When the skeptics and agnostics
of this world have said all they can say, poked all the fun they
can poke, done all the laughing they can do, there are five broad
facts which they've not honestly dealt with. Five broad facts
they cannot explain away. Plain, simple facts. Facts that are impossible to
gainsay, dispute, or deny in any way. That's the title of
my message this morning. Five Broad Facts. Romans Chapter
3. Romans Chapter 3. Just hold your
Bibles open to this chapter. We're going to look at these
31 verses together and see these five broad facts plainly set
before us in this chapter. The first is the blessedness
of the gospel. The blessedness of the gospel.
I've said this to you and I've said this to churches all over
the world repeatedly. The greatest benefit, the greatest
privilege, the greatest advantage God can give to any people is
the privilege of having the gospel of his free, sovereign, saving
grace in Christ established in their midst. What a privilege,
what a benefit, what an advantage it is to any people to have a
regularly established gospel ministry in their midst. Romans
chapter 3 verse 1. What advantage then hath the
Jew Or what profit is there of the circumcision? In the first
two chapters, Paul has been dealing plainly with the universal need
of men. Both those who are lost without
a Bible and those who are lost with the Bible. He declared to
us in chapter one that the heathen who never heard the gospel, who
never heard the word of God because of the light of creation, the
light of conscience that God's given them. like they were despised,
they are justly condemned. And then he declares in Romans
chapter 2 that the Jews, the people to whom God gave his word,
who profess to be his people, they too, not knowing Christ,
are rightly condemned. Men and women without Christ
are lost, whether they're religious or irreligious, whether they
have a Bible or don't have a Bible. So the question comes up, what's
the advantage then? What advantage is there to having
the gospel here established in your midst? What advantage is
there to being raised under the sound of the gospel of God's
grace? Look at verse 2. Much in every way, much in every
way, there's every advantage imaginable, chiefly because that
unto them were committed the oracles of God. The word, the
worship, the law, the revelation of the will and person and character
of God. Oh, what an advantage. What an
advantage. Because all men are alike before
God, guilty. Jew and Gentile. And all are
alike, incapable of justifying themselves. Because both those
who are religious and those who are irreligious without Christ
are lost. What advantage is there to having
the gospel in your midst? What advantage is there to having
the worship of God established among us? What advantage is there
to the ministry of the gospel being established? Paul says
the advantage is indescribable. Truly, the greatest privilege
in this world is to have the gospel of God's grace established
in your midst. The greatest privilege in the
world. David's sitting there, his family now been raised here,
came here from God, took out of the military and really didn't
intend to get into what you got into, did you? Oh, but what a
privilege, what a privilege to have the gospel established in
your midst, to have the privilege of hearing the word of God regularly
declared to you. It pleased God by the foolishness
of preaching to save them that believe. Faith cometh by hearing,
and hearing by the word of God. It is by the preaching of the
gospel that God reveals himself to men. It's by the preaching
of the gospel that God saves his elect. by the preaching of
the gospel that he comforts his saints, by the preaching of the
gospel that he edifies his people, instructs us in righteousness,
shows us his will, directs our steps, unifies his church, and
strengthens his people in the bond of peace. That comes by
the preaching of the gospel. Because it is here in the house
of God, in this place that God makes himself known to his people,
what an advantage this is. This is the only place on earth. I'm not looking for what I want
to say. I want you to hear what I'm telling you. I've said it
so many times, you read it in the word of God, you repeat it
in your prayers. But I think we haven't yet had
it sink into our hearts. This is the only place on this
earth where God promises to make himself known to men. Here in
the house of God, in the assembly of his saints, hearing the word
of God, worshiping him. Our Savior says where two or
three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst
of them. That makes this a matter of great
advantage. That makes this a matter of great
privilege. Turn back to Psalm 68. Psalm
68. When you found it, I want you
to turn to Ephesians chapter 4 again. Psalm 68 is the prophetic
statement. Ephesians 4 is the explanation
of this statement. Look in Psalm 68 and verse 17. It is a prophecy concerning our
Lord Jesus Christ, a prophecy declaring that the preaching
of the gospel, the worship of God in his house by the ministry
of the word is the ascension gift of Christ to his church. I don't possess anything of any
value. to anybody except me. But I have a few things, a few
things that are gifts men have given to me that I cherish because
I cherish the person who gave them. I just saw Bob looking
at me a minute ago. I've got a pocket knife over
in my cabinet in my bedroom and it's not for sale at any price. I presume, I don't know, I presume
it's not a tremendously valuable knife. Bob gave it to me. I presume
it didn't cost him $100. I don't know. I don't know. But
it's tremendously valuable to me. I used it for a couple of
days and I thought, I don't want to lose this. Bob gave it to
me. What makes it so valuable? A man who loved me gave me the
knife just because he wanted to. That makes it valuable. Will you hear me, children of
God? The preaching of the gospel,
the worship of God, is the ascension gift of him who so loved you
that he died to redeem you. It ought to be cherished by you
as such. Look here in Psalm 68 verse 17.
