The Good News

Q: What does the Bible say about being a child of God?

The Bible teaches that being a child of God is not based on outward appearance or heritage, but on an inward change by God's grace. According to Romans 3:28-29, a true child of God is not merely one who is outwardly a Jew or professes faith, but one who has been transformed inwardly by the power of God. This transformation is the work of the Holy Spirit, who grants believers a new heart and a new nature, enabling them to genuinely love and follow God. John 1:12-13 affirms this by stating that those who receive Christ are given the right to become children of God, not by natural descent or human effort, but through being born of God.

Q: How do we know the doctrine of justification by faith is true?

The doctrine of justification by faith is founded on the teachings of Scripture, particularly in Romans, where it states that individuals are justified freely by God's grace through faith in Christ. Romans 3:24-26 clearly explains that justification comes through faith in Christ Jesus, not through our own works or merit. This is persistently highlighted throughout the New Testament as it emphasizes that God's righteousness is revealed through faith. In Romans 5:1, it states that we are justified by faith and thus have peace with God. It is through Christ's obedience and sacrifice that we can stand justified before God. This teaching underscores the grace of God which is available to all who believe, regardless of their background or past actions.

Q: Why is the concept of regeneration important for Christians?

Regeneration is crucial for Christians because it signifies being born again and receiving a new heart, which is essential for true faith and relationship with God. Regeneration is a fundamental concept in Christian theology, as discussed in John 3:3, where Jesus states that one must be born again to see the kingdom of God. This inward change, wrought by the Holy Spirit, is what enables a person to believe genuinely and pursue holiness. Ephesians 2:1-5 reiterates this principle, showing that believers are made alive together with Christ even when they were dead in their trespasses. The new birth is not merely a theological concept but a necessary experience for receiving eternal life and fellowship with God.

Q: What advantage do religious practices have if salvation is by grace?

Religious practices serve as means through which God communicates His grace and Word, aiding in the process of sanctification and faith. In Romans 3:1-2, Paul affirms that there is indeed an advantage in being entrusted with the oracles of God. Religious practices such as preaching, baptism, and communion are not ends in themselves, but ordained means by which God works to regenerate and sanctify His people. They serve to cultivate faith, expose the truth of the Gospel, and guide believers in a relationship with Him. Faith comes through hearing the Word of God, making these practices essential for spiritual growth and understanding God’s grace fully.

