Destined for Victory

Paul Sheppard: Soon as you got here, you were already wrong because the Bible says we were born in sin, we were shapen in iniquity. We were born with the image of Adam stamped on us, which is an image of death.

Guest (Male): Well, that doesn't sound too promising, does it? But there is good news and His name is Jesus. Hello and thanks for stopping by for today's Destined for Victory with Pastor Paul Sheppard. Romans chapter 6 tells us that all of us are sinners and the wages of that sin is death. But it goes on to say that God offers the free gift of eternal life through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Because of Him, we are justified, set free from both the penalty and the power of sin.

Today you'll be reminded of exactly what that means. Now remember, if you can't stay with us, please visit pastorpaul.net where you can listen to any of our recent messages on demand, including today's. That's pastorpaul.net. But right now, let's listen closely to Pastor Paul's Destined for Victory message, Access Granted.

Paul Sheppard: Romans chapter 5, let's look together at verses 1 through 8. Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character, and character, hope. 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.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man, someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

My subject is Access Granted. As we continue to explore the teachings of the Apostle Paul in this letter to the church at Rome, we come now to chapter 5, which is the last of the chapters where he sets up for us exactly what God has done for us in Christ. Building on that foundation when we move into chapters 6 through 8, we'll see that he'll in his teaching take a distinctly practical turn and say now because of all that Christ has done for us, we have an obligation and an opportunity to walk before Him in holiness and to present ourselves as vessels truly fit for His use.

But before he gets to that, he wants to make sure here in chapter 5 that we understand that all that he will be saying to us is based on the fact that we have been justified. I want to make sure you understand what this word means: Therefore, since we have been justified through faith. Now notice the sentence opens with therefore, and whenever you're reading your Bible, studying your Bible, and you see the word therefore, stop and find out what it's there for.

Therefore is a word that links what has been said to what is about to be said. So you don't want to drive through the therefore. You want to put on the brakes and stop and find out wait a minute, what is the statement he has made that he's linking the following statement to? And you need only look at the previous verse, which is the last verse of chapter 4. It says this: He was delivered, speaking of Christ, over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. Paul says we know even before you understand what the word means, you can know based on that sentence that our justification is linked directly to the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

That's important as you come to understand what the word itself means. The word justification here in this passage and wherever you see it in the New Testament is a forensic term. It is a legal term. It is a term that speaks of the fact that you have had your case tried in court. It is a legal case. It is a legitimate case. And it is a case that was tried, and as a result of the trial, you were acquitted. When you see the word justified, it means somebody was on trial and they ended up being acquitted. Now, what will get you happy is when you realize that your acquittal is not at all based on you because if it were left up to you and to me and we were on trial for being sinners, we would be found guilty.

I hope I don't have to take a few minutes—I got a lot I want to cover—I hope I don't have to take a few minutes and prove to you that you are a sinner. I hope we all know that. I hope we know by now you showed up wrong. When you first hit the planet, you were wrong. Soon as you got here, you were already wrong because the Bible says we were born in sin, we were shapen in iniquity. You were born in sin, you were shapen in iniquity, meaning simply that we were born with the image of Adam stamped on us, which is an image of death, an image of alienation from God. So when you show up, you're a sinner first by nature. Then as you lived your life, you say, well, don't blame me for that because I had nothing to do with that. That's Adam's fault.

All right, but here's what happened: as you began to live your life, you became a sinner not only by nature but by nurture, meaning you developed sinful patterns. Sin is everything that displeases God, everything that goes against God's plan and will for your life. God's standard is a righteous, holy standard, and we didn't measure up to it because as we began to live our lives, we practiced various brands of sin. We practiced sins of actions. So we lied, we stole, we cheated, we robbed, we were dishonest, we did all kinds of things. You were a kid trying to learn how to be a good sinner. I tell you all the time, there you were with the cookies still on your face, the crumbs still on your face. Your parents said, did you take one of the cookies?

