Romans 5:1-2 and Romans 6:11

 Good morning. For this communion meditation, we’re going to look at Romans 5:1, 2 and Romans 6:11. Please turn to Romans 5:1,2 first.

To introduce myself, I'm Keith and I'd categorize myself in the age bracket where I'm pretty much on the downhill side of life. I don't mean that in a bad way; life is good, I just mean in terms of age, I'm certainly well beyond any potential halfway point. I'm
comfortable with that. I mean that's just where I am; there isn't anything I could do about it anyway.

Something you might find, if you're in a conversation with someone of my age or older is that the topic of conversation might at some point, tend toward our latest health issue or medical condition. You're probably already going "oh brother,
here he goes, boring".

So I apologize in advance, but I want to use a short snippet from my heart attack story, as an illustration for the text of Romans 5:1,2. It's been almost 4 1/2 years since the incident; it was the morning of May 7, 2015. I was having chest pains, and my wife drove me to the Swedish Medical Center in Mill Creek. They did an EKG and quickly ascertained, "yes Mr. Reed, you've had a heart attack", but they don't have the equipment at that facility to provide any treatment for a heart attack, so they called an EMT and I got a red lights and siren ride to the Swedish in Edmonds. Problem was the traffic on the I5 was backed up the whole way there, but we made it in a jiff because they got special access. Then, when we arrived at the hospital, they wheeled me out of the ambulance, in through the automatic sliding ER doors, down a hallway, and directly into the operating room. That's as much of the story as you get right now.

The point is my condition warranted special access on freeway and direct access at the hospital. Under normal circumstances, you don't get any special access on the freeway , and you certainly don't get direct access at the hospital, but I was as good as dead.   My condition was dire.

Romans 5:1-2 out of the NKJV, says Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

If you are not a believer/follower of Jesus Christ, I’m glad you’re here. Welcome! With all gentleness and respect, you’re in dire condition. Just like I was, only spiritually. Ephesians 2:1 says, we’re dead in your trespasses and sins. In Mark 2:17, Jesus said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” So, if you’d recognize your need to be wheeled into the operating room of heaven, you can receive life, true life, eternal life (heaven when you die) and new life (abundant life) for the here-and-now. You might be saying to yourself, I'm not a sinner. I'm a pretty good person.

Let’s do a simple exam to see if you exhibit any of the symptoms. Have you’ve lied? Have you ever taken something that wasn’t yours?   Have you ever used God’s name in vain, or according to Jesus is even just looked with lust at someone who isn’t your husband or wife. If you've broken any of those four of the Ten Commandments, you'd be guilty before God as a lying, thieving, blasphemous adulterer at heart. That’s bad news, but the good news is, Jesus died on the cross for your sins. Now you’ve probably heard that, but do you understand the legal implications of it. You and I broke God’s law, and Jesus’ paid our fine in His life’s blood. I'm just saying, come clean to God. Cop to your crimes (that’s repentance), and place your faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone. When you do that, you’ll be what’s called “born again”. You’ll pass from death to life, from darkness to light and God himself will give you a new heart that beats to the rhythm of God’s heart with new desires to know, love, follow and please God. And do it today, because none of us is guaranteed tomorrow.

While I was preparing this meditation, I got to this point, and I was like, “uh-oh, where do I go with this now?” I want to be able to say something encouraging to you believers in Jesus; but we already have immediate and direct access to God. Period. Okay, let me repeat that; if you are a believer in Jesus, you have an anytime/anyplace all-access pass to God. To keep with this theme of death and dying. So I’m going to cherry pick one verse from Romans chapter 6. Romans 6:11 Paul writes, Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

One aspect of our growth in the Lord comes by dying to our self.

In Luke 9:23-24 Jesus echoes the same concept, …whoever loses his life for My sake, will save it, and in John 12:24 unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. John the Baptist said something
similar in John 3:30 “He must increase but I must decrease”.

In Galatians 2:20 Paul writes, I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

In Colossians 3:5 Paul writes, Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.

Anyways, dying to self is not just difficult, it’s impossible naturally, which is why we need the Holy Spirit to supernaturally work in us, to help us yield our lives more fully to Him. It comes by faith. You came to salvation by faith and you walk by faith. It’s a process of faith. So here’s my exhortation, ask God to help you surrender your life more fully into His control. Just like Jesus prayed in the Lord’s prayer, “Thy
will be done”. Have faith, He will. He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.