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Thank you for coming to worship with us at Redemption Hill.

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I see some new faces.

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My name's Joe.

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I have the privilege of being one of the pastors here

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and preaching to you from the book of Galatians.

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I'd love to meet you after the service

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if this is your first time.

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Myself and some of our other pastors will be down front

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to meet you, to answer questions and connect with you.

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If you have your Bibles, let's go ahead and open to Galatians.

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We're in chapter two.

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This morning we'll be in verses 15 through 21,

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so we're gonna close out chapter two.

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What I would call is the thesis statement

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of the book of Galatians.

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Many have said this is the most important paragraph

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in the book of Galatians.

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If this is your first time in church,

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you picked a really good Sunday to come

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because we're gonna answer a really important question.

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How can sinful people stand before a holy God?

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How can we be made right with God?

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Paul's gonna explain that today,

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and what he is gonna tell us is the law can't do that,

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and he's gonna tell us why the law cannot do that.

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Let's read our text beginning in verse 15.

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We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners.

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Yet we know that a person is not justified

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by works of the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ.

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So we also have believed in Christ Jesus

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in order to be justified by faith in Christ

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and not by works of the law,

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because by works of the law, no one will be justified.

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But if in our endeavor to be justified in Christ,

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we too were found to be sinners,

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is Christ then a servant of sin?

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Certainly not.

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For if I rebuild what I tore down,

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I prove myself to be a transgressor.

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For through the law, I died to the law

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so that I might live to God.

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I have been crucified with Christ.

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It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.

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In the life I now live, in the flesh I live by faith

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in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.

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I do not nullify the grace of God,

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for if righteousness were through the law,

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then Christ died for no purpose.

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This is God's word.

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Let's pray.

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Heavenly Father, we come to you in prayer again,

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asking for your Holy Spirit to open our eyes

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and our hearts to receive your word,

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asking that through your word,

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you would nourish our souls

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and you would equip your people for the work of ministry,

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asking that you would get me out of the way

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so that your word would be clear.

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So God, I pray that you would do that.

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You would point us to where our righteousness is found,

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and that's found in Jesus, not in our own selves.

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And I pray that you would press upon our hearts this morning

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the grace and mercy that you've shown us in your Son.

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Your word would go forth and you would be honored

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in Christ's name we pray, amen.

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Well, allow me this morning to use an illustration

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from Jesus, although he used this illustration

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in Matthew 18 to discuss forgiveness.

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I'm gonna use the illustration to discuss

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being right with God, justified with God.

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Imagine a man that owes a massive debt,

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call it billions and billions of dollars.

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I mean, if you think about that number,

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this man could never pay that debt back.

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He would have to work a lifetime and then another lifetime

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and another lifetime to even put a dent in that debt.

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And imagine that that man does.

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He owes this debt to someone else

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and he works and labors for years.

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And every time he attempts to pay back that debt,

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all he realizes is that debt's just growing larger.

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And then one day the person to whom he owed the debt

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sends him a letter, an official letter with his signature.

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Signature, the debt's been taken care of.

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I paid the debt for you.

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How would you feel if you were the one

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that received the letter?

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A burden lifted, gratitude and thanksgiving.

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I'm sure you would run to that man

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who paid the debt for you and thank him.

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But imagine that's not what happens.

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Imagine that instead of responding with thanksgiving

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and gratitude, instead of embracing his freedom,

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this man just returns to his old ways.

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He just goes back working thinking that he's got to pay back

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a debt that has already been paid.

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That's what it's like if we rely on what Paul calls works

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of the law to make us right with God.

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That would have made the payment meaningless

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if the man continued to try to pay back a debt

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that didn't exist.

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And what Paul is telling us is found in verse 21,

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if righteousness were through the law,

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then Christ died for no purpose.

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If the debt's already been paid in full,

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by Jesus, no payments required from us,

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if we use our works, our obedience or the works of the law

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to try to earn our righteousness,

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then wouldn't that make the cross meaningless?

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We can put it like this.

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The work of Christ is meaningless

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if the law could make us righteous.

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If the law could make us righteous.

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Now, remember what's happened so far in Galatians.

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Paul has defended his apostleship and his gospel,

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which are under attack in Galatia.

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And in chapter one, he proved he never got his gospel

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from man, he was independent of the other apostles

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that walked with Jesus, those Jerusalem apostles.

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From the moment he was converted,

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and he preached the same gospel,

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he was preaching a different gospel,

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but he was independent of them.

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He didn't have his gospel tainted or manipulated by man.

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And in fact, in chapter two, he goes on to tell us

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that that gospel that's under attack in Galatia

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was also affirmed by the other apostles,

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by Peter and James and John,

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they're preaching the same gospel,

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they extended to Paul the right hand of fellowship.

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And then last week in chapter two, verses 11 through 14,

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we see that that gospel that Paul is preaching,

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the gospel is actually authoritative over every human,

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even the other apostles, even over Peter.

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Remember, it was in Antioch,

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that blend of multicultural Christianity,

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that first truly multi-ethnic church

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where Peter came and he was eating with the Gentiles,

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he was laying down his Jewishness

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because he didn't want to make that a barrier

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to receive the gospel.

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And he knew in the gospel he was free,

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he could eat the pork and the shrimp and the crawfish

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and the whatever they ate during that day, right?

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He didn't have to adhere to a strict diet

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when he was around the Gentiles.

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And he sat with them and ate with them

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and was one with them until the men from James came.

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And then what did he do?

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He shrunk back and cowered and compromised

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and though not explicitly preaching a different gospel

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with his life,

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he was implicitly preaching a different gospel.

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He was preaching, yeah, it's Jesus,

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but it's also Jewishness.

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It's also what you eat.

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And so what happened?

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The church was divided.

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It was split into Jews and Gentiles and Paul did what?

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He goes to Peter and he confronts him to his face.

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And he says in verse 14,

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if you, Peter, though a Jew, live like a Gentile

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and not like a Jew,

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how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?

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Peter, if you know the freedom of the gospel

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and you're living in the freedom of the gospel,

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you're not putting the barriers of the law

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and the Gentiles to be received by Jesus,

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to be made right

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because it's only faith in Christ that makes one right.

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You know that, but you're imposing the law back on them.

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You're being a hypocrite.

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And so what we have in verses 15 through 21

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are the rest of Paul's confrontational words

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with Peter that day in Antioch.

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That's what's happening here.

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Paul's continuing to tell the Galatians and us

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what he told Peter when he confronted him to his face.

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And what we're gonna see happens in this verse

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is Paul's transitioning from defending his gospel

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to explaining his gospel

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because we have a lot of things in Galatians

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packed really tightly in these verses.

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And what we're gonna see as the book continues to progress

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are these things being unpacked in further detail.

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And his point in these verses

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is to prove to Peter, Peter, the law doesn't make us right.

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Doesn't make us righteous.

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So this morning I want you to see from our text

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two reasons why the law cannot make us right with God.

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Two reasons.

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Okay, number one, we're gonna see it

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in the first half of this text, verses 15 through 18.

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The law is powerless to make us righteous.

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We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners.

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So he's continuing to tell the church in Galatia

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what he told Peter that day in Antioch.

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So the we here is Peter and Paul.

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They're both Jews by birth, they're not Gentiles.

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That phrase Gentile sinners

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was not a derogatory statement by Paul.

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That's probably something that the Judaizers

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would have said regarding the Gentiles.

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They're not Jews like us.

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They're outside of the covenant people of God.

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They're sinners, they're not Gentiles.

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They're sinners, we're not, we're Jews.

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And Paul says, look Peter, you know we're Jews by birth.

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We're not Gentiles.

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But notice what he says next.

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Yet we know, even Jews, we know that a person

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is not justified by works of the law.

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Underline that.

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Get a sense for what Paul is saying.

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Yes, there are privileges to being a Jew, Peter.

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I know that, I'll give you that.

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We could even say they might be advantages, so to speak.

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Go to Romans chapter nine.

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Paul lists them in Romans nine.

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You might say the advantages of Jewishness in chapter nine

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and he says this beginning in verse four.

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They are Israelites, Jews.

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Here's the advantages of being a Jew.

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To them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants,

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the giving of the law, the worship,

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the promises, to them belong the patriarchs

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and from their race according to the flesh

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is the Christ, the Messiah,

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who is God over all blessed forever, amen.

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So the Jews did have privileges that the Gentiles did not.

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They had access to the law.

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The Gentiles weren't given the law.

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Moses and the Israelites were given the law.

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It was to a Jew, the very first Jew we could say, Abraham,

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that God gave a covenant to

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and he gave the sign of the covenant circumcision.

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It was to Abraham that God promised through him

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all nations would be blessed

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or would be a king that would come.

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And it's through Abraham's line, the Jews,

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that God did fulfill that promise

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through the Messiah, through Jesus.

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Paul says, I get it.

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They don't have access to those privileges like we do.

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Now, remember, that's not,

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that's not to say that God didn't have a plan

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from eternity past to graft Gentiles

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into his covenant people.

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We see in the Old Testament that plan being unfolded

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and hinted at.

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We see Jesus encountering Gentiles.

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We talked about it last week, Peter's vision.

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Remember Peter's vision of the food that God says,

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look, what I have called cling,

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you don't call common anymore.

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What Peter is saying is, I'm sorry,

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what Paul is saying to Peter

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is there, yes, there are advantages to being a Jew,

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but, but we know that by works of the law,

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those advantages don't make us righteous.

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00:12:43,740 --> 00:12:45,340
They don't justify us.

262
00:12:47,300 --> 00:12:49,260
I'm gonna think about that for a moment.

263
00:12:50,940 --> 00:12:52,980
I grew up in a Christian home.

264
00:12:52,980 --> 00:12:54,140
This is a rhetorical question.

265
00:12:54,140 --> 00:12:56,180
You don't have to raise your hand.

266
00:12:56,180 --> 00:12:57,820
Did you grow up in a Christian home?

