If a man repents and believes, then that leads to justification. And look, we'll start reading
here in verse 48. And we know that all things work
together for good to them that love God, to them who are called
according to his purpose. For whom He did foreknow, He
also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that
He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom
He did predestinate, them He also called. Whom He called,
them He also justified. Whom He justified, them He also
glorified. What shall we say then to these
things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared
not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall
he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay
anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It
is Christ that titheth. Yea, rather, that is risen again,
who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession
for us. Who shall separate us from the
love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress,
or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword. As it is written, For thy sake
we are killed all the day long, we are counted as sheep for the
slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors
through him that loved us. For I am persuaded that neither
death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers,
nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth,
nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the
love of God which is in Christ Jesus." Things about justification
tonight. You know, when a man repents
and believes, the Scripture tells us that justification is by faith.
Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God. And the just shall live by faith.
Now, justification, and we see here in verse 30 where it tells
about God whom He did predestinate, them He also called, whom He
called them, He also justified. Whom He justified, He also glorified. Down in verse 33, who shall lay
anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies.
Now, justification. Oh, what a blessed subject. I
love justification. A wonderful truth to believe.
In fact, it's necessary to believe. But there's two things, two great
obstacles to man's justification before God. Two great obstacles.
And they have to be overcome in order for us to be justified.
And I'll tell you what justification is in a minute. First of all,
the holiness and righteousness of God. How in the world are God who
is holy and righteous? How can He justify us? The second obstacle, we are sinners.
Sinners from the top of our head to the sole of our feet. Sinners
in our heart, sinners in our nature, sinners in our practice,
sinners in choice. So you got those two things.
Now, how are those two things going to be overcome? Well, it
says here that it's God who justifies us. It's God who called us and
justified us. Well, let me tell you what justification
is. It is a divine declaration. It's God declaring respect. It's
a declaration that God declares respecting men. What it is, it's
God, the righteous judge of all the earth, the moral governor
of this universe. What he does is he declares a
man righteous. He declares a man righteous.
It's God who justifies. Abraham believed God, and God
says, You're a righteous man, Abraham. Was he righteous before
God declared him righteous? No. God said, You're righteous. And what it is, it's the opposite
of condemnation. There's therefore now no condemnation
to them that are in Christ. But we were born under condemnation. Well, God says that there's no
condemnation to them that are in Christ. What it is, beloved,
it is God not entering into judgment with the sinner. God Himself
said, I'm not going to enter into judgment with that sinner.
It's forgiving that sinner. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord imputeth not iniquity. Blessed is the man unto whom
the Lord forgiveth his sin, and blessed is the man whose sins
are forgiven and covered. You see, now listen to what I'm
going to say right here. You've got to get this. It is not to
make a man righteous, justification is it. It's not to make a man
righteous, but to declare a man righteous. It's not to make a
man righteous, but God declares a man righteous. It's like you
go into court, and you got every crime against you that could
possibly be brought against you, and you're guilty of them all.
And the judge, through a means of a substitute, That the judge,
through the means of someone else keeping the law in your
place, clears you of all your guilt, declares you justified
before the law and all your crimes, and you walk out of that courtroom
just as if you had never sinned in your life, and righteous man
with no charges ever brought against you again. Now, that's
what justification is. And the first thing I want to
say about justification is, here, is that it's God that justifies
us. God's the one that justifies. What did I just say? It's God
who justifies. And so, since all things are
of God, that's where we have to start with justification.
Justification starts with God. And here's what most folks don't
understand. Everything starts with God. The
gospel starts with God. Creation started with God. Salvation
starts with God. Salvation's of the Lord. Now,
let me show you that over St. Corinthians 5. Just a moment.
St. Corinthians 5.18. You see, it's God who justifies.
Who's going to lay anything to the charge of God's likes? It's
God who justified them. And here in 2 Corinthians 5 and
verse 18, look what it says. Now, Mr. Spurgeon preached a message on
this one time, and he says there's high doctrine and low doctrine.
