If you wish to follow along,
turn to Romans chapter 9. We will kind of pick up where
I left off last Sunday. What I want to do is read Romans
chapter 9 verses 27 through 33. Isaias, or that is, of course,
Isaiah, as everyone here probably already knows. Isaias also cried
concerning Israel. Though the number of the children
of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved. For he that is God, he will finish
the work and cut it short in righteousness because a short
work will the Lord make upon the earth. And as Isaiah said
before, except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been
as Sodom and Gomorrah. You see that? We'd have been
just like them, just like them. What shall we say then? That
the Gentiles, now think about this, that the Gentiles, which
followed not after righteousness, have attained unto righteousness,
even the righteousness which is of faith. But Israel, which
followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law
of righteousness. Why, or wherefore? Because they
sought it not by faith, See it? Because they sought it not by
faith, but as it were, how did they seek it? That's what he's
saying. But as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled
at the stumbling stone, as it is written, behold I, and that
is God speaking, It is God speaking. As it is written, now yes, it
may well have been Isaiah that wrote these words down, but Isaiah
was writing under inspiration. These are God's words. As it
is written, behold, I lay in Zion, a stumbling stone and a
rock of offense. God meant him that way. I didn't
say just it. It's a him. This stone of stumbling,
this rock of offense is a person because he says, and whosoever
believeth on him shall not be ashamed. My title is this, and
it's what I will spend most of my time on. I have actually four
things that I want to get to, but I'll make a few statements
before we get there. But here's my title. This is
my subject. Faith and never law works. Faith and never, I didn't
say not law, I said never. Law works get you in trouble. Law works get you in trouble
before you're saved and after you're saved. Because righteousness is connected
to faith and not law works. Now perfect law works would be
fine, but that's the whole point. Law works must be absolutely
perfect. Cursed is everyone that continueth
not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do
them. So we start out on the negative. And yet people have convinced
themselves that they can overcome even what negative they have
by then trying to sincerely engage in law works. Well, first of
all, Paul is clear. Out of the vast population of
Israel, past, that's past in Paul's day, and present in Paul's
day, and I will be as bold to say even present in our day,
Paul is clear. Out of the vast population of
Israel, past and present, even up till this day, only a remnant
shall be saved. Verse 27, it is clear. Isaiah
said so. Isaiah also crieth concerning
Israel, though the number of the children of Israel be as
the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved. And that's like
a little scrap. That's what a remnant is, is a scrap. It may be a big scrap, but compared
to the whole thing, it's just still a small scrap compared
to the whole. Look at verse chapter 11. I say
then, hath God cast away his people? God forbid, for I also
am an Israelite. So now he's talking about natural
Israelites. I also am an Israelite of the
seed of Abraham of the tribe of Benjamin. So here he's making
sure no one misunderstands what he's talking about when he says
Israel. God's people they foreknew. God hath not cast away his people,
but here is the qualification which he foreknew. He goes to
tell us clearly that there are some Jews and the Jews who do
not believe are even broken off from the olive tree of Israel.
So someone says has God cast off Israel? All unbelieving Israelites,
yes. But not the remnant. Not the
elect. What, ye not, what the scripture
saith of Elias, how he maketh intercession to God against Israel,
say ye? Now did he not love him? Of course
he loved him. But Isaiah knew the truth. And
he had to testify of the truth. Not of emotional desire. Okay? Saying, Lord, they have killed
thy prophets and dig down thine altars, and I am left alone,
and they seek my life. And yes, there is a little bit
of a pity party in here. There was for that. But look,
but what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved
to myself 7,000 men. Now, he didn't know these 7,000.
If he had, he wouldn't have been crying, I'm left alone. But God
had these 7,000. But what saith the answer of
God unto him? I have reserved to myself 7,000 men who have
not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. Notice the order. They're
not reserved because they don't bow, but they are reserved and
they do not bow the knee to the image of Baal. Even so then,
at this present time, so this is not something new. God hasn't
changed gears, he hasn't switched gears. See it? Even so, at this
present time also, there is a remnant according to the election of
grace. And if by grace, there's no more
of works. Otherwise, grace is no more grace.