267
00:12:57,820 --> 00:13:00,580
I would be willing to bet about 60%,

268
00:13:00,580 --> 00:13:03,300
maybe 70 said yes, 30 said no.

269
00:13:04,820 --> 00:13:07,900
Growing up in a Christian home does not guarantee

270
00:13:07,900 --> 00:13:10,700
that you would have been saved.

271
00:13:11,420 --> 00:13:13,500
And if you have kids, it doesn't guarantee

272
00:13:13,500 --> 00:13:15,860
that your kids will be saved.

273
00:13:15,860 --> 00:13:20,860
No one, no one becomes a Christian through osmosis.

274
00:13:21,900 --> 00:13:23,220
It's not how it works.

275
00:13:23,220 --> 00:13:27,100
It's not how it works, just because you're close

276
00:13:28,340 --> 00:13:33,340
in access to the things of God doesn't actually mean

277
00:13:33,340 --> 00:13:35,220
that you will be a Christian.

278
00:13:35,220 --> 00:13:40,220
Now, it's a good thing to grow up in a Christian home.

279
00:13:41,500 --> 00:13:43,860
I mean, I grew up in a Christian home.

280
00:13:43,860 --> 00:13:46,340
We listened to DC Talk growing up.

281
00:13:46,340 --> 00:13:47,740
Audio adrenaline, come on,

282
00:13:47,740 --> 00:13:49,540
you guys know what I'm talking about.

283
00:13:49,540 --> 00:13:50,900
Yeah, you're nodding your head.

284
00:13:50,900 --> 00:13:52,900
Some of you are like, what is that?

285
00:13:52,900 --> 00:13:54,820
You might not wanna go listen to DC Talk,

286
00:13:54,820 --> 00:13:56,620
nodding your head, I'm just kidding.

287
00:13:58,540 --> 00:14:00,540
We have, I had access to God's word.

288
00:14:00,540 --> 00:14:02,420
I was in the church every Sunday.

289
00:14:02,420 --> 00:14:04,300
I heard the preaching of the gospel

290
00:14:04,300 --> 00:14:08,100
and God did use that to bring me to faith in Jesus.

291
00:14:08,100 --> 00:14:10,100
But there are many of you that didn't

292
00:14:11,780 --> 00:14:13,780
and you've placed your faith in Jesus.

293
00:14:14,700 --> 00:14:17,820
So, parent in the room, do we want our kids

294
00:14:17,820 --> 00:14:21,300
to be around the people of God, the things of God,

295
00:14:21,300 --> 00:14:23,180
the word of God, the gospel?

296
00:14:23,180 --> 00:14:26,900
Yes, yes, but realize this.

297
00:14:26,900 --> 00:14:31,180
At best, it's like kindling around wood

298
00:14:31,180 --> 00:14:34,340
and we don't have the match to light the kindling.

299
00:14:34,340 --> 00:14:37,940
We pray that God will somehow strike a fire

300
00:14:37,940 --> 00:14:40,180
and use that and bring them to faith,

301
00:14:40,180 --> 00:14:43,580
but those privileges do not make us right with God.

302
00:14:43,580 --> 00:14:47,460
No one, no one is a believer by osmosis.

303
00:14:47,460 --> 00:14:51,540
That's Paul's point here right there in verse 15.

304
00:14:51,540 --> 00:14:54,780
And then three times, notice three times in verse 16,

305
00:14:54,780 --> 00:14:57,620
he says, just look at it again

306
00:14:57,620 --> 00:14:59,620
so you know I'm not making this up.

307
00:14:59,620 --> 00:15:02,460
A person is not justified by works of the law,

308
00:15:02,460 --> 00:15:04,020
but through faith in Jesus Christ.

309
00:15:04,020 --> 00:15:05,980
So we also have believed in Christ

310
00:15:05,980 --> 00:15:08,060
in order to be justified by faith

311
00:15:08,060 --> 00:15:10,060
and not by works of the law

312
00:15:10,060 --> 00:15:12,860
because by works of the law, no one will be justified.

313
00:15:12,860 --> 00:15:16,580
Three times, Peter says, no one is justified

314
00:15:16,580 --> 00:15:17,500
by works of the law.

315
00:15:17,500 --> 00:15:19,420
So two questions.

316
00:15:19,420 --> 00:15:21,020
What does it mean to be justified

317
00:15:21,020 --> 00:15:22,620
and what are works of the law?

318
00:15:24,660 --> 00:15:26,860
Now, if redemption heals your home,

319
00:15:26,860 --> 00:15:28,220
you've heard this before.

320
00:15:29,260 --> 00:15:32,180
We talk about justification a lot.

321
00:15:32,180 --> 00:15:35,260
To be justified is a legal term.

322
00:15:35,260 --> 00:15:38,500
In the court of law, it means to be

323
00:15:38,500 --> 00:15:42,100
by the judge declared right.

324
00:15:42,100 --> 00:15:45,380
Not just innocent, not just to hear the verdict,

325
00:15:45,380 --> 00:15:49,380
not guilty, but there's something more to this

326
00:15:50,220 --> 00:15:53,460
because the judge is the holy God of creation

327
00:15:54,460 --> 00:15:59,180
who's righteous and perfect and just in all his ways,

328
00:15:59,180 --> 00:16:00,100
and we are not.

329
00:16:01,300 --> 00:16:03,620
So therein lies a problem.

330
00:16:04,620 --> 00:16:08,620
How can he declare us righteous when we're not righteous?

331
00:16:10,740 --> 00:16:13,940
So to be declared righteous is to be justified.

332
00:16:13,940 --> 00:16:16,260
And what we see, Christianity,

333
00:16:16,260 --> 00:16:20,780
unlike any other belief system in this world,

334
00:16:20,780 --> 00:16:22,620
teaches that that righteousness

335
00:16:22,620 --> 00:16:24,820
is actually an alien righteousness.

336
00:16:24,820 --> 00:16:27,620
The judge actually takes his righteousness

337
00:16:27,620 --> 00:16:29,460
and imputes it to the guilty.

338
00:16:31,060 --> 00:16:34,500
And then that's what justifies someone.

339
00:16:34,500 --> 00:16:36,540
We'll talk about that as we progress.

340
00:16:36,540 --> 00:16:40,380
So to be justified means to legally,

341
00:16:40,380 --> 00:16:43,220
by a judge, be declared righteous.

342
00:16:43,220 --> 00:16:45,940
So what are works of the law?

343
00:16:45,940 --> 00:16:48,420
Certainly included in works of the law

344
00:16:48,420 --> 00:16:50,300
are the issues on the table in Galatians,

345
00:16:50,300 --> 00:16:53,860
circumcision, dietary restrictions,

346
00:16:53,860 --> 00:16:56,980
but those are ceremonial aspects of the law.

347
00:16:56,980 --> 00:17:00,420
By works of the law, Paul also means our obedience

348
00:17:00,420 --> 00:17:05,140
to God's revealed will, actions.

349
00:17:05,140 --> 00:17:07,780
You know, Jesus said we can summarize the law

350
00:17:07,780 --> 00:17:09,300
vertically and horizontally.

351
00:17:10,540 --> 00:17:12,260
What does God's law teach us?

352
00:17:12,260 --> 00:17:15,180
Number one, to love God with all our heart, soul,

353
00:17:15,180 --> 00:17:16,020
strength, and mind.

354
00:17:16,020 --> 00:17:19,140
And number two, love our neighbor as our self.

355
00:17:19,140 --> 00:17:22,020
We can summarize the law with those two commands.

356
00:17:24,420 --> 00:17:26,580
All of God's law is gonna fit somewhere.

357
00:17:27,860 --> 00:17:31,180
So we would say works of the law isn't just circumcision

358
00:17:31,180 --> 00:17:34,220
and it isn't just dietary restrictions

359
00:17:34,220 --> 00:17:37,460
because let's be honest, those aren't a problem for us.

360
00:17:37,460 --> 00:17:39,660
It's obedience to God.

361
00:17:42,180 --> 00:17:43,900
Okay, and I told the first service this

362
00:17:43,900 --> 00:17:45,900
and I think it's important we understand this.

363
00:17:48,060 --> 00:17:51,860
Here's what we know about God's law.

364
00:17:51,860 --> 00:17:54,820
It's been written down for us in his word, yes,

365
00:17:54,820 --> 00:17:58,180
but it's also a part of his general revelation

366
00:17:58,180 --> 00:17:59,380
to all of creation.

367
00:17:59,380 --> 00:18:04,380
It's actually written on every human being's heart.

368
00:18:04,380 --> 00:18:07,460
I know that because there was a wicked act

369
00:18:07,460 --> 00:18:09,980
that took place this week, a school shooting,

370
00:18:09,980 --> 00:18:13,780
a wicked heinous act that just shows

371
00:18:13,780 --> 00:18:15,580
the brokenness of our world.

372
00:18:16,420 --> 00:18:18,620
And there were people that were not Christians

373
00:18:19,660 --> 00:18:23,140
that turned on their TV or scrolled through social media

374
00:18:23,140 --> 00:18:24,660
and their heart broke.

375
00:18:26,300 --> 00:18:27,980
Why did their heart break?

376
00:18:27,980 --> 00:18:30,940
Because on their heart is written a law

377
00:18:30,940 --> 00:18:33,540
that says we can't live without God.

378
00:18:33,540 --> 00:18:36,300
And it's written in a law that all humans are made

379
00:18:36,300 --> 00:18:39,140
in the Imago day and no one has a right

380
00:18:39,140 --> 00:18:40,940
to take another human's life.

381
00:18:40,940 --> 00:18:42,620
They knew that.

382
00:18:42,620 --> 00:18:43,460
We know that.

383
00:18:45,420 --> 00:18:49,780
Now, murder isn't the only command of God, we know that.

