May it please God to bless our
souls this evening as we consider his word. Let's turn to the epistle
of Paul to the Romans chapter 3 and we'll read verse 27. Romans chapter 3 and reading
verse 27. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law of
works Nay, but by the law of faith. The Apostle Paul in these chapters
in Romans is speaking very strongly about the blessing and the gift
of faith and how necessary it is that you and I possess real
true living faith and faith of course is not something that
we can manufacture it's something that God gives it is the gifts
of God and what a wonderful blessing it is and because of that there
is no room for you or me to do have any boasting about our spiritual
condition about our salvation as the apostle asked the question
where is boasting then? it is excluded there is no room
for it and it will be a great blessing if you and I have come
to that condition and that position where we honestly desire that
we may be nothing that Christ may be all and in all because
of his great salvation because of what he's done for his wonderful
love his great grace his infinite mercy these things are wonderful
and blessed truths and so the apostle has taken us through
in this chapter and has argued the point with regard to this
wonderful blessing of receiving the righteousness of Christ. Nothing in ourselves never has
been anything that would merit any esteem. And yet you see,
we're often found trying to look to ourselves, trying to impress
people. We're such a terrible lot really. And sin is mixed with all we
do. Sin is mixed with our best things.
Sin is mixed with our prayers. We find the devil creeping in
and trying to make us claim and boast of something that we have
done. You know we have to be very careful
on spiritual things. And by that I mean this. There is perhaps a temptation
that we need some great blessing. Or perhaps we've laid down a
rule, perhaps we've said I must be blessed in this particular
way. And I believe sometimes It is
so that we might boast of that which we possess. We may say,
well of course it's not really that. It's really I want to give
God the honour and glory. Be careful. The heart is deceitful
above all things and desperately wicked. The devil can make you
claim some glory for the blessing that the Lord gives. Be careful. because you see our old nature
is very proud and so it's a good thing and we are thankful that
the Apostle Paul spells out these things in these terms and makes
us aware that any boasting must be excluded it cannot exist because
any boasting will indeed detract from the honour and glory of
God how very clearly does the Apostle speak to us when he wrote
the epistle to the Ephesians and he spoke those wonderful
words and they are foundational truths for us for by grace are
you saved again you see clearly there nothing in self nothing
that you and I have done it's purely God's Wonderful, unmerited
favour towards guilty sinners. That's what it means. For by
grace are you saved through faith. It is faith that God gives, and
here he tells us. And that none of yourselves,
it is the gift of God. and in our right minds we are
so thankful it is so and in our right minds then we can praise
and we can glorify our God for His grace and for the faith that
He's given to us to believe in Him it is the gift of God and
it gives the reason not of works lest any man should boast see
the warning lest any man should boast. My friends, we need to
be very wary of our own nature, because the devil's there at
our elbow, trying to catch us out. And we may think that our
motives and our desires are good and righteous and pure. Well,
we need to perhaps just stop for a moment and examine ourselves. There's nothing wrong in that.
It's a good exercise to examine ourselves to see whether our
prayers, our desires are for the honour and glory of God and
in those things that we know boasting of ourselves but our
boast will be in the Lord. Now that's God honouring and
that will be a blessing and that will be a favour. So may we observe
then what the Apostle speaks here Where is boasting then? It is excluded. And the Apostle
has told us so clearly about our true state. He said, for
all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. That's you
and me. We are part of that all. All have sinned and all are unholy. And all are deceitful. And all
are wretched sinners. And we all come short. And we
are all without excuse. Just think of that. Condemned. There we are as it were in court.
Standing up. And the verdict is given. Condemned. Condemned. All that we might
have thought was good. We've lost. We stand with nothing. Nothing in my hand I bring. And we come down to that position. Nothing in my hand I bring. That
makes self, you see, very small. We don't merit any favour in
ourselves. What it means is this. All our
hope is in Christ. All our hope is in His glorious
and finished work. And so there's no boasting in
self. It's excluded. There's no room for it. And so
the apostle goes on to say, being justified freely. Freely. What do we pay for it? We haven't got any. currency
which was of any value. We were bankrupt, nothing to
pay. Think of those words, over him
I came to Jesus as I was, weary and worn and sad, nothing in
ourselves of any merit. And so we read this word being
justified that means made just with God an unworthy sinner who
has nothing to offer yet justified freely why are we justified freely? the apostle tells us by his grace
by his grace grace is indeed a charming sound Is there a charming
sound to our ears tonight? Do we rejoice in the grace of
God? And therefore to believe that
by His grace we are freely justified. My friends we need to be justified.
