to the book of Romans in the New Testament. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, and then you come to the book of Romans. The book of Romans, the New Testament, chapter 5, and we'll read from verse 1 to the end of the chapter. Romans, chapter 5, reading from verse 1 to the end of the chapter. This is the word of the Lord. Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also, knowing that tribulation worketh patience. And patience experience and experience hope. And hope make us not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength in due time, Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die, yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. much more than being now justified by his blood. We shall be saved from wrath through him. For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his son, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also join God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. For until the law, sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned, after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift. For the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offenses unto justification. For if by one man's offense death reign by one, much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one Jesus Christ. Therefore, as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation, even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered that the offence might abound, but where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. that as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. Thus far we read in God's holy and infallible Word. Well if you would turn back with me please to the book of Romans where the first five verses really are our text for this evening. Rightness with God, peace with God. Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God. Faith, of course, is that which faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, I mean, not faith in something or someone else, not even faith in faith. Faith towards the Lord Jesus Christ, of course, brings many, many benefits to a person. Many benefits and many many privileges. It's that which, you might say, opens the windows of heaven and God pours down all kinds of benefits and all kinds of privileges for the one who truly believes in Jesus. In our society today, in our country, uh... people of course enjoy uh... many benefits you know from uh... well from being citizens of the united kingdom and of course as we know there are many people who flock to our country for some of them uh... seeking to better their lives no doubt and uh... but some many of course we know uh... are attracted because of the the benefits that they will receive if they if they come into our country and become citizens of our country. Many benefits and privileges. I'm told that if you learn to work the system, you can make a fairly good living out of it. I read and I hear of of people who have, some of our own people you might say, who have never worked a day in their lives and I hear reports of them, you know, that they're bringing in something like £30,000 a year and more than some of us get for working and they get holidays and cars and homes and all kinds of wonderful benefits. Whether that be right or wrong, it's not my place to argue. That's not my point. But those benefits, you see, they flow out of, you might say, a right relationship with the state, with the country. As long as they're here legally and they have citizenship as citizens of the United Kingdom, well then, these benefits are all opened up to them, these privileges. And these benefits and privileges of which I speak, you see, that flow to us from the throne of God, well, they too, you see, they flow to a person from a right relationship with God. Without a right relationship with God, there are no benefits, there are no privileges. Heavens, windows, and doors are shut tight. There is nothing for a person from God. without they have entered into a right standing, a right relationship with God, peace with God, and of course, well, that comes, that stems from faith, believing, trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ. So this ought to, well at the very least, it ought to be a cause for some serious thought with us, you know, as to where we stand with God and whether we are open to these benefits and privileges that we'll, some of which we'll come to in due course. It ought to be occasion, ought it not, for very serious thought. the fruit tree of the Gospel. It has many luscious and great fruits upon it. but so very precious, but you can't even get near the tree, never mind shake it, never mind obtain the fruits of it without faith. It's by faith, you see, God himself is accessed. It is by faith his throne is accessed. And it is by faith in his son, Jesus Christ, that these benefits and these privileges, you see, they come to us. So the first, excuse me, the first that we look at here is peace with God here in verse one. