If you would, turn to a very
familiar passage, Romans 3. Romans 3. Romans 3, and I want to read verses 19 through
26. Romans 3 verse 19. Now we know
that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are
under the law, that every mouth may be stopped and all the world
may become guilty before God. 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. But now the righteousness of
God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and
the prophets, even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of
Jesus Christ unto all and upon all, them that believe, for there
is no difference. For all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God has
set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to
declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are
past. 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. Amen. Now, I intended to read
that a little bit later, but I read it to begin with, but
I wanted to say these things here first. And this is very
familiar to you all. You will have heard it before.
When we gather together in a place such as this, there's one thing
that we always have. The Bible. We have this book
of words. Now the book itself in leather
and ink, or whatever it might be made of, is not to be worshipped.
Men made this book. It certainly was the purpose
of God that it be made by men, but it is the words in it that
matter. Jesus Christ says, my words are
spirit and they are life. That's not mere paper and ink.
Although God has been pleased to record it in paper and ink.
There are those who will tell you don't place anything on the
Bible. We don't want to denigrate the word of God. But let me give
you something as it relates to that idea. I have this little
device right here and I've got a Bible on it. It's got concordance
and a lot of other things on there. Are we going to start
worshipping this too and not put anything on it? Now, I'm
not saying that you shouldn't take care of it. If you wanna
use it, you certainly are gonna take care of those things, these
things. But we're not to be worshiping those. It's the words in it is
what means something. And what I'm trying to bring
out this morning is this. Words are important. And I know all of, You have heard
this before. I mean, I've never heard this
myself before, and I've not had anybody say it about me. But
some have said it to others, and some have had it said about
them. Some people might say, he's just too picky with words.
I heard this from Earl years ago. He had this saying, and
Earl said that too, and I don't know if somebody said that to
him or not, but he had this saying, though, or an analogy, if you
will, and I'm gonna kinda make it mine to where we're at today,
but if you wanted brain surgery to take off a tumor or something
like that, or any surgery, really, are you gonna go find somebody
who watched a YouTube video to have that surgery? I don't suggest
you do that. You want someone who has studied
the subject, someone who has spent years studying it and also
spent time perfecting it. They know just where to cut and
how much to cut. Why, with your ever-living, never-dying
soul, would you not be concerned with exactly what God's words
says? Words matter. Now, I just want to say, and
I've said it here before, but I am in no way think I'm an expert
on God's word. That's not what I'm saying. If
I know anything at all, it is because God has revealed it to
me. But he does say to study to show yourself approved of
God. But we often read the scripture
and we skip over words, and maybe not even meaning to do his word
injustice. I've done it before. But we often,
especially with small words, we kind of pass over those and
do not give them much thought. I want to look at one of those
instances where we might skip over a small word. I'm a fallen
clay pot. I've missed things and I will
miss things. So this is coming from one who has done this and
God has brought it to my attention to correct me before. And hopefully
that will continue by his grace. I'm not talking about any kind
of confidence in myself. I'm talking about confidence
in God and his word. This is not my message, but look
at this once again. Joe's already mentioned this
account, but turn with me to 2 Peter 1 real quick for a minute.
2 Peter 1. and verses 16 through 21. 2 Peter 1 verse 16, For we have
not followed cunningly devised fables when we made known unto
you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses
of his majesty. For he received from God the
Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him
from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I
am well pleased. and this voice which came from
heaven we heard when we were with him in the holy mount. We
have also a more sure word of prophecy, wherein to ye do well
that ye take heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark place,
until the day dawn and the day star arise in your hearts, knowing
this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private
interpretation, For the prophecy came not in old time by the will
of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy
Ghost." The word of God he has given
us, and it says it's a more sure word of prophecy. Peter tells
us even more than seeing a vision of Jesus Christ, as they did,
as Joe was describing earlier. That's what Peter is saying here. Now, you go back to Romans 3,
we read in verse 22, it says, in verse 22, let's go back to
verse 22, let's read that one. Even the righteousness of God,
which is by faith of Jesus Christ, unto all and upon all, them that
believe, for there is no difference. It says, by faith of Jesus Christ. Not in Jesus Christ, but the
faith of Jesus Christ. Faith in Christ is important.
