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 1030 a.m. and 6 p.m. Bible study is at
945 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 Nyvert. Our text for this morning is
found in Genesis chapter 15. And before I read that passage
of scripture, four times in the scripture, we read this statement,
the just shall live by faith. The just, the justified, the
righteous, shall live. They'll have life before God,
spiritual life. And they live by faith, not by
works. The just shall live by faith. Now, what that means is found
in Genesis chapter 15. This is actually the doctrine
of the Bible. I'd like to read the first six
verses of Genesis chapter 15, and I say, without exaggeration,
that there's not a more important passage of scripture in all the
word of God than these verses that I'm going to read you. Beginning
in verse one, after these things, the word of the Lord came unto
Abram in a vision, saying, fear not, Abram, I am thy shield,
and thy exceeding great reward. And Abram said, Lord God, what
wilt thou give me? Seeing I go childless, and the
steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus. And Abram said,
behold, to me thou hast given no seed, and no one born in my
house is mine heir. And behold, the word of the Lord
came unto him saying, this shall not be thine heir. Now God had
made a promise 10 years before this that Abraham would have
descendants. 10 years have gone past and still
no descendants. But the Lord renews this promise.
This shall not be thine heir, but he that shall be come forth
out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And he brought
him forth abroad and said, look now toward heaven and tell the
stars if thou art able to number them. And he said unto him, so
shall thy seed be. Now verse six, and he, Abraham,
believed in the Lord and he, the Lord, counted it to him,
Abraham, for righteousness. Now in that sixth verse, we have
the first time in the word of God, the word belief is used
or faith. We have the first time reckoned
or accounted is used. And we have the first time the
word righteousness is used. Abraham believed God and he counted
it unto him for righteousness. What does that mean? Well, let's
think for a few moments about this thing of righteousness.
I'd like to read a scripture from Proverbs chapter 17, verse
15. He that justifieth the wicked
And he that condemneth the just, even they both are an abomination
to the Lord. Somebody that declares somebody
that's wicked to be just, and someone who condemns someone
who is innocent. They both are an abomination
to the Lord. Now let me read the scripture
from Exodus chapter 34 when God's identifying himself to Moses.
He says, The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering
and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands,
forgiving iniquity and transgression and sins, and that will by no
means clear the guilty. Now, did you hear that? He said
he was going to forgive iniquity, transgression, and sin. And yet,
under no circumstance, by no means, will he ever clear someone
and justify someone who is guilty. Now, how in the world can both
of those things be? How can God forgive sinners and
yet never clear or justify someone who is a sinner and guilty before
God's law? How can that be? You see, the
scripture says he's the judge of the earth. Abraham said, shall
not the judge of the earth do right? He's absolutely just and
under no circumstance whatsoever will he ever clear someone who
is guilty. How can that be? B, how can God
forgive sinners and never clear the guilty? Now let's try to
put this in as human terms as we can. What would you think
of a judge who cleared guilty people? What if someone murdered
your child and the murderer's brought before the judge and
the judge says, I'm a loving judge and I'm a forgiving judge.
I'm going to let him go free. How would you feel about that?
Well, that would be wrong in every instance, wouldn't it?
That would be unjust. And if there was a human judge
like that, we'd get rid of him. We wouldn't want a judge that
did not condemn the guilty and put them in bars, behind bars
where they belong. We couldn't have a society if
we had judges who were unjust like that. You know, organized
crime, the mafia, drug cartel, they don't fear an unjust judge. He can be bought. What they fear
is a good judge. What they fear is a just judge
who cannot be bought. Now, God is a good judge. And that presents a problem for
you and I. We're not good. So how could
a good judge who will by no means clear the guilty How can he clear
somebody who is not guilty? Now, only the Bible gives an
answer to that question. How God can be just and yet justify
someone who is unjust in a way that glorifies his justice. Only the Bible answers that question. Now, I love the way the Bible
says, and this is what I said in the introduction of this message,
the just, the justified, those who are righteous before God
shall live by faith, not by works, but by faith. Now I'm told that
Job is the oldest book in the Bible, and this question is addressed
even then. When we read in Job chapter 25,
verse four, how then can man be justified with God? Or how
can he be clean? That is born of a woman. You
see, men are born unjust. They're born sinful. The wicked
are restrained from the womb. They go about as soon as they'd
be born speaking lies. David said, in sin, my mother
did conceive me. You see, when Adam died spiritually,
every one of his descendants are born with his spiritually
dead nature. That's the way we're born. So
the writer says, how can he be clean that's born a woman? Behold,
even the moon and it shineth not. Yea, the stars are not pure
in his sight. How much less man that is a worm
and the son of man, which is a worm. How can God be just and
justify someone so sinful as man? Now I realize that some
will find this a dull and uninteresting subject. They will. That's doctrine. But there's
somebody that's going to be very interested in the answer to that
question. And the person who is interested
is someone who really believes themselves to be guilty before
God. And there's nothing they can
do to remove that guilt. And they know that if God sent
them to hell, they would be getting exactly what they deserve. They have no claims on God whatsoever. Now, that person is mighty interested
in hearing how a holy God can be just and yet justify somebody
like them. Now, Genesis chapter 15, verse
1. After these things, the word
of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram,
I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward." Don't miss that
word, reward. It means higher wages. Now, evidently, Abraham was startled
when the Lord appeared to him. He said, Don't be afraid, I'm
your shield. I'm going to take your blows. I'm your protector.
