Sovereign Grace Chapel, located
at 135 Annabel Lane in Beaver, West Virginia, invites you to
listen to a gospel message concerning Jesus Christ our Lord. If you wish to follow along,
turn back to Romans chapter 1, verses 16 and 17 again. Now, I'm fairly sure that this
will be my, I preached last Sunday on these two verses, and I'm
pretty sure this will, the second message here from these two verses
We'll move on after that, but don't hold me to that because
I don't know how far I'll get this morning. Romans 1, verses
16 and 17, where Paul writes these words. For I am not ashamed
of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God and the
salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first and also to
the Greek. For therein, that is in the gospel,
for therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to
faith. As it is written, the just shall
live by faith. Now, the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ is not just mere information. The Gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ, according to the Apostle Paul, is said here, it is defined
here, as the power of God unto salvation. And my title for this
morning's message, and what I want my subject, I pray that my subject
will go along the line of is this. Here's my title, here's
my subject, The Gospel Defined. Now, admit it, in our passage,
Paul gives some definition to the gospel. You understand what
I'm saying? It's called the power of God.
In it, that is in the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed. So we see at least those two
things. It's the power of God even under salvation to everyone
that believeth. But this alone is not the full
definition of the gospel. I am afraid that most people
who profess to be Christians in what is called Christianity
today really do not know what the gospel is. For instance,
most people think that the gospel is Christ was born and virgin
born. He lived a perfect life and healed
and went about doing good. He suffered on Calvary's tree
and died on that tree, was buried. rose again the third day, ascended
back to the Father's right hand, and now sits at the Father's
right hand. But that in and of itself is not the gospel. It
is just the historical facts concerning the gospel. Because
even here we see that Paul said, I'm not ashamed of the gospel
of Christ because, that is, for it is the power of God and the
salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first and also to
the Greek. For in that gospel, that's what he's saying, for
in that gospel is the righteousness of God revealed, but it is only
revealed from faith to faith. As it is written, the just shall
live by faith. But there's much more to the
gospel than just this definition. And this is what I want to give
to you this morning. Here's my first point. Only in
the gospel is true God-righteousness revealed. And true God-righteousness
is Christ, Christ, Christ, Christ. Outside of Jesus Christ, now
how do I put this? Outside of Jesus Christ, there
is no God-righteousness revealed. Outside of Jesus Christ, the
only thing that is revealed is the righteous judgment of God. As a matter of fact, in the person
and work of Jesus Christ, we see true human righteousness
revealed because Jesus Christ was the God-man. Everything that
he did as a man, Jackie did as God. And everything that he did
as God, he did as a man. I know this is hard for our minds
to comprehend, if not impossible for it to comprehend. But as
I said, only in the gospel is true God-righteousness revealed,
and that righteousness is Christ. Now here's three things under
this first point. In the gospel, It is revealed,
that is the righteousness of God is revealed in Christ's preceptive
obedience. Now, what do I mean by that?
I mean by that Christ's obedience to God's commands. I mean by
that Christ's obedience to God's decrees. I mean by that Christ's
obedience to God's covenant. I mean by that Christ's obedience
to God's law. He so fully obeyed the Father. And remember, he even mentioned
one time. Kind of hard to wrap your mind
around because he gives us insight into that covenant relationship
between he and the Father before the world even was, before we
ever even existed. And he said, and I'm not going
into that, I just wanna give you this phrase. He said, this
commandment have I received of my Father. And Katie, he obeyed
every commandment that he received of his father, fully, lovingly,
willingly, with no ego of his own to prove. He was God manifest
in the flesh and could have at any time manifested it forth
in its full glory. As an example, remember when
they came to arrest him? and they had sticks and staves
and probably a few swords, a few knives around, they came to arrest
him and ask him if he was Jesus of Nazareth. And his answer was,
here's one of the, one time when you see this, Jack, this glory
of God in the person of Christ manifest forth, and when they
asked him if he was Jesus of Nazareth, he said, I am. Now, Jack, I got no reason to
believe he said it in any other force. He didn't say it in any
other language than the way, the language you normally spoke.
He didn't say it with some kind of special, you know, supernatural
words. He simply said, I am. And what
happened? They fell down backwards. You
think about that. They fell down backwards. He
could have kept them there. but he suffered them because
of God's decrees, because of God's covenant, because of obedience
to the Father. Jack, he suffered them to stand
back up and still arrest him. But there's a glorious little
side note I wanna give you in that. When they asked if he was
Jesus of Nazareth, they fell down backwards, then he suffered
them to get back up and arrest them. He told that mob of people,
if you take me, talking about his disciples were with him.
