Thank you, Lord, that we can
stand here this day and praise you for washing us white of snow
right now. Washing us white of snow in your
son, the Lord Jesus, who hung on the tree for us. The Lord
Jesus, whose blood, whose righteous blood was shed for our sakes.
Oh, Lord, you paid it all. We owe everything to you, Lord.
Even our knowledge of you, even our desire, our love for you,
we owe to you, Father. We love you because you first
loved us. Bless us now, Lord, for your
son's sake as we go into your word this morning. Give us eyes
and ears and a heart to hear the words of truth that we're
about to look into. We ask in Christ's name, amen. Well, like I said, we're in Romans
again. This morning we're looking at
chapter 3. This will be our 10th study in
the book of Romans. And I'm going to, once again,
leave some scriptures for you to look at on your own. I'm sorry that I can't sit like
some men and study in the depth that some men study, such as
Don Fortner and Henry Mahan, Charles Spurgeon, many, many
others that I can go on and live. I'm just not that kind of person.
I bring to you studies that I know personally. One of the most wisest
things I've ever been told is, John, don't try to preach something
you don't know. Just stand before the people
and preach what you know, and God will do all the rest. Because
it has to be of God, or it's not of anything at all, because
I've just got words of man. It has to be the word from God. The first part of Romans chapter
3, verses 1 through 8, are answers to the objections of those who
know not God that are asked by the things that are stated in
chapter 2. And this is from Henry Mahon here. In verses 9 through 19, are words
from Paul to the Romans that prove that Jews and Gentiles
are guilty of sin and cannot be justified by the law. The
remaining verses, chapter 20 through 31, state the true and only way that
justification by the righteousness and death of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and that's where we shall be this morning, verses 20 through
21. So look with me, if you would, verse 20, Romans chapter three,
verse 20. And therefore, by the deeds of
the law, and that means simply this, by exercising what you
think is fulfilling the law, by the deeds of the law, there shall be, there shall no
flesh, be justified in his sight. For by the law is the knowledge
of sin." What do we mean by that? It means that all are without
excuse. Folks, God's laws are written
on the hearts of all mankind. We all came into this world knowing
right from wrong. Adam and Eve ate of the tree
of good and evil. We know what's wrong. That's
why a child, when they lie, will turn. No, no, I didn't do that. Yes, you did. And I can say that
because I was one of those children. I was one of those who would,
the moment Dad said, don't stick your finger in that and turn
his back, I'd stick my finger in it. Did you do that? He's
laughing knowing I did. No, I didn't do that. My finger
would burn halfway out. But no, that wasn't me. I know from experience. Nobody had to tell me right from
wrong. I knew what was right and what was wrong. All mankind are without excuse. They know good from evil, and
that's why there are so many different religions. Everybody's
out there looking for a way to justify what they've done wrong. Everybody. The wickedness that
is in me, I need something. I'm going to preach on that at
11 o'clock hour. What is needful? The one thing
that is most needful. We all are without excuse. None
can open his mouth in his own defense or claim any righteousness
of their own. But everyone must acknowledge
guilt before God. Paul then proceeds to to the
conclusion that he is meant to draw from all of what he just
said in the last chapter and a half, he proceeds to say there
is no justification. You cannot be just before God
when sin is mixed in with everything that you do. You cannot be just
before God by works or deeds of the law. That's what that's
saying. The law reveals sin, it cannot relieve sin. It is our schoolmaster that brings
us to Christ. You say, how does that, how does
the law act as a schoolmaster to you and I? Folks, the law
is righteous. Did you hear me? The law is righteous. It's good. It's perfect. The law is righteousness. And it's perfection. If you break
one part, and it's according to the Scriptures, if you break
one part of the law, you broke the whole thing. If you haven't
fulfilled all the part of God's law, then you have broke all
the law, all the parts of God's law, everything. We cannot keep the law, even
in part, for all that we are is tainted with sin. Therefore,
the law brings us to the one who has fulfilled the law perfectly,
for he is for his chosen people. Knowing what the law is, and
knowing that we can't fulfill it, and knowing that we can't
even do one jot or one tittle of it, we know that we have to
find something, find someone who has for us, don't we? We cannot justify ourselves before
God, we need one who can. We'll get to that in just a moment.