And I am your exceeding great reward. Not your exceeding great
gift, but your exceeding great reward. The Lord made a way for
Abraham to deserve this. Not I'm your exceeding great
gift, although he was, but I'm your exceeding great wages earned. Now, how in the world can that
be? Abraham was a sinful man. He
was just as sinful as you and I are, and that's proven throughout
his lifetime. How could God be, how could Christ
be an exceeding great reward or wages to him? And Abram said,
Lord, God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and
the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? And Abram
said, behold, to me thou has given no seed. No one born in
my house is mine heir. Now the Lord had promised him
on several different occasions previously, you're going to have
a seed and they're going to be as the dust of the earth. And
Abraham said, it hadn't happened yet. I don't have any descendants. I've just got this one that was
born in my house, this servant that's going to be my heir. And God says, behold, the word
of the Lord came into him saying, this shall not be thine heir.
but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall
be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad
and said, look now toward heaven and tell the number of the stars,
if thou be able to number them. And I'm sure it was one of those
clear nights where it seemed like there were millions of stars,
maybe billions of stars in the sky. And he said unto him, so
shall thy seed be. And look what it says about Abraham. Now he didn't have any physical
evidence this was gonna take place. He never had a child.
Sarah had already gone through menopause and it was impossible
for her to have a child. But you know what it says about
Abraham? It says he believed in the Lord. He believed what
he said, and it was counted to him for righteousness. You see, he didn't believe him
because he was gullible. You know, a lot of times people
believe something simply because they're gullible. They believe
what's said to them. Abraham didn't believe because he was
gullible. He believed because he knew the one speaking could
not lie and had the power to perform all that he said he would
do. Now let me read you Paul's description
of this in Romans chapter four, verse 17. As it's written, I've
made thee a father of many nations before him whom he believed,
even God, who quickens the dead. and calleth those things which
be not as though they were. who against hope believed in
hope that he might become the father of many nations, according
to that which was spoken, so shall thy seed be. 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, being fully
persuaded that what God had promised he was able also to perform.
Now, the reason he believed God was because he knew him. And
he knew he was utterly trustworthy, that he was utterly faithful,
that he was all-powerful and able to do everything he said
he was gonna do. Now, if a stranger came up to
you that you didn't know and said, trust me, well, red flags
go right off the bat, don't they? As soon as they say trust me.
If a stranger came up to you that you did not know and said,
trust me, give me all your life savings, hand over the title
deed to your house and all your property, all your possessions,
and I'll take care of you. You know what you'd say? No way,
Jose. I'm not going to do something
like that. I don't know you. God told Abraham what he was
going to do. Abraham believed him because
he knew he was able. Listen to this scripture from
2 Timothy 1 12. Paul said, I know whom I have
believed and I am persuaded that He is able to keep that which
I've committed to Him against that day. Now, I am persuaded
that Jesus Christ is able to save me with no help from me,
and I've committed the entire salvation of my soul to Him. Hands off. I don't have a plan
B. If He didn't do it all, there's no hope for me, and I'm completely
relying on Him, and I believe He is able to keep that which
I've committed to him against that day." Abraham believed God. Now, I like this illustration
I'm going to try to give concerning believing God. If the Bible said
that Jonah swallowed the whale, I'd believe it. How? Because I believe He is able
to do anything that's not contrary to His nature. God has no limitations. Is anything too hard for the
Lord? I believe the Bibles, the inspired
Word of God, and whatever the Word of God says, I believe because
I believe God. I believe a person. This is not
blind faith. It's believing Him. It's knowing
who He is and what He says is absolutely trustworthy. That's
why I know the Bible says that the whale swallowed Jonah, but
I believe that the Bible said Jonah swallowed the whale. I
believe it because is anything too hard for the Lord? This is
who He is. It's believing His ability. It says he believed in the Lord
and he counted it to him for righteousness. When Abraham believed
God, God reckoned it, God counted it, God imputed it to him for
righteousness. Now, what does righteousness
mean? Please stay with me. What does
righteousness mean? Righteousness is an attribute
of God. It's His sinlessness. It's His inability to sin. It's the perfection of His nature. The righteous Lord loveth righteousness. That is who he is. When David spoke of him in Psalm
71, 16, he said, I've made mention of thy righteousness, even thine
only. Now, why did David say, even
thine only? because his righteousness is
the only righteousness. Isaiah said concerning our righteousnesses,
Isaiah chapter 64 verse six, our righteousnesses are as filthy
rags. There's only one righteousness,
the righteousness of God. When Christ described his own
preaching in Psalm 40 verse nine, he said, I have preached righteousness. in the great congregation. I've
not hid thy righteousness. Now, when we speak of righteousness,
there's only one righteousness, the righteousness of God, and
it's seen in Christ's perfection before the holy law. He worked
out a perfect righteousness. When he lived here upon earth,
he never sinned. He's the only righteous man to
ever live. Now listen to this scripture,
Romans chapter 1 verses 16 and 17, Paul said, I'm not ashamed
of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God and the
salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first and also to
the Greek, for therein in the gospel is the righteousness of
God revealed. What's revealed? The righteousness
of God. That's God's purpose in the gospel,
is to reveal His own righteousness. The righteousness of God. Now I'd like to read a passage
of scripture from Romans chapter 3, beginning in verse 19. 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 may become guilty before God.
