is not The Ubicenter Grace Church would
like to invite you to listen to a sermon by Pastor Darwin
Pruitt of Taylor, Arkansas. For information about how to
obtain a copy of this sermon, please visit our website at ysgracechurch.com. And now, here is Pastor Darwin
Pruitt. If you will, turn with me to
Romans chapter 4. In the first three chapters of
Romans, The Apostle Paul proves that there can be no justification
before God by any sinner by the works of the law. It's a proven
fact. Paul proves this beyond question. What is justification? What is
this justification of which Paul speaks? To be justified by God
means to be examined by God Now think about what I just said,
not examined by me, not you examining me and not me examining you,
not the church's examination of you or your examination of
the church, but examined by God and found holy, unblameable,
unreprovable in His sight. It means that we are cleared
of all charges. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? Heaven, earth, or hell. It means
that we're acquitted of all accusations. It means that we're absolved
of all guilt, freed from any further judgment, and declared
worthy of eternal life. That's what it means to be justified. How can that be? How can that
be? Job asked that question. He said,
how can man be just with God? What is man, he said, that he
should be clean, or he that is born of a woman, that he should
be righteous? Behold, God putteth no trust in his saints. Yea,
the heavens are not clean in his sight. How much more abominable
and filthy is man that drinketh iniquity like water? How can
a man be just with God? How can God Himself look on you
and justify you? How can that be? Well, it's all
made clear in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In his Gospel and according
to the Word of God, justification is the imputation of Christ's
righteousness to believing sinners. I say believing sinners because
the Scripture says whom he called, then he also justified. How do
I know who was justified? He calls them. He calls them. Faith is how God's elect are
made known, and in the giving of this faith, God reveals to
us our justification in Christ, and we're said to be justified
by faith. Actually, we were justified,
if you want to get down to the technicality of the thing, we
were justified in the mind and purpose of God before the world
began. There's no other way He could deal with us except as
justified. And our justification was accomplished
on Calvary. and declared when Christ was
raised from the dead, he was delivered for our offenses, raised
again for our justification. It was accomplished on Calvary.
It was applied in time to the consciences of chosen sinners
by way of the gift of faith. We joy, Paul said, we joy in
God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received
the atonement. Justification. want to get down
to the meat of the thing, justification is a legal term. It's a legal
term. And it's never used in the Bible. Never used in the Bible to describe
any kind of an inward change in the believer. That's the work
of sanctification. But justification is a legal
term. We're justified by the obedience and blood of Christ
which is freely charged to our account by the transaction of
the sovereign God. God was in Christ reconciling
the world unto Himself. Now listen, not imputing their
trespasses unto them. Romans 3, verse 24, being justified
freely by His grace through the redemption that's in Christ Jesus,
whom God set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood to
declare his righteousness for the remission of sins. And so
Paul sums up the matter in Romans 3.20. I read it to you a few
moments ago. Therefore, therefore, by the
deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his
sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Now according
to this, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter what portion
of that law that I look to, whether I look to it in part or look
to it in whole, anywhere that this sinner looks at that law
for hope, that law says you're guilty. You're guilty. You're
guilty. By the law is the knowledge of
sin. Now, to prove this beyond all
question, the Holy Spirit uses three arguments. The Holy Spirit
inspired Paul to use three arguments to prove this beyond all question.
First of all, because it's a foregone conclusion that both Jews and
Gentiles are all under sin. Because of the fallen, depraved
state of man, there's none righteous and none that understandeth,
none good, and none that seeketh after God. They're all gone out
of the way. Destruction and misery are in
their ways. They're ignorant of the way of peace, and there's
no fear of God before their eyes. I read that to you. I want you
to hear what I'm saying. Any concept of man justifying
himself before God by his own obedience is absolutely ludicrous. It's ludicrous. Any concept of
a man justifying himself before God. Imagine a filthy maggot
crawling up off that that old rotting corpse that he's been
feeding on and he crawls up to the top and he looks up to heaven
and tries to make a case for his own cleanliness. That's not
even a portion of what it is for a man to justify himself
before God. Job said, if I justify myself,
my own mouth condemns me. My own concept of justification
would condemn me because of the fallen state. All in state of
man are none righteous, and therefore, there can be none justified. Before stating our free justification
by faith back in Romans 3.24, Paul gives this statement. He
said, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
Romans 3.23. So here's the first argument
he used to show men and women the utter impossibility of any
man justifying himself by his own obedience to the law, his
sin and his inability. He's a sinner. Secondly, by the
nature of the law itself. This is the second argument he
used. The law knows nothing of trying. I was talking to a man
on the phone last night. And he started talking to me
about men doing the best they could and God accepting it. The
law doesn't know anything at all about trying. That's a doctrine
by depraved men. That's a doctrine invented by
depraved men trying to justify themselves. The law knows nothing
about doing. The only thing it knows about
is doing. Doing. Romans 2 verse 13, For
not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers
of the law shall be just. In Galatians, Paul wrote to that
church that were being bewitched by false prophets. He said, tell
me ye that desire to be under the law. Do you hear the law?
