Our standing in God’s Grace us secret to love. We rejoice in God. We are changed as we relate to Him in our hearts and minds.(Romans 5:1-5; 1John 4)

Speaker(s): Pastor Thomas Schaller, Pastor Chris Moore
Sermon 11970
11:00 AM on 10/11/2020

P. Schaller – Let’s turn to
Romans 5 this morning as we speak on the subject of love. The Spirit of God is love but there are
many misunderstandings about love in our present world. What is love? If you love me, and
love advertised in movies and in families, romantic love, friendship love, sentimental love. The
word “love” is a broadly used word. Many of you have been in the ministry and learning about
the subject “love” because God is love. 1 John. 4. We did this at the 9:00. I said to turn to John and
we never made it to Romans 5! But today we will. 1 John. 4. I ‘d like you to know this chapter –
both 1 John 3 is a very important chapter for believers as also 1 John. 4:8. We have this word in the
Greek, AGAPE. This is the Greek word for love. It was rarely used in the Greek language. It’s
almost as if this Greek language used three other words predominately. PHILEO like
Philadelphia. Adelphia is brother and phileo is love.

Family love or friendship love. EROS is sensual love, romantic love or feeling love. Then Storgeo is family love, stronger for mother and child. These loves in the Greek language, Phileo, Eros and Storgeo are commonly used but this word AGAPE is not used. The Holy Spirit had the writers of the New Testament use this word for
God’s love. God’s love is not sentimental. It’s not emotional. God’s love is the nature of God,
the mind of God and it’s described in one of our favorite and most commonly quoted chapters
in 1 Corinthians 13. AGAPE love is defined in that chapter. Through the months, through the years we
have put this word on the screen, defined it using the Bible and understanding it. We are going
to say some things about it today. God is love it says in 1 John. 4:8. Then we have vs. 10. “Not that
we love God.” This is fantastic. As many of you know, I was a missionary in Europe. After many
years of being there, I woke up one morning and I realized I do not love God.

I looked out the window, I looked at the countryside and I realized, I knew, I do not love God. And I was a
missionary. What do I teach? To love God. I also teach we do not love God. I do not love God.
Did this shake my world? No, I already know the Bible verse. Do you know the Bible verse that
you do not love God? Do you understand it? That you are not faithful, that you do not love
God? You do not love God. Okay, so this is amazing. I got an amen over here. Out of the mouths
of babes, Psalm 8! Out of the mouths of babes! What does it mean? It means the human nature
cannot be trusted. John. 2 Jesus did not trust man for he knew what was in man. For three weeks,
you will say I love God. I love my wife. I love my children. I love. For three weeks and on the
fourth week first day what do you say? I don’t. How did you change? It’s called our sin nature.
It’s the nature of man. You are not faithful. You do not have love. You cannot love as God loves.
It’s only God that loves this way.

This is love. Not that you love God but that he loved you. This is different. Many churches would say love God, love God, love God until it comes out of your ears. You are part of that and then one day it doesn’t happen or one week or one month or one year or you are angry about something or you are hurt. You say I can’t do it. I can’t do it. God
already knows and he is telling you. This is a good starting point. A good starting point is called
in our theology total depravity. The heart of man is deceitful and desperately wicked. Who can
know it? Total depravity. Sick in the head. From the top of the head to the bottom of the foot in
Isaiah 1:5. The whole head is sick and the heart is faint. This is important. Some of our brothers
and sisters are just learning doctrine, but you must learn doctrine. As apples of gold in pictures
of silver is the proverb. This is a word fitly spoken. Means in the frame of silver, the doctrinal frame of our word, God gives us the doctrinal frame are apples of gold.

An apple of gold, the gold means deity and the apples are something you can eat, the fruit, and it’s in a frame of
doctrine. This is a word fitly spoken or a doctrinal word. It says words from a scholar are like
nails in the temple, the house. The nails are the words of the wise. Wow! Okay, go back to that
verse please. 1 John. 4:10, get out of yourself. Get beyond yourself and your life. Let me draw a
picture of that. I wonder if we are going to make it to Romans 5. Here’s a person. This is their
world. They are talking who they are, how strong they are, how smart they are, how much they
love, how dedicated they are and so on. When you learn God and study God your world
changes. Your world isn’t about you loving God. It’s different. It’s about God is loving you. God.
This is where you must learn. You change by this. You change by learning. 2 Timothy 3:16, here’s
my Bible. All Scripture is God-breathed. By the way, modern theologians discredit the veracity
of the whole book.