Now that describes our state before God. Guilty. Not righteous. Guilty. That's every one of us. Well,
does that mean there's no hope for us? Well, no hope in ourselves. Because it says, 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. All the law does is reveal your
sin. You can't keep the law. You never
kept the law one time, neither have I. All the law does is reveal
sin. Well, does that mean there's
no hope? Well, if salvation is by works, there's no hope. If
salvation is dependent upon you, there's no hope. But now, the
righteousness of God without the law, without your law keeping,
is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets,
even the righteousness which is of God. By faith of Jesus
Christ. Now, one of the reasons I love
the King James Version is because it's the only version that says
it as it should be said. Every other version says by faith
in Christ. The King James Version says by
the faith of Christ. The righteousness of God which
is by the faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that
believe. Believe what? that there's no
difference. For all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God. There's no difference between
men. They're all sinners before God. There's not one that's better
than another. All have sinned and come short
of the glory of God. You take the most moral man to
ever live and the most immoral man to ever live, and before
God, they're both coming short of God's glory, infinite in their
sin, utterly unable to save themselves. But let's don't stop there. Let's
go on reading. All have sinned and come short of the glory of
God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus, being justified. Now that, having been
justified. If God justifies you, you're
justified. That means you're righteous before God. being justified
freely with no cause in us, being justified freely by His grace
through the redemption, through the redeeming work that is in
Christ Jesus our Lord. Now here's what our Lord did.
Now this is how a man can be righteous before God even though
he's a sinner. His sins were imputed to Christ. Christ took them as his own.
And when Christ was on Calvary's tree, God was not punishing the
innocent. God was punishing the guilty.
Remember that scripture? He that justifieth the wicked,
or he that condemneth the just, they're both alike an abomination
to God. On Calvary's tree, Christ was
not innocent. He was guilty. And that sin that
he was dying for, he put away by his death and accomplished
the complete justification of his people. Being justified freely
by his grace through the redemption that's in Christ Jesus. whom
God set forth, verse 25, or foreordained to be a propitiation, to be a
sin-removing sacrifice through faith in His blood. Oh, I have
faith in His blood. I really do believe that if His
blood is shed for me, I have no sin before God. I believe
in the power of His blood because of whose blood it is. It's Christ
that died. It's the God-man that died. What
saving efficacy in His blood. Yes, I do have faith in His blood.
Now, anybody that believes on Him has 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 notice what it says. It doesn't
say it declares his mercy, though it does. It doesn't say it declares
his love, though it does. As a matter of fact, I would
say if you ask the average religious person, what does the gospel
of Christ reveal? They'd say, the love of God.
Well, I wouldn't say it doesn't. The love of God is clear in him
giving his son for sinners. What love? God so loved the world. But the Holy Spirit says his
righteousness. In other words, The very righteousness
of God demands the salvation of everybody that Jesus Christ
died for. I'm not going to be coming into
heaven by the skin of my teeth. I'm going to be coming into heaven
because I have the righteousness of Jesus Christ as my righteousness
before God. Now that's how God can be just
and justify the ungodly. My sin became his sin. You say, how could that be? I
remember hearing a preacher one time say, I put my sin under
the blood. You can't do that. Only God can
do that. My sin became his sin. God imputed it to him and his
righteousness becomes mine. Abraham believed God. It's substitution. Abraham believed
God and it was canon to him for righteousness. Now, what is the
evidence that God has done this for you? Faith. The only evidence that you have
that God has taken your sins and given them to Christ and
taken Christ's righteousness and given them to you is that
you believe that Christ is everything in your salvation. That's what
faith is. Anywhere where there's faith
in Christ, the righteousness of Christ has been imputed to
that individual. When Paul said in Romans 6, 11,
reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive unto
God through our Lord Jesus Christ, it's because through the work
of Christ on the cross, we are dead indeed to sin and alive
unto God. Now we have this message on DVD
and CD. If you call the church right
or email, we'll send you a copy. This is Todd Nyberg praying that
God will be pleased to make himself known to you. To receive a copy
of the sermon you have just heard, send your request to todd.nyberg
at gmail.com. or you may write or call the
church at the information provided on the screen.