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I’m going to invite you to Romans. Chapter three is where we are today. Romans Chapter three. And we’re we’re entering into, I’ll say, the more positive sections of Romans. Over the last few weeks, you guys have gone through the battlefield of what Romans is about. Now, you’re about to take off, right? This this plane is about to be airborne. And so today we’re going to talk about really a new resume in in who you are in Christ now that we have have gone through the the difficult passages of of the book of Romans. And the reason Paul has taken us through these difficult passages, starting really in Romans 118, where it hits you with a big force, it says The wrath of God is revealed against all in godliness. Romans 118 And then it goes on to describe who the ungodly people are. And Paul comes to the conclusion for us, we see in Romans 310, there is no one righteous, right? There’s nobody that is in right standing before God. So everyone is guilty before a holy God. And that is a difficult word to walk through. But Paul has has methodically discussed that with us through through different ways of thinking in this world. He talked about the irreligious. He talked about the people that consider themselves moral, and he talked about the people that consider themselves religious. And he said all three groups guilty before God. There is nowhere that you can stand before a holy God you aren’t guilty.
And important for him to walk through that. Because what happens as people when we enter into a biblical truth and we try to discover what it means to walk with God and to know God, we tend to take our previous worldviews and we sort of just apply Jesus. On top of that, we come with our own ideas of what we think God is and who God should be. And then we kind of come into this idea of Jesus and we tell him who he should be rather than just embrace what Scripture says about him. In fact, when you read the New Testament, you’ll find that the authors of the New Testament, that’s that’s pretty much why you have the New Testament. They take these false worldviews, they answer these false worldviews, and they help us understand biblical truth. And and some of the books, it’s easier to see and more than others. For example, a book like Galatians very much written against religious way of thinking in order to see the truth of who Christ is. Right. Galatians very, very personal that way. In fact, Paul, in the beginning goes after Peter because of that and the book of First John is against the idea of Gnosticism. Gnosticism had this belief that the flesh was corrupt, nothing spiritual could be corrupt by the flesh. However, you live physically is okay as long as we don’t mess with the spiritual.
And just some weird things came from that dose of Taoism which never taught. Jesus actually came in the in the physical flesh. They just he was a spiritual being, walking around, just weird stuff. Right? But they’re addressing these worldviews and help us in order to help us walk in biblical truth. And the same thing is true. And. Romans Paul is dismantling our worldviews, stripping us down to really nothing so that we come to God empty and allowed him to build his truth in us and the identity that we can only receive in Christ. And Romans 321 starts that way. First three chapters, giving us that clean slate in the Lord in order for Him to then begin to fill us up in something new. And you guys, you went through four weeks of talking about depravity for weeks. Really? That’s the that’s been the theme of the last four weeks, talking about the depravity of humanity. And I thought, you know, going into this, I’m like, this is going going to be interesting. That’s okay. We need more room in church. We’ll talk about depravity. We need some more seats. So so start talking about this. But it’s been it’s been interesting because over the last four weeks, our attendance, I think, has been higher over the four week span than any other time this year. So I don’t know if it’s you guys are glutton for punishment and joy and joy, this kind of thing.
Or maybe it’s it’s an election month, you know, So people are like, I know we’re depraved. Right. Let’s get to the answer. I don’t know what it is, but but now we get to the place where we talk about the beauty of of who we are in Christ. And, you know, when you look at depravity, some people they really would prefer if you read the book of Romans that you just skip the first three chapters and let’s just move on from beyond that and understand what we are to do in Christ. I don’t want to talk about the bad stuff. We only talk about about the good stuff. And those are the kind of people that typically say things like, and this doesn’t have to be all bad, by the way, I’m going to throw it under the bus a little bit. Doesn’t have to throw all this under the bus. But people that don’t like the first three chapters of Romans are typically the kind of people kind of personality that says things like, you know, you’re loved and and God is love and all is love. And in the end, love wins, Right? That’s that’s typically the kind of the kind of attitude that they they take towards God himself. And in our culture, that’s a very popular thing to say. And it’s not all bad.
