Thompson, Tommy: Believers Pathway ~ Romans 5

Justified, and that means that we can look up in the face of God. Once a sinner on his way to hell, able to enter in to the presence of God, none daring to make us afraid. This is our standing. This is our place. This is our position given to us by God. No cost to us, but the great cost to him of the death of his beloved son on Calvary's cross and his glorious resurrection and ascension to God's right hand. Get this into your soul, that you've got a standing. Oh, make sure that you understand what it is, a standing in absolute grace. No works of merit now I plead, but take my savior for all my need. Stood standing in the presence of God my Father, accepted in all the acceptability of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Young believer, get this into your soul. There's a great teaching here in this chapter, and that is what God has made you by absolute grace, on the principle of faith, that you have the right of entry, and you stand in the presence of God your Father, complete in all Christ's completeness. But the little section that caused me some concern was I could not understand how that a person would glory in tribulation, knowing that tribulation worketh patience, patience experience, and experience hope. And I would just like to try and make this understandable and as delicious as our sisters made the lunch today. You have often, I'm sure, heard people saying it's made out of scratch. And quite often, as a jocular way, as I would ask people, well, where can you buy scratch? Everything seems to have scratch or been made from scratch. Well, I want to direct you to a little portion here, and it's found at the end of verse three. and I wouldn't be the one that would speak of patience, but nevertheless, that is what we're going to look about today. And I would look at this in the first few verses. It's my standing in the presence of God, accepted in Christ Jesus. But as I work my way down this little chapter in verse three, here you find it's the Spirit of God now that seems to, uh, s- be brought into this particular section. And I would like to look at that as the, not only the first verse is my new position, but my new pathway. Let us have that, my new pathway. When God saved us, I hope and trust that when God saved you, that you turned a hundred and eighty degrees. That you were on your way to hell, and when God saved you, you turned to Christ, you fled to Christ, you turned a hundred and eighty degrees. Here then, God would have us not so much occupied with our position, although it's something that cheers my soul from day to day. But here you have God giving us something else. He gives us, and you'll notice it here in this little section that we've got, God then gives us a new pathway and a new purpose. And of all the things that are in this, I'm now going to speak upon them, but one of the things you'll notice here is patience. That means endurance. And then you have experiences, and then you have the expectation. Now that is on the pathway of each child of God. But, you know, there's quite often a lady will make, uh, some particular, uh, food, and then she'll say, oh, you know, I forgot to put something in it. And, you know, there it's all, and, uh, it's been my experience, and my wife, they'll, will say, here's confession time. You know, oh, I forgot this or I forgot that. Well, you know, brothers and sisters, a little thing here that I think that quite often we forget, and it's so important, as I would, with the Lord's help, seek to show this to our hearts, and that's the little word patience. Now, if the Spirit of God is going to take us along the pathway, and all these experiences that you and I go through, and the expectations and the endurance that's needed, I would like to just point out, I want to, I don't want to take up all the time, but you could look it up in your own time. Colossians one eleven, Ephesians three sixteen. There you find that the Spirit, he strengthened, they were strengthened w- by, with might by the Spirit in the inner man. Colossians one. uh, eleven, strengthened with all might according to the glorious power unto all, all, Tommy, oh, patience and long suffering with joyfulness. How necessary patience is. Patience, you'll find, is something, you remember when we were children in Ireland, you used to hear that little poem, patience is a virtue. Possess it if you can. Always in a woman, seldom in a man. But I think that quite often it's something that needs to be taken into consideration by all of us, even here today. Patience. Let us look at some of the scriptures that deal with patience. For instance, on this pathway, we look at Hebrews chapter twelve. This is a lovely portion. Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and a sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience. You see, when God saved us, we started on a pathway, and it's a pathway of faith, and Paul likens it to a race. And one of the things you would find about a race, is it's a good thing to keep your eyes ahead of you, and get your eyes on an object. And the object that God gives us here for this race is none other than our Lord Jesus Christ, because that's what we have in verse two, looking onto Jesus. Young believer and older believer this afternoon, sometimes we are so taken up with the obstacle that we get our eyes off the object. And the reason we sometimes fall out of the race is because that little ingredient, patience, is missing in our life. Glory and tribulation. Tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience. Here we find it's very, very necessary for running a straight race. And if patience is missing, remember the food may look