We're going to observe the Lord's
table together tonight. I've already announced I want
to try to preach on this verse of scripture. The just shall
live by faith. It's quoted four times in the
Bible. The just shall live by faith. Now, would you turn with me to
the book of Habakkuk, or Habakkuk, however you say it. It's five
books from the, it's the fifth to the last book in the Old Testament.
This is where it's, this verse is first mentioned. This statement
is first mentioned in the book of Habakkuk chapter two. Verse four. Now you'll notice
that there's a slightly different emphasis in each one of these
four verses. They're very important. Verse
four, the prophet says, behold his soul, which is lifted up. And that word is literally swollen,
swollen. It's talking about pride. Behold
his soul, which is lifted up. Swollen is not upright in him. But the just shall live by his
faith. And then our text in Romans chapter
one, would you turn with me there? Paul says, for, I'm not ashamed
of the gospel of Christ verse 16, for it is the power of God
and the salvation to everyone that believe it. To the Jew first
and also to the Greek for therein in the gospel is the righteousness
of God revealed from faith to faith as it's written, the just
shall live by faith. Turn to Galatians chapter three
now. The first time we read the verse of scripture from the Old
Testament, it had something to do with being contrary to a swollen
soul, a soul lifted up with pride. Here it's spoken in connection
with the righteousness of God. If you have faith, it has something
to do with the very righteousness of God. And look in Galatians
chapter three, verse 11. but that no man is justified
by the law in the sight of God. It's evident. It's clear for
the just shall live by faith. Now here, the emphasis is that
somehow faith is opposed to being saved or justified by the law,
whatever that means. And we're going to consider that
and turn to Hebrews chapter 10. Verse 37, for yet a little while,
Hebrews 10 37 for yet a little while. And he that shall come
will come and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith. But if any man draw back, my
soul shall have no pleasure in him. Now here, the reference
has, has something to do with not drawing back, but persevering. Now I'm approaching this subject,
I hope, with fear and with trembling. That's how I feel about this. I fear darkening counsel with
words without knowledge on such an important subject. The just
shall live by faith, so pray for the preacher. and pray for
yourselves that you would have hearing ears. You see, a mistake
here is a mistake on life. The just shall live by faith,
and it would prove to be a fatal mistake. Now, faith, the just
shall live by faith. Faith is the salvation grace. The Lord said, Thy faith hath
saved thee. We're not saved by our love.
We're not saved by our knowledge. We're not saved by our courage.
We are saved by grace, the scripture says, through faith. By grace
are you saved through faith. And that not of yourselves, it's
the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should
boast. All other graces hang on faith. and all other graces operate
through faith. From Christ Jesus, Paul said,
that's where I want to be, don't you? I want to be in Christ. He said, for in Christ Jesus,
neither circumcision avails anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith,
which worketh. by love. Now, we would do well
to have some definitions of the terms. The just shall live by
faith. And I want to think of those
three terms. The just shall live by faith. You know that this
was the watchword of the Protestant Reformation. As I've read, Martin
Luther was climbing the stairs in Rome, trying to seek God.
Supposedly, those stairs were the very stairs that our Lord
walked up when he was going to be tried before Pilate. How they
got into Rome, who knows? But supposedly with the blood
stains of the Lord still on them and he and pilgrims would come
there to crawl up on their knees seeking forgiveness. And he heard
in his heart this statement that he'd read before in the scriptures,
the just shall live by faith, not by climbing up steps. The
just shall live by faith. And he went down never to return. What does this mean? The just
shall live by faith. The just or the justified. Justified means I have never
sinned. If I'm justified, that means
I personally have never sinned. I have a perfect righteousness.
And if I have a spot of sin, I cannot be just before God. If I'm just, God looks me over and he can see. And he says,
there's no sin there. How good do you have to be for
God to accept you? As good as God. Now, there are two kinds of people
in this world, two kinds of people in this building, in this room
right now, listening to this message, the just and the unjust. Another way to say it is the
righteous, and the wicked, the saved and the lost, those who
are just, perfectly righteous, without blemish before God, that's
the just, and those who are nothing but evil in God's sight. I know
that's strong language, but that's what the Bible says. If I'm without
Christ, if I'm not a believer, you think of people that you
know and are associated with that are very nice people in
many ways. But when God sees them. All he
sees is wounds and bruises and putrefying sores. That's what
you see. God sees differently than we do. God's holy. You and
I can't see as he sees, but this is what he sees. I think of that
scripture in John, I mean, Genesis chapter six, verse five, and
God saw the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that
every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. That's God's testimony. just and the wicked. I've said
this before. This is almost humorous. All the righteous believe themselves
to be wicked. And all the wicked believe themselves
to be righteous or at least have the potential to be righteous.
