Two Kingdoms

Adam and Christ Contrasted

¹² When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. ¹³ Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. ¹⁴ Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. ¹⁵ But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. ¹⁶ And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. ¹⁷ For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. ¹⁹ Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous. ²⁰ God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. ²¹ So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Introduction

I have a lot to share with you this morning and I don’t know where to start: let us pray that I know where to stop.

Let just plunge into verse 12….and I want you to picture in your mind a little parade…first comes Adam, the man of clay, the progenitor of the human race, then following Adam is SIN {also known as transgression and disobedience}.Then right behind SIN is DEATH and he quickly seizes the throne and become a ruthless tyrant who’s reigns in sheer terror.

I. THE FIRST THING I WANT YOU TO SEE TODAY IS THAT WE ARE ALL IN ADAM

Every human being is encapsulated in Adam. As much as you want to see yourself as an individual and independent of your father Adam, it is not happening. As John Donne said,

No man is an island…

No man is an island,
Entire of itself,
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thy friend’s
Or of thine own were:
Any man’s death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in mankind,
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee.

Like it or not, you are in the family of Adam and unless you are perfect {without sin} and immortal {not subject to death}, you cannot deny your ancestral roots.

QUESTION

What did you do to get in Adam’s family? You did absolutely nothing. You were born into this family and you inherited his likeness. Your first sin did not make you a sinner. You sinned because you are by nature a sinner. Adam disobeyed God and in so doing, HE BECAME A SINNER and he became the progenitor of the SINNER FAMILY. In Adam all sin. Only one exception and He was born not of Adam but of the Holy Spirit.

To sum this up and put it in a capsule: We are in Adam and we inherited from him a nature to sin and the consequences of it which are death.

{Capsule of Adam}

II. NEXT: NOTE THAT BOTH ADAM AND CHRIST ARE THE FEDERAL HEADS OF TWO KINGDOMS

[second capsule] If you don’t get this you will not understand anything in Romans 6

Before we get to chapter 6, you need to listen to the words of the song we sang this morning…

Free at last, He has ransomed me, His grace runs deep. While I was a slave to sin, Jesus died for me–Yes He died for me

CHORUS 2
Who the Son sets free, Oh is free indeed
I’m a child of God, Yes I am.
In my Father’s house there’s a place for me
I’m a child of God, Yes I am

BRIDGE
I am chosen, not forsaken…I am who You say I am. You are for me, Not against me, I am who You say I am.

It doesn’t take any faith for us to see ourselves in Adam but a part from faith, you will never see yourself in Christ.

But other than the fact that both are heads of a created order or family and both share human bodies, they have nothing in common.

In ADAM– all sin and all die.

In CHRIST– all are made righteous and live.

What did you do to become a sinner? Nothing. Adam made you a sinner by virtue of his sin.

What did you do to become righteous? Nothing. You are made righteous by the obedience of One man, Jesus Christ. IN CHRIST you are righteous, justified and you have life. Whereas in Adam, you are a sinner, condemnation and death.

I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene and wonder how He could love me a sinner condemned and unclean.

The human family is one in Adam…

The Church is ONE in Christ…If you view yourself as being independent of the body of Christ, you have it all wrong. If you are in Christ, you are in the body: they are encapsulated. This means that all Christians are brothers/sisters–we are in the same family…the NEW CREATION FAMILY.

I’ve never been more proud of a young man that I was Jonathan Issac, the young NBA player who had the courage to stand for the national anthem when the rest of the team was kneeling in protest. When they questioned him, he told them what they didn’t want to hear…BLM is not the answer, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the answer. Go bro! The young man is my brother. Unfortunately Jonathan Issac is in a minority.

III. THE LAST THING I WILL SAY IS CHRIST GIVES US MUCH MORE THAN WE LOST IN THE FALL.

Adam’s sin messed us up…Christ righteousness heals us up. Just as we were cursed by Adam’s sin, we are blessed by the obedience of Christ. One man’s disobedience fowled us up and one man’s obedience fixed us up.

Let face the facts: we are no match for sin. Martin Luther had a friend named Philip who was heard to say many times, “Old Adam, you are too strong for Philip.” Old Adam {sin principle} is too strong for any of us. Sin is an enemy we can’t defeat. If we can’t defeat sin, what chance do we have with death? None! We have zero chance. The wealthiest most powerful person on this planet is a midget in the face of death. Death will roll over him/her like a wave.

Conclusion

Jesus is our champion: He came here and fought our battles for us because He knew we were helpless and hopeless. He lived a perfect life, fulfilling the law’s every demand. He defeated sin and He conquered death.

You didn’t do anything to get in Adam but you do have to do something to get in Christ…You have to repent and trust His righteousness to save you.

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Peace With God

I actually prayed about which translation to use today. I like the NLT, it makes things clear but there are a couple of words I want you to hear and one is the word “wrath.” I am using the NRSV today.

Also listen for the word THROUGH…

Through can be used as a preposition or and adverb. When used as a preposition, it is followed by a noun: in today scripture, the noun is all the spiritual blessing we have in Christ. Everything we have from God comes through the LORD Jesus Christ.