We need to be just with God. and he says freely by his grace
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus you know in just
a few words here the apostle speaks very wonderfully about
the gospel and he gives us a full picture of it we see ourselves
here then and I hope we see ourselves justified but freely How? By His grace, the free and merited
favour of the Lord Jesus who has redeemed us. That means we were condemned
in that court of justice with nothing to pay. We could not
redeem ourselves. We could not pay the price for
our salvation. Indeed we were bankrupt. We had
nothing. And here we have these words,
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. The Lord Jesus
Christ. He paid the price for our freedom. We couldn't free ourselves. The
Lord Jesus Christ paid the price. Redeemed us. Through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus. There is no redemption anywhere
else. No one else could deliver us from the condemnation of the
holy law of God. We were indeed guilty and lost
and ruined in a fall. Whom God has set forth to be
a propitiation through faith in His blood. You see the cost
of this redemption, the payment The required currency was the
blood of the Saviour. It was the death of the Lord
Jesus Christ. And God set this forth. And God
has set forth to be a propitiation through faith. In His blood you
see this gift of faith to believe that the shed blood of the Saviour
was all sufficient, nothing else needed. If you and I are under the blood,
the blood has been shed for us, we are eternally safe. Safety is of the Lord. Nowhere
outside of Christ, through faith in His blood, to
declare His righteousness For the remission of sins that are
passed through the forbearance of God, every sin, sins are passed. Oh, as you and
I look back, no doubt, I hope anyway, as we look back we are
ashamed of the multitude of sins that we have committed. sometimes
sadly against light and knowledge and we do stand guilty and we
are guilty and we will come in like that publican who said and
prayed God be merciful to me a sinner he knew what it was
to be under condemnation he knew what it was to be a sinner he
knew what it was to plead for mercy Therefore to declare his righteousness
for the remission of sins of the past through the forbearance
of God. God's forbearance to us. Amazing isn't it? You think that
God's forbearance perhaps to us today. God knows all of our
individual lives whether there have been any tantrums to God
today. And God has been forbearing toward
us. We deserve to be cut off. We deserve, as it were, to be
kicked out. But no, the forbearance of God. It's a wonderful thing to think
of, isn't it? That God is forbearing with you
and me. Has been since the day we were born. up to the present
moment of time the forbearance of God as he says to declare
I say at this time his righteousness that he might be just and the
justifier of him which believeth in Jesus well tonight may you
and I indeed be blessed with a true heart to believe what
the Lord has said and may we therefore be given that faith
to stretch out our arm, our hand and may hold upon these great
and precious promises which the Lord has seen fit to record for
our encouragement and for our blessing and for our favour and
as we do this as the position that the apostle then comes and
says now I have told you this, I have told you of faith, I have
told you of grace, I have told you you are redeemed, I have
told you the need for the propitiation through his blood, his righteousness
and I declare this to you and now I ask the question where
is boasting then? and surely it must be we come
here boasting of ourselves of what we've done as we stand there
before our holy God with condemnation written upon us condemned to
die and yet to look out to ourselves to the Lord Jesus Christ and
see there His glorious finished work to redeem our souls and
to save our souls from the pits of corruption. It is indeed a
deep pit that my friends the Lord Jesus came to seek and to
save that which was lost. To seek and to save that which
was lost. You know the Apostle points us
in so many ways to this really same theme And in 1 Corinthians
4, chapter 7, verse 1 he says, For who maketh thee to differ
from another? And what hast thou that thou
didst not receive? Now thou didst receive it, why
dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it? You see, what's
made us to differ? It's what the Lord Jesus Christ
has done for us. Not anything that you and I have
done. What makes you to differ? What can we boast in? We can't
boast in ourselves. We can boast in what the Lord
Jesus Christ has done. It's a good thing if we come
to that place and we move on to that, that we might boast
in Christ's finished work. Where is boasting then? It is
excluded. Oh my friends, Let us realize
that we cannot boast in ourselves. You know, the temptation is there
because of our sinful flesh. Yes, the temptation is there
to boast of what we receive as though we have some right to
it. As though we put our hands to the work. As though it was
because of what we'd done. No, we're not allowed to boast
like that. We either come and give all the
honor and all the glory to our God. The Psalmist points again
to the situation and he tells us in Psalm 49 they that trust
in their wealth and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches
none of them can by any means redeem his brother nor give to
God a ransom for him. Any natural ability cannot save
anyone. So the psalmist goes on to say,
for the redemption of their soul is precious and it ceases forever. The redemption of the soul is
so precious, it means it is so valuable and I do feel so strongly
that we often do not realise the value of our souls and how
vitally important it is that our souls are redeemed it is
precious because eternity is before us as we sang eternity
tremendous sound Do you know that? Have you stood
or sat or laid and trembled before God as you thought of a lost
eternity? The redemption of their soul
is precious and you and I can only be redeemed through the
precious blood of Christ. That's the only currency, that's
the only way that we can receive forgiveness of how we need to
come to the Saviour. Again, empty handed, yes, naked,
we come for dress, helpless and lost to come to the Saviour and
seeking then for His mercy. Can we claim anything? Can we
boast then? In what we are able to do? Is
there any ability? Quite clearly there is not. It
is excluded. By what law of works? Nay, but
by the law of faith. You see it says the Lord gives
us that faith to believe. That faith to believe. What a
gift it is and how necessary it is that we are favoured to
enjoy this wonderful favour and this wonderful blessing. In the next chapter, the fourth
chapter, which speaks about Abraham in some detail, and we read,
For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to
glory, but not before God. Not of works, lest any man should
boast. If Abraham were justified by
the works, he would have something to glory in. He would have something
to boast in, of what he'd done. No, he was blessed with the Spirit
of God. He was blessed with this wonderful
gift of faith to believe that impossible things could come
to pass. we have that line of a hymn faith
laughs at impossibilities and says it shall be done faith that
is there may be some things which we think in our lives are impossible
you may think and I don't know how we are tonight you may think
well my case is hopeless it's impossible I will never be freed
I will never be delivered. It's because perhaps we're looking
at ourselves. And if you look to yourself,
it means that you're looking to be able to boast of something
that you've received and you've done. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. Oh, do carefully
examine your heart to see whether That's been a barrier erected.
