Rightwised
Sermon
ACTING ON THE ABSURD
Second Lesson Sermons For Sundays After Pentecost
I knew that I was wrong with God and that I was scared. I was only nine years old. I had not robbed a bank. I was not a serial killer. I had not shaken a defiant fist in the face of God. I was only nine years old, but I knew I was wrong with God and that I was scared. I knew I was wrong with God because I knew I was a sinner as evidenced by the fact that I had stolen a piece of chewing gum from my mother's purse that very morning. Not big stuff, you say, but after all, I was only nine years old. But I was old enough to know I was a sinner and that my sin had created a separation between me and God.
I was scared. A few weeks earlier I had dreamed that I was on the roof of Mike Galloway's clubhouse where we often played. I looked into the sky and saw Jesus coming back to earth again, and I knew that I was not ready. I was scared.
On that morning God sent a preacher to hold a revival at our church, from of all places, Chattanooga, Tennessee. His name was Ansel Baker. I remember many things from that Sunday morning sermon. I remember that Ansel Baker said that he had a "red" Bible because he thought the Bible ought to be "read." He particularly caught my interest when he said, "If you are scared that God is going to send you to hell, forget it!" Whew! "Thank you, Lord," I said to myself. "Now I don't have to do anything." But then he quickly added, "You'll send yourself." "Uh--oh!"
Dr. Baker offered an invitation "to accept Jesus." From my vantage point of the second pew, I saw two men hugging each other in front of the church. My father later mentioned something about the two of them in a court battle over a property line dispute. I only knew that something was happening and that I needed to do something. So, I went forward and gave my hand to Sidney Argo, our pastor. I became right with God. I gave as much as I knew of myself to as much as I knew of God. That wasn't much! I was only nine years old. But that moment changed my life. Nothing I have ever done in all my life has ever influenced me more than that single decision to follow Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I have not always lived up to my part of the bargain. Many times I have fallen woefully short, but God has never failed me. I came to God out of ignorance and fear, and he gave to me far more than I ever imagined on the day I became right with God. Did I tell you that I was only nine years old?
In the fifth chapter of Romans, Paul is talking about all the wonderful things that God gives to us when we become "rightwised" - right with God.
We rejoice in a new relationship to God (vv. 1--2). Notice that verse 1 begins with a "therefore." It is an important word. When you see a "therefore," ask, "Why for the therefore?" "What is the 'therefore' there for?" The "therefore" serves as a connecting word or bridge between the concepts of chapters 1 through 4 and the concepts of chapters 5 through 6. The word could be rendered "as a result of." Paul is saying, "therefore," "as a result of" having realized that Jesus died for our sins, repented of our sins and in childlike faith put our trust in God, absurdly wonderful and joyous effects are brought about by God in our lives.
God has justified (v. 1) us by his grace through faith. Our word "justification" comes from a Greek word which simply means "to put right." Our word "righteousness" also is built on this Greek root and always refers not to something we are or have earned but to a position imparted to us. Christ has put us in "right standing" with God. Justification is a descriptive word which has a forensic or legal background. It paints this picture: A man stands before the judge. He is undeniably guilty and stands ready to receive the punishment he deserves. The judge says, "There is no doubt as to your guilt, thus, you shall die." The condemned man proceeds to the gallows to face his sentence. As he is about to ascend to the gallows, a court messenger arrives and declares, "Wait, even though you are guilty, the court has granted you a pardon. You are free and returned to a right standing with the law 'as if' you had never committed the crime." Christ pardons us "as if" we had never sinned and reinstates us to himself with full privileges. Frank Stagg calls this "an acquittal that brings life."