I’ll talk a little bit about that in a minute. But but let me just let me just push into that for for just a second to just consider if that’s if that’s your theological framework that you just operate in. Right? You’re loved. God is loved. All is loved and loved wins the World Bank. And I always hesitate when I say anything, world world something organization. But but the World Bank did a study on the global needs as far as financially in the world. And they found that about half the world lives on less than $6 a day, about five $5.50 a day. About 10% of the world lives on less than $2 a day. And those that live under on less than $2 a day, the World Bank considers them people of extreme poverty. And so about 700 million people in this world, they live in extreme poverty and that makes them vulnerable. And one of the things that, you know, just in living life that you discover about vulnerability is that darkness loves to prey on what is vulnerable. People that are vulnerable tend to be the kind of people that are taking advantage of the kind of people that are abused and attacked. And you know what kind of message doesn’t work for those kind of people. You’re loved. All is love. God is love. And in the end, love wins, you know? When you’re going through those kind of moments where injustice is done against you because you’re in a position of vulnerability, and in that vulnerability, you find yourself in darkness being taken advantage of.
What you want to know is not not just that God is love. I think there is an important place for that. But also that God is just. And God’s going to bring things into account. And and God demonstrates that in his love, right? By by caring for that moment, by saying things like in Romans chapter one, verse 18, God’s wrath is a real thing. You can find comfort in the sovereignty of a God who gives a rip and will do something about it. So it’s not just about examining the idea of that God is love, but to understand how these these worldviews come together and the significance of of who a sovereign God is. There is there is a time and a place to to understand the power and authority and holiness and wrath of God. And it’s certainly in the injustice of this world when when you’re stuck in that pain and trapped in that darkness, you need to know there is a God who cares in that way. Now, having been that serious for a minute, I know we we also look at that and say, okay, that’s great. I can see how that can become relevant. Right. But also also, can we still talk about the love of God? Is there is there a place for that where that can connect in my life and my heart, where I can see the goodness of God who got is because we’ve gone through these first three chapters of Romans and we’ve certainly seen the wrath of God and all people are guilty.
But but we’ve got to start talking about some hope here. And and this is where Romans three, 21 steps in. And I’m going to give you just just some of those powerful words where it starts that becomes important for all of us. It says. But now. But now, after all the bad stuff that we’ve talked about and the justice of God and the wrath of God against all sin in this world and us being in that judgment path, then he transitions here. But now. But now for us, it really becomes the the best. But in all of the Bible, when you when you look at this, what the way he wants to bring this from from the wrath of God into now what is what is God doing in your life to to help you and your hour of need before a holy God. And we’re going to look at two things in this passage of Romans as we consider this new resume. Number one is what God has done for me. And number two, how God’s work now shapes me. What God’s work has done for me under the point number one in your notes is this We want to get the big picture.
Very simple thought, but but in these first few verses, Paul is going to give to us the big picture of what God does for us now that we understand. All of us are guilty before the Lord. Where does that leave us? How can we move forward? And he says this, but now. The righteousness of God has been manifest. This is not us bringing anything to God. This is not what we have to offer him. We’ve seen that what’s resting in our account to present before the Lord is bankrupt. In fact, Isaiah 64, verse six, tells us all our deeds are filthy rags before him. So it’s not about what we’re bringing to God, but rather now it’s an understanding of having been stripped of everything. We’re looking at what God is doing for us. The righteousness of God has been manifest. That’s what we’ve been seeking in all of this. These first three worldviews that Paul talked about irreligious, moral and religious. It’s this living of demonstrating your own righteousness and what we find. You cannot do that. But. But now the righteousness of God has been brought to you. And this then begs the question how? How? Because this is what we all need. If we’re going to stand before holy God, we need to understand how in the world can can my life be shaped that when God looks at me, the righteousness of God is on me? What is it? What is it that I can do? And.