Do you know anything at all about the nature of God's law? Do you
know what that law says? Do you know what that law demands? He said, as many as are of the
works of the law. Now listen to this. If that's
your hope, if that's your religion, if that's your hope for glory,
obeying that law, you need to hear what this says. As many
as are of the works of the law are under the curse. For it is
written, Cursed is everyone who continueth not in all things
written in the book of the law to do. And in Romans 7, verse
14, he said, For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am
carnal, sold unto sin. That's a curse. The law is spiritual. What's that mean? It means it
takes into account your motives. not just your deeds. It means
that it is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of your
heart. He tells us all things are naked and open under the
eyes of Him with whom we have to do. All I can see is what
you do. God knows why you do it. He knows
why. He knows your intent. The law
demands unbroken, spiritual, loving obedience, which a sinner
cannot do. He cannot give. That's why our
Lord said the whole law hinges on this. Love God with all your
heart, soul, mind, and strength. If you could do that, there's
nothing beyond your reach in that law. But you can't do that,
and therefore you've become guilty of the whole law. And then the
third argument he gives is that it's not God's intent to save
anybody by the obedience of the law. It was never God's intent
to save any man by that law. Listen to this. He said, now
the righteousness of God, without the laws manifested, being witnessed
by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God,
which is by faith of Jesus Christ. That's what was witnessed under
that law. That's what that law had to say. But you say God gave
the law. God commanded us to obey it.
Yes, but not with the expectation that anybody would be justified
by it. The law was given to show us the utter hopelessness and
helplessness of our flesh to justify us before God. Listen
to this. We know that what things soever
the law sayeth, sayeth to them that are under the law. Why does
it say it? That they all might be righteous?
No. Might help them to do the best they can? No. That's not
what it's given for. It sayeth to them who are under
the law that every mouth may be stopped and all the world
become guilty before God. That's why the law was given.
And the law was given to teach us about imputed righteousness.
He told the Galatian church, he said, it's our schoolmaster
to bring us to Christ to be justified by him. And it was witnessed
by the law and prophets. Witnessed by the law in type
and picture declared by the prophets. What did the prophets tell us?
The just shall live by faith. Now listen to me. The overwhelming
majority. I'm not going to pull out a percentage
because I don't really have a clue what percentage it is, but it's
a lot. The overwhelming majority of long established and accepted
religion teaches that man is justified by his obedience to
the law. That's what they teach. They
teach that which Paul has proven beyond all doubt cannot be. And
that teaching, that you're justified by your obedience to the law
or some form of works, moral or ceremonial or both, Paul said
it's poison to your souls. He said it's another gospel brought
to you by another spirit, and it's a perverted gospel. And
all those who preach or promote it are accursed of God. And the
reason why is because it's contrary to the grace of God. It's contrary
to the purpose of God, and it's contrary to the person and work
of Christ. And it is totally contrary to
the plain declaration of Scripture. Paul said, I do not frustrate
the grace of God. If righteousness come by the
law, then Christ died in vain. That's just how serious it is.