384
00:18:51,020 --> 00:18:53,820
So we can summarize the works of the law

385
00:18:53,820 --> 00:18:57,380
as being God's revealed, whether specially through scripture

386
00:18:57,380 --> 00:19:00,140
or generally written on our hearts,

387
00:19:00,140 --> 00:19:03,580
his commands and will for all humanity.

388
00:19:03,580 --> 00:19:08,580
And Paul is saying that our actions and our obedience

389
00:19:08,860 --> 00:19:12,820
does not make us justified before God

390
00:19:14,940 --> 00:19:18,820
because it can't account for our problem of being sinful.

391
00:19:20,500 --> 00:19:21,340
It can't.

392
00:19:23,020 --> 00:19:26,340
Just in case you didn't know this,

393
00:19:26,340 --> 00:19:30,500
we believe firmly that the problem with humanity is sin.

394
00:19:30,500 --> 00:19:32,780
And it's not sin out there, that's part of it,

395
00:19:32,780 --> 00:19:34,340
but it starts where?

396
00:19:34,340 --> 00:19:35,180
Here.

397
00:19:36,460 --> 00:19:39,740
All of us are born in sin.

398
00:19:40,780 --> 00:19:42,700
So the fundamental question that,

399
00:19:43,860 --> 00:19:44,700
actually let me say it,

400
00:19:44,700 --> 00:19:48,260
the most important question that you can ask

401
00:19:48,260 --> 00:19:50,700
is not is there a God?

402
00:19:50,700 --> 00:19:52,180
By you asking that question

403
00:19:52,180 --> 00:19:54,740
proves you already know there's a God.

404
00:19:54,740 --> 00:19:56,580
By you even have breath in your body,

405
00:19:56,580 --> 00:20:00,060
by you even being here is proof there is a God.

406
00:20:00,060 --> 00:20:02,260
It's not what is the purpose of life.

407
00:20:02,260 --> 00:20:04,220
The most fundamental question,

408
00:20:04,220 --> 00:20:06,860
the most important question that we can ask

409
00:20:06,860 --> 00:20:09,940
is how can we as sinners be made right

410
00:20:09,940 --> 00:20:12,100
with a holy God that created us?

411
00:20:12,100 --> 00:20:14,980
Be made right, be restored to a right relationship.

412
00:20:14,980 --> 00:20:17,420
That's what I'm talking about when I say be made right.

413
00:20:17,420 --> 00:20:20,300
Stand before him righteous.

414
00:20:20,300 --> 00:20:23,660
In our sin though he is holy and without sin.

415
00:20:23,660 --> 00:20:26,220
That's what Paul's addressing.

416
00:20:27,100 --> 00:20:28,580
Is it by what we do?

417
00:20:31,100 --> 00:20:31,940
Paul says no.

418
00:20:33,740 --> 00:20:35,300
It's not.

419
00:20:35,300 --> 00:20:38,100
In fact Paul tells Peter, you know this Peter,

420
00:20:38,100 --> 00:20:40,100
even as a Jew, one with the law,

421
00:20:40,100 --> 00:20:41,900
one with those privileges, you know this.

422
00:20:41,900 --> 00:20:43,340
Go to Psalm 143.

423
00:20:43,340 --> 00:20:46,620
He's quoting here at the very end of this verse

424
00:20:46,620 --> 00:20:49,500
from Psalm 143, the words of David.

425
00:20:49,500 --> 00:20:50,340
David says this,

426
00:20:50,340 --> 00:20:51,460
Hear my prayer, O Lord,

427
00:20:51,460 --> 00:20:53,340
give ear to my pleas for mercy

428
00:20:53,340 --> 00:20:55,180
and your faithfulness answer me.

429
00:20:56,060 --> 00:20:57,980
In your righteousness,

430
00:20:57,980 --> 00:21:00,220
he doesn't say in my righteousness,

431
00:21:00,220 --> 00:21:02,260
he says in your righteousness

432
00:21:02,260 --> 00:21:04,700
and are not into judgment with your servant.

433
00:21:04,700 --> 00:21:05,520
Why?

434
00:21:05,520 --> 00:21:09,020
Because no one living and included in that no one is David

435
00:21:09,020 --> 00:21:10,420
is righteous before you.

436
00:21:11,740 --> 00:21:13,700
Paul would say in Romans three no one is righteous.

437
00:21:13,700 --> 00:21:15,100
No one is good, no not one.

438
00:21:16,060 --> 00:21:17,140
That's the bad news.

439
00:21:19,500 --> 00:21:21,300
We're gonna get to the good news.

440
00:21:21,300 --> 00:21:24,580
David declares no one is righteous.

441
00:21:25,740 --> 00:21:27,380
So Paul is saying you know this.

442
00:21:28,820 --> 00:21:32,020
Even as a Jew Peter, you know that we are all unrighteous

443
00:21:32,020 --> 00:21:34,540
even with these privileges because of our sin

444
00:21:34,540 --> 00:21:35,780
to stand before a holy God

445
00:21:35,780 --> 00:21:38,500
and it's not our adherence to the law.

446
00:21:39,500 --> 00:21:41,780
It's not our diet, it's not our circumcision.

447
00:21:41,780 --> 00:21:44,260
That's not gonna make us righteous.

448
00:21:45,580 --> 00:21:47,580
Now Paul knows the accusations

449
00:21:47,580 --> 00:21:49,140
that have been leveled against his gospel.

450
00:21:49,140 --> 00:21:50,900
So what I think Paul does next

451
00:21:50,900 --> 00:21:53,580
and Paul does this a lot when he writes his letters.

452
00:21:53,580 --> 00:21:55,740
He goes ahead and answers objections

453
00:21:55,740 --> 00:21:57,260
before someone can object.

454
00:21:58,260 --> 00:22:01,540
So what we have I believe in what follows

455
00:22:01,540 --> 00:22:03,340
is a string of objections

456
00:22:03,340 --> 00:22:06,100
that Paul is answering and defending.

457
00:22:08,220 --> 00:22:09,560
He's giving clarity.

458
00:22:12,060 --> 00:22:14,620
So by removing the law as a means of righteousness

459
00:22:14,620 --> 00:22:16,220
and living in the freedom of the gospel,

460
00:22:16,220 --> 00:22:19,300
it seems that people have accused Paul and Peter

461
00:22:19,300 --> 00:22:21,020
who preached the same gospel

462
00:22:21,020 --> 00:22:23,020
of living just like Gentile sinners,

463
00:22:23,020 --> 00:22:26,340
not needing the law, thus nullifying the holy God,

464
00:22:26,340 --> 00:22:28,020
lessening its importance,

465
00:22:28,020 --> 00:22:31,820
and thus making Christ a minister or agent of sin.

466
00:22:31,820 --> 00:22:34,100
If you don't need the law and the law is good

467
00:22:34,100 --> 00:22:36,460
and you're saying it's only Christ who justifies,

468
00:22:36,460 --> 00:22:39,180
then wouldn't Christ by removing the law

469
00:22:39,180 --> 00:22:40,660
be an agent of sin?

470
00:22:40,660 --> 00:22:42,900
And that's what Paul says in verse 17.

471
00:22:44,700 --> 00:22:48,100
And he says no, certainly not.

472
00:22:48,100 --> 00:22:50,740
For if I rebuild what I tore down, this is verse 18,

473
00:22:50,740 --> 00:22:53,260
I prove myself to be a transgressor.

474
00:22:55,020 --> 00:22:56,820
Paul says actually, no, no, no, no.

475
00:22:56,820 --> 00:23:00,060
I would be transgressing, I would be sinning

476
00:23:00,060 --> 00:23:03,220
if I actually reached back to the law for righteousness.

477
00:23:04,500 --> 00:23:07,500
I would be denying the righteousness of Christ

478
00:23:07,500 --> 00:23:09,180
and the sufficiency of the gospel.

479
00:23:09,180 --> 00:23:10,900
I will be tearing down his work

480
00:23:10,900 --> 00:23:12,940
and I would be saying that he's not enough,

481
00:23:12,940 --> 00:23:14,820
something else is needed.

482
00:23:14,820 --> 00:23:18,700
I would be sinning if I did that.

483
00:23:18,700 --> 00:23:23,540
I would be, Paul would be using the law the wrong way.

484
00:23:23,540 --> 00:23:24,380
We all do it.

485
00:23:25,940 --> 00:23:27,980
We all use the law the wrong way.

486
00:23:29,500 --> 00:23:33,700
It's kind of like using a cell phone to hammer in a nail.

487
00:23:33,700 --> 00:23:35,540
Hopefully you've never done that.

488
00:23:35,540 --> 00:23:36,820
I wouldn't suggest you do.

489
00:23:38,700 --> 00:23:41,020
You're gonna be severely frustrated because,

490
00:23:41,020 --> 00:23:43,860
especially if you use the front part of your cell phone.

491
00:23:44,860 --> 00:23:48,620
The law wasn't intended to be used like that.

492
00:23:51,740 --> 00:23:54,820
I asked the last service this question.

493
00:23:55,980 --> 00:24:00,060
If God were to ask you why should I be pleased with you,

494
00:24:01,300 --> 00:24:02,460
how would you respond?

495
00:24:03,780 --> 00:24:07,620
Most of us right now would start listing what we've done.

496
00:24:07,620 --> 00:24:11,860
What we've done, I'm a giving person.

497
00:24:13,780 --> 00:24:15,820
I invited my neighbor to church this week.

498
00:24:17,740 --> 00:24:20,260
I mean, I fed the homeless.

499
00:24:23,140 --> 00:24:25,180
Don't you see what I've done with my kids?

500
00:24:26,820 --> 00:24:28,980
Don't you see where I'm serving in church?

501
00:24:31,060 --> 00:24:33,060
That's what we would do.

502
00:24:33,060 --> 00:24:37,860
You know what we're doing when we do that?

503
00:24:37,860 --> 00:24:39,820
Justifying ourselves by the law.

504
00:24:41,900 --> 00:24:42,740
Can't do that.