Don't get me wrong, but this says faith of Jesus Christ. Now the passage I just went through,
there are three things I want to bring out in this passage
as God has revealed to me in his word. There are two laws
spoken of here and they are different. You have the law of works and
you have the law of faith. Then we have verse 22 where it
speaks of the faith of Christ. So let's begin by speaking about
this law mentioned in our text in verse 19, in verse 19. Now we know that whatsoever the
law, now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith
to them who are under the law that every mouth may be stopped
and all the world may become guilty before God. We know what
we read in verse 27, Paul distinguishes between the law of works and
the law of faith. The law of works. That sounds
to me like a law where we do something or we are expected
to do something. It is the law of do this and
live. But the problem is we cannot
do this. It says in our text, it shuts
our mouth so that we have no boasting whatsoever. It will
cause us to do as Job did in Job 44. He says, behold, I am
vile. What shall I answer thee? I will
lay mine hand upon my mouth. Why is this? What did Job say
previously? Why did he say this? Job 9 20,
he says, if I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn
me. If I say I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse. I in no way, by the grace of
God, am I going to say that I am just by my own deeds. But this
law, by this law, we will never be justified because we cannot
do the deeds of the law. But in fact, we are already guilty,
all guilty of the law. It tells us that in our text,
that the law or works purpose is to let us know that we are
guilty. We might think or we might look
pretty good before me, but we will not be justified by the
works of the law or that is the deeds of the law in God's sight. It does not matter what men see
or even what we see. It matters what God sees. The
law of works, in fact, if God, by his grace, sends it to you
this way, it will let you know you are sin and you do sin. Not everyone knows or thinks
they are sin and that they do sin. Some actually think they're
pretty good folk and that they have no sin. You can read James
sometimes, he goes into that for us. But there are some who
think they actually can do the works of the law. But even if
I could, God tells us we will never be justified by the law
of works. We also see it right here in
this passage in God's word. He tells us, as we see it here
in verse 23, it says, all have sinned and come short of the
glory of God. What are we told previously in
this chapter about both Jew and Gentile? We are all under sin. There's none righteous, not even
one of us. None of us understand by nature
and none of us are seeking after God on our own. Because we are
all out for our own way. We are unprofitable and there
is none of us that is good. If we would be If we were, we
would be righteous, and we are not. You can read further sometime
on that, but I'm sure everybody here is familiar with it. But
then there are some who by his grace are taught that they have
sinned and come short of his glory. This they are unable to
see by the law of faith. So next we have the law of faith.
Faith is not something you can see with your physical eyes,
nor can you touch it with your physical hands. But it is as
real as real can be. But we cannot talk about this
faith without talking about where it comes from. Faith has a source
and faith has an object. That is, faith comes from somewhere
or someone, and faith looks to somewhere or to someone. Faith
comes from and faith looks to God. Jesus Christ is God. We do not come up with faith.
Faith is eternal. We are told right here that the
righteousness of God without the law, that is the law of works,
not that this law of faith is without works, but it is without
our works, and especially any works of doing the deeds of the
law, which is the law of works in the flesh. This law of faith
is by the faith of Jesus Christ the Lord. As Carol Poole has
said before, and it's a good statement, You do not exercise
faith. Faith exercises you. Faith is
intrinsic to God, and it is in the face of Jesus Christ the
Lord that we see this faith. It is by his faith that we see
the righteousness of God without the law. Faith is not created. We're told in Hebrews 12 too,
looking unto Jesus, the author, and finisher of faith, who for
the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising
the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne
of God. Faith begins with Jesus Christ, and faith is perfected
by Jesus Christ. How does or did he perfect this
faith? Or where do we see it all? He
endured the cross. Talking about persecution, there's
where we can see some persecution. As we read there in Hebrews,
we see it manifested in what he did. It was a joy that was
set before him, it says. We are also told in scripture
that faith is the gift of God. So it is. Ephesians 2.8, for
by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves,
it is the gift of God. The grace, the salvation, the
faith is the gift of God. All of it is his gift if we are
to have any faith at all. Faith is said to be, by God in
scripture, the fruit of the spirit. Galatians 5.22, but the fruit
of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness,
faith, and it goes on. Faith is intrinsic to Jesus Christ. It is His faith which saves. Faith is eternal because Jesus
Christ is eternal. And I want to be as clear as
I can be here. I'm not even talking about the
faith which is given to us, although it is the same faith. I'm talking
about Jesus Christ and his faith to do the will of the Father
in accomplishing what he was sent to do, enduring the cross. That faith that cried out, my
God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? But then he cries out because
of his faith to the Father that he would raise him to life again. Someday he cried death, or it
says this, he gave up the ghost. Only he could do that. This is
the faith of Christ doing this. By this, by the faith which is
of Christ, his faith, which is the righteousness of God without
the law, because our text says the faith of Christ is where
this righteousness is manifested. Him doing this, that is, dying
on that tree, what are we told in our text that it gave to us,
Romans 3, 24 and 25? Being justified freely. Free
to us, but it was not free to Him. By His grace through the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God has set forth
to be a propitiation through faith in His blood to declare
His righteousness for the remission of sins. Those sins that we have
ungodly committed, they are remitted by His work and not our works. For the remission of sins that
are passed through the forbearance of God. It finishes out. The
law and the prophets both declare Jesus Christ as the righteousness
of God without the law. That's what it says in that text.
