Before and After Jesus

Zephyr United Methodist Church

Early First United Methodist Church

June 3, 2007

Rev. Eddie Smart


Romans 5:1-5 (NRSV)

Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. 3And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.





      The great bell of St. Paul's, which tells Londoners the hour, has inscribed upon it these words: "Richard Phelps made me, 1709." It is a huge bell, nearly seven feet in diameter and unusually musical. A hammer connected with clock work strikes the hours and tolls the bell on funeral occasions. The clapper of the bell is used for tolling upon the death of a member of the royal family, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Bishop of London, the Dean of St. Paul's, or the Lord Mayor of London. There is an interesting story of how this bell saved a man's life.

      The story goes that a sentinel on duty at Windsor Castle was accused by the guard who came to relieve him of sleeping at his post. This sentinel was a soldier in the reign of William and Mary. He was tried by court martial and condemned for sleeping at his post upon the terrace of Windsor. The soldier denied the charge and insisted that be had not slept at his post. As a proof that he had been awake while on duty, he declared that on midnight on that particular night he heard the great bell of St. Paul's strike 13 times instead of 12.

      The Court did not believe that it was possible for the soldier to have heard the bell of St. Paul's so far away. However, while the poor fellow was under sentence of death, it was proved by many who heard it that at midnight on the night referred to the clock actually did strike 13 times instead of 12. The mechanism was out of order. The king pardoned the soldier, who lived to be 100 years old.

      What music St. Paul's bell must have always been in that man's ears, for by it he was justified after being condemned! Yet, how much sweeter is the sound that peals forth in the soul of him who has been guilty, but still has become justified freely by the redemption that is in Christ Jesus! Endnote


Therefore, since we are justified by faith,


      Are all of us here today justified? Paul in the four previous chapters of this letter to the Romans has been talking about justification–about being made right before God. Paul in the second chapter speaks of being righteous in God’s sight. Paul writes of being redeemed by faith in Jesus Christ.

      Paul explains how there is no way that we can save ourselves. There is no way that we can perfectly follow the law so that we might stand before God pure as the driven snow, free of all ungodliness, sin free.

      Johnny says to his mother, I hit Jack, because Jack hit me first. Johnny was attempting to justify his hitting of Jack. William said, “Well it is ok if I lie to the insurance company about that door being damaged in the accident. After all I have paid premiums for 30 years. William is trying to justify his cheating the insurance company with such a rationalization.

      We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. It is by faith Paul tells us that we can be justified. It is by faith that we sinners can appear before God as those without sin

      At our retreat a couple of weeks ago, I heard a beautiful definition of faith. Faith is like the bird that senses the dawn and sings while it is still dark. It is in the darkness of our sin that we accept Jesus Christ as our savior. We are leaning into the future. It is by faith that we trust that we can stand before God justified, made right, free of our sin.

Faith is not easy. Do you remember the Indiana Jones movie, The Last Crusade. There is a scene were Indiana Jones is standing on a ledge of the cliff. There is this bottomless abyss below and great distance to the opening in the cliff on the other side. He has to get from one side to the other. I steps out into the nothingness below him, only to find that there is an invisible bridge below his foot.

Who do you know that lacks the faith to believe that Jesus Christ is indeed the only son of God who died on a cross for our sins and rose from the dead to lead us into eternal life? Who do you know that lacks the faith to make Jesus the Lord of their lives? The hope of sharing in the glory of God is reserved for those who have that kind of faith. That hope of eternal life with our Creator belongs to those who have been justified by such faith.

Is Jesus Christ your Lord? Paul tells us it is through Jesus Christ our Lord that we find ourselves surrounded by God’s grace, God’s unconditional, unmerited love.

Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” -- Ephes. 2:8 (NRSV)

Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God

This peace Paul speaks of is not a feeling. It is not that peace that he says surpasses all understanding, it is not a sense of contentment. Paul is talking about that peace that marks the end of war. He is referring to no longer being at war with God. It is a peace that marks the end of estrangement between us and God because of sin. It means being in harmony with God.

Folks, we live in a fallen world. Sin has separated and separates us from the love of God. God created us for a personal relationship with this One who created us. To say we have peace with God is to say we are in an intimate, personal relationship with God. This can happen only through faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and our Savior. It is only accepting Jesus as the one who can justify us before a Holy God.

Fred Craddock shared the story about a man who decide to take a shortcut across a field. He fell into a deep pit. He tried his best to get out on his own strength, but he couldn’t make it. He began to scream for help. He cried for someone to save him. A pop psychologist passed by and said, “I feel your pain. I empathize with what you are going through down in that pit.” ...A religious fanatic happened along and said, “Obviously, you have sinned a great sin. Surely you have, because only bad people fall into pits.”

A news reporter rushed out and asked, “Could I have an exclusive story on your experience in the pit?” A lawyer came out and wanted to represent the man in a lawsuit...An optimist said, “Things could be worse.” A pessimist said, “Things will get worse.”

But then another person came along. He saw the man’s dilemma, and his heart went out to him. He reached down with both hands, and, with strength and grace, he pulled the man up and out of the pit.

The man thanked his rescuer and then ran into town to tell everyone what had happened. “How did you get out!” they asked him.

“ A man reached down and pulled me out,” he said.

“Who was the man?”

“It was Jesus!’

“How do you know that?”

“I know it,” he said, “Because he had nail-prints in his hands!” Endnote

Have you been saved? If no, then know that we are justified–made right with God–by faith through our Lord Jesus Christ. If yes, if you have been rescued by our Lord Jesus Christ, who will you tell this week!

Jesus gave us this meal that we are about to receive as a way of reminding us that “God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.”