Thank you, Mark. More about Jesus. I hope that's what we hear this
morning. He's the subject of our worship. Our learning are. Quiet time. So I hope we hear more of Jesus
this morning. And I want to talk about not
being guilty. What a subject when you consider. The guilty. and the non-guilty. Not guilty
was the verdict heard around the world in the trial of O.J. Simpson and the murder of his
wife and her friend, Ron Goldman. With evidence so overwhelming,
how could that man be acquitted? We've all asked that question.
We've discussed it. We've turned it upside down over
the years. How could anyone be acquitted
with the evidence so great against them? It looked like justice
took a hit that day. Officially, these murders remain
open and unsolved, but in the minds of everybody that you talk
to, they're pretty much convinced that he was guilty of the crime.
So how could a jury, with all the evidence they had, acquit
him of this crime? How could a jury of his peers
find him not guilty beyond reasonable doubt? Think about this. Here
a man. in spite of overwhelming evidences
to the contrary, left the court of law a free man, declared not
guilty by the presiding judge. The overwhelming majority of
people today believe he got away with one. And we ask the question,
how could this happen? But we see our imperfect system
of justice, as good as it is, it's still not perfect. There is another trial, there's
another judge, there's another court of law, there's another
judge before whom the world will stand and at the appointed day
be judged. Acts chapter 17 verse 31 says
this, because God has appointed a day in the which he will judge
the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained,
wherever he hath given assurance unto all men that he hath raised
him from the dead. All the guilty will stand to
answer for sin against the holy God, and no one will get away
with this from this trial. Everyone has to face it, all
the guilty. Most in religion today and throughout
all the ages have lived out their lives and will live their life
and leave this world to go and face a holy, righteous, and just
God, who will by no means clear the guilty. They are guilty of
sin for which there is no atonement. Think about this. There is a
sin for which there is no atonement. And there are some whose sins
will not be atoned for, but God has provided a way through the
blood of his Son for the atonement of sin. Depart from me, Jesus will say
to those in that day. I never knew you, ye that work
iniquity. That will be their sentence.
Look at Matthew chapter 25 in verse 34, if you would. We have a record of this trial
and what we can expect to see and hear at this trial when that
day comes. Matthew chapter 25 in verse 34
says this. Then shall the king say unto
them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my father, inherit
the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
Though guilty of a crime worthy of eternal death, some will be
declared not guilty and delivered from bondage. Not
only declared not guilty and delivered, but clothed in perfect
righteousness and restored to fellowship with the party offended
by the party offended. To the others, in Matthew chapter
25 and verse 41, he will say this. Then shall he say unto
them on his right hand, depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting
fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. Justice will
not take a hit that day. Strict law and inflexible justice
will prevail. And though all deserve eternal
death, some will go free. Well, how can this be? How can
I avoid the end of those on his left hand. How can I be confident
the decision made on my behalf before the foundation of the
world was no charge? What can I do to ensure that
my lot is with the righteous and not the devil and his angels? Well, that's what the subject
of my message is about this morning. How can I not be charged? considering
the presiding judge at this trial who said, do and live, disobey
and die. That judge who cannot lie, who
always does what's right, who always dispenses inflexible justice. How can this God declare not
guilty those who have sinned against the holy God? In other
words, how can God, in justice, justify the ungodly? Does he
overlook sin? Does he grade on the curve? Does
he compromise his glory in this acquittal? How can a holy John,
who said he must do what's right, release a sinner with such overwhelming
evidence as we have against us and remain just and holy? Does
he dispense his love at the expense of his justice? Is he a respecter
of persons? Well, we who are justified by
the blood and righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ and have
experienced this acquittal have experienced the justice to end
all justice. When we see how God can be just
and justify an ungodly sinner such as we and remain just, it's
a marvelous testimony of his love and mercy and grace to us. When we see our acquittal at
the expense of another and he who was without sin. So the question
today is, how can a holy and just God remain just and holy
and justify the ungodly? We know this is a question of
the ages. It's as old as time. How can
God be just? Well, the whole of scripture,
from Genesis to Revelation, addresses this subject. And a thousand
times over, it tells us how this can be accomplished. And yet
the question and its answer is foreign to most in religion today. I was 50 years in religion before
I ever heard the question asked and answered, before I ever heard
the true gospel. Well, I want us to look at a
few verses this morning that talks about the law and what
the law, how the law can pronounce a man cursed based on his disobedience,
but how in the gospel it can pronounce him just based on the
work of his redeeming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Look with
me at Romans chapter seven in verse four. Paul, in this great
thesis on the law, which is a deep subject and we could talk for
years on the law and never cover everything, But he says here
in Romans chapter 7 verse 4, In one concise statement here,
Paul the apostle summarizes the whole of scripture. in declaring and delivering the
elect of God not guilty of sin, for which we all know we're guilty. How can I be delivered from the
sin that I know I'm guilty of? I'm the culprit. God's people are not liable.
