God is. God is righteous. God will reward the righteous
and God will punish the wicked. Heaven will be populated by righteous
people. Hell will be populated by wicked
people. God is righteous. God rewards the righteous and
he punishes the wicked. Now, when I say it's true, you
know it. How can a man like me and a man
or woman like you enter heaven that being the case? God is righteous
and he will reward the righteous and punish the wicked what is
needed for me to enter into heaven because When I make that statement,
I am keenly aware of my own personal sinfulness. How is it that I
can be righteous? And how is it that I can enter
heaven? I don't want to go to hell. I want to go to heaven and I
don't even begin to understand what all is meant by heaven.
I wish I could describe it as I could, but there is a place
called heaven. And there is a place called hell
and I want to go to heaven. How can I enter heaven? Well, according to this passage
of scripture, I just read, look in verse five, Titus chapter
three, not by works of righteousness, which we have done, But according
to his mercy, he saved us by the washing of regeneration. That's the new birth. That's
being born again. I'm going to have to be given
a holy nature to enter into heaven. That's what the word regeneration
refers to. A new birth being born from above,
being begotten of God and the renewing of the Holy
Ghost. You know how that life continues?
Because God the Holy Spirit continually renews it. Though the outward
man perish, the inward man is renewed day by day. Why is it that you continue to
look to Christ? Because of the renewing, the
continual, perpetual renewing of God the Holy Spirit, which
he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior. I love the way Paul always makes
sure he includes that. He doesn't say he shed this on
us abundantly but he says he shed it on us abundantly through,
through the mediation of, for the sake of, for the cause of
Jesus Christ our Savior. Verse 7, that being justified
by His grace We should be made heirs according to the hope of
eternal life. That's talking about the hope
of heaven, eternal life. I love that passage of scripture
where the Lord says, if thou will enter life, keep the commandments. Is it in life? You know, it's
really not. If thou will enter life, keep
the commandments. Now, first I'm going to have
to be regenerated I'm going to have to be given this new nature
or I would not be able to enter into heaven. And second, I'm
going to have to be justified. Being justified by his grace,
justification and regeneration. I think it's interesting how
he mentioned regeneration before justification, yet justification
is why you're regenerated. Because he justified you, he
regenerated you. So why does he mention regeneration
first? Because you can't really understand justification. You
might understand some of the mechanics of it, but you have
no spiritual understanding of justification unless you're regenerated
by the Spirit of God. And that's why he mentions regeneration
first. Now, with regard to justification,
I completely agree with Martin Luther when he said a church
stands or falls on justification. There is no more important subject
that we can consider. And I hope nobody is thinking,
well, I already have that down. I already understand justification.
I'm more mystified by it. I think I have more understanding
of it. But yet the more I understand, the more I see it's way above
me. This thing of God justifying someone who is sinful. Only the
Bible deals with that. Other religions don't deal with
it. There are people who never even consider it. Well, God just
forgives us. It doesn't work that way. And
I hope you'll see that as we consider this. If a church is
wrong on justification, it's wrong on everything else and
ceases to be a church. If it's right on justification,
it's right on everything else and it's a church of the Lord
Jesus Christ. And I pray that Todd's Road Grace Church would
be a church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, Heaven cannot be
obtained by our works, not by works of righteousness, which
we have done. Just write it down. There's nothing you can do to
obtain heaven. No work you can perform, not
by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to
his mercy. Aren't you thankful he's merciful?
He delights in mercy. According to His mercy, He saved
us. Don't you love the simplicity
of that statement? You're not left to think about what you
need to do. I was listening to a message
by a man today. I'm gonna be preaching on Christ
being light from John chapter 12 sometime in the next few weeks.
I try to listen to different messages by Christ being the
light, and I listened to a man preaching on Christ is the light. And he was saying that the light
refers to holiness, which it does. You know, God totally,
he doesn't have a dark side. I love that. God does not have
a dark side. Me and you do. Every son of Adam does, but not
God. God is utterly, absolutely, immutably
holy. And this man said during the
course of this message, the only way that you can have assurance
of your salvation is by your good works and your acts of obedience. You are not allowed to have assurance
apart from your good works and your acts of obedience. And then
he said, now, I'm not saying that you have to be perfect.
Of course, you're going to sin. And I'm starting to think, well,
tell me where the Drawing point is that is so vague. That is
so nebulous. That is so it's so untrue. And I thought, boy, darkness
has fallen over this man's eyes and making a statement like that.
