Justified by Faith Alone

Well why you're being seated like make sure your electronic devices are often let's open our Bibles to Romans this morning.

Romans chapter 4 will look at verses 21 through 25 of entitling this justified by faith alone great doctrine of our heritage justified by faith alone.

Romans chapter 4 beginning in verse 21 Paul writes to the church at Rome and says, and being fully assured this is Abraham nice, referring to being fully assured that what God had promised. He was also able rather also to perform, therefore, was also credited to him as righteousness and not for his sake only was it written that it was credited to him, but for our sake. Also, to whom it will be credited as those who believe in him who raised Jesus Christ from the dead. He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification. That's Easter Sunday morning in one of the things I want to say first of all is that Easter is not a message of just a new beginning. Liberal theologians and liberal pastors for generations now I've been trying to tell us that is not really essential that Jesus died in is not really essential that he literally rose from the dead, that really think Easter message is just a new beginning for mankind up a new way to approach life anew selfless way to carry out your life for your fellow man. But that's not what Easter is about. That's up liberal perversion of the truth of the Easter message and Easter is not at its root meeting. Even a message of victory over death hell and the grave, though that certainly included and that is absolutely true. These are wonderful truths but at its foundation, Easter, the resurrection of Christ is the full assurance of our justification before God. You could even say our justification by God on our behalf. Ellis look at this. Three ways were talking about this text, Romans 421 through 25 and justified by faith alone list notice three things. First published notice the glorious uniqueness of our justification. The glorious uniqueness up, I say unit for two reasons are as many but to reason primarily. And that is it's unique because only God could have done this no man would've ever come up with these troops and secondly it's unique because after all these generations. Still, the great majority of even professing Christians missed the truth of justification by faith alone.

Ellie talk about what it is not. First of all, justification is not a change of heart, though that happens when you're justified. That happens when you're saved but properly understood. Justification is not that your heart as Jane. Secondly, it's not a change of character or conduct though. That's certainly true after your converted justification understood properly doesn't mean you all of a sudden become a better person.

Of course, if you're saved, you will be. Thirdly, justification is not imparted to you on the basis of church ritual. Our church sacrament.

All right, none of those things are. The Bible doctrine of justification, here's what justification is.

It is God granting you a new status or a new standing before him and justification is accounted to you. You getting that new righteous status. The moment you believe on Jesus Christ. So it doesn't mean your conduct is changed. It doesn't mean you perform some ritual all right with the pre-start with a big ordinance of baptism of the Lord's table, none of that doesn't mean that that mean you're also becoming a better person.

So you might be justified.

Justification is the correct of God that you now stand in a new way before him as righteous in his house. You know sometimes we hear about a family doing that wonderful, wonderful thing of adopting a precious child, and sometimes when you adopt the child especially that child is overseas. Everything is settled and actually have your name before you even see the child and that's, like justification.

It is established that we bear God's name. Now we have the righteousness of his son, but were yet to start growing in our sanctification when that child comes whole bar to that family.

Then he'll begin to learn what the family's life can house to conduct himself as a part of that new family.

And that's what happens when God justifies us, we become heroes we wear his name.

We have a new standing as righteousness, and then from there we live out and learn how to honor him as our holy father in ancient courts. They had a tradition Re: custom where men would sit before the judges and of the judges at the end of the trial would get up and they had would have a white pebble or a black pebble and they walk by and earn that set in front of the accused and as those judges walked by, they would drop an off-white one if they were declaring him not guilty. They would drop in a black pebble if they were declaring him guilty elicit those pebbles didn't change them at all, but they formally declared his standing before the court. That's what God's justification is a bus he formally declares when we believe on Christ. Now, you stand not guilty for me that's the glorious uniqueness of this doctrine. No man could have made this up. Look at verse 22 of our text. It is therefore referring back to when Abraham believed and had faith in God's promise.

Therefore, it was also credited to him as righteousness is the idea of imputation was put into your account that you are now a righteous one. Before this triune holy God. So justification is God's official former object alert declaration that US center are now standing as justified in his sight. It's a change of status is a change of standing before God. Romans chapter 4 verse five reminds us, the notice these this wording here but to the one who does not work. Notice that I hadn't done anything good for anything but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, here's what your support of the text as far as what you do on our what you changed as far as any renovation you build yourself. It's had no effect. You still are ungodly in your natural state, but in that state of ungodliness. The doctrine of justification says you now stand before God as righteous peace. The God who justifies the ungodly by faith in Jesus Christ. The powerful truth uniqueness of this glorious doctrine so God can uphold his own righteousness and declare the ungodly.

Just before him based on the work of his son Jesus Christ on their behalf. So God is not somehow sinning against his own standard of justice. He laid the justice on his son.