Results of Justification

5 Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast [exult, glory, rejoice] in our hope of sharing the glory of God. ³ And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴ and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵ and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

⁶ For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. ⁸ But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. ⁹ Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God. ¹⁰ For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. ¹¹ But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Introduction

We have a great text today and I will assure you that we will only scratch the surface and I am not convinced that this sermon is even a scratch.

Paul begins Romans 5 with the word THEREFORE which is a reference to what he has said previously and we do not have to guess at what that was because he re-states it: “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith.” I like the way Paul sums up justification in chapter 3 {Romans 3:22-25, NLT}

We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.²³ For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. ²⁴ Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. ²⁵ For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. 

Transition

Today, I want to talk to you about the wonderful results of our being justified by the atoning work of Christ.

I. WE HAVE PEACE WITH GOD

Man, in his natural state is at war with God. The enmity or hostility is very evident today. This world does not appreciate God’s word. The world didn’t appreciate Jesus. There was an unbelievable hostility toward Christ and it stems from the fact that the world is at war with God. We resist His rule and we ignore His laws.

Luther said…

Luther said, “The justified have peace with God and enmity with the world. The unrepentant have peace with world and enmity with God.”

If a husband and wife are fighting, the solution is a reconciliation.

Look at verse 10…

For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by His life. 

Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:20…

For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them.

Now this wonderful peace we have with God is an objective fact; not a subjective feeling. I like the way J.B. Phillips translates verse one…

Since then it is by faith that we are justified, let us grasp the fact that we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Think of it this way…God the infinite JUDGE has sounded the gavel and declared…All who put their faith in my Son and His atoning blood are declared “Not Guilty.” If God has declared you “Not guilty” because you are in Christ, who is going to overturn that verdict?

When two nations make peace, who declares the peace? Is it not the supreme leader of each nation? For England in WWII, it would be Churchill; for us, it would be our president. Folks God is the Supreme Leader of the Universe, if He declares peace, there is nothing you can do about it. You can continue your fight against His will be it will not change the fact that He had declared all men are justified in His sight when they put their faith in Jesus. PEACE IS A FACT, NOT A FEELING. It becomes a feeling once you trust the fact.

II. WE HAVE JOY IN SUFFERING

I don’t mean joy in suffering itself but joy in the midst of suffering. Look at what Paul says is verses 3-4…

We also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴ and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵ and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

The Greek word that is translated “Boast” here {exult-NASB, rejoice-NLT, glory-NIV} comes from a root word that means to prop up, bolster, brace, make stronger, boost. It us used in a good sense here but early Paul uses the same word to refer to Jewish pride.

Romans 2:23…

You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law?

Here Paul is talking about an inter strength that bolster’s our confidence. It is not a boast of the mouth, it is a deep sense of strength that we hve when we accept as a fact that we have peace with God and that he is working all things together for our good and His glory.

What Paul describes here is the process by which we are sanctified…

*Sufferings–The word used here is the common word for suffering, affliction and tribulation. It literally means to be between a rock and a hard place, to be pressed, distressed, in a bind, caught in a narrow straight, no place to turn. H.A. Ironside, “Suffering is the divinely appointed flail that separates the wheat from the chaff.“

Suffering leads to Endurance…

*Endurance– one of my favorite Greek words, hypo-mone, a compound word that means to stay under.  Endurance leads to Character.

*Character–who does not want character. If I have to suffer to have character then I will rejoice in my suffering. Character then produces HOPE.

*Hope– does not disappoint us, it never lets us down. In enables us to steady, steadfast and consistent and this leads to love.

Love leads us to our next point…

Talking about results of Justification by faith…

III. WE EXPERIENCE GOD’S LOVE

God pours His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us {Grace}.

The truth I am about to share can change your life. There is really no basis for God’s love other than the character and will of God. God choose to love even before He creates us. Note what Paul says about the LOVE OF GOD…{v.6-8}

⁶ For while we were still weak {helpless, sick, powerless, impotent, feeble, without strength}, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. ⁸ But God proves His love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.

God’s love is incredible; there is really no human parallel. You or I might die for a select few but would we be willing to sacrifice our son for anyone? We sure would not consider doing such a thing for a derelict.

John said…

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. He also said, We love because he first loved us.

Earthly and perishable things will never satisfy your hearts deepest desire: only HIS LOVE can accomplish. {Ill. in marriage, our relationship with Christ}. God’s love is like a FOUNTAIN, it springs forth from HIM. It is not called into action by anything you and I do. It is a grace love.

Conclusion

Due to time, I will make my fourth point the conclusion: because we have been justified by the blood of Christ and declared not guilty we are and will be saved from GOD’S WRATH.

Verse 9…

Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through Him from the wrath of God. 

Only Jesus can save you from God’s wrath. The war is real: the world has hostility against God but don’t forget that God is holy and He has hostility toward sin and it will be vented on the unrepentant. {Ill. the Ark}

Hoping Against Hope

Romans 4:16-25

¹⁶ So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe. ¹⁷ That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.” This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.

¹⁸ Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!” ¹⁹ And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.

²⁰ Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. ²¹ He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. ²² And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. ²³ And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded ²⁴ for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. ²⁵ He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.

Introduction

Everything in this passage is vital to our message but we will use verse 18 as a spring board to plunge into the message.

Verse 18…NASB

In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, “So shall your descendants be.”