They say the word of God is in the book. We say no, the word of God IS the
book. There is a difference. This is inspired. How much of it is inspired? Every jot and tittle.
Jesus said heaven and earth will pass away but not one jot or tittle. That’s the accent marks in
the Hebrew letters. Like a period. We could say the dot over the ‘I’ in English. Not a dot will
pass away. Not a letter or an accent in the Hebrew or Greek languages will pass away. This is
the inspired Word. Why is it given to us? Because God knows how stupid we are. God knows we
need a reference picture, frame, a picture of silver and in it is an apple of gold if you can follow
that metaphor with me. There is a word fitly spoken that changes my life. This is one of them.
Not that we love God. Start with God. You know how you study human beings? This is Spurgeon
I believe said this. The best way to study people is to study God.

If you study God, you will learn about people. If you start with people, you will probably learn nothing but more foolishness. Have we seen a lot of foolishness in our society? Have we seen a lot of confusion? Have we
seen a lot of unrighteousness? Have we seen a lot of wickedness and evil propagated in many
ways in our culture? Yes, we have. That’s deteriorating. Our human souls are deteriorating. We
shared that yesterday. There is a deterioration going on in the human soul. Maybe we will share
that tonight. There is a collapse. There is a moral deterioration that is happening in human
beings. Individually, their souls are collapsing. They can’t take fear. They don’t know how to
handle fear. They have fear. They don’t know how to handle dispute or deception like lies. They
don’t know how to say no. They have problems in decision making. They have problems with
anxiety. They have fears. Churches close down but the liquor stores are blossoming.

The liquor is flowing out the doors and parking lots are packed with people. Why do people run there?
Because there is a deterioration in the soul. They can’t focus. They can’t handle the pressure.
What pressure? A pandemic. Whatever. We have a pandemic. Really? Is that going to change
my life? Is that going to change my life? Listen to me. You can think however you want to about
it. I don’t really care. I care more – I care about death of course. I know about it. Please
understand the context. Do you fear death? Do you fear death? If you are fearing death, you
should get a bigger box and a frame because our God is like a King and in the ancient world do
you know what a king did? He defined for his kingdom the rules. He defined agriculture. He
defined military. He defined education. He defined the economy. He was a king. He defined the
world. He did that in big, broad brushes, big strokes. He defined his kingdom.

Then the second thing he did was relate to the people and told them about it. He helped them and wanted the
kingdom to prosper. He wanted the people to be happy and satisfied and blessed. Well, our
God is a King of Kings. And he defined for us our world. He defined for us our world and told us
about heaven and hell and about his love and his care and order and righteousness and
humility and faith and what life is. He came to us one on one and he wants us to prosper and
benefit. All Scripture is given from our king. What for? For doctrine, the big frame, for reproof,
correction, instruction in righteousness. Reproof. P. Gary shared is like a big correction.
Reproving me like a big thing. A forceful word of correction. The Bible is given to correct my
worldview. Correct me in my personal life.

Reproof is that word. Correction is a little softer and instruction is even softer. He’s going to teach me. That’s the meaning of our boxes here on the screen. I don’t love God. God told me that. I don’t love God. I was a missionary looking out the window. I know that I don’t love God. I learned that in Bible school. I know that is true. That is
why I love him so much. That is why I follow him. He is so good to me. He knows I don’t love
him but he made me to show me himself and understand who he is. I fall in love with him. Now
we love him. This is the way it goes. I wanted to finish that part, 4:11-12. We don’t love him but
he loves us and that love in us is his love and we love one another. You can’t see God but you
can see the love we have one for another. You can’t see the love but you can see the love. You
can’t see God but you can see the love in the church, in the fellowship. Last part, 1 John. 4:18, we
see people tormented.