Romans 5:1--8 is a beautiful description of the many gifts God gives to us when he "puts us right" with himself! Therefore, we rejoice in a new relationship with God characterized by his peace (v. 1). Before, our lives were characterized by an enmity or hostility between ourselves and God caused by our own sinfulness. Now, because we are put right with God by faith, we have a serene, deep peace that comes from the hand of God. This is a peace akin to the serene settledness of deep ocean waters unaffected by surface noise and commotion. It is a peace that results from the knowledge that our sins are forgiven and our relationship to the Father is restored.
History records the fact that in the War of 1812, Andrew Jackson and his troops defended the city of New Orleans against the British and won. Unknown to Jackson and his men, however, the battle was fought weeks after the peace treaty had already been signed in Europe. Because of the slowness of communications, hundreds of soldiers died for a peace that had already been secured. Just as great a tragedy is the fact that today many are suffering in sin when possible peace with God has been secured.
We rejoice in a new relationship to God characterized by an access to him (v. 2a). Before, in the old covenant, access to God was very limited. Only the high priest went into the holy of holies and then only once a year. Now, because through Christ's death the veil of the temple was "rent in twain," we have unlimited access to the throne of grace. We have been "put right" with God and now come before God as an invited and honored guest.
It is said that upon a significant battlefield in Korea, a sign was posted which read, "The precious blood of the gallant officers and men of the Seventh Calvary Regiment makes it possible for you to be here." There should be a sign posted at the throne of grace reading, "The precious blood of Jesus Christ hath made it possible for you to be here." We not only have peace with God but direct access to Him. In that we rejoice.
We rejoice in a new relationship to God characterized by hope (v. 2b). Before, when still in our sin, we were hopeless, lost, with no future - no purpose or direction to life. Now we can know the direction of our personal pilgrimage - we are headed toward Christ--likeness! We are going to be like Jesus and share in his glory. "Christ in you, the hope of glory!" God is working in our lives to make us to be "conformed to the image of his son" (Romans 8:28--29 NRSV).
When I was a student at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, one of our finest chapel speakers was D. E. King, an African--American preacher from Chicago. Someone asked Pastor King why black Christians were always joyful in their worship, even when things were not going well. The pastor exclaimed, "We rejoice in what we are going to have."1 Allow me to enhance that by saying because of our hope in Christ, we rejoice in what we are going to be - like Jesus. Because of being "put right," we have a new relationship to God characterized by peace, prayerful access, and hope.
We rejoice in a new understanding (vv. 3--5). Because we have been "rightwised," we can better deal with difficulty.
There is an old tombstone in upstate New York with an epitaph which reads: "In memory of Ellen Shannon, aged 26, who died March 21, 1870, when she was burned to death from an explosion of a lamp that was filled with R. C. Danforth's non--explosive burning fuel."2 "Non--explosive burning fuel?" Something that was not supposed to explode did and took Ellen Shannon's life. This is the world in which we live. We are subject to the random results of an imperfect universe. Christians have no protective shield nor are immune to the harsh realities of life. In fact, suffering is part and parcel of the Christian experience and sometimes is even caused by our Christian stance. We, as Christians, live in, not apart from, a world that is wrong with God. Just because we are right with God does not mean that we are immune to what is wrong with the world. But Paul assures us that we can rejoice, even in our sufferings. How? He shows us how.
We can rejoice in our sufferings because we know that God is working in our lives to produce endurance (KJV - patience, v. 4) from tribulation. The word translated "tribulation" can better be rendered "pressure." Are you feeling the pressure of everyday life? Are you suffering under the harsh pressure of financial problems, marital problems, sickness, vocation, or family problems? Take heart! Here's good news! The word translated "endurance" comes from two words which mean "to stay under." When life caves in, God gives us staying power, the ability to stay under, to hang in there.
Recently I was with Judge George Carpenter, one of the finest Christians I know. He told of a recent time of testing following a tragic accident. "I felt as if I had come to the end of my rope. You know what I did? I tied a knot in the end of the rope and hung on!" That's the "endurance" God gives, the ability - his ability - to hang in there. But this is not a passive and placid acceptance of whatever may come. Inherent in this concept is the active effort to overcome.