Let's open our Bibles this morning
to the book of Romans. My message will be taken mainly
from chapter 3, Romans chapter 3. Now tonight,
in the evening service, I'm going to bring a sermon on the subject,
The Sure Mercies of David. The sure mercies of David. That's in the evening service.
We're going to look at Romans chapter 3, but you know the Bible
was not originally divided into chapters and verses. So back
in chapter 2, the last two verses of chapter 2, The Apostle Paul
clears the air on a very, very important subject. A very important
subject. I wrote down three words. Please
hear me. Please hear me on these two verses. Verse 28, For he is not a Jew
which is one outwardly, He is not a Jew. He is not an Israelite. A man is not a son of God. A man is not a child of God. A man is not of the seed of Abraham,
which is one only outwardly. We're not children of God by
outward profession, by outward association or identification
or even heritage. A man's not a child of God, which
is one outwardly who just claims to be a child of God, professes
to be a child of God. Neither, now watch this, neither,
neither is circumcision that is true circumcision. What is
circumcision? It's the mark of sonship. Just
write that down. Circumcision is the sign or token
or evidence of family privileges and family identification. That's
what circumcision is. A picture of it is the nation
Israel. When a man was circumcised, and
Israel was the only nation in the world that had circumcision.
And if a man was circumcised, that meant he was a Jew. If a
man was circumcised, that meant he was a Israelite. He belonged
to that people. That was the token of the covenant.
That was the sign and outward evidence that he was a Jew. But
he says here that circumcision, which is identified with being
confirmed or being baptized or being identified with a church,
it's not outwardly done. It's not an outward thing. In
other words, true circumcision, the mark of sonship and family
privileges, is not outward in the flesh. But, verse 29, now
watch it, but, he is a Jew, he is a child of God, he is a son
of God, he is of the seed of Abraham, he is a joint heir with
Christ who is one inwardly, not just outwardly in form and ceremony. He is a child of God who is one
inwardly, a person who has been born of God. That's what John
said in chapter 1 of his gospel. He said he came into the world,
but the world knew him not. He came to his own, and his own
received him not. But as many as received him,
to them gave he the right to become sons of God, which were
born not of blood, that is, not of family inheritance. not of
the will of the flesh, actions of the flesh, not of the will
of man, but they were born of God. So, he's not a child of
God which is one outwardly, by association, identification,
by profession, by heritage. He's a child of God which is
one inwardly, born of God. Quickened from the dead, Paul
said in Ephesians 2, 1. You hath be quickened who were
dead. Begotten again to living hope, Peter said in 1 Peter 1,
3. He is a child of God which is one inwardly. Inwardly, born of God. God said,
I'll give you a new heart. I'll take that old stony heart
out and give you a new heart. A heart to love God, a heart
to believe God, a heart to walk with God. I'll give you a new
heart. And circumcision, that is the sign, the evidence, the
mark. What is the evidence that a man
was a Jew? Outward circumcision. What's the evidence that a man
is a child of God? Not outwardly. Circumcision is
of the heart. It's in the spirit. It's not
in the letter. It's not in the letter, that
is, in the letter of the law fulfilling the duties and responsibilities
of the law. It's in the heart, whose recognition
is not of men. Men do not see the true mark
of sonship, but God does. That's the reason Peter said
to the Lord Jesus, Christ said, Do you love me? Peter said, You
know I love you. You know all things, you know
I love you. You see, over here in Galatians,
let's look over there just a moment, in Galatians chapter 3. This
thing is dealt with three times here. three times. A man's not a child of God who
is one outwardly. A man's a child of God who's
been born of God, who's a son of God, who's been given a new
nature, a new heart, a new life by regeneration by the power
of God. And the sign, the mark, the evidence that a man's a child
of God is not him running around here saying certain things and
doing certain things to the praise of men. The mark and evidence
and sign that a man is a child of God, God has circumcised his
heart. God has cut into his heart. God
has revealed Christ to his heart. God has given him a new heart,
a new nature. The Pharisees cleansed the outside
and the inside, Christ said, was full of dead men's bones.
He said, cleanse first that which is within, that the outside might
be cleansed. Galatians chapter 3 verse 7,
Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, they are the children
of Abraham, they which are of faith, not they which are of
form, but they which are of faith. Look at verse 26, same chapter. You are all the children of God
by faith, not by works, not by deeds, by faith in Christ Jesus.
And if you belong to Christ, then are you Abraham's seed,
not because you are from a certain nation or a certain denomination,
but you belong to Christ and you are heirs according to the
promise. Faith is a hard thing. Please hear me. Luke wrote over there in Luke
16, he said, you are they that justify yourselves before men. Look at that. Look at Luke 16,
verse 15. This is what it seems to me as
I watch religion and listen to religion, somebody is trying
to impress somebody other than God. And you don't impress God
anyway. But somebody is trying to impress
somebody else. In Luke 16, verse 15, He said
to them, You are they which justify yourselves before men. You look
for man's approval and honor and so forth. But God knows your
heart. That is where the business is
taken care of, the heart. And that which is highly esteemed
among men, that which men count important, highly esteemed. We brag on it. We praise it. Oh, he is so spiritual. How do
you know? Oh, he just loves the Lord, doesn't
he? He might hate God with a passion in here. The true and living God. Every
