Well, last week we were looking
at a couple of verses in Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy chapter 8, on remembering
God by the mouth of Moses had told the children of Israel before
they came into the promised land that they needed to remember
all the journey, 40 years of wilderness wanderings, remember
all the way that the Lord has led you, and on that we considered
how We need to remember the way the Lord has led us on our journey
from spiritual darkness, spiritual blindness, ignorance of the truth,
into the marvellous light of gospel grace and the knowledge
of Christ. And all this ties in, of course,
with being ready, as we saw two weeks ago, to be ready to give
a reason to anyone who asks us about the hope that's in us.
If you're a believer, you have a hope. We who believe the witness
that God has given of himself, we've got a solid hope of heaven,
a hope of eternal life, a hope of unending intimate communion
with God who is our creator. And this belief, this faith,
defines our view of life. shapes how we think about death. It shapes our thinking in daily
living, in knowing God, in seeking his wisdom. We need wisdom from
God. We need wisdom from God. It moulds
what we do in terms of prayer, telling him our heart's desire.
We commune with God. We don't just academically know
that there is a God, like we might know about some historical
character. This is about knowing God. This
is about not knowing about God, but knowing him, knowing him.
You know, as you know a friend, as you know somebody intimately,
as you know them, this is knowing God in this way, telling him
our heart's desire, being guided as he speaks to us through his
word, his word, this book, this book, to the law and to the testimony.
If they speak not according to this word, there is no light
in them. And speaking of light, the Psalm 119 verse 105 says,
thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a
light unto my path. I might have those the wrong
way around, the lamp and the light, but you know, the meaning
is exactly the same either way. This Word of God guides his people
through this life. And it all follows from a belief
of what is called the Gospel. The Gospel simply means good
news. The good news of God. It's the
old, old story, as the old chorus used to say, the old, old story,
it is ever new. The old, old story, ever new. It's the story that has been
the same, valid, from the fall of man in the Garden of Eden,
right the way through to the end, to the triumph of God's
kingdom, when Christ comes again. So I thought this morning, let
us be reminded of the true gospel. This passage that Stephen read
for us, Romans chapter 3, I know is very familiar to very many
people, but let again us look at it and be reminded of what
it's saying. The whole of the epistle to the
Romans, of course, is is preeminent amongst the epistles as the clearest
definition of the true gospel of God. And this is why we come
here. The gospel is everywhere throughout the scriptures, that
you cannot read the scriptures without coming to a knowledge
of God's good news concerning salvation that is in the Lord
Jesus Christ. Jesus himself said the whole
scripture. What does it speak of? It speaks
of him. There was a man 2,000 years ago
walking with some disciples and he said, these scriptures are
they which speak of me. And he taught his disciples how
to see him and to understand the gospel in all the scriptures.
So in Romans it's very clearly set forth. In Romans chapter
1 and verse 16, you only need to turn a page to get there,
Paul says this, writing to the Romans, he says, I am not ashamed
of the gospel of Christ. I'm not ashamed of the good news
of the salvation of God in Christ. Why? Why, Paul? Why are you not
ashamed? Because it is the power of God
unto salvation. It is the dynamism of God unto
salvation. Who to? Who to? To everyone that
believeth. What, Jew or Gentile? Oh, both.
To the Jew first, and also the Greek, the Gentile. He's not
ashamed of it. In it, the righteousness of God
is revealed. It's the power of God unto salvation. And the whole of chapter one
establishes Paul in his very, very logical laying out of the
truth of God and the reality of life and death and eternity.
He establishes the reality of God in the face of human belief,
because the natural man naturally doesn't see the things of the
spirit of God. as the scripture tells us, their foolishness to
him, neither can he know them. Why? Because they are spiritually
discerned. Where do you get spiritual discernment?
You get it from God. Lighten my eyes, O Lord, to see
things in your word concerning Christ. So Paul establishes the
reality of God in the face of human unbelief, and he lays out
the charge against fallen man. You read chapter one for yourself,
and then he goes into chapter two, And, of course, the chapter
divisions were put by some monk many years ago, but nevertheless
we've retained them because they're extremely useful for referencing.
But chapter 2 says, well, surely that's for the people that are
not religious at all. What about the religious folks?
Surely they're doing pretty well. And chapter 2, Paul says, you
religious folks, you're no better at all. You're just the same.
