I ask you to open your Bibles
with me to Romans chapter 3. Our scripture reading came from
Job chapter 9. From this chapter, we have the
age old question, how can a man be just before Almighty God? That's of great interest to sinners,
isn't it? Don't we want to know about justification?
being justified before a holy God. I want to be justified before
God. Here in Romans 3, I want us to
look at three questions this evening. Three questions. Question one,
why do I need justification? In case there was any doubt there,
why do I need justification? In our day and time, It seems
like the common theme is everybody's okay. Everybody's all right. People are just misunderstood.
So, why then? Why do I need justification? The second question, can I be
justified by the deeds of the law? I get my act together. I clean
myself up. Maybe if I hang a copy of the
Ten Commandments out in my front yard, can I be justified by the
deeds of the law? Remember the rich young ruler?
Look over there in Luke chapter 18. Luke 18 beginning with Verse
18, says a certain ruler asked him, asked our Lord Jesus Christ,
saying, good master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus said unto him, why callest
thou me good? None is good, save one, that
is God. Thou knowest the commandments,
do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear
false witness. honor thy father and thy mother,
and he said, all these have I kept from my youth up." Imagine the
arrogance, just the utter foolishness of that statement. It would be
one thing to stand and say that before any man, but to say that
before God and human flesh, all those I've kept from my youth
up. And our Lord said, When he heard these things, he said unto
him, get like and sell one thing. Go and sell all that you have,
distribute it unto the poor. Thou shalt have treasure in heaven.
Come, follow me. We know the conclusion of that,
don't we? Said he went away, he went away sad, didn't he?
Very sorrowful, for he was a, he was a rich man. Can I be justified
by the deeds of the law? Question three. How then is a
sinner justified? Turn with me here to Romans 3
and we'll begin in verse 9. What then? Are we better than
they? No, and no wise, for we have
before proved, both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under
sin. Consider the advantages of the
Jewish nation. They had the prophecies of the
coming Messiah. They had the pictures and types
of the sacrifice and the atonement. They had the promises of redemption
and forgiveness through faith in Christ. Yet their state and
condition before God was no different than the Gentiles. No different. All under sin. For and by one
man's disobedience, many were made sinners. meaning we may
all have sinned. Each one of us, we can trace
our family tree straight back to Adam and his fall. As it is
written, look at verse 10 of our text here in Romans 3, as
it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one. Why do I need justification?
Well, consider just these two verses. What we just read here,
all are under sin and there's none righteous. No, not one. Isn't that kind of harsh? Isn't
that, that's the way the world responds to that. Isn't that,
isn't that kind of harsh? I wonder if Paul anticipated
some objection when he, when he, when he said that all are
under sin. Well, Paul, what about, what
about old brother so-and-so? There's none righteous. Well,
but what about, what about sister? No, no, not one. Not one. Let's read on in our text. Verse
11. There is none that understandeth. There's none that seeketh after
God. No understanding, no knowledge
of who God is. A God who is infinitely holy,
a God who is just and righteous, a God who must punish sin, a
God who is sovereign in all things, no understanding, no knowledge
of our own sinfulness, how desperately wicked we truly are, no understanding
of our need for the Savior, our need for justification, our need
for a No understanding of who the Lord Jesus Christ is, of
what he's done, why he did it, where he is now. No understanding. None that seeketh after God.
Verse 12, they're all going out of the way. They are together
become unprofitable. There is none that doeth good.
No, not one. He refers there to the way, they're
all going out of the way, the way of life, the straight and
narrow way, the way of righteousness, the way of peace, the way of
God, the way of grace, mercy, truth, all going out of the way. Turn to John 14.6. What is the way? A better phrase,
who is the way? John 14, verse 6. Jesus, our Lord, saith unto him,
I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto
the Father, but by me. By nature, we're all going out
of the way. We've chosen our own way. Proverbs 14, 12 says,
there's a way that seemeth right unto man. That's by nature, that's
the way we choose. And it says, the end thereof
are the ways of death. When left to ourself, when left
to our own choice, our free will, the way we choose, we're all
going out of the way. We choose that way that ends
in death. They're all going out of the
way. They all together become unprofitable. And that word unprofitable
is translated filthy. Filthy. Now let's read on here
in our text. Verse 13, Romans 3. Their throat
is an open sepulcher. With their tongues they've used
deceit. The poison of asp is under their
lips, whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Turn
to Matthew 12. Matthew 12. Our Lord said, O generation of vipers,
how can ye, being evil, speak good things? For out of the heart,
out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh. It's a reflection
of what's in our heart, of what we truly are. Back to our text,
he says, their feet are swift to shed blood. If left to ourselves,
there's no limit. There's no limit to the evil
that this flesh is capable of. Verse 16, destruction and misery
are in their ways, and the way of peace, have they not known? By nature, we're ignorant to
the way of true and lasting peace. No knowledge of peace, no desire
of peace. The peace is only found in the
blood and righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is
the only way of salvation, the only way of eternal peace and
happiness. If the way of peace says they've
not known, There's no fear. Verse 18, there's no fear of
God before their eyes. No fear of God's wrath. No fear
of God's judgment. No fear of death. No fear of
hell. Men know nothing of themselves.