The only ground of assurance is Jesus Christ. The only ground
of assurance. is what he did. And as a matter of fact, it's
only the constant repetition of that that will affect a man's
life. Look in verse 8 of Titus chapter
3. This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that
thou affirm constantly, this justification by grace. that they which have believed
in God might be careful to maintain good works. The only way people
will actually be careful to maintain good works is the continual repetition
of justification by grace. That is the gospel. But heaven cannot be obtained
by our works, only by those who are regenerated by the Spirit
of God and they're justified by grace. Now here's my question.
What does justified mean? This is so important. What does
justified mean? What does justification mean? It means if I'm justified, I
stand before the Holy law of God, having never broken one
commandment. Let me repeat that justification
means. that I stand before the holy
law of God, never having broken one commandment. I have always
done that which is right. I stand before God as one who
has never sinned. That is so glorious. I've never sinned. That's God's
testimony of me. I've heard, and you've heard,
and I've even said justification just as if I've never sinned.
No, because if it's just as if I've never sinned, that means
I did sin. No, if I'm justified before God, I have never sinned. In thought, in word, in deed. God's verdict of me is perfect
in Christ Jesus. Having never sinned, always doing
that which is pleasing in his sight. Now, how can that be when in
reality I know I have broken every law of God and I have not
kept one commandment one single time. So how can that be? How can God be just and justify
me? You know, Drew, when you're reading
that in Job chapter nine, it states that. How can man be just
with God? Do you know most scholars, whatever
that means, I don't know who they are, but they say that Job
was written some 400 years before Moses writings. They say that
because of the way wealth was measured and they say it was
400 years before the book of Genesis was written. But turn
with me for a moment to Job 25. The question is repeated. Verse four, how then can man
be justified with God? Or how can he be clean that's
born of a woman? Behold, even to the moon and
it shineth not, yea, the stars are not pure in his sight, how
much less man that is a worm and the son of man, which is
a worm. How can God be just and justify
me when I have broken every single command nonstop? And if I don't see that about
myself, it's because I really don't have any understanding
of the spirituality of God's law. The law is exceeding broad. So how is it that God can see
me? God, he sees things as they are. Me and you don't. He sees things
as they are. How can he see me as one who
has never sinned, who stands before him having kept his law
perfectly? Now, the Bible is the only book
in the world that addresses this, and I love the parable of the
Pharisee and the public, and you can remember the Pharisees,
when his praise stood and prayed thus with himself, Lord I thank
thee that I'm not as other men are. I fast twice in the week,
I give Tithes of all I possess. I'm not an extortioner, or an
unjust man, or even as this publican. He felt very good about his life.
And the publican beat on his breast, crying, God be merciful
to me, the sinner. And what did Christ say about
this man? He said, I say unto you, this man, went down to his
house, not forgiven, not having been shown mercy. He went down to his house justified, having never sinned. Perfect before God. Now, A human judge can't forgive sin. What if a murderer murdered every
member of your family, and they were caught red-handed, there
was no question about their guilt, and they're brought before the
judge, and the judge says, I'm a loving judge, I'm gonna forgive
them. That would be an unjust judge.
As a matter of fact, that judge would be worse. The unjust judge
who did that would be worse than the criminal. God does not just,
I'm a loving God, I'm gonna forgive. I've heard people say, why can't
he just forgive? Because he's just. Shall not
the judge of the earth do right? A judge that just forgave someone
without punishing the crime is an unjust judge. We wouldn't
have a judge like that. Yet people expect God to be that
way. But God is the just judge, shall not the judge of the earth
do right? Now, can God actually justify
me? Make it to where I've never sinned,
when I know I have? Turn with me to Romans chapter
three. Verse 19. Now we know. I'm always excited when Paul
says we know, because you know, every time he says we know, I
do too. I'm right there with you, Paul. I know this. I know
this. This is, he's speaking really
as a spokesman for all of God's elect when he says, and we know.
Like, and we know that all things work together for good to them
that love God, to them who have called according to his purpose.
Yeah, I know too. I believe that. I'm right with you, Paul. Now
look what he says. We know that what things so ever
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. Now here's what we know first.
I'm guilty before God. That's all the law has got to
say about me. And that's all the law has got
to say about you. guilty before God. I love the way Paul doesn't
try to prove God's existence. He begins here with our state
before the living God. We know that whatsoever things
the law say, if it's atheism or under the law, that every
mouth may be stopped and all the world become guilty before
God. Well, is there anything we can
do about this? 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's what the law exposes,
sin. And there's nothing you and I
can do to change that condition. Do you believe that? Well, does that mean that there's
no hope? No, it doesn't mean that. Verse
21, but now the righteousness of God. Oh, don't miss that for
that phrase. This is not human righteousness.