In Romans chapter 4, Paul pulls one man from Israel that he knew
they loved and looked to and cherished. Abraham. Abraham. He was beloved and highly esteemed
by the Jews, and he used him to set before them the free justification
of God through his son, Jesus Christ, which was given to us
by faith. Now, I want you to see five things
in this example of Abraham concerning this imputed righteousness of
Christ. The first thing the apostle points out to us is that this
justifying righteousness was given to Abraham by faith. Romans
4, verse 1. What shall we say that Abraham,
our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if
Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory, but
not before God. That is, he did many noteworthy
things, things to be commended for, and things men glory in,
but not before God. For what saith the Scripture?
And that's what we want to know, isn't it? You're not looking
for my opinion. What does the Scripture say?
The Scripture said, Abraham believed God. Now listen, it was accounted
to him, charged to him for righteousness. For righteousness. How did he
get it? He believed God. But he was a
son of an idolater. Sat out there in his daddy's
idol shop. Sat out there helping him carve out those idols. Dip
them in the silver. Spread those lies. Abraham believed God. accounted
to him for righteousness. And I don't want to get in some
long explanation of exactly what Abraham believed, but I'm convinced
by the Scriptures that he understood that God's promises to him were
in Christ, in this coming Redeemer. He understood that. Fully understood
that. The Lord said to the Jews, they said, we have Abraham as
our father. The Lord said, before Abraham was, I am. And he said,
This Abraham that you're rejoicing in, he rejoiced to see my day,
and he saw it. He saw it, and he was glad. It's
a mistake to think that Old Testament saints had no knowledge of the
Gospel. Romans 3, 24 through 25 clearly sets before us what
God set before them. When the Scripture says Abraham
believed God and was counted to him for righteousness, he
wasn't talking about God's testimony to him about creation. for God's
testimony to him about providence. Although I know he believed those
things, but he was talking about those covenant promises given
to him through Christ by faith. That's what Abraham believed.
Listen to this. Paul said, now to Abraham and
his seed were the promises made. He saith not unto seeds as of
many, but of thy seed which is Christ. Who were the promises
made to? Abraham through Christ. Huh? Did he have an understanding
of the coming Redeemer? Absolutely he did. That's how
the promises were given to him. So let this be established, imputed
righteousness was received by Abraham by faith, not by works. Secondly, all that came to Abraham,
including his faith, glorified God. Glorified God. What does
your faith do? What does my faith do? What do
these things that we profess, do they glorify God? Or is it
just something I made up, something I conjured up? True saving faith
glorifies God. It glorifies God. And everything
Abraham received glorified God. He hath whereof to glory, but
not before God. True saving faith, there is no
room for self-glorification. After that wonderful declaration
of justification by faith, being justified freely by his grace,
Paul asked this question, where is boasting? And I'm going to
tell you something. I grew up in it, and that's what
those Wednesday night meetings were all about, self-glorification,
one testimony after another about how they saved themselves. Where
is boasting? It's excluded. It's out the door. By what law it works? Nay, but
by the law of faith. The very principle of faith throws
works out the door. Faith is the conduit, more or
less, by which God's blessings in Christ are received. We lie
helpless. Do we not? We lie helpless in
this diseased flesh, in the inability of this flesh, in this depraved
flesh, doing this, doing that, going here, going there, believing
this, believing that. We lie helpless in this diseased
flesh. And the Holy Spirit, through
the preaching of the gospel, brings nigh the cure. and puts
the straw of faith in your mouth and you drink it. Faith is a conduit. It's the
conduit through which we receive. I've never met a man who rejoices
in Christ and then attempts to rob God of the glory of the salvation
of you. Never met one. Amazing grace,
that's what Newton sang. How sweet the sound. Save a wretch
like me. I once was lost. Now I'm found. I was blind, but now I see. How come? It was grace that taught
my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved. Oh, how precious
did that grace appear, the hour I first believed. So when putrid
righteousness was received by Abraham, it's the free and sovereign
gift of faith. And the whole of that transaction
glorified God. Here's the third reason. Here's
the third thing he shows us over here about Abraham. It was given
by faith that it might be by grace. By faith that it might
be by grace. Listen to this, Romans 4, verse
16. Therefore it is of faith that
it might be by grace to the end the promise might be sure to
all the seed, not to that only which is in the law, but to that
also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the Father of
us all. Because this justification is
revealed to chosen sinners by faith, and faith is the gift
of God and not of works, lest any man should boast, it is sure,
it is sure to all to see. If it were dependent on something
you do, you might miss. You might miss out on the promise.
