Let's take our Bibles and turn
to Romans chapter 4. Romans chapter 4. I'd like to speak this morning
on the real blessing. Romans chapter 4. The issue that Paul the Apostle
has been dealing with is with justification before
God. Now, justification is the declaration of innocence before the law of
God Almighty. And remember, this Word is a
Word that declares that there is no record of infraction. I can say those words and I can
try to enter in to what that is and I cannot perceive the
depth of it, but I can, by faith, believe it. These things the psalmist said
are too great for me. How do you perceive justification
before God? Now, Paul is writing to a group
of Jews that would absolutely have no doubt in their mind. They would not dispute the fact
that their father, one that they referred to as being the one
from whom they came, the one that God spoke to, the one that
God dealt with, in the book of Genesis, which we will look at
in just a few moments, they would not doubt that Abraham was a
justified man. They would not. Well, Paul picks up in verse
1 of chapter 4 of Romans, and he said, What shall we say then
that Abraham, our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath
found? Now here is the question that
he just asked them. What say that Abraham, our father,
that he's talking about there in the lynch, they spoke of as
Abraham's our father, we come from him, we're from his loins,
we're just, you know. What shall we say? That Abraham,
our father, as pertaining to the flesh, that does not mean
right there, from that lineage, human lineage. That's not what
he's asking. What shall we say that Abraham,
our father, as pertaining to the flesh, or as pertaining to
what the flesh can do, that is, circumcise? What shall we say
that Abraham, our father, as pertaining to the flesh, as pertaining
to the fact that he was circumcised, what has he found? Or that word found there means
what has he attained? What did he get? That's what
he asked. Now, what shall we say that Abraham,
our father, as to the fact of being circumcised, what did he
attain? What did he attain? That word
found right there, remember when the Lord spoke of all the souls
in the Old Testament back in the book of Genesis, and the
Lord looked and saw every thought And every imagination of the
thoughts and hearts of men was evil, tenuously. And it repented
him, Scripture says, that he had made man. And he said, I'll
destroy mankind. But, Noah attained grace. Noah found grace. Noah wasn't
one that was looking for it and saying, I hope God will be merciful
and gracious to me. Noah attained grace in the eyes
of the Lord. What, shall we say, that Abraham
our father, as far as being circumcised, what did he accomplish? Now, I'm going to tell you something.
This question can be asked, and I'm going to ask it. Let's get
it out. Shall we say that anybody anybody
as far as pertaining to the flesh, as far as what this flesh can
do. What shall we say that the deeds
of the flesh, what did they attain? Let me ask you this. What have you received because
of any work, flesh? What have you attained because
you did it? What have you attained because
you were baptized? What have you attained because
someone said they spoke in unknown tongues? What have you attained
because you said that you exercise your own free will and you came
to the Lord, the Lord wanted you to do this or He wanted you
to do that? What shall we say that you've
attained? by the works of the flesh? Well,
the answer is absolutely nothing. Because verse 2 says, For if
Abraham justified by works, he hath whereof to glory, but not
before God. If Abraham, as far as the Works
of the flesh, pertaining to the flesh, circumcision, baptism,
speaking in tongues, walking down an aisle, coming to church,
joining the church, say whatever you want to say. Put anything
you want in that. What have you attained? What
have you found? Because you did that. Was that the source of your justification
before God? Now Paul asks, if Abraham were
justified by works, he hath whereof the glory, but not before God. Now let me tell you something.
He's making a statement there that really, to be honest with
you, we miss exactly the fullness of what he just said. If Abraham
were justified by works, if he was justified by works. That's what he said. If he was
justified by works, he hath whereof to glory before
God and men, if he were. But that last part which says,
but not before God, well, the exact wording of that is God
says He doesn't. If He were, if He could justify
Himself by works, He and everybody else would have somewhat to glory
before men and God, but they don't. You see, here's the bottom line.
Let God be true. And every man is a liar. Somebody
says, I was saved because... Well, the because Whatever follows
that, because if it's not according to this Word, to this Scripture,
by this Gospel, by God's grace, by God's purpose, by God's will,
if it's not according to the grace of Almighty God, then the
Scripture says man is a liar. What's that going to do? That's
going to silence all boasting that men have thinking that they
have placed themselves in a state to where they have never sinned
before God's law. Now, think about this. If Abraham
were justified, remember what the word justified means. It
means to be declared blameless before the law of God. I mean,
that's just a little bit higher order than you're thinking. I
mean, we think we can understand and perceive the word forgiven.