Now you can just write that down. All of those who are without
spot before God believe themselves to be wicked. They really believe
that about themselves. And all the wicked believe themselves
to be righteous or at least have the potential to be righteous
if the circumstances are right. Amusing, isn't it? Well, how
can a man be just before God? Because I've just talked about
the sinfulness of man. How can a man be just before
God. Well, there's only one way for
a man to be just before God. It's for God to make him just. This is God's work. All it takes
is the commission of one sin and you're not just. And Job
said, if I justify myself, mine own mouth would condemn me. There's
nothing we can do to achieve justification. It's something
that God must declare us to be. Now, I want you to imagine a
man who's been accused of a crime standing before the judge and
the judge saying, now, here's what we're going to do. I'm going
to give you a choice. Do you choose to be justified or do
you choose to be condemned? It's up to you. I'm offering
it to you. I'm offering you here. Here it
is. You can either be justified or you can be condemned. It's
up to you. You say, well, that wouldn't happen. You're right.
It wouldn't happen. That's not the way things work. That's ridiculous. But yet that's the way most people
present the gospel. Isn't it? God offering you salvation. You can be justified or you can
be condemned, whatever you want. It's up to you. Will you accept
being justified? Sure, I would. I'd whole lot rather be justified
than condemned, but that has nothing to do with what faith
is. Justification is not something that's offered to you that you
accept. Justification is something God
declares you to be. This is the work of God alone. It's not something you do. There's
nothing you do to achieve it. It's the work of God alone. If a man's just, it's because
God said they're just. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect, it is God that justifies. Being justified freely, I love
that word freely, by his grace, through the redemption that's
in Christ Jesus. Now, for a man to be just, God's
got to make him just. And you know, aren't you thankful
God does that? Turn with me to Romans 4. Romans 4, verse 5. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth
the ungodly. His faith is counted for righteousness.
Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man under
whom God imputeth righteousness without works. Isn't that a state
of blessedness? saying, blessed are they whose
iniquities are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is
the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. Look back in Romans three, beginning
in verse 24. I've already quoted this verse,
but let me read on some more. Being justified, having been
justified freely by his grace through the redemption that's
in Christ Jesus, whom God has set forth. to be a propitiation,
a reason to remove the sin, a sin removal, a covering of the sin
through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for
the remission of sins that are passed 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. Now, this is the work of God. If I'm to be justified, God will
justify me. And the way he does it is by
taking his very righteousness and giving it to me and taking
my sin and causing Christ to bear it. Now, justification is
the work of God. Who are the just? They're those
people that God justified. And the second word, The just
shall live. The just shall live. Now this
is talking about spiritual life. This is not just talking about
the existence of breathing air and having your heart pumping
and all those things that everybody in here is alive. In that sense,
that's all this is talking about when it's talking about just
life as physical life. The just shall live spiritually. The just shall have spiritual
life through faith. A man that does not have faith
has no spiritual life. He is yet dead in trespasses
and sins. Now, when I'm talking about that,
let's go back to the Garden of Eden. Remember what took place. Satan tempted Eve. What a temptation. Had God said,
if you eat this fruit, you'll die? Did he mean it? You shall
not surely die. God knows if you eat this fruit,
your eyes will be opened and you'll know the difference between
good and evil, and that'll make you better. That'll make you
like God. You won't die. Sounded plausible, didn't it?
It does seem better to know the difference between good and evil
and to choose good over evil. That does seem better. Really,
the temptation of free will is what it was. Bottom line is,
you'll have a glorious free will. You'll be able to choose the
good over the bad, and that's what'll make you like God. That
sounds plausible. And so she took the fruit. She
ate of it. Scripture says their eyes were
opened. And they knew they were naked.
Now, they knew they were naked before they ever ate the fruit,
weren't they? They were naked of jaybirds. And it wasn't an
issue. It just wasn't an issue. Why?