Verse 18…NRSV

In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” 

How can HOPE be against HOPE? The answer is quite simple: we are talking about two different kinds of hope. Abraham had no HOPE in the flesh but he never gave up HOPE in God’s word {promise}. This means that in the midst of a hopeless situation…Abraham continued to hope. There is a difference in FAITH and HOPE.

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Faith is presently active, hope relates to the future. I entered this pulpit by faith: at this very moment, I am acting on faith and my hope is that someone will be blessed. Obviously, if we don’t have faith, we will not have hope.

This is an unorthodoxed sermon: I do not have three points. My aim is to help us understand what verse 18 means.

Begin by looking at two other verses…

Verse 17…

That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.” This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.

Verse 25…

He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.

Abraham believed in a God who could make something out of nothing and bring the dead back to life.

Clearly Paul is alluding to the RESURRECTION and my question was, is this not a different subject? Why did Paul work the RESURRECTION into this conversation? So I asked the LORD to help me understand this. I believe He answered my prayer.

Paul is making a comparison between two hopeless situations:

FIRST ABRAHAM’S SITUATION

The LORD gave Abraham his name {Genesis 17:5} “Father of many nations.” [Abram, father of many] The LORD also lead him to a strange land, Canaan, located in the crescent of the middle east. Abraham was situated on the trade routes from north to south and east to west. He ran a trading post or a camel stop. He saw new faces practically everyday.

Using our imagination: let’s think about what could have happened.

Trader: “Now your name is Abraham; what exactly does that mean?“

Abraham: “Abram means father of many and then God changed it to Abraham which means father of many nations.”

Trader: “Very interesting, how many sons do you have?”

Abraham: “I don’t have any.”

Trader: “You name is father of many and you don’t have any. How in the world are you going to become the father of many nations when you don’t even have a son?”

Abraham: “I don’t know how God is going to do it but I believe He will.“

Trader: “You are getting on up in years aren’t you?“

Abraham: “Yes I am close to a hundred and my wife is ninety.”

Trader: “And yet you believe this invisible God of yours is going to give you many sons?”

Abraham: “Yes I do. My descendants will be so many that they cannot be counted, like the stars in the heavens.”

Trader: Man you are crazy. What are you basing this incredible faith on?

Abraham: “God word…God made me a promise and I believe He will keep it.”

Trader: “Look around you: you have no sons. How can you believe in such a promise?”

Abraham: You are looking at my situation but that is not my focus. My focus is on the One who can make something out of nothing: He can even raise the dead. When God says it is so, I believe it is so, even though in the present, it is not so, I believe it will be so because God said so.”

So Abraham hoped against hope. He hoped against reason and logic. He continued to hope although the world around had no such hope. His hope was not in the flesh; not in worldly wisdom, not in circumstances–His hope was in God.

FACE FORWARD 2000 YEARS

THE DISCIPLES SITUATION

Now I want you to imagine being one of the disciples at the crucifixion. You talk about hopelessness, which of these followers had hope? None! Even Mary Magdalene went to the tomb to see a dead body. The disciples on the road to Emmaus are typical. They were hopeless. The crucifixion was horrible. At the moment, no one could see any good in it or any possibility that good could come from it. It was a dark and dismal day: a crushing blow to the faith of the disciples.

Yet, God transformed the most horrible day in human history into the most glorious day in history. Only God could do such a thing.

OUR SITUATION

June had a conversation with a clerk at one of our groceries stores last Thursday. She was distressed about the Governor’s edict and the mandatory mask. She said, “I am tired of the whole mess and I am ready for the LORD to take me home.” I think she summed up the sentiments of a lot of Christians. We do live in trying times. I understand that we are not suffering like those in China and North Korea but we are spoiled and the current crisis has frustrated our plans. Now it may get worse before it gets better but the good news is: this is not the final chapter. Jesus is coming back again as the LION of Judah and every knee will bow and every tongue confess. They will not be any mass protest, no brick throwing: every human will tremble in awe and respect for Jesus. There will be no skirmish, no resistance: once the LION of Judah roars, the world will become mute. The tongues of men will be silenced.

Remember the words of our LORD…Let not your hearts be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in Me.

Justification By Faith Alone

Abraham Justified by Faith

4 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? ² If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. ³ What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed [in Yahweh] God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” [Genesis 15:6]

⁴ Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. ⁵ However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. ⁶ David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

⁷ “Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
⁸ Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”

⁹ Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. ¹⁰ Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! ¹¹ And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. ¹² And he is then also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

Introduction

Let’s begin by briefly touching the high points…

[1] All men are sinners, hopelessly depraved

[2] People are not saved by being good/righteous/keeping the law/being a Jew/Circumcision.

[3] People are made right with God {Justified} when they put their faith in Jesus. Romans 3:25...People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. 

[4] Salvation is a work of GRACE…something God does for us…We have every right to praise Him and no right to boast…Salvation cannot be earned

NOTE PAUL’S TWO EXAMPLES: Abraham and David

[1] Abraham was not saved by obeying the LAW {morality}, the law came 600 years later. He was not saved by being circumcised{religious ritual}: God gave him credit for being righteous before his circumcision [13 years].