The chariots of God are 20,000, even thousands of angels, the
Lords among them, as in Sinai in the holy place. How often
have you thought when you read the book of Exodus about Moses
in the mount of God? Oh, what a display of God's glory
he must have seen. The chariots of God all around,
angels of God all around him. There he was in that holy place
in Sinai. Would you like to have been there?
This is better. As in Sinai, this is where God
meets with us. Read on. Thou hast ascended on
high. Thou hast led captivity captive. Thou hast received gifts for
men. And I really like this next statement.
Yea, even for Don Fortner too. Yea, for the rebellious also,
that the Lord God might dwell among them. Blessed be the Lord
who daily loatheth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Now you remember the meaning
of the word Selah. It's a poetic pause. Stop and think about this. Blessed be the Lord God who daily
loatheth us with benefits. That's not talking about God
gives us our food and our drink and clothes us and gives us shelter
and walks with us day by day protecting us in his providence.
That's not what he's talking about. He's talking in direct
connection with the gifts of the ministry of the word that
God's given you. By this means, by this means,
by what's going on here right now, God daily loads us, heaps
upon us benefits, the benefits of our salvation. Look at verse
24. They, the people of God, they
have seen thy goings, O God. Where? In your house. Even the
goings of my God, my King, in the sanctuary. Now, turn to Ephesians
chapter 4. Here's the apostles' inspired
explanation of what we just read in Psalm 68. Ephesians 4. You're
very familiar with it. Please look at it again. Paul says in verse 1, I therefore
the prisoner of the Lord beseech you that you walk worthy of the
vocation, walk worthy of the calling wherewith you are called,
with all lowliness and meekness. With lowliness and meekness,
with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love. Endeavoring
to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace walk together
with one another in loneliness and meekness with long-suffering
Forbearing one another what's that mean? Put up with our messes
Put up with our inconsistencies put up with our weaknesses put
up with our failures put up with our offenses with long-suffering
meekness loneliness forbearing one another in love how come
I Endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit. Endeavoring to
keep things together. There is one body, one spirit,
even as you're called in one hope of your calling. We live
in this world, Bill Raleigh, as members of Christ and members
one of another. Not for ourselves, as members
of the family of God for the glory of God. Verse five, one
Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and father of all, who
is above all and through all and in you all. So live together
with loneliness, meekness, long suffering, forbearing one another,
loving each other, because we're one, one body in Christ. But
until every one of us is given grace according to the measure
of the gift of Christ, wherefore, now notice the connection. Wherefore
he saith when he ascended up on high he led captivity captive
and gave gifts unto men Hold your hands here and turn to 1st
Thessalonians 1st Thessalonians chapter 5. I want you to see
this Now here's the context Paul is telling us plainly where we're
to keep the unity of the spirit with a endeavor to do so and
It this unity this peace this harmony hinges on our walking
together in the house of God, walking together under the ministry
of the word, being fed by the word of God and the preaching
of the gospel. Look at what it says. First Thessalonians
chapter five and verse 11. Wherefore, comfort yourselves
together and edify one another, even as ye also do, even as also
ye do. And we beseech you, brethren,
to know them which labor among you. your pastors, your men who
teach you the word of God, and they're over you in the Lord
and admonish you. They labor in the word. They're
over you as overseers. They admonish you by the word
of God and esteem them very highly in love for your work's sake.