And he goes on and explains it. And the way he explains it here, he first. He first talks about the way it doesn’t before he talks about the way it does. But he says this apart from the law. So when you start thinking about righteousness, it’s easy in our human nature to get back towards what we do in order to accomplish this. But he reminds us, Look, this is not your doing. God’s demonstrating his righteousness to you, but it’s not according to to what you do. It’s according to what he has done for you. It’s a part from this religious living. And he says this although the law and the prophets bear witness to it. So we’re saying the way that God has has brought this about for you is not this this blind opportunity just presented before you, but rather it’s been it’s been communicated throughout all of Scripture. This is not unexpected by God. This is the theme of what the Bible has been about, that the God brought the the law to us in the Old Testament. But it’s not in order to earn your salvation, it’s to demonstrate that you need rescue. And the law and the prophets bore witness to it. In fact, one of the one of the great privileges that you can have if you read the new test.
And one of the things I’ve grown to to enjoy in my walk with the Lord is to to look at understand that the New Testament was written by Jewish people, majority of them Jewish people. And as they write the New Testament, they’re constantly quoting from the Old Testament to demonstrate how this was God’s plan from the beginning. And you see these these Jewish followers of Christ, many of them rejected Jesus, but some of them embrace Jesus and they come to communicate in the New Testament. What led them to do do so. And they attach the Old Testament teaching to what Jesus has done in the New Testament. In fact, if you ever open up, if you’ve got a copy of the Bible in front of you don’t know if you’re looking at your phone or maybe just one of these books, but if you get a full sized copy of the Bible, you’ll see in the middle there are these columns of verse references, and those verse references are are linked to, to what the writers of the New Testament are, are saying from the Old Testament. So you can go back to where they’re quoting the Old Testament and how how the Lord fulfilled the Old Testament in the New Testament and see how all of it ties together in Scripture. In fact, in the New Testament, it says by Jesus himself, He he connects those dots to it for us over and over again.
In Matthew chapter 26, when Jesus was crucified, the final statement that led to his crucifixion, verse 64 Jesus says, From now on, you will see the son of man seated at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven. Jesus at this moment is on trial before pilot, and this is where the high priest tears his robe and says, Crucify him. He has committed blasphemy and Jesus. And this moment in referring to himself as the son of man. It’s a description from Daniel, chapter seven, where he’s he’s talking about not only his deity, but also his authority as a king. And he’s saying he is that king and he’ll be coming on the clouds, which only God himself is described that way in Scripture. And so when the high priest hears Jesus saying this, they know not only is he claiming to be king, but he’s claiming to be the God king, and he he tears his robe crying out blasphemy against against Christ, who is claiming this position when Jesus was crucified at the top of his cross. It says because of this comment, the king of the Jews. Jesus is taking the Old Testament, quoting it and applying it to his life. In the first century, Luke, Chapter 24 on the Strangers to the Road of to a Mass. After Jesus’s resurrection, he He appears before these strangers, and He walks beside them on the road.
And He doesn’t reveal who he is. But it says this about him, beginning with Moses and all the prophets Jesus interpreted to them. In all the Scriptures, the things concerning himself. What he’s saying to us. When you go back and read the Old Testament, you should be looking. For the shadows of Christ being revealed to us. John five, verse 39 You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life. And Jesus says it is they that bear witness about me. Jesus saying it’s not the the Bible that gives life itself, but it’s the truth. It claims about the Christ. That’s that’s where life is given for us. So but now the righteousness of God has been manifest apart from the law. Although, although this law points us to the one who would ultimately do this and he goes, he goes on and says, then the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ. Righteousness is received not by your living. But by faith in his living for you. There’s an important distinction he makes here. He tells us it’s for those by faith who are in Christ. Trusting in what Jesus has done. This doesn’t mean because of what Jesus has done, everyone is saved. This means that when we see what Jesus has done, then we choose to put our trust in that over any other worldview.
