Now let's take our Bibles and
turn to Job chapter 9. I ask Brother Mike to read that
as a foundational scripture. Job chapter 9. I'd like to look at verse 2 this
morning. I know it is so of a truth, but how should man be just with
God? If there has ever been a question that every person ought to consider,
it's this. How should man, I'm talking about a braver man,
I'm talking about an impotent man, I'm talking about a man that
is violent, a liar, how should man clear, clear, justified with
God. That, my friend, is the question. That's the question of all questions. Well, I'll tell you first of
all, the scripture says, Romans 14.10, for we shall all stand
before the judgment seat of Christ. Now listen. Now listen to me. This may be the last time we
ever meet together. Listen to me. We're going to all stand before
God. going to stand before God. Matthew 25, 31 and 32, the scripture
says, When the Son of Man shall come in his glory, and all the
holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his
glory. And before him shall be gathered
all nations, And he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd
divided his sheep from the goats." Now here's the way it is. It
doesn't matter what else goes on in this world. Nothing else
matters. Nothing else takes a priority
over this. is more important than this question. How should man be just with God? I'm talking about eternity. I'm talking about our eternal
soul. This issue concerning sin, that issue is a concern that
every person born in Adam is going to absolutely have to deal
with. How should man be just with God? The issue of sin will either
be dealt with in this life for you, or it will be dealt with
after this life. But it's going to be dealt with.
And the issue of being just before God Almighty, how? That's the
question, how? Now I know, I know this. I know
that Almighty God is holy. I know that He's righteous. I
know that He's just. And I know, by the grace of God,
I know this, that I'm a sinner. That's by the grace of God. Find a sinner and you find one
that Almighty God's done something for. You find one that needs
a Savior. Isaiah said it like this under
the inspiration of God's Spirit. The whole head is sick. The whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even
unto the head there is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises,
putrefying sores, have not been closed, neither bound up, neither
mollified with ointment, with oil, the oil of God's Spirit. This is the way it is. He's dead. He's dead. So here's a question. How can
he be clean that is born of woman? How? You'll hear me use that
word numerous times through this message. How? How should man be just with God? Here's the first thing I know.
I got three points. Here's the first thing. I cannot justify myself. I have no part in it. I have no part in justifying
myself. I cannot justify myself. before God. Job said this, if
I justify myself, now when he makes that statement, what he's
saying is this, if I think or if I believe that I have done
something to make myself pure before God, If I justify myself, my own mouth
shall condemn me. If I say I'm perfect, it shall
also prove me perverse or corrupt or wicked. If I say that I justify
myself, all I'm doing is exposing my wickedness. I cannot, if a
man thinks that he can undertake to manage his own state before
God, to do something that's going to procure salvation, he's just
laying himself open to condemnation. That's all he's doing. Paul said
in Romans 3.20, Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall
no flesh be justified. By doing something, by doing
something. I can't. No act, no thought, no intent,
no part of my will is considered by Almighty God to be profitable
concerning salvation. Now here's the thing, let me
just be, maybe I haven't been clear enough. You are hopelessly
unable to do anything. You are not. Totally. That is how should a man be justified. Who can bring a clean thing out
of an unclean? Job says not one. Who can bring
a clean thing out of an unclean? Now here's the way it is. Man
is born dead. That man born dead can
do nothing. There's going to have to be a
new creation. There's going to have to be a
new person there. There's going to have to be a new man there.