And he says a lot of people call this high doctrine, And he said,
it's just Bible doctrine. He said in verse 18, And all
things are of God. Now, if all things are of God,
how does that leave anything that goes on in this world and
the Scriptures or anything else that's not of God? All things
are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ,
and hath given us the ministry of reconciliation. Since all
things are of God, then it's God that justifies us. Now listen
to me. Justification by God Himself,
it's a legal act of God. What He does, it's a legal act
now. He declares the sinners righteous on the basis of the
righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now Christ was righteous,
not us. So God, when we believe on His
blessed Son, look to His blessed Son, God Himself says, You're
righteous. You're righteous. And let me
show you, I know I'm having you turn, but look in Galatians 3.11
with me for just a moment. That's why it says, God made
him to be sin, made Christ to be sin, who knew no sin, that
we might be made the righteousness of God in him. We never performed
a righteous act, but Christ did. So God legally declares us righteous
on the basis of the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. And
over here in Galatians 3.11, look what it says. But that no
man is justified by the law on the side of God is evident. Why
is it evident? For the just live by what? By
faith. Faith in what? The righteousness
of Christ in God who sent forth Christ. And let me tell you,
beloved, back over here It's not an act of renewal. God's
not renewing us. It's not a process over a period
of time. You don't get more justified
at one time than you do another. You don't get more righteous
in one time you do or another. You don't have a greater standing
in the sight of God at one time than you do another. And all
you see is not a renewal or a process over a period of time. Now let
me give you three blessed facts of justification. First of all,
justification removes the guilt of sin. It takes away the guilt
of sin. Now, beloved, if justification,
and God declares you righteous, and He takes away the guilt of
sin, that means that you are justified because you don't have
any guilt. And what it does, it restores
the sinner that he lost in Adam all the rights of the child of
God. God makes him his child and gives
him an eternal inheritance on the basis of this justification. And here's the second thing.
Justification takes place outside the center in heaven itself. That takes place outside us.
When Christ entered into the Holy of Holies, And Abraham was
justified and he was righteous, hung as thousands of years before
you and I ever was, before Christ ever come. But it was on the
basis of what Christ did. But now listen to me. It takes
place in heaven itself. That's where God looks down and
He declares a man righteous. It don't have nothing to do with
us doing anything. It has to do with what God does.
Christ entered into the holy place, and there He offered His
blood to God, and God smelled that as a sweet smelling savor,
and He declares everyone whom Christ died for as righteous.
And thirdly, it takes place once and for all. It's never repeated. It isn't a process. It's complete
once and for all, and for all time. Once you're justified,
you're always justified. But you know, we spend a lot
of our time justifying ourselves, in this world, in time. And we
do. We spend an awful lot of time
justifying ourselves, justifying acts that we do, words that we
say, places we go, things we do. And what that means is we
spend an awful lot of time trying to clear ourselves, make ourselves
look good. But what God does is, He does
it once and for all, and we never have to do it again. We didn't
have nothing to do with start playing. You know, therefore,
Romans 5.21 says this, that as grace, as sin hath reigned unto
death, even so by grace reign through righteousness unto eternal
life by Jesus Christ our Lord. And oh, beloved, let me tell
you something else. So it's a legal act of government. It's done
outside ourselves. It's done in the courts of heaven
itself and on the basis of the righteousness of Christ. Secondly,
justification is by free grace. Look over here in Romans chapter
4 with me just a moment. Justification is by free grace.
I mean, it's freely. And I love
the word free grace. Grace is just grace, but you
know we qualify it by free grace or sovereign grace because people
think grace is something that you earn after all. But here
in Romans chapter 4 and verse 2, I'm in 3, excuse me. It says
in verse 1, What shall we say then that Abraham our father,
as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? What did Abraham find? Well, for if Abraham were justified
by works, justified before God by his works, justified before
God by something he did, he has something to glory in. But he
can't glory before God. Why can't he glory before God?
Because God never justifies a man by the deeds of the law or by
works. For what saith the scripture,
Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the
reward not reckoned of grace, but of death. And people tell
you all the time, God's going to give you a crown. He's going
to give you this. He's going to give you that. He's going
to owe you this. He owes you this other thing. If you do this,
if you do that, you earn this blessing. But here it says that
if you don't know work, you get a payday. But Abraham was saved
by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. And that's why he said,
even as David describes the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputed
righteousness without works. And oh, look over here down in
Romans chapter 3. I'll show you what I'm talking
about, about justified by free grace. Verse 24. being justified freely, freely
by His grace through the redemption that's in Christ Jesus. Freely. I just read to you it's not by
works. It's not by law. For by the deeds of the law is
the knowledge of sin. It can't be by merit because
it says there's none righteous, no not one. And look with me
over in Titus chapter 3, just that little book right before
you get to Before we get to Hebrews, there's Titus. Look in Titus
chapter 3 with me for a minute. Justifies freely by His grace. And oh, I'm so thankful that
we don't have to work for anything that we get from God. I'm so thankful for that. Titus
chapter 3 and verse 5. Not by works of righteousness,
which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us by the
washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, which he shed
on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior. Watch it now,
that being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according
to the hope of eternal life. Free grace, not works, not works,
not merit, not law. And when it says freely here,
freely give us all things, being justified freely by the grace
of God, By the redemption, that's by His grace, the redemption
is in Christ. That means without finding any cause in us, He found
no cause in us to justify us. He found no cause in us to give
us justification. He found no cause in us to do
anything for us at all. And freely means without payment
from us. What could we possibly, possibly
give to God that would make Him do something for us? And listen
to me, never, never under any circumstances, for any reason,
are we regarded righteous or justified before God, but only
through God's grace in the Lord Jesus Christ. Freely means freely. Grace means grace. And that's
why Paul says if it's of grace, it can't be of works, because
if it's of worse than it could be of grace. Or else grace wouldn't
be grace. And if it's of works, it's got
to be of works or else you can't mix them. You cannot mix them.