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Man's great need, you see, and the condition of man, you see, it is that reveals This tremendous need you see that men and women have, that whether you be young or old, it matters not. This is your primary, this is your greatest need. Sin, I'm sure you'll agree with me, it is that breeds and causes quarrels between man and man, between nation and nation. Some people sometimes, they ask the question, when will there be peace in this world? And sometimes people, I think, They gather and they pray for peace in the world. But think about it a little bit. How can there possibly be peace in the world? How can there ever be an end of quarrels between man and man, between nation and nation, as long as man is at war with God, his maker? And I submit to you this evening that this is man, and whatever generation he lives in, this is man's greatest need. You may draw up a list of all the needs that you have, you may have great, you have many needs, they may be serious, they may be legitimate, but I submit to you that man's greatest need at any time is to be at peace with God, the war with God to be over. Because sin not only breeds quarrels between man and man, but it breeds a quarrel between us and God. So the Bible says that the natural man, natural woman, is at enmity against God. He's against God. He's living day by day, you see, with his fist in his maker's face. the natural man, the natural mind, you see, is hostile to God. So until those weapons of warfare are laid down, until you come to the cross of God's Son, Jesus Christ, and make your peace with God, a guilty sinner and a holy God are like oil and water, they just do not, they cannot possibly mix. And so you see, it's faith. It's believing, it's trusting, you see, not in what you can do, not in any work of your own or my own, but it's faith towards the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for sinners, as our passage, it was seen in our passage, who died for sinners, who died for the enemies of God, not friends, but the enemies of God. While we were Enemies, Christ died for sinners. It's faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, you see, that justifies, that makes a person right with God. To justify someone is to make them right, you see. And through faith in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ is that what makes a person right with God, brings them into a right standing with God. and therefore removes the guilt and the shame and makes way for this glorious, this transcendent, this all-surpassing, peace as peace, which the Bible describes as surpassing all understanding. But the good news, the good news friends, is this, that God is of such a favorable disposition In the goodwill of God, you see, the gospel, this good news, you see, regarding the peace of God, is not only presented to you here this evening, but is actually freely offered to you. Peace with God. So that the windows of heaven might be opened and that the blessings and privileges of God might be yours, poured out into your lap. pressed down, poured in again, and overflowing. Oh, the blessings and the privileges that come to a man or a woman when they are right with God, at peace with God. The good will of God, you see, in God's favorable disposition, he offers you terms of peace this evening. Will you take them? Will you receive them? The character of this piece, of course, is an end of the hostilities. It's a laying down, you see, of your weapons of warfare, you see. It's entering into a covenant of friendship, you see, with God. Entering into his loving kindness, you see. It was for this, you see, that man was made. A covenant, a bond of friendship, you might say, with God, you see. But that bond, you see, has been broken by sin. And instead of being friends with God, we find ourselves enemies with God, at loggerheads with God, contrary to God. The Apostle, he speaks here in verse 6 about Christ dying for the ungodly. What does it mean to be ungodly? It means to be contrary to God in your nature, you see, and in your practice. This is how we're all born, you see. This is how we all come into the world. You see, it's not just a case of what you do and what you say and what you think that's sinful. It's your very nature, you see. That's why, you see, we naturally do things that are wrong. It comes quite naturally to us because we're natural-born sinners. You're either, you see, a natural born God-hater or a supernaturally born God-lover. That's why Jesus says that a man, you see, must be born again. Except a man is born again, he says, he cannot see, he cannot perceive, he cannot understand the kingdom of God, let alone enter into it. You see, we're contrary in nature. How can you who are accustomed, quite naturally accustomed to doing evil, how can you possibly do good, says God? For you, this is impossible. Can you change the spots on a leopard, says God? No, you see, that's its natural state. Nobody can change it. It would take a miracle to do that. And likewise, it would take a miracle to change, transform your nature. But that's the work of the gospel, you see. That's what happens, you see, when a man is born again, when he makes peace with God, you see, everything changes, you see. And when the nature has changed, you see, then the desires are changed. No one ever desired God. until they were born again. No one ever desired the Kingdom of God. No one ever desired purity. No one ever desired cleanness. No one ever desired holiness. No one ever desired God or the things of God until their natures were changed. Change the nature and you change the nature of the beast. You change the practice of the beast. Then your desire is to please God, to love God. Because now you're in that relationship for which you were created, for which you were made. A friendship, a bond of friendship with God. You've entered into His loving kindness. You see, God is either your worst enemy or He's your best friend. It's one or the other. In Romans chapter 8, Paul Speaking, of course, about Christians, he says to them, he says, if God be