While we were yet sinners
Opening Prayer
Father God, we come here tonight to Study the words of Paul as given to us in his letter to the church in Rome. We pray that no word be spoken here tonight that is not in accordance with your will and that you will impart to us those matters You would have us learn from this study. We pray that your peace and comfort be with those of us who are sick or disabled and cannot be here tonight. We ask that you share our blessing with them. Lead us now and give us understanding as we study the teachings of Paul, The word of God.. In Jesus Name we pray Amen
Scripture reading
Rom 5:1 Therefore, 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 boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 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.
Discussion
Being forgiven and set free from bondage to sin are not the only benefits we receive from being justified in the sight of God; we also receive peace with Him. If you have trusted in Christ alone for salvation, the Lord will discipline you as His child (Heb. 12:5–6), but His wrath has been turned away from you.
God’s justification of sinners through His Son, brings to our relationship with God a peace that surpasses all understanding. The promises of God to His people have been brought about because of Jesus’ sacrifice. His shed blood has made our peace with God possible.
This peace that Jesus Christ gives to us leads us to partake fully of spiritual blessings “in the heavenly places” (Eph. 1:3–4). But it is not a merely spiritual peace. There is rest and a physical peace, and the absence of anxiety about our sins which, try as we might, cannot be atoned without we accept the shed blood of Christ as our only path to salvation. And yet we still suffer this world.
But we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, and perseverance is needed for our battles against the evil one who exists for the time we spend here on this earth. We Christians are not so great as to be whisked into Heaven the moment we believe, We are still here to continue in fighting the battle, to save the souls of our lost brothers and sisters. To bring those souls back from the abyss.
Q.1 Have you ever done anything that you just knew God would get you for? Were you afraid ?
Q.2 What is your concept of being at peace with God? Do you have peace with God?
Q.3 What is meant by boasting in the hope of the glory of God?
Q.4 In our world today, is there much reason to boast in the hope of the glory of God?
Q.5 Many have preached about sufferings and troubles, and our perseverance, How do you feel about that?
Pg.2
Scripture reading
Romans 5:6-11 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! 10 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! 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation
There is no hope for the lost soul, although we may desire to be just and good, we are still lost, we cannot save ourselves from our sins, except we become Christ’s child, we must become “converted”, become “saved” God brought this into our lives and makes it known to us.
It is his plan for our eternal life in His Kingdom. (John 3:16-18) He truly wants us to be there with him.
God loves us, and does not want us to perish because of our ungodliness. So what did he do to ensure that? He sacrificed the life of His Son. Who do we know that would do that for us? There are heroes indeed, someone who has died for another out of love for their fellow man. We know of many instances where that has happened. But who would sacrifice the life of their Son for our sake? We know the story of Abraham and Isaac, but Abraham was just obeying what God had directed him to do, and he did not have to sacrifice Isaac because God worked a miracle and gave Abraham a sacrificial lamb. Jesus is our sacrificial Lamb.
Of course there is that reference in time when we remember giving our life over to Christ, but that is just a moment in time, just a memory, What is it about that time that is so important to the Christian now, in this present moment? What has it changed about us? (James 2:1-26).
Just like the thief on the cross. You recall that there were two of them, two thieves being crucified with Jesus. They were there, representing us, one an indignant non believer with an attitude, representing many in our world today, and another who asked only that Jesus remember him at that last moment. Both were sinners, deserving of their punishment. Jesus died with, and for both of them (us) but only one of them Joined Christ for eternity in paradise. And he now is spending eternity with Christ. And When you accepted Christ as your Savior you were saved at that moment. Being saved is not a one time event. It is a forever event. It started the moment You asked Jesus into your life.
Q.1 How do you feel verses 6-8 reveal how much God values us?
Q.2 Does Jesus Christ giving his life for the ungodly have negative connotations?
Q.3 Some people have always been good, are they included in Jesus Dying for the ungodly?
Q.4 Why is there evil in our world today?
Q.5 Did God start creation with the intent of having sin enter the world?
Q.6 What attitudes prevent one from accepting what God has done through Christ, for us?
Q.7 What is meant by the phrase” we exult in our tribulations”?
Q.8 What does God develop in our lives during difficult times?
Pg.3
Scripture references
Isaiah 44:22 I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you."
Hebrews 12:5-8 And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6 because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son." 7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? 8 If you are not disciplined--and everyone undergoes discipline--then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all.
Ephesians 1:3-4 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love
John 3:16-18 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.
James 2:1-26 My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? ...
Pg.4
Meditation
Peace with God speaks of our need, which in our natural born state we lack. This presupposes the fact that, as we are naturally born into this world, God is not reconciled with us. All other ills in life stem from the fact that we do not naturally acquire this Peace with God. Further our temporal life though seeming to be long, especially when we are young, is only a speck in eternity, and we need to be safe for eternity. So Peace with God is our deepest human need, and should be every hearts desire.
The need for Peace with God is a paramount because without it we are under the wrath of God and condemnation of God, and this means that eternity will be spent separated from God and all that is good, and under the eternal just punishment of God for sin. Lacking Peace with God also means that we are without God and his love, care and protection throughout our lives, but we are yet under the care of the Devil
Furthermore, peace with God means that we are reconciled to God. Our enmity with God is removed and God becomes our friend. Peace with God means that we are saved from the wrath of God, and all that follows from that wrath. We are saved from death and eternal hell, and we possess eternal life. Peace with God means that God says he will be our God forever and he will bless us forever. From this follows every other blessing because now God is for us and not against us. And this means that The Almighty Creator has our best interests at heart.
How do we satisfy our need for peace with God? The great blessing of the Gospel is that humanity does have the message of peace with God, that being the Gospel message. Through the Gospel message the cause of conflict with God can be dealt with. God has given to us His Son Jesus, the sacrificial Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. This then is the place in our lives when we must make the choice. We must choose Jesus to have Peace with God. It means the forgiveness of all our sins, and that they are blotted out of the sight of God forever. This means not only the sins we have committed in the past, but also all sins which we will ever commit throughout our lives. God’s forgiveness is all encompassing and eternal because of Christ, and that forgiveness, and peace with God is ours the moment we choose to let Jesus come into our heart and rule in our lives.
Rom 8:38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Let us take hold of this blessing and live in the light of it. We have now and forever in completeness - Peace with God. We now are friends with God. We are now, through faith, reconciled to God. Where does this Peace with God come from and what is its assurance? Our peace with God is because we have been justified by our faith. This is something that has occurred in our lives when we believed in Jesus. It is a legal and just declaration by God that we are just We are justified in God’s eyes as he can no longer look on us as sinners. He sees us only as the redeemed of Christ. He sees us only as the righteousness of His Son Jesus. No devil, nor sin, can ever take this blessing away, because it is a blessing that has been won by Christ alone, and on account of his perfect finished work for us. It is assured for eternity. All that is necessary is that we ask for and receive the promise of Peace with God by believing God’s word and promise that he gives it to all who place their hope and need of salvation in the hands of Jesus. We have peace with God through faith in the sacrificial life death and resurrection of the Son of God, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. AMEN
Closing Prayer:
Father God, be with us now as we leave this place. May we carry with us your blessing as we continue in our efforts to live the life of a disciple of Jesus Christ. We pray for your continued watch over our loved ones and those among us who need your healing hand to touch them in their time of distress. ____________Give those mentioned here tonight the strength and comfort to endure, and continue to watch over each of us as we strive to live a just and righteous life.. It is in Jesus name we pray, AMEN
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