It's Okay to Boast (A sermon based on Romans 5:1-11)

It's Okay to Boast
A Sermon based on Romans 5:1-11
Sunday, March 8, 2009 – Lent 2B 

"You know the good thing about Andy?" Sarah whispered sarcastically to her co-worker as she saw him enter the room and head toward her desk. "At least he doesn't talk about others. I mean, how could he when there's so much to tell about himself?" Andy had a well-earned reputation for always boasting about achievement. If it wasn't about the promotions he'd received at the company, or the perfect sales pitch he gave, it was about his weekend softball game where he pitched a no-hitter, or about his body, which in his words, he always treated like a temple. It's not that his co-workers didn't admire Andy... they just didn't like the guy. He was always boasting.

From little on we've been taught not only the importance of being a good loser, but also how important it is to be a good winner. No one likes a braggart. And even if your favorite subject is "you," it's not everyone's favorite subject. We've been taught not to boast. But this morning God, through the Apostle Paul, challenges that conventional wisdom. He tells us that it's okay to boast. Of course, we don't boast in our achievements, the greatest of which can never earn God's favor. But we can joyfully boast in what God has done for us and what he promises to do still. Boast that you stand before God! Boast that you stand in the face of suffering! Listen now to the boastful words that the Holy Spirit inspired the Apostle Paul to write in Romans 5:1-11... 

¹ Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ²through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice [or boast] in the hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only so, but we also rejoice [or boast] in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. ⁶ You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. ⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! ¹⁰ For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! ¹¹ Not only is this so, but we also rejoice [or boast] in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

 

I.       Boast! For You Stand in the Grace of God! 

Now if you were following along in your bulletin as I read you may have noticed that I added a few words. Every time I read the word rejoice I added or boast behind it. It's not that the NIV is wrong here, since the word can be rejoice. But this isn't the same word that Paul usually uses for rejoice like he does over and over again in the book of Philippians. That's xarizw which means to be happy and rejoice. But kaukwmetha, which Paul uses here means to "aha!" to rejoice in one's triumph and victory and to boast in one's status! In other words, Paul says that it's okay to boast.

But why? What reason to we have to boast? Because of our great accomplishments? Because of how great we are? Well, no. That's not what Paul says. In fact, quite the opposite. On our own, we're nothing. We were ungodly. We were sinners. We were rebels and enemies of God. We demonstrated that by the way we've whined and complained against God for any suffering that came into our lives. "Gooood! Why are you doing this to me?! And if you're not causing it, why are you allowing it?! You don't love me! You're not a good God!"

And for such foolish thoughts, attitudes and words toward God, we deserve to be struck own. We were banished from God's presence and were careening out of control on a path to certain doom. The brakes were out and we were powerless to do anything about it. We couldn't stop. We couldn't turn around. We could only plummet further away from God and closer to the hell that we deserved. Spiritually dead is as powerless as one can be.

Boast? In what? Not in what we have done, but... in what God has done! That's the focus that Paul takes in these verses. Not in our actions or accomplishments, but in God's actions and accomplishments in past, present and future. Past: You have been justified. You have gained access to God. Present: You have peace with God and stand in his grace right now. Future: Rejoice in the hope of glory because this hope will not disappoint.

How can we boast in these things when we have neither earned them nor deserved them? We can boast because our Savior loves us so much he won them for us by his perfect sacrifice. We can boast because Jesus was willing to die for the enemy.

Picture this scene: the fighting in Afghanistan is fierce. The enemy is pressing closer. Suddenly a grenade lands this side of the bunker. There's no time to throw it back, so one of the soldiers throws his body on top of the deadly bomb. In giving his life, he saved his friends. That's not too hard to imagine. Brave and heroic soldiers die willingly every day to save the lives of their bunkmates. And they rightly win post-mortem Medals of Honor for making the ultimate sacrifice.

But let's change the scene a bit. Now imagine an American soldier has been caught behind enemy lines. And there, surrounded by enemies that he knows hate him without cause, a grenade falls next to him. He cannot throw it back. He knows he will die. But rather than take down half a dozen enemies with him, he throws himself on the grenade... to save the enemy! Why? It wouldn't make sense! 