man loves his God. Every man loves his God. But
eternal life is to know the living God. It's to love the living
God. And that which is highly esteemed
among men is an abomination to God. Four times the Bible says
the just shall live by faith. The just shall live by faith.
Not by works, not by deeds, not by professions, not by all these
outward rules and regulations. The just shall live by faith. So he is not a believer which
is one outwardly. He is a believer, he is a child
of God who is one inwardly, upon whom the sovereign God has done
a work eternal grace, and circumcision, the sign, the evidence. How do
you know you're one of God's elect? Well, it's not just by your outward
duties and deeds. It's by that inward relationship
at heart matter. For with a heart man believeth
unto righteousness. And then he comes along in chapter
3, and then he says, well, what advantage then does the religious
fellow have? What advantage does the Jew have?
These people back here who had the tabernacle and the priest
and the altar and the sacrifices and the duties and details and
responsibility, what advantage did they have then? What profit
is there in these things? You know what that's asking? He says, what advantage does
a person have who's brought up in the church? These boys and
girls who are brought up in the church, what advantage then do
they have? If salvation is a miracle of God, if salvation, it is,
is a work of the Spirit of God, if salvation is the gift of God,
if repentance and faith are the gifts of God, if salvation is
a miracle, is God doing the work for you and in you? Then what
advantage is there then to the preaching of the word, sit and
listen to the preaching of the word, or baptism, or the Lord's
table, observing the Lord's table, or prayer, or praise, or church
fellowship, or the teaching of the scriptures? Why go back here
and study the scriptures and out here preach the gospel? What
advantage? Verse 2, much in every way. Much in every way. There's much advantage. You know
why? Because these are the means that God uses to regenerate. These are the means that God
uses to illuminate. These are the means God uses
to enlighten people. That's right. God's going to
save Noah, isn't he? I don't have any doubt about
that. He came to him and said, My spirit's
not going to always strive with these folks. Man's days will
be 120 years. But Noah, there's an ark to be
built. There's an ark to be built. And there's an ark to enter.
And you know that when God, when Noah finished that ark, God said
to Noah, Come thou and all thy house, into the ark. God didn't push him in or throw
him in. He came willingly into the ark. That's right. I'll tell you something
else. God's going to lead the children
of Israel out of Egypt by the hand of Moses. But there's a
basket to be built. There's a little baby to preserve.
There's a sister to sit over in the bulrushes and make sure
nothing happens to him, means, means. God Almighty will pass
over Egypt in the night of judgment, but there's a lamb to be selected,
and a lamb to be slain, and blood to be put on the door, and a
promise to be believed. God Almighty is going to give
a son called Isaac. He called Abraham and said, you
see those stars? Counter. Can't do it. That's
how many seeds you're going to have. I don't even have a son. You will. But I'll tell you, there's a seed to be planted. And there's labor and travail
to be endured by Sabaoth. God's going to save sinners.
God's going to save sinners right here this morning. But there's a gospel to be preached. There's a Savior to be believed.
There's a confession to exercise. And there's a walk of faith to
continue. Paul said of Timothy, from a child thou hast known
the holy scriptures that are able to make thee wise unto salvation. Isn't that right? I'm not ashamed of the gospel.
It's the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believe it,
to the Jew first, also to the Greek. Romans 10 says this, Whosoever
shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved, but how
shall they call on him in whom they've not believed? And how
are they going to believe in him of whom they've not heard? And how
are they going to hear without a preacher? Faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing by the word of God. Oh, yeah. What advantage then
does the religious person have? What advantage then does the
child or the children brought up in the church have? What profit
is there in the exercises of religion, in the preaching of
the gospel, in the worship of God, of going to the tabernacle,
of offering the sacrifice? Much! Oh, much, much, much. In every way. Because, listen,
that unto them are committed The oracles of God, the means
of God, the word of God, the ways of God. See that? The oracles of God, that's the
testimony of God. That's the word of God. That's
the preaching of the gospel of God. That's all these things
that identify us with Him. Turn with me to the book of Ephesians
chapter 1. Ephesians chapter 1. Ephesians
chapter 1. Now watch this. I preached on
this not so awful long ago. Ephesians chapter 1. You know
what Ephesians 1 deals with. God's elective grace. Christ's
enlightening ministry. Now verse 13. In whom you trusted. In whom you trusted. After you
what? heard the word of truth. The
gospel of your salvation, in whom also after you believe you
will see you with that Holy Spirit of promise. How will you say
it? You heard the gospel. You heard
the word of truth. So what advantage is there much
in every way? For unto us is committed the
oracles of God, the gospel of God, testimony of God, the way
of God. Well, look at verse 3. Well,
what if some did not believe? What if some of these people,
and a lot of those Jews didn't believe, and a lot of people
who hear the gospel today do not believe? Does that mean God
has failed? Shall their unbelief make the
faith of God without effect? Does that mean that God Almighty
has failed? God forbid, he said in verse
4. Our Lord Jesus said, all that
my Father giveth me will come to me. and him that cometh to
me out of no wise cast out." When he's talking about his sheep,
he said, other sheep I have which are not of this fold, them I