They fear the virus. They fear death. They fear the loneliness, the
emptiness. Yes, they do because their soul is deteriorating just like you lose hair in the shower.
When I clean the drain out, I go oh no! Oh no! Oh no! Or lose a tooth. Not another tooth! Oh
no! Oh no! Fear of losing. Losing. Fear of losing. Don’t you know that every day we are losing?
Another day we lose our health. We are losing things. Do you fear losing? No, because Jesus
told me. You go through the Bible and see how many things were lost. I got a phone call one
time here in Baltimore. They said, do you know where your car is? I go, yeah. It’s in the
driveway. Look out the window and see if it’s there. I go, how did you know that? It was the
police calling me. They said because your car is on some street in Baltimore on the sidewalk
running with the doors open! Is anyone in it?

Nobody is in it. Have you lost a car? Not yet. After this service! Have you lost a loved one? Have you lost money? Have you lost a diamond ring? Yes, but you haven’t lost love. You can’t. I want to show that to you. You haven’t. There is not a born-again believer in the history of the world that has lost God. There isn’t anybody. God is
love. There are two more sentences for who God is in this unique structure. God is Spirit and it
doesn’t say “God is a Spirit.” It says God is Spirit. John. 4:24 and then 1 John 1:5 God is light. God is
light. That will help us understand love in a few minutes. Let’s go to our text in Romans 5. I was
really – yeah, we made it – you got me worried there for a second! Rom. 5, this message we are
going to go from verse 1-5, and our target is vs. 5. It’s about the Love of God shed abroad in our
hearts. That’s what we want to say this morning in our message, what it is. This love. I want to
reassure you, all of us that do not love God, I want to reassure you of the fact that God loves us.

That God transcends our world and our sinful selves though our sin is great ad our nature is
corrupt. Though we are in rebellion against God, he by his grace sent his Son to justify us, to
declare us righteous while we were sinners, Romans 5. While we were sinners. When we were without God, he saved us. When we did not know, when we were away from him, he gave us
his Son and if he is lifted up, he will draw all men unto himself in John 3:13. Whoever believes in
him is justified on the spot, immediately. No process. Only believe in the Son of God and you
are saved, John. 6:28-29. What must I do to inherit eternal life? What must I do to have eternal
life? Believe in the one that God has sent. That’s all. I believe. I trust. We are justified. That’s the
end of Romans 4. Very important text of Scripture and it’s extremely important to us to
understand justification.

What is justification? It’s when God declares you righteous. That’s
what it is. Are you righteous? No in one sense but yes in the mind of God. He has changed his
mind about us so to speak. He has always known it but for the sake of communicating with
human beings we have past, present, future and that’s the world we live in. But if you could
understand that God always knew. He gave his Son before the foundation of the world to be
crucified for us. He knows the end from the beginning. He knows about your salvation and he
declared you to be righteous. This is a gift. This is by his grace. Vs. 1. On our part we have peace
with God. Do you have peace? Yes. Look at my picture here. I lost my job. I don’t have peace. I
don’t have in my world but I have peace actually. And yes, it’s in your world too. You have
peace with God. I don’t have peace with my wife.

I don’t have peace with my boss. I don’t have peace with myself. Yes, we understand that but you have peace with God. Period. You have peace. How could I have peace with God? Because you are justified. God called you his friend. He calls you his child. You are not his enemy. You are translated from darkness to light. You are
in the kingdom. You are saved. You are justified. You are forgiven. You are sanctified. You are
redeemed. You are reconciled. Every one of them is a big word, a great meaning for us as
believers. It’s happened. It’s over. It’s done. I’m saved. Halleluiah! But I don’t love God. We
know you don’t. We know you don’t. Get over yourself. That’s not the point. Yeah, but you
don’t know what I did Friday night. I don’t know what you did and I don’t want to know about
it. God says you have peace with God. God says you are justified and by the way, you are
standing. Vs. 2.

That means you are standing as in, and it’s a perfect tense, – it means like how
would it go? The present and continuation of the status of the thing. I am standing. And it
continues and it will continue unless something came in and changed it. The present continual
status is that I’m standing in grace. Did you ever get out of grace? No, I can’t get out of it
because I’m justified. How did you get such a great status? By Jesus Christ. He was crucified on
our behalf so we could be made the righteousness of God in him. That cannot be reversed.
Remember the blessing that Isaac gave to Jacob by mistake. Jacob had the hairy arms. You
heard me say it. I have blessed you. When he realized Esau came in and said where is my
blessing? He goes, who are you? I am Esau. Oh, I blessed the other guy and I cannot reverse it. I
cannot change it. This is called the finished work. This is what Jesus did for us.