You don't think you're in any better condition whatsoever. You are not. All have sinned. chapter 3 verse 23 says, all
have sinned and come short of the glory of God. So then he
goes on into chapter 3 and he gets down to verse 9 and he says,
what then? Are we, are we Jews, because
Paul was a Jew, he was writing as a Jew, and he was writing
to Gentiles in Rome, are we Jews better than they Gentiles? Are
we better than them? No, in no wise, in no way. For we have before proved, both
Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin. We're all
by nature sinners. When Adam sinned in the Garden
of Eden, that That trait of humanity was passed down to all his progeny.
All of us, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
As it is written in the Psalms, there is none righteous, no not
one. Verse 11, there is none that understands, there is none
that seeks after God. They are all gone out of the
way, the way, which way? The way of God, the narrow way
to the life, the narrow way to the celestial city as Bunyan
called it. They are all together become
unprofitable. There is none that doeth good,
no not one. He is quoting one of the Psalms
where a thousand years before Paul wrote this, David had written
these very things, King David had written these very things.
Their throat is an open sepulchre, a grave. With their tongues they
have used deceit. The poison of asps, of snakes,
is under their lips, whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.
Their feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and misery
are in their ways. It's an indictment of Humankind,
isn't it? It's an indictment of the society
in which we live. You might say that about the
society in which we live today. Their feet are swift to shed
blood. We hear of it all of the time.
And the way of peace they have not known. Why? There is no fear
of God before their eyes. There's no fear of... This is
a summary, this is a summary of God's indictment of mankind
in general as sinners falling short of his glory. The character
and nature of God is absolute perfection, and God cannot tolerate
that which is not absolute perfection. In verse 18 it says, what's at
the root of it all? There is no fear of God before
their eyes. You say, oh that's a a weird
ancient idea that we should fear God. No, the word of God says
that the fear of God, the fear of the Lord, is the beginning
of wisdom. If you would know true wisdom,
if you would have true knowledge of eternal things, then begin
with this, a reverential fear of the one who is God. There's
no fear of God before their eyes. And so he says in verses 19 and
20, he sums it up. Now we know that what things
soever the law saith. The law? The law of God's perfect
standard of righteousness. The scriptures, not just Ten
Commandments, but includes them, but the law which is the whole
of the word of God as he has given it in his word. We know
that whatsoever things the law saith, it says to them who are
under the law. Who's under the law? You and
me. That's how we were made. All
mankind. Made in the image of God. We're
under the law of God. And what does it say? It says
what God requires. And what is the reaction to that?
To any who will hear it. To any who will open their ears
to hear what God says about His righteousness and our condition.
But, but, but, but, excuse, excuse, excuse. No, no. That every mouth
may be stopped. That every mouth may be stopped.
and all the world without exception may become guilty before God.
And he concludes that by the deeds of the law, by the things
that we try to do to keep the righteous requirements of God,
by the things that we try to do to make us acceptable to God,
he says, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight. You
cannot get right with God by trying to keep the law. What's
the law for? By the law is the knowledge of
sin. It just tells us what sin is
and what we are. Each of us. As we are, are justly
judged by the justice of God. And God is holy. We read that
he is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity. He cannot look upon
sin. The angels, the sinless angels
in glory, in that vision in Isaiah chapter 6, they shield their
eyes and they cry, holy, holy, holy is the Lord. The whole earth
is full of his glory. No, the law of God only illuminates
our sin and our separation from God. That's what Isaiah 59 says,
your sins have separated you from God, and shows us how far
short we fall of the standard, because in Hebrews chapter 12
and verse 14, Paul, I believe it's Paul anyway, Paul writes
that we must aim for peace with all men. Yes, I think we'd all
agree with that. But he says, and follow holiness, righteousness. Follow that, without which, if
you don't have it, no man shall see the Lord. Do you hope that
you will go to be in the presence of God when you die? If you're
not as righteous as God, you will not go into the presence
of God. That says it clearly. righteousness, holiness, without
which no man shall see the Lord. The true life of God, eternal
life, is only attained by those who are as righteous as God.
We read in the book of Revelation weeks, months ago, again and
again, nothing that defiles can enter God's heaven. Nothing that
is remotely sinful can go into God's heaven. So we're left with
this fleeting vapor, this mist of existence, in a veil of tears,
in the valley of the shadow of death, as Psalm 23 calls it.
