If the heart of Paul’s letters is Romans
Word of God is precious, we must treasure it
The very genius of Christianity is the ability of God to build himself into us through the word so that in our daily lives we live like the master.
Our message is simple gospel truth and this truth of who Christ is, both son of man and son of God, what he came to show us, the word that became flesh, and dwelt among us, Jesus came to show us what man can do when he has God as his ally.
Gospel means good news and it is not good news unless it’s available for all, in our pride we can say that his word does not work in my life, somehow this message of grace and forgiveness cannot apply to be because…
We preach amazing grace and the new life we have in Christ,
His new creation in us and how we apply that to every day of our lives,
Starting in Romans 3, my text is verses 21-25
1. Grace apart from works Rom 3.21
2. Grace accepted by faith Rom 3.22
3. Grace available to all who believe Rom 3.22-23
4. Grace attained by justification – Rom 3.24
5. Grace awarded freely Rom 3.24
6. Grace acquired through redemption Rom 3.24
7. Grace accomplished through propitiation Rom 3.25
Last week I took time to establish that this message applies to everyone, we all need a saviour for all have fallen short of God’s glory.
There is nobody who is right with God, no not one.
Quote if only there were only some evil people somewhere in a certain place committing evil deed; it would only be necessary or separate them from the rest of us and destroy them, but the diving line between evil and good goes straight thought the heart of every human being and who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart. Jesus came to seek and save the lost he did not say that they were hard to find, are we all not lost without a saviour,
We come to the realisation that we are totally contaminated with sin and that we are totally forgiven though the love and grace of out lord Jesus Christ
Paul makes in clear that in the beginning chapters that no one is righteous he makes it clear that there is a need for God help when it comes to being made right with him, there therefore can be no room for boasting
Though, if there are people who by their attitude and right behaviour make themselves righteous, and if we are somehow good enough by ourselves we could boast
There are those who think that behaving right can make them more righteous.
We read last week in Romans 3 verse 10
“No one is righteous—
not even one.
Like a lawyer Paul is laying the case for a fact that man in his natural state whether a law abiding Jew or a gentile that has no knowledge of God they are all the same.
In themselves they are not right with God, nor can they ever become right with God without a saviour.
Then onto the Christian, the one who believes, are we not just sinners saved (barely) by grace?
We cannot go through life feeling barley saved, the other man made religions have no assurance of salvation but we with confidence can approach the throne of grace, knowing that our sin has been dealt with that we have an advocate someone to speak on our behalf.
That is why we always teach on the new creation, seeing ourselves as God sees us right with God in Christ and free from condemnation.
1. Grace apart from works Rom 3.21
21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,
Ephesians 2:8-9 (New King James Version)
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Titus 3:5 (New King James Version)
5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
Gal 2. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”
2. Grace accepted by faith Rom 3.22
22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ,
Galatians 5:5
For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
Philippians 3:9
and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;
Hebrews 11:33
who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,
The key to anything is faith, Jesus would say only believe, and spoke of having faith as a mustard seed, and using the faith you have and placing your faith in me he said, you believe in God believe also in me, you have faith in God have faith in me.
Charles surgeon once said faith is believing Christ is who he said he was and that he will do what he promised he would do and living accordingly, that is why faith is accounted as right standing with God,
God’s grace meets human faith and peace is declared in the war between heaven and earth.
3. Grace available to all who believe
Rom 3.22-23
22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
The key word here is all, someone said to me once that they thought that God was god and he would move if he choose to his hand was some kind of random, but the truth is that God has to be fair to one, if he would do it for Christ he would do it for me.
Jesus said we would do greater works, because I go to my father.
John 6:40
And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Acts 13:39
and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.
Romans 1:16
[ The Just Live by Faith ] For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
4. Grace attained by justification – Rom 3.24
24 being justified
Gal 2 .16,
16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.
Galatians 3:11
But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.”
Romans 5:1
[ Faith Triumphs in Trouble ] Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
5. Grace awarded freely Rom 3.24
Freely by His grace
Romans 5:15 For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.
6. Grace acquired through redemption Rom 3.24
Freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
1 Corinthians 1:30
But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—
Ephesians 1:7
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
Colossians 1:14
in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
7. Grace accomplished through propitiation Rom 3.25
25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed
Hebrews 2:17
Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
1 John 2:2
And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
1 John 4:10
In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