Now, if you take me, you cannot have them. And they could not. Why? Because God said so. It
didn't look like that. No, in this world, the Christianity
of today says, boy, wasn't Jesus lucky. Boy, wasn't the disciples
lucky. No, this is, he is, Christ is,
the righteousness of God. He had full, no, he was full
deity. He was fully God. And the one
place it's always, now it wasn't always manifest in his life,
was it? He looked like everybody else. As a matter of fact, he
was, according to the prophet Isaiah, Linda, he wasn't even
a real handsome man. And there was no great beauty,
and he didn't look at him and say, well, there's a charismatic-looking
guy. There's a guy that, he was just a Jew. A 30 to 33-year-old
Jew. Looked like every other Jew of
that day. And yet here was God Almighty
in the flesh. But here's the one place the
righteousness of God and the power of God is always revealed
is where? Somebody wanna say that loud?
In the gospel. in the gospel. Now, turn to John
17 if you're following along. John chapter 17, and I told you
this, that is, the righteousness of God is revealed in Christ's
preceptive obedience, that is, his obedience to God's precepts,
whether it was a command, a decree, a covenant, or the law. In John
17, verse one, he prayed this prayer, and I'll give us just
a portion of it. These words spake Jesus and lifted
up his eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour is come. "'Glorify thy son, that thy son
also may glorify thee, "'as thou hast given him power over all
flesh, "'that he should give eternal life to as many "'as
thou hast given him. "'And look, and this is life
eternal, "'that they might know thee the only true God, "'and
Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. "'There is no knowledge of God
"'unless you know the only true God, and you're only gonna know
the only true God in the person of Jesus Christ. And you're not
gonna know the person of Jesus Christ apart from what? The gospel,
the gospel. But then look, here's what I
wanted to get to. I have glorified thee on the earth. Jack, can
you say that to God? Have you ever prayed that to
God? Now if you have, don't say you
have. You ever prayed that to God? Anybody here felt emboldened
enough to pray, I have glorified thee on the earth? And he's not
talking about one single instance. Look, I have glorified thee on
the earth. I have finished the work which
thou gavest me to do. Isn't that glorious? Isn't that
glorious? So we see that the righteousness
of God is revealed in Christ's preceptive obedience. In other
words, here's a real righteousness. Was it not? A real God-righteousness
and a real God-righteousness wrought by a man. And you know
what the glory is for us in that? He did it for other men and women. He did it for other men and women.
Second point, under this first heading, that is only in the
gospel is true God-righteousness revealed. Second point, it is
revealed in Christ's punitive capital punishment on the cross. Think about that. I know I've
said it before, Joe's probably said it, Paul's probably said
it, other men who've stood behind this podium have probably said
it. Jesus Christ did not save us by dying a normal death. He
did not have Joseph simply lay his head on his pillow, turn
his head toward the wall and give up the ghost. Now Christ
gave up the ghost, but he gave up the ghost being under punitive
capital punishment. They were torturing him to death,
to death. And they would have had he not
had the power over his own life and death. He said, no man takes
my life from me. He said, I lay it down. Why?
Because this, and then we go back. This commandment have I
received of the Father. The Father gave me this commandment.
Son, you have your life in your own hands. You lay it down when
you will, you take it up when you will. I want somebody like
that standing for me, don't you? Don't you? Now let me read a
couple passages. John chapter 19. concerning it is revealed in
Christ's punitive capital punishment and that on the cross with full
obedience to God's predestinated purpose. John 19, let me find
my spot. John 19 verse 28, excuse me. Now remember, he's already said,
I have finished the work you gave me to do when he prayed
in that garden, remember? I finished the work, but what work is he
talking about? Remember, he's talking there
about his preceptive obedience to God's commands. No suffering,
no trials in the obedience of these things. I'm not saying
he didn't suffer during this physically when he, you know, Jackie moaned
over Jerusalem. and he moaned over the inhabitants
of Jerusalem. And I don't care whether this
fits our good, strong Calvinism or not, it is God's truth. He
said, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that stonest the prophets,
how often would I have gathered thee as a hen doth gather her
chicks, and what? And ye would not. God said in
the Proverbs, I called. You refused. You see, if men
would flee to Christ, God would save them. God would save them. But look at what it says here.
