A READING FROM PAUL'S LETTER TO THE ROMANS 5:1-5
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.
And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character;
and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been
poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
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There are so many things to reflect on in this snippet from Paul’s letter to the Romans.
Peace with God through Jesus Christ. Access to God’s Grace.
Sharing in the glory of God. These 3 things alone would make a sermon.
.
It is through “faith” which is also a gift from God,
that we have peace with God, that we receive God’s grace,
and through peace and grace we share in the glory of God.
.
However, Paul realizes that even though we have peace through Christ,
and that we have received the gift of God’s grace, and that we share
in the glory of God, that there is another side to this undeserved,
unearned, unmerited, incredible kindness of God in Christ.
.
It was hard to be a Christian, during Paul’s time, especially in Rome.
Christians were being persecuted and fed to the lions just for fun.
.
And the fact remains that Christians today are up against it.
Life throws all kinds of challenges and trouble to us.
.
But trouble, Paul’s word, suffering for the sake of Christ
produces endurance - the Greek word means “fortitude”.
.
Trouble, says Paul, produces Fortitude and the Greek word for Fortitude means so much more
than "endurance" and means a spirit which can overcome the world, it means the spirit does not passively endure, but a spirit which actively overcomes and conquers the trials of life.
.
The poet, William Earnest Henley, at the age of twelve had to have his leg amputated below the knee, and many years later, with the prospect of having his other leg amputated, Henley wrote “Invictus” meaning “unconquerable” and many years later Prince Harry, seeing American soldiers, many of them amputeees, take part in the various sports withing Warrior Games, he admits that he stole the idea and the UK would host the Invictus Games, for wounded, injured and ill veterans, based on Henley’s most famous poem born out of suffering. Invictus - unconquerable
It has been my privilege in ministry to get to know people who refused
to let life’s troubles defeat them. They were indeed unconquerable.
They were people who had a “fortitude” that refused to be conquered.
.
Suffering (trouble) brings “fortitude” and “fortitude” produces “character”
and “character” produces “hope” and out of the battle the person emerges
“unconquerable” they are stronger, purer, and better and nearer to God.
.
But we must be clear, it is the gift of faith, and the gift of God’s Grace
that enables us to have this fortitude in times of suffering and trouble.
And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character;
and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been
poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
<>
There are so many things to reflect on in this snippet from Paul’s letter to the Romans.
Peace with God through Jesus Christ. Access to God’s Grace.
Sharing in the glory of God. These 3 things alone would make a sermon.
.
It is through “faith” which is also a gift from God,
that we have peace with God, that we receive God’s grace,
and through peace and grace we share in the glory of God.
.
However, Paul realizes that even though we have peace through Christ,
and that we have received the gift of God’s grace, and that we share
in the glory of God, that there is another side to this undeserved,
unearned, unmerited, incredible kindness of God in Christ.
.
It was hard to be a Christian, during Paul’s time, especially in Rome.
Christians were being persecuted and fed to the lions just for fun.
.
And the fact remains that Christians today are up against it.
Life throws all kinds of challenges and trouble to us.
.
But trouble, Paul’s word, suffering for the sake of Christ
produces endurance - the Greek word means “fortitude”.
.
Trouble, says Paul, produces Fortitude and the Greek word for Fortitude means so much more
than "endurance" and means a spirit which can overcome the world, it means the spirit does not passively endure, but a spirit which actively overcomes and conquers the trials of life.
.
The poet, William Earnest Henley, at the age of twelve had to have his leg amputated below the knee, and many years later, with the prospect of having his other leg amputated, Henley wrote “Invictus” meaning “unconquerable” and many years later Prince Harry, seeing American soldiers, many of them amputeees, take part in the various sports withing Warrior Games, he admits that he stole the idea and the UK would host the Invictus Games, for wounded, injured and ill veterans, based on Henley’s most famous poem born out of suffering. Invictus - unconquerable
It has been my privilege in ministry to get to know people who refused
to let life’s troubles defeat them. They were indeed unconquerable.
They were people who had a “fortitude” that refused to be conquered.
.
Suffering (trouble) brings “fortitude” and “fortitude” produces “character”
and “character” produces “hope” and out of the battle the person emerges
“unconquerable” they are stronger, purer, and better and nearer to God.
.
But we must be clear, it is the gift of faith, and the gift of God’s Grace
that enables us to have this fortitude in times of suffering and trouble.
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