must bring, and they'll hear my voice, and there'll be one
fold in one shepherd. And then down in verse 9, we
come to a question. I hope you're staying with me.
He's not a child of God who's one outwardly. upon whom God
has done a work of grace in here. But if it's all of God and by
His grace and power, what advantage is there in hearing the word?
Much in every way. That's the means God uses through
sanctification of the spirit and belief of the church. Verse
9. What then? Are we better than they? Are
we better than they? Who are they? Well, that's the
heathen, the whirling, the pagan. The wicked who have no background
in religion, no interest in religion, no interest in God, no interest
in the church, no interest in the gospel, no interest in godliness. Are we better than they? Paul's
looking at these Jews. He said, now you're not a child
of God because you're outwardly a Jew. You're not a, the evidence
of sonship is not your mark in the flesh. Well, is there no
advantage to being a Jew? Oh, yes, God gave you the oracles.
God gave you the tabernacle and the priesthood and the sacrifices.
You had those things. Well, what if they didn't believe?
God is still going to have His people. Then are we better than
those Gentiles out there who have no tabernacle, who have
no preaching, who have no priests, who have no sacrifice? No, and
no wise. Are we better than they? No. These boys and girls brought
up in the church, now listen to me, and you who were brought
up in the things of God, are you better than those people
out there who weren't brought up in the things? No, in no way. You're better off, but you're
not better. You're better taught, but you're
not better. You're better instructed, but
you're not better. You're in a better position,
But you're not of a better nature. See, this is the thing that the
Jew thought, and it's the thing that so many church people think. The Jew thought because he was
a Jew that he had a special corner on God. He looked down on the
Gentile and thought so evil of him. And I think today in the
churches, we've got that Phariseeism, we've got that, well, I'd never
do that. You know how that is when you're brought up
in religion and you express a horror at what people think and a horror
at what people do. You know, there's a divorce and
a home and you're brought up in a church where it's condemned
and you've got a horror. You know what I'm talking about.
Are we better than they? No. We're better taught. We're
better off. We're in a better position. If
you're going to grow flowers, don't put them under the porch,
put them out in the sun. Well, the seed you plant in the
sun, is it better seed than the one you plant under the porch?
No, but it's in a better place. You understand what I'm saying?
I take a handful of flower seed in this hand, a handful in this
hand. Are they any different? They're no different. And I scattered
one under the porch, and I scattered the other out in the sun. Is
this better seed than that? Uh-uh. It's better off, better
position. There's a bigger possibility
of it growing than that over there. Are you better than the heathen,
the pagan? No, you're no better. You're
no better. Look at the next line. I have
proved, Paul said, I have before proved, I have shown you, I have
proved this. Both Jew and Gentile, both religionist
and pagan, both Pharisee and publican, they are all under
sin. There is no difference. The religious and the profane,
the church man and the whirling, there is no difference. They're all under sin's dominion.
They're all under sin's curse. They're all under sin's influence.
They're all under sin's condemnation. What are you talking about, Paul? I'm talking about verse 10. It's
written, there's none righteous, no, not one. There's none that
understand it, in the church or out of the church, by nature.
There's none that seek after God. They're all gone out of
the way. They all together become unprofitable. There's none that
doeth God good. No, not one. None that are perfect. Their throat is an open sepulchre.
With their tongues they've used deceit. The poison of snakes
is under their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing
and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed
blood. Destruction and misery are in their way. They wear a
piece they don't know. There's no fear of God before
their eyes. And we know that what things
have of the law saith it, saith it to them that are under the
law, Jew and Gentile, male and female, white and black, old
and young, that every mouth in this world may be stopped, and
all the world become guilty before God. That's our condition. Ain't
no difference. Are we better than they? No,
sir. Better taught in a better place, but not better,
not better. Verse 20, And by the deeds of
the law there shall no flesh be justified in God's sight,
for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Well, preach, you got
any good news this morning? Yes, sir. I surely have. Verse 21, Here's the good news,
and here's why we're better off to be here, because now the righteousness
of God without the law is manifested. It's a righteousness you don't
provide. It's the righteousness of God.
It's the holiness of God. It's the acceptance of God. It's
without the law. It's being witnessed by the Law
and the Prophets, all the Word of God. It's the righteousness
of God, which is by the faithfulness and obedience of Christ Jesus.
And it's unto all Jew and Gentile, religious and worldly, it's unto
all and upon all that can believe Him. For again, I say, there's
no difference. There's no difference. For all
have sinned and come short of the glory of God. But, verse
24, being justified freely by God's grace through the redemption
that's in Christ Jesus, whom God has set forth. What does
that word set forth mean? It has three meanings. First of all, God has set him
forth and the word is for ordained him. foreordained, back before the
foundation of the world, back before the world was ever made. God ordained Christ to be our
substitute, our Savior, our Redeemer, His Lamb slain before the foundation
of the world. God set Him forth, known unto
God all His works from the beginning. God declared the end from the