Now, what's the next line? And be at peace among yourselves.
That's necessary for the peace. All right, back in Ephesians
chapter four, verse nine. verse 11 rather, and he gave
some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some
pastors and teachers. He gave these various offices
prophets and apostles, evangelists, and then he gave pastors, who
are your teachers, pastors responsible to teach the church. You just
heard Brother Lindsey Campbell here teaching this morning. And
he does so every Sunday. Other men are preaching the word
here in my absence from time to time, and thankful for them. Thankful for them. I've often
been asked why I don't teach the adult class. I say, I want
Lindsay to teach it. That's why he's there. I want
him there. He's been there ever since we started having classes. Perfectly delighted. That's what
I want. That's what I want. But the responsibility of teaching
this congregation is not his. That's not his. The responsibility
of teaching this congregation is not Frank's when he's here
preaching the gospel to you. It is my responsibility as your
pastor to guide you in the word of God and teach you. That's
called an overseer. God's given you pastors and teachers
for that purpose. And it is a pastor's responsibility
to take the oversight of God's church and teach them the word
of God. Read on, verse 12. He's given
these men for the perfecting of the saints, for the work,
the labor, the toil of the ministry, for the edifying, the building
up of the body of Christ. And there's no perfecting of
the saints and there's no edifying of your soul. I'm choosing my
words with great deliberation. There is no perfecting of the
saints. You will not grow in the grace
and knowledge of Christ. You will not grow in faith. You will not grow in commitment
to God. You will not be edified apart
from the ministry of the word in the context of a church family. It won't happen. It won't happen. It won't happen. I've seen folks
all of my life as a preacher who decide they can get along
just fine without the church, get along just fine without the
pastor, get along just fine without the preaching of the word. And
they pick and choose what they want to. As a matter of fact,
just this week one of the young men up in Princeton, brother
Scott Keller said to me, he said, one of the problems with having
everything at everybody's disposal on the internet, we post all
of our sermons, Bob likes sermons on predestinations, he clicks
on those and he listens to those things, he listens to them all
the time. Another fellow likes sermons on missions, he clicks
on those, listens to those, that's what he listens to. They don't
hear the regular faithful exposition of the word of God, they work
themselves with what they like. You need the ministry of the
Word of God, one to teach you the Word of God. Read on. Verse
13. Till we all come in the unity
of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect,
complete man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness
of Christ, that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to
and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the
slight and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive."
I think I said this to you recently. I know I said it at Rescue a
few weeks ago. Everywhere I go preaching, everywhere
I go, and back in the office every day, literally every day,
I get questions from folks. What does this mean? What about
this word? What about this phrase? What is this? What's the significance
of this? Questions almost always, thank
for almost always, about nothing. Almost always about nothing.
But it's something somebody got in their car and they just, oh,
there must be something to this. There must be something to this.
You know what I've never had? Friend, I've never had this happen.
