church

INI
Oculi, the Third Sunday in Lent
March 27, 2011
Ascension Lutheran Church, Tacoma WA
Paul Naumann, Pastor

Christ Provides
A PERMANENT PLATFORM OF PEACE
Romans 5:1-5

To those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus
Christ: mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you, Amen. Today we look to
the fifth chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans, beginning with the first verse,
as follows:

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. Here ends our text.

In the Name of Jesus Christ, Who said, Peace I leave with you, My peace I give
unto you, Dear Fellow Redeemed,

One of the most peaceful spots I can remember in my youth was a concrete
platform in the backyard of Professor James Pelzl. He was a science teacher at
Immanuel Lutheran College in Eau Claire, and he used to take his astronomy
students over to his place for an evening of stargazing. He had a powerful
telescope that was great for looking at the moon and the constellations, but
what really set it apart was the special platform he built for it. It was a solid
concrete slab two feet thick, solid as a rock, so the telescope wouldn’t vibrate
or move in the slightest. The platform was exactly oriented to the compass, so
you always knew in which direction you were looking. On those balmy autumn
nights in Wisconsin, it was the perfect platform from which to spend a peaceful
hour studying the wonders of God’s universe.

Peace is something that is in notoriously short supply these days. Conflicts rage
around the world. Arab countries are rising in revolt across the middle east. Our
own country, already fighting two costly and extended wars, now appears to be
entering another. Closer to home, each of us has personal struggles to contend
with – hard times, trials and tribulations that at times can make even the life of
a Christian seem anything but peaceful. Have you been feeling that way lately?
Like you have no peace? Like you can’t get anything else done because your life
is in a constant turmoil? Take heart! Paul’s got great news for you today. This
morning’ theme:

Christ Provides
A PERMANENT PLATFORM OF PEACE

I. Resting on Him, you gain access to God’s grace.
II. Resting on Him, you can glory even in tribulations.
III. Resting on Him, you will see your hope fulfilled.

The Book of Romans is all about righteousness. The key verse may well be
Romans 1:7: The righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is
written, "The just shall live by faith." To be justified before God and live
eternally you need righteousness. The first four chapters of Romans talk about
what true righteousness is, namely the perfect righteousness of God Himself,
and how to get it, namely, through faith in Jesus Christ. Here in chapter five he
goes on to describe what kind of life that Christian faith results in. And you
noticed when I read the text that the picture Paul paints of the Christian life is
not one of stress and sorrow, of confusion and chaos. Just the opposite.
Summing up his first four chapters, Paul says, Therefore, having been justified
by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

The photo on this morning’s bulletin cover really caught my attention. It’s the
picture of a quiet, green garden. It makes you want to go in, doesn’t it, and sit
down for a moment and rest. A picture of peace and serenity, with a statue of
Christ at its center. And that’s appropriate, because Jesus Christ is the reason
we can have peace with God. Adam and Eve, because of their sin, were cast
out of their beautiful, green garden. And we who have inherited their sin would
be eternal outcasts if God in His grace had not invited us back in through His
son Jesus Christ. As Paul says a little later in this chapter, For as by one man's
disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many
will be made righteous. – 5:19.

Amid the chaos and wickedness of this world, a world that is drawing ever
closer to the fearful judgment of the Last Day, we Christians live in a sort of
oasis. A lush green garden of peace. For CHRIST PROVIDES A
PERMANENT PLATFORM OF PEACE. Let’s talk about why. First of all,
resting on Him, you gain access to God’s grace. Our text says, Through Christ
we also …have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in
hope of the glory of God.

It’s great to have access, isn’t it? It’s nice to have the membership card that
gets you into the big discount store, the pass that admits you to the VIP lounge
or the ticket that entitles you to sit in first class on the airplane. Well, faith is
what gives you access to God’s grace. The receiving organ through which God
gives you His grace is your Spirit-worked faith. Not faith in yourself, not faith in
some general sense, but faith in Christ. When you rest your confidence on
Christ alone for forgiveness and salvation, you’re resting on the Rock! You can
be as confident as the Psalmist was when he wrote, The LORD is my rock and
my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My
shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. – Ps 18;2

What is the greatest peace of all? William Shakespeare said “A peace above all
earthly dignities, is a still and quiet conscience.” The greatest peace is the inner
peace we experience when that raging voice of a guilty conscience is stilled by
the gentle voice of our Savior, who says, Son, be of good cheer, your sins are
forgiven you. This is the inner peace to which we have access through faith in
Christ.