beginning. God has set Him forth, foreordained Him. Well, another
meaning of that word is this, God has placed him in public
view, set him forth. God has set him forth first in
that he ordained him. He set him in the place of the
surety of the covenant, the redeemer of his people. But he set him
forth in public view. Again and again. When Adam and
Eve sinned, and they were naked, The naked before the sin didn't
know it. Now they know it because they've got a sinful nature.
And to the sinner, everything's sinful. In holiness, everything's
holy. But to the sinner, everything's
sinful. He's messed up. And he begins to get some leaves
and cover his nakedness. And God came and took the leaves
off of him and slew an animal, shed the blood and took the skin
and covered Adam and Eve. That's setting forth Christ.
Christ died, the innocent for the guilty, the just for the
unjust, to cover our nakedness, to give us a robe of righteousness.
And then, all the way through the Old Testament, there when
the Passover lamb, when God would Passover the land of Egypt and
slay the firstborn in every home, You say, well, the firstborn
in the home of the Egyptians died. The firstborn in the home
of the Israelites didn't die. Yes, he did. There was death
in both homes. Over here, the death of the son.
Over here, the death of the substitute. Over here, the death of the son.
Over here, the death of the lamb. And that's Christ. Christ died. He said, Christ is our Passover.
He set him forth when the great high priest would go into the
Holy of Holies. Let me show you something. Turn
to Exodus 25. I've got to hurry, but I want
you to see Exodus 25. Exodus 25, verse 21. Exodus 25, 21. And thou shalt
put the mercy seat above upon the ark, and in the ark thou
shalt put the testimony, the law that I shall give thee, and
there I'll meet with thee. I'll commune with thee from above
the mercy seat between the two cherubims which are upon the
ark of the testimony." God's saying to Israel, take the ark,
put in it the ten commandments that you've broken, and cover
it with a mercy seat and the cherubims. And I'll dwell on
the mercy seat. And you bring an atonement and
sprinkle the blood on the mercy seat over the broken law, and
that's where I'll meet you. And look at our text again, Romans
3.25. God set him forth, his son, to be a propitiation. What's that word, propitiation?
Mercy seat. Christ is our mercy seat. And
that's where God meets us in Christ. He set him forth, he
foreordained him. He set him forth in public view
throughout the Old Testament and then in the New Testament.
He set him forth in a most conspicuous manner. When our Lord was born
in Bethlehem, God hung a star over the manger. The angels came
down and announced His birth. When He was baptized of John,
the Father spoke from heaven, this is my beloved Son. He walked
about this earth raising the dead, healing the blind, conspicuous. He went to the cross and when
He died, the sun refused to shine. The rocks quaked, the earth quaked. When they buried him, God rolled
the stone away and he raised from the dead. When he ascended
to heaven, the angels came down to him and said, This same Jesus
which is taken from you shall so come in like manner. God set
him forth, ordained him in public view in a conspicuous manner.
Watch it now. To be a mercy seat, to be a covering
through faith in his blood. To declare his righteousness
for the remission of sins of the past, Old Testament saints,
through the long suffering of God. Watch this now. To declare,
I say, at this time, God's righteousness, God's holiness, that God may
be just and the justifier of those who believe. Can you believe? God said in Isaiah 45, I'm a
just God and a Savior. Look unto me and be ye saved.
Can you believe? All right, verse 27, now where
is boasting? He said, I'm a Jew. I'm a Gentile. Where is your
boasting? Why, it's excluded. By what law? Of works? No. 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 Jew only, of the religious man? Is God in the walls of these
buildings? Is God confined to denominations? I know I hear people talk like
that. Is He not also the Gentiles?
Yes, God of the Gentiles also. And I'll tell you this, it's
one God which shall justify the circumcision, the Jews by faith,
Uncircumcision by faith. He's not a Jew, which is one.
He's not a child of God, which is one. You can go through them,
join the denominations, wear your pins, all these. The evidence
is not outward. It's a miracle of grace. Salvation. Over yonder in Numbers 21, when
they were bitten by the serpent, everybody that looked lived.
Those that didn't look died. It didn't matter whose tent they
were in or whose name by which they went, so it looks. But what advantage is there then
to plenty? This is the way God saves sinners,
by hearing the gospel. By hearing the gospel. But I'll
tell you what, it's by hearing the gospel of Christ, it's not
just going through the form of religion. People aren't going
to be converted to God and brought to salvation by hearing some
intellectual discourse on our They're not going to be brought
to God by hearing some intellectual discourse on the five points
of Calvinism. They're going to be brought to
God by hearing who is our propitiation, who is our mercy, and by looking
to Him and Him alone. Well, do we make more of the
law through faith? God forbid. We establish the
law. we have a righteousness, and
that righteousness is in Christ Jesus. All right, Mike's going
to give us a special number this time.

The Good News

What does the Bible say about being a child of God?

How do we know the doctrine of justification by faith is true?

Why is the concept of regeneration important for Christians?

What advantage do religious practices have if salvation is by grace?

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The Good News

What does the Bible say about being a child of God?

How do we know the doctrine of justification by faith is true?

Why is the concept of regeneration important for Christians?

What advantage do religious practices have if salvation is by grace?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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