We're all tainted with sin, therefore the law brings us to the one
who has fulfilled the law perfectly for his chosen people, those
for whom he would shed his blood for, look over at verse 21, but
now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested,
being witnessed by the law and of the prophets. But now, it
says, the righteousness of God without the law is manifested. Folks, I'm telling you here this
morning, the righteousness of God is the most important expression
ever said in scriptures. Our God is holy. Perfectly holy. You must be as righteous as He
is. It's one of the most important
expressions in scriptures. It signifies both the precept
of the law and the penalty of it. The law is righteousness. The penalty of it is death. In other words, that the law,
the holy law, and every jot and tittle must be honored, and where
there is the least offense, where there is just the one little
thing that is missing, justice must be satisfied. We're talking
here of God's own personal holiness. but of the righteousness that
he has by his grace. And it's provided for and imputed
to guilty sinners through whom? Through his son. Turn over to
Romans 10, if you would. We're in Romans 3. Turn over
to chapter 10 for just a moment. And we can see in verses 1 through
4, chapter 10, our Lord supplies our righteousness through his
son. Look at verse 1. Brethren, my heart's desire and
prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. Paul's talking
about the very religious of the religious of that day. Those
who thought they were fulfilling the law perfectly. Brethren,
my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they
might be saved. For I bear them record that they
have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being
ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish
their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto
the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the
law for righteousness to everyone that what? What's that last word? Go ahead, Paula, you can say
it. Believe it. Believe it. Whosoever believeth
in me, he says in John 3.16, whosoever believeth in me shall
have eternal life. For Christ is the end of the
law, for righteousness sake to everyone that believeth. Without
the law, not without perfect obedience to the law, for this
is what Christ did. but without regard to the sinner's
obedience of law. In other words, the law did this. He laid himself down. Everyone
who believes in Christ belongs in him. It doesn't have anything
to do with our obedience to the law. Now let me state one more
thing to that. It doesn't have anything to do with our disobedience
to the law either. Christ has fulfilled the law
for us perfectly. Everything that is needed of
God is provided in our Savior. Is it not? Folks, if there's
one little thing that we think that we need to do, and I know
that some want to take the words of, for by grace are ye saved
through faith. Oh, it's my faith. Yes, it is
your faith. Absolutely, it's your faith. But you wouldn't
have that faith if it weren't for a gift of God. We'd all be
walking in darkness right now, exactly how we were before the
Lord called us out of that darkness with the preaching of His word.
Christ fulfilled it for us, He reveals it to us, and Moses and
all the prophets testified of this very righteousness. Let's
look at Isaiah 53, 11 for a minute. Hold your spot there in Romans,
we'll come right back. Turn over to Isaiah 53. Did Isaiah preach
of the righteousness of Christ? Look at verse 11, Isaiah 53 verse
11, Isaiah was preaching the righteousness of Christ just
as all of God's. Did you know that Noah was a preacher of righteousness?
Scripture say, Noah was a preacher of righteousness
over in the book of Hebrews. Turn over to Jeremiah chapter
23. Jeremiah 23, let's look at that.
Did Jeremiah preach the righteousness of Christ? Look at Jeremiah 23
for just a moment. Verses 5 and 6. Did Jeremiah
preach the righteousness of Christ? Behold, it says in verse 5, Behold,
the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David
a righteous branch. He didn't say that he will make
David a righteous branch. He will raise unto David. He
will raise unto all of his people, even in the Old Testament, a
righteous branch. And the king shall reign and
prosper and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In
his days, Judah shall be saved and Israel shall dwell safely.
