Our Bibles again to Romans 3. Now this message this morning is an attempt on my part to make as plain, clear and as
simple as I can. In words easy to be understood. what the Lord has taught me about
how a sinner can come to Christ in faith. I'm going to call this
message, The Way Made Plain. And I sat down and studied this
passage of scripture, and I found that there ain't question plainly,
clearly answered in these verses. Eight questions. I'll give you the question. I'll
answer it with the verse. The first question is this. What
is our spiritual condition? What is our spiritual condition?
Well, look at verse 19. Now, we know That what thing
soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law,
that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world become, here's
our condition, guilty before God. Guilty. Guilty of sin and iniquity and
transgression before God. What does the law say? The law
says be ye holy as God's holy. The law reaches to the thoughts
and intents of the heart. Not just holy outwardly, but
holy inwardly. Holy thoughts, holy imagination,
holy motive. Our Lord defined the law in Matthew
5. Turn to that scripture with me,
Matthew chapter 5. Matthew 5 verse 21. Now we know the law, thou shalt
not kill, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not steal,
thou shalt not covet. But the Lord interprets the law
as relating to the heart. He says in Matthew 5.21, you've
heard it was said by them of old times, thou shalt not kill. And whosoever shall kill shall
be in danger of judgment. But I say unto you, here's God's
law. that whosoever is angry with
his brother, without a cause, shall be in danger of the judgment.
And whosoever shall say to his brother, Rachel, vain fellow,
shall be in danger of the counsel. And whosoever shall say, thou
fool, shall be in danger of the hell fire." So to be guilty of
breaking God's law, thou shalt not kill, does not require me
to take someone's life, it's even the desire to hurt, the
desire to wound, the desire to afflict someone, or wishing someone
ill fortune. These thoughts of ours, grudges,
malice and hatred, that's killing people. And then down here in
verse 27, You've heard it said by them
of old times, thou shalt not commit adultery. I say unto you,
whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath committed
adultery with her already in his heart. Adultery and licentiousness
and lust is not just an outward practice or act, it's an inward
song. And there's not a person living
on this earth that's not guilty of murder, adultery, idolatry,
to be unhappy with what I have. That's covetousness and that's
idolatry. Bearing false witness, there's
not a person in here that hasn't exaggerated and lied and presented
a false image and a false report somewhere down the line. So the
law requires us to be perfect, holy as God. Go back to my text. Now to whom does the law say?
This is not the second question, or the same question, our condition.
What the law says, what does the law say? Be ye holy. Alright,
to whom does it say that? It says it to them who are under
the law. Well who is that? That's every human being. We're
in God's universe, we're under God's law. We live in God's universe,
and that makes us subjects of God. He's the King, we're the
subjects, and we're subject to His law. He says it to everyone.
Young or old, rich or poor, man or woman, man or woman. What's
the result of that? What is our condition? Down here,
the last line. And all the world is to stop
our mouth. We have no alibis. We have no
excuse. We are what we are by choice.
We are what we are because of the thoughts of our own hearts.
That's what we are. Every mouth stop, no alibis,
and all the world become guilty, guilty. And here's the key, guilty
before God. Guilty before God. That's what
David said in Psalm 51. Listen to this, what David said
in Psalm 51. He said, Lord, verse 4, against
thee, against thee, and thee only have I sinned." My sins
are against God. Guilty before God. I've done
this evil in your sight, that you might be justified when you
speak and cleared when you judge. If you're going to come to God
in Christ, you're going to have to start right here. What's my
condition? Guilty. Without excuse, without alibi,
just guilty before God. And to offend in one point of
the law is to be guilty of the whole law. A man doesn't have
to kill 20 people to be a murderer, just one. A fellow doesn't have
to commit 10 million sins to be a sinner, just one. But we've
got 10 million. That's our condition. Alright,
next verse. Here's my other question, here's
the second question. Are there some good deeds that
I can do? Or some good works that I can
perform? that will change this condition. Could I join the church, or maybe
give some money to poor people, or maybe send some flowers to
the sick, or maybe help a widower, an orphan, there are some good
deeds that I can do that will alter, change this condition.