When we stand before God, we stand before God based on the
free grace of God in Christ. I said this, I know I said it
a hundred times, I said it once and I'll keep on saying it as
long as God lets me preach. And I got my right mind. That
not once in our lives before conversion or after conversion.
Have we ever done anything, anything, that would merit any kind of
a blessing from God for one second on this earth? We've done a blue
million things. Mary always say 50 million. She
knows she'll say 50 million times. That's a, I'll tell you, 50 million
Reasons why, and things we've done for God to condemn us, not
one thing for Him to ever bless us. So when we talk about being
justified freely by His grace through the redemptions in Christ,
we mean every minute of every day! Sleep or awake, daydreaming or
busy, it don't make any difference. Ain't that right? So that means,
beloved, listen, Oh, you're talking about putting gratitude and grace
and love and appreciation and a willingness to do and labor
for God in His glorious gospel. This is, you're talking about
a motive for it. Huh? And then let me show you
one other thing here, and then I've got two more things to show
you. Secondly, thirdly, we're justified first by God himself. It's a legal act of God. God
declares us righteous on the righteousness of Christ. Then
it's freely by his grace. And then it's by his blood. Look
back over in Romans with me just a minute. Romans 8.32. You know, here he says, Verse 31, what will we say to
these things? If God be for us, who can be
against us? Now listen, He that spared not His own Son, but delivered
Him up for us all, how shall He not also with Him freely give
us all things? Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies. Who's
going to condemn us? Now listen, it's Christ that
died. It's Christ that died. We talked about the wholeness
of God and the righteousness of God and our sinfulness, man's
sinfulness. How is this just God and this
sinful man going to be brought together? Through the Lord Jesus
Christ in his death. You know, if we were saved while
we were enemies and reconciled to God while we were enemies
to God, how much more shall we be saved? By His life. By His life. And by His blood
means by His death. Without the shedding of blood,
there is no remission. You see, our Lord Jesus Christ,
in His death, He satisfied God in every way, especially in the
way that was against us in more than any other way, His justice
and His holiness. You see, our Lord Jesus, He endured
God's wrath there on that cross. And in enduring that wrath on
the cross, He consumed that wrath. Under the law, the fire consumed
the sacrifice. Well, I don't worry Jesus Christ
as our sacrifice and God's sacrifice. He consumed the fire. Instead
of the fire consuming Him, He consumed the fire of God's wrath.
And see, it's the blood that makes atonement for sin. And
God says, when I see the blood, I'll pass over you. And this
is the song. This is a song in redemption.
Unto him that loved us and washed us in his own blood. Oh, unto
him that redeemed us by his own blood. And Christ entered once
into the holy place and with his own blood obtained eternal
redemption for us. And let me give you the last
thing. Faith. Faith. Faith is the means. Faith is
the means of our justification. Now, what do I mean by that?