That's because you were a sinner and now you're trying to learn how to be a thief and you're not good at it yet. Trying to learn how to lie and you're not good at it yet. But give you a little while and you get pretty good. So we're sinners in our actions. Then we became sinners in our attitude. Sin is in your attitude often when you are hateful, when you are jealous, when you are envious, when you are resentful, when you are unforgiving, when you decide, I'm going to get them back. I don't get mad, I get even, and you're going to get folk back. That is a sinful attitude because God commands us in His Word, I have forgiven you and I command you to forgive others. I said in the previous message that the attitude of unforgiveness is a damning attitude. Being unforgiving is very much like drinking poison and expecting your enemy to die.

God won't let you stay in unforgiveness. It's a sinful attitude. So we sin by action, we sin by attitude, we sin by motive. We sin by motive. Some of us as we've lived our lives, we've had all kinds of sinful motives and it didn't manifest because people didn't know what was in your heart, but God knew what was in your heart. That's why when Jesus taught us on the Sermon on the Mount, did you notice the kinds of things He said? Read it when you get a chance, Matthew chapter 5 and 6. And in there, what you'll find is Jesus saying things like you have heard it said, thou shalt not murder, but I say to you, if you have hatred in your heart, you got a problem already with God because hatred is the root of murder.

Now some of us have hated people enough to want to see them off of the planet. Come on and be honest. I know you got your big Bible and look holy, but be honest for a minute. Some of us have hated people in our hearts enough to want to see them off of the planet, but you didn't want to do anything to them because for one thing, you were too afraid of going to jail. You heard enough jail stories, you said no, that's not for me. But the fact that you're scared of jail doesn't mean that you don't have the same thoughts and motives that the murderer does. And so we're sinners by action, sinners by attitude, sinners by motive, sinners by omission—things that God wanted us to do and we did not do them. And so the point is, folks, we come to the planet wrong and then we nurture a lifestyle of sin. Well, here's the good news: Jesus came in order to pay the penalty for your sin and for mine. When Jesus hung between heaven and earth on a cross between two common thieves, He didn't hang there because He did anything wrong. He hung there because of your sins and mine. He hung there because God's holy justice had to be resolved and settled, and Jesus said I'll tell you what. They're guilty, but I will take all of their guilt on Myself so that they can be acquitted.

Alicia Sheppard Greer: Hi everyone, this is Alicia Sheppard Greer. We'll get right back to today's teaching in just a moment, but first, I have something special to share with you. As you know, since my father Pastor Paul went home to be with the Lord, our team has been committed to carrying his legacy forward by sharing the timeless truth of God's Word with people everywhere so that they can not only hear the Word but live it, apply it, and experience the God who still speaks. One of the ways we're doing that right now is by partnering with a ministry I'm honored to help lead called Kingdom Collective, where we gather believers to pray, worship, and seek deeper encounter with Jesus. March 20th through 22nd, we'll be hosting Kingdom Revival Weekend, three special gatherings centered on worship, prayer, five-fold ministry, and seeking the presence of God together. So if you're hungry for a deeper encounter with the Lord, we would love to welcome you. You can learn more at kingdomcollective.com.

Paul Sheppard: So what happened is it would be like two brothers. One runs in the house having just murdered someone—capital punishment—and as soon as they catch him, he is going to die. He is going to be sentenced to death. He runs in, the blood of the one he murdered all on his clothes and on his person. And he runs in and takes off those clothes and hides, hoping not to be caught.

It would be like his brother saying I don't want to see my brother go to jail. So I tell you what, let me put on those bloody clothes and let me appear to be the one who was wrong. So when they run in and see me, they'll assume I did it. Take me off and I will die that my brother might live. Now we just read a verse in Romans 5 that says scarcely, very rarely will someone die for somebody they love. You know it's true. Think about your siblings. You'd be like, I love you and all, and I'll come see you on visiting day, but as for all this putting on the clothes with the blood, uh-uh, we're not going there. I'll check in on your family. I'll make sure they have everything they need.