Because they were not spiritually dead. Now, remember, the Lord
said in the day you eat thereof, you shall surely die. Well, they
didn't die physically, but they died spiritually because their
eyes were opened and all of a sudden their nakedness was an issue. Why? Because they now have evil
natures. They now have sinful nature.
So what's the first thing they do? They try to hide their shame. They run from God's presence
and they try to hide their shame. They try to hide their sinfulness
with those fig leaves of their own work. They got it. They made
themselves aprons to hide themselves and they became spiritually dead. Now, Life is not being spiritually
dead. That's all it is. It means you're
given life. When you have life, you can do
things that you can't do when you're dead. You see, there was
a time when I could not believe because I was dead in sins. I
heard the preacher say, you need to believe, but I couldn't do
it because I didn't even know what it meant. Didn't know what
it meant. I'd hear the preacher say, repent.
I'd think, well, I would if I knew what it meant. What's that mean? Need to be born again? Well,
okay, but what? I was dead in sins. And then
God gave me life and I could do what I could not do before. I could believe. You know, the
Lord said no man can come to me, except it were given him
of my father, except the father which was sent me draw him. I
couldn't come to Christ, but now I can. Why? I've got spiritual
life. The just, The justified shall
live. They'll have spiritual life by
faith. Now this thing of faith, don't
mistake it for believing in the existence of God. Devils have
that. Don't mistake it for believing
the right thing. Somebody says, well, I believe
a doctrine of grace. I'm not some freewheeler. Well,
that's not faith either. I mean, you ought to, but that's
not faith. Faith is a reliance upon what God has said, as all
your hope is salvation. You're putting all your hope
in what God has said. Remember when the first time
believing is mentioned, it's in Genesis chapter 15, when God
said to Abraham, see the stars, so shall thy seed be. And the
scripture says, Abraham believed God. He believed what God said. He believed that he would have
this glorious one come through him because God said he would. He didn't see it because of himself. He was an old man. He didn't
see it because Sarah, she'd gone through menopause, but he believed
what God said. Faith is a reliance on what God
has said in his word concerning his son for all of my salvation. I can't live off my religious
devotions. I can't live off my feelings.
I can't live off my knowledge. I can't live off my intentions.
I can't live off my prayers. The just shall live by faith. Now, I got a question. Why? Why is it that way? Why does
God say the just shall live by faith? Why do the just live by
faith? Well, here's the first reason.
The just shall live by faith because God said the just shall
live by faith. That's enough of a reason, isn't
it? God said it. But here's the next reason why
the just shall live by faith, because there is no other way
possible. Now in this narrow statement,
In this comprehensive statement, in this unqualified statement,
the just shall live by faith. It lets us know that there is
no other possible way to live because we've already sinned
and salvation by works for us is impossible. You've already
seen it. So that part is taken care of. Just forget it. The only way
you and I can be saved, the only way you and I can live is by
faith. Turn with me to Romans chapter
four. Once again, maybe you're already there. Romans chapter
four. I want to read verse 16 to you. Verse 16, therefore, it is a
faith, therefore salvation. It is a faith. How come that
it might be by grace to the end that the promise may be sure
to all the seed. You see, therefore it's a faith
that it might be by grace. By grace are you saved. Now understand
this about grace. Grace is always, no exceptions
to this rule, God's grace is always saving grace. It's not
something he just throws out there to you and you can accept
it or reject it. No, by grace, not you have the
potential to be saved, you are saved. Saving grace, electing,
redeeming, regenerating, justifying, calling, keeping grace, saving
grace. The only way salvation can be
by grace is if it's through faith and not of works. And that kind
of leads me to the next point. The reason that salvation is
by faith is so works would be excluded. Look in verse 27 of
Romans chapter three. Where is boasting then? It's
excluded by what law? Works? Nay, but by the law of
faith. You see, faith excludes, it completely
excludes salvation by works. Excluded, not allowed. And you know, this thing of faith
is perfectly suited for the sinner. What if it said, he that is sincere
is not condemned. He that's not a hypocrite is
not condemned. He that works and does his best
is not condemned. What if it said any of those
things? That wouldn't do you any good. Wouldn't do me any
good. But it says he that believeth is not condemned. There's room
for the greatest sinner to be saved in the way of salvation
by faith through grace. Now, go back to the book of Habakkuk. I want to look at these different
emphasis. I've listened to several people
preach from the book of Habakkuk, if you look at the way it's spelled,