But if it be of works, then it is no more grace. Otherwise,
work is no more work. They cannot, we dare not, mix
them together. We dare not. So again, Paul is
clear. God purposed there only be a
remnant. Verse 28, for he will finish
the work, that is God will finish the work, and cut it short. This short here is not duration,
but actual numbers. You can look it up, look it up
for yourself in the Greek, you'll see that. For he will cut it
short in righteousness. A remnant is all that God ever
determined to save amongst Israel. He's not, no matter what some
pre-millennialists say, and I'm not ashamed to say I am one,
but no matter what some pre-millennialists say and teach, God's not going
to save every Jew in any age at any time. It's always and
only ever been a remnant. Why? Because a short work will
the Lord make on the earth. who impugn the election of grace
insult God. We're not here to try to educate
men into this truth because men are not educated into the truth
of God. They're born by the Spirit of
God into the family of God, and then the Spirit teaches them
the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. But again, Paul's clear. Any who impugn the election of
grace insult God. For the election of grace shut
nobody out. But what it did was guaranteed
somebody would be brought in. Elections shut nobody out. But
if God hadn't elected, nobody would have went in. And that's
what he says. Even Isaiah knew this in his
day. He understood this. And as Isaiah
says before, except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed. That's the remnant. That seed. We had been as Sodom and been
made like unto Gomorrah. And yet people think that election
is some evil, wicked doctrine. I thank God for it. That gives
me hope. And the people God, the kind
of people God chose, not many mighty, no, no, not many noble,
but the despised things, the ignominious things, the things
that are looked down upon by the rest of modern day righteous
society. That's the kind of folks God
chose. People like Jacob. People like Jacob. Paul was also
clear, faith, now we're getting to it. Paul was also clear, faith,
not law works. And I added this, faith and never
law works. And I have the right to say that
because of what's said by Paul here. Law works what got Israel
in trouble. Not that God was unjust to put
them under the law. But they thought they kept it
when they haven't even kept one precept. The very first one,
to love God with everything we are. The Jews never kept that
one, and neither have we. And even as a believer, I just
love God. But I still can't say I love him with all my heart,
mind, soul, and strength. But I love him. The law says
love your neighbor as yourself. You know what grace teaches you
to do? To hate yourself. Now don't it? Grace doesn't teach
you to love yourself. Grace teaches you to hate yourself.
That's totally opposite of the law. But it offends the law in
no point. It offends the law in no point. So again, Paul, it's clear. Faith,
not law works, honor God. For faith only honors Christ. Law works do not. What shall we say then, that
the Gentiles which followed not after righteousness, they weren't
worried about no law. God's law in particular, they
didn't even know anything about it other than what was written
in their hearts and their consciences and they distort that. The heart
and the conscience distorts what God's even written down inside.
What shall we say then, that the Gentiles which followed not
after righteousness, They've attained into righteousness.
Now this is a God righteousness now. A God-accepted righteousness. A God-honoring righteousness.
A God-equal righteousness. Because that's the only kind
of real righteousness there is. I mean, I've heard some men say
it, and maybe I've said it before. You know, this is, some have
said, this is not God's intrinsic righteousness. It better be!
God's not accepting us based upon a lower level of righteousness.
