Faithful Through It All

Sermon of the Week

Romans 5:1-11 (NIV)

"Faithful Through It All"

¹ Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. ³ And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; ⁴ and perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

⁶ For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. ⁸ But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. ¹⁰ For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. ¹¹ And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

Message Introduction

     We are justified by faith!  Amen! Verse one says that we are justified by faith.  It is not our status in society nor our good works that justify us.  Although it is important for us to get busy doing the LORDs work, no one can stand before GOD and say “I am a good person, so I deserve salvation” or “I have given money, food and shelter to the poor, so I deserve my place in heaven”  It is our faith in GOD that justifies us!  Any faith apart from CHRIST is called a hopeless faith!  Hoping for everything, but believing in the wrong thing is one of the reasons the Israelites were caused to wonder in the wilderness for 40 years!  And a lot of us have been on a hopeless journey because we put our faith in the wrong persons or things!  But when we put all our hope in JESUS as our LORD and SAVIOR . . . we can be faithful through it all!

Hebrews 11:1 in the King James translation defines faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  Being faithful through it all means we must continue to hope for the substance of GOD’s promises, even though we have no physical evidence of seeing it and knowing that hope is never disappointing.  GOD’s promises do not disappoint us!

1. Justified Through GODs Love

Romans 5:8-9 tells us that GOD demonstrates HIS own love towards us, in that while we were still sinners, CHRIST died for us.  Much more then, having now been justified by HIS blood, we shall be saved from wrath through HIM.

As sinners we cannot justify ourselves, yet while we were still sinners GOD demonstrated HIS own love towards us and CHRIST died for us.  This is not a borrowed love . . . this is GOD demonstrating HIS own love towards us. We were HIS enemies and HE still loved us – I will always say, “It is not what would JESUS do (WWJD), but what did JESUS do (WDJD), because HE did it all” – In Matthew 5:44, JESUS says “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”  JESUS loves all of us.  Even the ones who see HIM as an enemy!  Listen, don’t expect to be perfect before justification!  Don’t wait until you can clean your own closet!  Come to JESUS now and be justified by faith through the blood that has already paid the wages. JESUS’ perfection covers our imperfections – 1 Corinthians 13:10 says, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears!  It is only when you can accept the Perfect Will of GOD, does the imperfections of your life disappear!

2. Take The Road Less Traveled

Matthew 7:13-14 says, Enter through the narrow gate.  For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

The easy way is not always the best way!  If I give you all the answers to every test you will ever take, you will get a perfect score.  Now it may have been easy to pass the test, but it did not make you a better student!  And no one wants the doctor that cheated on every test to perform open heart surgery on them! We’ve all heard, “If everyone jumped off the bridge, would you jump too!”  And the honest truth is, if people see it as being the easy way out . . . they just may jump with everyone else!  Some will take the easy way out even when they know what the consequences are.  Many will not take the road less traveled because we don’t want to be lonely!  Good News!  JESUS is always there and you are never alone!

From time to time, we will find ourselves standing at the narrow gate of trials, tribulations and suffering.  Many will want to avoid this gate and take the easy way out, but just like the Hebrew boys named Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, we must be willing to take the road less traveled. Knowing that we our justified by faith through GOD’s love, we can walk the narrow road of persecution, slander, doubt . . . and find ourselves on a journey of Perseverance, Godly Character, and New Hope! The Hebrew boys took the road less traveled . . . a road that lead to a fiery furnace . . . but they were faithful through it all.  Listen, GOD wants us to understand that we have things to face and roads to travel that we must be faithful through it all.  Don’t think it was just for the Old and New Testament folks . . . it’s for me and you too!