He is the one who kept the law every jot and tittle. And he
is the one who was the sacrifice for sin for all those who believe
by his grace in giving them faith. So let's talk a little bit about
faith given. Faith is not created in the believer.
It is given to the believer in measure. The faith is mine because
it is given to me. So I have nothing to boast in
for had he not given it to me, I would not have it and I would
not believe him. God does not believe for us,
we do believe, but we believe by that God-given faith. Faith
given by God, it gives you the ability to believe, and then
you believe. He gives it to each of us in measure as he sees fit.
It's just the right amount of faith. And just as he prayed
for Peter's faith not to fail, the faith he gives us will not
fail because he says he is our advocate. But we still have this
flesh and we are forced to cry out to God just as the man in
the multitude cried out, Lord I believe, help thou my unbelief. Faith given to us looks to Jesus
Christ, the author and the perfecter. That is how I like to say it
because that's what the word means. Jesus Christ perfected
it, he completed it. The author and the finisher of
faith. So now let's go back to this law of faith for a minute.
The scripture says that we must believe God or we will die in
our sins. The Lord of glory, Jesus Christ
himself, tells us this. This faith given, which looks
to that which he has done, is what is counted to us for righteousness. This is based on what Jesus Christ
the Lord did. That's what I'm trying to get
at, drive home here. I like what was said by Don Fortner,
and I've used this before, but Don says, faith in Christ will
not put away your sin. Faith in Christ will not justify
you. Faith in Christ will not make
you righteous. Faith in Christ will not make
you holy. Faith in Christ will not make
you one of God's elect. Faith in Christ will not cause
you to be born again. Faith in Christ is the evidence
of it all. And I will add this, it is the
evidence of all of what Jesus Christ did. When given to us
and we believe, God counts that to us for righteousness. Turn
over to Galatians three for a minute. Galatians three verses five and
six. Galatians 3. Galatians 3 verses 5 and 6. He therefore that ministereth
to you the spirit, ministereth to you the spirit
and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the
law or by the hearing of faith? even as Abraham believed God
and it was accounted to him for righteousness. This faith given, which enables
us to believe God and the record he gave of his son is accounted,
it says. And you all know this, this is
not a judicial term and it's not an accounting term necessarily. This word is an inventory term.
Walters pointed this out before and I really like it because
that is what the word means If anyone's ever been a part of
you know inventory time at work or whatever you don't know what
I'm talking about But when you have an inventory
you people go around and they count something that's there
if they get to a being they usually call it a being if you get to
a being and and there's nothing there, do you count something?
Do you put a one in there when there's nothing? If they do that,
they are lying. If we do, we are lying. But God
does not lie. God counts it to us because it
is there. Why? Because he put it there. It is the very faith of the Son
of God who gave himself for us that is given to us. God is the one who is faithful. I can count on him to be faithful
even when I am not. What can we conclude from all
of this? I don't want to conclude this,
but let's let Godward conclude the matter of this, because Paul
goes on to say in verse 28, he says, therefore we conclude that
a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Now I just
read earlier a quote from Don, and we read here that scripture
says that a man is justified by faith. The difference in those
two statements is this. There is justification before
God. And there is justification where
man knows that he has been justified by the works of Jesus Christ.