God's people cannot be charged for their sin. How is this so?
I want us to look at this. First of all, the law is satisfied
on their behalf. God cannot charge those for whom
law and justice has been satisfied. He says here, wherefore, my brethren,
you are become dead to the law. What is it to be dead to the
law? How does a sinner become dead to the law? What was our
state before we became dead to the law? What are the evidences
of being dead to the law? Well, to answer these questions,
we have to begin at the beginning. Look at Romans chapter four again. You are become dead to the law.
Before we became dead to the law, what was our state? Well,
Ephesians chapter two and verse one says this, and you hath he
quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins. That death and trespasses
and sin is any sensibility to the extent of the law and how
it reaches past the doing to the motive, to the desires. We
have no sensibility as to the extent of the law by nature,
as to how far it reaches. Jesus addressed this issue in
the Sermon on the Mount. He said, you've heard it said
by them of old, I shall not commit adultery. But I say unto you,
if you look on a woman to lust, you've committed it already.
You've heard it said by them of old, love your neighbor. Love
your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say unto you, love your
enemy. So Christ carried this thing of the law to its fullest
extent and showed us how it reaches to the very heart and motive
of the sinner. Well, how did we become dead
in trespasses and sin? Look at Romans 5 and verse 12.
Here he tells how we all got into the shape that we're in.
He says, wherefore, as by one man, we know that man is Adam,
sin entered into the world and death by sin, the wages of sin
is death. one man in death by sin, and
so death passed upon all men, that includes us, for that all
have sinned. Legally, we were guilty in Adam.
His sin was imputed to us, and we, being in our federal head
and representative Adam, we sinned when he sinned. Legally, we were
guilty and condemned in Adam. Morally, we were separated from
God by our wicked works, evidence that we were at one with Adam. in our person, we were of those
going about, seeking to establish a righteousness of our own. We
were of those who could say all our righteousness is as filthy
rags. Look at Romans chapter seven
in verse nine. Here Paul describes the state
of God's elect before regeneration. He says, for I was alive without
the law once, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. Before man dies, he has to live. So in what sense is he talking
about life here? Well, the purpose of the law
is very clear. It's simply to slay the sinner
from any thought of acceptance before a holy God based on anything
done in that center, done by the sinner, or in the sinner
by the aid of the Holy Spirit or any other aid that he might
gain acceptance before God. It is the sin that motivates
the sinners to act totally contrary to the law. And they're motivated
by threats of punishment or promises of reward. Look at Romans 7 verse
5 again. For when we were in the flesh,
in other words, when we were in a state of nature, the motions
of sin, that's our best efforts at obedience to God, which were
by the law working our members to bring forth fruit unto death.
And here Paul is speaking not so much of immorality. Immorality is a sin, but he's
speaking mainly of idolatry, which is the root cause of our
immorality. The law stirs up the sinner to
do or abstain from doing some deed to be accepted before God. That's what he's talking about.
And we have Adam as an example here. Adam, if you remember,
was a perfect, upright, holy man, acting as a representative
and federal head of all of us. And by design and deliberation
in the first act of open idolatry by a human being, he determined
that he would be his God. Let me read you what he says
here in Genesis chapter 3 and verse 5. The serpent has come
and has tempted Adam and Eve. And he says this, for God doth
know that in the day you eat of the tree thereof, yet your
eyes shall be opened and you shall be as God, knowing good
and evil. In other words, you'll be able
to set your own standard of what's good and evil. And that is the
sin of every man today. We want to set our own standard.
God has set the standard of perfection, perfect righteousness, and we
want to set our own standard. And Romans 10 says if we're ignorant
of God's righteousness and going about to establish our own righteousness,
we've not submitted ourselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the
law for righteousness to everyone that believe it. So Adam's first
response when God confronted him with his sin was fear. He said, I was afraid and I hid
myself. And he covered himself with fig
leaves So to be dead to the law is to be alive in Christ. And
to be alive without the law is to be dead in trespasses and
sin. Look at Romans chapter seven and verse nine. Paul says, for
I was alive without the law once, but when the commandment came,
sin revived and I died. So dead in trespasses and sin
is a state of all by nature. And it is from this state that
the elect of God are become dead. So what exactly is it to be dead
to the law? Is it freedom from immorality?
Is it victory over covetousness? Is it liberation from drugs and
alcohol? Is it the cleaning up of our
character and conduct? Well, we know that we ought to
be about the business of cleaning up our character and conduct.
But this is not all he's talking about here. Our fight is far
greater than immorality. It's basically idolatry. Idolatry
is the root. Immorality is the fruit of that
tree. Adam's sin was immoral, but it
was motivated, first of all, by idolatry. So whom do you know
who ever put to death immorality? Is it not our constant adversary?