God Almighty is going to have to create something that is not
there by nature. God Almighty is going to have
to make a man new. You cannot create something clean
out of an unclean thing. Not before God. You just can't
do it. Not able to justify myself Not
looking to or considering any work of righteousness that I
can do for salvation. That evidence right there. That
attitude right there. Believing that I can't do anything. Almighty God has already done
something if you believe that. The mercy of Almighty God in
the light of Christ. has shined in the new heart of
everyone that truthfully says, what things were gained to me,
I've shared with you some of the things that were gained to
me. I'm talking about little fickle things that a man can
perform. Thinking that because I walked
down a highway, Thinking that I could be sorry enough. Thinking
that I could recite a prayer that a man told me. I'm talking about satisfying
God's laws. I'm talking about the ability
to satisfy God's justice. I'm talking absolutely make myself
clean before God. How? How should man be just with
God? I want to read what I started
to read, but Paul said, ìWhat things were gain to me? Those
things I canít loss for Christ. Be it doubtless, I canít all
things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus
my Lord, for whom I suffered the loss of all things to count
them but dumb, that I may win Christ, and be found in him,
not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that
which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which
is of God. I think. Righteousness which
is of God. You understand? Of God. I can justify myself. God alone justifies the ungodly. Romans 8.33, Who shall lay any
thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. Who shall be able to lay any
chargeable, chargeable to God's way. Who should be able
to do that? If Almighty God has pronounced
them just in His sight. If Almighty God, as a judge that sits, if you
ever understand the word justification, justify. forth. And Almighty God looks at the
accusations, and His law says, no evidence here. No evidence. No charge. Just be justified. No charge. How should man When a man can't justify himself,
and it is God alone that justifies him, being justified freely,
with no cause in you, by His grace, through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus. Man who has no ability, no hand
in the pronouncement of his righteousness are cleanest before God. Isaiah said in Isaiah 58 and
59, He is near that justifies me. Who shall contend with me? But let us stand together. Who
is my adversary? Let him come near to us. Behold,
the Lord will help us. Who is he that shall condemn
me? Lo, they all shall wax whole as a garment, the malt shall
eat them up." God justifies. Now here's the two things I know.
I know that man cannot justify himself. Man cannot make himself
clean, pure, holy. Holy. Holy. Man cannot justify
himself. Justify the sinner. Here's my third point. And here's
the question. How? How? Now I'm not talking about pretending.
I'm not talking about just an almighty God just look the other
way. I'm talking about just. just
in God's sight. How should man be just? This is a question that is absolutely
reality. Truthfully, Marvin, are you serious
with me? You're telling me that Almighty
God can look upon one and say, no charge. Yeah. How? How can God be just and
justify a sinner? How? How? I'm talking about absolutely
so. How? I know this. If Almighty God justifies a sinner,
the ungodly, How can that be any other way
than that He has always purposed it to be so? How can it be any
other way? He who changes not, He who never did it, never a
shadow of turning, never thinks differently, never has one thought
that he has not always had. How? I know this. Cleanliness, justification
before God Almighty is not something that began in time. I know it
didn't. I know that for God's elect,
God's bride, church, They were loved. Jeremiah 31.3 was an everlasting
love. I know that. He said, I've always
loved you. Those that God Almighty justifies. He's always loved them. Their names were written in Christ
in the Book of Life, Revelation 17.8, before the foundation of
the world. I know that. I know they've been considered
the glorious person of their surety, betrothed, united in
righteousness, in that incorruptible union, bone of His bone, flesh
of His flesh, a marriage covenant forever. I know that God justifies people. How? How? That's the question. How? How should man be just with
God, the God who will by no means clear the guilty? How? God, whose law demands absolute
perfect obedience to his precepts, that law that required full payment
for transgressions. How? God Almighty who sees and
knows all things before whom all things are connected, how?
How? This is what the Word of God
says. This is what I know. I know,
first of all, that there is one way that God justifies a sinner.
I know it. In John 14, verse 6, the Lord
Jesus Christ said, I am the way. I am the way. Just and holy God that said according
to Job 33, 24, deliver him from going down to the pit, I found
a ransom." When did he find a ransom? He's
always found a ransom. There's always been a ransom. God Almighty provided Himself
a lamb. God provided Himself. The Messiah. God's Lamb. I know that. But how? How? How? Now you listen to this first
scripture. Galatians 3.13 says this, concerning
how God can be just in dealing with sin, and justify a sinner,
you listen to Galatians 3.13, Christ hath redeemed us from
the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. I'm going to read you an article
out of I want to read this and we'll continue for a few minutes
and I'll be done. This is what Mr. Hawker said,
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a
curse for us. Whatever Christ redeemed the
sinner from, he became that for him. in the sinner's place and room.
He redeemed him from that place and room by standing there himself. Hence, as the sinner stood before
God, cursed by reason of sin, so Christ, by taking the sinner's
sin upon himself and standing in his stead to answer for it,
was made a curse also. If therefore Christ will come
under the law for sinners, That law will have as much demand
of him as of sinners. If Jesus, from his boundless
love and mercy, will take the sinner's curse upon himself,
the law will speak as harsh to him as the sinner that is under
the curse, and not only speak, but exact from him all that could
be demanded from the sinner. Pause, my soul. And did Jesus,
thy Jesus, thus stand, thus be considered, and was he made a
curse for thee? Did he really, truly suffer the
cursed sinner's punishment and die the just for the unjust to
bring sinners to God? Look to it then, my soul. He
hath bought thee and paid your full ransom, taking away the
curse of sin by the sacrifice of himself. It was not merely a legal thing. It was made a curse. Now, here's an amazing thought.