and I've heard it pronounced so many different ways, so I
don't know if I'm pronouncing it right. I remember one time I
tried to pronounce a Greek word while I was preaching and somebody
said, that's not the way you pronounce it. You know, somebody
told me that afterwards as a preacher. And I said, well, how do you
know? It's a dead language. Nobody speaks that language. Maybe I
did write, you know, maybe I'm pronouncing it back. I don't
know. But at any rate, it says in verse four of Habakkuk, Behold,
his soul, which is lifted up, is not upright in him. The soul that's lifted up, literally
swollen. Now, back in 1988, I had kidney
problems, and I became so swollen. I mean, I became swollen. When
you're sick, you're swollen. Sick people are swollen. Dead
things are swollen. How many times, I mean, you look
at a dead grandma, look how swollen they get. I was watching a nature
program a few weeks ago, and it had a hippopotamus that died
in this place in Africa, and everything was coming up to eat
it, and it was so swollen. I mean, the hippopotamus is big
enough the way it is, but it looked like a balloon. It was dead things
are swollen. Swollen represents human pride. human pride, pride that God hates. First thing God has said to hate
is a proud look and a haughty spirit. God resists the proud,
the scripture says. God resists. If you're proud,
he's against you. You've got God as your enemy.
God resists the proud and he gives grace to the humble. I think of Brother Mahan's saying,
God hates pride of race, pride of face, pride of place, and
most especially, pride of grace. Pride of race. Thinking you're
above somebody because you're of a different nationality or
a different race, or those people are a different country, and
thinking that that separates you from them, that's so evil.
Pride of face. People think that they're more
important and valuable because they look better than somebody
else physically. What an offensive. How offensive
is that before God? Pride of place. Thinking you
have some kind of position of power that brings you above other
people. Most especially, pride of grace. Like the Pharisee. Lord, I thank
thee. and I'm not as other men are. God hates pride, the soul that's
lifted up, swollen in him. Somebody says, well, pride's
really not my problem. Really? Really. The one who's proud,
his spirit is not upright within him. He's corrupt. Men are proud of possessions,
proud of strength, proud of intellect, proud of appearance, proud of
talents. Who makes you to differ from
another? What do you have that you didn't
receive? In every aspect, who makes you
to differ from somebody else? Pride is what keeps a man from
believing the gospel. Pride is what keeps a man from
submitting to the truth. Two things that always go together,
faith and humility. You know, grace always humbles
a man, but that man whose soul is lifted up, swollen, and that's
what it is, is swelling. Any kind of human pride I have,
it's contrary to faith, but the just, the justified, he shall
live by his faith. I turn back to Romans 1. Here is a different emphasis. Paul said in verse 16, I'm not
ashamed of the gospel of Christ. It, the gospels, the power of
God and salvation to everyone that believe to the Jew first
and also to the Greek. For therein, in the gospel, is
the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith, which I
believe means from his faith to our faith. As it is written,
and his faith to the faith he's given us, as it is written, the
just shall live by faith. Now, faith has something to do
with the righteousness of God. You know what that means? It
means if I have faith, I have. I possess, I am the righteousness
of God himself. Now, that's a that's a mind blowing
thought, isn't it? But it's what the scripture teaches.
For he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin, that
we might be made the righteousness of God. Look in Romans chapter three,
verse 19. Now we know that what things
soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law,
that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may stand guilty
before God. 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, but now the righteousness of
God. without the law as manifest,
being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness
of God, which is by the faith of Jesus Christ. When Jesus Christ
kept the law perfectly, there's the righteousness of God. And
that is the righteousness that every believer possesses. The
just shall live by faith has something to do with a sinner
being made the very righteousness of God himself. Now we couldn't
believe something like that if the Bible didn't teach it, could
we? I mean, that would almost seem presumptuous for a sinner
to say, I'm the very righteousness of God. But if I'm in Christ,
I am the very righteousness of God. The emphasis there is the
righteousness of God. Now turn to Galatians 3. Galatians 3 verse 11. But that no man is justified
by the law in the sight of God, it's evident, it's clear, for
the just shall live by faith. Now here, the emphasis has something
to do with its evidence that we can't be justified by the
law for the just shall live by faith. Now, what did Paul mean
when he said that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God?