Not in 47 years preaching. I've never had it happen. I've
never had anyone come to me asking foolish questions about scripture
who sat under the ministry of a faithful gospel preacher. I've
never had it happen. I've never had it happen. Some
other preachers will be hearing this. If he's had it happen,
please tell me because I don't know about it. How come? Because
sooner or later, sooner or later, If you sit here and listen to
the preaching of the gospel, the faithful exposition of the
word of God, three and four times a week, you hear it three and
four times a week, sooner or later, I'm going to cover every
question you've got. Sooner or later, every question
is going to be answered and answered not in the context of doctrinal
speculation, but answered in the context of Holy Scripture
where it's revealed. Now read on. Verse 15. But speaking
the truth in love, speaking the truth in love, this will astonish
you, I know. It's going to shock you. Sometimes
folks will say, well, he doesn't sound very loving. I guess it's
because I got a bulldog face and an ox personality. I don't
know. But the fact is, the fact is, It's not talking about standing
up here and smiling like a possum eating briars and you're so sweet
and so good, now won't you like me? To speak the truth in love
is to tell you the truth for your sake. To speak the truth
in love is to tell you the truth for Christ's sake, to expound
to you the word of God. Read on. Speaking the truth in
love, we may grow up in Christ I love these next three words,
in all things, which is the head, even Christ. Grow up in Christ
by the word of God in everything. Growing up together. Most of
you have the privilege of having several children. Shelby and
I just had one. What a great delight it was to
see her grow up. A little bit painful because
she grows up and she becomes a mature, responsible adult.
What a privilege it is to see the whole family grow up together,
isn't it? See them melt together and grow
up together. My sisters and I, unlike most
brothers and sisters, fought like cats and dogs growing up.
We fought like cats and dogs. I mean, one of them would throw
something at me, I'd throw something at them. One of them hit me and
I'd jump on them. Fought like cats and dogs. You
know, we get together now and never have a cross word. Never
have a cross word. Glad to see each other, sorry
to say goodbye. How come? We grew up together. And in our case, grew up in spite
of everything. Grew up together. Believers grow
up together in the body of Christ. One of the first things Brother
Scott Keller said to me Wednesday night when we got together at
his house, we always get together for supper in Princeton. Scott was
converted back in 93, 94. Heard your pastor preaching on
the radio and he and his brother-in-law and sister's wife, several folks
converted, and started trying to find a place to worship. Couldn't
find any place. Finally started to work up there. They went for
10 years. Went for 10 years of having a pastor. And now they've
had one for at least a few years. Faithful, faithful, regularly
established gospel ministry. The first thing was he said to
me the other night, after dinner we went outside, sat down, just
did a little bit. He said, we've never gotten over
the thrill of it. Oh, would to God. You'd never
get over the thrill of God's goodness in giving you his word. Number two, here's another broad
fact that can't be denied, can't be gainsaid. The certainty of
God's purpose. The purpose of God is unalterable. Like God himself, it is immutable. Look at verse three. For what
if some did not believe? Some believe and some believe
not. As many as were ordained to eternal
life believe, the rest were hardened. What if some believe not? Some
of these folks to whom God gave his oracles, there were Moses
and Joshua and Caleb and Aaron And that's about it. They believed. The rest were heartened. All
of those Jews who came out of Egypt above 20 years old, except
for Joshua and Caleb, perished in the wilderness because of
unbelief. And yet they had the oracles
of God committed to them. They had the law of God given
to them. They had the priesthood, the sacrifices, the worship of
God. They had the tabernacle. They had the altar. They had
the mercy seat. But they believed not. They went
through all the processes of religion, but they believed not.
Well, what if some did not believe? Shall their unbelief make the
faith, that is the faithfulness of God, without effect? Shall
their unbelief alter God's purpose? Shall their unbelief change God's
work? Shall their unbelief somehow
nullify what God determined? God forbid! Yea, let God be true,
but every man a liar. It is written that thou mightest
be justified in thy sayings and mightest overcome when thou art
judged I want you to turn back hold your hands here and turn
back to Psalm 51 Psalm 51 The Lord God Almighty is a God
of purpose absolute unalterable unchangeable eternal purpose
God's purpose in all things. God's purpose in all things. Not purposes, purpose. God has a purpose. Got that? God has a purpose. And God's purpose in all things
is the salvation of his people to the glory of his name. That's
God's purpose in everything. God's purpose in everything.