When you are facing the fiery furnace of financial struggle, be faithful through it all! When your children seem to be straying away from all their Godly teachings, be faithful through it all! When your marriage seem to be falling apart and every relationship in your life seems to be felling, be faithful through it all! When the folks on your job are trying to slander your name and tarnish your character, be faithful through it all! When you continue to pray and petition to GOD for your love ones who reject CHRIST over and over again as their LORD and SAVIOR . . . I want to encourage you to be faithful through it all!  No matter what the situation . . . no matter what the struggle . . . no matter what trial . . . take the road less traveled and be faithful through it all!  Some folks think that when things gets shaky, the wide road is better, but I am here to tell you that they will only fall on a hope that is of the world.  However, when things gets shaky on the narrow road, you fall in the arms of GOD the Creator!!  And because we know that the GOD we serve will see us through it all, we can be faithful through it all!

3.  Hope In GOD Is Never Disappointing

James 1:2-4 reads, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Let’s take notice that James did not say “IF” you face a trial.  He didn’t say, “There may come a time that you might have to face a trial” but James said, “Whenever you face trials of many kinds . . . “ and another translation of this verse says “When you fall into various trials . . . “

Two things are for sure . . . 1) You will face trials and 2) perseverance must finish its work!  I love how the three Hebrew boys were not found running around in the fire screaming “Help Me Lord!”, but they were seen walking through the fire with the LORD! Don’t be so quick to run or panic . . . because that is like saying, “Lord, I don’t trust you are in control” – being faithful through it all tells everyone that you believe in the promises of GOD and you will remain faithful

Message Conclusion

How many know that we serve a mighty GOD!  We serve a GOD who is strong and mighty!  HE is the GOD that justifies us as HIS own!  HE gives us a faith that grows more and more as we believe in HIM.  By HIM we are redeemed.  It is not a matter of WHAT you are going through, but WHO is getting you through it!  You have to believe that GOD will get you through it all!  The world may see you as the underdog!  Folks around you may tell you to give up.  But you tell them that it’s not in your character to give up or give in!  As we look at the remaining scriptures we see there was someone else the world saw as an underdog!  They didn’t believe HE was the Messiah!  But JESUS was persistent, HE was of Godly character and HE had a hope that was never disappointing! 

When we were still without strength, in due time CHRIST died for the ungodly.  I don’t know about you, but I was a wretched soul . . . ungodly . . . I was HIS enemy!  And in due time, when I realized I couldn’t save myself, I relied on JESUS.  See if my character was of a good man, then it should have only been a good man to die for me, but that wouldn’t save me.  Even if I was a so-called righteous man, then only a so-called righteous man should have died for me, but I still wouldn’t be saved. 

But in due time JESUS . . . HE who had no sin . . . HE who was GOD HIMSELF!  My JESUS got up in due time from the right hand of the FATHER!  And in due time was born of the virgin birth!  In due time HE dwelled among us.  And in due time HE gave HIS LIFE as a ransom for my sins.   It was in due time HE hung HIS head and gave up HIS Spirit to justify me by HIS blood.  And Thank GOD that in due time HE rose from the grave with all power to reconcile me back to the FATHER! I don’t know about you, but I thank GOD that in due time, JESUS saved me by being FAITHFUL THROUGH IT ALL!

INVITATION

It is time for you to realize you can’t do it alone!  Apart from CHRIST, you can’t make it.  You cannot justify yourself.  We must get off the broad road to destruction and follow JESUS along the straight path!  Don’t let another second go by!  Don’t take another step down the wrong road.  Please!  Stop and take the road less traveled and see for yourself  just how much GOD Loves you!  Listen, some children are born into the addiction to drugs . . . many die, but with the help of medicine . . .   some are saved! Some children are born into Aids . . . many will die, but with the help of treatments . . . some are saved!  All children are born into sin . . . and without JESUS as their Salvation . . . all will die!  It’s not to scare you, but I just want to make it plain!  The wages of sin is death, and JESUS is the only ransom!

PRAYER

GOD, thank YOU for giving us a Way to make it through!  Thank YOU for loving us so much that YOU were concerned about us!  May we live in the justification of CHRIST!  Let those who do not know YOU have this day to see YOUR truth!  Thank YOU in the name of JESUS! Amen

As always, It is so important that we fellowship with other believers.  If you have any questions or comments pertaining to this sermon, please contact your local pastor or email me at nhishand@comcast.net