[2] David certainly was not saved by keeping the law. He openly violated the law. God anointed David to write these words…

“Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
⁸ Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”

The two brightest stars in the Hebrew heavens were saved by GRACE.

THE JEWS OF JESUS DAY WERE NOTHING LIKE ABRAHAM OR DAVID

John 8:56

Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”

In Matthew 22 Jesus gets in a discussion with the Pharisees over David. Is the Messiah David’s son Jesus asked: they said “yes.” Then Jesus said, “Why did David under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit refer then to the Messiah as LORD?”

The Jews didn’t rejoice to see Jesus nor would they call him LORD. Paul’s argument, “You worship Abraham, claim to be his sons, but you are nothing life him nor are you like David.”

Is your perception of who you are true/accurate. The Jews thought they were like Abraham but they had a false perception of themselves.

EVERY RELIGION IN THE WORLD TEACHES SALVATION BY WORKS

If you were the devil and you wanted to damn as many as possible: what doctrine would you corrupt? Would it not be salvation?

[1] Salvation by works appeals to man’s pride and vanity.

[2] Salvation by works robs God of His glory.

[3] Salvation by works eliminates Faith and mocks Grace.

[4] Salvation by works makes Christ death vain/senseless

Conclusion

For several years we did the FAITH PRESENTATION of the gospel. The KEY question is: “In your personal opinion, what do you understand it takes to go to heaven.” More than 9 out of 10 will give you a works answer.

You can say what you want about the devil but he is good at what he does, which is to deceive people. That is why many will be shocked when judgment comes. Standing before Christ, they will give a works answer…it is recorded in Matthew 7

‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 

Did you catch, “Did we not”. They built their assurance on what they did in His name.

Salvation is a gift that receive by faith. It can never be earned.

Justification By Faith

Romans 3:

¹⁹ Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. ²⁰ For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.

Christ Took Our Punishment

²¹ But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. ²² We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. ²³ For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. ²⁴ Yet God, in His grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. ²⁵ For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, ²⁶ for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate His righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.

Introduction

I think today we will approach our subject through the means of the question. Questions provoke thought: they engage the listener. So today we are going to asks some questions.

FIRST QUESTION: Who needs to be saved?

Or who needs their sins forgiven? Who needs to repent? Who needs to be justified before Holy God? The answer is found in Romans 3:23…

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God... 

There is the answer…ALL…since all have sinned, all need to repent, all need to be born again, saved, justified before God.

The Greek verb hä-mär-tä’-no is used here for sin; it means to miss the mark. We have all come short of the glory of God which is the perfection we see in Jesus or the Law. The Law was not given to save us but to show us how far short we fall. Think of the glory of God, perfection we see in Jesus, as the bull’s eye in the middle of the target. We are the archer shooting the arrow at the bulls eye but our arrow flutters and comes short of the target for three reasons or perhaps only two. First of all we lack strength. The archer must be strong enough to lock his/her elbow–other wise the arrow will flutter and miss the mark. We humans lack the strength to hit the bulls eye. We try to be good but we do not succeed because we lack the moral strength. A second reason the archer might miss the target is his aim. If his aim is off, the arrow will miss the target. Folks our aim, our motives are not right. If we tried to be perfect, we could not but there are days when we don’t even try. It also helps to have a straight arrow.

Bottom line, no one is perfect, not even close. Some are closer than others but it is a mute point: they can’t hit the bulls eye so who cares who got closer. Whether you miss in an inch or a mile, same difference, you are still lost in your sins.

SECOND QUESTION: How can a sinful man be justified before a holy God?

Job asks this same question thousands of years ago [Job 9:2] so it is not a new question.

Legally, morally, judicially: how can a man be justified before God?

The answer is simple: He is justified by the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD. Look at verse…

But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets.

We are not: I repeat, we are not justified by the deeds of the law [keeping the law].

Look at verse 28…

For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. 

Galatians 3:11…

Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, “The righteous man shall live by faith.”

Many people have the will and the discipline to turn over a new leaf, to reorder their lives, to clean themselves up morally. The Jews of Jesus day believed that they were fully complying with the demands of the law. They were ultra religious but their religion was spells do and Christianity is spelled done. Every religion in the world has you doing something to justify yourself before God but only Christianity has A God who does it for us.

A moralist, a do gooder can crop the fruit off the apple tree…every time they see an apple that can get it pronto but it is still an apple tree because the root has not changed.

Attempting to keep the law does nothing to change the heart. This is why the Scribes and Pharisees were do gooders but had hard hearts. They were so cold and ruthless in their judgment of others that it made Jesus cringe.

We are not justified by our goodness…it is by the goodness of Jesus.

THIRD AND FINAL QUESTION: IF A MAN IS JUSTIFIED BY FAITH [IN CHRIST], HOW CAN THIS BE JUST OR LEGAL IN A COURT OF LAW.

Romans 3:25-

²⁵ For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, ²⁶ for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate His righteousness, for He himself is fair and just, and He makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.

Jesus has paid for our sins with His own blood.

2 Corinthians 5:21…

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

F.B. Meyer calls this the great exchange: Jesus takes credit for our sins and we get credit for His righteousness. What a deal…this is gospel…good news and it is for everyone.

Look at verse 22 and shout…

We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.