Willis don't get ahead of ourselves. First of all, we're talking about the uniqueness, the glorious uniqueness of our own justification. Secondly, let's talk about the glorious adequacy of our Savior, the glorious adequacy. I think we got the wrong word up there, works pretty good though. All right. Look at verse 25 he who was delivered over because of our transgression. The Porteous we can stand justified because when God delivered Christ over.

He performed all that was necessary for us just wants to be could declared just before God himself. What a powerful thing.

This is now our change of conduct can in no way merit our justification but listen Mark, this is not your change of conduct that can merit your justification.

But listen your justification depends upon the conduct of another Jesus Christ.

He performs it for us and God is ready to bestow righteousness and the standing of justification on those today who do not deserve it. All that's glorious and it's all because of the adequacy are the accomplishment of our Savior's resurrection would have no saving power. If he did not 1st.and receive our punishment varsity and that is, he died in our place. He died as if he were a guilty sinner as as the just condemnation of God came upon him just for a moment let's remind ourselves of our natural standing before God not do a lot of this when I preach and I would just on this Easter Sunday morning exhort young pastors, you must preach a weighty doctrine of sin and depravity. If you want your people to love and joy in Christ in their salvation. I mean, by the wife were not just a little bad and God didn't have to do a lot because were pretty good but we all have done what were not perfect so Jesus died, you just accept Jesus and it's all fixed. That's not the Bible doctrine. Just a few things right quick. Romans 319 reminds us, we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law. Notice how many that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God. Romans 323 for all have sinned, everyone and fall short of the glory of God. God says I made mankind humankind as the pinnacle of creation. I even gave mankind. My own image own image is marked on humankind.

They were to live that way high up on high and holy principles, but every single one of them. God system has function way down here. They fallen short of what God the creator made them to be and made them to do this, remind ourselves that God is holy to sit there and listen to this preacher on Sunday morning. God is holy. Theologians like to arrange that incommunicable and noncommunicable attributes that God has communicable attributes attributes that we share with them. Make like love are are like faithfulness. We know something of those things.

But when God has those attributes. They are infinitely greater than ours. Then there's incommunicable attributes of God are so many ways God is radically unlike us. He's eternal, he's spirit, he's omniscient, he's on the president on and on we could go so he is this being that trends CNC's way about anything and everything we could grasp our company if he is transcendent in holiness, his very being calls for us sinners to be crushed and punished visa.

God is infinitely greater than us in all the ways we share attributes with him and he is infinitely different from us in so many ways we cannot comprehend and we put all these together. That's the beauty of holiness. Other somethings God can't be God can't be a sinner. God cannot be unjust and he demands righteousness of all of his creatures. But tragically, all of us woefully fall short of God's mandated righteousness. We miserably fail and we fail in every single way right quick. Romans three and I'll just speed through this. Romans 39 what then are we better than they nodded off. We've Artie charts of both Jews and Greeks are all undersea and that's everybody here the good of the line.

The limited user group and are all sinners. Verse 10 as it is written, there is none righteous, not even one, there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God. All have turned aside, together they become useless.

There is no one who does good.

There's not even one.

Their throat is an open grave and with their tongues they keep deceiving, the poison of Asper are vipers under their lips their master full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood destruction and misery are in their paths in the path of peace they have not known. There's no fear of God before their eyes at some this morning out on Easter Sunday morning, all over the world people sitting charts and they're just going through motion because if nothing trembles the typeface and holy God. Just like lunch is because were sinners can't grasp the gravity of the things which we face.

Verse 19 we know that whatever the law since it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God.

So here we are as sinners are transgressors in our text tells us in verse 25 of chapter 4, he was delivered over because of our transgressions.

Two words delivered over have a is the same idea when a criminal is delivered over to the judge delivered over the pay consequence for his conduct. Jesus was delivered over to pay for our transgression.

Here the heavenly father hands. His precious one. His one and only begotten son over to torment in our place. The prophet Isaiah wrote of this so powerfully and beautifully. Isaiah 53 verse seven. Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before it shears so he did not open his mouth.

Let's remind ourselves that him being delivered over means that God is the initiator here God the father came up with this use the phrase just an anthropomorphic phrase because we come up with things. But in reality God to never come up with anything as he already knows everything he's never not known everything so he didn't come up with a bizarre desire, but it's God's idea that he would initiate a plan whereby his precious son would die for the transgressors.

Isaiah 53 again. Verse four speaks of him being smitten of God, smitten by Satan the devil no no, God the father did smite God the son on the cross, God's initiator Isaiah 5310. Speaking of God the father again.