He has to have absolute righteousness, perfection, and honor. The Gentiles
didn't follow after righteousness, but they pertained to it. Even
the righteousness which is of faith, though. Even the righteousness
which is of faith. But Israel, which followed after
the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. You see that? All right, let
me just give you four things. Try not to be too long. Law works
are an insult to God. They're an insult to God's Christ,
because those engaged in them are ashamed of Christ and his
work. And that is what is implied,
whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. But others are,
they've stumbled at the stumbling stone and the rock of offense
is truly an offense to them. So again, I say it, I'm bold
enough to say it. Law works are an insult to God. Unless you can keep them perfectly
from the first breath you took to the last one you take. And
none of us, we start out at the negative because as by one man's
disobedience many were made sinners In the womb, we were conceived
in sin, shapen in iniquity, brought forth speaking lies. So we start
off on the negative. I'll say it again. Law works
are an insult to God's Christ because those engaged in them
are ashamed of Christ and his work. As it is written, behold,
I lay at Zion a stumbling stone and a rock of offense. Now he's still that even to those
that believe on him. But they're not ashamed of him. He didn't become something else
to them. He's still the rock of offense and this stone of
stumbling. But they're not ashamed of him.
And I'll try to talk about that stone of stumbling and rock of
offense here in just a moment. Secondly, law works are an insult
to God's Christ because they put more import on fallen man's
doings rather than on Christ's doings. Verse 32, wherefore,
why didn't they attain unto the law of righteousness? Because
they didn't seek it by faith. You see, they didn't seek it
by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. They actually
insult God by saying, we can do this. Isn't that what Israel said?
Isn't that what Israel said? And you know what, that's what
we all say by nature. We actually, I can do this. But
we're so forgetful and we start out with a deficit. We start
out in trouble already. We're not born into this world
with the slate clean and in the middle and then we go one way
or the other. We start out in the negative. We're already at
an absolute disadvantage before God's holy law. And as many preachers
have said, but I know Earl used to say this a lot, you don't
have to teach your child to lie. But you do have to try to train
them up to tell the truth, be honest. Now don't you? You just
got to. You leave them alone, they'll
lie like a dog. And the apple don't fall too
far from the tree, does it? They are like they are because
their mommies and daddies are like they are. So again, law
works are an insult to God's Christ because they put more
import on fallen man's doing rather than on Christ's doing.
But number three, law works insist man is not as bad as God says
he is. Or, They're really ignorant of
how bad, God says, man really is. It could be either one. It
could be either one. Law works insist that man is
not as bad as God says they are, thus they insult God's integrity. Verse 31, but Israel, which followed
after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law
of righteousness. Never did, never will. And this, I was going to say
this includes the Ten Commandments. This is the Ten Commandments. All the other commands are based
upon the Ten. And the Ten are based upon two. Right? Loving God supremely and
loving your neighbor as yourself. Everything else hangs on those
two things. And we can't do those. Yet we
try to convince ourselves and even try to convince God. But
man is so wicked now, you got preachers out there saying, well,
God just wants your best shot. That's so blasphemous. You understand? So blasphemy. God wants your
best shot. Cain's best shot was evidently
with a rock or a hammer or something. And it blowed on Abel's head.
That was his best shot, wasn't it? And he was offering sacrifice
to God. Now, that's a good shot. It was
to God. God said, I don't respect you
or your offering. God's got his way. We either
bow to his way or we're in rebellion against him. This ain't no good
best shot deal. That's the same thing they believe
about their Jesus. He gave it his best shot too. Our Jesus
didn't give it his best shot. He came and he fulfilled the
will of the Father. He accomplished redemption, justification,
salvation, righteousness, sanctification. He accomplished it all for his
people. So again, I say that third one,
law works, insists man's not as bad as God says they are,
thus they insult God's integrity. But here's the fourth one. God
intends on exposing our law works as faulty and sinful, especially
when they're compared to Christ's perfections. You see, we're so
bad that the Son of God had to do everything he did. including
have the father turn his back on him when he hung on that cursed
tree. That's a stumbling stone. Because
yes, the law tells me what sin is, it defines it, but it don't
really tell me how bad sin is. But the bloody son of God hanging
on a tree, being beaten almost to death, the only reason he
wasn't is because he held his life at his own power. bloody
son of God hanging on a tree, being mocked by men and beaten
by men, and then have the father turn his back. It took that to
save us. It took that. That's how bad
we are. And then we point our finger.
I do it. You do it too. Come on now. Let us be honest.