Conclusion

Romans 3:26

For the demonstration [propitiation, sacrifice] , I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. {God is both Judge and Advocate]

{Story: night court in the early 1900’s}

When you go into Cracker Barrel and order lunch, they bring you a ticket. It is illegal to go in order and not pay for your meal. We call that stealing and it is not honorable. June and I went there after church a few weeks ago and we ordered our meal, enjoyed it and ask for our ticket. The very sweet little waitress, said, “Your meal has been taken care of.” This has happened before and I always react the wrong way, after thanking her I started looking around the room wondering who did it. Joyce had a guilty look on her face. She wouldn’t confirm yea or nay but I think she and Bob paid for our lunch. When the waitress said, “Your ticket has been taken care of,” June and I were legally free to leave the restaurant without paying a dime. I call that GRACE, don’t you.

Human Depravity

All People Are Sinners

Romans 3:9-18…NLT

⁹ Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin. ¹⁰ As the Scriptures say,

“No one is righteous—
    not even one.
¹¹ No one is truly wise;
    no one is seeking God.
¹² All have turned away; all have become useless.
No one does good, not a single one.” {Psalm 14:1-3 & 53:1-3, Septuagint}
¹³ “Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with lies.” “Snake venom drips from their lips.” {Psalm 5:9, 140:3}
¹⁴ “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” {Psalm 10:7}
¹⁵ “They rush to commit murder.
¹⁶ Destruction and misery always follow them.
¹⁷ They don’t know where to find peace.” {Psalm 59:7-8}
¹⁸ “They have no fear of God at all.” {Psalm 36:1}

Introduction

Last Wednesday night our message lacked clarity and I do not want that to happen again. Today’s message may be brief but I do want it to be clear and simple.

As I stated in the last Message, the Jews were convinced that they were exceptional and there are in a sense but not in the way that they think. They did not see themselves as “sinners.” They had no problem recognizing the sins of the Gentile world but they did not see their own sin. Neither did they believe that they would be judged. Paul dispels these myths.

–All men are sinners, Jew and Gentile alike

–All men will stand before Christ in Judgment, no exceptions

–All men, humans are born under the curse of sin, all are subject to sin, it is our nature, inclination, default setting.

–All men are totally depraved which means lacking in righteous. We have no righteous, none, nil, nada, zero, zilch or in plain English, “Not a bit.” I was in my late 20’s before this fact dawned upon me. None of us want to believe that we are depraved. We are convinced that there is some good in us. God had to convince me Himself–You have none!

Transition

I. FIRST OF ALL, LET ME ILLUSTRATE THIS TRUTH

Glass of hot water and a tea bag. Original sin tainted our entire human nature. We are cursed with a self-centered, vain-glorious pride that runs from the bottom of our feet to the top of our head. We are capable of doing good things such as obey the law, like the Jews BUT we are not capable of doing good things for the right reasons. Our motives are impure: we want credit, we want praise and recognition. Luther says that outside of grace we are motivated by two factors, [1] fear of punishment and [2] hope of reward.

II. DEPRAVITY MEANS WE ARE NOT ONLY VOID OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, WE ARE INCAPABLE OF PRODUCING ANY THAT GOD WILL ACCEPT

Adam and Eve were the first to sin. When they did, they attempted to cover their shame and guilt with their own works, industry, rationale, techniques, etc. They made themselves fig-leaf aprons. God said, “Unacceptable.” He sacrificed and innocent animal and covered them with the skin or fleece.

You cannot manufacture righteous, not any that is not tainted, not any that God will accept. Cain came along and tried the same thing and God gave him the same answer, “NO.”

You are not going to heaven because you are good…You are not good. No one is good except God and of course, Jesus was God.

III. IF YOU ARE NOT CONVINCED: LOOK AT WHAT MAN’S RIGHTEOUSNESS PRODUCES

[1] The first thing on the list is PRIDE and God hates pride. Every moralist, every do-gooder, every Pharisee you know is filled with pride. They are proud of their accomplishments, record, their reputation. Self-righteous is productive, it produces pride.

[2] Spiritual Blindness: the self-righteous always think of themselves as being righteous and they focus on their righteousness. The truly righteous, according to Luther, never see themselves as righteous. [I correct people, kindly, when they refer to me as being good. You are encouraging idolatry when you allow people to believe that you are good.

[3] Ignorance of GRACE. Until you understand and confess your depravity, you will not understand or experience God’s grace, not in full measure. Folks, I am telling you, everything is GRACE.

[4] As long as you do not understand GRACE, you will be critical of others and ungrateful toward God. Follow me here: You must first see your DEPRAVITY, then you will begin to understand GRACE and Grace will make you THANKFUL.

[5] When you become THANKFUL, you will become happy and content.

Conclusion

Luke 15 AND the story of the two sons is a perfect illustration.

[1] Both were sinners–rebelled against their father

[2] One came to realize his sin and error but the other did not

[3] One was satisfied to serve his father, the other became increasingly unhappy with his father.

[4] One is enjoying fellowship with his father and the other is angry with his father.

What made the difference? The Father’s love? No, it was the repentance of the younger.

If you are unhappy, ungrateful and angry with your brother there is a reason for it: YOU NEED TO REPENT.