And this is his name whereby he shall be exalted, the Lord
our righteousness." Whoo! Isn't that good stuff? Now one
more, if you would, turn over Psalms. Go backwards, if you
would, to Psalms for just a second and look at Psalm 85. Psalms 85. Look at the last four verses of Psalms
85. Mercy and truth are met together. Righteousness and peace have spring out of the earth, and
righteousness shall look down from heaven. Yea, the Lord shall
give that which is good, and our land shall yield her increase.
Righteousness shall go before him, and shall set us in the
way of his steps." The old prophet testaments preach that very same
thing back in our text of Romans chapter 3. All the old prophets
testified of the very same righteousness that you and I do this day, and
that is the righteousness of Christ. needs Him. In Romans chapter 3, verse 22,
we read these words, even the righteousness of God, which is
by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all, them that,
there's that word again, what's that word again, Polly? Believe
it. For there is no difference This perfect righteousness whereby
we are sanctified, that means set apart, means made holy, that
we are justified, that very same righteousness that we are justified
by and received in God's presence as holy and without blame, is
not imputed to us on account of any work of our own. It's
not because of what we have done. It's not because we show up on
Sunday morning for services. It's not because we look into
the Bible and read it for an hour every day. No, no, it's
because of Him. It's not works of our own, but
is received by, what does it say there? By faith. Faith is
not a part of that righteousness, but it is true faith that it
is received. What are we saved? By grace are
we saved. True. And then God gives us that faith
to believe on Him. Whosoever, who are the whosoever?
The whosoever are you and I. Those who God has given the ability
to believe. To put our trust in. And He teaches us every day how
to do that more and more, doesn't He? Isn't that what our trials
are for? Isn't that the sorrows that we
go through? I was asked earlier this week,
you know, Why do we have to suffer much? Why do we have to suffer
this way? If God be for us, why do we have to suffer? Because
it pleased God, was my answer. It pleased Him that we should
suffer for a little while, that we would spend eternity praising
Him for His mercy and grace for us. I know it's not easy. Some of
us have great trials. Lost loved ones. Disputes in
the families. Many things become trials to
those who walk with God. Our biggest trial is our own
pride, is it not? Our own flesh within us. When
I compare the troubles within me to the troubles I have in
those around me in the world, The troubles within me stand
out more than anything. This is the humbleness that God
brings us to. I don't care who you are. No
one turns to humbleness on their own desire. Oh, some think they do. Some think
that, oh, just if I be a meek little person and quiet and never
talk, And I just, you know, I don't speak out and I do this and I
do that. I can be humbled. No. Humbling is God showing you
and I what we are. Humbling is that man who sat
in the corner, that I know that Cheryl, sitting there
screaming at her computer right now, charge on it! The man in the corner crying
out, he was humbled by God. If left to himself, if left to
ourselves, we would be like the proud Pharisee. We would be like
the proud Pharisee standing there in the middle of the temple going,
thank you Lord for not making me this way. Thank you Lord that
I'm not like him over there. Being humble is that man over
there who God has shown him what he is. Unworthy. Undeserving. Nothing but a worm. Sinful worm. Are you calling my grandmother
a worm, John? I'm calling every person with
two legs that's ever walked this earth outside of Christ Jesus
Himself is exactly what we are. Humble. We need a perfect righteousness
whereby we are sanctified and justified. It is brought to us
through faith, by grace through faith. We must be one with Him
and this union is accomplished through faith. Look at Philippians
chapter 3. Philippians chapter 3. Just the other side of Ephesians. Look at verse 9. This union of
Christ must be accomplished through faith. Look at verse 9 of Philippians
chapter 3. And be found in him not having mine own righteousness,
which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of
Christ, that righteousness which is of God by faith. Now one more, if you would, go
back to Romans, this time look over chapter 4, just a page away
from where we are in our text. Look at verses 20 through 24. Abraham staggered not at the
promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving
glory to God. Don't you wish you had the strength
of Abraham, the strong faith of Abraham? Folks, you know we
do. Do you know we do? Abraham's
faith is exactly like you and I, yours and mine is. It's faith
in him. It's faith in knowing that he
is God, and that because he's God, everything he's promised
will come true. That's what Abraham's faith was.