We rejoice because we know that endurance produces character (KJV - experience, v. 4). The word in the original language connotes a quality of being tried, tested, and approved. In trying to get through college, I worked three summers at Republic Steel in Gadsden, Alabama. It was amazing to see how they seemingly could pour about everything in the world - scrap iron, rocks, minerals, and so on, into those huge furnaces. Then the heat of the fire would do its work and out would come a pure, hardened, tempered, and tested steel product exactly fit for its intended purpose. God uses the fires of testing in our lives to burn out the impurities and to temper and mold us to be fit for his use!
We can rejoice because God uses character to produce hope (v. 4). The natural result of such endurance and character is an optimistic attitude of hope. We know that God will not disappoint us in our hope (v. 5a) because he has given to us the Holy Spirit as a guarantee (v. 5b). He is our assurance, our down payment, that our hope is not in vain and that we are never alone.
It is said that during World War II, a squad of American soldiers befriended a group of hungry and destitute orphans in Europe. The Americans did everything they could for the nourishment and security of the children, but they still could not sleep at night. The soldiers then happened upon a remedy for the restlessness of the children. In the hand of each child before retiring for the night was placed a piece of bread. The children slept soundly, knowing that they would eat tomorrow. The bread was their guarantee that they would not be hungry. The Holy Spirit is God's guarantee that our hope is not in vain and he will be with us supplying our every need according to his riches. As Romans 8:32 states, "He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, generously give us all things?" (NIV).
And what does he wish to give us? The very life of Christ, himself. I do not want a changed life. I want an exchanged life. I want to exchange my old life for the very life of Jesus, one filled with peace, access to the Father, hope, and growth in suffering.
Such a life is possible for us today, because God loved us enough to send his son to die for us even while we were still sinners (v. 8). He gave his life for us even though we might never know about it or might even reject his overture of love. As I look at my own children and grandchildren, I ask myself, "Would you be willing to give up one of those precious lives for someone who might never care?" Hardly! But Christ died for sinners, like you and me!
When I was nine years old, I was wrong with God and I was scared. But I came to God and asked him to put me right with him. God did. God gave to me far more than I ever imagined or will ever discover. He will do the same for you. There is a tale told about a fatherless family, a mother with two sons, living in the South during the Depression. Life was hard. The mother had one thing of which she was very proud, her big, fluffy feather bed. The sheets were always white and crisp. The bed was always immaculately made. The boys had the run of the house except for that bed. Nobody was to get on mother's feather bed with those big, beautiful fluffy white pillows and those clean, crisp sheets.
The youngest son came in the house from the outside where he had been playing in the yard. He hardly noticed the mud on his bare feet. As he walked by the bedroom, he saw the big, beautiful white feather bed with the big, white fluffy pillows. He thought, "This is my chance. Brother is out mending a fence and mama is in the barn. Nobody will ever know." Then he thought, "Oh, no, I can't do it." Then he thought, "Oh, yes, I can!" So the lad scampered into the room. He mounted the headboard and did a beautiful swan dive right into the middle of his mother's feather bed. He was having the time of his life. He was jumping joyously and punching the pillows. He was having so much fun that he lost track of time. Then, he looked up and out of the corner of his eye he saw his mother standing in the doorway. She had in her hand a hickory stick, slapping it up against her leg. He thought. "Oh, no, I'm in for it now." Then out of the corner of his other eye he looked and saw his older brother standing in the window. His brother then did a beautiful and wonderful thing. He climbed in through the window, edged toward his younger brother, and ascended over his brother on all fours, encasing him, and he said, "Mama, I know he deserves it. He has done wrong and I want you to really lay it on him. But I'll take it for him this time." The mother stared as her chin began to twitch. She then dropped her switch. "Get out of here before I whip you both," she said as she wiped a tear from her cheek.
