Opening: (How many studied Justification by Faith this last week?)

This morning we open again to the book of Romans. I’d like to invite you to read again our scripture reading this morning with me:

But let’s begin with verse 1.

[Rom 5:1 KJV] 1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

Peace, it’s what we all want, right? Good News — wherever you are this morning you can have peace! When we fix our eyes on the faith of Jesus, when we look to His strength, rely on His works, and rest in His merit — Faith is accounted to us as righteousness. Just as it was to Abraham, just as it was to David! Praise God!

[Rom 5:2 KJV] 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

We can say amen to this verse as well! Words can not describe the blessedness of the man or woman who is found standing in God’s grace (His favor) toward you! The verse says we “Rejoice! in hope”!  

v.1 is the Good News Gospel! — I’m Justified by Faith

1. 2 is the Good News Gospel! — I rejoice in hope

Now we come to the unexpected v. 3 — Paul catches us off guard by saying:

[Rom 5:3 KJV] 3 “And not only [so], but we glory in tribulations also” What? Glory in Tribulations? — The greek word for glory is: kauchaomai — translated as “boast”; “rejoice”; “joy”

Just to give your sense of what Paul is saying, consider how these translators chose to translate the word for glory to bring out it’s greek meaning using other english words:

[Rom 5:3 ESV] 3 “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings…”

[Rom 5:3 NASB] 3 “And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations…”

[Rom 5:3 YLT] 3 “And not only [so], but we also boast in the tribulations…”

Illustration: Anyone here ever been in a car wreck before? Now, how many of you got out of the car with arms lifted to heaven saying “Praise God I got into a car wreck today”! Would you expect someone to show up to work that day, and say to his coworker: “Hey [Good News] guess what happened to me today? I just got into a car wreck, isn’t that great news!”

Now I can understand boasting about a blessing, It is normal and we can all expect and understand rejoicing over a blessing. That’s what we normally exult and glory over, isn’t it? We love to share our joy over a newborn, we love to do some holy boasting about a new job promotion, we rejoice when a surgery went well, or the bad that could’ve happened didn’t! We are experts are rejoicing about that those things.

But no one that I know rejoices over problems and trials in their life — How about you, do you know anyone who is rejoicing over their tribulations this morning? Maybe complaining or moaning about them, but rejoicing? No, it’s not natural! Let me share one more translation of this verse:

[Rom 5:3 NLT] 3 “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials…”

No, why does this come as a surprise to Christians? After all this the book we follow, and pattern our lives after. Why are we so surprised that we can Glory in Tribulation?

One reason is that the Christian message has been diluted and distorted from hundreds of pulpits to millions of Christians. Millions are fed the teaching that if you become a Christian life will be smooth.

Just this last year, tele-evangelist Benny Hinn admits to misleading millions! He denounced publicly the prosperity gospel he has been preaching… Christianity Today ran a big news article, the Dallas Morning News ran an article on it just a few months ago (Sept. 22, 2019)

But he’s not the only preacher to preach that you won’t face a tribulation.

Literally millions have embraced the “Secret Rapture” (Also known as

Dispensationalism). Baptists, Non-denominational Churches, Many Charismatic Churches — Representing literally millions of people. What does it teach?

Dispensationalism teaches that true Christians will be raptured away from any tribulation coming to this earth before Christ comes (Among other teachings). This was popularized in the best seller by Tim Lahaye, and the subsequent movies “Left Behind”. But when you dig into the history, you find that dispensationalism actually came from two Jesuits (Francisco Ribero, and Manuel Lecunza) who developed this new view of prophecy around the time of the Protestant Reformation as a way to counter the protestant reformation and shift the spotlight away from the Papacy who was being rightly labeled as the Anti-Christ by nearly all, if not all, Protestant Reformers.

It was a sound good, feel good message — Who wouldn’t like it to be true that if you say “I believe in Jesus” all your problems will be whisked away! The plagues, the great tribulation, the persecutions and hardships spoken of in the Bible — No worries mate, you won’t see a speck of those problems.

So what happens if you do see problems in your life? What happens when the prosperity gospel, doesn’t turn out to be so prosperous? What happens when problems mount, and tribulation increases, and we are pressed on every side with pain, and loss, and despair? What then?

Like Jobs friends: Many modern day Christians declare (And friends if we are honest, we self talk these same declarations when we go through trials) if things aren’t going so great in your life, well that means you must be out of God’s favor! You must be abandoned by God…  Your sins have cut you off and if you only got your life back on track then the blessings would flow.

This wrong theology, echoing in our minds when we face tribulation is that true Christians don’t have problems! Even worse, is when we have problems and we see an unChrist-like nature pouring out of us — words are spoken we regret. Actions are taken that fill us with shame. (But have you ever thought that maybe God allowed the trials that these very things in you might be revealed?) What if God’s plan is to bless you through trials?

Let’s go back to that verse in Romans again — What do tribulations produce in us?

[Rom 5:3-4 NKJV] 3 And not only [that], but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope.

What does tribulation produce?   [This is why Paul says REJOICE… God is allowing a work to be done in you, that no other work will do, to fit you for heaven.]