To spend eternity with God, we must be judged as just by him. But, you know that verse I'm
always quoting from Job, the oldest book in the Bible, Job
chapter 9 verse 2. How should a man be just with
God? Knowing what we are by nature,
how can we be just with God? Well, verse 20 says, by the deeds
of the law, no flesh shall be justified in his sight. It isn't
by the good works that we do that we will be made right with
God. Is that just an isolated text? Maybe I'm taking it out
of context. No. Galatians chapter 2 and verse
16, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the
law. There you go. It's there again. but by the
faith of Jesus Christ. Even we have believed in Jesus
Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ and not
by the works of the law. For by the works of the law shall
no flesh be justified. Into Galatians chapter 3 and
verse 10. As many as are of the works of
the law, that's all of us as we are in our fleshly condition,
we're under the curse of God. We're under the curse. We're
under God's curse. over sin, for it is written in
the book of God, cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things
which are written in the book of the law to do. Absolute perfection
all the time is the minimum requirement. But that no man is justified
by the law, that no man meets that requirement is evident.
For the scripture says, those who are just before God and judged
fit for his kingdom, They live not by the works of the law,
but by faith. And the law is not of faith.
But the man that doeth them, works of the law, shall live
by them, and is under a burden he can never lift. But here is
the gospel. Christ has redeemed us from that
curse of the law. How? Being made a curse for us. For it is written, cursed is
everyone that hangs on a tree. Well, all of this thing about
us being under the curse, where is the good news? Where is the
gospel in this, you might ask? False religion, you know, and
most of what calls itself Christianity, proclaims this law works righteousness. They do. That's their message.
Go and listen to them. Well, no, don't go and listen
to them. If you don't want to waste your time, don't go and
listen to them. But that's what they proclaim, is law works righteousness. Many of its adherents, many of
these religious adherents, many of these so-called Christian
religious adherents, are in for a shock when it comes to the
Day of Judgment. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus
said, Matthew chapter 7, verses 22 and 23, he said this, Many
shall say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, didn't we do all
sorts of good religious works in your name? We went preaching
the gospel, we went giving good gifts to poor people, we went
doing all sorts of good works. Surely we have made ourselves
qualified for heaven, is what he's talking about. And Jesus
said, and I will say to them, depart from me. you who do evil. It is evil not to believe the
gospel of Christ. So how can I get the righteousness
which is required by God? And the answer, of course, is
in verses 21 to 31 of Romans 3. It's the gospel of redeeming
grace. Follow it with me. I'm going
to be pretty quick, but I just want to encapsulate it. You know,
it's good to be reminded, this is the thing, this is what triggered
this, remember last week, remember the foundation of the gospel.
Verse 21, you see, by the deeds of the law no flesh shall be
justified in his sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
But now, verse 21, but now the righteousness of God that we
must have if we want to see him, The righteousness of God without
the law is manifested. Manifested, made open, shown
clearly, displayed. The righteousness of God that
we must have The righteousness of God without doing law works
is made open. Being witnessed, is this some
brand new idea, Paul? Have you just suddenly plucked
this out of thin air? No, he says it's witnessed by
the law and the prophets. What's the law and the prophets?
It's the Old Testament, the Old Testament scriptures. Thousands
of years of the Old Testament scriptures says exactly the same
thing. You say, really, does it? Read
it, read it. It's in there. If God will give
you eyes to see it, it's in there. It's witnessed by the law and
the prophets. What is? Even the righteousness
of God, which we must have. You know, follow after righteousness,
without which no man shall see the Lord. The righteousness of
God is what we must have. The righteousness of God, which
is by faith of Jesus Christ. You see, it's openly manifested
and declared. The whole of the Bible, the law
and the prophets, it's revealed. Chapter one and verse 17 says,
in the gospel, therein is the righteousness of God revealed
from faith to faith. It's revealed. What does it mean
from faith to faith? Various commentators say various
things, but John Gill, who I like, says, it's revealed from God
who is faithful, great is thy faithfulness, to the faith of
men. It's revealed from God to Christ
as a man. when he came. It's revealed from
faithful preachers to faithful hearers. It's revealed from the
Old Testament scriptures and echoed in the New Testament scriptures. It's revealed from one degree
of faith to another degree of faith as a believer grows in
grace and knowledge. You know, this journey, we're
thinking about the Israelites and their 40-year journey, but
the Christian life is that journey. from a humble beginning all the
way through, and as Isaiah says in one place, it's layer upon
layer, not all at one go, layer upon layer, precept upon precept,
bit by bit God teaches us the full compass of his truth and
of his word. So verse 22, this righteousness
of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon
all them that believe, for there is no difference. This is a righteousness
established by what? The faith of Jesus Christ. What
does that mean? You see, lots of people teach
that your righteousness is yours because you have made a decision
to believe God. Do you know something? That's
completely untrue. And yet it is one of the most
widely promulgated errors of the so-called Christian world.