Judgment

ASV

2 Wherefore thou art without excuse, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest dost practise the same things. ² And we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against them that practise such things. ³ And reckonest thou this, O man, who judgest them that practise such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? ⁴ Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

REB

¹ Therefore you have no excuse, yes you, every one of you who judges, for in those things in which you judge another, you condemn yourself, for you who judge practice the same things.
 ² And we know that the judgment of God against those who practice such things is in accordance with truth.
 ³ Now do you suppose this, O you who are judging those who practice such things, and yet does the same, that you will escape the judgment of God?
 ⁴ Or do you show contempt for the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God is intended to lead you to repentance?

CEV

2 Some of you accuse others of doing wrong. But there is no excuse for what you do. When you judge others, you condemn yourselves, because you are guilty of doing the very same things. ² We know that God is right to judge everyone who behaves in this way. ³ Do you really think God won’t punish you, when you behave exactly like the people you accuse? ⁴ You surely don’t think much of God’s wonderful goodness or of his patience and willingness to put up with you. Don’t you know that the reason God is good to you is because he wants you to turn to him?

INTRODUCTION

Our subject today is not a pleasant one but one that needs to be dealt with. It is never wise to avoid the truth and today’s message is the gospel truth.

In chapter one, Paul talks about the depravity of the pagan world, those who worship different aspects of creation rather than the CREATOR Himself. These people are not only guilty of perverting worship, they have perverted sex and are involved in degrading and destructive behavior. In their stubborn rebellion, God has given them over to their sin. This is a part of His judgement.

In Romans 1:18, Paul said…

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth^]in unrighteousness…

In other words, God’s wrath or anger against sin has been uncovered so that we can see it presently…working in the law of retribution. Retribution simply means that all sins have consequences, destructive consequences. If we make bad choices, we reap bad consequences. We see this law presently at work in the world.

In Chapter two, Paul introduces another revelation of God’s wrath….

But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.

The word ‘revelation’ is the same root word found in 1:18 where it is used as a verb, here it is used as a noun. So we have two judgments revealed or uncovered: one is operation presently and one in the future. This second or final judgment is the one I do not want to talk about today but by the grace of God, I am.

TRANSITION

There are four things I want to say about this FINAL JUDGMENT.

I. IT IS ON THE CALENDAR–IT IS GOING TO HAPPEN

Jesus spoke of this day in Matthew 12:36…

“But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.“

Hebrews 9:27 tells us it will follow death…

And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment…

It will come at the end of time as we know it: it will be the final event before heaven and hell are settled. So understand, this judgment is FUTURE. It is coming.

II. THIS JUDGMENT IS BASED ON TRUTH

Human imagination or opinion will not mean a thing. Our so called supreme court will not be a factor; they too will be judged. We know that God is JUST and He is aware of all the facts. This judgment rest solely upon His character and authority. There will be no appeals. His word will be final.

Story

Right out of Seminary, I was pressured into talking to a wealthy man about his salvation. I didn’t want to confront him but a crazy man came and picked me up and took me to the field where they were picking cotton. I used the EE question with him, “Sir, if you died tonight, where would you spend eternity.” Without hesitation he said, “It better be heaven or there is going to be a rhubarb.” Rhubard is baseball slang for a fight, brawl or argument. My whole system shuddered when I heard him say this…there will be no rhubarb.

III. GOD WILL DO THE JUDGING

Let’s read 2:1 again…

Therefore you have no excuse, yes you, every one of you who judges, for in those things in which you judge another, you condemn yourself, for you who judge practice the same things.

The Jews or the moralist were not guilty of sexual perversion but they were lovers of money which is a form of Idolatry.

I heard a preacher say once, “I am not a judge, I am a fruit inspector.” Call it whatever you like but I am telling YOU…You and I are not the Judge.

I started a men’s bible study class at my first church after seminary. One of the men was a lot like me, he was hard on others. We were on a lesson about judging others when he shocked me with this confession…“God has convicted me that my sin of judging is worse than the sins I am judging.”

IV. THERE IS NO ESCAPE FROM THIS JUDGMENT

Verse 3…

Now do you suppose this, O you who are judging those who practice such things, and yet does the same, that you will escape the judgment of God?

The tendency of man is to divert the attention when he is confronted with his sin. When Jesus confronted Peter at Galilee, Peter immediately said, “What about John?” Jesus basically said, “That is none of your business…you do not worry about my plans for John.” Your final judgment, my final judgment will be very personal…it will not involve another soul.

CONCLUSION

The good news is there is ONE ESCAPE..Jesus! We do this by repentance. Don’t despise [devalue] the kindness, tolerance and patience of God. God’s kindness to you is not a sign of His pleasure with your life. His goodness to you is to lead you to repentance. The only way to avoid condemnation in the final judgment is to repent now.

The Wrath Of God Uncovered

Romans 1:18

¹⁸ For the wrath of God is revealed [uncovered] from heaven against all ungodliness [rebellion] and unrighteousness of men who suppress [hold down] the truth in unrighteousness, 

¹⁹ because that which is known about God is evident within them {Conscience}; for God made it evident to them. ²⁰ For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made [Creation], so that they are without excuse.