They know nothing of a holy and righteous God. A God that must
punish sin. Man knows nothing of himself
and he knows nothing of a holy God. If they did, they would
fall at his feet and beg mercy. Men in our day, they preach a
God that wants to, but yet he can't. They speak of an impotent
Savior who desires to save a man, but is dependent upon man's will. They speak of no God at all,
of no Savior at all. And I consider, you know, our
children, you know, it's frustrating when you see children who do
not reverence and honor their parents, who don't reverence
and honor those in authority. My friends, our problem is far
greater than that. By nature, we don't reverence
and honor a holy God who rules and reigns over all things. Nebuchadnezzar learned something
from that, didn't he? Back there in Daniel 4. I'll not have you turn there.
It says, Nebuchadnezzar, when he returned to his own understanding,
when God opened his understanding, said, I blessed the Most High
and praised and honored him that liveth forever. whose dominion
is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation
to generation, all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing. He doeth according to his will,
and the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of the
earth, and none can stay his hand or say unto him, What doest
thou? He is a sovereign God. Yet man,
man by nature, has no fear of God. before their eyes. Look at verse 19 of our text.
Now we know, we know that what things soever the law saith,
it saith to them who are under the law, that every mouth may
be stopped, all the world may become guilty before God. Consider what we read in these
previous verses, that which describes our condition, that which describes
our sinful nature. that describes what we are by
birth, choice, by practice, then consider our state in light of
what the law says. But the law requires absolute
perfection. The law reveals our sinfulness.
It reveals our wickedness and our inability. And we know that
whatsoever things the law saith, it saith to them who are under
the law, that every mouth may be stopped. Job said, if I justify
myself, mine own mouth would condemn me. I have nothing to
say. Every mouth may be stopped. We
always want to say, but, but. There's nothing to say. We stand
guilty, guilty before God. And listen, we have nothing to
say. Our worth can't save us, our
works can't save us, and most certainly our words can't save
us. Every mouth may be stopped. All
the world, every son of Adam, guilty, guilty before God. Guilty and subject to the justice
and vengeance and wrath of Almighty God. Let's read on, verse 20,
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. That should just take the legs
right out from under, shouldn't it? No amount of keeping the
law, no amount of doing, no amount of dying. can do us any good at all by
the deeds of the law. No flesh justified in His sight. We clean ourselves up before
men. We can justify, we tend to go to great lengths to justify
ourselves before men, for those around us. But in the sight of
Almighty God, no flesh shall be justified in His sight. Not
Jew, not Gentile, no flesh. No flesh. So, here in verse 20
is the answer to question number two. Can I be justified? Can I be justified by the deeds
of the law? No. No, the law reveals my sin. Well then, is there any hope? Is there any comfort? Look at
verse 21. But now the righteousness of
God, without the law, is manifested, being witnessed by the law and
the prophets. What does a sinner need to be
justified in the sight of God, given the fact that we are all
unrighteous and that no flesh will be justified in His sight? the very righteousness of God
Himself, the very righteousness of God, that which satisfies
His holy law, that which satisfies the demands of justice, I must
be robed in the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ without
the law, no dependence on the law, no leaning on the arm of
the flesh. This is the message of the gospel. he shall see of the travail of
his soul, and shall be satisfied. By his knowledge shall my righteous
service justify many, and he shall bear their iniquities."
Jeremiah said, Behold, the day is come, and saith the Lord,
that I will raise unto David a righteous branch, and a king
shall reign and prosper. He shall execute justice and
judgment in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved
and Israel shall dwell safely. and come short of the glory of
God. All have sinned. God looked down from heaven upon
the children of men to see if there were any, any that did
understand, any that did seek God. They're all gone aside. They're all together become filthy.
