Forerunner Christian Fellowship – Mike Bickle
Loving Jesus in the Midst of Pressure (Rom. 5:1-1) Page 4
Loving Jesus in the Midst of Pressure (Rom. 5:1-11)
I. the most important assignment in our life
A. The most important assignment in the life of every believer is to love God with all our heart and to spread the fame of Jesus to others, both believers and unbelievers (the Great Commission).
37You shall love the LORD…with all your heart…38This is the first and great commandment. (Mt. 22:37-38)
B. One of the most common hindrances to staying diligent is found in having a wrong perspective about what it means to love God with all of our heart. Many have spiritual idealism about this. In Romans 5:1-11, Paul gives us an encouraging perspective that dismantles spiritual idealism.
C. A wrong perspective about how God views our weak love is a hindrance that causes us to draw back. Some idealize their love for God thinking that if it is real, then they should strongly feel it and should accomplish big things for God. They despise the smallness of their love and disregard it because it does not feel powerful when they offer it to God. God feels it even when we don’t.
D. Our small and weak efforts to love God move His heart and are evidences of the glory of God in our life right now. Our love is real even when it is weak. Weak love is not false love.
E. We are encouraged by understanding the way God views the way we love Him. Most of our ministry to one another is small and seemingly weak. We often misinterpret how God views it. Our weak and small efforts to love move God’s heart now and result in eternal rewards. When we give someone a cup of cold water because of our love for Jesus, it will be rewarded forever.
10For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. (Heb 6:10)
F. We sometimes picture ourselves in the future with mature love, while disregarding our weak love in the present. Wholehearted love is not perfect, but rather it is love that withholds nothing. God is not asking for immediate maturity in our love, but that we would love Him with all our heart in the here and now. Though our “all” is small, it is still our all.
G. Some imagine that when they get beyond today’s pressures and after things settle down, then they will live wholeheartedly. In every season of life, people still find reasons to postpone their pursuit of wholeheartedness. They imagine that when things are different, then they will start. They wait for better circumstances to love Him and for more extreme expressions in loving Him.
H. Some limit their understanding of loving God to activities that are traditionally considered “spiritual,” like worship, healing the sick, evangelism, etc. However, our love is expressed in many areas of our lives. It develops in the weak and imperfect moments that we have right now. The “now” often seems mundane, ordinary, and weak. Jesus revealed how much God values the ordinary and routine aspects of our life by living that way Himself for thirty years. Imagine, Jesus as God embraced the common things of life.
II. we Stand in God’s grace (Rom. 5:1-11)
A. In Romans 5:1-11, Paul presents a kingdom perspective of life that dismantles spiritual idealism. The word translated glory (v. 3) is the same word translated as rejoice (v. 2).
2This grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3And not only that, but we also glory [rejoice] in tribulations…11And not only that, but we also rejoice in God… (Rom. 5:2, 3, 11)
B. Stand in grace: Paul’s main exhortation is to call us to stand in grace with confidence that God accepts and enjoys us (Rom. 5:1-2a), and to stand without compromise, as we seek to walk out the first commandment (Rom. 5:3-11). We refuse both condemnation and compromise.
C. Paul makes three surprising statements in instructing us how to stand strong in God’s grace. 1. Rejoicing in the hope of the glory of God by seeing our small and weak efforts to love God as an expression of God’s glory in our life and, therefore, of being successful in God’s eyes (v. 2).2. Rejoicing in tribulation instead of quitting with despair (v. 3-5 as developed in v. 6-10).3. Rejoicing in God by engaging deeply with God (v. 11).
III. rejoicing in the hope of the glory of God (Rom. 5:2)
A. The word hope is often interchangeable with confidence or certainty. To rejoice in the hope of the glory of God speaks of having confidence that our life is anchored in God’s glory. We are confident that to pursue loving God is to live successful in His eyes to such a degree that we even receive eternal rewards for it. Our weak love and small acts of obedience are evidence of and an expression of the glory of God in our lives now. Paul calls us to rejoice in this glory.
2We…rejoice in hope [confidence or certainty] of the glory of God. (Rom. 5:2)
B. We rejoice that our life is successful according to God’s definition of success, regardless of what man says and how many pressures we endure. We see the value of our life from God’s perspective. We rejoice because our life really matters to Him and is connected to our eternal destiny. We rejoice, realizing that God values our weak obedience and small labors and impact.
16Though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17For our light affliction…is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. (2 Cor. 4:16-17)
C. When we understand the way that God views our life and love for Him, we are encouraged. He is so generous and kind. The fact that you are trying to love Jesus is an expression of walking in the glory of God now. Though it is hidden from our natural eyes it is real. Paul calls us to see and rejoice in the truth that our weak lives are anchored in the glory of God. We are to rejoice in this instead of despising our life as a failure and drawing back from God.
D. Many view their life as a mess now but they believe they will walk in the glory of God in the resurrection. However, our love for Jesus now is the evidence and expression of God’s glory in us now. The glory in our lives now is the very seed that is fully manifest in the age to come.
E. The challenge is that we do not feel or discern the glory of God in our life in the present. It is indiscernible, even “hidden” from our five senses. We cannot measure it by our emotions or our five senses. Paul referred to our true life in this age as being “hidden” in Christ.
3For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ who is our life appears, ...
musisza