that I would like to speak to you on this afternoon. It's probably quite a difficult text for you to grasp. It has a very long word in it and that is justified. In the chapter that we read together, Romans chapter 5 and verse 1, it says, therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

As you know, it is coming to the end of the year and we are thinking about the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ and there are many big words that come into the sermons and the teachings regarding Jesus. one of them is his incarnation which is that he came from heaven and he is put into a body as we have been thinking of this morning and last week the Bible tells us a body has been prepared for me. And that's his incarnation, that Christ came down from heaven and became as a human being. He could be seen, he could be touched, he could have feelings, he could think, he could talk, all of the things like you and I.

And he came to do a specific work, he came to this world, as we looked at last week, you shall call his name Jesus. Can anyone remember why his name was to be called Jesus? What was his job going to be? Yes, Jethro? Excellent. His job was to save his people from their sins and the way he was going to do that was to live perfectly in obedience to the law of God. He was going to do everything that God required a man to do. He was going to love God with all of his heart, all of his soul and all of his mind, his whole being. Everything about Jesus was loving God the Father.

But also he was going to do the second part. He was going to love his neighbour as his own self. And we saw, as we have seen, as we looked at the miracles of the Lord Jesus Christ, they were all to do with loving his neighbor as himself. He had compassion on those people who were struggling, who had leprosy, who were blind, who were deaf, who couldn't talk, who were lame. He saw those people that were hungry and he had compassion on them and he fed them. And so all the time he is fulfilling the law of God perfectly.

so that he could be a substitute, so that he could provide a payment for sin, that Jesus Christ was going to be a substitute. He was going to pay for the sins of his people. And not only was he just going to pay, but he was also going to give all of the goodness, the righteousness that Jesus had done. He gives it to his people. when Jesus rose again from the dead, that was a sign to us and to those that were round about, that God the Father was very pleased with the work of his Son. The grave couldn't hold him and the Bible tells us here, he was raised again for our justification.

So, it's a big word, justification, what does it mean? So here, is an account of my sin and your sin. There are more sins than that on our account. The Bible makes it aware that we sin every single day. And that means that we are guilty. We are guilty before God. The Bible tells us, by one man sin entered into the world. Who was that man? Can anyone tell me? Wow, Jethro. Adam, excellent. By one man, Adam, sin entered into the world, which made every person born into this world guilty. So we have next to our name, next to James Gudgeon, my sin, guilty. So being justified means wiping out of the sin, gone. The Bible tells us that our sins and our iniquities, those things that we have actually done wrong and committed against God, will be remembered no more. God will remember them no more. Why? Because Jesus Christ has paid the debt that we owe to God in full by shedding his blood upon the cross at Calvary. Therefore, the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin and that the sinner becomes sinless in the sight of God by having their sins washed away, being justified by the Lord Jesus Christ, rubbing our sins out and being remembered no more. So that deals with that big word, justification. As Pastor David Cottington says, just as though I had never sinned. The sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, so perfect that he cleanses all of his people from their sin.

You might wonder why I've got a train. So to demonstrate, If you remember the Lord Jesus, when he taught his people, he often pointed them to things to help them to understand. He said, look over there, a sower went out to sow. Look over there, cast your nets upon the right side of the ship. And so he takes the things that we see every day and he uses them to remind people of the teachings that he's teaching them about.

And when I was young, every Friday we had an exam, a test, spellings. Every Friday, James, go to the headmaster. Zero out of 20, two out of 20. Same with maths. James, headmaster. But then we had an old headmaster and he took a group of us aside to help us with our maths. And he got Jaffa cakes and he put them on the table and he, He cut one in half and says, ah, this is a half. One half, two halves make a whole. Then he cut another one into four. And these are quarters. And so on, as he went through the percentages like that. And you know, I can still see it today because of the visual aid. The other headmaster telling me off every single week didn't do me any good. But bringing aside, having an object in front of you, explaining to you, this is this, this is that. It helps you to visualize.

And so here today, we have something of a visualization of what took place. You see, when God created Adam and Eve, they were united. They were united with God. There was no sin. They walked in the Garden of Eden, they lived in the Garden of Eden, and God was with them. and God was able to talk with them and they were able to commune one with another. But they disobeyed God. And disobedience to God is called sin. And sin always brings separation. And so I want you to always think of sin as like a very, very sharp knife. a sharp knife that brings separation. And so if you think of this train, Adam and Eve with God, they were united, but then sin comes and severs that relationship. That relationship is separated.

Now what happens to a train carriage that has no engine? It's on a crash course, it's on a crash journey. It's a career off the end of the tracks and it's going to crash. Well that is like you and I. The Bible tells us because we've sinned against God, we are on The career path, we are careering headlong down the broad road that leads to destruction. And where's the end of that road? It is hell, eternal separation. So although we are separated from God now because of our sin, we will be eternally separated from God.

And if you see that this train is turned around now. So when Adam sinned, he was told, get out of the garden. We're separated. You're not coming back here anymore. And if Adam tried to go back, there was an angel there with a sword that says, you're not coming back in here, Adam. And so there was this separation. You see, Adam couldn't go back to God and God wasn't coming back to Adam because they sinned and sin severed that relationship.