for you, who can be against you? The whole world might be against you as a Christian, but it matters not if God's on your side, if he's for you, but reverse that question and ask yourself this question, if God is against you, what have you got going for you? The whole world might agree with you, but if God's against you, you're in serious trouble. You need to make your peace with God. You really, really do. But there's one single channel by which this peace comes to a man or woman, any person. Faith, believing, trusting in Jesus Christ again, not what you have done, not in any religious activity, Now in the keeping of the law, I was telling you this morning about Jamaica and the times I approached people, I said, are you a Christian? Yes, I am. How come are you a Christian? I've been baptized. Baptism does not make anyone a Christian. I keep the Sabbath day, they say. Keeping the Sabbath day, keeping any of the commandments of God does not make a person a Christian. one single channel, and one single channel alone by which this peace comes to a man or woman, faith in the person and the works of the Lord Jesus Christ, not what you do, but what he has done, what he has historically accomplished outside Jerusalem by his death, his shed blood on Calvary's cross, and his resurrection from the dead. Faith in the gospel, the power of God unto salvation, not for everyone who's religious and not even for everyone, but for everyone who believes. Jesus, you see, he is the ultimate peacemaker. He is the mediator. He is the one who stands between you and God. And he is the one who wants, who desires, even this evening, to make peace between you and God. Jesus Christ, the only mediator between God and man. If he does not, if he does not make peace with God for you, then no one else can. No one. He is our peace, and he is the maintainer of this peace. Peace with God, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. But then secondly, having made peace with God, then you see we have access to God, into a happy state, a happy standing before God. verse 2, by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. You see, it's all of grace, you see. It's all of grace from start to finish. It's the gift of God. If you have to do anything for it, if you have to be religious for it, if you have to be respectable for it, morally upright for it, if you have to do anything at all for it, it's no longer of grace. It's pure, unadulterated grace. It's the gift of God. It comes out of the hand of God's loving kindness extended to you here this evening. And no sooner, you see, is this peace made, no sooner is this friendship of loving kindness entered into, but we begin, you see, immediately, we begin to be conformed to his likeness. Instead of being ungodly, we become godly, godlike. The image of God, you see, in which we were first made is restored to us. And now, you see, as a result of this, we have access. We are introduced to God the Father, you see, through the Son. The Son, you see, he died on the cross to bring us to God. He brings us. This is his priestly action, if you might say, you see. He made the sacrifice, and having made the sacrifice, and we having received the benefit of it, he brings us into the presence of God. He, if you like, he introduces us to God. We're not born thus. No one is born this way, you know? People say, you know, you question them about their beliefs and they say, well, I was, you know, I've always been a Christian. No, you haven't. No one has always been a Christian. We're not born thus. We have to be reborn, born again, brought into this by God himself. And the access is the same as peace, you see. It's by faith, you see. It's by grace through faith, again, in the Lord Jesus Christ. He's the author. He's the principal agent of it. We have no access to God without the Lord Jesus Christ. That's why when we pray, you see, we always pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Because it's by Him that we come to Him. And of course, well, the Bible tells us that he has the ability, you see, to save to the uttermost all those who come to God through him, because you can come in no other name. By a believing dependence leaning upon Jesus and upon what he has done, what he has so wonderfully well accomplished, you have a confident You have a bold approach to God. It's a very happy standing to be in grace, in the grace of God. It's a posture you see that declares that you have been discharged, you see, from all guilt. You see, there's also progress in this. You see, you're accessing God and you're standing before God. Something that you could never have dreamed possible before. Something that you would never have wanted to do before. Because in your sin and in your guilt and your inequity, for you to have to stand before the throne of Almighty God would have just utterly destroyed you. Before you see peace was made with God, and before you received this access to God, you were unable to stand before God. But now, now you see. Now you've been discharged from all the guilt, all the charges that were against you, the commandments of God broken. Everything that was charged against you, it's all gone cleared in the court of heaven. Not just not guilty, but righteous. And therefore able to boldly stand before the throne of God as His child. and so therefore able to stand firm upon his word, to make a principle stand. You know, one of my complaints about our dear Prime Minister, Mr Cameron, who we must much pray for, is that the poor soul, the poor man, doesn't believe anything