Series: The Justified
Message: Boasting
Preacher: Japhet De Oliveira
Reflection: Japhet De Oliveira
Live Wonder: Jessyka Albert
Live Adventure: Jessyka Albert
Live Purpose: Becky De Oliveira
Editor: Becky De Oliveira
Refresh: Begin with prayer. Ask for the Holy Spirit to open your heart to new understanding and for God’s character to be revealed.
Read: Romans 5:1-11 in the English Standard Version (ESV). Note 1–3 insights or questions.
Reflect: The final verses Romans 5:6–11 in our passage this week probably make up one of the best and most succinct explanations of why Jesus died on the cross.
I am still surprised that many believe in a really angry God. They taint His character with bloodthirsty vampire-like traits, arguing that He is only satisfied when enough blood is spilled—both the blood of humans through the passing of time and the blood of His own son, Jesus.
This image of God has been presented for millennia and I believe it feeds into our own broken natures. It affects how we relate to each other and how we connect with God. It is also horribly inaccurate. Paul was trying to correct this destructive image of God even back in his day!
I took the passage this week and printed it on a large tabloid-sized sheet. (For my friends back home in England, that is A3-sized paper.) Laying the passage in the center, I started to mark and highlight the passage, looking for patterns and threads all the way through. In these last few verses, you do not see an angry God who needs to be pacified. You see the God who understands us, who sees us in a mess, who engages with us, who loves us so much that He does a good thing without us doing anything. Paul even muses a little bit to build up the incredible gift that God is offering. While we are still actively working against Him, He saves us.
How do you give something good to someone who does not want it? Is it a case of casting pearls before pigs? Or is it a case of the shepherd climbing the mountain to find the single wandering sheep? Paul reminds us of the joy of God to give and to love —because He is faithful. Therefore we are justified and a new life is moving within us.
There is nothing more precious than a life lived in Jesus. I have six youth interns who I am working with all summer. Last week, as part of their internship experience, I took them to see the documentary Lives Well Lived. I would like to answer the question that documentary raised: What is a life well lived? Tomorrow when I preach, I hope to unpack that question in more detail. As I reflect on the memorial service that will take place at my church tomorrow afternoon, that question deserves to be answered.
Recalibrate: What is a life well lived?
Respond: Pray for insights from others in your life.
Research: Read one of the recommended commentaries on this passage.
Remember: “Hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5, ESV).
Japhet is senior pastor at Boulder Adventist Church in Boulder, Colorado, and was co-founder of the One project. Originally from southeast London, he served in the South England Conference for nine years—as a pastor and later as conference youth director—before moving to the United States in 2006. He is married to Becky and they have two sons, Joshua (18) and Jonah (14).
It’s hard to comprehend that sin has affected all of us. Even the littlest, most innocent ones of us. Sin has tried to remove our identity as children of God and turn us into enemies, but Jesus wouldn’t let that happen. Talk to your child about how we got stuck on the bad guys’ side, and that Jesus did a rescue mission to come and get us and bring us back to the side we belong on—God’s side!
Paul talks about us being enemies with God but that we have been reconciled. Who are some of the enemies you know about? Think supervillains from Marvel or wicked witches from Disney. It’s not a nice thing to think that we were enemies with God, but that’s what sin did to us. Jesus was the best superhero of all, because he reconciled us with God. Reconciled is a fancy word for “made right.” How happy are you that Jesus is your superhero?
I recently watched a documentary called Lives Well Lived with the Boulder Church interns. The film looks at the life stories of a number of elderly people—ranging in age from 75 to 100. Their stories were so inspiring and while few of them mentioned faith in particular, many pointed to characteristics that they thought made for a good life, things like optimism, openness, hard work, and relationships. What do you think makes for a successful life? How would you know that you have one?