John 19, verse 28, after this. Now he's hanging on the cross.
Go back and look at the context. After this, Jesus knowing that
all things were now accomplished. And this is amazing. It's, when
you look at the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and what they did
to him, actually throughout his whole life, of course, but what
they did to him, even in the garden, what they did to him
in the hall where they beat him and did all these things to him,
what they did when they had him carry his cross up that way,
what they did when they hung him on that tree, what they did
to him while he was hanging on that tree. It's almost as if
they were opening up the Bible and say, all right, what are
we supposed to do next? Now isn't it? It's all, and yet
these people were doing exactly what the Bible said they would
do, hundreds if not thousands of years in some cases before.
And some of these people knew the scriptures, but didn't know
they were fulfilling the scriptures, even in their vile, wicked hatred
of Christ. Now isn't that, Elizabeth McCollum,
isn't that amazing? It's like they, okay, now we
put a crown of thorn on his head. Now what are we supposed to do?
Oh, okay, this prophet says we're supposed to do that. And they
did it exactly as the book of God said they would do it. They
rolled dice. Now, it wasn't really dice. I
don't know what they used, but I'm using the illustration of our
day. They were casting lots right at the foot of his cross for
his garment that they had taken off of him while he hung there
in open shame. And the book said they will do that. And after
this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished,
that the scripture might be fulfilled, said, I thirst, I thirst. Now there was set a vessel of
vinegar, and they filled a sponge with vinegar, and put upon hyssop,
and put it to his mouth. And when Jesus therefore had
received the vinegar, he said, it is finished. What's finished? Again I say,
his punitive capital punishment on the cross. And while men and
women thought he was dying for his errors and his sins and his
blasphemies, he was not. But he was dying for errors and
sins and blasphemies. Ours. Ours. Ours. is finished, and I know you've
heard this before, but I've got to say it. In other words, they
say, they tell me, people who've been able to study these things,
that old Greek documents, way back yonder, when this time was,
if you owed somebody a debt, they would stamp this phrase
on it. It is finished when you paid the debt in full. When nothing
else was owed. That's what he's talking about.
He's not talking about, well, the cross is finished. He's not
talking about my life is finished. His life wasn't finished. He
only stayed in the grave for three days. He ever lives, evermore. But look, it is finished. What
is he saying? I've paid the debt for my people
in full, in full. It is finished. Here it is. And
he bowed his head and gave up the ghost, so much so that The
Apostle Paul puts it this way. Now, just don't even take time
to turn to it. Just let me read it to you and
listen to the words. I know you're familiar with them,
but may God once again open our hearts and minds and our ears
and our eyes to hear this anew and afresh so that it strengthens
us for this journey in this cursed, evil world. And this is the way
Paul put it. Speaking of Christ, who, being in the form of God,
thought it not robbery to be equal with God, and that's a
deep, deep subject right there, and I don't even have time to
go into that, but made himself of no reputation, and took upon
him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men,
and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled. Now, who are we talking about
here? Remember, who are we talking about? God Almighty, manifest
in the flesh. He who says, I won't share my
glory with another. And yet God in flesh, what, humbled
himself and became, that's an amazing thought, became, not
because he wasn't before, because he was obedient before, correct?
He was obedient in his preceptive obedience. He also was obedient
in his punitive capital punishment. He suffered those men to do all
that they did to him that was prophesied before. He allowed
them to do it. He said, I could call, what was
it, 10,000 legions? Legions of angels. Katie, if he'd have thought,
now he didn't, and he wasn't going to, but if he'd have said,
this is enough, I ain't doing this, it would have been over
with. God could have sent down legions of angels and wiped those
men and women off the face of the earth. But why did he not? Because he loved us so much.
He was paying our debt in full, and humbled himself, and became
obedient unto death, the death of the cross. And you know, we really can't
relate to that, can we? Now maybe if we lived in this
time, and we used to see it happen, and we were used to seeing it
happen all the time, and we think about crucifixion, but I've never
seen somebody crucified to death. Have you? I've never really seen
that. I mean, today we got electric
chairs, they're getting rid of them. We got lethal injections,
they're getting rid of them. We got ropes, they're getting
rid of them. They used to be the firing squad,
we're getting rid of them. Used to be the guillotine, well,
we're getting rid of them. But they don't compare to crucifixion.
They don't compare to, and humbled himself and became obedient unto
death, even the death of the cross. Now there's no obedience,
is it not? God Almighty, manifest in the
flesh, suffering wicked men to do to Him what they did to Him.