Those people are now in Christ. That’s that’s where the righteousness is. God has found that you apply His His justification, His righteousness on your life. And then he goes on and says. For all who believe. For. There is no distinction. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. I mean, in these three verses this is he explains to us the big picture of of the gospel, Right? This is what it’s about. It’s all of us have sinned. It’s not not our righteousness, but it’s Christ and righteousness on our behalf. For all who believe, for there is no distinction. So let me help us apply this for just a moment. When Jesus says to us for all who believe. Let me just ask you. Who do you think? It’s too far beyond. The grace of God. That he could transfer the life, their lives. That he could rescue their soul. Who is it in your mind when you think about all the people that you would like to come see to? To know the Lord. But then you think of this one person. You’re like, But not them. They’re kind of too far gone. What politician can. Hoo hoo hoo hoo in your life. Do you think it’s too far? This passage of Romans reminds us. Anyone who believes. In fact, Jesus said it like this in John six, verse 37, he says, The one who comes to me, I will certainly not cast out.
Why? Because it’s not about what we do. Rather, what he has done for us. So let me encourage you, especially if you’ve known Christ for years. I think sometimes as believers, if you’re aware of what the gospel is, you’re confident in the ideas of what’s communicated in verse 21 to 23 that you know what salvation is about. When you go into this world, sometimes we have we have this idea that it’s our responsibility to become Superman or savior to everyone, right? We have to go around and really need to proselytize and evangelize and make sure people know what this is and and that they they embrace it immediately when I declare it and all. And sometimes we walk with this guilty conscience because we know God calls us in the world, we have to do it. So we just feel like we have to just get out there and say it all and just blow it on people just to make sure they they understand who Jesus is and what he’s done for them. I think it’s great that you want people to know who Jesus is, what he’s done for them. But let me just let me just step off the pedal just a little bit and encourage you and say this. Look. Jesus doesn’t call you to be savior, nor does Jesus call you to be Superman.
That’s that’s his job. What Jesus wants you to do in this world is to go around and have gospel conversations with people. So sometimes that doesn’t mean that you have to give them the whole shot of the gospel pill. I. Sometimes I just means you just be a representative in Christ in some way. And I’m not saying be shy or hide behind that. I don’t want anybody to to be disobedient, to not communicating the beauty of who Christ is in this world. But I want us to understand that that Jesus is the Savior, not us. And why? I think sometimes it’s a little bit better to think about having gospel conversations naturally, as I go in this world, rather than just have to evangelize. Every opportunity I get is because naturally, as a person, I talk about the things I love. I talk about the things I love. Hang around me for 5 minutes. I’m going to I’m going to direct a conversation to something that’s going on in my life that I’m just enjoying, or maybe something hard. Who knows? But but I tend to talk about the things I love. Like tonight there’s a jazz game. Go jazz. All you haters out there. Not not this church, though. You have to be a jazz fan to attend here. I’m just kidding. But. But I like to talk about the jazz. I talk about the things I love.
If you spend time with Jesus. You will see the goodness of Jesus. You will enjoy the presence of Jesus. And you’ll naturally want to talk about the things you love. You know what? People don’t talk about Jesus. That’ll spend time with Jesus. Come to church on Sunday. You hear a message like this, you feel guilty about it, and you’re like, I better tell someone about Jesus. You’ll talk about the things you love. Going in this world and naturally having gospel conversations feels more comfortable for everyone, for you, because you spend time with Jesus and for the people that see how Jesus is impacting your life. It’s like guilt driven. It’s love driven. Far more important. I’ll be faithful to share the gospel. Understanding the importance of what it is in our lives is is significant to how we then shared in this world. Because our lives naturally talk about the things that we love. Point number two, then your notes. And this is funny to me. I even made this a point, but big words don’t talk about big words, big boy words here this morning. But what God has done for me, the big picture and we’re going to talk about big words. And that’s this is where now he breaks down these verses to explain a little bit more about how God has done this for us, He says. And we are justified by his grace as a gift.
