Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
At my first pastorate, when it was dry, the music leader would mention
We often concentrate on the do's and don'ts of our faith, but in our text today, Paul wants us to visualize a Niagara Falls of the blessings of God pouring over our lives. Let's look at some of these blessings:
We are Blessed with Access to God:
To use multiple-user computers, you must log-in. You must have an account, a user name and a password and without an account and a password, you have no access. However, with the right user name and password, you have access to the information contained within. With the right access code, you can gain total control of a machine which is the aim and intent of hackers.
In business, access is vital. This includes access to information, markets, and key people. That’s why Commodore Matthew Perry’s mission to Japan in the 1850’s was so important. Until then, Japan was a hermit kingdom with markets closed to the outside world. Commodore Perry’s mission allowed outside access to those markets.
The vital nature of access means that secretaries are often the most important contacts in a business because they are gatekeepers to the boss. Access is also the reason that private men's clubs and male-only country clubs are virtually outlawed today; these denied access to women in business to the contacts they needed because without access, business is crippled.
Spiritually, access to God is also vital.
We need access to His power, wisdom, mercy, and grace.
Paul reminds us in this passage of the great news that we have access to these things through Christ!
We are Blessed by being Disciplined:
One of the primary roles of a parent is teacher.
Children learn most of their knowledge before age 5. Parents teach their children to walk, talk, dress and to have manners. In modern life, parents are responsible for their own children, not others'.
God only disciplines his own children. Look at what Hebrews 12: 6-11 says about this:
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? if you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
What does the writer of Hebrews tell us? If we are God's He disciplines us. If we aren't, He lets Satan have his way.
So there are good reasons why we sometimes have bad days. If we are in sin God is correcting us. If we aren't sinning, He is planning to bless us somehow. This is like how in the Army push-ups are used to correct a Soldier’s mistake as punishment, but they also used as a part of a health-producing regime of physical training. We also know that green wood must be weathered before it can be used for building.
God blesses us when He disciplines
We are Blessed with the Love of God:
What helps a child through their fears? The love of parents which is shown by hugs and kisses, their comforting presence, their conversing with the child. We found out with our son, our first born child, that there is no substitute for a parent's love:
Our son was not a good sleeper, and when he awoke in the middle of the night he wanted one of his parents to come to him. We tried to find a substitute by placing stuffed toys and other soft, comforting items in his crib, but that didn’t work. He wanted his mama or his daddy, and nothing else would do.
We are God’s children and we are comforted best by God our Father.
He shows his love by teaching us love.
He shows his love by the presence of the Holy Spirit.
He shows his love by conversing with us in prayer.
He shows his love by doing for us what we couldn't do for ourselves.
During the time I was pastor of my first full-time church I met a couple in which the wife was an invalid with a chronic debilitating disease. Her husband loved her intensely and took care of her 24 hours a day. This took a terrible toll on his own health, but he ignored his needs and took care of his beloved wife. He actually died several years before she did due to his exertions and his concern for her. This is the kind of love that God has for His beloved church!
We are Blessed with Reconciliation:
What is Reconciliation?
It is restoring a relationship after an estrangement. It often involves one or more people repenting to restore fellowship. It also can include making restitution for past offenses.
Paul was glad to remind us that we are reconciled to God by His actions on our behalf. We were at fault and should have made amends, but could not, so God made amends for us.
Now that we are in the right relationship with God, we also have been given a ministry of reconciliation. Like Abraham was blessed by God, we also are blessed by God. Like Abraham was given the task of being a blessing to the world, we are to be a blessing to the world, as Paul taught in 2 Corinthians 5:17-20, which reads,
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
Conclusion:
Back when my worship leader was directing us in "Showers of Blessings" it was a dry year. As I write this, the State of Alabama is having one of its wettest years on record. I have often joked this year that all those folks who are praying for rain can stop!
Spiritually, when we are in Christ we receive showers upon showers of blessings, but we dare not keep them all for our selves. Instead of being the Dead Sea, where the waters pool and then evaporate, we need to be the River Jordan, bringing life to all who live near us.
We have been deluged with blessings from God! Let us show honor to Him by becoming a blessing to others!
Every blessing,
Dr. Otis Corbitt
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