He was pleased to crush him if he would render himself as a guilt offering doesn't mean God's get some sort of violent excitement out of pressing his son. It means the design for which he, God the father and he got the son formulated this plan and then fill this plan the design for which they did. It was so holy and so God they were pleased to put the plan in action to save the children God is the initiator. Secondly, of course, Christ is the participant who was delivered over I Romans 425 Christ was delivered over for our transgression. Jesus is the participant listen to him by John 1018, Jesus said, no one has taken it away from me, but I lay it down talk about his life on my own initiative. I have authority to lay it down.

That's his life, and I have authority to take it up again. I am the one willingly participating in this atoning sacrificial work. First Peter 224 reminds us he himself bore our sins in his body on the cross. All dear friend this morning.

If Christ is not yours. This salvation is not secure in your heart to sell Christ while Christ you didn't bear my sin and I'd sent you as my Savior all you must do that this Easter Sunday Jesus gave himself in our place. Jesus was executed by the father taking our sin and the consequences of that sin, in payment for our sin. He died in there he lay on the cross and later in the tomb dead some liberals say will he really didn't die just knocked out. He woke up later. That's not what the Bible says.

The Bible says he died. Jesus was dead on the cross, he was dead in the tomb while he was dead. He was active because in his death and in his dying, he was actively taking the just retribution of a holy God against us transgressors. But active as our guilt offering. Thirdly, we are the recipients God the father made this plan. He initiated this plan, God the son performed participated in this plan and we are the recipients he did what he did for us. He was delivered over the text says for our transgressions, because he had no transgression.

He had no sin when Christ gave his life up on the cross.

The Bible says darkness came over the earth for three hours and in that cold darkness and by the way, Satan and demons had no part in any of this. This is holy work between God the father, God the son and God the Holy Spirit and that cold darkness. The father delivered over the willing son to pay for our sin we have that beautiful illustration of the Passover lamb in the Old Testament where every head of the household would take us best he could, of the spotless Lamb he would take that spotless Lamb down to the temple or down to the tabernacle and present it to the priest and the priest would slay that lamb and then they would apply the blood that was a picture of Christ is that lamb represent was a representative representative rather for the whole family so Christ represented us there. Jesus died, the spotless Lamb for the whole family.

When those three hours were finished.

The infinite holy father in the infinite son had accomplished eternal redemption for our eternal souls eternal punishment for all believers of all time was paid for everyone. Everyone who will believe this is why the angel spoke to Joseph member Joseph. He heard about Mary his fiancée was pregnant.

Joseph didn't know what to do. He was going to put her away.

But the angel says this to Joseph, Matthew 120 and 21. The child is conceived of the Holy Spirit and you will call his name Jesus noticed the certainty of this, for he will save his people from their sin is coming to save his people and he will accomplish.

Well, there's a glorious uniqueness to our justification.

There is the glorious accomplishment or adequacy of our Savior. Thirdly, let's notice the glorious security of our justification.

Verse 25. The last half says, and he was raised because of our justification again. Isaiah 5310 says that he, Jesus, after he dies, he will see his offspring.

Jesus is doing something to his death.

This Marilyn's resurrection. He's purchasing a family piece collecting the children he's going to get those for whom he died in the Bible says the prophet Isaiah prophesies before it guarantees you when this one suffers in God, he will see his offspring. He's going to live again and save every one of them and keep everyone of them forever always secure because of my teeth risen Christ keeps those he said Lord one. The resurrection means that Christ did indeed accomplish this eternal salvation for his children, and they will love him and enjoy him forever because they are his offspring. You know the only way to properly understand this text, Isaiah 5310 is to view it from God's perspective. Again, God decreed that he would have for himself a people at church if you will all believers and that these people would love God and enjoy God forever, and God would love and enjoy these children forever, but there's this problem.

The children were all sinners.

The children were all transgressors and God's holy justice demanded the eternal punishment for all these unjustified children. Therefore, the father commission Christ. The only righteous son.

He had to justly remove the children's guilt, a commission that Christ grandly gladly submitted to. So when Christ suffering and in Christ that the children's justification was perfectly accomplished and then God raised him from the dead as a banner of the accomplishment couple subpoints here. He lives continually to prove our justification is settled you seen that I've seen it when a ball team takes the field every once in a while. They're just really cocky and don't take the banner of their school and they'll run around the field and no go out to the middle of the opponents feel the centerpiece where the opponents logo is in the put that stake in that ground as if we've conquered here sometimes didn't turn out too good, but that's what the new syllable of the commodity that that's what that's what justification is. Justification is our Christ rising from the dead is rather the banner that our justification is settled, is flying saying is God's over a dead Savior over which death had triumphed and held them captive and could not ascend before God to the heavenly mercy seat and apply his role your red redeeming blood.

