been eating his material have ever spent.

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I still purchase material and it really keeps me rooted and grounded passionate my faith keeping me growing, so that I can disciple those around me and Brian story is possible only because of the financial gifts of listeners like you. The devotionals and sermons were hearing this week are part of a large library of exclusive messages reserved for Wegener's ministry partners. That's a good example of the expert discipleship resources available to those who commit to support Wegener's gospel outreach on a monthly basis. There steady, dependable, giving means. This teaching continues to expand and reach more people year after year, and his way of saying thank you. We provide these resources to our partners each month including the messages your hearing this week.

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Among the things we need most is wisdom. We all know that the more complex life becomes and the more complicated situations we face all the more urgent is our need for wisdom and now we can go back to James 15 if any of you lacks wisdom, Dr. Steven Nichols will be our teacher tomorrow and we hope you'll join us for Renewing Your Mind