Does it not forever challenge our resources and our resolve
to put it away? Do we not yield our members to
its temptations all the time? Though we should keep our bodies
in subjection and fight these sins, we can never become dead
to the law by overcoming these things. If we ever overcome any
of them to any degree, it's because we're already dead to the law.
And if we're dead to the law, we will overcome to some extent,
based on our Christian maturity. But these are not the sins that
he's talking about here. He's talking about that sin that
does so easily beset us. In Hebrews chapter 12, in verse
one, he says, wherefore, seeing we are compassed about with so
great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and
that sin which does so easily beset us. Look into Jesus, the
author and finisher of our faith, who was, for the joy that was
set before us, endured the cross and suffered the shame. So to
be dead to the law is to be free from the bondage of sin of the
law, which excites the sinner into seeking justification in
life by his obedience to the law. The law was given to Israel
to reveal God's standard of judgment and to show sinners the impossibility
of meeting that standard and to turn them to Christ. That's
the purpose of the law. Ignorance of this work always
sets the sinner going about seeking to establish the righteousness
of his own. And that's the sin that we're all guilty of, thinking
that something we do or abstain from doing could recommend us
to God. Dead to the law is specific.
It's talking about, it's to be free from the law's demand by
way of satisfaction to the demands of the law. It is to owe nothing
by way of obedience in order to be saved or kept saved. It
is to rest in the work of another the Lord Jesus Christ for all
my salvation. What does the law of God demand?
It requires nothing less than perfect, continual obedience
from the cradle to the grave. To the transgressor, it requires
eternal death, even to the most sincere, dedicated sinner for
the least offense. The scripture says, cursed is
everyone that continues not in all things which are written
in the book of the law to do them. Paul said to the Galatians,
if you be circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. In other
words, if you sow your fig leaves, or whatever you do, thinking
it recommends you to God, Christ shall profit you nothing. You
are a debtor to do the whole law. Okay, look at Romans chapter
seven and verse 11. He says here, for sin taken occasion
by the commandment deceived me, and by it slew me. Here Paul
explains his state before regeneration. and conversion. Sin used the
law of God to deceive Paul. And the natural man always, when
confronted with the holy law of God, is deceived by his own
self-righteousness and religious pride into denying the law's
foremost purpose. Seeking the righteousness of
God is foreign to the natural man. He is motivated by the law
to seek one of his own. When Paul wrote in Romans, there
is none righteous, no not one, that's what he was speaking about.
All by nature are motivated by the law to keep the law for acceptance
with God. When the opposite is true is
the purpose of the law. He says, for the law was our
schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. He said, moreover the law entered
that the offense might abound. When the law enters, In other
words, when we're made to see the extent of the law, how it
reaches past the actual act of the thought and the motive of
the heart, we are brought to the repentance that Paul expressed
in Romans chapter 7 and verse 18. Look at that. This is Paul's
confession of his total dependence upon Christ for all of his salvation.
that he can't do anything in his flesh. Look at verse 25. Paul says this, for I know that
in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. For to will is
present with me, but how to perform that which is good I find not.
For the good I would, I do not. But the evil which I would not,
that I do. Now if I do not that I would
not, it is no more I that do it but sin that dwelleth in me.
I find then a law. that when I would do good, evil
is present with me. For I delight in the law of God
after the inward man, but I see another law. I see another powerful
principle in my members, warring against the law of my mind and
bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my
members. O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from
the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ
our Lord. So then, with the mind, I myself
serve the law of God, but with the flesh, the law of sin. Look
at Romans 7, 9 again. Paul says, for I was alive without
the law once. In other words, while I was ignorant
of the standard of the law, I was alive. I thought I was meeting
God's standard. I thought I was doing what was
required of me. So I was alive in that sense. But when the commandment
came, when God revealed to me the sinfulness of even my motives, When he revealed that to me,
God, on character and conduct, sin revived. When God showed
me that that was sin, sin revived and I died. I died to any hope
of salvation based on my best efforts at religion and morality,
anything other than the imputed righteousness of God. The law
forced me to look away from myself to someone else, and where I
find relief, determines my state and standing
before God. Paul found his as all do by nature
and as a personal obedience. He tells us this in Philippians
chapter 2. He says, if any man have room
to boast I more. I will circumcise the eighth
day of the tribe of Benjamin. A Hebrew of the Hebrews touching
the law of Pharisee. Concerning zeal I persecuted
the church. All this stuff that I thought
I was doing which recommended me to God. I found it to be to
my detriment. And I saw that the law couldn't
expect nothing but perfection from me, and I couldn't deliver
that perfection. That's when I cried, woe is me.