No, this is the faith of Jesus Christ that establishes the righteousness
of God. It's the faithful works of Jesus
Christ for any and all who believe it. It is Christ's faith as a
man in obedience to God the Father in all of his purposes of saving
grace. It says in Philippians chapter
2, Paul again writing to the Philippians about Jesus Christ,
he said that he humbled himself, he became a man, he laid aside
the glory of heaven and he became obedient. How far did he become
obedient to the purpose of God the Father? He became obedient
as far as a shameful death. Even the death of the cross,
that was the most shameful death in those days. It was reserved
for the worst criminals and he, God manifest, God become man,
God incarnate was obedient and submitted to that death. Why? That there he might pay the price. It was, let me just show you
one verse. And again, I quote it often. It's Daniel chapter
nine and verse 24 to show how the Old Testament prophesied
these things. In verse 24 of Daniel chapter
nine, 70 weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy
holy city. The weeks are heptads, or sevens
of years. And this was written about 400
and odd years before Christ came, 457 years, something like that,
before the Messiah came. Seventy weeks are determined
upon thy people. So this was looking forward from
about 450 odd BC. Upon thy holy city, to do what? To finish the transgression.
And to make an end of sins. And to make reconciliation for
iniquity. That surely means reconciliation
between sinners and God. To make reconciliation for iniquity. God cannot overlook sin, but
someone's coming who will make reconciliation for iniquity.
And to bring in everlasting righteousness. righteousness that qualifies
you to see God, to spend eternity with him, and to seal up the
vision and the prophecy and to anoint the most holy. You see,
it says in the very next verse, it carries on and saying that
it's from this marker in time, until that marker in time, unto
the Messiah, the Prince, that's Christ coming, shall be seven
weeks and three, and I know it's complicated, but there it is
clearly prophesied that Christ is coming to do that which we
in and of ourselves as sinners before the justice of God cannot
do. It's Christ's faithful completion of all righteousness as judged
by the law. It is the righteousness which
makes his people the righteousness of God in him. You know that
other verse I'm always quoting, but it's so important. Lay it
to heart. 2 Corinthians 5, verse 21. For God made him who knew no
sin. Who's that? Christ, and Christ
alone. The Lord Jesus Christ, the only
one who never sinned, he made him who knew no sin to be sin. How did he make him to be sin?
I don't understand it. But God, judicially and legally,
loaded his precious son the manifestation of the unknowable God, he loaded
him with all the sins of his people. Why? So that he, as the
infinite God, yet contracted to the span of a man, a real
man, but yet a man without sin, the Passover lamb, that he loaded
with that sin would bear divine wrath and that he would suffer
the penalty due to that sin as the substitute of his people. And so that hymn says, in my
place, this is the testimony of a believer, in my place condemned
he stood, sealed my pardon with his blood. By his being made
the sin of his people, who are his people? those who believe
him, and paying its debt to the holy justice of God. What's the
debt to the justice of God? God says, the soul that sins,
it shall die. In the day that you eat thereof,
it was said to Adam and Eve, you shall surely die. And die,
the life is in the blood. The blood was shed. Christ shed
his precious blood as the payment for the sins of his people. It's
a mysterious divine transaction. I do not understand it. I can't
equate it with human justice. But I know this, God has declared
it to be the case. And God, who is the sovereign
over the whole universe, if he says it is thus, it is thus.
His people's sin debt is wiped out. Who are His people? Those
that believe in Him. Who are His people? Those whom
He loved with an everlasting love. His people are made as
righteous as God in terms of judgment, and they're qualified
to enter God's kingdom of peace and righteousness. And there's
no difference, whoever you are, high or low, male or female,
bond or free, Jew or Gentile, black or white, rich or poor,
there is no difference. Is that not what this is saying
here? There is no rank, there is no superiority. How are guilty
sinners justly condemned for their sin? How are they unworthy? yet made the righteousness of
God in Christ. In Jeremiah chapter 23, we read
it here. Verse five. Behold, the days
come, saith the Lord, I will raise unto David a righteous
branch. That's the Messiah, that's Jesus.
And a king shall reign and prosper. That's him, king of kings and
Lord of lords. And shall execute judgment and
justice in the earth. In his days, Judah shall be saved
and Israel shall dwell safely. When the terms Judah and Israel
are used in the Old Testament in the New Testament regime,
now you can read it as believing people, the Christian church,
the people of God who believe him. This is the name whereby
he, their Messiah, shall be called, the Lord our righteousness. And
I showed you this quite some time ago, but I'll remind you.