You've erected a barrier. Haven't appreciated it. There's the barrier separating
you and your God. And what is lacking? Faith. What are you doing? Relying upon
works. Relying upon works. You might
say, well I don't think I am. Again, we need to look into our
hearts and we'll find sometimes that we've been relying upon
our ability to do certain things. Perhaps we've been relying upon
our prayers. The Lord will show you and me how weak we are in
ourselves. And it's God that gives prevailing
prayer. You know, you can pray all day
and all night and all the week to no avail. My friends, if the
Lord gives prevailing prayer, And then you see the prayer enters
in. And how does it enter in? It
enters in through the merits of our Saviour the Lord Jesus
Christ. And it's when indeed you come with nothing to pay. That's when we pray. That's when
we truly pray. That's when we come to God believing
because we come, as it were, to the end of everything. We're
ready to give up and call no more on Jesus' name. Well, where is boasting then? When the Lord comes then and
reveals our true position like that, we cannot boast, can we? We cannot boast in anything that
we can do. All we can do is to bless God
for what He's enabled us to do. He's given us that faith to believe. Oh how humbling it is when that
light shines and when the Lord shows to us he's given us this
great and wonderful grace of believing. Well my friends tonight
let us not boast in ourselves let us boast in what the Lord
Jesus Christ has done and to thank him from the bottom of
our heart for every favour and every mercy. You see this theme
is continued through the Word of God. It's nothing which is
suddenly new. It's the same theme which runs
through the Word of God. Jeremiah speaks of this in the
9th chapter. He tells us, Thus saith the Lord,
Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom. Neither let the mighty
man glory in his might. Let not the rich man glory in
his riches. We see the example here of tendencies. Lest to ourselves we will rely
upon our wisdom or our power or our riches. Jeremiah says,
but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth
and knoweth me. that I am the Lord which exercise
loving kindness, judgment and righteousness in the earth, for
in these things I delight, saith the Lord." It's a blessing isn't
it? It's a glory in the fact that
the Lord has given us a spiritual understanding. A spiritual understanding
to rejoice in these truths which we've spoken about. in this third
chapter of Romans. The blessing of the spiritual
understanding. And it's when the Lord comes
and opens our understanding, opens our eyes and our ears,
so that we understand these great truths. And my friends, until
then, we're deaf and we're blind. Let him that glorieth glory in
this, he's seen not in ourselves. that he understandeth and knoweth
that I am the Lord, which exercise lovingkindness, judgment and
righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight, saith
the Lord." Well, tonight have we an understanding of these
spiritual things. Sometimes the temptation when
we have to confess that we don't understand and we think we should
and we're ashamed of our ignorance, but that's not a bad thing to
be ashamed of our ignorance but it shouldn't stop us then coming
to our God and confessing our ignorance and praying that he
will reveal himself unto us as he does not unto the world. My
friends, that's a gracious and right prayer to come to God with. Because then you see, it's God's
work. It's God's work in the heart.
There's no room then for boasting. No, it is excluded. By what law
of works? No. But by the law of faith. Well it's a blessing isn't it?