As far as that goes, Isaiah has already told us our righteousness
is our filthy rags. Now he's talking about the righteousness
of God. Oh, there's not a more important
term in the scriptures than this. The righteousness of God. Now,
the righteousness of God without the law, without my personal
obedience to the law, without me in my flesh keeping the law. Now, the law is honored in the
gospel. The law is kept in the gospel. It was kept by somebody
else. And his righteousness is countered to me." But notice
the language of this. But now the righteousness of God without
the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the
prophets. Do you know this is what the
Old Testament's always taught? This isn't something new. This
isn't beginning in the New Testament. This has always been taught in
scripture. It's witnessed by the law and
the prophets. This is what the Old Testament
scriptures have always pointed to. even the righteousness of God,"
Verse 22. "...which is by faith of Jesus
Christ unto all and upon all them that believe." The righteousness of God which
is by faith of, not by faith in, by the faith. There's a definite article in
there, by the faith. of Jesus Christ, his faithfulness,
his obedience. He, oh, how beautiful his life
is. He kept God's law perfectly. Don't you see his beauty, his
perfection? He kept God's law perfectly. He never sinned. That's the righteousness
of God, which is by the faith of Jesus Christ. unto all and upon all them that
believe. Believe what? That there's no
difference. You take the most righteous man
and the most unrighteous man, outwardly speaking, before God,
there's no difference. All, A-double-L, all have sinned
and come short of the glory of God being justified freely by
his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Being justified. How? Freely. Don't look for a reason you to
think that God would give you this. It's not in you. It's not
in me. Freely, by his grace, through
the redemption that is in Jesus Christ. Now, the Lord Jesus Christ
lived a perfect life. The only holy man to ever live. He lived a perfect life. Before his betrayal in Gethsemane's
garden, a cup passed before him. You remember when he said, Father,
if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. A cup passed before
him and he began to sweat drops of blood out of the pores of
the skin. Now, was this because he feared
the pain that he was going to endure? Now, if you knew you
were going to be nailed to a cross, you'd fear the pain, wouldn't
you? I'm sure he did dread the pain. I would not in any way diminish
his physical sufferings. But you know, there have been
martyrs nailed to crosses singing the praise of God. And there
have been martyrs burning at the stake, singing praises to
God. What the Lord Jesus Christ What? As if I know. I mean, this is
one of those things where I think, you know, these scriptures are
revealed for a purpose, but when the Lord was sweating these great
drops of blood, it was because He knew He was going to drink
the content of that cup. And what was the content of that
cup? Sin. You see, He bare our sins in
His own body on the tree. He sweat drops of blood at the
thought of being made sin. His holy soul, his perfect soul,
his righteous soul, the thought of being made sin, of being banished
from his father, of no longer having his father's smile, of
no longer having his father's approval, nothing but the awful
frown of his father, My God, my God, why have you forsaken
me? Because of sin. My sin became
his sin, the sins that I've committed in my body, he bore in his body. And that is why he swept these
great drops of blood, for he hath made him to be sin, who
knew no sin, that we might be made The righteousness of God. Do you hear that? There's no
human righteousness. The righteousness of God in him. He died the just for the unjust. And what is the proof that God
accepted what he did? The resurrection. The resurrection
tells me that God is completely satisfied with him, what he did,
what he accomplished and who he did it for. He was delivered
for our offenses and he was raised again for our justification. Being justified freely by his
grace through the redemption that's in Christ Jesus, verse
25, whom God set forth. And my marginal reading says
foreordained. This has always been God's purpose.
This was God's purpose before the foundation of the world,
because Christ is called the Lamb slain from the foundation
of the world, whom God foreordained to be a propitiation. a sin-removing sacrifice through
faith in His blood. Now, what's it say next? Whom God has set forth to be
a propitiation through faith in His blood to declare His,
what's that next word? Not mercy. His mercy is seen
in that, no doubt. Not grace. No doubt His grace
is seen in that, but that is not the word God the Holy Spirit
uses. Not his kindness, not his love, but his righteousness. What does that mean? He declares
his righteousness for the remission of sins of the 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. He's righteous. He's not merely
merciful, though he is. He's not merely gracious, though
he is. He's righteous in bringing me into heaven. He made it so
everybody that Jesus Christ died for deserves to be there. Is that incredible or what? Is
that only God, only God could make a way to be just and justify
The ungodly. Now, my closing time, it's gonna
take me about 10 minutes to give my closing statements, but I
will give you five things the Bible teaches with regard to
this great truth of justification, how God can be just and justify
the ungodly. First, justification by grace. Being justified in our text freely
by His grace. Freely means it had nothing to
do with me or you. It's an act of the grace of God. God wasn't looking for anything
in you as to why he's going to do it. He did it freely by his
grace. Now God can do that. I mean,
you can't do that. You know, if Aubrey was guilty
of terrible crimes, if I could, I'd take those crimes and be
punished in her place, but I can't do that. She's the one who committed
them. The law would never honor that.