You've offended me and I forgive you. It still says you did have
an infraction there. But justified? That's a bigger
word than what we're thinking. If Abraham were justified by
works, he'd have something to glory in. He'd have something
to boast in. But God says he doesn't. He does
not. What saith the Scripture? Abraham
believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now, Paul turns to the first and the last authority
on this subject. What is it? The Word of God. The Holy Scriptures. God's Word,
the inspired writings of the thoughts and the words of the
will, of the purpose of Almighty God. The Scripture says, the
Holy Scripture, Paul writing to Timothy, which is able to
make thee wise unto salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. These Scriptures, they testify
of the Lord Jesus Christ and they reveal the mercy and the
grace and the compassion and purpose of Almighty God to redeem
all that were found in the Lord Jesus Christ before the foundation
of the world and to condemn all found apart from Him. What saith the Scriptures? Well, what Paul is saying is
this, since God has decided the matter, that's the bottom line. Since God's decided the matter. My kids, I've told you this before,
my kids would come to me, I'd say, this is what we're going
to do. Why? I might tell them, or I might
give them this answer, because I said so. That ended it. It's not up for debate. Yeah. Can I go over and spend the night
with so-and-so? Not tonight. Why? Because I said so. What sayeth the Scriptures? What
does the Scriptures say? Well, first of all, this is what
it says. Abraham believed God. Now, that's the first thing Scripture
says. Abraham believed God. It does not say that Abraham
believed in God. But I'm going to tell you something.
Devils believe that. We looked at that. The devils
believe in God. The devils believe, the Scripture
says, in Trimble. God told you before. That word
believe there, when they believe God, is the same word that Paul
used to the Philippian jailer that says, Believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. There is a sense of acknowledgement. But what a man believes is the
issue. Abraham believed God. He believed
what Almighty God had said. But here's the issue right here. What did God say that Abraham
believed? See, I'm telling you, Men are making statements, standing
in pulpits, and they're saying, and they set forth, they talk
of God and they talk of Jesus Christ, they talk that He died
on the cross. It's a historical fact that He
died on the cross. I mean, that's not a hard thing
to prove. History will bear out that He
actually died on the cross. But what do you believe? about
what he accomplished on that cross. Did he make it possible? Or did he secure salvation for
all that he was dying for? What did Abraham believe about
what God said? Now, let me tell you the first
thing he did not believe. God did not say this. Now, if you look at this Scripture,
Abraham believed God and it, that is, Abraham's faith. This is what it didn't say. It
did not say this. It did not say that Abraham believed
God and Abraham's faith was counted for righteousness. You say, well, I'm reading that.
It says Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for
righteousness. If that's the case, then that
would make Abraham's faith to be the purpose or the reason
that Abraham was justified before God. That would make his faith. So really the key here is to
understand what does it mean? What does it mean? Abraham believed
God and it was counted. Well, I can tell you this, and
then I'm going to prove it to you. The it that is referred
to here is the imputed righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. It
was counted to Abraham for righteousness. What other righteousness is God
going to count as being righteous? Righteousness means uprightness. It means the virtue. It means
the faultlessness. It means the innocence, or in
other words, it is the condition that is the determination of
what is acceptable to Almighty God. Righteousness. Righteousness. Upright. Faultlessness. Innocence. Holiness. Righteousness according
to God's Word is what determines a man's standing
before Almighty God. Righteousness, therefore, comes
down to this. What right do you have to be
accepted? What right do you have to stand
before Almighty God? What right do you have? What right do you possess? Well, let me tell you what right
you don't have in yourself. Romans 3.10, as it is written,
there's none righteous. No, not one. So here's the conclusion, first
of all, apart from Christ, you don't have any rights before
God. Understand that? You have no right before God. You have no righteousness, no
faultlessness, no guiltlessness. You have none. You have no holiness.
You have nothing. What do you have? Well, Isaiah
64, 6, But we are all as an unclean thing. This is what you've got. All of our righteousnesses All
of our rights, all of anything that you want to claim. Let me
tell you what it is. Menstrual claws. That's what
filthy rags are. Just take, I don't want to be
gross, but I want to just be explicit on this Scripture. Just
take and cover yourself with menstrual claws and say, don't
I look good? All of our righteousnesses are
as filthy rags, and we all do fade as a leaf, and our iniquities,
like the wind, has taken us away. What right do you have apart
from Christ? None! You have none! None! Concerning Christ, here's His
right. This is what it says. 1 John
2, 1 and 2, My little children, these things write unto you that
you sin not. Does that mean that a man can
walk in sinlessness or have that ability to walk? No. But I'll tell you what it is
saying. We said a while ago, we're in this world, but we're
not of it. And when Almighty God gives a
man or a woman a new heart, they have, Paul says, the mind of
Christ, the understanding, the revelation of the Lord Jesus
Christ. In part, and through a glass darkly, I know that,
but they do know Him. But they don't walk in known
rebellion against God. They don't desire that. I have
no desire by the new birth, I have no desire to walk before God. But I'm going to tell you something.
