Okay, so let's get started. If
you would, turn with me to Romans 4. Romans 4. Romans 4, and I want to read verses 19 through
25. Verse 19. And being not weak in faith,
he considered not his own body now dead. When he was about a
hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb,
he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but
was strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully persuaded
that what he had promised he was able also to perform. and therefore it was imputed
to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his
sake alone that it was imputed to him, but for us also to whom
it shall be imputed if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our
Lord from the dead, who was delivered for our offenses and was raised
again for our justification. We read here of Abraham, who
it says believed God, and I'm just gonna kinda go through highlights
of what this says. But it says it this way, being
fully persuaded that what he had promised, he who? God. But what he had promised,
he was also able to perform. And in doing so, that faith was
imputed unto him for righteousness. And it goes on to say, it was
not just written for his benefit, but also for us. Then it makes
this statement, but for us also to whom it shall be imputed if. I can hear the vain talkers now.
So there we have to believe if we are to be imputed God's righteousness. But you have to really listen
to their response. They say we have to believe to
be imputed, and this just says if we believe. Of course we have
to believe. And we'll look at that. But then
we read, if we believe on Him that raised up Jesus our Lord
from the dead. And let's just stop there a minute.
Jesus Christ being raised from the dead. I think we often just
kind of pass by this statement as a given, and it is. He's God,
but Jesus Christ was a man just like you and I are human flesh,
yet he is God. But we read over, we read over
that and just pass over it a lot of times. And I'm not saying
this in a way that it is a surprise that he arose from the grave
or anything like that. Like I said, he's God. But think
of this, if Christ was not raised from the dead, we would not be
justified. Because according to this word,
he was raised for our justification. But Jesus Christ was a man just
like you and I are. But think about this concerning
Jesus Christ, being raised from the dead, especially when he
was numbered with the transgressors, with the malfactors. If you are
made a curse, being raised from the dead, if you are made a curse
because you were hanged on a tree. If you are made what all those
who wag their heads at him, if you are made what they are and
that is sin, just think about all these things because this
was Christ on the tree. How can you be raised from the
dead to life? And we will look at this a little
bit more. But we are told he was raised again for our justification. and justification, when it says
it was imputed to him, that is Abraham, the righteousness was
imputed to him. Thayer gives this definition
and it matches with the Greek definition of the word, but it
says it this way and I like it. State of him who is as he ought
to be, righteous, the condition acceptable to God. Abraham is
acceptable, in an acceptable condition to God. Me and you
in an acceptable condition to God? Then we read in verse 25, who
was delivered for our offenses and was raised again for our
justification. Who was delivered for our offenses. So we had offenses against God.
And that's not in a state acceptable to God though, is it? I have
offended him. But we have to stick back a minute.
It says Christ was delivered. And what a word in scripture.
You can see several words used in the meanings of this one word
delivered. And when you look at them, they
all tell us the gospel and it tells us our state as well. And
we'll look at this as well. So I wanna talk about justification,
being fully persuaded And what is it to believe on him that
raised Jesus from the dead and then delivered in deliverance? So being fully persuaded. What
does that mean? Fully persuaded of what? And
we are told what it means right here. Persuaded that God has
the power, the ability, and the right to do what he said he would
do. We believe God raised up Jesus Christ from the dead, even
though we did not see it happen. Do we do this on our own? No. 1 Corinthians 2, verses 9 through
12. But as it is written, I hath
not seen nor ear heard, neither hath entered into the heart of
man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit, for the Spirit
searches all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what
man knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of a man which
is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth
no man but the spirit of God. Now we have received not the
spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God, that
we might know the things that are freely given us. of God. In the context here, the spirit,
little s of man, is the spirit of the world. But the we spoken
of here have received the spirit of God, the big S. We cannot
know these things on our own, and in not knowing these things,
we cannot believe these things. It takes the power of God for
us to believe these things, and he comes to his people in power. And when he does, they then can
hear the words. And they then can believe those
words. And they do believe those words.
I know you all know these things, okay? So next, what is it to
believe on him that raised up Jesus from the dead? First of
all, we hear of this in the gospel. We know of the power of God that
it takes to do such a thing. To raise someone from the dead.
Lazarus was dead four days. Who raised him from the dead?