There is none that doeth good, though not one. How can man,
how can a sinner be justified with God? Look at verse 24, being justified, free by His
grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, being
justified. Justification. How can I, how
can a sinner be found not guilty? You know, if a man's brought
before a judge, accused of a crime, in order to be justified in the
sight of the law, he has to be found not guilty. Back there in verse 19, though,
we see our condition. Guilty. Guilty. So how then can a guilty sinner
be justified in the sight of Almighty God? Only in Christ. Only in Christ. For he hath made
him to be sin for us who knew no sin. That guilty verdict,
that punishment, do his people. That which we deserve, Christ
took upon himself. He took upon himself. He was
wounded for my transgression. He was bruised for my iniquity. The chastisement of our peace
was upon Him. And even more, even more, you
think, can there be more? Not only did He take our sin,
not only did He take the sins of His people, but we are robed
in the righteousness of Christ Himself. He hath made Him to be sin for
us who knew no sin. that we might be made, actually
made the righteousness of God in him, all in the Lord Jesus
Christ. The believer has the holiness
and righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ himself, and we
have it as our own. Paul writes in Ephesians 1, to
the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us
accepted in the beloved. in whom we have redemption through
his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches
of his grace." Being justified. Being justified freely by his
grace. The cause of this blessing of
justification is the free grace of God. I contribute nothing. I merit nothing. I've earned
nothing. He chose us, redeemed us according
to the good pleasure of His will. Man by nature wants everything
for free. Don't we? I'm the worst about
that. We go to the flea market or a
rummage sale. Would you take a little less? Would you take
a little less? We want everything for free except for justification, except
for salvation. Brother Henry told a story one
time of Roland Hill. I think preaching at a county
fair. He said he noticed the vendors
selling their wares. And he said to the audience,
he said, our friends, they bring their fruits. They bring their
wares here and they sell them. And they work hard. They work
hard to get the best price that they can. But he said, I bring
you something better than they have. My milk and my bread. is eternal food. But my problem
is not getting men up to the price, it's getting them down
to the price. My goods are free. They're free. Come, saith the Lord, he that
hath no money. He that hath no money, come ye
buy and eat. Come buy wine and milk without
money, without price. And he continued, he said, if
I were to offer justification for $5, everybody, everybody
would think they left justified tonight. If I offered it, if
I said this, if I were to preach justification for all who would
run a marathon or walk 100 miles, everybody would have their running
shoes on tomorrow morning. If I were to preach justification
for all who were beaten with stripes, everybody would take
their shirt off and turn their back. But when the gift of life, justification,
freely, by His grace, in Christ Jesus, is offered freely to poor
and needy men, they turn away. They have nothing to do with
it, apart from Christ, apart from the Spirit of God intervening.
Let's go on. Justified freely by His grace,
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, the source of
this blessing of redemption. It's the redemption that's in
Christ Jesus. Christ, our Redeemer. He's redeemed
His people. Redeemed by the precious blood
of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the purchase price has been
completely paid. Completely paid. You know, when
Boaz When he redeemed Ruth, he didn't ask for, to my knowledge,
he didn't ask for anyone's help. He didn't make a down payment. We read, it said, Ruth the Moabitess,
the wife of Malon, have I purchased. And I purchased her to be my
wife. The price is completely paid. by the Lord Jesus Christ, he's
paid the debt in full. When he hung on the cross, he
said, it's finished. He perfectly obeyed the law.
He bore our sins in his own body. He suffered and died. He shed
his blood to make atonement for the sins of his people. He was
buried and he rose again. And he now sits at the right
hand of the Father. And as he is, so are we in this
world right now. Right now. Let's read on in our
text. Verse 25, 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 passed through the forbearance
of God. God has set him forth to be a
propitiation. This points to the mercy seat,
that which is set up over the broken law. This is where the
high priest came every year to sprinkle the blood. Christ is
our propitiation. He's our sin offering, sin offering
for the sins of his people. Verse 26, to declare, I say at
this time, his righteousness, that he might be just and the
justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Every believer is clothed
in the perfect righteousness of Christ. That's beyond understanding,
isn't it, that a sinner could be made the very righteousness
of Christ. Our Lord Jesus Christ, He honored
the law. He suffered and died in the place
of His people, and He satisfied God's justice. He made atonement for the sins
of his people. And God, who's holy and just,
saves in such a way that his truth and justice are not compromised. He's a just God and a Savior. All right. Well, I ask three
questions. Three questions. Question one,
why do I need justification? Well, it's because of who and
what I am. Look at verse nine. Verse 9 of our text, they are all under sin, all under
sin. Question 2, can I be justified
by the deeds of the law? Look at verse 20. We read, therefore, by the deeds
of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight. Question
3, all that said, how then How then is a sinner justified? Look
at verse 24. Being justified freely by His
grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. It's
all in Christ. Pray the Lord would be pleased
to bless His Word.