I don't understand. I don't understand why Jaylee
had to go through the things she went through in her pregnancy
and Billy all having to struggle before Molly was born. I don't
understand. I don't understand what God's purpose is in that
as far as the immediate outcome is. What you and your family
are going through right now, I don't understand that. I don't
pretend to understand how is this going to work for God's
purpose? I don't know. But I know it is. I know it is. I know God has a purpose, and
that purpose is the salvation of his people for the glory of
his name. And this purpose God Almighty will accomplish. Now
you hear me who yet believe not. Your rebellion, your unbelief,
should you perish in your sins, will not nullify or slightly
alter God's purpose. You may not believe, but there
are some who shall believe. There are some who must believe. The purpose of God must stand.
Behold, your God will come with vengeance, the prophet said,
even with a recompense. He's not talking about coming
Judge folks. He's on my salvation. This is
this your God will come to vengeance even with a recompense He will
come and save God comes to his people in the day of mercy with
vengeance completely satisfied with Recompense completely made
by the sacrifice of his son and he saves his people Yeah, look
here in Psalm 51 I've always had a problem with Psalm 51 until
last week when I was preparing this message Psalm 51 verse 4
David is quoted here in Romans chapter 3. We just read it in
verse 4 He quotes David from Psalm 51 for Here the Holy Spirit
in Romans 3 and verse 4 confirms God's purpose and God's justice
in the fact that God the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to refer
us back to David. You remember God made a covenant
with David. He made a promise to David. He
said, David, the Christ is going to sit on your throne. The Christ is going to sit on
your throne. The woman's seed, Abraham's seed, the long anticipated
Messiah, the Christ, he's going to sit on your throne forever. And Peter in Acts chapter two,
when the Lord Jesus said, you don't have said, this is what
God told David. This is what God told David.
And then David did something. What a horrible thing David did.
What a horrible thing. He took the wife of Uriah. And then his lust commits adultery
with a loyal friend, a soldier who's out hazarding his life
under David's command and for David's sake. And then to cover
his crimes, he had Uriah murdered. Horrid, horrid evil. Now the
purpose of God has fallen to the ground. Now God won't accomplish
his purpose. How can that be? How could this
thing come to pass? David has committed a crime worthy
of death. A crime which according to God's
law must be punished by death. He must be stoned to death for
what he's done. Now, Uriah, I mean, when Uriah
was dead, God sent Nathan the prophet to David. And he said,
David, this is this is a horrible evil has been committed. But
David said, find me the man did not kill it. He's worthy of death.
And Nathan said, You're the man. David immediately responded,
I've sinned against the Lord. And Nathan's next word, his next
word, the Lord shall Put away your sin. That ain't what he
said. That ain't what he said. He said, the Lord hath put away
your sin. Done by Christ the Lamb, the
same before the foundation of the world. And then David went
home and he wrote this psalm, Psalm 51. Have mercy upon me,
O God, according to thy lovingkindness. according to the multitude of
thy tender mercies. Blot out my transgressions. Wash
me throughly from mine iniquity. Cleanse me from my sin. He uses
every word given in the Old Testament scriptures to describe sin. Iniquity, transgression, sin.
Confesses, I've done everything. I've done everything. What's
inside me is nothing but corruption. My behavior is trampling over
your law. My behavior doesn't measure up
to your requirements. Iniquity, transgression, and
sin. Now watch this. I acknowledge my transgressions.
My sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have
I sinned and done this evil in thy sight. Now, what's the next
line? Lindsay, I never had a clue what
this meant. It seems out of joint. It seems
out of place. It just seems out of place. That
thou mightest be justified when thou speakest and be clear when
thou judgest. What? But Nathan told him God
wasn't going to punish him for his sin. Nathan told him God's
going to show his displeasure. He's going to show his displeasure.
He's going to kill this baby, and the soul is never going to
depart from your house. But God punished his sin in a substitute.