Jesus Christ. Christ was dead three days and
three nights. And I think there's significance
to that number. One being to show he was actually
dead. No one can come back from the
dead unless God himself raises them up again. No fallen son
and daughter of Adam has this kind of power or right. Now I
know Jesus Christ is God. Scripture says so. He thought
it not robbery to be equal with God, it says. But we read in
John 10, 17, and 18, we read this. Therefore doth my father
love me because I lay down my life that I may take it again. No man taketh it from me, but
I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down,
and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received
of my Father. But Jesus Christ always did that
which was pleasing to the Father. And it says here in our text,
He raised Jesus Christ from the dead. So He must have pleased
the Father. And we know He did. What He did
pleased the Father. Isaiah 53, 11, we read, He shall,
and we now can say He has seen of the travail of His soul. And
we can also say now, He has been satisfied. And by His knowledge
shall my righteous servant justify many, for He shall bear their
iniquities. I know not a lot of people believe
themselves to be, by nature, what the scripture says they
are. But it is said of some, speaking of Christ's death, that
he died for, that they are sinners, those who have crimes against
God, enemies, those who are against God, ungodly people, evil, wicked
hearts and minds who always do ungodly things. That is who Jesus
Christ died for. That is the people who have been
given to him for his namesake. What is this other than one word
that the scripture uses? Mercy. God was merciful to this
kind of people. This is what it means for Jesus
Christ to have had to die because of the trespass of his people.
This is pure, unearned mercy from God who is merciful. That
is who those who believe, that's what they believe. They believe
about what God has done. But it is all in what Christ
did that would even enable me to believe. Had he not done this,
I would still be in my sins and there would be no hope. But he
was also raised, delivered in deliverance. So let's look at
the last verse there. The first part of verse 25 first. Who was delivered for our offenses. This delivered is not a deliverance
delivering him out of something. It's really delivering him to
something. This means in the context entrusted
with or given up, put in prison. This is not a nice thing to have
to go through, if you will. because this was done for our
offenses. So this was done because this
group of people said to be our here, did what? They offended God. We had trespasses,
iniquities, and sin against God. There was, is, and never shall
be anything we can do to bring about satisfaction to God. I know what a lot of folks like
to think they can do. Add anything after that and it's
still a lie on God. Anything you do is a lie on God
if you say it gets you to God. If you think you did, do, or
shall do anything to make yourself commendable to God, you are deceived. Romans 8 3 we read, for what
the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh.
So that tells me the law was given to the flesh. God sending
his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned
sin in the flesh. How did he condemn sin in the
flesh? He died. Folks, I look at death, and that
is, you know, having to go through those pains of death, and it's
not a pleasant thought for me. I don't want to have to do that.
But Jesus Christ is God. He is that one who, it says,
He cannot look upon sin. Now, I know the scripture says
He was made sin. This is one who hates sin. He
does not have company with or look upon sin. Yet this is what he was made,
according to scripture, because of my and your offenses. This
is what he came to do, listen to John 12, 27. Now is my soul
troubled, and what shall I say? Father saved me from this hour,
but for this cause came I unto this hour. He knew this is what
he was going to do, what he was going to have to go through,
He knew he was going to die being made a curse and sin for his
people. He who was the light and life
of the world. This was not pleasant for him,
but it was what he wanted to do willingly. But then we have
the second part of the verse. He knew dying was the only way
to bring this to pass and was raised again for our justification. Justification. Here's a deliverance
that is not being put in prison or delivered up for offenses. This is a deliverance for a people
who had offenses, but now have something else because of this.
They are acquitted. That means to be set free. That's
what the word means. That faith that I have been talking
a lot about, lady, that is the faith that it takes to believe.
on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead. That faith
which stood up to the enemy of God like a man, you can say,
just like we read of David and Goliath. And let's turn back
there for a minute. First Samuel 17. First Samuel 17. First Samuel 17. First Samuel 17, I'm going to
read just 22 through 25 right now. And this, David, is a picture
of Christ here. 22 through 25, and David
left his carriage in the hand of the keeper. of the carriage,
and ran into the army, and came and saluted his brethren. And
as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the
Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the
Philistines, and spake according to the same words. And David
heard them. And all the men of Israel, when
they saw the man, fled from him and were sore afraid. And the
men of Israel said, have you seen this man that has come up?