Scarcely will a person die for someone they really love and they believe is righteous and has treated them well. But God commended His love toward us in that while we were sinners, He died for us. So Christ took your sins and mine upon Himself, and thus because He paid the penalty, the penalty cannot be paid. Do you understand that when someone has paid the price for a capital crime, you can't come along and later and say I was really the one, I should have served that sentence? Because justice says the price has been paid. And let me tell you something, this word justification is a forensic term. It's a legal term. It means your sins have been paid for and so the balance is zero. I did it, but He paid for it. I was guilty, but He bore my guilt. I should have died, but He died for me. I should go to hell, but because of Him, I'm on my way to heaven. I should be lost, but because of Him, I'm found. Justified!

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith. Now I want you to look at the benefits of justification. What you'll see in the next several verses is that because of what Christ did for us, we have been given access to a number of God's choice blessings in our lives. Let me just walk through these verses with you and show you that because of Christ, we have been granted access to some wonderful things. I love it when you have access. I don't know about you, but I don't like it when there's somewhere I want to be and I'm shut out. I don't like it when there's something I know on the other side of that door or some things I would love to enjoy but I'm shut out. I love access. Come on, be honest now. I love it. And have you ever been locked out of your own house? Isn't that a bad feeling? And you stand outside talking about this is my house. Ah, but if you lost your key, you are at least for the time being denied access. You know what's in there. In fact, sometimes you stand outside knowing where the key is in the house. Lord, I left it right on that table, it's sitting right in there right now.

Yeah, but you sure can't get to it. And you have to wait for somebody else to come home or call them on their job or whatever it is, or call the locksmith to come break in your own house. Denied access. It's a wonderful thing to have access. Wonderful thing. I don't know if you've ever been to a concert where you know the folk, you know somebody in the band, and they say look, I'm going to put you on the list so that you can get a backstage pass. Every now and then I know somebody, and it's a wonderful feeling when all these groupies are hanging around, hoping just to peek back there.

And then you walk up. I never forget the first time that happened. I told you all before my wife and I went to a Donna Summer concert. I caught her years ago when I first found out she was a Christian. And I called because she was going to be in Atlantic City. We were living in Philadelphia at the time and I had just heard her testimony for the first time. I thought it was marvelous that here she was still singing some of her secular tunes but that she was a Christian and they said in every concert she stops and gives a word about her faith and I was fascinated. I said, we want to go see it, and I said, I wonder if I can get a few minutes and talk with her. And so I called up the hotel the weekend she was going to be performing in Atlantic City. I called up the hotel and asked to speak to Donna Summer. I did. And I put on my best reverend's voice and I said, this is Reverend Sheppard and I'd like to talk to Donna Summer, please. And the hotel operator, she stuttered for a little while because I sounded like of course you know who I am.

See, I was doing the Jedi mind trick on her. And I said it with such confidence until she stuttered and she said, who is this again? I said, Reverend Paul Sheppard. And she said, just a moment. And in the next few seconds, the phone was ringing, and somebody picked it up and it was Donna's assistant. And so I told her who I was and that I was a pastor over in Philadelphia and heard her testimony and was just excited about it. And I said, I wonder if there'd be any opportunity. I would love to come to one of the concerts this weekend and just have a few words with her. I'd love to find out how it is that she is ministering in this way, still singing the secular music but sharing her faith during the concerts.

And her assistant said, oh yes, well, I'll see if that's possible. She said, I'm a Christian too, yes, we both love the Lord and what have you. She said, Donna's asleep because we had late shows last night so she's still asleep, but when she wakes up, I'll mention it to her and we'll see if there's anything possible. Give me your number. I gave her the number. And when they called back, the lady said, yes, Miss Summer said if you come to such and such a concert, we'll put your name on the backstage pass, and after the concert, she'll try to give you a couple of minutes just to share with her. I said, oh, that's wonderful. I said, baby, put on your clothes, we going! And we put on our glad rags, drove to Atlantic City, had reserved seats down front and all that. And then when the concert was over—the concert was good and she sang well, sang her hits and all and did give a word of testimony—but as much as I enjoyed the concert, my smile grew larger as it wound down to the end because I knew now my name is written there.