ever so nice, the cake may have been finished, but when your wife says, oh, I forgot, there's an ingredient that is missing. Patience, it's endurance, it's got a mental attitude of being able to stay, as it were, the course, irrespective of the obstacles. I don't know what you think the obstacles are. It speaks here in verse one, Let us lay aside, uh, every weight. But I remember my brother Andy was during the Depression, and he wanted a Dawes bike. And of course, I think it was two and sixpence or something a week he paid for it. And I remember hearing my father one time say, oh dear Aggie, he says, speaking to my mother, he says, look at this bicycle. It was stripped. All it had was the two wheels, the seat and the handlebars. What was he doing? He was racing on his new bike, and he could add a whole lot of things on that. And brothers, a whole lot of things that you and I could have. But you'll notice that one of the things Andy understood was the less weight he had, the better. What is this sin? Some people says, well, it's your pet sin. I don't think. I think it's a sin that's common to us all. And I would suggest this, that we have already in chapter eleven been shown by the Spirit of God the accomplishments and the experiences of various people in various situations, just as we were hearing this morning of assemblies in s- different conditions and the Lord Jesus meeting that need. And here in chapter eleven, there you find a whole gallery of the heroes of faith. And I believe, brethren, that this here is something that you and I can very easily do. And the sin which doth so easily beset us. Would I suggest to you a picture of a man who woke on the scene? You think the Lord Jesus? Yes. I'm talking about Peter. And Peter got his eyes of the object, and he began to sink. And this is exactly what I believe. When you and I get our eyes of the object, and we begin to get them onto these obstacles, and we begin to get taken up with the flesh and the earthly things and the things that separate God's people. We get our eyes of the Lord Jesus Christ, and it's seldomly possible, because of the lack of patience, to cease finishing the race of faith. The glorious example set before us here. Look at the patience of our blessed Savior. And he's brought before us. It's not Paul or anybody else that's brought before us. It says here in verse two, looking on to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy. You'll notice that, uh, as you read, get a concordance, look at patience at various places, that it seems to be associated with joy. And this is what, what Paul's speaking about, we glory in tribulation. What are you speaking about? I believe there's no greater joy to the believer than to know that we're following in the steps of our Lord Jesus, or as we had this morning, walking with him. His joy was to do the Father's will. He was the man of sorrows, but there were deep joys to the person of Christ, and here's one of them. Who for the joy that was set before him. Here we have the glorious object that was set before our blessed Savior and all that he endured, such contradiction of sinners against himself. It says he endured the cross and despised the shame. And dear child of God, remember this, that there is nowhere in the word of God that God has ever promised any of us skies ever blue. It might be all right to teach the children, if you want joy, real joy, wonderful joy, let Jesus come into your heart. It may be to teach them something, I have a smile that can't be controlled. But dear child of God, remember the words of the Savior, in this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. The secret, then, of finishing this race, running a straight race, and it's a joy to know those who recently have entered into the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ and have run a straight race. They have made it, and just like the blessed Savior, there he is in his glory, set himself down at the right hand of the throne of God. That's where we're going. We're going home, but please remember the pathway. It's the work of the Holy Spirit in the various experiences, and I would believe that you and I should understand that when you and I got saved, we entered not only into a new place, a new position of standing before God, but we also entered onto a new pathway, and that is the work of the Spirit of God in the experiences down here of life. You would say, I believe it's in second Corinthians chapter six. We've got dear gospel preachers here, and you find that the Apostle Paul in, uh, this lovely chapter, the great chapter of grace associated with, uh, circumstances and separation. And this is what he says in, uh, verse, well, we could read it all, but time does not permit. Verse four: But in all things, approving ourselves, notice that, or commending ourselves as the servants of God in much patience, much patience. Notice that. In afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, and so forth. One of the things about the gospel, brethren, is that God has got someone, he has given them nets. Let down your nets. And thank God there are those that can draw the nets. But I would tell you, you went to Alaska, I think all God's given us is a rod and catch them on the time. And here you find one of the great necessities of service in the gospel. We've talked about running the race, but here we find that little ingredient once again. And it's not just the, the, the patience that we need, but here Paul says much patience. Put a little bit more into it. You know how when you're making this cake, sometimes there's a little pinch of salt, and then sometimes a little bit more salt. Well, not here in gospel service, and that is our pathway. Dear