The scripture never says that he was under the curse. 2 Corinthians 5.21, He hath made
him sin. I do know that many will say, I will never
speak of the Lord Jesus Christ being made a sinner. I didn't
say that. I didn't say He was a sinner.
I said he was made sin. By one man's disobedience, many
were made sinners. He was obedient unto death, even
the death of the cross. Made sin. Made a curse. Let me tell you, on the other
hand, some will suffer. the wrath of Almighty God. Matthew
25, verse 41, Then shall he say unto them on the left side, Depart
from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared
for the devil and his angels. Depart from me, ye cursed. The scripture says forth, that
he was made a curse to deliver us from the curse
of the law. What the law must do where sin
is found, Martin Luther said this, when the law looked for that
which was to be condemned, judged, it found on Christ, the one who
was made curse for us. The law exacted, exacted where sin was found. He was made a curse. My dear friend, that is the only
hope that a sinner has. That is the only hope that you
have before God. If your guilt, Jeff, was not
made to be found on Him, if He was not made sin for you, you have no hope. He was made
a curse. Made a sinner? No. Forbidden
he was. But I'm telling you that our
blessed Savior hung upon that cross, the scripture says, redeeming
us from the curse of the law, being made a curse. Some will
say, some will hear the Lord say, depart from me ye cursed. You know why you'll have any
hope of glory? Because He was made a curse for
you. He was made what you are. My dear friend, the glorious
redemption, His substitution, the glorious thought that He
put away my sin under the justice Paul said he was crucified with Christ. Could it be that Martin was crucified
with Christ? If I had any hope, I lost him. If I had any hope, this rebel
right here Christ was made what I am, or
I have no hope. There had to be an absolute substitute
hanging there as me. Sin. That's what I am by nature. Scripture sets forth Christ himself. I'm going to read this to you,
three verses in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. 2 Thessalonians 2, verses 12 and 14. That they all
might be damned if they believe not the truth. but had pleasure
in unrighteousness. But we are bound to give thanks
always to God for you, brethren and beloved of the Lord, because
God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification
of the spirit and belief of the truth, whereunto he called you
by our gospel to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus
Christ." How do you know, how do you know in this life, If
Almighty God put away my guilt, put away the curse of the law
against me by Him being made a curse, how do I know, do I
have any sign, any hope of knowing anything about that? Yes. Yes. Here's what it is. You believe
God. You don't believe in anything
of yourself? By the grace of God, you shun, you despise, forsake,
cast away any former thoughts. Things that were gained to you,
I'm telling you, a believer will not hang on to a false, man-centered
profession. He will not. All things are kind
of lost. And I'll tell you what he'll
do. He'll believe God that Christ was made a curse for him. Now, I'll tell you this, I understand
there'll be men that'll stand up and they'll try to defend
themselves and they'll try to say, well, I'll tell you, you'll
never hear me speaking of the Lord like that, my friend. God said it. God Almighty said it. And let God be true and let every
man be a liar. My hope is built on nothing less
than the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Him being made sin, taking
my place, putting away my guilt, made a curse for me. Made a curse for me. Almighty God has done something
for me. Teaching them the gospel, giving
them a heart to hunger after the gospel. Oh, they'll hunger
after it. They'll hunger after Christ.
They're going to hunger after the Word of God is honored. That's
what they're going to do. They will hear Him say, Come, you blessed of my heart, inherit
the kingdom. Now listen to this. Prepared
for you. Prepared for you at the foundation of the world. He didn't say, come be blessed
by my Father and inherit the kingdom prepared. It was prepared. But it was And he hung being
made a curse to deliver them, to redeem them from the curse
of oil. He did it for his people. Those
that he had ever lasted with life. Those that could not justify
themselves. He was made a curse for them. And God Almighty dealt with them
as Robert Hawkins said, what the law demanded, Where sin was
found, the law exacted from him. How holy is God's law? Men talk
about God's laws as if it's the law. It did not mediate. Where sin was found, he died
under the judgment of God that his people might live. Now this
is the truth. How should men be just with God?
One way. One way. And it's not in me,
and it's not in you. It's in Christ. If He was made a curse for you,
I'll tell you what's going to happen. Almighty God is going
to reveal that to you. And His people will be willing
on the day of His power. And He'll call them to Himself.
and they will get their custody, and they will die with Him for
Christ's sake.