This is the the theme thought for the next three verses for us. Verse 24 This this phrase are here are justified by his grace as a gift, then becomes explained and the rest of verse 24, verse 25 and onto to verse 26, But he says this, and you are justified by his grace as a gift. Justified means declared righteous, right? It’s a it’s a legal term. It’s you go into the the courtroom guilty. But but rather now you have been found innocent. And and not only not only just saying that your past life has nothing wrong, but but rather you you take on the credit of Christ. You’re the righteousness of Christ is accredited to your account. The judge brings down the gavel and he says, not guilty and you’re credited with the righteousness of Christ. That’s what is saying You’re justified. And how did that happen? By His grace as a gift. The idea of grace is important for the life of a believer. In fact, there was this discussion. I think I’ve used this illustration before and during the life of C.S. Lewis. He was walking around, I think it was his university, and he walks into a room and all of these professors are sitting around debating what makes Christianity the Christian religion unique from all other religions in the world. And the story goes, they had been debating this for hours. And C.S. Lewis walks in the room is like, Hey, what are you guys talking about? And they tell him and he’s like, Oh, it’s easy.
It’s grace. And then walks back out of the room. We’ve been talking about this for hours, and he just comes in with one word and he demonstrates to us what makes Christianity unique from all other beliefs in this world. And it’s the idea of God’s grace. Grace is not something you earn. That is a wage. But grace is something given to us as a gift. In fact, Romans 11 six says that. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works. Other wise grace would no longer be grace. And then it begins to explain to us what that grace looks like. And he uses this word. This is interesting. He says, Through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, we are justified by his grace. And specifically one more. What that looks like is through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Now, this this word redemption in Scripture is very rich in its theological meaning. In fact, it comes from a cluster of words that you’ll read in Scripture like a redeemer, redemption, ransom, they all come. Origins are from the same, same group of words. And it’s a it’s a word of financial transaction. In our culture today, we have words for financial transaction like loan debt receipt. In Jesus’s day, they had terms for for financial transactions and redemption and ransom Were were those kind of words that that connected to to the sort of that sort of transaction and in Jesus’s day that that word redemption or that word ransom was commonly used in order to to to do one of two things to purchase someone out of prison like a P.O.W., a prisoner of war, or to buy a slave off the slave market.
You would redeem them, redeem their life or ransom them. In Jesus’s day in John Chapter ten Jesus or Mark? Chapter ten. Excuse me. Jesus says this verse 45 for even the Son of man came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. In order to to be a ransom, which Jesus is saying he would have to offer himself as a substitute. And this is what Jesus is saying. He sees us in bondage. We are prisoners to send Satan and death. And he comes and brings his own life. In order to free us. He’s he became that ransom. The idea of ransom is as old as God’s calling to Moses in Exodus, Chapter six is actually the the first time it’s used in Scripture, and it’s dealing with the idea of the Passover. And God says to Moses, looking to a group of of Hebrew people that find themselves as slaves in Egypt, and he describes them how he’s going to bring their freedom and their freedom from slavery in Egypt becomes a picture of how God wants to free his people for all of eternity, ultimately, in the Messiah, who would become that sacrificial lamb? In fact, in Exodus chapter six, verse six, it says, I am the Lord and I will bring you out from under the the burdens of the Egyptians and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment.
And how does God do that? Well, we know. And Exodus Chapter 12. He does this through the Passover. He does this through the passive. What’s important to know about this idea of redemption, your life being purchased by Christ. It’s not just being purchased from something. It’s also being purchased for something. God has a plan for your life. That’s why in scripture it says, Now you belong to him. You were created for him. His purposes and to live your life in relationship to him. So when we discussed this word redemption, let me just ask then, how do I really know that in Romans this word redemption is really in reference to this this idea of Passover? Well, if you read a little bit further on in Romans chapter three, verse 25, it says, whom God put forward as the perpetuation by his blood. Let me let me just stop there. This is actually in verse 25 is connecting that not just to the Passover, but also to to Yom Kippur, the day of Atonement.