Introduction

This is probably the most unpopular passage in the New Testament. There are many preachers who will not touch it with a ten foot poll. I am accountable to God if I do not tell the truth and Romans one contains the truth.

First: lets debunk a couple of myths

[1] God’s Wrath Against Sin Is Future

We tend to think that God’s wrath is future; that we will see it on judgment day but God’s wrath is at work presently and it is evident: you can see it. One of the laws that governs the universe is the law of retribution. It is a moral law. Paul said it like this: the wages of sin is death. If we sin, something dies, that is the law. When Adam and Eve sinned, something died. Their innocence died, their communion with God died and eventually a little innocent lamb died–all because of one sin. We reap what we sow is another way of stating this law. You cannot rebel against God, the Law Giver and Law Enforcer without consequences. When you give in to total depravity and unrestrained self-indulgences, you will pay, and pay dearly. Men oppose the idea of a holy God because they innately realize that such a God will hold them accountable for their sins [unrighteousness]. These are sins that they love and do not want to relinquish. This is not hate speech, this is the truth. You can defy God and rail at me but it will not change the facts.

[2] Man Is An Evolving Creature

Secondly, man is not evolving as they teach in public schools. They have it backwards. We need to be teaching devolution instead of evolution. Man is not getting better: he is not evolving in to some morally superior creature. Morality does not evolve. We are not more moral than the 20th century. Grace is the only thing that can save us from going down. We are going to say more about this is little later in the message.

Second thing by way of introduction: God has given every man two witnesses.

Note: verse 19-20

¹⁹ because that which is known about God is evident within them {Conscience}; for God made it evident to them. ²⁰ For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made [Creation], so that they are without excuse.

When you see a garden, you know there is a gardener. When you see a house, you know there was a builder. When you see creation, you know there is a CREATOR.

Romans one and man declension…

{I’m going to read the rest of the text and I want you to see man slide, the downward spiral he takes once he rejects God as his ultimate authority.

²¹ For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God [1. Refused to acknowledge His rightful authority] or give thanks[2. Ingratitude], but they became futile [3. Vain]in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.[4. Spiritual Blindness]²² Professing to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

²⁴ Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. ²⁵ For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator[5. Idolatry], who is blessed forever. Amen. {Bertha Smith use to say, “There are two things God hates worse than all other sins: [1] The perversion of worship and [2] the perversion of sex.}

²⁶ For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions[6. Unrestrained self-indulgence]; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, ²⁷ and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.

²⁸ And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind[7. Reprobate Mind], to do those things which are not proper,²⁹ being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,³¹ without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful;³² and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.

As Paul makes crystal clear, once you defy God’s authority and refuse to acknowledge Him you start down a slippery slope. His judgment is going to fall on you. Three times in this passage Paul says, “God gave them over...He gave them over to impurity, to their degrading passions and finally to a reprobate mind. A reprobate is totally blind in the spiritual sense, he does not know right from wrong or good from evil. Matter of fact, he may call evil good and good evil. The wrath of God is being uncovered all around us and we don’t recognize it. Ultimately, God says to every rebel, “Have thine own way.”

You can see the downward spiral of sin in this passage. Everything begins with rebellion against God’s authority. Rebellion begins with the refusal to acknowledge God as the supreme law giver and judge– and it ends with total darkness and the reprobate mind. The light cannot penetrate the mind of the reprobate: he or she has sinned away their day of grace.

Defiance of God as the ultimate authority leads to insolence and ingratitude. Ingratitude leads to vanity or selfish indulgence. Selfish indulgence leads to spiritual blindness and spiritual blindness leads to idolatry. Even in idolatry there is a declension. Man begins by idolizing man, then animals, then reptiles. You have a problem if you worship another human but you are really sick if you worship snakes and reptiles. After idolatry comes total depravity and unrestrained indulgence and all sorts of sexual perversions. After that, there is only one step between you and hell, that is for God to give you over to a reprobate mind.

Let me say two or three things that come from my heart and this scripture…

[1] The Universe is governed by laws that God established before the foundation of the world. Just as there are natural laws that govern the natural world; there are moral laws that govern man’s behavior. I did not make these laws. The motive behind God’s spiritual laws that govern our relationship with Him and others was love. God loves us and He wants what is best for us. God did not give the law to punish us but if we break these laws, we bring punishment on ourselves. We call this law RETRIBUTION. When we make bad choices, we suffer bad consequences. All sins have consequences but some have greater consequences than others. Adultery has a much greater consequence than a lustful thought or a flirtation. Gluttony is not the danger that drugs are. If you get hooked on drugs, you will destroy your mind and body. Drugs will destroy your job, family, marriage, health, self-esteem and eventually your life. If you get involved in any form of witchcraft, it will destroy your peace. If you get involved in sexual perversion, it will destroy, body, mind, and spirit. The reason God disapproved of your behavior is because it is destructive to you. This is not hate speech, it is the truth.

What parent among you would approve of your child doing drugs, watching porn are dabbling in the occult? Would you give them your approval or encourage them? All these things are destructive and you would warn them to avoid them like the plague. The same is true with sexual deviancy. You cannot give approval to something that is destructive, not if you love them. The reason we are accused of hate is not that we hate, it is that they want to change the subject: if we bring up their sin, they have to find a sin in us and hate is the only thing they can come up with. Go back to verse 27…men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.