If you turn on 10 chapters, you don't need to do it, I'll do
it. Chapter 33 and verse 16, 33 and verse 16, God is talking
about his people. In those days shall Judah be
saved and Jerusalem shall dwell safely. And this is the name
whereby she shall be called. In 23 verse six, it was he shall
be called. This is the name whereby she
shall be called, the Lord our righteousness. That's the Bride
of Christ. The Church of Christ, the people
of Christ, there's a marriage coming in heaven. The Marriage
Supper of the Lamb. The Bride of Christ takes the
name of the Bridegroom. He is called the Lord Our Righteousness. She is called the Lord our righteousness. How were we made the righteousness
of God? Because of that great transaction. In verse 23, there's
no difference. There's no difference. All have
sinned. Whether you believe or you don't believe, all have sinned
and come short of the glory of God. The very word sin, if you've
ever done archery, you might know the old word for your arrow
not reaching far enough is that it's sinned. It fell short. It
didn't reach the target. All have fallen short of the
target. All have come short of the glory
of God. But his people justified freely
by his grace. Verse 24, being justified freely
by his grace. Grace? God's riches at Christ's
expense. Freely, freely. Ho, everyone
that thirsts. Come, buy without money and without
price. Freely, freely. Being justified
freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus. His people, who are his people?
The multi-ethnic multitude. You look at other parts of scripture.
A few months ago, we were in Revelation chapter seven and
verse nine, where John in his vision looks in heaven. I beheld
and lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, no man could
number them, of all nations and kindreds, not just Jews, of all
nations and kindreds and people and tongues, they all stood. They clearly were justified because
they were in the presence of God. They stood before the throne
and before the Lamb. In Romans chapter 9, I won't
take time to turn there now. Let's just carry on as well,
but I was going to show you. Why are they? Not for anything
they've done. It's not of him that wills nor
of him that runs, but of God that shows mercy. God said to
Moses, I'll show you my glory. I will be compassionate on whom
I will be compassionate. I will have mercy on whom I will
have mercy. These are the ones justified
by God, made just with God, freely, without any price, without any
cost to them, without money and without price. By grace are you
saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the
gift of God. And how is it done? Verse 24, it's through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus. The redemption is the release
price. You know, when you've got items
given over to an old-fashioned pawn shop, P-A-W-N shop, so that
you get some money until you get paid. And then you go and
redeem those things back. You buy them back from their
captivity at that shop. You pay the release, Christ has
redeemed us from the curse of the law, by his grace through
the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. How did he pay it? By
his death as a substitute. paying the price of the sins
of his people, that the charge-sheet might be cleared, that he might clear the charge-sheet
for those, as his word tells us again in Jeremiah chapter
33 and verse 6, I have loved thee with an everlasting love.
There's a multitude that we saw in heaven that God loved with
an everlasting love, and he justified them in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The qualifying righteousness possessed by the people of God,
that multitude that John saw in heaven, is entirely of him. It's entirely of him. This is
God manifested in human flesh. Our Lord Jesus Christ is God
who It says in 1 Corinthians chapter 1 and verse 30, He, our
Lord Jesus Christ, is made of God unto us. Wisdom from God. Oh, how we need to understand
what this life is really about. I know the majority think, along
with the David Attenboroughs of this world, that this life
is just about an accident, a big bang in a big primordial soup
of molecules. No, it isn't. It's utterly impossible.
They know themselves, honestly, they know themselves that that
is utterly and completely impossible. And I can refer you to loads
of stuff that will show you that without any shadow of a doubt.
Why don't they believe it then? Why do they go that way? Because
as Romans chapter one says, they didn't like to retain God in
their knowledge. They didn't want to do that. Oh, if you would
have wisdom from God, you must come to the Lord Jesus Christ.
And, oh, we need righteousness. Well, he's made righteousness
unto his people. And if you would be set apart
for the holy service of God, he is the sanctification of his
people. And if you would be redeemed
from the curse of the law, he alone is the one who will redeem
you from that curse. So the hymn writer says, bold
shall I stand. that great day the day of judgment
when I'm judged am I fit to be in God's kingdom bold shall I
stand in that great day for who ought to my charge shall lay
while through thy blood absolved from all guilt from all charge
I am from sins tremendous curse and shame the blood of Jesus
Christ as John says in his first epistle cleanses us from all
sin so Romans 8 again Romans 8 33 and Who shall lay anything? In that day of judgment, who
shall stand up? Is there any cause or reason
why this can't happen? Who can stand up and say, he
can't go into heaven because he's a sinner? Romans 8.33 says
this, who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect?