Would it be improper to say that while we were yet sinners, Jesus said, "I'll take it for them this time?"
____________
1. James E. Hightower, Jr., Illustrating Paul's Letter To The Romans (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1984), p. 36.
2. Preaching, Volume V, Number 5, March--April, 1990 (Jacksonville: Preaching Resources, Inc.), p. 46.
I was scared. A few weeks earlier I had dreamed that I was on the roof of Mike Galloway's clubhouse where we often played. I looked into the sky and saw Jesus coming back to earth again, and I knew that I was not ready. I was scared.
On that morning God sent a preacher to hold a revival at our church, from of all places, Chattanooga, Tennessee. His name was Ansel Baker. I remember many things from that Sunday morning sermon. I remember that Ansel Baker said that he had a "red" Bible because he thought the Bible ought to be "read." He particularly caught my interest when he said, "If you are scared that God is going to send you to hell, forget it!" Whew! "Thank you, Lord," I said to myself. "Now I don't have to do anything." But then he quickly added, "You'll send yourself." "Uh--oh!"
Dr. Baker offered an invitation "to accept Jesus." From my vantage point of the second pew, I saw two men hugging each other in front of the church. My father later mentioned something about the two of them in a court battle over a property line dispute. I only knew that something was happening and that I needed to do something. So, I went forward and gave my hand to Sidney Argo, our pastor. I became right with God. I gave as much as I knew of myself to as much as I knew of God. That wasn't much! I was only nine years old. But that moment changed my life. Nothing I have ever done in all my life has ever influenced me more than that single decision to follow Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I have not always lived up to my part of the bargain. Many times I have fallen woefully short, but God has never failed me. I came to God out of ignorance and fear, and he gave to me far more than I ever imagined on the day I became right with God. Did I tell you that I was only nine years old?
In the fifth chapter of Romans, Paul is talking about all the wonderful things that God gives to us when we become "rightwised" - right with God.
We rejoice in a new relationship to God (vv. 1--2). Notice that verse 1 begins with a "therefore." It is an important word. When you see a "therefore," ask, "Why for the therefore?" "What is the 'therefore' there for?" The "therefore" serves as a connecting word or bridge between the concepts of chapters 1 through 4 and the concepts of chapters 5 through 6. The word could be rendered "as a result of." Paul is saying, "therefore," "as a result of" having realized that Jesus died for our sins, repented of our sins and in childlike faith put our trust in God, absurdly wonderful and joyous effects are brought about by God in our lives.
God has justified (v. 1) us by his grace through faith. Our word "justification" comes from a Greek word which simply means "to put right." Our word "righteousness" also is built on this Greek root and always refers not to something we are or have earned but to a position imparted to us. Christ has put us in "right standing" with God. Justification is a descriptive word which has a forensic or legal background. It paints this picture: A man stands before the judge. He is undeniably guilty and stands ready to receive the punishment he deserves. The judge says, "There is no doubt as to your guilt, thus, you shall die." The condemned man proceeds to the gallows to face his sentence. As he is about to ascend to the gallows, a court messenger arrives and declares, "Wait, even though you are guilty, the court has granted you a pardon. You are free and returned to a right standing with the law 'as if' you had never committed the crime." Christ pardons us "as if" we had never sinned and reinstates us to himself with full privileges. Frank Stagg calls this "an acquittal that brings life."
Romans 5:1--8 is a beautiful description of the many gifts God gives to us when he "puts us right" with himself! Therefore, we rejoice in a new relationship with God characterized by his peace (v. 1). Before, our lives were characterized by an enmity or hostility between ourselves and God caused by our own sinfulness. Now, because we are put right with God by faith, we have a serene, deep peace that comes from the hand of God. This is a peace akin to the serene settledness of deep ocean waters unaffected by surface noise and commotion. It is a peace that results from the knowledge that our sins are forgiven and our relationship to the Father is restored.