Tonight if we know anything and have that desire in our hearts
that we might really be blessed with this living faith to believe
these great and glorious truths which are contained in the word
of God. You know in that lovely first
chapter that Paul wrote to the Corinthians where he speaks about
the foolishness and the ignorance and yet the blessing of the Lord
and he comes down towards the end of this chapter and he says
who he's chosen who he's chosen but God has chosen be encouraged
by this because I believe if we're going to talk with the
Lord God will come in with this but God has chosen the foolish
things of the world you have to say well I've been foolish
I've been foolish a long time perhaps we have to say we're
still foolish we are aren't we God has chosen the foolish things
of the world to confound the wise. Those are full of their
own strength and their own wisdom. And God has chosen the weak things
of the world to confound the things which are mighty. Remember
what we've just spoken of in that account in Jeremiah. You
see, wisdom and might. Well, God hasn't chosen such,
generally. The foolish and the weak. And
why? To confound the things which
are mighty, and face things of the world. Well, when the Spirit
of God shines into our heart, we can't claim any purity or
wonder. When the Lord shows us, and my
friends, God shows you and me more and more of our heart, we
can never be proud. No, we have to see there a den
of evil and iniquity in our hearts. And so the The Apostle says,
and base things in the world, and things which are despised
hath God chosen. Isn't that wonderful? And things which are not, to
bring to naught things that are. And here is the secret, that
no flesh should glory in his presence no flesh should glory
in his presence where is boasting then? it is excluded that no
flesh should glory in his presence but of him are ye in Christ Jesus
who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification
and redemption now mark carefully those words but of him are ye,
yes who are indeed these people foolish and weak and base and
despised but of him are ye in Christ Jesus who of God is made
unto us you see God is made unto us all these things not ourselves
but God has made unto us then wisdom and righteousness and
sanctification and redemption that according as it is written
he that glorious let him glory in the Lord tonight do we not
have reason to glory in the Lord in all that he has done his great
love in coming to us in finding us and not dealing with us as
our sins deserve. His mirth has been lengthened
out. His love's been so great. Oh, do we glory tonight in what
He's done. He that glorieth not himself
in the Lord. Where is boasting then? It is
excluded. It must be, mustn't it? There's
no room for it. Oh, may we glory in the Lord
as we receive this great blessing of faith to believe the great
and glorious truth of the gospel another chapter which I often
refer to in the Corinthians the second epistle in the fourth
chapter for we preach not ourselves but Christ Jesus the Lord and
ourselves your servants for Jesus sake for God who commanded The
light to shine out of darkness has shined in our hearts. The
Lord commands it and the light shines in our heart. And we see,
we understand, perhaps not greatly but a little, we've never seen
before. Yes, for God who commandeth the
light to shine out of darkness has shined in our hearts. to
give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face
of Jesus Christ. Do you remember that verse? Do
you remember 2nd Corinthians I have the 4th chapter and the
6th verse, 2, 4, 6, you can remember that can't you? It's a very beautiful
verse, it's a very wonderful verse. Let's read it again. For
God who commanded a light to shine out of darkness has shined
in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory
of God in the face of Jesus Christ. And he comes on, he says this
now, and this is so relevant. But we have this treasure in
earthen vessels. That's all we are. Just an earthen
vessel. To think that we have this treasure
within us. That the excellency of the power
may be of God and not of us. So that God has the glory. Because
it's His power. Nothing to do with ourselves. Oh, remember then, where is boasting
then? It is excluded. Oh, then we might
boast in the Lord. The Apostle goes on, and how
encouraging. We are troubled on every side,
yes we may be, yet not distressed. We don't give up. We are perplexed,
yes, but not in despair. We are persecuted, but not forsaken. cast down, but not destroyed,
always bearing about and abiding the dying of the Lord Jesus,
that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. O Christ in you, the hope of
glory, Christ for all within us, for we which live are always
delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus
might be manifest in our mortal flesh. Well, we could go on.
It's a beautiful account of how relevant it is to the Church
of God, especially if we consider such words as this. Where is
boasting then? Oh, it's so important that we
do not boast of anything other than in what the Lord Jesus Christ
has done. And then just one last reference,
Psalm 34. Psalm 34, and David commences,
beautiful words, I will bless the Lord at all times. Now remember, David's life wasn't
easy was it? What does he say? I will bless
the Lord at all times. The ups and the downs, the crosses,
the difficulties. I will bless the Lord at all
times. His praise shall continually
be in my mouth. Oh what a desire, what a prayer. May it be so. The second verse. My soul shall make her boast
in the Lord. The humble shall hear thereof
and be glad. Oh magnify the Lord with me. That joining together that Christ
might be exalted and that has exalt his name together. I sought the Lord and he heard
me and delivered me from all my fears. Ah the favour of God. the mercy of God, the love of
God to such unworthy sinners. Let us consider these things,
let us rejoice in them, let us bless God for them, and let us
indeed remember what the apostles said, where is boasting then?
It is excluded by what law of works, nay, but by the law of
faith. Therefore, he says, we conclude You see, it's the conclusion
it comes to, that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of
the law. You and I, my friends, stand
on being justified by faith. And remember, it is the gift
of God. And remember, it is for the glory
of God. Oh may we indeed bless God for
it and rejoice in it and thank God for it and desire indeed
throughout our lives that our lives may be for the honour and
glory of our God. Amen.