But God can take my sin off of me. With God, nothing's impossible.
God can take my sin off of me in a way that honors his righteousness
and justice, put it on his son, his son bear all the full equivalent
of an eternal hell, the guilt of that sin, and put it away,
and now God's just to justify me. This is by grace. I think of Noah. Genesis 6-5, God saw that the
wickedness of man was great in the earth, And that every imagination
of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. That
describes Noah. Noah was one of those people.
But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. And the reason he
found grace was not in himself. His wickedness was great in the
earth. Every imagination of the thoughts
of his heart was only evil continually. But God gave him grace. God's able to justify you without
your works because it's altogether a work of His grace, His saving
grace. And justification is an act of
gracious act of God. Second, look at Romans chapter
five, verse nine. Much more than being now justified
by His blood. justified by His blood. Very much the same thing that
Paul said in Romans 3.24, being justified freely by His grace
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. That pre-justification
by grace only came through the redemption that's in Christ Jesus. Now, the blood of Christ comes first.
I don't know how to explain that, but in heaven, the blood of Christ
comes first. The reason I was chosen is because
of the blood of Christ. The reason I'm accepted is because
of the blood of Christ. The redemption, that justification
that comes freely by His grace comes only through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus, whom God has set forth to be a propitiation
through faith in His blood. Now, remember when I was talking
about the publican. he said God be merciful to me,
the sinner, the word merciful is actually God be propitious
to me, the sinner. God be propitious. Hebrews 8 12 says, I will be
propitious to their unrighteousness and their sins and their iniquities.
I will remember No more. Because of the perpetuatory sacrifice
of Christ, there's no sin to remember. He was manifested to
take away our sins, 1 John 3, 5. He was manifested to take
away our sins. In Him is no sin. If I'm in Him, I have no sin. The sin that's on your conscience
right now, I hate sin, don't you? I hate sin. I hate myself for not hating
it as much as I ought to. I could just go on and on about
my struggle, my continual struggle with sin. And I know you have
the same story, but do you know in Christ Jesus, there is no
sin. I have no sin because of the
perpetuatory sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, because of
his blood. Now, when that publican was crying,
God be propitious to me, the sinner, he was saying, Lord,
take away my sin by the perpetuatory sacrifice of your son. I can't
do anything about my sin. I can't make it go away. You
do something about it. Now that is what we ask the Lord
to do, do something about my sin. What's the evidence of justification? Justification is by grace, the
gracious act of God. Justification is accomplished
because of the blood of Christ. There would be no justification
apart from His redeeming death on Calvary Street. What is the
evidence of justification? How can I know that I have no
sin? Because when I look within my
heart, I sure can't say that about myself and neither can
you. If I look for some evidence in my life and say, well, there's
no sin there, I can't do it. What is the evidence that I really
am justified before God? Faith. Faith is the substance
of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen, Romans 4,
25. He was delivered for our offenses
and raised again for our justification, therefore being justified. By
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, I can't see by my personal
subjective experience that I stand before God without guilt, but
I believe I do. I look to Christ only as the
only reason that is true. Faith is the evidence that I
stand before God justified. I'm looking to Christ right now
as All in my salvation. You know, I'd never get tired
of this verse. To him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth
the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. The evidence
of justification is believing the gospel. Do you believe that
Jesus is the Christ? Do you believe he's the son of God? Well, if
you do, you've been justified by God. You stand before God
without guilt. Now, the fourth statement is
justification is by works. Turn to James 2. I want you to
read this. James 2. I'm sure you have... come across
people who use this passage of scripture to prove what they
think they believe. Verse 14. What does a prophet, my brethren,
though a man say he hath faith and hath not works, Can faith
save him? That faith that has no works,
can it save him? Well, if a brother or sister
be naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto
them, depart in peace, be warmed and filled, notwithstanding you
give them not those things which are needful to the body, what
do they profit? Did you say, did your saying
be warm and filled." Did that warm them? Did that fill them?
Absolutely not. Those are completely empty, vain
words. Verse 17, even so, faith, if
it hath not works, is dead, being alone. That kind of faith is
not saving faith. Well, what's he talking about?
Verse 18, Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works.