505
00:24:44,740 --> 00:24:47,060
The answer, by the way, to that question,

506
00:24:47,060 --> 00:24:50,340
if God were to ask why should I be pleased with you,

507
00:24:50,340 --> 00:24:53,260
and you begin that answer with because I, you don't get it.

508
00:24:56,300 --> 00:24:58,380
The answer is because Jesus.

509
00:25:00,100 --> 00:25:01,740
Because Jesus.

510
00:25:01,740 --> 00:25:03,460
So look back at verse 16.

511
00:25:03,460 --> 00:25:05,860
So if three times he says,

512
00:25:05,860 --> 00:25:07,900
it's not works of the law that's gonna make you righteous,

513
00:25:07,900 --> 00:25:08,740
it's gonna justify you.

514
00:25:08,740 --> 00:25:10,740
Three times he also says what does?

515
00:25:11,820 --> 00:25:15,380
Through faith in Christ Jesus.

516
00:25:16,580 --> 00:25:17,420
Three times.

517
00:25:18,500 --> 00:25:20,300
We would add the word alone there.

518
00:25:21,580 --> 00:25:24,660
Martin Luther said the doctrine of justification

519
00:25:24,660 --> 00:25:28,220
by faith alone is the central core doctrine

520
00:25:28,220 --> 00:25:33,220
to the Christian, the church is either gonna be built up

521
00:25:33,300 --> 00:25:35,580
or torn down according to what we believe

522
00:25:35,580 --> 00:25:36,420
about this doctrine.

523
00:25:36,420 --> 00:25:39,340
This doctrine is what makes you a Christian.

524
00:25:40,380 --> 00:25:44,660
Just to be clear, what do you believe justifies you?

525
00:25:44,660 --> 00:25:46,100
You or Jesus?

526
00:25:48,180 --> 00:25:51,020
Faith in Jesus or your efforts or your actions

527
00:25:51,020 --> 00:25:54,220
or your giving or your sacrifice or your, fill in the blank.

528
00:25:54,220 --> 00:25:59,220
Let me read to you from the Heidelberg Catechism.

529
00:26:00,060 --> 00:26:02,180
Question 60.

530
00:26:02,180 --> 00:26:04,380
It says how are thou righteous before God?

531
00:26:04,380 --> 00:26:08,420
I think the answer here is an expansive,

532
00:26:08,420 --> 00:26:12,500
comprehensive answer, a very relative for how we think

533
00:26:12,500 --> 00:26:15,740
answer to what it means to be justified by faith alone.

534
00:26:15,740 --> 00:26:18,740
It says this, only by a true faith in Jesus Christ

535
00:26:18,740 --> 00:26:21,500
so that though my conscience accuse me

536
00:26:21,500 --> 00:26:24,420
that I have grossly transgressed all the commandments of God

537
00:26:24,420 --> 00:26:29,300
and kept none of them and am still inclined to all evil,

538
00:26:29,300 --> 00:26:32,780
not withstanding God without any merit of mine

539
00:26:32,780 --> 00:26:36,700
but only of mere grace grants and imputes to me

540
00:26:36,700 --> 00:26:39,740
the perfect satisfaction, righteousness,

541
00:26:39,740 --> 00:26:44,220
and holiness of Christ even so as if I'd never had

542
00:26:44,220 --> 00:26:46,100
nor committed any sin.

543
00:26:46,100 --> 00:26:49,820
Yea, as if I had fully accomplished all that obedience

544
00:26:49,820 --> 00:26:51,900
which Christ has accomplished for me

545
00:26:51,900 --> 00:26:55,540
inasmuch as I embrace such benefit with a believing heart.

546
00:26:57,740 --> 00:26:59,100
Consider that for a moment.

547
00:27:00,860 --> 00:27:03,180
The law is powerless to justify us

548
00:27:03,180 --> 00:27:07,060
but Jesus is not powerless to justify us.

549
00:27:08,460 --> 00:27:12,060
So what happens when we are justified

550
00:27:12,060 --> 00:27:15,620
is what's called the great exchange.

551
00:27:15,620 --> 00:27:20,620
Double, the theological word or term is double imputation.

552
00:27:24,260 --> 00:27:27,060
I mean, think about this, God the offended party,

553
00:27:29,340 --> 00:27:34,100
the sinless one, the innocent one does what?

554
00:27:34,100 --> 00:27:39,100
He is treated as the guilty one though he's not guilty.

555
00:27:39,100 --> 00:27:44,100
And at the cross what God does is imputes to his son,

556
00:27:44,100 --> 00:27:49,100
himself, he imputes or credits to himself our sin,

557
00:27:49,180 --> 00:27:50,740
our record of sin.

558
00:27:50,740 --> 00:27:55,740
Jesus gets the financial transaction of the debts

559
00:27:55,740 --> 00:27:58,900
that we've accumulated and they were stuck to Jesus

560
00:27:58,900 --> 00:28:01,900
even though he knew no sin.

561
00:28:01,900 --> 00:28:06,900
And then the mystery of it all is though we're the sinners,

562
00:28:06,980 --> 00:28:08,820
we're the ones guilty of sin,

563
00:28:08,820 --> 00:28:13,820
he takes the record of Jesus, the obedience of Jesus,

564
00:28:13,820 --> 00:28:17,820
and he credits it to our account.

565
00:28:17,820 --> 00:28:20,220
He imputes his righteousness to us,

566
00:28:20,220 --> 00:28:23,220
his perfect righteousness and I say it a lot.

567
00:28:24,780 --> 00:28:28,180
It's not like there's a righteous meter for a Christian.

568
00:28:28,180 --> 00:28:32,180
It's not like there's a righteous meter for a Christian.

569
00:28:34,420 --> 00:28:37,020
You can't be any more righteous than Jesus.

570
00:28:38,460 --> 00:28:41,380
So when God the Father looks at us,

571
00:28:41,380 --> 00:28:44,580
he sees the righteousness of Jesus

572
00:28:44,580 --> 00:28:46,300
because that's been imputed to us

573
00:28:46,300 --> 00:28:49,780
because our sins were imputed or credited to him.

574
00:28:49,780 --> 00:28:53,300
That's double imputation or the great exchange.

575
00:28:53,300 --> 00:28:56,780
That's how God can satisfy his own judgment

576
00:28:56,780 --> 00:28:59,140
and be merciful at the same time.

577
00:29:01,980 --> 00:29:04,420
And if you don't grasp that,

578
00:29:05,500 --> 00:29:09,580
you're gonna battle this tendency to think that it is you

579
00:29:09,580 --> 00:29:13,100
that pays the price to satisfy God's wrath

580
00:29:13,100 --> 00:29:14,700
and make yourself right.

581
00:29:16,780 --> 00:29:19,420
And you're never gonna be able to rest

582
00:29:19,420 --> 00:29:21,060
in the freedom of the gospel.

583
00:29:23,260 --> 00:29:25,220
So number one, the reason why the law

584
00:29:25,220 --> 00:29:28,580
can't make us righteous is because it's powerless to do so.

585
00:29:28,580 --> 00:29:29,980
And there's a second reason.

586
00:29:32,180 --> 00:29:36,060
The law's purpose is to point us to Jesus.

587
00:29:38,900 --> 00:29:42,180
What is the law for anyways?

588
00:29:42,180 --> 00:29:44,780
Why did God give us these commands?

589
00:29:44,780 --> 00:29:47,380
If Paul, you're telling me they don't matter

590
00:29:47,380 --> 00:29:51,140
when it comes to justification, you can hear the accusation.

591
00:29:51,140 --> 00:29:53,740
We've all had to wrestle with that question.

592
00:29:53,740 --> 00:29:55,700
Somebody's probably asked you that.

593
00:29:56,580 --> 00:29:59,660
So Paul's getting out ahead of it.

594
00:29:59,660 --> 00:30:02,180
You can hear the whispers.

595
00:30:02,180 --> 00:30:07,020
And I don't know if he's addressing a direct accusation.

596
00:30:07,020 --> 00:30:09,180
A lot of people think he is.

597
00:30:09,180 --> 00:30:10,460
Because we've heard people say,

598
00:30:10,460 --> 00:30:12,660
if the gospel is all of God's grace,

599
00:30:12,660 --> 00:30:15,580
forgiveness happens simply by faith.

600
00:30:15,580 --> 00:30:18,340
Doesn't that undermine the basis for holy living?

601
00:30:18,340 --> 00:30:21,660
That's probably the charge brought against Paul and Peter.

602
00:30:23,780 --> 00:30:26,140
So what does Paul say?

603
00:30:26,140 --> 00:30:29,380
Well, for through the law, I died to the law

604
00:30:29,380 --> 00:30:31,980
so that I might live to God.

605
00:30:31,980 --> 00:30:35,100
Through the law, underline that, I died to the law

606
00:30:35,100 --> 00:30:36,660
so that I might live to God.

607
00:30:36,660 --> 00:30:37,500
What is he saying?

608
00:30:41,060 --> 00:30:42,420
Yeah, I read the law.

609
00:30:44,260 --> 00:30:45,900
I realized how much I failed.

610
00:30:45,900 --> 00:30:49,340
I realized how much I failed.

611
00:30:49,340 --> 00:30:52,060
I acknowledged my failures.

612
00:30:52,060 --> 00:30:53,700
I know Jesus didn't fail.

613
00:30:54,820 --> 00:30:57,380
I turned to him, I know he died for my failures.

614
00:30:57,380 --> 00:30:59,780
And now I live to God.

615
00:30:59,780 --> 00:31:03,780
He's saying, the law actually shows me the freedom I have

616
00:31:03,780 --> 00:31:06,580
from the bondage of the law in Jesus.

617
00:31:10,140 --> 00:31:11,860
Paul does not think the law is bad.

618
00:31:11,860 --> 00:31:12,700
Is the law bad?

619
00:31:12,700 --> 00:31:13,620
No, the law is good.

620
00:31:13,620 --> 00:31:14,460
It leads to life.

621
00:31:14,460 --> 00:31:16,740
It's a direct reflection of God himself.