History records the fact that in the War of 1812, Andrew Jackson and his troops defended the city of New Orleans against the British and won. Unknown to Jackson and his men, however, the battle was fought weeks after the peace treaty had already been signed in Europe. Because of the slowness of communications, hundreds of soldiers died for a peace that had already been secured. Just as great a tragedy is the fact that today many are suffering in sin when possible peace with God has been secured.
We rejoice in a new relationship to God characterized by an access to him (v. 2a). Before, in the old covenant, access to God was very limited. Only the high priest went into the holy of holies and then only once a year. Now, because through Christ's death the veil of the temple was "rent in twain," we have unlimited access to the throne of grace. We have been "put right" with God and now come before God as an invited and honored guest.
It is said that upon a significant battlefield in Korea, a sign was posted which read, "The precious blood of the gallant officers and men of the Seventh Calvary Regiment makes it possible for you to be here." There should be a sign posted at the throne of grace reading, "The precious blood of Jesus Christ hath made it possible for you to be here." We not only have peace with God but direct access to Him. In that we rejoice.
We rejoice in a new relationship to God characterized by hope (v. 2b). Before, when still in our sin, we were hopeless, lost, with no future - no purpose or direction to life. Now we can know the direction of our personal pilgrimage - we are headed toward Christ--likeness! We are going to be like Jesus and share in his glory. "Christ in you, the hope of glory!" God is working in our lives to make us to be "conformed to the image of his son" (Romans 8:28--29 NRSV).
When I was a student at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, one of our finest chapel speakers was D. E. King, an African--American preacher from Chicago. Someone asked Pastor King why black Christians were always joyful in their worship, even when things were not going well. The pastor exclaimed, "We rejoice in what we are going to have."1 Allow me to enhance that by saying because of our hope in Christ, we rejoice in what we are going to be - like Jesus. Because of being "put right," we have a new relationship to God characterized by peace, prayerful access, and hope.
We rejoice in a new understanding (vv. 3--5). Because we have been "rightwised," we can better deal with difficulty.
There is an old tombstone in upstate New York with an epitaph which reads: "In memory of Ellen Shannon, aged 26, who died March 21, 1870, when she was burned to death from an explosion of a lamp that was filled with R. C. Danforth's non--explosive burning fuel."2 "Non--explosive burning fuel?" Something that was not supposed to explode did and took Ellen Shannon's life. This is the world in which we live. We are subject to the random results of an imperfect universe. Christians have no protective shield nor are immune to the harsh realities of life. In fact, suffering is part and parcel of the Christian experience and sometimes is even caused by our Christian stance. We, as Christians, live in, not apart from, a world that is wrong with God. Just because we are right with God does not mean that we are immune to what is wrong with the world. But Paul assures us that we can rejoice, even in our sufferings. How? He shows us how.
We can rejoice in our sufferings because we know that God is working in our lives to produce endurance (KJV - patience, v. 4) from tribulation. The word translated "tribulation" can better be rendered "pressure." Are you feeling the pressure of everyday life? Are you suffering under the harsh pressure of financial problems, marital problems, sickness, vocation, or family problems? Take heart! Here's good news! The word translated "endurance" comes from two words which mean "to stay under." When life caves in, God gives us staying power, the ability to stay under, to hang in there.
Recently I was with Judge George Carpenter, one of the finest Christians I know. He told of a recent time of testing following a tragic accident. "I felt as if I had come to the end of my rope. You know what I did? I tied a knot in the end of the rope and hung on!" That's the "endurance" God gives, the ability - his ability - to hang in there. But this is not a passive and placid acceptance of whatever may come. Inherent in this concept is the active effort to overcome.
