Embracing the Benefits of Belonging to God

Devotional

Day 1: Justification by Faith

Justification is not about our works but about Jesus paying our debt. This profound truth means we are forgiven and accepted by God, not because of what we do, but because of what Christ has done. This doctrine is crucial and constantly under attack, but it holds the balance of God's holiness and grace. Justification by faith is like a courtroom where Jesus steps in to pay our debt, allowing us to be declared righteous before God. This justification is a gift received through faith in Jesus Christ, not something we can earn through our efforts. It is a reminder that God's grace is sufficient and that our salvation is secure in Him. [37:43]

Romans 3:24-25 (ESV): "and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins."

Reflection: Think about an area in your life where you feel you need to earn God's approval. How can you rest in the truth that you are justified by faith in Jesus and not by your works?

Day 2: Peace with God

Before Christ, we were at war with God, but through justification, we have peace. This peace is not merely the absence of conflict but a deep, abiding rest in God's presence. It signifies the end of our rebellion and the beginning of a harmonious relationship with our Creator. This peace is a profound benefit of belonging to God, offering us a sense of security and rest that the world cannot provide. It is a peace that surpasses all understanding and guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. [44:06]

Isaiah 26:3 (ESV): "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you."

Reflection: Reflect on a situation in your life where you feel unrest or conflict. How can you invite God's peace into that situation today?

Day 3: Access to Grace

Justification grants us access to God's grace, allowing us to have a personal relationship with Him. This grace is transformative, making us more like Christ each day. It signifies that God not only forgives us but also desires to walk with us and transform us. Access to grace means we can approach God with confidence, knowing that He is for us and not against us. It is through this grace that we are empowered to live out our faith and grow in our relationship with God. [45:46]

Hebrews 4:16 (ESV): "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

Reflection: Consider an area in your life where you need God's grace. How can you approach His throne with confidence and seek His help today?

Day 4: Hope in Suffering

Suffering is a part of life, but through our relationship with God, we can find joy even in our trials. Suffering produces endurance, character, and hope. This process refines us and draws us closer to God, helping us to focus on what truly matters. Paul encourages us not to waste our suffering but to let it refine us and draw us closer to God. This hope is a confident expectation of our future with God, growing as we experience His peace and grace. [49:58]

James 1:2-4 (ESV): "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

Reflection: Think about a recent trial or suffering you have experienced. How can you see God's hand at work in that situation, producing endurance, character, and hope in you?

Day 5: The Contrast of Adam and Jesus

Adam's sin brought death and condemnation, but Jesus' sacrifice brings life and justification. While we can't choose to avoid death, we can choose eternal life through faith in Jesus. This choice allows us to experience the fullness of God's peace, grace, hope, and joy. The actions of Adam and Jesus highlight the transformative power of Christ's sacrifice, offering us a new identity and a restored relationship with God. It is through Jesus that we are able to overcome the consequences of sin and embrace the abundant life He offers. [01:04:52]

1 Corinthians 15:22 (ESV): "For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive."

Reflection: Reflect on the areas of your life where you see the effects of sin. How can you embrace the life and justification that Jesus offers and live in the fullness of His peace, grace, hope, and joy today?

Sermon Summary

### Summary

Today, we delved into Romans 5, exploring the profound benefits of belonging to God. We began by celebrating the ASP team's impactful mission trip, which set the stage for our discussion on the perks of belonging to God. Just as memberships to clubs or services come with perks, so does our relationship with God, but with infinitely greater benefits. Paul emphasizes that when we belong to God, we experience peace, grace, hope, and joy. These are not earned through money or works but are gifts received through faith in Jesus Christ.

We explored the concept of justification by faith, using a courtroom analogy to illustrate how Jesus pays our debt, allowing us to be justified before God. This justification is constantly under attack by permissiveness and legalism, but it holds the truth that God is both holy and gracious. Our sin requires punishment, but through Christ, we are forgiven and accepted.

Paul further explains that our justification brings us peace with God, ending the war between us and Him. This peace is not just the absence of conflict but a deep, abiding rest in God's presence. We also gain access to God's grace, allowing us to have a personal relationship with Him. This grace transforms us daily, making us more like Christ.