But not only that, He willingly, willingly took upon Himself and
within Himself our sins and bore our sins in His own body on the
tree in such a way that God the Father turned His back on the
Son. I hope I never understand that.
You know that? I hope I believe it. I pray I
do believe it. But the only way to really understand
that is to go through it. And you don't want God to turn
his back on you. And let me tell you something,
people in Afghanistan, they're suffering right now. And I'm
afraid there will be a whole lot more suffering, even worse.
And people suffering, people in New Orleans, probably suffering
right now. Somebody may be drowning right
now. But let me tell you something, ain't none of them yet been forsaken
of God. But if you pass out of this world
without Jesus Christ, you begin to have an idea what it's like
to have God turn his back on you. When you lift up your eyes
in where? Hail. That scares me. That scares me. But you know
what? Look up, wherefore, because of this obedience, this humility,
this becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the cross,
wherefore, God hath also highly exalted him and given him a name
which is above every name, because he did this obedience. that at
the name of Jesus, every knee should bow of things in heaven,
of things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every
tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of
God the Father. Do we remember? Oh, God remind
us that it really pleases God. when men and women bow down to
the authority and the lordship and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ
of Nazareth. God is delighted in that. God
loves that. I don't think it's wrong to say
it. If I'm wrong, it makes God happy when men and women are
bowed down to his son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Because why? Because
in the gospel, In Jesus Christ is God's righteousness revealed. Now let me move on. You see,
the third point in this first thing, and I'm not gonna get
through with it, so I didn't tell you the truth, I didn't
mean, I'll be preaching on this Sunday after next, God willing,
when I get back from Ohio. I did not get but one point here. Here's the third point on this
first heading, that is only in the gospel is true God righteousness
revealed. Here's my third point. Only in
the gospel is this vital, preeminent question ever answered. How can
a thrice holy God remain just? And as he does, he's justifying
an ungodly person. The cross of Christ, the sufferings
of Christ, His obedience unto death is the only just answer
to that question. That is, how could God be just
and justify the ungodly? Most people think God is so much
love, he's basically just kind of winking at it and letting
it go. God cannot let sin go. Sin must be punished, but not,
hear me? Sin must be punished, but not...
Sin must be punished, and the only way that it can be punished
is by death, and not just a normal death, but to die with God the
Father turning his back on the individual. So again, I say only
in the gospel is this vital preeminent question answered. How can a
thrice holy God remain just and do so as he justifies an ungodly
person, even one who believes in Jesus? The answer, the birth,
the life, the sufferings, the death, the resurrection, the
ascension, and the exaltation of Jesus Christ. Look at Romans
three, turn with me to that one. Make a few statements here and
we'll wind this up on this one. Romans chapter three. Let me
find my spot. Look at what it says. Romans
three verse 26. This is speaking about God. Well
let me read verse 25, get a little more of the context. Whom God
has set forth to be a perpetuation through faith in his blood. And
the context in the Greek is not through our faith in his blood.
Jack, this was through the father's faith in his blood. He trusted
the son to come and do the commands that the father sent him to do.
When he had the power, if he wanted to, to say I'm tired of
this and I'm done with it. He said I could call legions
of angels. Look, whom God has set forth
to be a perpetuation 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. And who is everyone that believeth
in Jesus? Not a one of them is righteous.
No, not one. Not a one of them understands.
Not a one of them seek after God. Not a one of, they're all
going out of the way. They are together become unprofitable.
There's none that doeth good. No, not one. This is the kind
of people who believe in Jesus. Jack, God justified them in the
person of his son. As a matter of fact, let me read.
Paul gives this litany. He tells us what we, reminds
us what we are by nature. And he writes these words. Verse
20 of Romans three. Therefore, by the deeds of the
law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight, for by
the law is the knowledge of God, or no, by the law, that was wrong,
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. Now look at how it words
it. Even the righteousness of God,
listen to how it's worded. Even the righteousness of God,
which is by faith of Jesus Christ. What's that talking about? It's
talking about that obedience that he accomplished in his life
and ministry and work on Calvary's tree. Our righteousness is not our
faith. His faith is our righteousness.
He is our righteousness. And folks, that's the gospel.
Most people are taught today, if you'll believe in Jesus, God'll
use that belief to get you into glory. And that is not it. But
look at what it does say. Even the righteousness of God,
which is by the faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all
them that believe. Do you see it?