3rd Sunday in Lent 3/27/11 Text: Romans 5:1

3rd Sunday in Lent
3/27/11
Romans 5:1
Because I Said So

There are four words no child, or adult for that matter, wants to hear. Even thought those four words are spoken by loving parents or someone in authority they almost always have a negative meaning. Those four words are “Because I told you.”

“Because I told you.” when spoken to us, whether it is said in a well meaning way or not, will 99% of the time get our back up. We just don’t like, so we almost always will rebel, if not outwardly inwardly against whoever said it, including God.

This morning I would like to put forward to you that when God says; “Because I told you.” it is always a positive message. A good example is found in the first verse of our Epistle reading for this morning Romans 5:1, "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Now God does not actually say here or anywhere else the actual words, “Because I told you.” but it is definitely implied, for when God speaks it is always for our good and should always be trusted as truth and something we should do. "Therefore, (meaning, “Because I told you.) since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

That is good news for us who are definitely not blameless before God. As try as we might all we can do is live in an ungodly manner. Oh it might look pretty good to those we come into contact with, but I don’t think anyone would disagree with me that our nature is to rely on ourselves to meet our needs. We have a “pull yourself up by your bootstrap” type of thinking and living. The problem is that when we live that way we separate ourselves from God.

We think we are doing pretty well, not perfect, but pretty well. But when each one of us looks at our life in the mirror of God’s Law, we know deep down we still deserve God’s punishment. We know that his punishment is just, for God’s Word teaches us there is no one without sin except Jesus. On our own we cannot stand before God and say, “I am just or innocent in your eyes.”

Everyone one of us deserves to be sent to hell. Yet, instead of packing you off to hell God will say, “You are just, that is innocent, because you have been justified. All that fancy church word means is that you are not guilty. We believe it because God says I told you so.

How can that be? How can God count me as being justified, that is innocent before him? It is because, as our reading tells us this morning, “Christ died for the ungodly.” Jesus went to the cross and paid the price for our sin, our ungodliness; all of it. And God counts that for us. So we are justified because God says so. You are justified, that is declared just or maybe a better way to say it is you are declared innocent because of Jesus’ perfect life and death.

So the natural question that comes up is, “If I am declared just, that is innocent, how do I receive it and why do I still act the way I do? The answer to the first part of the question is you receive the “not guilty” by faith. Faith we are told in Hebrews 11:1 is believing in things unseen and trusting that they are true. We believe even when what God said would happen does not look the way God said it would. For we are in a way two people; saint because of our faith in the salvation offered by Jesus and sinner because, well we are alive.

We wrestle with God’s forgiveness because our sinful nature still believes we have to straighten things out, get ourselves right, get our act together, to be just, that is declared innocent, before God. And even though we know better we try and try to justify ourselves before God.

Faith believes we really are justified that is declared innocent just because God said so. “You are not guilty. You are right with me.” Faith believes that and trusts in those words of God giving you peace.

God gives us peace, but peace on earth is quite often elusive. All you have to do is read a newspaper, listen to the radio, or watch TV and you see that there is truly no lasting peace on this earth, and if those in charge don’t change their ways there will be no peace up there either. So many homes lack peace. There is no peace in God’s creation other than the peace found through Jesus, the peace of God.

Peace is hard to come by. It is not that we don’t want peace, for we do, all of us do. We want peace with our college choice, our career choice, family move, or investment decision. We want peace in our families. Lord, we would be happy if we could just have peace in our family. Why Lord is there no peace.

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ there is peace, the peace that comes from the faith given to us by God which grabs hold of the forgiveness. In that forgiveness there is peace, the peace that truly does pass all understanding.

God tells us through Saint Paul, “You have peace with me through Jesus Christ.” Do you believe that? God said, “I told you so.” so. hear again God’s wonderful words, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

You might not feel at peace, there might not be peace in your home or in the world or above, but there is peace, the peace that really matters, for the one you, we, all have offended, is at peace with you. Believe it because God said, “I told you so.

And because God said “I told you so”, all that believe in him have hope. Not the wishy washy hope of “I hope that what I am trusting in will pay off in the end”, but the hope of one who knows that what they believe in will do what God has promised to do; take care of us here and in the hereafter when he raises those who believe to be with him in the new heaven and earth where there is no hunger, sickness, sorrow, or death. Our hope is sure and set on the cornerstone of Jesus.

How can you be certain? God said, “I told you so. Amen