Hope is another benefit, described as a hope-filled certainty of our future with God. This hope grows as we experience God's peace and grace. Even in suffering, we can find joy because suffering produces endurance, character, and hope. Paul encourages us not to waste our suffering but to let it refine us and draw us closer to God.

Finally, Paul contrasts the actions of Adam and Jesus. Adam's sin brought death and condemnation, but Jesus' sacrifice brings life and justification. We can't choose to avoid death, but we can choose eternal life through faith in Jesus. This choice allows us to experience the fullness of God's peace, grace, hope, and joy.

###

Key Takeaways

1. Justification by Faith: Justification is not about our works but about Jesus paying our debt. This profound truth means we are forgiven and accepted by God, not because of what we do, but because of what Christ has done. This doctrine is crucial and constantly under attack, but it holds the balance of God's holiness and grace. [37:43]
2. Peace with God: Before Christ, we were at war with God, but through justification, we have peace. This peace is not merely the absence of conflict but a deep, abiding rest in God's presence. It signifies the end of our rebellion and the beginning of a harmonious relationship with our Creator. [44:06]
3. Access to Grace: Justification grants us access to God's grace, allowing us to have a personal relationship with Him. This grace is transformative, making us more like Christ each day. It signifies that God not only forgives us but also desires to walk with us and transform us. [45:46]
4. Hope in Suffering: Suffering is a part of life, but through our relationship with God, we can find joy even in our trials. Suffering produces endurance, character, and hope. This process refines us and draws us closer to God, helping us to focus on what truly matters. [49:58]
5. The Contrast of Adam and Jesus: Adam's sin brought death and condemnation, but Jesus' sacrifice brings life and justification. While we can't choose to avoid death, we can choose eternal life through faith in Jesus. This choice allows us to experience the fullness of God's peace, grace, hope, and joy. [01:04:52]
### [64:52]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[23:27] - ASP Team Testimonies
[34:11] - Introduction to Romans 5
[35:00] - The Perks of Belonging to God
[36:20] - Peace, Grace, Hope, and Joy
[37:43] - Justification by Faith Explained
[44:06] - Peace with God
[45:46] - Access to Grace
[47:22] - Hope in Suffering
[49:58] - Joy in Suffering
[55:52] - God's Love Poured into Our Hearts
[58:12] - God's Love in Our Weakness
[60:25] - Reconciliation through Christ
[64:52] - The Contrast of Adam and Jesus
[66:39] - Invitation to Belong
[68:02] - Closing Prayer and Response

Bible Study Guide

Observation Questions

What are the four benefits Paul mentions that we experience when we belong to God? ([36:20])
How does Paul describe the concept of justification by faith using a courtroom analogy? ([39:01])
According to the sermon, what is the significance of having peace with God? ([44:06])
How does Paul explain the contrast between Adam's actions and Jesus' actions? ([01:04:52])

Interpretation Questions

What does it mean to have peace with God, and how does this peace differ from the world's understanding of peace? ([44:06])
How does the concept of justification by faith challenge both permissiveness and legalism? ([40:33])
In what ways does suffering produce endurance, character, and hope according to Paul? ([49:58])
How does the sermon explain the transformative power of grace in our daily lives? ([45:46])

Application Questions

Reflect on a time when you felt at war with God. How did you find peace, and what steps can you take to maintain that peace in your current life? ([44:06])
The sermon mentioned that suffering should not be wasted but used to grow closer to God. How can you apply this perspective to a current or past hardship in your life? ([51:30])
How can you actively seek to experience and recognize God's grace in your daily routine? What practical steps can you take to deepen your relationship with Him? ([45:46])
Think about the hope-filled certainty of your future with God. How does this hope influence your actions and decisions today? ([47:22])
The sermon contrasts the actions of Adam and Jesus. How does understanding this contrast impact your view of sin and redemption? ([01:04:52])
Identify an area in your life where you struggle with either permissiveness or legalism. How can you find a balance that aligns with the doctrine of justification by faith? ([40:33])
How can you support someone in your small group or community who is currently experiencing suffering, helping them to find joy and hope in their trials? ([49:58])