God didn't leave us there in that severed relationship. God acted in mercy and so this time of year we read about the Lord Jesus Christ. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. We read that he was born into this world and his name was called Jesus and because because Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus is united to God. There's no division, no separation between them. He says, my desire is to do the will of my Father which is in heaven. God loved his Son. He says, this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him,

And here in our verse we see the Lord Jesus Christ in our reading. But God commanded his love towards us and while we were yet sinners, while we were yet separated from God, God sent his son into the world to die for us. And so the Lord Jesus walked in obedience to God and brought about at reconciliation. Verse 19, it says, for as one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. And so we see in the Lord Jesus Christ that God was well pleased with him. And he is well pleased with those who also put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.

So as we see, this is like God the Father and God the Son united. But this still leaves us unable to join. We're unable to join because of our sin. What must take place? What must take place in the life of a boy or a girl or a man or a woman to be united to the Lord Jesus Christ?

But our sin separates. And if we're running completely away from God on the broad road that leads to destruction, what must take place in our lives? If we're going the wrong way, what must we do? Turn around. We're going on a journey and we miss the junction. We must do a U-turn. We must turn around and go back the other way. And that's what we have to do to be joined to the Lord Jesus Christ. This train will never be connected. All the while, it is that way round. It must turn. And the turning is called repentance.

repentance, turning away from sin, the realisation that we are going in the wrong way, the realisation that we've disobeyed mum and dad and in doing so we've disobeyed God, the realisation that even our thoughts are not right before a holy God and so we turn from that sin and we cleave to the Lord Jesus Christ

You remember the lady in the New Testament who saw that she had that issue of blood, we looked at it recently, and she heard of Jesus and she realised that this Jesus is the only person that's going to help me. And so she pressed through the crowd and she touched the hem of his garment. And immediately, Jesus says, healing has gone out of me. Virtue has gone out of me. And all who come to the Lord Jesus Christ with that need, that they realise that they're in the wrong way, realise that they're a sinner in his sight and touch the hem of his garment, immediately they will be reconciled to him and their sin, which is so much be washed away.

And so therefore being justified by faith, that is faith, faith is believing and trusting God at his word. It is looking at the evidence, we see the wonderful world around about us, we read in the word of God that God created it and faith believes it. We read in the Bible about being sinful. We look in our own hearts and we say, yes, it's true that I'm a sinner. And faith draws us then to the Lord Jesus Christ, being justified by faith. Faith is the hand that reaches out to touch the hem of the garment. And in doing so, we are cleansed from our sin. And as we are cleansed from our sin, what happens? The Bible says that we were once enemies. Remember Adam chased away from God and the sword and the angel with the sword standing there guarding. We were enemies before God. But now it says we have peace. We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

If you remember, when the angels came and they sang about the birth of the Lord Jesus, they said, peace on earth. God and sinners reconciled. Jesus Christ is the prince of peace. That war that was taking place between you and God, it's gone. Because Jesus Christ has experienced the full wrath of God. upon himself there at the cross. And so he says, therefore, being justified, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. It's the only way. The only way for this to be reconciled was through Jesus Christ coming again. Jesus Christ intervening, taking the hand of God and the hand of man and bringing them together.

It is only through the Lord Jesus Christ that a sinner can be saved. There is no other way by which man can be reconciled to God except through God's way. God's way through his perfect son upon the cross, the Lord Jesus Christ. They should call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. And so here we have the big word justification, the cleansing of sin. we have peace with God by the Lord Jesus Christ, we have sin that severed us from God, we have the Lord Jesus Christ coming and patching up that wound and bringing about the reconciliation and that's why we delight in preaching the gospel, preaching that sinners should be reconciled to Christ, reconciled to God through the Lord Jesus Christ.

And may the Lord grant you each that faith to come and to sit at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ and to learn of him, to realise that sin severs, sin is dangerous, but Jesus Christ came into this world to save sinners from their sin. Amen.

Just to repeat our notices for the coming week, all if the Lord will. There'll be no meeting on Wednesday, but on Christmas Day, there'll be our service at 10 a.m. led by Pastor James, and next Lord's Day, Pastor James will preach at 11 and 6.30, and there'll be no Bible study or Sunday school. Also, please keep in prayer our brother David Cottington, who is ministering today at Colmbrook this evening.

Now let's sing our final hymn from Hymns for Worship number 67.

Number 67.

O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie.
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by.
Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light.
The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.

Hymns for Worship number 67.

O earthly earth, that still we see thee light.
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep, that silent star,
? Lasting night ?
? Love attendeth all who lie here ?
? Awaiting thee tonight ?
? When all is done together ?
? To God the King ?
? And peace to men on earth ?
? O Christ is born of Mary ?
? And death and old and old ?
? Of the mortal spirit ?
the angels keep their watch over him now.

For so I believe, and so I have believed,
? Just to give my heart a message of peace ?
? E'er the exultant blessing ends still ?
? The dear Lord is here to stay ?
? O come, all ye children of Bethlehem ?
? Listen to your father's praise ?
? As it were, third time before. ?

O Jesus, abide with us.

Almighty God and loving Heavenly Father, we do thank Thee, Lord, for this day. We do thank Thee for the gift of Thy beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and we pray for that living faith to lay hold upon Him and to trust in Him for our salvation. And we ask, Lord, Thou grant those who are resting in Christ Jesus this afternoon that true mind of the Lord Jesus Christ. Do grant us, Lord, that true humility, that true self, a sacrifice that we may live a life that is as a light shining in a dark place. Do forgive us, Lord, where we fail and do dismiss us with thy blessing. And now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God the Father fellowship and communion of the Holy Spirit to be with you each now and forevermore. Amen.