That's what we're talking about. Jesus Christ justified us before
God. His faith coming to us justifies
us. It lets us know that what Christ
did justified us. That's what we're talking about.
This justifying of faith spoken of here is when God gives us
faith and when we then come to know and to see him whose faithfulness
went to the cross for our sins and then he raised for our justification
before God. We have all sinned and come short
of the glory of God. We have no hope unless we had
a substitute to take our place and take our punishment for breaking
God's law. The only deeds we have done as
it concerns God's holy law is to break them. And I want you
to understand me. God's law is holy, just, and
good. There's nothing wrong with the
law. There is something wrong with us. We have all sinned and
come short of the glory of God. And that glory is much more than
the law of works. That law is the faith of Jesus
Christ who came down. God condescended and became a
man made under the law that he might redeem them who are under
the law. Who is under the law? Ask anyone
out there. Most people will tell you they
are not under the law. It does not hold me under its
thumb is what they'll say. They will tell you how they keep
God's law. But this flesh is under the law. And God be thanked, there are
some who he lets know they are under this law. But if Jesus
Christ the Lord has came down and taken your place, then he
has taken the punishment, do you, for breaking of that law. Freed, that means you have nothing
to do with it anymore because you belong to someone else. You
belong to that one who did the freeing. Jesus Christ the Lord. Jesus Christ did for us what
the law could not do for us. He paid the debt of sin I owe. The law can't do nothing for
you. You know the analogy of the x-ray. It can tell us that
we're bad, but it doesn't make us what we are, and it doesn't
fix what we are. But Jesus Christ can. He paid
the debt of sin I owe. That is the righteousness of
God without the law there, folks. There is no provision in the
law to give life, to pay a debt of sin. It merely sheds light
on our sin. Remember the x-ray. But we also
read further in our text, do we then make void the law through
faith? God forbid, yea, we establish
the law. It does not say we keep the law
or that we do the law. We have already been told there
that by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified
in the sight of God. So this is not saying you do
the law by faith. We establish the law and hold
it up in this way. Jesus Christ did everything for
us. That's how we do it, we hold
it up. We agree with God, we believe God, and his record that
he has given of his son, that Jesus Christ not only fulfilled
the law every jot and tittle, he did something that the law
and no one else could do. That is that righteousness without
the law. He paid for the sins of those
who have broken his law. He is, again as it says in our
text, he is the just and the justifier of him which believes. What faithfulness we see in Jesus
Christ the Lord as our substitute. both do what is needed to pay
our debt, but both to do what is needed to pay our debt, but
to also give us what is needed so that we might believe Him,
enabling us to be saved. Not get saved, but be saved.
There's no other safer place to be than that, than in Christ,
right, Joe, in His hand. If you're looking to the law
of works of the flesh, then you will perish. But if God, by His
grace, has given you His faith, then He has, by this faith, let
you know He has done all that is needed to secure your salvation. Can you believe Him? Now I want
to read something from Martin Luther on the Bondage of the
Wheel book. There's one paragraph I want
to read. And I'll end with this. But this
is, when someone comes to know who God is, this is a believer
for you. Okay, so here we go. First, God has promised certainly
his grace to the humbled, that is, to the self-deploring and
despairing. But a man cannot be thoroughly
humbled until he comes to know that his salvation is utterly
beyond his own powers, counsel, endeavors, will, and works, and
absolutely depending on the will, counsel, pleasure, and work of
another, that is, of God only. For if, as long as he has any
persuasion that he can do even the least thing himself towards
his own salvation, he retain a confidence in himself and do
not utterly despair in himself, so long he is not humbled before
God. But he proposes to himself some
place, some time, or some work, whereby he may at length attain
unto salvation. But he who hesitates not to depend
wholly upon the good will of God, he totally despairs in himself,
choosing nothing for himself, but waits for God to work in
him, and such an one is the nearest unto grace that he might be saved. Amen. Dear little God, thank
you for allowing us once again to look into your words, dear
Lord, hear your words. They are a comfort to us, dear
Lord. Be with us all, dear Lord, as
we go out and about, dear Lord. We can do nothing without you.
All these things we ask in Christ's name, amen.