Here is the answer, verse 20. Therefore, because we are guilty before
God by the deeds of the law, There shall no flesh be justified
in his sight." Now, we can do these things and justify ourselves
in other people's sight. Turn to Luke 16 and listen to
this. Luke 16. We can join the Church
and alter some of our conduct and give a little money to the
poor and help build a school. to walk around the park for cancer
and all these different things you can do. Verse 15 of Luke
16, he said to them, you are they which justify yourselves
before men. But God knows your heart, and
that which is highly esteemed among men, and what is highly
esteemed among men? Outward goodness, outward morality,
outward kindness, outward work, is abomination to God. Unless
it's motivated by an inward dependence of God. So, by the deeds of the
law, back to my text. Is there something I can do,
good deeds or works, to change this condition? By the deeds
of the law. The law requires perfection. There shall no flesh be justified
in his sight. We can justify ourselves in the
sight of others. We can deceive people. Only God
can detect hypocrisy. Men can't. It says here by the
law is the knowledge of sin. The law can't remove sin. The
deeds of the law can't remove sin. The law wasn't given to
remove sin. It was given to reveal sin. You can have an x-ray taken of
a broken leg and it will reveal the break but it won't heal it. And the law comes to Like Paul
said, when the law came, I died. When I saw the law of God, it's
perfection, it's holiness, I just died. The law couldn't give me
life, it couldn't heal the broken bones. The law reveals sin. Perfect
law of God. A mirror cannot wash away the
dirt. A mirror cannot wash away the
dirt, but it can show the dirt. Look up above here in Romans
3 verse 10. Here's a portrait of our condition
and our inability. Look at it, Romans 3 verse 10. As it is written, there's none
righteous, no not one. There's none that understand
it, there's none that seek after God. They're all gone out of
the way, they are together become unprofitable. There's none that
do it good, no not one. That's us. Our throat is an open
sepulcher. With our tongues we have used
deceit, the poison of ash is under our lips. That's our words.
Now our deeds. Mouth is full of cursing and
bitterness. Our feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and
misery in our ways. And in our thoughts. Next verse.
And the way of peace have we not known, with no fear of God
before their eyes. There we are. And that's the
reason he says in verse 20. by the deeds of the law, no flesh,
no flesh shall be justified, innocent, holy, accepted in his
sight. Alright, third question. Well,
is forgiveness available? Is salvation possible? Is the
holiness that God requires available to us? Well, verse 21 answers
that. And I might add this, since this
is my condition, and by deeds, good deeds, I can't alter it,
is there a holiness and a forgiveness without my obedience to the law
available? It has to be without my without
my deeds and duties and obedience. That's it. But now, right now,
the righteousness of God, the holiness of God, without the
law is manifested. By the holiness of God, we don't
mean here his essential personal holiness. God is personally holy,
personally holy. He requires us to be holy, which
we are not. which we can't produce. But there's
a holiness he can produce, that he can provide, that he can purpose,
that he can give us. And that holiness is available.
That holiness is not only available without the law, without my obedience
to the law, it's manifested. It's revealed. It's broadcast
loud and clear in the scriptures by the prophets that find it.
Psalm 23. I just pick out those obvious
ones. It's all the way through the
Old Testament. Here's the question. Is there a holiness with which
God will be pleased? Is there a holiness without the
law available to me? Is there perfection, a forgiveness,
justification in God's sight? Well look, it's Psalm 23, verse
3. He restores my soul. He leads
me in the path of righteousness. Me! Whose condition I just read. Whose inability I just preached. He leads me in the path of righteousness. That's the promise. Oh, here's
namesake. Oh, that turns to Psalm 24. Verse 3, who's going to ascend
into the hill of the Lord? Who shall stand in his holy place?
He that hath clean hands, well we just read where we didn't
have clean hands. Pure heart, who's never lifted
up his soul into vanity, who's never lied. Yes sir, that person
is going to receive the blessings from the Lord and righteousness. not from his own heart, but from
the God of his salvation. It's available. And then one
more, Jeremiah 23. Jeremiah 23. Is such a holiness,
perfection, sinlessness, forgiveness available? Oh, yes, sir. It's
revealed right here in the prophets. In Jeremiah 23, verse 5, Behold,
the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise up unto David
a righteous brand. A king shall reign and prosper
and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth, and in
his days Judah shall be saved. Israel shall dwell safely." These
are people I'm talking about. Judah and Israel, that's people.
And this is his name whereby he shall be called the Lord our
righteousness. Yes sir, there's a righteousness.
There's a righteousness. There's a holiness. There's a
perfection that God has purposed, promised, provided. Alright,
here's the next question. Where is it? Where can it be
found? What's our condition? Guilty.
What's our possibility? Not at all in ourselves. With
men, it's impossible. The disciple said, who can be
saved? He said, with men, impossible. Well, is there righteousness
or holiness available? Yes, sir. God talked about all
the way through the Old Testament. Well, where is it found? Verse
21. Verse 22, it's even the righteousness of God, the very holiness of
God, the perfection of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ. Now that reads, which is by the
faithfulness of Christ, by the person and work of Jesus Christ. That's where it is. Where is
this holiness? It's in Christ. our substitute,
that's where it is, in Christ. Down here in Romans chapter 4,
look where Abraham found righteousness. In Romans 4 verse 21, and being
fully persuaded that what God had promised, he was able to
perform, and therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
Now that wasn't written for Abraham's sake alone that it was imputed
to him, but for us also, to whom this righteousness shall be charged,
imputed, reckoned, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our
Lord from the dead, who was delivered by offenses and raised by justification. That's where it's in Christ. Our Lord became a man, born of
a woman, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Walked this earth in human flesh, the God man. Perfectly obeyed every jot and
tittle of God's law. Loved God perfectly. Loved his
neighbors and self. Never had a thought of iniquity.