This means love in the deepest meaning. This is not sentimental love. It’s another kind of love. It’s a deep mind
love, the mind of God. How could I save a sinner? Based on the sinner, the guy that lives in the
garbage can. I could say you live in a dumpster. You eat and sleep in a dumpster and they throw
the pizza crust into the dumpster from the pizza restaurant and you eating that. That’s where
you are living. You say to that could you take a shower? Could you clean up? I cannot clean
myself. I am dirty. I need something else to clean me. I need something else. I need God. In the metaphor, I need God to clean the sinner. How could God clean the sinner? Not by the sinner’s
dirt. He must use his Son and by his Son’s blood, by his Son’s obedience, by his Son’s nature, by
his Son’s perfection, by his Son’s attributes. By the Son of God. What does that mean to us? We
are standing in grace. We are standing in it continually.

That’s what we have. Vs. 2. If you get a hold of this you start rejoicing despite yourself. You start rejoicing regardless of yourself. You start rejoicing in God. That’s what keeps you off of drugs. You start rejoicing in God. That’s what
changes your life. You start relating to God in your heart and mind. You start thinking in these
terms. Wait a minute. I got the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit of God is love and that Spirit dwells in
you and in me. Vs. 3. As if that isn’t enough, but he goes further. God you said such big things in
these two verses and he goes, not only that but I’m going to tell you it’s going to affect you. Not
only that but I’m telling you if you keep your small world, I can understand how you don’t
change. You walk around and I love God, I don’t love God, I love God for a couple weeks. I don’t
love God that much. I’m not thinking about him.

And you live in that small world. No wonder we don’t realize how awesome Jesus Christ is. But with these pastors and these little messages that we heard – P. Paul Andrulonis said about being in between. Young people can say one day I will get a good job but before I get a good job, I’m in between where I am and the good job. I
have to live in the in between. He said that maybe they think I want to get a house and before
they get the house, they are living in the in between. Like where they are before they get the
house, they are in the in between. He said that’s where we must live. Not anticipating the new
job or new house primarily. What he is saying is we must learn how to live this way. Not hoping
for something better than what I have in a human context but I want to know who I am now
with the God that is. The God that is now.

A new house may never come. Or have you ever gotten the new house and you are walking around going, ooh. I thought it would be better than this! I never got what I really thought I wanted but what I got was really what I thought I wanted or needed or actual it’s not all that it’s cracked up to be. Psalm 62:5, God is my
expectation. P. Bailey mentioned in honor of P. Morrison -we had three heroes of faith go home
to be with the Lord this past summer: P. Carl in India who is an amazing hero of mine. P. Yurma
Eminen, another hero and P. Morrison. I can’t believe these brothers have gone but they went
to receive a great world God has, our King, defined for us. Big broad strokes. If you trust me,
what I have for you. Find it now, not later. Find it now because I am your king. I came down into
your streets and hovels and muddy ditches and talked to you and told you that I love you and
made a way for you. I prepare a place for you. If it wasn’t so, I would tell you, John. 14. One
atheist said I don’t believe in God.

I said I believe in God. Why do you believe in God? Because Jesus told me he went to prepare a place for me and if it wasn’t so, he would tell me. That’s the kind of God I have. He tells me what is going on. What do you got to say to me? There is no God? I look to the grave? Life is an accident? I go, you look like an accident! Are you an atheist?
You’re an accident, okay. In your world, you are an accident. You shouldn’t even be here. It’s all
by chance. You’re an accident. I don’t want to be an accident. I’m chosen. My King has told me
such and such things. Right? Okay. That’s like sanctified arrogance. I’m joking! There is no
sanctified arrogance. Just joking! Vs. 3. Dr. Martin Lloyd Jones does a great job on this. He says
it doesn’t mean we glory in spite of our tribulations. It doesn’t mean we glory in them like we are in them and in some mechanical way we are glorying in them. He is saying it means because
we understand the big frame, then when we are in trouble, we find God is with us in our
trouble. We glory in the reality of him in our trouble.