You might miss out on the inheritance. Isn't that what religion says?
You're going to miss out. You're going to miss out. If
it wasn't sure to all the seed, I guarantee you, you'd miss out.
You'd miss out. But God chose the son of an idol
maker to receive his imputed righteousness. And he purposed
to do it by faith, and he made him the prime example of this
faith. He made him the father of it and the representative
of all those that believe when it comes to this thing of faith.
Paul said God gave him faith while he was yet uncircumcised.
He didn't circumcise him and then look at him and say, well,
now you're worthy of faith and give me faith. That ain't how
it happened. He justified him freely by his grace while he
was in there making idols. He was yet uncircumcised. Yet
uncircumcised. And he received his circumcision
as the seal of the righteousness of the faith that God gave him
while he was still a heathen. And so represented in Abraham
is all the believing Gentiles. And then
through his circumcision, he represents all the believing
Jews. And God did this, Romans 4, 11, that he might be the father
of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised, that
righteousness might be imputed to them also. It is of faith
that it might be by grace. And then, fourthly, that it might
be sure to all to see. Now, listen to what the Scripture
said. When God made these promises to Abraham, because he could
swear by no greater, he swore by himself, saying, surely, blessing,
I will bless thee. And surely, multiplying, I will
multiply thee. He took Abraham out, and he said,
look up, Abraham. Tally up the stars. How many
stars is up there? Now, we don't see very many here
because of the pollution, but you go down into Mexico or somewhere
and go out at night, it's unbelievable how many stars. Tally them up.
So shall thy seed be. Go down here to the seashore.
Far as you can see down that beach, tell me how many grains
of sand on that beach. So shall thy seed be. You reckon
he thought he was going to be sure to all the seeds? Every
one of them. Every one of them. A number which
no man can number. Salvation is not the reward of
hard work and dedication. Salvation is the gift of God.
And because it's all of grace, it's sure to all the seed. To
Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not into
seeds which are many, but of thy seed which is cracked. All
of that seed, as many as the stars and as much as the sand,
All of it in Christ, and therefore it's sure. And then he circumcised
him. What's that? Circumcision is
that of the heart, not of the flesh. Now, he did circumcise
Abraham in the flesh, but he was circumcised in his heart
first. And that's what he tells us this old circumcision was
all about. All right, fifthly and lastly. The scripture said
it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to
it, but for us also to whom it shall be imputed if we believe
on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead. Now why go
back 4,000 years and talk about one of these ancient saints concerning
a present doctrine and a present circumstance in 2016? Why would
he do that? Because Romans 15, verse 4, whatsoever
things were written aforetime, were written for our learning
that we, through patience and comfort of the scriptures, might
have hope. God still saves men the same way he saved Abraham.
He still saves them today. Our Lord looked at those Jews.
This was thousands of years after Moses. And our Lord said the
same thing about Moses that he said about Abraham. He said,
if you believed Moses, you would have believed me. We had Moses
as our father. Oh, no. If you believed Moses,
you'd believe me, because Moses wrote of me. There's just one
way of salvation, and that's in Christ and Him crucified.
And believers, both Old and New Testament, are called to faith
in Christ and given the revelation of imputed righteousness in Christ. That's what's revealed. There's
no peace anywhere else. That's how we're convinced of
righteousness. He shows us our justification
in Christ. And when He shows you, your justification
in Christ, He'll convince you of righteousness. And He'll convince
you of judgment satisfied. And so that's what Paul's doing
here in these verses. He takes this one man and he
said, let me show you, this beloved man that you all look to, let
me show you how God saved him. And he takes all those things
that he stated over here in Romans 3 and he shows them to them in
the example of this beloved saint. And yet they believe not. Yet
they believe not. You have just heard a sermon
by Darwin Pruitt of Taylor, Arkansas. For a copy of this message, please
visit our website at ysgracechurch.com. This is Pastor Rick Warta of
the Yuba-Sutter Grace Church. Each Sunday, we meet at 11 a.m. in the Yuba County Library, located
on the corner of 2nd and C Street in downtown Marysville. We pray
that God would be pleased to make Himself known to you in
the Gospel of His Son.