622
00:31:16,740 --> 00:31:18,100
How can that be bad?

623
00:31:20,300 --> 00:31:22,420
The law is good.

624
00:31:22,420 --> 00:31:23,820
It's meant for human flourishing.

625
00:31:23,820 --> 00:31:25,140
It's meant for God's glory.

626
00:31:25,140 --> 00:31:27,340
It's meant for our good.

627
00:31:27,340 --> 00:31:31,340
But Paul is saying, I can't use my obedience to the law

628
00:31:31,340 --> 00:31:33,380
as a means to justify myself

629
00:31:33,380 --> 00:31:35,060
because it can't deal with my sin.

630
00:31:36,140 --> 00:31:37,180
That is what he's saying.

631
00:31:37,180 --> 00:31:40,060
So I looked at the law and actually did what it said.

632
00:31:40,060 --> 00:31:41,100
I died to it.

633
00:31:42,820 --> 00:31:43,660
I died to it.

634
00:31:43,660 --> 00:31:47,180
But Romans seven, your homework is to read Romans six,

635
00:31:47,180 --> 00:31:48,100
seven and eight this week.

636
00:31:48,100 --> 00:31:53,100
It's a good corresponding text to Paul's argument

637
00:31:55,260 --> 00:31:56,860
in these few verses.

638
00:31:56,860 --> 00:31:58,420
Romans seven.

639
00:31:58,420 --> 00:32:02,540
I used an example of an MRI a few weeks ago,

640
00:32:02,540 --> 00:32:03,460
so I can't do that.

641
00:32:03,460 --> 00:32:08,180
But I can use the example of Tony's car diagnostic tool.

642
00:32:08,180 --> 00:32:09,260
Right, Tony?

643
00:32:09,260 --> 00:32:11,460
Is it called a car diagnostic tool?

644
00:32:11,460 --> 00:32:14,460
Yeah, we'll call it that.

645
00:32:14,460 --> 00:32:16,100
So if my check engine light comes on,

646
00:32:16,100 --> 00:32:17,540
I got a good friend, his name's Tony.

647
00:32:17,540 --> 00:32:18,380
You guys do too.

648
00:32:18,380 --> 00:32:19,340
Don't go call Tony this week

649
00:32:19,340 --> 00:32:21,780
because your check engine light's on though.

650
00:32:21,780 --> 00:32:23,900
Tony, check engine light's on.

651
00:32:25,340 --> 00:32:26,420
Something's not right.

652
00:32:27,620 --> 00:32:28,860
I'll bring my diagnostic tool.

653
00:32:28,860 --> 00:32:29,680
I'll plug it up.

654
00:32:29,680 --> 00:32:31,780
You know, you put your foot on the gas,

655
00:32:31,780 --> 00:32:32,620
rev it up a little bit.

656
00:32:32,620 --> 00:32:33,700
We'll get some codes.

657
00:32:33,700 --> 00:32:35,060
I'll tell you what's wrong.

658
00:32:35,060 --> 00:32:36,340
It's an O2 sensor, Joe.

659
00:32:37,700 --> 00:32:38,740
You know what Tony doesn't do?

660
00:32:38,740 --> 00:32:40,540
He doesn't say, here, here's how you fix it.

661
00:32:40,540 --> 00:32:44,260
Let me stick the diagnostic tool back in

662
00:32:44,260 --> 00:32:45,100
and that's gonna fix it.

663
00:32:45,100 --> 00:32:46,860
No, that doesn't make any sense.

664
00:32:47,900 --> 00:32:50,260
It disdiagnosed the problem.

665
00:32:51,580 --> 00:32:53,340
It doesn't give me the remedy.

666
00:32:53,340 --> 00:32:54,740
It tells me what the remedy is.

667
00:32:54,740 --> 00:32:56,840
It doesn't, it's not the remedy.

668
00:32:58,260 --> 00:32:59,180
That's how the law works.

669
00:32:59,180 --> 00:33:01,180
Look at Romans seven, verse seven.

670
00:33:01,180 --> 00:33:02,300
Paul says this about the law.

671
00:33:02,300 --> 00:33:04,060
He says, what then shall we say?

672
00:33:05,340 --> 00:33:07,660
That the law is sin, that the law is bad

673
00:33:07,660 --> 00:33:08,880
because it doesn't save us.

674
00:33:08,880 --> 00:33:10,420
It just shows us we need to be saved?

675
00:33:10,420 --> 00:33:11,820
No.

676
00:33:11,820 --> 00:33:13,220
If it had not been for the law,

677
00:33:13,220 --> 00:33:14,920
would not have known sin.

678
00:33:16,220 --> 00:33:18,380
For I would have not have known what it is to covet.

679
00:33:18,380 --> 00:33:20,380
If the law had not said, you shall not covet,

680
00:33:20,380 --> 00:33:23,200
but sin seizing an opportunity through the commandment

681
00:33:23,200 --> 00:33:25,060
producing me all kinds of covetousness.

682
00:33:25,060 --> 00:33:25,900
It's like this.

683
00:33:25,900 --> 00:33:27,440
Let me give you another illustration.

684
00:33:27,440 --> 00:33:29,180
You're driving down a country road.

685
00:33:29,180 --> 00:33:30,900
You're going 55.

686
00:33:30,900 --> 00:33:32,700
Cop pulls you over.

687
00:33:32,700 --> 00:33:34,000
You're speeding.

688
00:33:34,000 --> 00:33:35,400
Well, I'm going 55.

689
00:33:36,340 --> 00:33:37,860
Well, there's a speed limit sign.

690
00:33:37,860 --> 00:33:39,740
I know it's two miles down the road.

691
00:33:39,740 --> 00:33:41,020
You just hadn't got to it yet.

692
00:33:41,020 --> 00:33:43,100
That speed limit sign says 35.

693
00:33:43,100 --> 00:33:44,500
You're speeding.

694
00:33:44,500 --> 00:33:45,980
You're 55.

695
00:33:45,980 --> 00:33:49,080
Just because you didn't see the sign isn't an excuse.

696
00:33:50,980 --> 00:33:52,380
You with me?

697
00:33:52,380 --> 00:33:54,460
The sign's up.

698
00:33:54,460 --> 00:33:56,120
You know you're speeding.

699
00:33:57,220 --> 00:33:59,780
If the sign's not there, you're still speeding.

700
00:34:00,980 --> 00:34:02,980
It's how the law works.

701
00:34:02,980 --> 00:34:04,220
You don't have the law.

702
00:34:04,220 --> 00:34:05,580
You're still sinning.

703
00:34:05,580 --> 00:34:06,900
What does the law do?

704
00:34:06,900 --> 00:34:07,860
It puts over my heart.

705
00:34:07,860 --> 00:34:09,020
It diagnoses it.

706
00:34:09,020 --> 00:34:10,580
You're a sinner.

707
00:34:10,580 --> 00:34:12,060
For Paul was coveting.

708
00:34:12,060 --> 00:34:13,420
It was more than that, too.

709
00:34:14,500 --> 00:34:15,860
It doesn't fix it, though.

710
00:34:17,140 --> 00:34:19,380
It points us to our need for someone

711
00:34:19,380 --> 00:34:21,540
to come and keep the law for us.

712
00:34:21,540 --> 00:34:23,700
It points us to our need for someone to die

713
00:34:23,700 --> 00:34:25,020
for our failure to keep the law.

714
00:34:25,020 --> 00:34:25,900
And that's what Paul's saying.

715
00:34:25,900 --> 00:34:27,620
I died to the law.

716
00:34:27,620 --> 00:34:29,100
What does it mean to die to the law?

717
00:34:29,100 --> 00:34:30,940
It means to look to Jesus.

718
00:34:30,940 --> 00:34:32,900
That's what it means.

719
00:34:32,900 --> 00:34:34,860
It doesn't mean ignore the law.

720
00:34:34,860 --> 00:34:39,220
It means that can't be used to make you right with God.

721
00:34:39,220 --> 00:34:40,060
Jesus can.

722
00:34:41,260 --> 00:34:42,100
Jesus can.

723
00:34:42,100 --> 00:34:44,300
And then what Paul does next,

724
00:34:44,300 --> 00:34:48,180
what Paul does next is Paul gives us a synopsis

725
00:34:48,180 --> 00:34:52,060
in one verse of what it looks like to follow Jesus.

726
00:34:52,060 --> 00:34:53,700
It's our coffee cup verse.

727
00:34:54,740 --> 00:34:56,020
You've heard it.

728
00:34:56,020 --> 00:34:56,900
Verse 20.

729
00:34:59,780 --> 00:35:02,340
I have been crucified with Christ.

730
00:35:02,340 --> 00:35:05,100
It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.

731
00:35:05,100 --> 00:35:06,660
In the life I now live in the flesh,

732
00:35:06,660 --> 00:35:08,660
I live by faith in the Son of God.

733
00:35:08,660 --> 00:35:11,660
Now, what Paul is doing, see how this works together.

734
00:35:11,660 --> 00:35:14,540
Paul is telling us how now he's died to the law

735
00:35:14,540 --> 00:35:16,780
and how he lives to God.

736
00:35:18,660 --> 00:35:22,060
So underline, I have been crucified with Christ.

737
00:35:22,060 --> 00:35:25,060
Underline, Christ lives in me.

738
00:35:25,060 --> 00:35:28,060
Underline, I live by faith in the Son of God

739
00:35:28,060 --> 00:35:30,460
who loved me and gave himself for me.

740
00:35:30,460 --> 00:35:31,700
And gave himself for me.

741
00:35:33,940 --> 00:35:35,220
So how does this work?

742
00:35:37,300 --> 00:35:38,980
How does it work?

743
00:35:38,980 --> 00:35:42,900
The Christian life is not merely about justification,

744
00:35:42,900 --> 00:35:44,700
which by the way is permanent.