Went about doing good. Even the father said this is
my son in whom I am well pleased. He did that as a representative.
He did that as a substitute. He did that as our redeemer.
He did that as our mediator. He did that as our high priest.
Then he went to the cross. And there he bore our sins. The
scripture said he was wounded for our transgressions. He was
bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace
was laid on him. By his stripes we are healed.
That's where it is in Christ. The word was made flesh and dwelt
among us. We beheld his glory. The glory
is of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
And he who knew no sin was made sin for us, that we might be
made the righteousness of God in him. Alright, here's the fifth
question. What's our condition? Guilty. What's our prospect? None in ourselves. Is there righteousness
available? God purposed it, promised it
throughout the whole scripture. He said, I'm going to be merciful,
I'm going to have compassion. Where is it? In Christ. In Christ. In Christ. In Christ. Only in
Christ. Who's it for? Verse 22. This righteousness of God, which
is by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ, is unto all, and upon
all them that believe. There is no difference. Who's it for? It's for all who
believe. There is no difference. For all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God. It's for women, men, boys, girls,
Jews, Gentiles, whites, blacks, rich, poor. It's for all who
will believe. All and everyone who will believe.
Let's look at some scripture. Romans 1. Romans 1, verse 16, I'm not ashamed of
the gospel of Christ, the gospel of the person and work of Christ.
It is the power of God unto salvation. To whom? For whom? It's to everyone that believeth. To the Jew first, Christ came
to the Jews. He was a Jew. Also to the Greeks. But therein, in the person and
work of Christ, is the righteousness of God, the holiness of God,
it's revealed, it's revealed in Christ, it's revealed in his
person, in his work, it's revealed in him, from faith to faith,
from one degree of faith to another, the just, the justified shall
live by faith. As Moses lifted up the serpent
and the whips, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up. And
whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting
life. God sent not his Son into the
world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might
be saved. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but
have everlasting life. Turn to John 3. John 3. This is so clear. John 3 verse 35, now listen,
the Father loves the Son. You can run around all day arguing
about the universal love of God. Whom does God love? I'll tell
you this, I know this, the Father loves the Son, the Lord Jesus
Christ. The Father loves the Son. And the Father had given all
things into his hands. That's where everything is. The
fullness of God, the inheritance of God, the kingdom of God, the
glory of God, heaven, happiness, joy and glory is in Christ. It's all in Christ. He had given
it to Christ into his hands. Now, he that believeth on the
Son hath life. He has part in the kingdom of
God. Christ said, I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and
prepare a place for you, I'll come again and receive you under
my step. It's for you who believe. And he that believeth not the
Son, he's not going to see life. He's not going to see glory.
It's in Christ. He's not going to seek the kingdom of God. It's
in Christ. He's not going to see mercy. It's in Christ. He's
not going to see holiness. It's in Christ. Come to me, he
said, I'll give you rest. Come to me, I'll give you life.
Come to me, believe on me. I don't know how I could be clearer.
We're guilty. We have no possibility or prospects
of being otherwise, except by His grace. But there is a righteousness. There is a holiness. There's
salvation to be had. Where is it? In Jesus Christ.
Who's it for? It's for every blessed one of
you who believes on Him. You're not going to have it turning
your back on Christ. You're not going to have it playing
religion. You're not going to have it looking
to denominations and preachers and popes and all the rest of
it. You're going to have it by looking to Christ. That's where
it is. That's what he that believeth
on the Son hath everything the Son hath. And he that believeth
not, never shall he lie. Back to my text. Everything has
a price, preacher. What's it cost? What's it cost? Verse 24. Being justified. Justified is without sin, innocent,
holy. Freely. Freely. Freely. No price. Ho! Everyone that's thirsty,
come to the water. Come to the fountain. There's
a fountain flowing freely. Drink. Come without money, without
price, without anything. Buy milk and wine and honey.
Free. Freely. When they had nothing
to pay, He freely forgave them both. It's free. It's by His grace. It's not by
your work. It's not by your deeds, it's
not by your religion, it's not by your profession, it's by His
free sovereign grace. It's through the redemption that's
in Christ Jesus. Now there's a holy God I cannot
please, but my Lord did for me. This is my son whom I'm well
pleased. There's a holy law. I cannot keep, not for five seconds. You see, just a while ago, I
got upset because people don't believe in Jesus. I did, I got
real mad. I started to say something ugly. Even preaching, you see, I get
agitated because people don't believe in God. And I've got
to love them, even if they don't. There's a holy law I can't keep.
