Mar. 23, 2025

Series: Transformed   3-16-25

THE BENEFITS OF BELIEVING

(Romans 5:1-11)

THE BENEFITS OF BELEIVING:

                1. _______________________ WITH GOD

Romans 5:1 ¹ Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ

• Our Faith Determines our _________________!

2 Corinthians 5:19 ¹⁹ God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them.

Ephesians 2:14-17 ¹⁴ For he himself is our peace… ¹⁵ His purpose was to create…peace… ¹⁷ He came and preached peace to you…

          2. ______________________ TO GOD

Romans 5:2 ² Through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand...

Hebrews 4:16 ¹⁶ Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. 

• Our Relationship Determines our _________________!

Ephesians 3:12 ¹² In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

                3. _________________ IN GOD

Romans 5:2 ² …And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

• Our Hope Determines our _________________!

(“Hope” - looking forward to something with reason for confidence in fulfillment.)

            4. PURPOSE FOR ________________________

Romans 5:3-4 ³ Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope.

• Our Suffering Determines our ____________________!

            5. HOLY SPIRIT ___________________.

Romans 5:5 ⁵ And 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.

• Our Righteousness Determines His ____________________!

Ephesians 2:18 ¹⁸ For through him we have access to the Father by one Spirit.

            6. PROTECTION FROM ___________________.

Romans 5:9 ⁹ Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!

1 Thessalonians 1:10 (ESV) ¹⁰ …Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

• Our Connection Determines our ___________________!

PROTECTION FROM WHAT?

Revelation 6 - Seven _________ Judgement: (Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse)

Rev 6:2 WHITE - counterfeit Conqueror (Anti-Christ)

Rev 6:4 RED- given power to “Take Peace” from Earth & “Make people Kill each other” 

Rev 6:5 BLACK - create “Famine”

Rev 6:8 GREEN (Pale) - given Power over ¼ of Earth to Kill by “Sword, a Violent Death.”

Revelation 8 & 9 - Seven _________________ Judgement

Revelation 8:7–12 ⁷ …and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down on the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. ⁸ …and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, ⁹ a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. ¹⁰ …and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water… ¹¹ A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.  

Revelation 9:1–5 I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth… ³ And out of the smoke locusts came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. ⁴ They were told… to harm… only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. ⁵ They were not allowed to kill them but only to torture them for five months. 

Revelation 16 - Seven _______________ Judgement

 1^st angel- ² ugly and painful sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast.
2^nd angel- ³ the sea turned into blood like that of a dead man, and every living thing in the 

sea died.
3^rd angel- ⁴ the rivers and springs of water became blood.
4^th angel- ⁸ the sun was given power to scorch people with fire. They were seared by the 

intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these 

plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him.
5^th angel- ¹⁰ Men gnawed their tongues in agony and cursed the God of heaven because of 

their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done.
7^th angel- ¹⁸ a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has 

been on earth, so tremendous was the quake… the cities of the nations 

collapsed… From the sky huge hailstones of about a hundred pounds each fell 

upon men. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the 

plague was so terrible. 

Talking to the Pre-Wrath Church:

Revelation 2:

Apostolic Age - Ephesus

Martyr Stage - Smyrna

Church State Age - Pergamum 

Catholic Age – Thyatira

Revelation 3:

Protestant Age - Sardis 

Pre-Wrath Age - Philadelphia 

Mid-Wrath Age - Laodicea

Revelation 3:7–10 ⁷ To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write… ¹⁰ I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.

• The first 3 ½ yrs is _________________, called the “Beginning of Sorrows”.
• The Second 3 ½ yrs is ______________, called “The Great Tribulation”.

The Abominable Act:

2 Thessalonians 2:4 ⁴ He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God… 

The Outcome:

Matthew 24:15-33 "So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel--let the reader understand—²¹ For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now--and never to be equaled again… ³³ when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. 

2 Thessalonians 2:1–4 ¹ Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him… ³ Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.

Holy Spirit Removed from Earth:

2 Thessalonians 2:6-7 ⁶ And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. ⁷ For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. 

• Satan is thrown to _________________.
• The Holy Spirit is taken from the _________________.
• Believers are Raptured from the _________________.

Protection from Wrath:

1 Thessalonians 4:17 ¹⁷ …we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.