Who shall deliver me? It was here that the law became
a schoolmaster to Paul the Saul of Tarsus and to bring him to
Christ. He discovered he was guilty based
on his oneness with Adam and his own acts of sinful acts himself. It was here he found he had been
blessed also with spiritual blessings in heavenly places. In his conversion
experience, he saw where God had blessed him with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus before the world
began. And he discovered that it was not by works that he had
done, but by the works of another, the Lord Jesus Christ. And he
became dead to the law by the body of Christ. That's what he
says in Romans. Look back at Romans 7, 4 again.
Wherefore, my brethren, you also become dead to the law by the
body of Christ. This is how sinners become dead
to the law, by the body of Christ. Some are dead to the law. All
charges against them have been charged to another, even their
surety, the Lord Jesus Christ, and that from eternity. The sins
of all whose names were written in the Lamb's Book of Life have
been justified based on the body and the blood of the Lord Jesus
Christ. All charges against them have
been acquitted, and their surety has taken their place. The sins
of all whose names were written in the Lamb Book of Life are
justified before the Lord. My sins charged to Christ and
put away by his suffering and death satisfied all the demands
of the law against me. I cannot be charged for sins
already satisfied by my surety. God made him to be sin for me,
him who knew no sin, that I might be made the righteousness of
God in him. The law of God requires nothing of me in the way of obedience
to gain or maintain any part of my salvation. The law of God
can demand nothing of me in the way of payment for my sins. The
law of God can, my surety is already paid to the uttermost
father in my debt to law and justice. I am dead to the guilt,
to the defilement and the condemning power of sin for any part of
my salvation. If I am charged with his righteousness
imputed and received by God-given faith, I am legally free from
the law. Any part of the law has obedience
to the law for acceptance before God. The only debt I owe is a
debt of gratitude. Paul said, I beseech you, therefore,
by the mercies of God, if you are justified from the law, that
you present your body as a living sacrifice, wholly acceptable
unto God, which is your reasonable service. My surety, appointed
as such by the Father in the everlasting covenant of grace,
at his appointment, assumed my responsibility, all the responsibility
I owe to the law and justice of God. He has, the God-man,
performed all the obedience God requires of me. He suffered all
the agony I deserve. All the punishment I deserve
was charged to him who put away my sin by his body on the tree. Sin charged to him demanded his
death, and his righteousness charged to me demands my justification. Based on what he accomplished
on the cross, I am not legally chargeable. I can say I have
kept the law perfectly, not in my person, but in the person
of my substitute, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the end of the
law for righteous to everyone they believe in. We can't be
married to Christ and to the law. No man can serve two masters,
for either he will love the one and hate the other, or else he
will hold to the one and despise the other. We cannot serve God
and mammon. As long as we are ignorant of
or not submitted to the imputed righteousness of Christ, we are
married to the law. He ended the law, Christ did,
for righteousness' sake, by his death. His resurrection is God's
declaration. that he rendered satisfaction
to both penalty and precept of God's law, and espoused his church,
the elect, unto him as his bride. Look at Romans 7, 4 again. He
says, wherefore, my brethren, you are also become dead to the
law by the body of Christ, that you should be married to another,
even to him that is raised from the dead, that we should bring
forth fruit unto God. The question is, to whom are
you married? to the law or Christ? Are you
chargeable by the law of God for any sin, even the smallest? Did Christ put away your sins
by his death or leave some unfinished matter of the law for you to
satisfy? Can anything or anyone lay any
charge against you? Is there anything that can separate
you from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus? Well, the
scripture says it's appointed unto men once to die, but after
that the judgment. Will that judgment declare you
blessed of the Father or cursed with the devil and his angels? If you be dead to the law by
the body of Christ, let the evidence show that you are not guilty
in God's court of justice. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies. Who
can condemn me? It is Christ that died. Are you
persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,
nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height,
nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate you
from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus? If you can,
Look with me at Romans 6, 22. If this be the case with you,
being now made free from sin and become servants to God, you
have your fruit unto holiness and the end everlasting life.
What a wonderful revelation and truth to know that I'm not guilty
before God. He chose me in Christ before
the world began and conditioned all my salvation on Christ. There's
not one charge he can bring against me. He's already laid them on
Christ and Christ bore them away in my room, in my stand at Calvary.
Where sin abounded in me, grace did much more abound in him.
The verdict, the pronouncement is, loose the prisoner and set
him free. Well, everybody discussed at
great length the trial of O.J. Simpson. It was the talk of the
airways and the highways and the byways for years. And I'm
glad somebody talked to me about the death of Christ and my association
with him, with that death, and how I'm guilty in my person. But I'm glad that God is a merciful
God, and he will forgive sin. And he does forgive sin. He has
forgiven sin. Not guilty, by way of satisfaction. Mark Cunlidesen floating here.