It's evident. Does he mean that you can't be
saved by keeping the Ten Commandments? Yes. Because you can't keep the
Ten Commandments. You can't. You've already broken
them. That issue is already over. But he means more than that,
because let's look in this same book. Turn to Galatians chapter
4. Verse 21. Here's what Paul meant by the
law, that we can't be justified by the law. Tell me, you that
desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? Don't you
hear what it says? For it's written, and he doesn't
mention, that thou shalt and thou shalt not. He says, for
it's written that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid,
the other by a free woman, but he who was of the bondmaid woman
was born after the flesh, but he who was of the free woman
was by promise, which things are an allegory. Now you remember
the story. God promised Abraham, you're going to have a son. Abraham
is now 97 years old. Sarah has already gone through
the process of menopause. And she says, Abraham, God's
promise will not be fulfilled unless we do our part. Obviously,
you know, obviously it's not happening through me. You go
to Hagar, my servant Hagar, go to her and you go with her. And that way God's promise will
be able to be fulfilled and we'll have a child. That is law. If salvation is in any way dependent
upon you. You believe in salvation by law. Let's go on reading. Let me show
you what God says. Verse 24, which things are an
allegory for these are the two covenant covenants, works and
grace. One from Mount Sinai, the giving
of the law, which genders to bondage is Hagar for this Hagar
is Mount Sinai. Now, do you hear that? Hagar
represents salvation by works. Now, has it become evident to
you? that if any aspect of salvation is dependent upon you, it's over
for you. You will not be saved. Has that become evident to you?
If God's taught you anything, it's become evident. I love the
way Paul said this in Galatians 3 11, but that no man is justified
by the law on the side of God. It's evident for the just, the
justified, those who are just before God shall live by faith,
not by their obedience, not by something they've done, but by
faith. You know, the only way I can
be saved is by what baptism depicts. I love baptism. Here's my hope that when Christ
lived, I lived. That's my righteousness before
God. I was in him. And when he did it, I did it.
When he died, I died. My sin was paid for. And when
he was raised from the dead, I was too. All my hope is simply
being in him. And then in Hebrews chapter 10,
the last time it's mentioned. Verse 38. Now the just shall
live by faith. But if any man draw back, my
soul shall have no pleasure in him. Now that word draw back
is a nautical term. It means to slacken the sails.
That's what it means by definition. It means you let the sail down
so you don't go quite so fast. So maybe you start floating and
the wind doesn't carry you. The same word was used of Peter
when he withdrew himself in Galatians chapter 2. Remember when he was
eating with the Gentiles and then some Jewish believers came
and he thought they would be offended by the fact that he
was eating with the Gentiles. So he withdrew himself and started
eating with the Jews instead. And Paul publicly reprimanded
him for that because he said the truth of the gospel was at
stake because you're saying somehow if you're a Jew, you're a little
bit more saved or more pleasing to God than a Gentile who say,
but you're more saved the other way. And he was rebuked for it. The word is used where Paul said,
I've not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Paul said in 2 Thessalonians
3, But we command you, brethren, in the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ, that you withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh
disorderly, that walks in insubordination. He says, you withdraw yourself
from them. Now, to withdraw, to draw back
on this thing is to draw back from this thing of being saved
by faith only, through grace only. It's to draw back, to not
be quite so strong about it, to push back a little bit because
of the problems it causes. But the Lord says, if any man
slackens the sails, if any man withdraws where he's not quite
looking so hard only to Christ, God says, my soul, shall have
no pleasure in him. You see, the only thing that
God has pleasure in is Christ, his blessed son, only. That's what God has pleasure
in. And for a man to withdraw himself
from that in any measure, to any degree, God says, I'll have
no pleasure in him. But I love what the writer says
in verse 39. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition,
destruction, but of them that believe to the saving of the
soul. Now, the just shall live by faith. That is contrary to human swollenness
and pride. Doesn't have anything to do with
anything we do. The just shall live by faith.
That has something to do with having the very righteousness
of God. The just shall live by faith.
That has something to do with it being evident that if salvation
is dependent upon me, I won't be saved. The just shall live
by faith. I'm not going to draw back in
any way. Here is all my salvation. When from the dust of death I
rise to take my mansions in the skies, even then shall this be
all my plea that Jesus lived and died for me. The just shall
live by faith. thing.