We point our fingers. Somebody else said, boy, I don't
know how they did that. Yeah, we do. Paul done said it. Yeah, we do. We do. God intends
on exposing our law works as faulty and sinful. At best, sometimes
they're outright blasphemous. We'll take the very truth of
God and twist it into a lie, won't we? Well, I ain't never
slept with anyone other than my spouse. No, but you probably
thought about it, right? And if you have, if you have,
now maybe you have it that way, but that's only one amongst 600
and some, they say. But even if you just thought
about it, Christ said you're already guilty of adultery. And as I told you before, we
had a person in this assembly years ago, they were a young
person, and they said, well, if I'm gonna thank you, I might
as well do it. No, if you do it, you're involving somebody else.
Only sin for what it is, corruption before God. We are truly a stench
in the nostrils of God. God couldn't even choose us outside
of Jesus Christ. We had to be chosen in His personal
work, not in ours. We're so bad there was nothing
about us that would cause God to look favorably toward us other
than pure unadulterated love in and through the person of
Jesus Christ. We were chosen in Him, not in
ourselves. And we weren't just chosen because
God loved us. but because He predestinated
we be conformed to the image of His Son. So again, God intends
on exposing our law works as faulty and sinful, especially
when we compare them to Christ's perfection. Christ as a stumbling
stone is not this. It's not, okay, man's able, but
God puts Christ in their way. No, we are so corrupt that when
God puts his perfection in front of us, we stumble at it. We're offended at him. Have you ever tried to tell someone
about who your Lord is? The Lord Jesus Christ? Jesus
of Nazareth? You know, I said, well, I don't
believe in a God like that. They're ashamed of it. They wouldn't be caught dead,
as the old phrase goes, caught dead laying in this building
right here. You know that? There's some people out there
that overtly hate it that much, but we all did by nature. Yes,
sir. There was a time when I wouldn't
have been caught dead in a group like this. Oh, yeah. And I don't say that bragging.
I say that with shame facing us. That's it. And when God began
to teach me that I was lost, I tried to blame it on the devil
and ask God to take it away. I'm glad he didn't answer that
prayer. Yeah, there you go. Because he could have. He could
have given me what I wanted, Joe. He could have said, OK, I'll
take the conviction away. He could have just left me right
where I was at. I was asking for that to leave. I thought,
that's the devil. He's making me doubt my salvation.
God was making me doubt my salvation and forcing me to bow to his
salvation, the blessed son of God. The truth of who Christ really
is and what he had to do is truly offensive to the natural man,
to the unregenerate person. He's offensive. That's why the
numbers are so small here and you can find some places that
are big as stadiums plumbed full of people. Because they're not
being told the truth about who they are and who Jesus Christ
is. So they're happy with that kind of Jesus. If they begin
to hear about a Jesus like we're talking about now, even one that
says, amongst Israel, only a remnant's gonna be saved, because that's
all I'm determined to save. They despise that. They despise that. They don't like it that God is
calling out of the Gentiles a people for his name. He's not trying
to call all the Gentiles or even most of the Gentiles. He is calling
out of the Gentiles a people for his name. Thus saith the
apostle Peter or James or one of them, one of them said that
anyway. You see, God's dear son, the Lord Jesus Christ is the
most dear thing to God in all that is. the most dear thing
to the heart of God. He is far more dear to God the
Father than we are. Any dearness he has toward us
has only come through Jesus Christ. through Jesus Christ. So God's
dear Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the most dear thing to God
the Father. Nothing is going to be allowed
to compete with Jesus Christ, especially our law works. And
I don't care whether you all talk about it for righteousness,
for sanctification, for perfection, and redemption, whatever the
subject is, believing God in Christ is what honors God. And
never, Never, never law works. Never. Turn with me to the second
psalm. We're just about ready to wind
this thing down. I'm getting hungry. Turn to the
second psalm. Why do the heathen rage? But
they do. And you know who the heathen
are, don't you? Us, by nature. Why do the heathen rage and the
people imagine what? An empty thing. and yet religion
advances. Their God, their Jesus is a vain
thing. He's an empty thing. The kings
of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together
against the Lord and against his anointed, the Christ, the
Messiah. That quick in this psalm. First
things mentioned is man's wicked rebellion against God and it's
particularized toward the son. You see that? Saying, let us
break their bands asunder. This man not gonna reign over
me. That's what it's all about. Let
us break their bands asunder and cast away their cords from
us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh. They're not restraining
God. No, no, no, no. He that sitteth
in the heavens shall laugh. The Lord shall have them in derision. I don't want to be on that side.