What I come Savior can save anybody a dead Savior cannot ascend to the right hand of God to continually make application of his saving work on behalf of the children. Hebrews 725 reminds us hints. Also, he is able to say forever how long save forever those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

If he had attempted to die for our sins, but he never rose in his death would be proven are rather proof that he was in adequate for our justification him not being raised would be a public rejection by the father that this was not sufficient all but this morning, child of God cast the eyes of faith to the right hand of the Majesty on and there he sits now to determine buys heavenly father very since God's right hand permanently interceding for us and continually applying his saving work on our behalf. He lives to prove our justification is settled. Secondly, he lives to continually prove that our enemies are crushed.

Our enemies have no right to have no bearing.

They have no authority anymore. There Christ lady and death executed for the debt of his children. He became sin. Various dead, the prisoner of divine wrath enslaved by divine justice, but on the third day that first Easter morning at the father's command. The angel rolled the stone away, having fulfilled his mission.

He Collins comes forth from the grave, giving full assurance that all the powers of our enemies are crushed and up from the great fear froze with a mighty triumph or dispose here also picture from the dark don't make any of the sites terrain's heroes hello your Christ arose all, since debt is paid. This victory is snatched away the graves hold is broken pelvis claim is vanquished. Satan's authority is removed. He lives to assure us is enemies and our enemies are all rough than the closeout list. Think once again on Romans chapter 4 verse 25. The last part. He was raised because of our justification.

It means own account like the idea of to ratify it was in a sense ratified when he was raised. It was accomplished when he died and picked up independently when he rose again. It was publicly ratified it a formal ratification if you will, in his death. Justification was paid for. However, as long as the Savior lady in this chamber, the payment though accomplish was not yet presented, it remained to be ratified or formally approved that to happen required his resurrection. Let's say you owe a great debt in your your committed use all Dave Ramsey jungle pay this debt off and you work and you work in you work and you get your work. Over time, and you get a second job and you put money back and put money back and put money back and finally the day comes when you have the amount of money in your account to pay off the debt so the works been done, but it doesn't count. You go to the debtor and give him the funds. That's the resurrection it's formally accomplished now know you don't do this anymore.

Maybe few of you do, but I used to go down to the utility billing the electric utility building in Sheffield and pay my utility bill where I live we have him little water in Sheffield electric and Tuscumbia gas.

I'd I hold the whole shows together right there so we go one, go to another but I would go in there sometimes in and I had the money I'd written the check but it didn't matter until she took the check and then I was cleared and she'd stamp it paid. That's the resurrection is the resurrection of the Lord Jesus walked up to Calvary.

God's bill – he was there to pay a bill he found that the dead against us was exceedingly great cost to his life and it would cost his blood. The price he was willing to pay and he did play the resurrection is the stamp receipt the debt can no longer be held against me every time Satan whispers to you world, the flesh whispers to you your condemned dirty your undeserving your file center. By the way, all those are true. Look up in heaven see that risen Savior and noted his resurrection is the formal ratification of your justification. Nothing could be held against you. This I said nothing can be held against. If you believe on Jesus Christ. Those songwriter said long ago, long ago. The old account was settled on go use the ever living proof that divine justice that was against us is satisfied, but all that crosses Jesus the wrath of God was satisfied for every CN on here mostly, this was in that moment of his death. The threatening thunderstorms of just wrath that was against us were fully satisfied and were instantly transformed into loving showers of blessing the raging lion of God's fierce wrath was released upon Christ and our place in it devoured him. Now that same lion lay quietly passively on his back pain is no mind. He is fully and eternally been satisfied and has eternally and fully satisfied his voracious appetite and the flesh of Jesus Christ vicious line of wrath came on Jesus. They took all of his blow. The roaring blast of divine wrath has now been silenced into a sweet melody of redemption.

It is finished. All that is needed for a sinner to be forgiven and welcoming to the loving embrace of God is done also as it powerfully here using Abraham as an example look at our text again. Romans 421 and being this Abraham fully assured that what God has promised he was able to form what he saying is this is the parallel for us. Christ is promise*God the father's promise rather sudden Christ labeled Christ believe he did it all for your past, your present your future sin and transgression blame promised 327 Abraham did. You can do it for 22 therefore was also credited to him as righteousness.

When you believe it's put into your account that you now stand righteous justification. Verse 23 the not for his sake only was it written that it was credited to him, but for our sake. Also, to whom it will be credited as those who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.

Romans 328 reminds us we maintained that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law been Hayden told the story of a soldier in the world war. He was injured was in the hospital. He had surgery he came out of the surgery and the doctor said soldier you lost your arm. The soldier replied.

I didn't lose my arm.

I gave my arm for France, the world might look on Calvary and the world might say he lost his life. No no no no is God's plan to lose anything.

He gave his life for the church that he rose again for her justification and it can be yours if you just believe on this believe on him Livonia