Surely to defy Israel is he come up and it shall be that the man
who killeth him the king will enrich him with great riches
and will give him his daughter and make his father's house free
in all of Israel now go down to verses 42 through 46 42 through
46 And when the Philistine looked
about and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth and
ruddy and of fair countenance. And the Philistine said unto
David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And
the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistines
said to David, come to me and I will give thy flesh unto the
fowls of the air and to the beasts of the field. Then said David
to the Philistine, thou comest to me with a sword and with a
spear and with a shield, but I come to thee in the name of
the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou
hast defiled. This day will the Lord deliver
thee into my hand, and I will smite thee and take thine head
from thee, and I will give the carcasses of the host of the
Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air and to the wild
beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there
is a God in Israel." That's the Christ that died. He did not need to be arrayed
in this worldly garments. He came with His own weapons
and victory would be His and is His. The rest of us ran and
hid our faces from Him. That's what the rest of them
did there in 1 Samuel. And it's what Isaiah 53 actually
says about us too. We hid from God. We hid from
our Redeemer. But He had come not to be a spectator,
But he came in power and in mercy, and what was, what it was, what
happened was what he accomplished. Total, absolute victory and deliverance
for his people, the people of God. Those who he, by his faith,
justified us before God. He made them to be in a condition
acceptable to God in him. That is what God counts to us
for righteousness, that faith of Jesus Christ which is given
to us. So what are we to conclude from
all this? I think it's pretty evident,
at least to some. But there are some who by faith
believe God and he counts that for righteousness. That's what
God counts to us for righteousness, that faith. But now we go back
to that word if. If what? simply this, if God
is pleased to give us that faith with which we do believe. That is the if in our text. If
we do not see this, that is, this is of God to give, the faith
that is His alone to give, if we do not see His power, His
right, His authority, and His mercy, Because if that is true,
we do not believe God and in fact have not been given this
faith at all. Faith submits to God in all things. I did not say we submit to God
in all things because we do not. We have this flesh and we do
fail. Psalms 37, 23, and 24. The steps
of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delighteth in
his way. Though he fall, he shall not
utterly cast down, for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.
Like Joe was speaking this morning. We must be held up by God, or
we will fall away. But it's all in His power and
His right. If God is pleased to give it,
then we will believe God. What is it that we believe? And
this is the conclusion to all of this. He was delivered for
our offenses and raised again for our justification, our righteousness. The spotless limb of God is the
one who died for us. And him being spotless yet made
a curse and sin for us was raised again for our justification.
He satisfied God with his one sacrifice. Then he was raised
from the dead. I talk a lot about what other
people say or think. And the reason I can is because
that's where God plucked me from. I know what they think and what
they say because I was once there, exactly where some still are.
But I thank the mighty merciful God above, who is merciful, and
it was his purpose to be delivered up for our offenses, but raised
again for our justification before God. What am I going to boast
in? My believing? Not my believing. My believing looks to Him that
has done all things and gives all things. And you know what? I don't care what other people
think. But I know they think these things because I did. But
now by His power and His right, I believe Him who raised Jesus
Christ from the dead. He did this with all power, right,
and might. And he did this all willingly
for a people. So much so that we read in Romans
8, 31 through 37, very familiar. What shall we say then to these
things? If God be for us, who can be
against us? He that spared not his own son,
but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also
freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. Who
is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea,
rather, that is risen again. who is even at the right hand
of God who also make intercession for us. Who shall separate us
from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress,
or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, for thy sake
we are killed all the day long. We are accounted as sheep for
the slaughter. Nay, in all things we are more
than conquerors through him that loved us. That's that protection
Joe was talking about. That is the God I believe, and
I believe because of Him. And in Him I am as I ought to
be, righteous, the condition acceptable to God, without any
works of my own causing it or adding to it. All honor and glory
go to him who was delivered for my offenses and raised again
for my justification. Amen. Dear Lord God, thank you for
allowing us to be here today. Increase our faith, dear Lord,
that we may look to you, we may trust you. Go with us as we go
about, dear Lord. Be with us as you have promised
that you will be. We thank you for it, dear Lord.
Forgive us of our sins. All these things we ask in Christ's
name. Amen.