But he says this in God put forward meaning he didn’t do this privately. This thing with Jesus just didn’t happen somewhere in the dark. God brought Jesus where the cradle of civilization began. And he proclaimed us from the Book of Genesis from the very beginning that he would bring the Messiah. And you look where Israel is positioned. Israel is positioned, and God brought them into a promised land that connected all the the major world powers throughout history. This didn’t just happen in some isolated place. God had foretold this from the beginning. This was to be this took place publicly so that everyone would know. God prophetically declared it before Jesus would come, so that when Jesus came, we wouldn’t miss his arrival. God brought this forward. And I think it’s important for all of us as believers to be confident in this. I was I was with a religious leader recently who gave this ignorant statement. He said, there’s not even a historical basis to suggest that Jesus existed. I’m like, And this guy’s got claimed he had his PhD in religious studies and and I just let the statement go. But on the inside I was saying all kinds of things. Really. I just it just astounds me that people could be that ignorant to the history of Jesus. Even if you don’t believe in who Jesus is, first century alone, people outside of biblical truth wrote about Jesus.
You have Greek, Roman and Jewish historians, people like Thalis or Tacitus or or Suetonius or Josephus. Josephus was Jewish Historian The other two or the other three. I mentioned Greek and Roman historians all talking about Jesus, and they’re all writing in the first century. And to suggest he’s not even a historical figure is just it’s asinine. As a Christian, knowing how foundational it is that you have confidence and the truth of who Jesus is. Just to take a little bit of your life and just to study into the historical Jesus. If you’re ever interested, let me just encourage you. There’s a probably the the world leader in that topic today is a man by the name of Gary Habermas. I even think he’s got a small book about 100 pages called The Historical Jesus. It was a book written off a show he did with John ANCOR Berg that talks about the reality of who Jesus is. But he’s saying to us in verse 25 that God put put him forward publicly as a perpetuation by his blood, meaning he satisfied the wrath of God. That’s perpetuation. God’s wrath was against us. And he satisfied that wrath and brings us in reconciliation to the Lord. That’s the idea of perpetuation. They satisfy the wrath, but he reconciles that relationship by his blood, which is the day of atonement.
Leviticus 17. There is life in the blood. They would make the sacrifices of animals as a reminder that when that blood would leave that animal. So. So because the wages of sin there is death. And the idea of sacrificing that animal in the Old Testament was a reminder that there would become that one. Lamb Who would be the ultimate sacrifice for everyone? And Jesus by his blood. The Day of Atonement is pictured here as that become that ultimate sacrifice for us to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because look at this in His divine forbearance, he passed over former sins. God saw your unrighteousness. And he passed over it. Now, some people, when they see this idea that’s communicated, they’ll say things like, you know, but but I don’t feel God’s love. Can I just encourage you if you don’t feel God’s love? To take some time to just look at his love on display. I mean, if you just study the extent of what he’s done for you and historical time, God becoming flesh to give his life for you when he didn’t have to. So that your your guilty position before him could become free and you could have the righteousness of Christ. As you begin to see his love, you will start to feel his love. God did this for you. It says he passed over our former sins.
So that we could be made free. I don’t want to come before God with my resume to impress him. I want to come before the Lord with his resume on my behalf. This brings us to point number two then and then we’ll go through this quickly. How does God’s work shape me? How does God’s work shape me in verse 27? He says this Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by a law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith. Apart from the works of the law. Not based on my performance. But based on his. God is asking for my worst. And in exchange, he is giving me his best. That is an incredible gift. And that reminds me in that position, I don’t have a place of boasting. But it also says to me the most important decision I think I could make in my life is what I choose to do with Jesus. If God is asking me for my worse in order to give me his best. Why? Why would I not do that? Jon Stewart, one of the famous theologians, less well this into this century and last century. He died, I think, in 2011. But he said this about the Lord. He said, I could never myself be that believe in God if it were not for the cross and the real world of pain.
