Todd's Road Grace Church would
like to invite you to listen to a sermon by our pastor, Todd
Nyberg. We are located at 4137 Todd's
Road, two miles outside of Manowar Boulevard. Sunday services are
at 10.30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Bible study is at
9.45 a.m. Wednesday services are at 7 p.m. Nursery is provided for all services.
For more information, visit our website at toddsroadgracechurch.com.
Now here's our pastor, Todd Nybert. Could it be possible for me to
stand before God on Judgment Day and the books being opened
with regard to my life? all my actions, all my motives,
all my thoughts, everything about me, the truth with regard to
me. Could it be possible that I could
stand before God on judgment day having never sinned? having never broken God's law,
having never had a bad thought, having never had a bad motive,
that I would stand before God as perfectly righteous. Would that interest you? Would
you love to stand before God perfectly righteous, having never
sinned? Now, someone may be thinking,
is that possible? Because the fact of the matter
is, I have sinned. I have had bad thoughts. I have
had bad motives. I have transgressed God's holy
law. So how could that be? How could
I stand before a holy God in judgment, having never sinned? Now keep that in mind as I read
this passage of scripture found in Luke chapter 18, beginning
in verse nine. And he, this is the Lord Jesus
Christ, spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves
that they were righteous. They had a self-righteousness. If you have any personal righteousness
in yourself, this would describe you. And this is who this parable
is spoken to. Certain which trusted in themselves
that they were righteous and despised others. Do you know
all self-righteous people will look down upon others as not
reaching their level of righteousness? It's always that way, without
exception. Those who trust in themselves
that they are righteous are always looking down upon someone else
as their moral superior. they always find others who they
can compare themselves to and think, I'm pretty good. Now let's
read what this man said. Verse 10, two men went up into
the temple to pray. The one, a Pharisee and the other,
a publican. The Pharisee, the most moral
man, so he thought, in the earth. The word Pharisee means separated
one. He believed himself to be separate
from others because of the life he lived. He lived a life that
he felt was acceptable to God. The other was a publican, a tax
collector employed by the Roman government who would rip people
off to pad his own pockets in collecting the taxes. He would
up the price and keep the rest. Now, you can imagine how despised
this man was. Two men went up into the temple
to pray, the one a Pharisee and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed
thus with himself. He thought he was praying to
God, but the Lord tells us his prayers did not get past the
ceiling. He was praying thus with himself. He thought he was praying to
God, but he was praying thus with himself, God. I thank thee
that I am not as other men are." He doesn't say, I thank you that
salvation is by grace. He doesn't say, I thank you for
the precious blood of Christ and his glorious work on the
cross. I thank you for your mercy. He says nothing like this. He
says, I thank thee that I am not as other men are. My life is different from others. I'm giving you the credit. I'm
not giving myself the credit. But here's where my hope is found.
I am not like other men are, extortioners, unjust adulterers,
or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week. I give
tithes of all that I possess." He felt so good about his life,
the things he did not do and the things he did do. He could
look in his personal life and think, I have evidence that I
am pleasing to God. Now let's read about the publican. Verse 13, and the publican standing
afar off. would not lift up so much as
his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God,
be merciful to me, thee, sinner. This man believed himself to
be the sinner, the worst man to ever live. Oh, how different
he is from this publican. God be merciful to me, the sinner. I stand guilty before God. Now, let's listen to what the
Lord says about these two men. He says, I tell you, oh, there's
such authority in his words. This is not anybody less than
the Son of God making this statement, which makes it absolute truth,
the very Word of God. I tell you, this man went down
to his house justified, not merely forgiven, though he
was, not shown mercy, not given grace. But this man went down
to his house justified, someone who had no guilt, someone who
never had sinned, someone who stood before the very law of
God and the holiness of God guiltless, perfectly righteous. Now remember, I said, how would
you like to stand before God on judgment day, perfectly righteous,
having never sinned? This man did. This man did. By his own confession, he called
himself the very chief of sinners, but he went down to his house
justified. Now what is needed for you and
for me to enter heaven? There is a heaven, there is a
hell. What is needed for me to enter
heaven? I must be perfectly righteous. One who has never sinned. One who has absolute righteousness
before God. Now somebody says, is that so?
Yes, it is. God said, I'll by no means clear
the guilty. Under no circumstance whatsoever
will I ever clear someone who is guilty of sin. The only way
your eye can enter heaven is if we are without guilt. It's what the Bible calls justification. It's what this man possessed
that went down to his house after this confession of sin. God be
merciful to me, the sinner. The Lord said he went down to
his house justified, having been justified. And this is something
God did. This is something God declared. He didn't justify himself. He didn't say, I'm justified.