[2] A part from GRACE, the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, sin will destroy any culture, any civilization, any nation, congregation or individual. It will destroy your joy, peace, family, home, career and if you don’t repent of it, your life.

[3] We can’t change God’s laws. The universal government is not a democracy. It is a theocracy. God is the absolute ruler of this universe and He does rely on a congress or a not so supreme court. We live under His law.

[3] Unrepentant Sinner: you cannot get saved at your convenience. It does not work that way: you are not the savior. Jesus said in John 6:44, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.” God told Noah’s generation, “My Spirit will not always strive with man.” That word strive means to contend or compete. God wants to be your Sovereign but He will not continually strive for that place in your life. Eventually, He will give you over to your sin: In effect, He will say, “Have your way.”

The Gospel Truth

Romans 1:16-17, NLT

¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.¹⁷ This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”

Romans 1:16-17, NASB

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. ¹⁷ For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”

Introduction

Originally, I had planned to start a series from the gospel of John but as I was reading the book of ROMANS in the MESSAGE, I had a change of mind. I think a part of my motivation to do Romans first is our gross misunderstanding of GRACE.

This misunderstanding of grace reveals itself in two extremes: [1] Legalism which produces a prideful credit hog and [2] Libertinism which simply stated says, “I am free to do anything I want, because my salvation is by grace.” {Many of these folks go back to an experience; possibly a baptism but there is no fruits of present grace}.

My intentions are to do a thematic study which at times may mean one sermon per chapter but as in Chapter One, there will be two messages.

Today, we begin with the GOSPEL TRUTH. The Greek word is yü-än-ge’-le-on and it literally means GOOD NEWS! Or you could say “Good Tiding” or “Good Message.” Today, I want to share with you the GOSPEL TRUTH.

Transition

I’m going to give you the outline first: today, LORD willing, we are going to talk about

I. THE HEART OF THE GOSPEL WHICH IS JESUS, THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD

II. THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL WHICH IS FAITH

III. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE GOSPEL WHICH IS SALVATION

IV. THE SCOPE OF THE GOSPEL WHICH IS EVERYONE

V. THE FRUIT OF THE GOSPEL WHICH IS GRACE

Let us begin with the heart of the gospel…

I. HEART OF THE GOSPEL

Let us go back to Romans 1:1…

This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News. ² God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets in the holy Scriptures. ³ The Good News is about His Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David’s family line, ⁴ and he was shown to be  the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord.

Any gospel that does not have CHRIST at the center is false.

Back to the text: verse 17…

This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”

How does God make us righteous in His sight?

Romans 1:17 in the NASB…

For in it {gospel} the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “ But the righteous man shall live by faith.”

This verse and this truth lead to the conversion of Martin Luther and John Wesley. Luther was a Seminary professor and Wesley was a missionary to the American Indians.

THE KEY: Both had misunderstood word or concept…righteousness! They assumed the scripture was referring to our righteousness but that is not what the bible says, “It is God’s righteousness that is revealed in the gospel.”

We are not saved by our righteousness, we are saved by the righteousness of God which was demonstrated in the life of Christ. We are saved by an imputed righteousness, not an inherent righteousness. If you will be honest with yourself, you will understand, “You have no righteousness.”

All your righteousness is prefixed with self. {Illustration: tea bag in hot water} We are cursed with selfish ambition and vain glory. Every religion in the world, including several that call themselves Christian, have man earning favor with God via his good deeds. What are these so called “Good Men” who do good deeds most proud of? Is it not there good deeds. The worse sort of unrighteousness is man’s righteousness.

II. POWER OF THE GOSPEL

Sounds unbelievable but the POWER OF THE GOSPEL, of all things, is FAITH. Paul realized this truth before he landed in Corinth. He testifies in his first letter to the Corinthians that he did not attempt to impress them with lofty words or impressive wisdom. He decide to simply preach Jesus and Him crucified. He said, “I came to you in weakness manifested in fear and trembling and my message was plain and simple.”

You and I do not have to have power to share the gospel: Just share it…it contains it’s own mysterious power. Sounds crazy I know but we share the gospel and a soul believes, dynamically their life is changed by the power of the gospel. {Illustration: Wanda}

III. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE GOSPEL

The objective [purpose] of the Gospel is our SALVATION. Paul said…

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…

Salvation is not a past experienced…People say I was saved, and I understand what they mean but technically SALVATION IS CONTINUOUS and contain all the tenses: I have been saved {regeneration, born again}, I am being saved {sanctification, conformed to the image of Christ} and I will be saved {glorification, be made perfect}.

IV. THE SCOPE OF THE GOSPEL

Back to verse 16…

For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.

This is what makes the gospel good news to everyone…it is for everyone. No one is excluded unless they exclude themselves.

V. THE FRUIT OF THE GOSPEL

Romans 1:6-7, NLT

And you are included among those Gentiles who have been called to belong to Jesus Christ. ⁷ I am writing to all of you in Rome who are loved by God and are called to be his own holy people. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

Ephesians 2:8-9…For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

If you are growing in CHRIST, you are growing in GRACE. If you are not growing in GRACE, You are not in Christ. Grace doesn’t produce pharisees.