745
00:35:45,940 --> 00:35:48,580
We believe that from the moment you trust in Jesus,

746
00:35:48,580 --> 00:35:50,620
you are righteous.

747
00:35:52,020 --> 00:35:54,260
On your best day, on your worst day,

748
00:35:54,260 --> 00:35:56,700
the Father sees you as if you live the very life

749
00:35:56,700 --> 00:35:58,100
Jesus lived, why?

750
00:35:58,100 --> 00:36:00,140
Because he died to death, you deserve to die.

751
00:36:00,140 --> 00:36:02,140
He paid it in full.

752
00:36:02,140 --> 00:36:03,940
And that doesn't change, it's instant

753
00:36:03,940 --> 00:36:06,620
and it's permanent forever.

754
00:36:06,620 --> 00:36:08,540
We believe that.

755
00:36:08,540 --> 00:36:11,340
That doesn't mean it always feels like it's permanent.

756
00:36:12,180 --> 00:36:15,260
As we sang that song about this life

757
00:36:15,260 --> 00:36:18,100
that's long and difficult, there's afflictions and trials,

758
00:36:18,100 --> 00:36:19,860
but the victory has been won.

759
00:36:22,220 --> 00:36:23,660
But there's also another doctrine

760
00:36:23,660 --> 00:36:27,500
we call the union with Christ, we need to remember here.

761
00:36:27,500 --> 00:36:30,860
Because Christianity isn't just about being made right,

762
00:36:30,860 --> 00:36:32,460
that's good.

763
00:36:36,260 --> 00:36:38,260
It's about being one with Jesus.

764
00:36:39,260 --> 00:36:41,620
And that's what this verse is about.

765
00:36:41,620 --> 00:36:43,380
Martin Luther said this,

766
00:36:43,380 --> 00:36:45,780
by faith you are so cemented to Christ

767
00:36:45,780 --> 00:36:47,500
that he and you are as one person

768
00:36:47,500 --> 00:36:49,780
which cannot be separated,

769
00:36:49,780 --> 00:36:57,620
but remains attached to him forever.

770
00:36:57,620 --> 00:36:59,300
I know some of you are new to Christianity

771
00:36:59,300 --> 00:37:01,460
and the reason why Christians hold marriage

772
00:37:01,460 --> 00:37:04,060
to such high esteem

773
00:37:05,300 --> 00:37:08,500
is because marriage is a picture of our union with Christ.

774
00:37:10,260 --> 00:37:11,940
And you won't really grasp marriage

775
00:37:11,940 --> 00:37:14,300
till you grasp that, so this is,

776
00:37:14,300 --> 00:37:16,780
aside from justification, the second most,

777
00:37:16,780 --> 00:37:18,580
if not the most, I guess it's hard,

778
00:37:18,580 --> 00:37:20,100
I shouldn't be ranking them, should I?

779
00:37:20,100 --> 00:37:21,300
They're both important.

780
00:37:22,340 --> 00:37:27,060
Doctrine when it comes to understanding Christianity

781
00:37:27,060 --> 00:37:31,140
and how we live a life following Jesus.

782
00:37:31,140 --> 00:37:35,260
Number one, we were crucified with Christ.

783
00:37:35,260 --> 00:37:38,620
Wait, I thought Jesus was the one that was crucified, yes.

784
00:37:38,620 --> 00:37:40,780
There was a historical event

785
00:37:40,780 --> 00:37:43,340
that took place 2,000 plus years ago.

786
00:37:43,340 --> 00:37:47,020
Jesus, from Nazareth, stepped out of Jerusalem,

787
00:37:47,020 --> 00:37:49,940
headed towards Golgotha, carrying a Roman cross.

788
00:37:49,940 --> 00:37:51,140
He went on a hill.

789
00:37:51,140 --> 00:37:54,180
He was hung there and murdered by Roman soldiers.

790
00:37:56,660 --> 00:37:57,860
That did take place.

791
00:38:01,260 --> 00:38:02,500
But here's the mystery.

792
00:38:04,620 --> 00:38:07,580
Not only was Jesus there hanging on the cross that day,

793
00:38:08,740 --> 00:38:11,620
but if you've trusted in Jesus, who else was there that day?

794
00:38:13,260 --> 00:38:14,500
You were there that day.

795
00:38:14,500 --> 00:38:16,820
The text, Paul doesn't say my sins were there.

796
00:38:16,820 --> 00:38:18,060
Does he mean his sins were there?

797
00:38:18,060 --> 00:38:21,020
Certainly, but he also means he was there.

798
00:38:21,020 --> 00:38:23,300
He was crucified with Christ.

799
00:38:23,300 --> 00:38:25,020
You were crucified with Christ,

800
00:38:25,020 --> 00:38:30,020
meaning who you were before Jesus died that day.

801
00:38:31,420 --> 00:38:33,420
Now there's something we call indwelling sin

802
00:38:33,420 --> 00:38:34,980
that still haunts us,

803
00:38:34,980 --> 00:38:37,340
and it rears its ugly head every now and then.

804
00:38:39,100 --> 00:38:42,300
We see it in us, but that's not who you are anymore.

805
00:38:42,300 --> 00:38:45,540
Your identity died, and so did all of your sins.

806
00:38:45,540 --> 00:38:47,540
They were dealt with that day.

807
00:38:47,540 --> 00:38:49,820
That's why Paul in Romans 8.1 can say,

808
00:38:49,820 --> 00:38:52,660
there's therefore now no condemnation

809
00:38:52,660 --> 00:38:53,940
for those who are in Christ,

810
00:38:53,940 --> 00:38:56,660
because your sins were nailed to the cross.

811
00:38:56,660 --> 00:38:59,500
Not your past sins, not those sins

812
00:38:59,500 --> 00:39:03,180
that the anger mind are small.

813
00:39:03,180 --> 00:39:05,180
Yes, those sins, and yes, your past sins.

814
00:39:05,180 --> 00:39:06,900
Sorry, let me clarify.

815
00:39:06,900 --> 00:39:09,620
Not just your past sins, not just your small sins,

816
00:39:09,620 --> 00:39:11,740
but your big sins, your future sins, your future sins,

817
00:39:11,740 --> 00:39:14,100
your present sins, all your sins

818
00:39:14,100 --> 00:39:15,620
were nailed to Jesus that day,

819
00:39:15,620 --> 00:39:17,700
but so were you, and so was I.

820
00:39:19,180 --> 00:39:21,540
We died with Jesus that day.

821
00:39:21,540 --> 00:39:23,300
Our old self died.

822
00:39:23,300 --> 00:39:25,220
We're not that person anymore.

823
00:39:25,220 --> 00:39:27,820
The gospel does something radical.

824
00:39:28,860 --> 00:39:31,780
The second thing, the second reality

825
00:39:31,780 --> 00:39:33,500
of our union with Christ.

826
00:39:33,500 --> 00:39:35,980
Not only have we been crucified with Christ,

827
00:39:35,980 --> 00:39:41,980
in Christ we have been raised, and he now lives in us.

828
00:39:44,060 --> 00:39:45,340
So Paul died that day.

829
00:39:47,820 --> 00:39:51,220
His murderous past, his self-righteous past

830
00:39:51,220 --> 00:39:52,900
died that day, so did yours.

831
00:39:53,820 --> 00:39:56,220
Fill in the blank with your sin, it died that day,

832
00:39:56,220 --> 00:39:57,700
but something else happened.

833
00:39:57,700 --> 00:39:59,340
Three days later, what did Jesus do?

834
00:39:59,340 --> 00:40:00,780
The stone was rolled away.

835
00:40:02,300 --> 00:40:04,220
Breath went back into his lungs.

836
00:40:04,220 --> 00:40:06,460
Oxygen started flowing through his body.

837
00:40:09,420 --> 00:40:11,060
The neurons started firing.

838
00:40:12,860 --> 00:40:15,380
Life, back into the Son of God, and what does he do?

839
00:40:15,380 --> 00:40:19,100
He steps out of a tomb, and he lives.

840
00:40:19,100 --> 00:40:20,540
He doesn't die anymore.

841
00:40:20,540 --> 00:40:21,380
He lives.

842
00:40:21,380 --> 00:40:24,100
What happens to us when we believe the gospel

843
00:40:24,100 --> 00:40:26,780
is not just that our sins have been dealt with,

844
00:40:26,780 --> 00:40:29,140
we're now in Christ, cemented to him,

845
00:40:29,140 --> 00:40:32,940
so that when he rose, guess who else rose that day?

846
00:40:32,940 --> 00:40:36,900
I rose, you rose, we rose with him,

847
00:40:36,900 --> 00:40:39,260
so that now we walk in newness of life.

848
00:40:39,260 --> 00:40:43,780
Romans six, verses three through five gives us this picture

849
00:40:43,780 --> 00:40:46,980
of baptism being union with Christ.

850
00:40:46,980 --> 00:40:49,620
That's what we believe baptism expresses,

851
00:40:49,620 --> 00:40:51,540
a spiritual reality that took place

852
00:40:51,540 --> 00:40:53,220
when we believe the gospel.

853
00:40:53,220 --> 00:40:56,020
We died with Christ, so we go under the water,

854
00:40:56,020 --> 00:40:57,980
and when he rises, guess what?

855
00:40:57,980 --> 00:40:58,820
We rose too.

856
00:41:00,300 --> 00:41:02,340
We're not us anymore, we're new.

857
00:41:02,340 --> 00:41:05,900
We're new, we're a new creation in Christ.

858
00:41:05,900 --> 00:41:09,060
We have new affections, new desires, new longings.

859
00:41:09,060 --> 00:41:10,740
We actually wanna obey the law,

860
00:41:10,740 --> 00:41:12,060
not because it makes us right,

861
00:41:12,060 --> 00:41:13,540
we know Jesus makes us right,

862
00:41:13,540 --> 00:41:16,780
because it's for our good, and it glorifies God.

863
00:41:18,180 --> 00:41:20,820
So we're new, and he lives in us.