But God justified him. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God to elect? It's God that justifieth. Who is he that can condemn? It's
Christ that died. This man went down to his house
justified. Now, Martin Luther, made this
statement. Perhaps you've heard of Martin
Luther, the reformer of the 15th century. He said, a church stands
or falls on justification. This is what demonstrates whether
a church is a true church or a false church, what it says
concerning justification. If you're right on justification,
you'll be right on everything else. If you're wrong on justification,
you're wrong on everything else. This man went down to his house
justified. Now, I want to think about that.
Because I understand what this man meant and felt when he said,
God, be merciful to me, the sinner, because I know that describes
me. I'm a sinner. Not I was a sinner. I'm saying
this to my shame. I am a sinner, one who has broken
God's law. I haven't kept one commandment
in reality. In reality, and this is the truth
regard to you too, whether you know it or not, I've not kept
one commandment one time, not perfectly. I am a sinner. Now, that being said, how can
God say that I'm without sin? How? You know, only the Bible
answers that question. In the book of Job, in Job 25,
and I've read that Job is the oldest book in the Bible. I've
read it as much as 400 years older than the books of Moses.
But in Job chapter 25, this question is brought up, verse four, how
then can man be justified with God? How can he be clean? that is born of woman. Behold,
even to the moon, and it shineth not. Yea, the stars are not pure
in his sight. How much less man that is a worm,
the son of man which is a worm. How can man be justified before
God when he is so sinful?" Now, somebody says, well, can't he
just forgive and just sweep it under the carpet? Now, what if
someone murdered every member of your family and they were
caught red-handed? There was no question with regard
to their guilt. They had their hands dripping
with the blood of the murder of your own family members. And
what if this person was brought before a judge and the judge
looked at them and said, I know you're guilty, but I'm a loving
judge. I'm going to forgive you. How would you feel about that?
This judge that said with regard to these people who have killed
your family members, I'm a loving judge, I'm going to forgive you.
You know what that would be? An unjust, corrupt judge. A judge that's just as bad or
worse than the people who committed the crime of murdering your children.
That is an unjust judge and there would be nothing just about that. So how can a just judge declare
somebody to be not guilty when, in fact, they are guilty? How can that be? Now, that's the question of the
ages. Now, in Romans 3, verse 19, Paul the apostle says, Now
we know that what thing soever the law saith, it saith to them
who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped and all
the world become guilty before God. Now this is what God's law
has to say to you and me, guilty as charged. no excuses, no extenuating
circumstances. You can't look upon yourself
as a victim in any light. Your mouth is stopped before
the holy law of God, guilty as charged. That's what the law
says. The law was never given to make
a way for you to be saved by your obedience to that law. All
the law does is expose sin. The strength of sin is the law. Paul does not try to prove God's
existence. He speaks of our state before
God. That's it. We know that whatsoever
things the law saith, God's holy law, it saith to them who are
under the law, which is every man, woman, boy, and girl, that
every mouth may be stopped and all the world stand guilty before
God. Now, does that mean there's nothing
we can do to change this condition? Now listen to the question. Does
that mean there's nothing we can do to change this condition? Yes, it does mean that. There is nothing you or I can
do to change that condition because Paul says next in verse 20, Therefore,
by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in
his sight." For by the law is the knowledge of sin. Now, if you cannot, and if I
cannot see that all I have done is broken God's holy law, I've
not kept one commandment one time, all I've proved by that
is I'm spiritually blind and do not understand God's holiness
nor the holiness of his law. By the law is the knowledge of
sin. Now somebody says, you've left
me in a place where there's no hope. If the law condemns me
and there's nothing I can do to change that, I've got no hope. Does this mean there's no hope?
No, it doesn't mean that. Doesn't mean there's no hope.