Show me thy faith without thy works, I'll show thee my faith
by my works. You believe that there's one
God. You do well. The devils also believe and tremble.
But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works was
dead? Was not Abraham our father? justified by works when he offered
up Isaac his son upon the altar. See if thou have faith wrought
with his works and by works was faith made perfect and the scripture
was fulfilled would say if Abraham believed God and it imputed unto
him for righteousness and he was called the friend of God."
Now God promised the Messiah is going to come through Isaac. He didn't say he's gonna come
through Ishmael. He says he's gonna come through
Isaac. That was God's promise. It was renewed in Genesis 17,
Genesis 18. God would send the Messiah through
Isaac. Now, God says, take Isaac and
offer him up as a burnt offering to me in a mountain that I'll
show you. How many times have you thought,
what if God called on me to do that? Could I do it? Could I
offer up my child? Well, if he called you to, you
could. You could, if you understood the gospel. But I want us to
understand, Abraham believed something. He believed that the
Messiah would come through Isaac. God told him he would. And he
knew that if he did kill his son, God would raise him from
the dead. He proved he believed God when
he got ready to kill his son because he knew that the Messiah
will come through that boy no matter what I do. I mean, even
when he reached the mountain, he said to the men that were
with him, I and the lad will go yonder and worship and come
again to you. He believed that even during
that time, God would raise His Son from the dead. Now, if He
would have refused to do it, what would He have been saying?
Well, God's promise won't come to pass then. That'd mess up
everything. So I can't do this because God's
promise would not come to pass. He didn't believe anything like
that. He knew whatever God said must be. Do you know that? Do
you know that God cannot lie? whatever he promises must come
to pass. And you would believe if you believe that you would
believe if he told you that the Messiah is going to come through
your child, if you killed your child, God would raise him from
the dead. He proved by his works what he
believed. And the scripture was fulfilled,
which saith, Abraham believed God and was imputed to him for
righteousness. And he was called the friend of God. You see then
how that by works a man is justified and not by faith only. I think of that passage in Revelation
14, 13, when it says, blessed are the dead that die in the
Lord. Yea, from henceforth saith the
spirit, they shall have rest from their labors and their works
do follow them. If I'm a believer, there will
be evidence that I really believed what I said I did without question. And lastly, justifications by
words. Justifications by grace, it's
by blood, it's by faith, it's by works, it's by words. Turn to Matthew chapter 12. Verse 34, O generation of vipers. Oh, the way the Lord talked to
people. O generation of vipers. How can you, being evil, speak
good things? For out of the abundance of the
heart, the mouth speaketh. A good man, out of the good treasure
of his heart, bringeth forth good things. And an evil man,
out of the evil treasure, bringeth forth evil things. But I say
unto you that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall
give account thereof. on the day of judgment, for by
thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be
condemned. Now what's that mean? Does that
mean if I talk about some frivolous foolishness that doesn't matter,
talk about a ball game or something like that, I'm gonna have to
give an account for it on the judgment day? Well, if that is what it means,
I'm in trouble. But that's not what it means.
Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh. If justification
is in your heart, it's gonna come out in your speech. Let me repeat that. If this glorious
truth is in your heart, you rejoice in this as the gospel of your
salvation, how God could be just and justify you, it's going to
come out in your speech. You will glory in justification
being by grace. It's going to come out. You will
rejoice in justification being by His blood. It's going to come
out in your speech. It's going to come out in preaching.
If I really believe this, you're going to know it by what I say
here. And if you really believe this, this is where you're going to
be because this is the message you want to hear. You know, if somebody
goes to a church where this is not preached, What do their works
say? They don't really believe that. If you believe this, you
are identified with this message, justification by grace. And you
fully believe that justification is by faith. You know that faith
is the evidence of justification. You'll say, listen, I'm not justified
because of my faith. I'm justified because of what
Christ did. And faith is the evidence that
I stand just before God. And you'll be justified by your
works. Your works will prove whether you really believe what
you say you do. It's going to come out and it's
going to come out in your speech. Thank God for the justifying
work of Jesus Christ on the cross, where he has made a way to be
just and justify the ungodly. Let's pray. Lord, we stand in awe at the transcendent, glorious
way that you made the way to be just and justify the ungodly
through the work of thy blessed Son on the cross. Lord, enable
us to rest in him. Enable us to be justified by
our works that our works would prove we really believe that
justification is by your grace and by blood and by faith and
oh lord that it might come out in our speech may men and women
be made to see this is our hope the way you've made the way to
be just and justify the ungodly. Bless this message for your glory
and for our good. In Christ's name we pray, amen.