How could one worship a God who was immune to it? And John start saying, you know, in his book he’s saying here, know one of the. One of the things that compelled me to choose this. Was to see how personal God became. To give his life for me. And to see a God that cared that much. That’s what speaks to the soul. He is not indifferent to our struggle, but he entered into it. One more. There’s a man by the name of A.J. Gordon. He’s. He’s. He started. Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. He was a Baptist minister in Boston. He lived in the 1800s and he died in the 1800s then. He was only about 60 years old when he died. But he he writes one day of a young boy who came into the church and this young boy had a cage with birds inside. And he asked the young boy said, Where’d you get these birds? And he said, Well, sir, they’re just wild birds. I caught in the field behind behind my house. And he said, Well, what are you going to do with them? He said, I don’t know. Play with them for a little bit when I’m done, maybe feed him to my old cat. And AJ was a little worried about how these birds are going to be treated. So he offered this young man a more than fair sum for the cage and the birds.
And the young man looked at me. He said, You don’t want these birds. These are wild birds, and these birds aren’t worth that. And AJ Gordon said, Yeah, I insist. Let me let me purchase these birds from from you. And the young man accepts and he leaves all excited. Before he leaves, he turns to them and says, Joke’s on you, mister. And this birds, they’re not even good songbirds. And now, now you own them, right? And AJ, he didn’t intend to keep these birds, but he walked outside immediately behind the church. And. And he said, You know that young man, He said, these birds weren’t good at singing. But I can tell you, as soon as I opened that cage, the greatest song that’s ever been sung from their beaks came from their mouths. Came from their mouths. And guys, the same is true for us. When you understand the extent for which Christ has offered his life for you. It’s not a place of your boasting. But a place for your soul, your soul to sing before the greatness of this God. Who pursued you and gave everything that you could find freedom and hand, in fact, point over one of your notes or under this point in your notes is this No, no boasting, but worship. How God’s work shapes me. There is no boasting in me, but rather worship from me.
Boasting is what I talk about. Me. Worship is when my heart is focused on him. No boasting, but worship. And then the last point is this that you are equal in Christ and this is where he ends verse 29 or his God, the God of the Jews only. Is he not the God of the Gentiles also? Yes, of the Gentiles also. Since God is one who will justify the the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means. On the contrary, we uphold the law. We’re Poland’s. This chapter is to say to us, Look. The Lord is doing this for everyone. We all are equal in Christ as we put our faith in Him. There is not a Jew above Gentile or Gentile above Jew. We all have this place to to come before Christ in our brokenness and to find His righteousness on our behalf. What does this mean for us? Because when I look at these truths, I realize this morning these ten verses, the rich in theological truth. But I don’t just simply want an orthodoxy or a dead orthodoxy at that. I want to see a truth that transforms our lives. That’s not just something that we believe, but also something that we live. That it doesn’t just stop with us, but it works through us to make a difference in this world. In fact, there’s a story of Hudson Taylor, and this is the last tour before I close.
Hudson Taylor was in Brighton, England, and he was sitting in church and he was so moved by by the story that was being shared from Scripture about the Lord. It stirred the depth of who He was, and he immediately got up from his seat and he walked out of the church and he headed towards the the beach and Brighton, England. And he he writes this in his autobiography. He says this on Sunday, June 25th, 1865. Unable to bear the sight of a congregation of 1000 or more Christians, people rejoicing in their own security while millions were perishing for lack of knowledge. I wandered out on the sands alone in great spiritual agony. And there the Lord conquered my unbelief. And I surrendered myself to God for His service. You know, one of the reasons I don’t think we talk about Jesus. I don’t think we truly believe he is who he says he is. Or at least he’s not as big as he says he is in our hearts. Two concern with what others think. And not enough of concern with the greatness of who he is. When your heart saturates the words of Romans three. And the power of this God by His grace, gives us his righteousness. If we would just come to Him our worst for His best. And not only gives a place for our soul to sing. But it gives an opportunity to share with the world the place that they can come to know him to.