864
00:41:21,700 --> 00:41:22,980
He lives in us.

865
00:41:24,820 --> 00:41:27,180
This is so different than every other belief system.

866
00:41:27,180 --> 00:41:28,580
Don't you see that?

867
00:41:28,580 --> 00:41:32,100
God comes all the way down, we don't work up to God.

868
00:41:32,100 --> 00:41:33,500
God comes all the way down to us,

869
00:41:33,500 --> 00:41:37,060
and he does all the work for us, and it gets even better.

870
00:41:38,180 --> 00:41:41,140
To conform us into the image of Jesus by his spirit,

871
00:41:41,140 --> 00:41:43,180
he lives in us.

872
00:41:44,740 --> 00:41:48,500
So every day, we were, yes, in a sense,

873
00:41:48,500 --> 00:41:52,300
killed with Jesus because of our sins,

874
00:41:52,300 --> 00:41:54,120
but now that he lives in us,

875
00:41:54,120 --> 00:41:56,180
what are we doing because of Jesus in us?

876
00:41:56,180 --> 00:41:58,500
We're killing our sin.

877
00:41:58,500 --> 00:42:00,460
That's how it works, not perfectly.

878
00:42:00,460 --> 00:42:05,460
Progressively, it's not a sprint, it's a marathon.

879
00:42:06,520 --> 00:42:07,360
We know that.

880
00:42:09,120 --> 00:42:10,280
And the third reality,

881
00:42:12,480 --> 00:42:14,040
we live by constant faith in him.

882
00:42:14,040 --> 00:42:18,600
Paul starts a new sentence to explain this new life

883
00:42:18,600 --> 00:42:21,240
and the life I now live in the flesh.

884
00:42:21,240 --> 00:42:22,360
He doesn't mean sinful flesh,

885
00:42:22,360 --> 00:42:26,200
he means the life I now live as a person, as a human.

886
00:42:26,200 --> 00:42:31,100
I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me.

887
00:42:32,920 --> 00:42:34,480
Yes, Jesus went to the cross

888
00:42:34,480 --> 00:42:37,840
to display his love for the Father.

889
00:42:37,840 --> 00:42:42,320
Jesus went to the cross to radiate the glory of God

890
00:42:42,320 --> 00:42:44,720
and all of his attributes shining through

891
00:42:44,720 --> 00:42:46,600
in one instant through the cross.

892
00:42:46,600 --> 00:42:49,560
Jesus went to the cross to satisfy God's wrath,

893
00:42:49,560 --> 00:42:51,080
and we love to preach about those things,

894
00:42:51,080 --> 00:42:52,720
and we love to know those things.

895
00:42:52,720 --> 00:42:54,640
But Jesus also went to the cross

896
00:42:54,640 --> 00:42:56,320
because he loved you.

897
00:42:56,320 --> 00:42:58,680
Don't forget that.

898
00:42:59,760 --> 00:43:03,600
Jesus went to the cross because he loved you.

899
00:43:05,400 --> 00:43:07,920
So yes, he had the Father's will in mind.

900
00:43:07,920 --> 00:43:11,260
Yes, he wanted to satisfy God's wrath.

901
00:43:11,260 --> 00:43:13,960
Yes, it was obedience to his Father's will,

902
00:43:13,960 --> 00:43:17,620
but it was also out of love for you and me.

903
00:43:17,620 --> 00:43:20,300
And it's not because there was anything lovable in us,

904
00:43:20,300 --> 00:43:22,060
it's because he loved us.

905
00:43:22,060 --> 00:43:25,620
So maybe you're in this room this morning,

906
00:43:25,620 --> 00:43:28,300
you're doubting, does God love me?

907
00:43:28,300 --> 00:43:31,260
How do you combat doubts of God's love for you?

908
00:43:31,260 --> 00:43:33,140
You go to this verse.

909
00:43:33,140 --> 00:43:34,060
You go to the cross.

910
00:43:34,060 --> 00:43:36,400
He loves you and gave himself for you.

911
00:43:37,280 --> 00:43:39,020
And he says, now I live.

912
00:43:39,020 --> 00:43:42,900
My life is not by dependence upon myself anymore.

913
00:43:42,900 --> 00:43:44,680
That's what Paul's former life was.

914
00:43:44,680 --> 00:43:45,520
What is it?

915
00:43:45,520 --> 00:43:47,740
It's dependence upon Jesus,

916
00:43:47,740 --> 00:43:49,580
constant faith in the Son of God.

917
00:43:49,580 --> 00:43:51,160
So here's the deal.

918
00:43:51,160 --> 00:43:54,340
Most of us tend to think faith is like the runway

919
00:43:54,340 --> 00:43:56,180
that gets the plane off the ground.

920
00:43:56,180 --> 00:43:57,900
And then once the plane's off the ground,

921
00:43:57,900 --> 00:44:00,940
we don't need that runway again into the planelands.

922
00:44:03,420 --> 00:44:06,100
So we just need it to get us into heaven.

923
00:44:06,100 --> 00:44:07,300
That's what we need it for.

924
00:44:07,300 --> 00:44:08,380
Just get me off the ground.

925
00:44:08,380 --> 00:44:09,380
I believe I'm good.

926
00:44:09,380 --> 00:44:12,220
No, faith is constant.

927
00:44:12,220 --> 00:44:13,500
It is continual.

928
00:44:13,500 --> 00:44:16,140
It is an everyday reality for a Christian.

929
00:44:16,140 --> 00:44:17,560
It's not just the runway,

930
00:44:17,560 --> 00:44:20,820
it's the entire plane of the Christian life.

931
00:44:20,820 --> 00:44:23,420
And the mystery of it all is that even your faith

932
00:44:23,420 --> 00:44:25,220
is a gift, Ephesians 2, eight, nine.

933
00:44:26,220 --> 00:44:28,300
And it is not the strength of your faith

934
00:44:28,300 --> 00:44:29,420
that gets you through this life.

935
00:44:29,420 --> 00:44:31,300
It is the object of your faith

936
00:44:31,300 --> 00:44:32,900
that gets you through this life.

937
00:44:34,620 --> 00:44:37,020
But a life as a Christian is a life marked

938
00:44:37,020 --> 00:44:39,460
by continual faith in the Son of God.

939
00:44:39,460 --> 00:44:43,820
That's how we embrace this union we have in Christ.

940
00:44:44,860 --> 00:44:45,980
Let me read to you a quote.

941
00:44:45,980 --> 00:44:48,100
I know I've read it at some point.

942
00:44:48,100 --> 00:44:49,180
Just act like I haven't.

943
00:44:49,180 --> 00:44:51,100
Act like this is the first time you've heard it

944
00:44:51,100 --> 00:44:52,420
if you've been around for a while.

945
00:44:52,420 --> 00:44:54,060
It's from Sinclair Ferguson.

946
00:44:54,060 --> 00:44:55,540
He wrote a book called The Whole Christ.

947
00:44:55,540 --> 00:44:56,740
It's a really good book.

948
00:44:58,420 --> 00:45:00,180
He writes this, New Testament Christians

949
00:45:00,180 --> 00:45:01,940
did not think of themselves as Christians.

950
00:45:01,940 --> 00:45:03,940
And I know that's shocking to some of you

951
00:45:03,940 --> 00:45:06,220
because we, I've said the word Christian

952
00:45:06,220 --> 00:45:08,940
multiple times in this sermon already.

953
00:45:08,940 --> 00:45:11,580
It's not that that's a bad word to use about us.

954
00:45:11,580 --> 00:45:14,540
A Christian was actually a derogatory term

955
00:45:14,540 --> 00:45:17,860
used to those followers in Antioch in the Book of Acts.

956
00:45:17,860 --> 00:45:19,860
That's the first time we see the word Christian.

957
00:45:19,860 --> 00:45:21,140
They're Christ followers.

958
00:45:21,140 --> 00:45:23,380
It was supposed to be slanderous.

959
00:45:26,780 --> 00:45:30,860
He goes on to say, it's not that we're just Christians.

960
00:45:30,860 --> 00:45:32,940
It's that we are in Christ.

961
00:45:33,900 --> 00:45:36,020
The expression in one form or another

962
00:45:36,020 --> 00:45:40,220
occurs well over 100 times in Paul's 13 letters.

963
00:45:40,220 --> 00:45:43,140
I think Christian, I think it's one time in the Bible,

964
00:45:43,140 --> 00:45:44,340
maybe two, once.

965
00:45:44,340 --> 00:45:46,540
If you know the answer, tell me, I have to service.

966
00:45:46,540 --> 00:45:51,420
100 times in Christ, in the Lord, in the Son, in God,

967
00:45:51,420 --> 00:45:53,820
in one form or another, 100 times.

968
00:45:55,020 --> 00:45:57,220
Then draw the obvious conclusion, he says.

969
00:45:57,220 --> 00:45:59,540
If this is not the overwhelmingly dominant way

970
00:45:59,540 --> 00:46:01,220
in which we think about ourselves,

971
00:46:01,220 --> 00:46:05,380
we are not thinking with the renewed mind of the Gospel.

972
00:46:08,820 --> 00:46:12,860
The law drives us to Jesus, yes, to justify us.

973
00:46:12,860 --> 00:46:15,860
But also to remind us we are now in him.

974
00:46:18,900 --> 00:46:20,660
Let me ask you several questions.

975
00:46:20,660 --> 00:46:23,100
Number one, is your life marked by an understanding

976
00:46:23,100 --> 00:46:24,540
of your union with Christ?

977
00:46:27,900 --> 00:46:29,300
Okay, now think about this.

978
00:46:30,900 --> 00:46:34,780
Do you realize that all of the blessings

979
00:46:34,780 --> 00:46:37,260
that are yours in the Gospel are yours

980
00:46:37,260 --> 00:46:38,860
because you are in Christ?

981
00:46:38,860 --> 00:46:42,180
And if you take Jesus out, they're not yours.