Let's go on reading in this passage of scripture. But, oh, I'm so
thankful for the buts of scripture. But, Now, the righteousness of
God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and
the prophets. There is a righteousness I know
that we stand guilty before God, but there is a righteousness,
the very righteousness of God, without my personal obedience
to the law, my law keeping in my flesh, there's a righteousness
called the righteousness of God without the law is manifested. He can be mine without my personal
obedience. And notice he says also in verse
21, being witnessed by the law and the prophets. This is what
the scripture teaches. This is not what some pie in the sky
preacher made up. This is what the scripture teaches,
that there's a righteousness of God without my personal obedience
that can actually be mine, so I stand before God as perfectly
righteous. Even the righteousness of God
which is by faith or the faith of Jesus Christ unto all and
upon all them that believe. Now, this righteousness is unto
all the righteousness of God, the faithfulness of Christ. We're
talking about his perfect obedience. He kept God's law and his righteousness
can be my personal righteousness that I have done. Now, how? even the righteousness of God,
which is by the faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all
them that believe." Believe what? You say, believe, what am I to
believe? I'm interested in having this. What am I to believe? Verse
22, for there is no difference for all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God. Now, here's the first thing I'm
to believe. There's no difference. You know,
that Pharisee thought there was a big difference. I'm not like
this fella. When you are made to see your
sin, you see there's no difference between you and the most sinful
man alive. And you believe that. You take
the most moral, righteous man there is, the man you feel uncomfortable
around, the man you feel judged by and threatened by, and you
feel like you shouldn't even be around him, he's so far ahead
of you, and you take the most sinful, degraded man walking
the face of this earth, a wicked whoremonger, a drug addict, a
thief, a murderer in God's sight. Listen to me. In God's sight,
there's no difference. All have sinned. That moral righteous
man, that wicked criminal, all have sinned and come short of
the glory of God. Now that's what sin is. It's
coming short of the glory of of God. But verse 24, believe
what? Well, you believe that there's
no difference. All have sinned and come short of the glory of
God. But look what he says in verse
24, being justified, not simply being forgiven, not being shown
mercy, but being justified. Remember how that Publican was
declared by Christ, this man went down to his house justified,
rather than the other. Being justified freely. That means there's nothing you
need to pay in order to have this justification. There's no
qualification you must first meet. There's no work you must
perform. It's free. And for you and me,
it's gotta be free. If there's something we have
to pay, we don't have it. Thank God being justified freely
by His grace. through the redemption that is
in Christ Jesus. Now this is how this justification
was accomplished. Freely, by His grace. That means the reason is holy
in Him. He doesn't have to find a reason
in you. by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus. Now this is talking about Christ's
redeeming work on the cross. Jesus Christ, oh, when He was
in Gethsemane's garden. The scripture speaks of him sweating
great drops of blood and praying, if it be possible, let this cup
pass from me. Now, what was he speaking of
when he was speaking of that cup that he was asking to pass
from him? It was the cup of sin. The cup of God's wrath. the cup
of him being made sin. That's what he knew was before
him in his holy, harmless, undefiled body. He was going to have to
drink in the sins of his people. The scripture says he bear our
sins in his own body on the tree. That's why he died. He became
guilty of the commission of those sins. Now, he never committed
them. You and I know that. You know, I've heard people call
it justification, just as if I never sinned. No, I'm justified. If it's just as if I never sinned,
it means I still sinned. But no, justification is I've
never sinned. Well, how can that be? because
my sins were born by Christ and put away and made not to be. That's what justification by
freely by his grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus means.
Second Corinthians 521 says, for he hath made him to be sin
for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness
of God. in him. That's the righteousness
every believer possesses, the righteousness of God. Now the
righteousness of God is, I can't even describe it properly, but
I know this, the righteousness Jesus Christ worked out when
he walked these 33 years on this earth is nothing less than the
righteousness of God. that is the righteousness every
believer possesses. For He hath made Him to be sin
for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness
of God in Him." Verse 25 of Romans chapter 3 says, "...whom God
set forth." God set Him forth, the Word is foreordained. You
see Christ is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the whom
God set forth to be a propitiation. Now that word, propitiation,
means a sin-removing sacrifice. Now let's go back to that public
in the temple. When he said, God be merciful
to me, the sinner, the word is literally, God be propitious
to me, the sinner. Do something about my sin, please,
for your mercy's sake. be propitious, cause it to be
removed by the sacrifice of your son. Now I know the only way
I'm gonna stand before God not guilty is if my sin has been
removed and put away and made not to be by the sacrifice of
the Lord Jesus Christ, whom God set forth to be a propitiation
through faith in his blood to declare his righteousness. for the remission of sins that
are passed through the forbearance of God, to declare, I say at
this time, His righteousness, that He might be just. and the justifier of him which
believeth in Jesus. Now do you hear that language?
It doesn't say that he might be merciful or that he might
be gracious or that he might be forgiving but that he might
be just. and the justifier of him which
believeth in Jesus." Now, the very justice of God demands the
salvation of everyone he's justified because they stand before him
without guilt. This declares his righteousness,
not just his mercy or his grace, but his righteousness. Now, if
Jesus Christ paid for my sins, and gave me his righteousness.
The very righteousness and justice and holiness of God demands my
salvation because I stand before God as one who has never sinned,
if I'm justified. And when I'm in heaven, God will
not look at me and think, well, I remember what he did. I know
he seems to be justified, but I remember what he did, what
he thought. No, God said there are sins and iniquities, I remember
no more. Why? Because there's nothing there
to remember. Every believer stands before God perfectly just and
righteous. And you know what the evidence
of this is? What is the evidence that I stand before God just
and righteous? The evidence is faith in Christ. I look to him alone as all my
salvation. I'm not looking to my works,
I'm looking to him. I can't look in my own heart
and say, yep, you're justified, but I look to him and I know
he himself is my justification, my righteousness before God. To receive a copy of the sermon
you have just heard, send your request to todd.neibert at gmail.com
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