And after the concert, all the other folk were going out and what have you, and as they were going backwards, I was headed toward the stage. And there were a bunch of folk standing around at the door just hoping they could get in, and the big man was standing there with the list. Oh, but I had confidence because I knew access had been granted. And I stepped up, excuse me, excuse me please, excuse me. I stepped up and they said, yes, may I help you? I said, name is Reverend Sheppard and my wife and I are here to see Donna Summer. And he looked at the list and he said, oh yes, you're there. Go right on in. I wanted so badly to turn around and look at the folk! But you all would be proud of me, I didn't do it. But everything in me wanted to turn around and say, hahaha! Man, it's wonderful to have access. And we sure enough, we got to spend a few minutes with her. There were several people there to see her, but we were sure among them and we got to chat with her a little bit and we had a wonderful time.

There is nothing like access. Well, because of justification, you now have access to some things. Let me run it down for you real quick. First of all, you have access to peace with God. Peace with God. Because of what Jesus did, God's not mad at you anymore. If you by faith will receive Him, if you by faith will trust Him for salvation, if you will repent of your sin and say, God, I was wrong, but thank You that You loved me enough to send Your Son to pay the penalty, you have peace with God. I came to tell somebody who thinks God is mad at you that that doesn't have to be the case because through Christ, you have access to peace with God.

Guest (Male): In Christ, you have access to perfect peace, the kind that surpasses all human understanding. Just one more reason why the Gospel of Jesus Christ really is good news. Well, I once had a conversation with Pastor Paul Sheppard in which we discussed exactly why Destined for Victory exists in the first place. I spoke with him about our long-standing objective to reach the world for Christ, a mission he hoped would continue long after his preaching days were over. Here's a part of that conversation.

Paul Sheppard: When I think of victorious, my mind goes back—I'm a kid growing up watching TV in the 60s—so my mind goes back to the Wide World of Sports. There was an announcer named James McKay, Jim McKay, something like that. He had this classic line where he talked about the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. I love just thinking about how thrilling it is to be victorious. I love in any game I'm playing, I want to be victorious. I tell people I don't care whether it's Monopoly or something really serious, I want to win. And in life, we can win in Christ, and that's what the Bible tells us: that we are victorious in Him.

And victorious means that we're following His lead, that we're letting the Holy Spirit take us where He wants us to go in life. We're saved by His grace, and then we're simply following His direction. And of course, the Word of God is so key to following God's direction because the Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our pathway. And so those who tune in to broadcasts like Destined for Victory are really supposed to be receiving guidance so that we can walk in and live in victory. And that's what I pray is happening as people tune in day by day.

Guest (Male): We say it every day on the broadcast: in Christ, you are destined for victory. And our prayer is that you'll live the victorious Christian life every single day until the coming of our Lord Jesus. Destined for Victory can often go to places missionaries can't, into remote areas of the world that are often hostile to the Christian faith. We can also make it inside the homes of elderly shut-ins or those who can't always make it to church. Just one more reason why your gifts to Destined for Victory are so critical to the cause of Christ.

As you give your generous gift today, we've got a new booklet we'd love to share with you as our way of saying thanks. It's called Access Granted, based on the first eight verses of Romans chapter 5. This great resource examines some of the blessings we have in Christ, blessings like peace, grace, hope, even in the midst of trials or suffering. Again, it's called Access Granted and it's our gift to you today by request for your generous gift to Destined for Victory. Visit pastorpaul.net to make a safe and secure donation online, or call us at 855-339-5500. That's 855-339-5500. Or if you prefer, you can mail your gift to Destined for Victory, Post Office Box 1767, Fremont, California 94538.

Paul Sheppard: You might have a spouse acting up, but God can keep you. You might have folk persecuting you on your job, but God can keep you. You might have trouble in various areas of your life, but now that you're in Christ, you have access to grace.

Guest (Male): And that's tomorrow in our continuing message, Access Granted. But until then, remember: He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. In Christ, you are destined for victory.