at all. Well, I dare say that's probably true of not all, but most of the politicians that we have today. They're unprincipled people. They don't have a principle in all their bodies. But now you see, because of this bold stand that we have, because of this access that we have to God, because of this new situation, this new standing, this new relationship, We are able to stand upon the principles of God's Word, upheld by the power of God's favour. Knowing, you see, that God is smiling upon you. To be able, over nighttime, to lay your head down on a pillow and know that all is well between you and your Maker. To know that God smiles upon you, that He favors you, and to know that even were the universe itself to disintegrate, to fall apart in the night, you would still be safe under His everlasting arm. because you have the favor of God, which is also, of course, all of this, you see, is a confirmation of his favor. This is grace. This is the grace of God, you see. And this is what he has for men and women in the gospel. You see, this is not religion. You may call it that if you wish, but I refuse to do so because there is a distinct difference. There are a lot of religious people in the world. But this is grace, this is gospel, you see? This is the good news concerning a person, God's Son, Jesus Christ, who was declared to be the Son of God by the power of His resurrection from the dead. A person, you see? And a person who was crucified on the Roman cross 2,000 years ago, an atoning death, dying a death that you and I should have died. and doing it for the ungodly, doing it for those who are enemies of God, that they might become friends of God, that they might be brought into this happy standing, this happy state and condition of being able to stand before the throne of God with boldness and confidence, unashamed, because of the favor, because of the wonderful, amazing, amazing grace of God. How do you describe grace? I remember attending some theological lecture some years ago now. Derek Swan was a gentleman who was teaching us, and it was homiletics. And he asked the gathered class for a description of grace. How would you describe it? The undeserved favor of God? So, so undeserved. The very opposite to what you and I deserve. Enemies of God, fighting against God with our every breath, with our every step, with our every action and thought, hating God, and yet this is what He offers you. peace with God, access to God, as a child of God, to be able to run into your Father's presence unashamedly, without any restraint. And then thirdly, there is, of course, Paul, he speaks about the back end of verse two, he speaks about the hope of glory. That, of course, is hope for the future, isn't it? In a world that's in utter hopelessness, I mean, where do you go? I ask you. To be free of the trouble, to be free of the uncleanness, to be free of the violence, I mean, where on earth do you go? Some years ago, if things were bad here, you could have emigrated somewhere else to America, to Australia. You could have started your life over again in somewhere more pleasant, where things were more equal. But the one all over, violence, terrorism, uncleanness, pervasive, utter hopelessness, despair, with men. Here is a real, sure, here is a concrete hope, here is a hope, not like the world's hope, you know, I hope I win the lottery next Saturday, or, you know, or I hope something will turn up, I hope somebody will come and help me, you know? Which is no hope at all. This is a real, this is a sure, this is a concrete hope that does not and will not disappoint you. But beloved, there is no hope, there is no real hope, there is no, sure there is no concrete hope without the grace of God and Jesus Christ. But grace in the heart, you see, hear me, grace in the heart, you see, when God implants the principle of grace within your heart, that's glory begun. That's a pledge of the glory to come, that's a pledge of the glory of heaven. That's a down payment if you like, that's a guarantee of the glory to come. You're now a man, you're now a woman with peace and with hope and with a future. I look at so many young people in our society today and I weep for them because I see no future for them. Where our society is going, it waxes worse and worse. One does not wonder. One does not wonder at the number of suicides that there are amongst young people. And the numbers are astonishing, if you were to look into it. Because, you see, we live in a society that has robbed our children We have taken the real, we have taken the true hope away from them. The hope of God and Jesus Christ, the hope of the gospel. We've deprived them of that now for generations. And they're running on empty. They're not even running in the fumes of the previous proclamation of the gospel. They're running on empty. This is an issue the glory of heaven to come. That however it falls out with you in this world, that whenever you depart this world, whether you will be young or old at the time, you've somewhere to go. I ask you the question this evening, are you building a home in heaven? So many people are building homes here on planet Earth. They go to all kinds of extremes in order to get mortgages, to get bigger homes, to renovate them, to renew them, to add to them. And they work themselves to the bone. The husband and wife are out working. Everybody's working in order to pay for this luxurious home, these bricks and mortar. They're not building a home for heaven. Where are you going to go when you die? Where are you going to go when you're