You and I, we are the Church, no? We have to share with our people. Suffering today is because people are hoarding, not giving, not sharing.
Jesus made it very clear. Whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do it to me.
Give a glass of water, you give it to me. Receive a little child, you receive me.
A sacrifice to be real must cost, must hurt, must empty ourselves. The fruit of silence is prayer, the fruit of prayer is faith, the fruit of faith is love, the fruit of love is service, the fruit of service is peace.http://www.ewtn.com/motherteresa/words
Look across the Bible from Adam and Eve to Jesus and you find God’s plan of redemption lived out through ordinary people like you and me. In Jesus God broke the power of sin and death. But God chose to work through each of us to bring His Kingdom of eternal peace into reality – one person at a time...
…Our salvation is not only the forgiveness of sins but also the demonstration of God’s glory – God’s character in and through our daily lives! God’s calling is to be His partners in distributing His demonstrated love. That’s what the stewardship of love is all about! Paul in Colossians 1:27b called this - the hope of glory!
Through Jesus each of us has been loved extravagantly! I will show you here in Romans 5. But know that our purpose as sons and daughter of God is not what we call the beginning of our salvation – the forgiveness of sins – no! God’s plan and purpose is for each of us and all of us together to pass on God’s love through relationships – each of us demonstrating His love to others! If you aren’t worshipping, giving, sharing, loving, serving, learning, then you aren’t in a healthy relationship with God in Jesus Christ!
Paul grasped and listed the many gifts we have received through Christ by faith in Romans. Last week in Romans 4 we learned that if God says He will do something for you, He will do it! God always keeps His promises, but there are some things that you have to do in order to receive from Him. The best example of this is seen in the life of Abraham.
Paul’s teaching makes it clear that man's faith and God's grace are both involved in salvation. Through Abraham, who demonstrated faith in God, and his descendants who passed on that faith, God brought the gift of forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ. This faith fruit and grace gift empowers us to live lives generously in faith, joy and love. If forgiveness were the ONLY gift God gives us in Christ it would be PRICELESS! But Paul tells us that forgiveness is the first of many gifts!
Turn to Romans 5:1-8 in your bibles. Paul tells us that as we climb Jacob’s ladder, we must climb each rung by growing faith and obedient action. This process results in peace and joy, as the fruit of that faith.
Paul says: 5Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Paul lists five specific fruit from the powerful grace gift of the Faith of Jesus Christ: (Write them down)
1.Vs. 1: PEACE WITH GOD is the second fruit of faith in God’s work through our Lord Jesus! You are
cleansed from sin but greater still – you are no longer the enemy of God since sin no longer rules in your heart. Thank God for His grace! Think about it - we were God’s enemy because sin ruled in our hearts! Whether we realize it or not, the Bible is absolutely clear that we were at war with the Lord (Ephesians 2:3-4).
(NIV)3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature (flesh) and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,… Look around at our world without that grace reigning in human hearts and you see the reality of our universal guilt as sinners and our inability to justify ourselves. Then look at what our justification by the faith of Jesus Christ has done! If it were not for God’s love demonstrated in Jesus Christ we would have no hope or peace! How has the peace of God that you now have in Christ enabled you to overcome your personal fears? Faith brings the fruit of peace with God so that we can be peacemakers!
2.Vs. 2a By faith in the work of Jesus on our behalf, we have direct ACCESS TO GOD THE FATHER!At any
time you choose, wherever you are, you can speak directly to Your Father in heaven Who created the stars and Who holds all things together – to talk about whatever your need! God will never tell you – ‘I’m busy!’ or ‘Come back later!’ God’s third gift to you is instant communication as the fruit of Your faith in Christ!
How has unlimited access to God changed your understanding of the problems you face in your life?
3.Vs, 2b This access results in our REJOICING IN HOPE OF THE GLORY OF GOD. John Wesley called this hope – GLORIFICATION (made complete in Christ). Sanctification is the current process of being made holy or wholly in Christ by faith. By faith we know that what God promised in Christ (that each of us will be found blameless and complete), awaits us in heaven. That means that God’s character will one day be fully realized in us! This hope brings the spiritual experience of joy because we know He who promised this is Faithful!
Think with me on this for a moment - Our character is going to be fully and completely remade into God’s glorious, holy character when our Father calls us home! No matter what happens to you here on planet earth, your faith in Christ is producing something for you that will out shine the darkest darkness of this world. You will see God face to Face! It’s where you’re headed in your daily walk, so the next time you’re discouraged or depressed, do some love stewardship and think about what God has promised – the resurrection of your body, and everlasting life in Your Father’s eternal house (John 14:1-3)!
4.Vs. 3. We also REJOICE IN OUR SUFFERINGS and problems because God refines our lives through hardships! Why rejoice? Vs. 3-4 Because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope! From deep determination and focus, we grow in the character of Christ (Do you see His virtues, attitudes and desires at work in your heart?), which in turn bring hope.
5. vs.5 And in turn the final and most glorious gift is: God POURS OUT HIS LOVE INTO OUR HEARTS BY THE HOLY SPIRIT …
God has given every person in Christ – you and you - the power of God that was at work in Christ to not only conquer disobedience and evil on the Cross – but the power of God in the Holy Spirit Who raised Jesus from the dead! God has demonstrated His love for us and in us so that by faith in Christ and through the power of His love we may demonstrate in our daily lives the fruit of the Father’s love – personally. How are you working WITH the Holy Spirit to be a demonstrator of God’s love?
Mother Teresa declared:
"There are so many religions and each one has its different ways of following God. I follow Christ:
Jesus is my God,
Jesus is my Spouse,
Jesus is my Life,
Jesus is my only Love,
Jesus is my All in All;
Jesus is my Everything."
Everything you do is spiritual! So do it – whatever – as a steward of God’s love! In everything we do – we are given an opportunity to bring glory to God and witness His love to others. As we do – our love and God’s love – grows richer and fully in us. May each of us grow on huge step closer in the Father’s love today! Amen!