young believer, don't think God saved you just for you to willy-nilly your way to heaven, and then when you get there, enter in. No, when he saved you, he put you on a new pathway. Spirit of God came in, and he brought the love of God, shed abroad it in your heart, and now you find you're on a new pathway, and there's a new purpose in life. This is the great thing to, to occupy our hearts. It's the only thing that'll keep you. And so we'll pass over our brethren who preach the gospel. I don't mind that we don't spend much time on that. But look at Romans chapter eight before I want to close at three o'clock. Romans chapter eight. And here once again, you find we're brought before us the purpose of God. Now, I know that the brethren here would be able to answer this question without any trouble. Why did God save you? If somebody asked you why God saved you, well, it wasn't because you were good. It wasn't because you did anything, but what did he save you for? Here you find the great answer in Romans chapter eight. Look at it, so beautiful. It says here in verse twenty eight, for we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose, for whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to conform to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. If you turn to the twentieth chapter of Genesis, you'd find that God had a purpose for David, and he sent him away, you remember, away into Haran. He was there perhaps about twenty years. And you find that when, uh, in cha- chapter 28, you have, uh, Jacob, and he's at Bethel, the house of God. Knew something about it, but you know his condition wasn't right. Called it a fearful place. God was going to send him away, and then he said to him that he had a purpose for him. And God took him through experiences, and then I think it's in chapter thirty five you find God bringing him back. And dear young believer and older believer, this is what God has got for you, and he has got for me. God's purpose is that you and I will conform to the image of his son. And there's absolutely no speculation here. For we know. We are confident. We understand without a doubt. We do not look for second causes. Why, why, why? Here, with absolute confidence, you and I can read, for we know that all things work together for good. Oh, we may not see it now. We may think that sometimes, and there are things, brethren, that we can't explain. The loss of a spouse, the loss of a child. The undisciplined child in the family. Going wild, as it were, different other things that are happening. That hurt us. That mark us. That you and I sometimes, if we didn't know the purpose of God, we couldn't go on. And unless I know the purpose of God, don't forget the old adversary will come. When some of these things that seem to be tragedies happen in your life, he'll say to you very clearly, is this your God? Is this what you get after so many years of service? Is this what you get when you've brought them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and, and you see them going wayward? He'll be there. But what is God's purpose? And brethren, we read sometimes about Job when he said, though he slay me, yet will I trust him. And unless you and I understand this, we cannot sometimes explain it, but there are things that have happened to us in our lives along the new pathway that God's leading us, the various experiences that the Spirit of God gives us strength to go through, and without him we wouldn't have the strength. Gives us that might, that power to keep going. And you find we're able then, brethren, sometimes we've done it. And here we find again in verse twenty six the divine petitioner. The Spirit, likewise, the Spirit also helpeth our infirmity. Says here, for the Spirit himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. You ever got down, dear child of God, at your bed? You didn't know what to ask God. You didn't know what, you don't know why. Oh, there's things we could ask, but we must ask in faith. You just spread it right before God and just wait there on God, knowing that the Spirit maketh intercession for us with groan which cannot be uttered. That hits the Pentecostes, and it's here you find there's things that cannot be uttered. And here we have the divine petitioner, the one that's leading us along that road that leads to heaven, along the pathway. We've come nineteen ninety three, we've finished that, we're on still on the pathway in ninety four. and look at all that he has given us. We know that all things work together, wasn't it, our brother in prayer? The great sovereignty of God. Notice this, what it says here, the the divine providence of God, it works together. You must get down then, brother or sister, when these things come, and we're not speaking beyond our experience, God forbid. But when things happen, you get down and you acknowledge before God, well, Lord, I don't understand it, but I know it's all for good. I know that this is the only way that you can make me and put me into the shape. Look at this. Conformity. The wonderful joy, uh, it's beyond, brother and sisters, beyond almost expectation, uh, to to realize that there's a day coming, like John says, we know not what we shall be, but we know that when we shall see him, think of it, we shall be like him. All the trials, all the experiences, all the tears, all the heartaches, the Lord used them. And with Murray McShane, who said, when this passing world is done, when it's sunk yon radiant sun, when I stand with Christ on high, looking over life's history, then, Lord, shall I fully know, not till then, how much I owe. Don't forget patience. Let patience possess your soul. And James says, let patience have its perfect work.