Can you? But Christ did. There's a holiness
I can't produce. God said you be holy as I am.
That lets me out. You too. But Christ did. There's a sin I can't put away. Sin's hard to put away. I tell
you, the Old Testament sacrifices wouldn't do it. Prayers won't do it. Hell won't
even do it. Don't put it away. But he appeared
to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Christ did. There's
a judgment that I can't endure. I do not want to come to the
judgment. Lord, don't bring me into judgment.
Don't bring me into judgment. I don't want to face my sins
in judgment. Do you? Well, you don't have
to if you're in Christ. There is no condemnation to them
who are in Christ. There's no judgment to them who
are in Christ, who believe. Well, that's good news, preacher.
I can't work, I can't labor, I can't produce, but I sure can
look. Look unto me and be yourself. I can believe. Lord, help my
unbelief. I can't believe perfectly, but I can believe. To whom shall
we go? I can't go to the mall, or to
the pool, or to the church, or to the altar, or to some preacher,
or some priest. I'd go to Christ. Lord save me,
I'll perish. That's what the thief on the
cross did. When you come into your kingdom, remember me. I
can believe. Well, who purposed this anyhow? Whose gospel is this you're preaching?
Whose good news is this you're declaring? Who provided and promised
and prepared all this good news? Read the next verse, 25. Whom
God has set forth. Whom God has set forth. Is this
authentic? Believe me, it's as authentic
as God. Jesus Christ is the one whom
God set forth. How did he set him forth? He
set him forth clear back yonder in the promises when he said
the seed of woman will bruise a serpent's hand. He set him
forth back there in the Passover when he said when I see the blood
I'll pass over you. He set him forth in the tabernacle
in the priesthood when he gave all the types and pictures and
patterns of Christ's death and Christ's priestly work and Christ's
sacrifice. God set him forth in promise,
God set him forth in picture, and then one day he sent him
to this earth. He hung a star over his birthplace.
He said this is where the Redeemer was born in Bethlehem, Ephrathah,
whose goings forth have been from of old. And he sent angels
down here to tell some shepherds unto you that are born in the
city of David a Savior, Christ the Lord. And this shall be a declaration
in good tidings to everybody that will hear it. And then one
day from heaven, he said, this is my son, hear ye him. He sent
the Holy Spirit upon him without measure. He gave him power to
work miracles. And then he set him forth on
a cross outside the city walls so that the whole world could
see him. And he hung a cloth over the sun so it wouldn't shine.
He shook the earth with an earthquake and the graves gave forth the
dead. And then he raised him from the dead on the third day
and he appeared to over 500 brethren. None of them have ever recanted
yet. He set him forth, he set him
forth, and then he exalted him to his right hand. He said, sit
on my right hand while I make your enemies your footstool.
God set him forth. to be a propitiation, a covering,
a sin offering, a sacrifice through faith in His blood, through faith
in His blood, not through your religious shenanigans and motions
and deeds and actions, through faith in His blood, to declare
God's righteousness for the remission of sins of the past, my past,
present, and future, and even the Old Testament Every believer's
sins of every generation Christ's death satisfies. Here's my last
question. Why did God do all this? God did it because He's good.
God did it because He's love. God did it because He's merciful.
God did it because He's God. But He did it primarily, verse
26, to declare I say at this time and at every
time, He is holiness, God is holy, God is righteous, God is
just. And I tell you this, He's not
going to take the guilty into heaven, they're going to have
to be forgiven. He's not going to take the wicked into heaven,
they're going to have to have a righteousness. He's not going
to take the naked into heaven, they're going to have to be clothed
in the righteousness and washed in the blood of the Lord Jesus
Christ by faith. He's righteous, he's holy. Heaven
is a holy abode of a holy God. It's prepared by a holy God for
a holy people in Christ. And he did all this in order
that he might be just, that he might be righteous, that he might
be holy, that he might be God. And saved folks like you and
me. God forgives sins, but sins got to be paid for. He forgives
sins on the basis of the sacrifice of Christ. God gives a holiness
without the law on our part, but not without the law on Christ's
part. Christ had to obey it. He had to fulfill it perfectly.
Why? Why did God do this? Because
he loved us? Because he's going to honor Christ?
Because he's God? Because he's just and holy? Because
somebody said one time, God could damn everybody. No he couldn't,
not in be God. God is love and love has to be
expressed. Love has to have an object. That's
right. But chiefly, this death of the
Son of God was in order that God might be just. And when He,
the Lord of hosts, brings His people into glory, He's going
to bring them into glory holy, unblameable, unreprovable, and
justified in God's sight. That's right. By His blood. Now
that's the way. And that's the way made plain.
And that's the only way that anybody I know is going to see
God. Do you believe it? Lord, I believe. I believe. Help my unbelief. Increase my faith. But I believe.