Well, we're looking at Romans 4 again. We need to... People, if they ain't careful,
they'll make a work out of faith. They'll make faith as a condition
of God doing something for them. But faith is not a condition,
faith is a gift. And faith is the means of our
justification. It says here in Romans chapter
4 in verse 19, talking about Abraham,
where God told him that he was going to be the father of many
nations. Well, he being not weak in faith, he considered not his
own body now dead when he was a hundred years old, neither
yet the deadness of Sarah's womb. He staggered not at the promise
of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory
to God, and being fully, fully persuaded that what he had promised,
he was able also to perform. Therefore, therefore, it was
imputed to him for righteousness. Now, it was not written for his
sake alone that it was imputed, but for us also. to whom it shall
be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our
Lord from the dead. And so Abraham was strong in
faith, giving glory to God. And when God declared him righteous
and he believed God, he says, if we believe God, let Abraham
believe God, then we, we have the same justification that Abraham
had. You see, beloved, therefore being
justified by faith we have peace with God. Now what faith does,
it receives the truth as you hear it. Faith receives the truth
of the gospel. When you hear the gospel and
it tells you that salvation's accomplished, that God declares
and makes a man righteous, that He gives him the righteousness
of Christ, that God satisfied His own justice in His own death,
Son's death on the cross, and when you hear that and you believe
that, it receives the truth of the gospel. It receives the truth
of the merits of Christ. It receives the doing of Christ,
the dying of Christ. And when you believe that gospel,
it's Christ that justifies you, but what you're doing is you're
believing that you're justified by somebody else, and that salvation
is outside you by somebody else. Oh, I want to tell you, it says
this, therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without
the deeds of the law. Now, I want us to get this. Oh,
I want us to get this. Faith is not its own object.
There's people who have faith in their faith. I know I have
faith because I've done this. I know I have faith because I
went here. I know I've done faith because
I had this experience. I know I've got faith because
I went through this, and I went through that, and I went through
another thing. But faith is not its own object. Christ is faith's
object. Faith always has to have an object. object. Our whole salvation is
objective, done completely outside ourselves. Now, what do I mean
by that? Did Christ put away my sins on the cross two thousand
years ago? Did Christ render full satisfaction
to the justice and wholeness of God on that cross two thousand
years ago? Did Christ bear my sins in His own body on that
tree two thousand years ago? Was Christ buried 2,000 years
ago and raised again for our justification 2,000 years ago?
So you see, it's Christ that's the object of that faith. Something
that happened 2,000 years ago that we hear about now, and we
believe it, and that's why our faith always goes outside ourselves
to Christ. That's when you hear the gospel.
Your faith automatically goes out to Christ. Automatically
looks to Him. And I tell you, beloved, faith
is based on knowledge. There is no such thing as blind
faith, ignorant faith. It's just impossible. How shall
you call on Him? Whosoever shall call upon the
name of the Lord shall be saved. How shall you call on Him in
whom you have not believed? And how shall you believe in
Him of whom you have not heard? Paul said, I know whom I have
believed. And faith is based on God's Word. And faith believes with the heart,
with the whole person. And here's the situation, beloved.
We don't trust our faith. We don't trust our faith. We
trust the Lord. Don't trust my faith. We trust
the Lord. We don't trust our feelings. I don't trust my feelings,
nor Father Knight's feelings. We trust the Master. We don't
trust our intellect. We don't trust our intellect.
We trust His infinite knowledge of us. It's what He knows about us that
guarantees our salvation. Our intellect is not what saved
us. Christ saved us. And the gospel, the faith that
God gives us, always, always is an objective faith. And I'll
tell you, beloved, that no kind of experience, no kind of feeling,
no kind of visions, no kind of light, no kind of experience,
anything that a person has, can ever justify them before God.
Only God can justify man. And the only way He can do that
is through the righteousness of His Son. When a man trusts
Christ, believes Christ, now he does that because God enabled
him to do it. That's of grace. Being justified
freely by His grace. And we trust the Lord Jesus Christ
and believe on Him as Abraham did. Outside ourselves. Then God declares us a righteous
man. And we're declared righteous as long as God Himself endears
we're as righteous as He is. Now that's right. You know how
righteous you are right now? You're as righteous as God's
own Son. You know how justified you are right now? As justified
as God's own Son sending His right hand. You know how much
God will accept you? Yesterday, today, and tomorrow?
No matter where you're at or what you're doing? As much as
He does right now. Now, that's true. If that's not
so, we ain't got no gospel. Our blessed Savior, O our Redeemer,
I pray that you take the things that have been said tonight and
use them to your glory. Use them to your glory. God bless
them by heart, bless them by understanding. Lord, this treasure
is indeed in an earthen vessel, an earthen vessel, clay pot. And who is sufficient for these
things? to express such glorious truths in such a short space
of time. Oh God, help us please to believe
these blessed, blessed truths and to understand them, to embrace
them, to rejoice in them. But in all our doing, in all
of our looking, in all of our experiences, help us to never
ever trust anything or anyone But always, always look to our
Lord Jesus Christ, who He is, what He did, and why He did it, and where He is now. We can look
to Him, whoever lives, to make intercession for us. Bless these
dear saints as they go to their homes, their jobs, their labors.
who ask for Your presence and power, be in abode of them. In
Christ our Lord's name I pray. Amen. Amen. I'll see you Sunday,
God willing.