He said, God's forgiven your sin. And David said, now, Lord,
I acknowledge these things for this purpose, that thou mightest
be justified when thou speakest and be clear when thou judgest.
I acknowledge these things so that what you said Concerning
your son my Savior sitting on my throne forever will be done
rightly Be done in justice David said everybody is going to acknowledge
that God has done right God has done right in all his acts of
judgment God has done right men today look at things that go
on and You see war, famine, pestilence, disease, hurricanes, floods,
tornadoes. God's going to have to answer
for that. To who? To who? Oh no! You're going to find out God
did right. God did right in every act of judgment, even in the
last day. And when God sends you to hell,
when God sends you to hell, You're going to bow before Him and say,
this is right. You're going to bow before Him
and say, this is right. And when God takes me to glory,
you're going to bow before Him and say, that's right. How can
that be? Because God is always just in
everything He does. The Lord God in His indescribable
wisdom and grace overruled David's sin so overruled David's sin
that he used it to accomplish his purpose. Christ came into
the world and took his seat yonder on David's
throne through Bathsheba. Surely the wrath of man will
praise our God and the remainder of wrath wilt thou restrain.
Broad facts. There is great benefit to the
ministry of the word, and God's purpose is unalterable and sure. Number three, those who slander
God, those who blaspheme his holy name, asserting that God's
gospel promotes licentiousness, shall be justly damned. Understand
this, God is just in his judgment. when lost men and women, both
infidels and self-righteous religionists, hear us assert, as Paul did,
the absolute certainty of God's purpose. Do you mean God's purpose,
the salvation of His people, and God ordained everything that
comes to pass to accomplish this end for His glory? Then God's
the author of sin. That's the response. Why you
folks make God the author of sin? Read what the book says
here. If our unrighteousness, verse
5, but if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of
God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh
vengeance? Paul said, I'm talking to you
as a man. In other words, he's, I'm talking to you like the fool
that me and are. I speak as a man. God forbid. For how then shall
God judge the world? For if the truth of God hath
more abounded through my lie unto his glory, why yet am I
also judged a sinner? If God uses what I have done
in iniquity for his glory, why does he judge me? And not rather,
as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say.
I can join in on that. Folks say, well, you folks preach
that God's the author of sin. You folks preach that if we do
evil, then good will come. Let us do evil, that good may
come. Now watch Paul's response, whose
damnation is just. Men dare to sit in judgment over
God? Nay, but old man, who art thou
that replyest against God? Shall the thing formed say to
him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the
pot of power over the clay of the same lump to make one vessel
into honor and another into dishonor? You claim that right. You claim
that right. You men get plumb upset. You
get plumb upset when the state or federal or local government
makes some law affecting what you do with your property. You're
upset with it. That's not right. I bet it. I work for it. I pay for it.
It's my property. I'll do with it as I please.
It's mine. God says the same thing. You're
my property. I own you. I made you. Lock,
stock and barrel. I'll do with you what I please.
Read it for yourself. Is it not lawful for me to do
with my own what I please? That's what the Lord said. Woe
unto him that striveth with his maker, that the pot should strive
with the pot should of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that
fashioneth it, what makest thou? Are thy work? He hath no hands. What fools you are who dare sit
in judgment over the Almighty. What fools you are who dare think
that you know better than God. what fools you are who dare suggest
that God does wrong. Oh, no. God's judgment is always
just. And when God finally judges this
world in the day of judgment, all men will acknowledge it because
of this fourth broad fact. Universal depravity. Verses nine
through 20. I'll just just have to read this. Can't say much about it. All
men and women, all men and women, that includes you, that includes
me, that includes your babies and mine, that includes your
mama and daddy and your grandma and your grandpa, all the way
back to our daddy Adam. All men and women, no exceptions,
are totally depraved, utterly corrupt, altogether helpless
in themselves. in desperate need of a savior.
That's the nature of all men. That's the nature of all men.