Sermon Clips

### Quotes for Outreach

1. "When we belong to God, we experience peace, grace, hope, and joy. But the question is, how do we belong, right? Do we pay money? What does that actually look like? And that's where we're going in our text here today of answering that question of how do we belong and what these perks actually look like and what they mean for you and for me." (25 seconds)(Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "See, the root of sin is refusal to honor and glorify God as God. Before Jesus, before saying yes to him, we were at war with God. It was us. We were kings and queens of our own life versus the actual king of all the universe, of all the world. Over everything that we have. When we establish ourselves as kings and queens, we are saying we are the ones who define reality. We are the ones who say what is right and wrong. And we are at war with God." (31 seconds)(Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "We have access. Access. Before all this, there was no access. Even when we look way back, you know, inside of Scripture as we see that Moses was the only one who was able to go up to the mountain. He's the only one who was able to talk with God face to face. And as the temple was established and everything else and the holies of holies, one person, one person got to go into that space. That was the only person in that year who had access." (25 seconds)(Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "You can't choose death. Death is just a reality for us all. Right? It is just it is just reality. It is our it is it is something that rules over all of us. We will all meet that end at one point but the thing is the difference is you can't choose death but you can choose where you spend all of eternity. You can choose that's the most amazing news in the entire world." (28 seconds)(Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "God wants you to belong. He wants you to be part of the family. He wants you to experience peace and grace and hope and joy. He wants you to say yes to Him despite what you have ever done in the past what you're doing here in the present and what you might do in the future. God wants you to respond and say yes to Him." (23 seconds)(Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

### Quotes for Members

1. "What does this even mean, justification by faith? Well, just an example. Let me just look out to this amazing crowd here. Let me just pick somebody out. Emma. Lucky Emma. Emma is having a good time in life, but she gets herself into a little bit of trouble. She gets herself arrested, right? She gets herself arrested. She goes to jail. She gets brought into the courtroom, and it's in my courtroom. I'm the judge, and she comes in here. The case is brought before her, all veiled out. Doesn't matter what she did, but then at the end of the day, she's found guilty. Boom. She is guilty, and it's time for that sentencing to happen, and I sit there, and I look at the charge. I look at what I, what, what all this has, and I'm like, I recognize Emma. I know, I know her, and yes, she is, but at the end of the day, I'm like, you know what? You're, you're, you're sentencing, and what you, what you need to do is you need to pay a fine of $50, and I smack down that gavel with full authority and power and like, you know, like, yes, but then I get up. I take my robe off. I walk down. I stand there next to Emma. I pull out my checkbook, and I, and I write the check and said, Emma, here's $50 to pay your debt. That's justification. That's justification, right? That is not me paying anything, but Jesus coming down, paying our debt of sin and brokenness on the cross, but he rose in victory, right?" (89 seconds)(Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "Suffering is a part of life. It just simply is. Just because we say yes to Jesus doesn't mean that goes away. It doesn't mean it goes away. No, it is a part of life. Hard times are going to come upon us. You know, God uses Paul to say this. Jesus said this, like we are going to experience hardships in this life. We are going to suffer persecution. We are going to suffer medical issues and loss and relational issues and family and kids, job loss, job issues, sin within our own life as we're working through that and just people issues, right? People are people. There's all these issues that we have to come in and it can cause suffering." (41 seconds)(Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "Endurance means that it's more of a single-mindedness. Right? When we think endurance is single-mindedness, suffering makes us focus. It helps us to focus on what really matters in life and helps us to realize and to realign priorities and it removes distractions. Right? When those sufferings come our way, it produces that single-mindedness. It clears away all the different things that we could be distracted with and it just helps us to focus on what really matters in life." (11 seconds)(Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "We are reconciled to God through the blood of Christ not our works. It's not about what is it our hardships in life. It's not God's wrath being poured upon us. Jesus took that upon the cross. We are justified by His blood and we have a relationship we can reconcile to God through Christ. We can rejoice no matter what we face in this life and no situation can take away what God has given to us." (26 seconds)(Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "Adam and Jesus' actions have opposite results for us. Adam's resulted in death while Christ resulted in life. Adam's resulted in condemnation where Christ resulted in justification. Adam's in Adam's death reigns but in Christ the free gift of righteousness reigns. And if we were to sum this all up chapter or verse 21 says so that as sin reigned in death grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ. Our Lord." (0 seconds)(Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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