Actually, I honestly believe many unbelievers don’t have as many troubles as we have. I honestly believe that. Let me repeat that. Unbelievers don’t have as many troubles. Okay. I’m an unbeliever now! I want to be an
unbeliever! Could I be an unbeliever? Could I get out of this thing? Could I be an unbeliever and
live a normal life in the countryside? My cows are producing milk and the grass is green and the
house is peaceful. Could I be an unbeliever? This is I’m hungry for the tribulation. It’s okay. You
can do this. You can put it on me Lord. It’s okay. I know who you are. I can handle this. I’m
standing in grace. I have found doctrine as my reference. It’s like the book of Job. By the way,
unbelievers have a lot of troubles that are very deep and powerful because Jesus said in the
world you shall have tribulation but be of good cheer. Here’s our part. Be of good cheer; I have
overcome the world. John. 16:33. What does it say here? I have seen that with the men and
women of God through the years.

We have some amazing people that we know personally. Like this lady here in the front row. Mary LaFlamme. John Hadley. Suffered great losses and great tribulations in life but then they are patient. They have experience in vs. 4 and experience gives them hope. They have experience in life. They are precious and valuable people. Wouldn’t you like to walk with Noah years after the ark is over and gone and he lives some hundreds of years
more. Walk around with Noah and say, what was it like? What did you believe God? How hard
was it? He goes, yeah, it was challenging. But it happened. I am speechless. I cannot tell you
with words what I saw and what I experienced and what God did. It was awesome. Noah, could
I touch you? Wow! Who are you? Who are you? What have you experienced? We could say
with many saints of God. This is what I’m trying to say this morning. Love will lead you in this
mind where you will think with God. We have an election coming up and we are very concerned
about it for righteousness sake and godliness.

And you have to register please. I think in Maryland it only goes to Wednesday. You have to register by Wednesday. There is a table out there if you need information. We are not telling you who to vote for but we are asking you to
pray and vote. Pray and vote. I’m going to say something. I do not know how it will turn out or
what it will mean but for you and I we must have an orientation that is bigger than our own
personal preferences and how we want things to go. I need to know. I know I can be very
concerned of course. But no matter what happens the day after or a month later or however it
goes, I want to evangelize. That would be the great thing I can do in my country. I want to love
my neighbor. I want to pray for whoever is elected. I want to be part of the solution. I want to
be salt and light. I want to bring my neighbors to the church. I got to say come and hear God’s
word and be built up. You need it.

Find out who Jesus is and pray for our country for a revival and that we would also send missionaries out to the world like we have always done with more than a hundred people that are out on the field today because of this church and this work and what we do. And more than 700 affiliated churches in many countries around the world and you got to say, how did that happen? Without pressure in the flesh, without a lot of technical
capabilities or money or big engine of some human force. No, this is God and in the heart of a
person. In my heart, I want to go. In my heart, I want to be a servant. In my heart, I want to pray. In my heart, I want to love. In my heart I want to help. In my heart, I have this in our
hearts. Where did it come from? AGAPE. This is God. Not that we loved him. He loved us. Vs. 5.
Hope makes not ashamed.

A pastor told me I think he said my son said to me, dad, if you lived your life another time would you do anything differently. He thought for a second and he said no, I wouldn’t do anything differently. It’s been amazing. No, I’m not ashamed. I’m not perfect. I’ve made major decisions based on this love of God. Hope makes not ashamed. The love of God is shed abroad. That means flooded, pouring, – it’s a strong pouring, a deluge, a lot of it.
Not a little bit periodically but the love of God is pouring in our hearts and its perfect tense. It’s
a constant condition that the love of God by the Holy Spirit. God is love and that’s what
happens in our hearts. The mind of God, the Spirit of God in our hearts. That’s what this life is
about. It’s about love. Vs. 5. I think that’s enough for this morning, for the moment.

Please enjoy these sermon notes from the messages preached at Greater Grace Church in Baltimore. These notes are provided to aid in your study and understanding of the Word. Note that these notes do not represent complete, word-for-word transcriptions. Also, they may contain omissions as well as some errors in spelling and structure, etc., as we attempt to provide them as soon as possible. Our hope is that these notes serve as a way to help you search and connect with messages on related subjects and passages. Thank you for your interest in the ministry of Greater Grace.