He was able to take his son up onto that mountain under the
assumption that he was going to sacrifice his son because
God had promised him a nation, and he believed God. Whosoever
believeth. See how that works out? He staggered
not at the promise of God's unbelief, but was strong in the faith,
giving glory to God. and being fully persuaded that
what he had promised, what God had promised, he was able to
perform. And therefore, because he believed
God, because the belief, the gift that God gave him, it was imputed to him for righteousness. It was counted to him for righteousness. Verse 23, now it was not written
for his sake alone, no, that it was imputed to him, but for
us also, as it says in verse 24, to whom it shall be imputed
if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead. You see how it wipes out the
works of the law? You see how it stops us in our
tracks from trying to earn our way with God? You see how it
puts us? Oh, folks, I'm telling you, it's
going to be difficult for me to stop right now and leave this for
the next message, but I'm telling you, this is what the next message
is all about. What is needful to you and I?
A rest. A rest. Yesterday, a lady came to the
church, and she said, there's a girl named Sue down the road
who has a flat tire on her bicycle. We're looking for a car to help
Sue out. She's got money to buy a car.
She just didn't have thousands of dollars. She's only got three.
And so now, while she doesn't have a car, she's riding her
bike. She goes, there's a lady down the street who looks like
she's been in distress. She needs rest. She needs rest. I need rest. My tires are flat. I've been
walking for miles. Forty years of walking. And the
Lord comes to us in that day. Does He not? Does He not come
to us and say, rest in Me? Quit trying to establish your
own righteousness. Mine is perfect. And because
I've gone to the cross and shed my blood for you, my righteousness
is yours. Amen. Let's close real quick if you
would. Look at verses 23-26. For all have sinned to come short
of the glory of God, being justified, justified freely by His grace. Through what? Through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus. Whom God has set forth to be,
and here's the title of my message you are studying this morning,
propitiation. You know, I've always understood
that as it was just a payment. It just meant that the payment
was done. He has set himself as our payment. You know, that is what it is,
but it's not just that. Listen to these words from the
Young's Dictionary. This blessed my heart. I hope
it does yours. The word propitiation signifies the mercy seat. It's a derivative of a word,
and I can't pronounce it, it's Greek, but it's an expiratory,
in other words, a place or a thing that is consequently an atoning
victim. What do you mean, an atoning
victim? What would be an atoning victim? The mercy seat. What was the
mercy seat a picture of? Our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus.
Was it not? Where was the blood sprinkled?
It was sprinkled on the mercy seat. Right there in the holiest
of holies. It's Jesus Christ. He's our propitiation. He's our mercy seat. Go back
and read that again with me. Of whom God hath set forth to
be a mercy seat through faith in His blood. to declare his
righteousness for the remissions 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 the mercy sheet, which was
a type of Christ, is the propitiation to God for sins. He has reconciled
us unto himself by the obedience and the sacrifice of his sons.
The sins that are past means that God has pardoned the sins
of all believers, even those under the Old Testament, in the
dispensation of the atonement of Christ, and they were persuaded
of the promises in Christ just as you and I do. We looked
upon what God has done, they looked upon what God would do,
and it was the same thing, the promise of God in sending His
Son to be our propitiation. It's all summed up right there
in verse 26. He is just and also the justifier. He was made sin for us. God punished
his son as though the sins were his. Therefore, his righteousness
is made to be ours. Jesus paid it all. All to him
I owe. This morning, folks, I hope you're
considering the just Jesus Christ our Lord and how he gave himself
for the unjust, you and I. Amen.