I know it's popular for politicians to, they're working for votes
and they're, well, I believe in the innate goodness of the
American people. He's not reading the same newspapers
I read. Now, I believe folks are basically good. Now, sometimes
you slip up and do something that looks pretty good, but you're
basically bad. Sometimes you accidentally do
something that impresses me, but you're at heart corrupt,
and you know it. You know it. Look here in verse
9. What then? Are we better than they? Are
the Jews better than the Gentiles? Religious folks who are lost
better than irreligious folks who are lost? No. In no wise.
For we have both proved, both Jews and Gentiles, they're all
under sin. All under sin. What's that talking
about? Under sin. Go down here to the
cemetery. And find you a marble slab laid
across the ground with somebody's name on it. That fella is under
the ground. And he can't get out. All of
us, by nature, are under sin. And we can't get out. As it is
written, here's the proof of it. There's none righteous. No,
not one. There's none that understandeth.
Doesn't mean they don't understand nuclear physics. That means they don't understand
God, His Word, and His salvation. They don't understand anything
spiritual, anything righteous, anything eternal. Not a thing.
I highly suggest you quit listening to them. There's none that understandeth. There's none that seeketh after
God. Oh, I believe he's seeking the
Lord. Oh, no, he's not, not unless the Lord sought him. No, no,
you'll seek him when he seeks you. They are all going out of
the way. The whole human race at one time
in our father Adam said to God, get out of my way. I'm stepping
out of yours. They're all at one time together
become unprofitable, unprofitable. I hear folks talk about what
they gave up to serve the Lord. I didn't give up anything. I didn't give up anything. You didn't either. Mark Henson,
you've got nothing to offer God. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing to
offer God. Nothing to benefit God. Nothing
useful to God. You're unprofitable. Unprofitable. We contribute nothing to God
when He gives us His grace. It's altogether His gift. Well,
I don't like hearing that. I know. I didn't either until
God made me happy to hear it. There is none that doeth good,
not a good thing men do in the world. Not before God. Not before God. People say, When
we say man's totally depraved, I don't mean to say that you're
as bad as you could be. Well, I do. You're just as bad
as you can be, that you couldn't be any worse. So bad, this is
what the book says, the plowing of the wicked, the way of the
wicked, the sacrifice of the wicked, the thoughts of the wicked,
even the worship of the wicked is an abomination to God. Some
of you here come here every Sunday. Some come more regularly than
that, and you give to support this ministry, and you're very
attentive and respectful to me. That's wonderful. That's wonderful.
I'm thankful for that. But everything you're doing here
right now is an abomination to God. It's an abomination. God won't accept you. God won't
accept you. He won't touch you, and you can't
touch Him. God's holy, you're sinful. It won't happen. Verse
13, their throat is an open sepulcher. With their tongues, they've used
deceit, nothing else. The poison of ask is under the
lips. Everybody here knows for the
Rex is scared to death of snakes, but that's all right, isn't it?
Yeah, you ought to be scared of me. Never been a snake with the venom
I've got. Or you. The poison of Asp is
under their lips, whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. That's all that's in man. Their
feet, swift to shed blood, kill a fellow at the drop of a hat.
Destruction and misery is all the youth can anticipate it's
in their ways because the way of peace Christ They had not
known and therefore there's no fear of God before their eyes
Now look at verses 19 and 20 The whole purpose of God's holy
law is to identify To men their sin and to condemn in men their
sin. I The law cannot produce righteousness. The law cannot make you better.
