London Immanuel Church offered Sunday Service and Pastor Alan Channer delivered a sermon from Romans 5:1-8. The sermon lead all congregants to meditate on the hope we have in Christ Jesus throughout the process we undergo on the path of faith.
Apostle Paul revers God in his letter pointing out that Justification is done by grace and not by deed. We have received grace through faith and we are now justified and saved. Why do we need to be saved? It is because no matter how hard we try to get rid of our sins, it is only possible if someone from the outside comes to save us- for example you are drowning and someone saves you-it is as if we are drowning in the deep water of this world, in the sins and only someone can save us and that someone is Jesus Christ. By believing in Jesus Christ with our hearts and confessing with our mouth that He is our Saviour, we gained access to His salvation and received peace in our hearts, then what follows is that hope comes into our hearts like a flood and we rejoice over salvation.
After justification there is sanctification which holds suffering, there will be suffering in the path of faith. However this suffering brings us closer to God and also allows us to receive comfort from God; it produces perseverance, which leads to character, as we rely on God alone. It is God that changes us, He will mould us to become more into His likeness. That is why there is hope for the christian walking the path of faith, taking the cross and walking towards resurrection. Your character will change to reveal a strong Christ like image.
Apostle Paul then speaks about shame- many Christians suffer and think about shame a lot, because of the outside world that may think they live a better life and have a better goal. But the hope of Christians will ultimately put the world to shame.
Pastor Alan further stated how a Christian becomes aware of the sins inside since he leads a spiritual life and that leads to confession of sins. Confessing your sins may put you to shame and make you appear vulnerable in front of the world that tries to only reveal a strong and perfect image for themselves while adopting sinful ways and leading a corrupted spiritual and moral life. Apostle Paul declares to all believers that the suffering we experience is not to harm us but to change us and mould us, building character in us and allowing us experience the glory of resurrection according to God’s promise. Thus “hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (v5). God will pour down abundant love into our hearts and He will let us take part in the glory of resurrection together with the Lord Jesus Christ while fulfilling His work in us to the end by the power of the Holy Spirit.
One newcomer that works nearby the church location joined in the service shared after the sermon “It was a very graceful message and I want to meditate more on the meaning of suffering in the life of a Christian.”