There's a nature about me that has one thought, and that is
to rebel against God. And it's still me. There is in
me, Paul says, no good thing. None. And though I hate, and here's
a whole lot, I'll tell you this, of the battle that we're talking
about that rages. I know that there's two natures
in me, and they are absolutely opposed to each other. And one
of them sins not, and the other one does nothing but sin. And
I know this. I go through this world struggling. These things write unto you that
you sin not. And a believer doesn't desire
to. Any man, any woman that excuses their actions says, well, it
just doesn't matter. We're saved by grace. Therefore,
it doesn't really matter. Yes, it does matter. But the Scripture says, if any
man sin, and we do, we have an advocate with the Father Jesus
Christ, the righteous. The righteous. the One that's
got the right. He's got the right. Why? He's
the holy God. Guiltless. Sinless. The righteous. And He is the
propitiation, the satisfaction, the appeasement for our sins.
And not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world,
that is, all manner of men out of every nation, kindred, tribe,
and tongue. So to possess life, that is a
righteousness before God, to have the right to stand before
Almighty God and to be found guiltless before Him, I must
have the righteousness, the right, the right. What right did Christ
as the man have? to come and sit on the right
hand of the throne of Almighty God. What right? That's my beloved
Son in whom I am well pleased. He as a man, the God-man, as
a man came into this world, and as a man, the God-man, he earned
a righteousness. As a man, as the essential righteousness
of Almighty God, that never changed. He got it. But He came into this
world and walked in obedience before Almighty God. He said,
I do always those things that please the Father. I do them. Thy will be done. I finish the
work that Thou gavest Me to do. He did something. And how did
He do it? He did it perfectly. The obedient
Son. What right does He have? He earned
a right. And we in Him possess His righteousness. What righteousness do I have? It must be His righteousness
imputed to me, charged to me. So to impute or to count to me,
that is, is to treat or number something to be mine. What righteousness
do I have? The only righteousness I have
is His righteousness. So the righteousness or the virtue
or the guiltlessness that covers a believer is not His own. Not by works of righteousness
that we've done. The Scripture says, Abraham believed
God and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now, I want
to show you. Is it talking about when it says, it? Turn to Genesis
15-1. Genesis 15-1. Abraham believed
God. Well, what did God tell him? What did God say to Abraham that
Abraham believed? Genesis 15-1. After these things, the Word
of the Lord Genesis 15, verse 1, "...came unto Abram in a vision,
saying, Fear not, Abram, I am thy shield, and thy exceeding
great reward." Fear not. Don't be afraid, Abram. Why? Because I am your cover. I am your surrounding, your shield. I am your defense. and thy exceeding
great reward." That word reward there, you know what it means?
I'm your passage. I'm your fee. I'm your fare. F-A-R-E. The right that you have
to enter in is the right that I give you. I am your shield
and your exceeding great reward. Verse 6 says, after the Lord
had spoken to him, verse 6 of Genesis 15 says, And he believed
in the Lord, and he counted it to him for righteousness. What
did he count to him? He counted that I am your great
reward. I'm your shield. That's what
he counted to Abraham for righteousness. Abraham believed God. God told
him, He says, Abraham, I am the right that you possess for acceptance. I am your shield. I am your great
exceeding reward. And Abraham believed God. And
it, the righteousness of Christ, the righteousness of God, was
charged, imputed, accounted, given. Abraham believed God. Let me ask you this. You that believe, do you believe
God? Is it your faith that is counted
for righteousness? Or is it the imputed righteousness
of Christ? Is God your shield? is God your
great and exceeding reward. If He is your shield, if you
by faith believe that God is my covering, God is my shield,
God is my passage, God is the fee paid, God, then I can tell
you this, righteousness has been imputed to you because you believe
God. You believe God, that's the evidence.
that Almighty God has charged you with His righteousness, the
righteousness of Christ. Verse 4 and 5 says, Now to him
that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifies
the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. You say, now
wait a minute. It sounded like to me you just
read something that was contrary to what you just said. Well,
let's look and see what it means. These two verses that we just
read, now, the Him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of
grace, but of death. That is, to Him that works or
thinks that He does something to be accepted. whatever it is,
all those things that I was talking about a while ago, to him that
worketh, to that one that thinks that the reward or the payment
of his works is counted for justification or righteousness before Almighty
God, that's not grace. That's God paying you something.