We rejoice because we know that endurance produces character (KJV - experience, v. 4). The word in the original language connotes a quality of being tried, tested, and approved. In trying to get through college, I worked three summers at Republic Steel in Gadsden, Alabama. It was amazing to see how they seemingly could pour about everything in the world - scrap iron, rocks, minerals, and so on, into those huge furnaces. Then the heat of the fire would do its work and out would come a pure, hardened, tempered, and tested steel product exactly fit for its intended purpose. God uses the fires of testing in our lives to burn out the impurities and to temper and mold us to be fit for his use!
We can rejoice because God uses character to produce hope (v. 4). The natural result of such endurance and character is an optimistic attitude of hope. We know that God will not disappoint us in our hope (v. 5a) because he has given to us the Holy Spirit as a guarantee (v. 5b). He is our assurance, our down payment, that our hope is not in vain and that we are never alone.
It is said that during World War II, a squad of American soldiers befriended a group of hungry and destitute orphans in Europe. The Americans did everything they could for the nourishment and security of the children, but they still could not sleep at night. The soldiers then happened upon a remedy for the restlessness of the children. In the hand of each child before retiring for the night was placed a piece of bread. The children slept soundly, knowing that they would eat tomorrow. The bread was their guarantee that they would not be hungry. The Holy Spirit is God's guarantee that our hope is not in vain and he will be with us supplying our every need according to his riches. As Romans 8:32 states, "He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, generously give us all things?" (NIV).
And what does he wish to give us? The very life of Christ, himself. I do not want a changed life. I want an exchanged life. I want to exchange my old life for the very life of Jesus, one filled with peace, access to the Father, hope, and growth in suffering.
Such a life is possible for us today, because God loved us enough to send his son to die for us even while we were still sinners (v. 8). He gave his life for us even though we might never know about it or might even reject his overture of love. As I look at my own children and grandchildren, I ask myself, "Would you be willing to give up one of those precious lives for someone who might never care?" Hardly! But Christ died for sinners, like you and me!
When I was nine years old, I was wrong with God and I was scared. But I came to God and asked him to put me right with him. God did. God gave to me far more than I ever imagined or will ever discover. He will do the same for you. There is a tale told about a fatherless family, a mother with two sons, living in the South during the Depression. Life was hard. The mother had one thing of which she was very proud, her big, fluffy feather bed. The sheets were always white and crisp. The bed was always immaculately made. The boys had the run of the house except for that bed. Nobody was to get on mother's feather bed with those big, beautiful fluffy white pillows and those clean, crisp sheets.
The youngest son came in the house from the outside where he had been playing in the yard. He hardly noticed the mud on his bare feet. As he walked by the bedroom, he saw the big, beautiful white feather bed with the big, white fluffy pillows. He thought, "This is my chance. Brother is out mending a fence and mama is in the barn. Nobody will ever know." Then he thought, "Oh, no, I can't do it." Then he thought, "Oh, yes, I can!" So the lad scampered into the room. He mounted the headboard and did a beautiful swan dive right into the middle of his mother's feather bed. He was having the time of his life. He was jumping joyously and punching the pillows. He was having so much fun that he lost track of time. Then, he looked up and out of the corner of his eye he saw his mother standing in the doorway. She had in her hand a hickory stick, slapping it up against her leg. He thought. "Oh, no, I'm in for it now." Then out of the corner of his other eye he looked and saw his older brother standing in the window. His brother then did a beautiful and wonderful thing. He climbed in through the window, edged toward his younger brother, and ascended over his brother on all fours, encasing him, and he said, "Mama, I know he deserves it. He has done wrong and I want you to really lay it on him. But I'll take it for him this time." The mother stared as her chin began to twitch. She then dropped her switch. "Get out of here before I whip you both," she said as she wiped a tear from her cheek.
Would it be improper to say that while we were yet sinners, Jesus said, "I'll take it for them this time?"
____________
1. James E. Hightower, Jr., Illustrating Paul's Letter To The Romans (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1984), p. 36.
2. Preaching, Volume V, Number 5, March--April, 1990 (Jacksonville: Preaching Resources, Inc.), p. 46.