You’re resting on Christ, THE PLATFORM OF PEACE. It means you’ve got
access to God’s grace. But it also means something else. It means that, resting
on Him, you can glory even in tribulations. Paul says, We rejoice in hope of the
glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations.

Do you glory in your tribulations? I’m just asking. When you’re confronted with
things that are painful and difficult in your life, are you grateful to God for
those trials? Do you thank him for sending them into your life to strengthen
you, and then cheerfully place your trust in Him to resolve them? Don’t worry, I
won’t ask for a show of hands. Because if you’re like me, you have to confess
that you’re not always cheerful and trusting in the face of crisis. Often we’re
found whining and complaining, saying “Why me?” and even questioning the
will of God. So often, I’m afraid, Jesus’ words apply to us: “O ye of little faith!”

It doesn’t have to be that way. For remember today’s text: “We have peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Christ gives you a PERMANENT
PLATFORM OF PEACE, a platform from which you can view life’s troubles
in a totally different light. In fact, by faith you can see that having tribulation in
your life is evidence, not of God’s hatred, but of His love for you! For whom
the LORD loves He chastens, says the Bible, And scourges every son whom He
receives …Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful;
nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those
who have been trained by it. – Heb 12 6,9. Afterwards…peace!

Not only is tribulation in your life evidence of God’s love for you, you should
also understand that it’s a necessary part of your spiritual growth. In other
words, God intends these trials – painful as they may be – to turn out for your
good, for the strengthening of your faith. Paul says, We glory in tribulations,
knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character;
and character, hope.

Needless to say, if you can glory even in your tribulations, you’re in a good
place! If you get to the point in your life as a Christian where you can view even
the bad things, the painful things, as gifts from God meant to strengthen your
faith, then you will have come a long way toward a truly happy, and contented,
and PEACEFUL life!

But there’s a third reason, too, that CHRIST PROVIDES A PERMANENT
PLATFORM OF PEACE: because resting on Him, you will see your hope
fulfilled. Paul goes on, 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.

Hope does not disappoint. So many things disappoint us in life, isn’t it true? All
our painstakingly-crafted plans that never quite seem to work out. Friends who
let us down, goals you work hard to achieve, only to see them slip away
unfulfilled. So many things can disappoint us, but one thing will never
disappoint us – the hope we have in Jesus Christ. And here we have to
remember what the Biblical word “hope” means – it means a confident
expectation. Saying that our hope is in Christ does not mean, “Oh, I hope my
sins are forgiven…” or, “I hope I get to heaven one day, but I’m not too
sure…” No, CHRIST IS OUR PERMANENT PLATFORM OF PEACE. For,
as Paul told the Corinthians, all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in
Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. II Cor 1:20.

Many things in life disappoint, but not our hope in Christ. Other hopes may be
misplaced, certainly. There are many people who hope that hell is just a myth,
that judgment day will never arrive, and that there is no God who will hold
them accountable for their sins. But our hope – our certain confidence – is in
Jesus Christ. Our hope is based on fact, not wishful thinking. The evidence,
Paul says, is right here inside us:, because the love of God has been poured out
in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. The Holy Spirit created
faith in your heart through the Word of God. Your hope of everlasting life is not
a wish or a hunch or a gut feeling. It can’t be, because it rests on a platform
more solid than slab of concrete – the atoning work of Christ on the cross. Or
to put it in the words of the beloved hymn:

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus' name.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

It was a meteorology professor of mine who once pointed out that stillness is
an illusion – you are always in motion, whether you realize it or not. Even
sitting in your easy chair at home you’re moving – and real fast, too! If you take
into account the earth’s rotation on its axis, you going 700 miles an hour. If you
consider the earth’s orbit around the sun you’re going 67,000 miles an hour.,
and in view of our solar system’s rotation around the center of the Milky Way,
you’re actually moving at a rate of over half a million miles an hour! Scientists
say there’s nothing in the universe that isn’t moving. You and I would disagree.
We’ve learned from God’s Word that, no matter how fast world events change
around us, no matter what turmoil may arise to disturb and upset us in our
personal lives, CHRIST PROVIDES A PERMANENT PLATFORM OF
PEACE. Resting on Him, we gain access to God’s grace. Resting on Him, we
can glory even in tribulations. And resting on Him, we will see all our hopes
fulfilled, when He takes us to be with Himself in the eternal mansions of
heaven. Where can peace be found? Our choir answered that for us a few
moments ago when it sang,

In the Cross of Christ I glory,
Towering o'er the wrecks of time.
All the light of sacred story
Gathers round its head sublime.

Bane and blessing, pain and pleasure,
By the Cross are sanctified;
PEACE IS THERE that knows no measure,
Joys that through all time abide. AMEN.