It's utterly impossible for fallen man to deliver himself from sin
and death by the works of the law. Verse 19. Now we know that
what things whoever 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. The whole of thought in mankind,
and now it's the thought of medicine and the thought of psychiatry
and psychology, it ain't really your fault. You don't know how
that boy was raised. You don't know his background. Why, he couldn't help it. He
couldn't help it. You take a fellow, he commits
a rape on an infant and judge, we have to punish him a little
bit, but it's not really his fault. You go to school and learn
to do better. No, it's your fault. It's your
fault. You see, you're guilty. And if you ever find out what
God says about you, you put your hand over your mouth. And you say, nobody's fault but
mine. Nobody's fault but mine. Not my daddy's, not my mama's,
not my society, not the school where I went, not the neighborhood
where I was raised. My fault. My fault. Not because I was raised
in the country and didn't know better. Not because I was raised
in the ghetto and didn't know better. Not because I was raised in a
palace and didn't know better. You are guilty! Guilty. And you'll find it out sooner
or later. I hope sooner. I hope sooner. Therefore, by
the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified. For by the
law is the knowledge of sin. Now here's Paul's doctrine in
this passage. You and I need a savior. Here's the fifth broad fact that
men and women cannot explain away and cannot deal with honestly
until God deals with them in mercy. Christ, Christ, the son of God, Jesus
Christ the Lord is the Savior you need. He's the Savior I need. Look at verses 21 through 31.
Here God the Holy Ghost shows us how God is a just God and
a Savior. The righteousness the law requires
and points us to is the righteousness of God without the law. That is without our obedience
to the law. Verse 21. Now the righteousness
of God without the law is manifested. It's manifested. That's a wonderful
word. The righteousness of God without
the law is as plain as the nose on your face. It's manifested
because it was witnessed by the law and the prophets being witnessed
the law and the prophets Moses in the law. Revealed to us the
righteousness of the law the prophets all testified of the
righteousness of God without the law It was witnessed and
testified to by the law and the prophets this righteousness is
the righteousness performed by and accomplished by faith of
Jesus Christ Not by our faith in Christ, but by the faithful
obedience of Christ as our substitute verse 22 even the righteousness
of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon
all of them that believe, for there is no difference. So it
must be, and so it is. The only thing that has ever
produced righteousness is Christ. The only thing we have ever produced
is sin. For all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God. Now look at verse 24 and 26,
25 and 26 and leap with joy being justified. We will have never
produced anything but sin. We are justified. Oh, I wish I could say this so
that you could hear it freely. without any cause whatsoever
in ourselves. By His grace, through the redemption
that's in Christ Jesus, whom God has set forth in His decree,
in His word, and in the gospel, to be a propitiation through
faith in His blood, to be the satisfaction of justice, the
pacifier of wrath through faith in His blood, to declare his
righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed through
the forbearance of God. God set forth Christ to be the
satisfier of vengeance and anger and wrath through faith in his
blood. What's that talking about now?
That's talking about our faith. Our faith. When God reveals Christ
in you, and gives you faith in Christ, you look away from yourself
to the blood atonement of the Son of God, and you realize God's
pacified. God says, Christ is enough! And your conscience says, Christ
is enough. To declare, I say it this time,
God's righteousness, that he might be just and the justifier
of him that believeth Jesus. Now, look at God's conclusion
to this thing. Where is boasting then? Where
is boasting then? It's excluded. If your salvation
has something to do with your goodness, You giving God something,
you making a decision for God, then you could pop your suspenders
and say, I made the difference. But if salvation is in Christ
alone, by grace alone, and by God's purpose alone, you didn't
have anything to do with it. It's excluded. By what law? Of works? Well, of course not.
Nay, but by the law of faith. Therefore, we conclude that a
man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Is he the
God of the Jews only? Is he not also of the Gentiles?
Yes, of the rebellious also, of the Gentiles also, seeing
it as one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith and
the uncircumcision through faith. Do we then make void the law
through faith? Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no. You
misunderstood that. By faith, we establish the law. Yeah, we establish the law. Though
I was lost, guilty condemned, the Son of God bore all my sin. As my great substitute, He died,
and by His blood I'm justified. When justice called, mercy answered. Christ died for me, I must go
free. Justice and mercy are agreed. Since Jesus died, the sinner
is free. Oh, may God make you free in
Christ Jesus. Amen.