Some people don't care. Some people think they're worthy
and they won't ever be. That's dangerous. That's dangerous. The Lord shall have them in derision.
Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath. Why? Because they're
against the anointed. The Christ is the problem. Even
though he's actually the solution. But to fallen men, he's the problem.
You know? If Jesus had just come down here
and said, I'm going to help you all to do your best and you get
to go to heaven, there would probably be a whole lot more
Christians out there. Huh? But that ain't the way it
works. Then shall he speak to them in
his wrath and vex them. Vex them in his sword as pleasure.
That's our God. That's how God feels about the
Son. That's how God feels about men being ashamed of his son,
not believing in his son. Yet, have I set my king upon
my holy hill of Zion. He not asking us to make Jesus
Lord, he made him Lord. He is Lord. Whether we want to
break the bands of that lordship or not, doesn't matter, he's
Lord. He's Lord. I will declare the decree. Now
he's over-declared, he made the decree way back yonder before
any of this ever existed. I will declare the decree. The Lord has said unto me, thou
art my son. This day have I begotten thee.
Ask of me and I shall give thee the heathen for his blood inheritance.
And evidently Jesus said, I want them. Huh? Because look, here's
a bunch of heathen now sitting here worshiping the son. Huh?
Why? They're saying it's up to us.
This was up to him. And this was up to him when the
decree not declared. And it's eternal, folks. We're
just putting it in human terms. When the father and the son shook
hands on this deal, so to speak. You know what I'm saying? There
was a covenant agreement between the father, the son, and the
spirit of God. I will declare the decree. The Lord has said
unto me, thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee. Ask
of me and I shall give thee the heathen for thy inheritance and
the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. So there's
no place on earth one of these could run to, even if they're
running away from God, that God will not find them. You see that? That God will not find them.
Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron. Thou shalt dash them
in pieces like a potter's vessel. And when God first starts to
do that to you, it hurts. It is not pleasant. You see that
rock of offense before you and that stone of stumbling, and
it hurts. Anger may well up in your soul
against God, but he's gonna keep crushing. and crushing, and crushing,
until you've got no other place to flee to. Be wise now, therefore,
O ye kings. Be instructed, ye judges of the
earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. But
here's the summary to this song, this psalm. Kiss the sun. You see that? And let me remind
us, this is more of the kiss like that old whore that came
up and fell down at his feet. crying, needing forgiveness inside. Didn't matter what everybody
else thought. She come right in the middle of him, wasn't even biting. And
she's kissing his feet. But there's another man, he kissed
Jesus, but he did it as though he were equal. Even a betrayer,
he come up and done what? He kissed him on the cheek. He
didn't bow down to his feet. kiss the son, lest he be angry,
and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put
their trust in him. You see it? I am very ashamed
of myself, but I'm not ashamed of him. But I don't always show
that. There's times when I've thought
I should have said something, But I have to trust God in that
too. And there's times when I've been bold and I've said something,
then I thought, what in the world did I just say? It's like you
can't win for losing. You know what are the old phrase?
You run your mouth and you think, well, I'm trying to tell us about
the Lord. And you find out all you've been doing is bragging
about yourself. Ever been there? I say that to
remind us of this one thing. Faith in Christ honors God. Law
works never do. Heavenly Father, we thank you
for your son, and the grace and mercy and compassion. Lord, thank
you for this food, for these people, and for the fellowship
that we are about to engage in. We bless your name in Christ,
amen.