Well, I see that they were baptized, therefore I'm going to, you know. That's work. That's work. But to Him that work is not. To Him that is that doesn't exercise
or produce or perform anything for acceptance. Now, we do believe. There's no doubt about that.
We are baptized. But when we're baptized, what
exactly are we showing? Here's what we're showing. By
faith. An outward expression of the confession of our faith.
The confession of our faith in Christ. This is what we're saying. I believe that when He died,
I died. And when He came out, I came
out. And I came out in newness of life. I believe that the Lord
Jesus Christ put away my guilt and God killed Him. under absolute
justice. And when He put him in the ground,
I went in the ground with Him. He is my substitute. He died
in my place and He put away all of my guilt. That's what baptism
says. Baptism is not for justification
before God. Baptism is the outward expression
of our faith that Christ has put away our guilt. That He died
for us. Baptism doesn't save anybody.
Walking down an aisle doesn't save anybody. Expressing my faith
is not what saves me. Abraham believed God. What did
God tell him? He said, Abraham, I'm your shield.
I'm your great reward. Why did he say that? Because
he chose to. Why did he do it to Abraham? Because he chose
to. Abraham said, I believe you.
I believe you. Lord, I believe what you said
so. And the righteousness of Christ
was charged to him. But to him that worketh not,
but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly. Let me tell you
something. I'm standing in this world today, and I know that in me, as I said
a while ago, there dwells no good thing. But God Almighty has declared
to all that He's justified, He justifies or declares to be innocent
by the imputed righteousness of Christ, the ungodly. What is that saying? I am not
inherently holy. He justifies the ungodly. I'm
standing in this world right now. I'm standing in this pulpit
right now, and I know in me, that is, in my flesh, there dwells
no good thing. You're looking at a sinner. That's
exactly what I am. Paul says, I am what I am by
the grace of God. And as long as I'm in this world,
I'm going to walk around in the body of this flesh. And sin and
evil is present with me all times. But Almighty God has charged
to me the righteousness of Christ. That man that Almighty God has
looked upon in mercy, That man's faith, when it says, is counted
for righteousness, faith is the way that a regenerated sinner
perceives or knows or enters into the realization that Christ's
righteousness has been charged to him. There is no way in the
world that that man's faith is counted for righteousness in
itself. That would be works. Faith perceives
that righteousness has been imputed apart from anything that I can
do. If someone says, I'm saved because
I believed. Wrong. We're saved by the grace
of God. But by grace are you saved Through
the means of faith, you perceive it. And that not of yourselves. You see, if you just quote that
whole Scripture, you're going to find out real quickly that
you're not saved because you believe. You believe because
God Almighty saved you and revealed it to you. Even as David also
described the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputed
righteousness without I mean, just if you want to know exactly
what the last part of verse 5 didn't say, just read the last part
of verse 6, without works. Saying, Blessed, verse 7, are
they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed
is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. Now here in these last few verses,
Paul the apostle, refers to the testimony of another of the fathers,
David. Verse 6 said that David describeth
or pronounces the blessedness of the man whom God regards,
treats as righteousness, who has in himself no righteousness,
No claim. No right. No merit. You start talking about the righteousness
of Christ, you remember this, it's His right because of who
He is. Because of His character, His
obedience, His holiness. His right. What right do I have
to enter in into the presence of Almighty God? I'll tell you
what my right is. It's His right. His right. His right. What right, I believe, do you
have to sign Mrs. Carl Bourne? I'll tell you what
right you have with your husband. What right. What right. It's his right. By his merit. His merit. His merit. is truly blessed. Obviously,
David said, David announces, describes the blessedness of
the man unto whom God imputed righteousness. Don't talk about
blessed. Let me tell you, let's talk about
the blessedness of a man that God imputes righteousness without
any work. What did you do? What did a man
do to possess the righteousness of Christ? What did a man do
to possess that, Mitch? He didn't do anything. You say, well, that's a blessing. That's a blessing that Almighty
God would impute righteousness without works. What works? None! None! What he did, he did by the grace
of God. Blessed is the man unto whom
God imputed righteousness without works. Look at this, verse 7.
Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are
covered. Well, here's another great blessing.
Since no will, no new will, can arise in God, here's a blessedness. We are
not consumed because God doesn't change. God accomplishes or brings
to light in time what He has eternally willed. Blessed are
they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Knowing that God never changes,
let me ask you this. the eternal will of Almighty
God not to punish sin in His people. Since God never changes,
God never changes. Brother Scott just read this.
Moses says, When I go into Egypt, who shall I say has sent me? What did God say? He said, You
tell them that I am. What does that mean? That means
I don't change. I am. Well, let's talk about
who God is in the time of Moses. He's the I Am. Well, let's talk
about who He is today. He said, I am the I Am. Well,
let me ask you this. In eternity, I don't know how
to say it. Who is God then? He said, I am
the I Am. I don't change. I don't change. I don't change.
Yeah, but how did He look at us back then? He said, I don't
change. Yeah, but you don't understand.
How did God look upon His people when this said, blessed are they
whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered? Let's
talk about how He was then. He said, I don't change. God's will has eternally been
to punish the sin of His people in His Son. Nothing that God
Almighty has ever purposed has ever changed. Nothing! Nothing! We are creatures of
time. And we understand and we perceive
things in time. But God Almighty is eternal,
the eternal God. I want you to turn with me in
closing to Psalm 89. Psalm 89. Psalm 89, beginning
in verse 29. Psalm 89. Here is a psalm speaking of the
Lord Jesus Christ and His people. Psalm 89-29. You see where it says, to endure?
It is not there. It was added. Here is what it
says. His seed also will I make forever. And His throne is the
days of heaven as His children forsake my law, and walk not
in my judgments, if they break my statutes, and keep not my
commandments which we have, then will I visit their transgression
with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes." Now here is what
he said. If the children of my seed, the seed of the Lord Jesus
Christ, if they break my statutes, And they have. And keep not My
commandments. And we haven't. Then will I visit
their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes.
That word visit there means I will attend to, I will reckon, I will
number their transgression, their revolt in another. What's He going to do? He's going
to deal with their transgression with the rod and their iniquity
with stripes. Turn over to Isaiah 53. Isaiah 53, verse 4. If they rebel against Me, they
keep not My commandments, break My statutes. I am going to reckon
with those transgressions, with the rod and their iniquity with
stripes. Isaiah 53, verse 4. He hath borne
our griefs, carried our sorrows, and we did esteem Him stricken,
smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded by our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace
was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed. David said, Blessed
are they whose iniquities are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Isaiah 46, 9 and 10 says, Remember,
or mark, or recognize the former things of old. That is, the first
things. The former things of old. For
I am God and there is none else. I am God and there is none like
Me, declaring the end from the beginning. That is, manifesting
and exposing the end, the following, from the beginning are on account
of the beginning. That is what God has purposed
before the foundation of the world. And from ancient times,
the things that are not yet done, that is brought forth in time,
saying, My counsel, My purpose shall stand, shall rise, and
I will do all My pleasures. I'm going to bring forth. I am
going to expose that which pleases me. Blessed are they whose iniquities
are forgiven, whose sins are covered. That is, blessed is
the man to whom the Lord will not charge. Make him stand before God in
his sin and rebellion. have stood before Almighty God in the Lord Jesus Christ, in
God's purpose and will, in an everlasting covenant, an everlasting
covenant. I wish I could say and perceive
what that meant. One day, by God's grace, I will. And we'll know all things. He'll
show them to us. But to understand or to perceive
that He made with me an everlasting covenant, and everything that
was needed, it was all ordered. And it was substantial. Sure. David said, this is all my salvation. He made with me an everlasting
covenant. if Almighty God has revealed
to you that God Almighty has put away
your guilt and charged your guilt, the payment of your guilt, to
the Lord Jesus Christ, and He's put it away. I can tell you this
by faith. He's given you faith to believe
that it is by the righteousness of Christ that you stand before
Him blameless. What right do you have to stand
before Almighty God and hear Him say, well done, I'm good
and faithful, faithful, faithful, well done? What right do you have to hear
that? His right. You say, well, I can
understand if the Lord Jesus Christ if God would say to him,
well done, my good and faithful son. He did say that. That's
my beloved son whom I'm well pleased to be. To you that believe,
God Almighty has charged you with that righteousness. That's
the right that you have. And none other. Alright, here
you go.