finished on this earth? You got somewhere to go? You're going to be kicked out of your house tonight? You want to be sure you got somewhere to go? Lay your head? God calls you. out of the world tonight. Where are you going to go? Are you building a home in heaven? Do you have the assurance of the glory of heaven to come? This promises grace and glory and glory. Those who have entered into rest with God, peace with God. That is peace by faith, through faith in God's Son, Jesus Christ. This is their hope. This is their hope for the future, but even hope for just now in times of trouble. You know, I look at some people's lives today and I say to myself, I wonder, I look at the troubles that they're in, I look at the broken relationships, I look at the fallout from it, and I think to myself, how can these people live? How can these people, you know, get through this day by day? You see, for the Christian, for the person, you see, who has peace with God, and who has access to God, who has the favor and the grace of God, who has the hope of glory, you see, trouble for the Christian person, you see, it becomes a blessing. The curse is removed from it. You see, trouble, affliction, however it comes to a person who is not a Christian, all it serves to do is to harden them against God. Because they know that God is. So he is the first one that they immediately, whether they do it verbally, whether they do it consciously or unconsciously, they harden themselves, they blame God for it. And trouble affliction, you see, for the ungodly is a curse. But it becomes a blessing, you see. It becomes a blessing for the godly, for those who have made their peace with God. They have promised it will work for their good. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also. Knowing that tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience, and experience hope, and hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shared abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us. You see? It produces patience, a godly patience. And it proves, you see, it proves that your faith is genuine, is the real thing, you see? When you come to trouble, yes, the flesh doesn't like it, I fully acknowledge that. But when you come to trouble, you see, and you come through it, and you come out the other end, and you're still believing, you see, it's a testimony to yourself, you see, that your faith is the real thing, the genuine article. Because those who just have a temporary faith, you know, like the parable of the sower, when trouble comes, you see, offense comes because of the word of God, well, they're gone, they're seen no more. It works in patience and unbelief, but it produces patience in those who believe. For faith produces, you see, God's consolations, comforts in the midst of the troubles and anxieties of life in this world. Produce hope, you see, that does not make us ashamed, but rather unashamed. A hope that doesn't deceive us. It doesn't disappoint us. The Bible says that the expectations, all the expectations, whatever you might hope for, the expectations of the wicked, God says, shall perish. The hope of the righteous produces boldness. It's a hope you see that's sealed to us by the Spirit of God. by the operations of His Spirit, you see. His love, verse 5, the love of God is shed abroad, is poured into our hearts by the Holy Ghost, by the Holy Spirit, who is given to us. And He constrains us, you see. And He refreshes and He keeps us in the way. and keeps us in the love of God. So you see, blessings, privileges, only three, the hope of glory, access to God, but it all begins with peace with God. My question to you in conclusion this evening is, have you made peace with God? He is of a favorable disposition. You say, how do you know that? I know that because he sent his son Jesus Christ into the world. For God so loved the world that he gave his son. Does that not suggest to you a favorable disposition on God's part? Not only that, but his son came and his son yielded himself up to the death of the cross. For God so, for Jesus so loved the world that he gave himself. Does that not suggest to you a favorable disposition on the part of God the son? He died, he shed his blood, he rose again from the dead. He has given to us his written word. He has trained, He has equipped and gifted His servants, the preachers of the gospel who have come to you again and again and pleaded with you as I plead with you tonight. I implore you, I beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. Bring an end of your alienation from God tonight. And I say tonight because You haven't got tomorrow. Tomorrow's not yours, it's not given to you, yet. Maybe, who knows, perhaps God will require your soul tonight. Then where will it be with you in eternity? So I urge you, I implore you, be reconciled to God. As surely as I live, says the Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they would turn, turn, turn, turn, turn, he says. Why will you die, perish in your sin, be lost for all eternity, when peace can be made, when it's offered to you? Reach out the hand of faith this evening. and receive the peace of God, receive the son of God. For to as many as received and to them he gave the power, the right, the authority to become that which they are not, children of the living God. Through faith, reach out and receive the son of God and peace with God and all the blessings and the privileges that God affords sinners who have been saved by His grace. Believe, trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Amen.