That's how it is with Jesus? Why would he throw himself down on the grenade of God's wrath? Why would he willingly suffer hell on the cross? Why would he give the ultimate sacrifice... for his enemies? I don't know. Simply because of his grace. He loved us when we were unlovable. And he did sacrifice himself to pay for our sins so that you and I have pardon for those sins, peace with God instead of war, and access to him.

Remember how God designed the tabernacle? With limited access.  Only priests could access the tabernacle. Only the High Priest could access the Most Holy Place and that only once a year. The tabernacle was more secure than Fort Knox, since anyone who dared to approach the Most Holy Place uninvited would die. Why? Because God is holy. They were not. That curtain between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place represented their sin—that barrier that kept not only them, but all mankind from having access to God.

But remember what happened on Good Friday? The curtain came down. The veil was torn in two. The barrier was destroyed. That's why today when we design churches, there are no barriers. You can see right up front to the altar. Your sin is gone. You have been justified. You have gained access to God. You have peace with God and stand in his grace right now. And you can rejoice in the hope of glory because this hope will not disappoint. In fact, you can even boast—Aha!—that you are perfect! Satan has been defeated! You are victorious over Death itself! You will live forever!

But this boasting isn't just for our death bed. We can boast right because not only do we stand in the grace of God, but because of that we can also stand in the face of suffering. Now even thought difficult times, the suffering and pain that we face day to day, we can boast...

 

II.     Boast! For You Stand in the Face of Suffering! 

The apostle Paul seamlessly weaves what Christ has done to secure our eternity in heaven with the "so what?" of the matter and how it impacts life right now. He argues from the greater to the lesser with logic the simplest mind can understand. Just think if a small band of men were to cross enemy lines to rescue a friend, would they then refuse him water and food? Of course not! If they care for their friend enough to do the greater sacrifice of risking their lives, they would certainly do the smaller kindness of giving up some rations?

If Jesus was willing to throw himself on that grenade of God's wrath for you when you were enemies, how much more can't you trust him to take care of you now that you're the closest of friends?! How much more can't you be certain that any suffering he brings or allows to enter your life, is meant only as a blessing?

Paul explains how it works: When you suffer, that suffering teaches you to keep going, to persevere in doing what's right because of what Jesus has done. As you continue to persevere you build your character into one of unshakable faith that stands firm in the face of temptation no matter what. This character then, continues to find hope in the certain promises of God that will not and cannot disappoint.

As you sit there in the pew this morning you may be wondering about your a lot of things. "What about my job? Will I have one in six months? What about my savings? How much more will I lose? What about my relationship? Will it ever be good again? What about my health? Will I ever recover?" But to all of these questions, the Apostle Paul adds one more question—a rhetorical question—"Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him[?]!"

In other words, if God kept his promise of damning his Son to hell for you, while you were still his enemy, don't you think that now that you've become his dearly child, he'll keep his promise to take care of you now?

You need not be afraid, dear friends. So stop doubting God's love for you! Trust that he cares for you—even more than his own dear son! Trust that he will work all things for your good, even using your present suffering to teach you to persevere, to build your character, to keep you focused on the certain hope that you have in Christ. And when trouble and hardship comes your way, stand in the face of that suffering and shout, "Bring it on! No pain, no gain! My Savior will work this for my good!"

And with this confidence, dear friends, boast proudly! Don't be like Andy who annoyed everyone in the office with the way he boasted about himself or his accomplishments. But boast about your Savior! Look for opportunities to boast about what he's done for you. Share with your co-workers why you're so confident that everything will be okay in spite of the rumors of the next round of layoffs—that whether you have a job or not, you have salvation, you stand in his grace! Share with your friends the reason you hold your head high even though your relationship seems to be in shambles—your relationship with God is solid, you have peace with him.  Share with your family the reason why you keep your spirits high in spite of the disease that makes you so tired—you have perfect spiritual health through your Savior and the sacrifice he made for you.

And boast on, dear friends! Not in what you've done, but that by the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus, you stand in the grace of God. And boast, that no matter what life throws at you, you can stand in the face of suffering, because you know he loves you. When you boast in your Savior, it's okay to boast! It's even encouraged! In Jesus name, dear friends, amen.