“Many who sincerely consecrate their lives to God’s service are surprised and disappointed to find themselves, as never before, confronted by obstacles and beset by trials and perplexities. They pray for Christlikeness of character, for a fitness for the Lord’s work, and they are placed in circumstances that seem to call forth all the evil of their nature. Faults are revealed of which they did not even suspect the existence. Like Israel of old they question, “If God is leading us, why do all these things come upon us? It is because God is leading them that these things come upon them. Trials and obstacles are the Lord’s chosen methods of discipline and His appointed conditions of success. He who reads the hearts of men knows their characters better than they themselves know them. He sees that some have powers and susceptibilities which, rightly directed, might be used in the advancement of His work. In His providence He brings these persons into different positions and varied circumstances that they may discover in their character the defects which have been concealed from their own knowledge. He gives them opportunity to correct these defects and to fit themselves for His service. Often He permits the fires of affliction to assail them that they may be purified.” — Help in Daily Living, 8.

The Apostle Paul knew all about trials in life:

Listen to what the Word of Lord said to Paul right at his conversion:

[Act 9:15-16 NKJV] 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. 16 “For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”

Perhaps I should change what I say at baptisms…? Paul at the beginning of his Christian journey was told not just that God had a plan to use him in ministry, but also that he would endure what? Sufferings for God’s name sake. So what sort of sufferings did God have in store for Paul? — Well he lists them for us:

[2Co 11:23-28, 30 NKJV] 23 “Are they ministers of Christ?–I speak as a fool–I [am] more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. 24 From the Jews five times I received forty [stripes] minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 [in] journeys often, [in] perils of waters, [in] perils of robbers, [in] perils of [my own] countrymen, [in] perils of the Gentiles, [in] perils in the city, [in] perils in the wilderness, [in] perils in the sea, [in] perils among false brethren; 27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness– 28 besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. … 30 If I must boast, I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity.”

Why can Paul boast in his infirmities?

[2Co 4:7-10 NKJV] 7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. 8 [We are] hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; [we are] perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed– 10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.

[2Co 4:16-18 NKJV] 16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward [man] is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding [and] eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen [are] temporary, but the things which are not seen [are] eternal.

Well maybe that was just Paul? God needed to do a big work through him, so he needed the trials. But God doesn’t need to accomplish such a big work through me, right? But to Paul, there is no such thing as a Christian who doesn’t face tribulations: [2Ti 3:12 NKJV] 12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

[Act 14:21-22 KJV] — And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and [to] Iconium, and Antioch, 22 Confirming the souls of the disciples, [and] exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

Even Jesus declared:

[Jhn 15:18, 20 NKJV] 18 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before [it hated] you. … 20 “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.

[Jhn 16:33 KJV] 33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

According to Christ and Paul are trials and tribulations going to happen in your life? YES!  

In fact not only are the inevitable, but Christian suffering is NECESSARY!

Why are tribulations in my life as a Christian necessary? (Here is what we’ve learned so far)

#1 — Suffering reveals the hidden defects of our character

This is why the nicest Christian, if not fully reformed by Christ, will find themselves acting so un-Christlike in the face of trials. The character was there before the trial… Trials don’t produce bad characters, they reveal bad characters!

Illustration: Have you ever had an avocado that looked good on the outside, but hidden inside it had rotted? If you haven’t experienced this avocados, perhaps you have with apples eaten by worms. You only see what’s really inside after the fruit is wounded with a knife!

Like a knife, trials & sufferings opens up to us the hidden areas of our life that have rotted long ago, but have never been dealt with completely. These things that we see, are the things that Christ must change in us before we are prepared for eternity, and this change can not happen while we are blind to our deficiencies. Unless we see our mistakes, we won’t lament them, we won’t confess them, we won’t seek for victory over them — and so it is that Christ allows

Tribulation!

#2 — Suffering reveals our human weakness, and inability to overcome these defects in our own power

It was suffering that led a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years to find Christ and find healing in Him.  

[Luk 8:43-44 KJV] 43 “And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, 44 Came behind [him], and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched.”

Take notice, what drove the woman to seek after the power in Jesus? Her suffering at first had led her to try everything in her own power to heal herself. Isn’t this our own first response when we experience trials — we first try in our strength and might to overcome and fix the situation, but it is only when our suffering reveals our utterly helpless condition that we are then driven to seek Christ.

What was true for this woman, is true for every person alive — God knows that tribulation will not only reveal the defects in our characters, but will also reveal the helplessness of our own condition.

#3 — Suffering reveals our utter dependence on God for grace and strength

Jonah cried to God from the belly of a whale, Peter cried out to Christ as He sunk beneath the waves… When we see our helplessness, we realize our total dependence on God’s own righteous character that offers us GRACE… and then provides for us STRENGTH. and it is as we rely on His grace, and rest in His strength that we at last discover that:

#4 — Suffering reveals the power of Christ to transform characters bound up in sin

Listen now to the apostle Paul give the reason that he can boast and take pleasure in afflictions, infirmities, and tribulations:

[2Co 12:8-10 NKJV] 8 “Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

This is why Paul adds “Glory in Tribulation” “Rejoicing in our Problems” as part of the gospel to the Romans! Because the Christian life is not only about what Christ has done FOR you , but what Christ will do IN you as you walk with Him.

Appeal: It takes faith in Christ to say Thank You Lord for the obstacles I’m facing right now — Are you willing to take that step of faith this morning?

Let me ask you to take one more step today— Are you willing to say Lord you have my permission to change my life… even if it takes tribulation. Who would raise their hand this morning and say Lord that’s what I’m asking from you?

Lastly, who this morning says “Jesus, my faith is weak and I tremble at the thought of trouble in my life… strengthen my faith in you that I might be made willing to suffer for you. Lift your hand if this is your prayer.