Christ has died in his place. The penalty's paid. There is
no debt outstanding. You cannot charge him again.
Verse 25, so God has set him forth. God has set him forth
to be a propitiation through faith in his blood. God has set
him forth. God says, as it were, behold
the man. It was Pontius Pilate that said
that. when he was being tried before he was crucified. Pontius
Pilate said to them all, baying for the death of the Lord Jesus
Christ, he said, behold the man, here is God, clothed in human
flesh, behold the man. Job asks, how should a man be
just with God? And the answer comes, behold
the man. God has set him forth. There
is one God, says Paul to Timothy. There is one God and one mediator
between God who is holy and man who is sinful. There is one God
and one mediator between God and man, the man, Christ Jesus. And how does he mediate? How
does he Make peace between an offended holy God and sinners.
How does he do it? Here it is. Set forth to be a
propitiation, which is a mercy seat, a turning away of divine
wrath. Because you know the Psalm says,
God is angry with the wicked every day. And it's according
to sins that are past, remission of sins that are past. That means
sins, declared sin under the law. The law, the purpose of
the law is to show us what sin is. paid for by God himself in
Christ, so that God remains righteous. He declares his righteousness.
He still punishes every sin. So verse 26, to declare, I say,
at this time his righteousness, that he might be just and the
justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. How is God righteous? in forgiving sinners. You would
say God is unjust. If He forgives a sinner and God
never changes and God is perfectly just, how can God justify a sinner? The reason is He makes them the
righteousness of God in Him by Christ, God in Christ, paying
the penalty at Calvary as the Lamb, as Revelation 13, 8 says,
the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. And so another
hymn, Augustus Toplady wrote this. If thou hast my discharge
procured, discharge from the charges in the court of divine
justice. If thou hast my discharge procured, and freely in my room,
in my place, endured the whole of wrath divine, payment God
cannot twice demand. First at my bleeding surety's
hand, When Christ died, he required payment for my sin, and then
he can't ask for it again, and then again at mine. But who is
it for? Look what it says. Verse 26,
to declare, I say at this time, his righteousness, that he might
be just and justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. That's the only way we know in
this life who he did it for. his people believe in him, of
him which believeth in Jesus. Jesus said in John 11 verse 26
and loads of other places, whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall
never die. Do you believe this? Lord, I
believe. We've heard that a couple of
times in the prayers earlier. Lord, I believe, help thou mine
unbelief. And verse 27, where is boasting
then? What are you gonna boast in about
how good a person you are? How good a Christian you are?
How fitted for heaven you? It's excluded, there's no boasting.
By what law? Of works, because you're better
than somebody else who didn't do the same works? No, but by
the law of faith. The law of faith. I'll remind
you of that story often told of Happy Jack, the poor man who
discovers Christ and they, He wants to join a church, and the
elders, being very righteous people, try and ask him what
makes him fit to join the church. And all he keeps answering In
reply to every one of their questions is, I'm a poor sinner and nothing
at all, but Jesus Christ is my all in all. And in verses 28,
29, and 30, he says, God is the savior of his people whoever
we are. Therefore, we conclude that a
man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Is he the
God of the Jews only? Is he not the God of the Gentiles
also? Yes, of the Gentiles also. seeing it is one God which shall
justify the Jews and the Gentiles. Verse 31. Do we then make void
the law? Is the law of God of no purpose?
Do we make it void through this thing called faith? God forbid.
It is the faith of Jesus Christ and his people's faith in him,
belief in him, that establishes, that accomplishes the purpose
of the justice of God. Does it make it void? No, it
establishes it. So, remember the true gospel. The true gospel isn't a set of
facts. The true gospel is a person.
The true gospel is the Lord Jesus Christ. and my life in him. Galatians 2.20 says this, I am
crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live, yet not
I, but Christ liveth in me. And the life which I now live
in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved
me and gave himself for me. You who believe that God's kingdom
is your eternal home, that to be, as Paul says again, to be
absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, that to
depart and to be with Christ is far better. You who believe
that, if anyone asks you why you are so confident, here is
the answer. The gospel of grace in Jesus
Christ, my Lord and my Saviour. Amen.