982
00:46:43,340 --> 00:46:48,340
Justification, adoption, eternal life,

983
00:46:50,660 --> 00:46:54,780
forgiveness of sins, reconciliation,

984
00:46:56,460 --> 00:46:59,620
newness of life, a new family,

985
00:47:01,340 --> 00:47:04,700
seated, the right hand of God the Father

986
00:47:04,700 --> 00:47:06,340
far above all things.

987
00:47:06,340 --> 00:47:07,820
I could go on and on and on.

988
00:47:07,820 --> 00:47:09,420
You know why they're yours?

989
00:47:10,460 --> 00:47:13,180
Because you are in Christ.

990
00:47:14,300 --> 00:47:17,500
And if you take Jesus out of the equation,

991
00:47:17,500 --> 00:47:19,580
you've lost them, they're not yours.

992
00:47:19,580 --> 00:47:20,700
You don't get those.

993
00:47:23,620 --> 00:47:28,380
Are you finding your identity in your union with Christ?

994
00:47:29,340 --> 00:47:33,180
Your primary identity is not your occupation.

995
00:47:33,180 --> 00:47:36,820
Your primary identity is not your occupation.

996
00:47:38,900 --> 00:47:41,780
It's not who you are in your household.

997
00:47:44,780 --> 00:47:47,180
It's not your gifts, and none of those are bad.

998
00:47:47,180 --> 00:47:49,900
Your occupation's good, your gifts are good.

999
00:47:49,900 --> 00:47:52,700
Who you are, a mom, dad, son, daughter, that's good,

1000
00:47:52,700 --> 00:47:55,700
but primarily, who are you?

1001
00:47:57,860 --> 00:48:01,260
God accepts you because you are in Christ.

1002
00:48:01,260 --> 00:48:06,260
Your primary identity is being in Christ.

1003
00:48:06,380 --> 00:48:09,740
Is your life marked by ongoing trust in Jesus?

1004
00:48:09,740 --> 00:48:11,300
Well, how do I know that, Joe?

1005
00:48:13,660 --> 00:48:16,860
Is faith an ongoing process in your life?

1006
00:48:16,860 --> 00:48:20,500
Do you humbly confess your sins?

1007
00:48:20,500 --> 00:48:22,060
I would say daily.

1008
00:48:22,060 --> 00:48:25,620
Run to Jesus to find mercy.

1009
00:48:25,620 --> 00:48:28,820
When the enemy accuses you and you know you're guilty,

1010
00:48:28,820 --> 00:48:30,780
do you feel condemned?

1011
00:48:30,780 --> 00:48:33,060
Now, convicted and condemned are two different things.

1012
00:48:33,060 --> 00:48:34,300
Should we feel convicted?

1013
00:48:34,300 --> 00:48:36,580
Yes, and conviction drives us to Jesus.

1014
00:48:36,580 --> 00:48:39,260
But if you're a Christian, there is no condemnation.

1015
00:48:41,060 --> 00:48:42,940
It's not like Jesus made the payment

1016
00:48:42,940 --> 00:48:44,900
and your condemnation pays a little more.

1017
00:48:44,900 --> 00:48:48,260
I gotta feel a little more guilty to satisfy.

1018
00:48:48,260 --> 00:48:50,620
No, Jesus paid it.

1019
00:48:51,540 --> 00:48:55,220
So you reminding yourselves of what Jesus has already done.

1020
00:48:56,660 --> 00:48:59,660
And same thing, those won't stick because at the cross,

1021
00:48:59,660 --> 00:49:01,420
those were nailed to Jesus.

1022
00:49:03,340 --> 00:49:05,860
It's just a few ways we can start to think

1023
00:49:05,860 --> 00:49:07,380
with the renewed mind of the gospel

1024
00:49:07,380 --> 00:49:09,740
that we are now in Christ.

1025
00:49:09,740 --> 00:49:12,260
You know why else this verse is extremely important?

1026
00:49:12,260 --> 00:49:14,780
Not only because it does it tell us of our union in Christ

1027
00:49:14,780 --> 00:49:17,380
and really what following after Jesus is all about.

1028
00:49:17,380 --> 00:49:18,700
Do you know what else it shows us?

1029
00:49:18,700 --> 00:49:20,060
How God views us.

1030
00:49:22,060 --> 00:49:24,620
This is God's perspective of you.

1031
00:49:24,620 --> 00:49:25,700
You died.

1032
00:49:25,700 --> 00:49:27,500
When Christ died, your old self died.

1033
00:49:27,500 --> 00:49:28,380
Who are you now?

1034
00:49:28,380 --> 00:49:29,780
You've been raised.

1035
00:49:29,780 --> 00:49:31,420
My son is in you.

1036
00:49:31,420 --> 00:49:33,660
You're living constantly depending upon him.

1037
00:49:33,660 --> 00:49:35,700
He loved you and gave himself up for you.

1038
00:49:38,340 --> 00:49:42,060
This should, like this is a verse that we should,

1039
00:49:42,060 --> 00:49:44,860
we should not only memorize, but we should meditate on.

1040
00:49:46,740 --> 00:49:48,980
This tells us how God thinks about us.

1041
00:49:48,980 --> 00:49:50,700
Thirdly, let me finish here.

1042
00:49:50,700 --> 00:49:54,020
Verse 21, the law also points us to our righteousness

1043
00:49:54,020 --> 00:49:55,460
that's only found in Christ.

1044
00:49:55,460 --> 00:49:57,020
I don't nullify the grace of God.

1045
00:49:57,020 --> 00:49:59,220
Now why would Paul say in verse 21, I don't?

1046
00:49:59,220 --> 00:50:00,540
Nullify the grace of God.

1047
00:50:00,540 --> 00:50:02,180
Well, of course you don't, Paul.

1048
00:50:02,180 --> 00:50:03,700
You're the one that always preaches grace.

1049
00:50:03,700 --> 00:50:06,100
You preach grace alone.

1050
00:50:06,100 --> 00:50:09,100
I think Paul's addressing another accusation.

1051
00:50:09,100 --> 00:50:12,260
Remember the law is God's grace to his people

1052
00:50:12,260 --> 00:50:15,540
because not everyone got the law.

1053
00:50:15,540 --> 00:50:17,500
The Gentiles didn't.

1054
00:50:17,500 --> 00:50:20,300
Not everyone got the covenant.

1055
00:50:20,300 --> 00:50:23,220
Not everyone got the promises of God.

1056
00:50:23,220 --> 00:50:24,100
Who did?

1057
00:50:24,100 --> 00:50:24,940
The Jews.

1058
00:50:24,940 --> 00:50:27,300
The Deuteronomy six and seven.

1059
00:50:27,300 --> 00:50:29,940
God didn't do that because they were anything special.

1060
00:50:31,140 --> 00:50:32,060
That's grace.

1061
00:50:32,060 --> 00:50:34,460
So the other argument is,

1062
00:50:34,460 --> 00:50:36,860
are you just nullifying the grace of the law

1063
00:50:36,860 --> 00:50:38,540
by removing it to be justified?

1064
00:50:38,540 --> 00:50:40,580
And Paul says, absolutely not.

1065
00:50:40,580 --> 00:50:42,540
I don't nullify the grace of God

1066
00:50:42,540 --> 00:50:45,100
because if righteousness were through the law,

1067
00:50:45,100 --> 00:50:45,940
then guess what?

1068
00:50:45,940 --> 00:50:49,740
Christ died for no purpose.

1069
00:50:51,980 --> 00:50:54,380
If you can use the law as a means of righteousness,

1070
00:50:54,380 --> 00:50:56,340
that's what nullifies grace

1071
00:50:56,340 --> 00:50:59,660
and that makes the cross meaningless.

1072
00:51:01,220 --> 00:51:02,940
If you think the law justifies you,

1073
00:51:02,940 --> 00:51:05,940
Jesus is just another man

1074
00:51:05,940 --> 00:51:08,380
that was hung on a cross some 2,000 years ago.

1075
00:51:09,540 --> 00:51:13,140
If you think that your works make you righteous,

1076
00:51:13,140 --> 00:51:16,420
there's still a debt that has to be paid

1077
00:51:16,420 --> 00:51:18,100
and Jesus didn't pay it.

1078
00:51:19,540 --> 00:51:22,580
There's still a tomb that's not empty.

1079
00:51:22,580 --> 00:51:24,740
He's in there.

1080
00:51:24,740 --> 00:51:26,020
That's what you're saying.

1081
00:51:28,100 --> 00:51:30,460
Jesus is just another guilty criminal.

1082
00:51:30,460 --> 00:51:32,020
God's wrath isn't satisfied.

1083
00:51:32,020 --> 00:51:33,420
Justice hasn't been served.

1084
00:51:33,420 --> 00:51:36,580
There's still a debt that is owed, but that's not true.

1085
00:51:36,580 --> 00:51:40,100
The cross is evidence that the payment has been made

1086
00:51:40,100 --> 00:51:42,580
by Christ in Christ alone.

1087
00:51:43,940 --> 00:51:45,700
So how are we made righteous?

1088
00:51:45,700 --> 00:51:50,060
By faith in Christ alone.

1089
00:51:50,060 --> 00:51:51,140
Martin Luther would go on to say,

1090
00:51:51,140 --> 00:51:52,500
now that faith isn't alone.

1091
00:51:54,380 --> 00:51:56,740
It manifests in how we live our life,

1092
00:51:56,740 --> 00:51:58,500
but what is faith?

1093
00:51:58,500 --> 00:51:59,980
If you'll put that slide up on the screen,

1094
00:51:59,980 --> 00:52:02,220
the reformers battled this question.

1095
00:52:02,220 --> 00:52:03,060
What is faith?

1096
00:52:03,060 --> 00:52:05,580
What does it mean to have faith in Jesus?

1097
00:52:05,580 --> 00:52:08,340
And they scoured the scriptures

1098
00:52:08,340 --> 00:52:11,980
and they said there's really three aspects to saving faith.

1099
00:52:14,140 --> 00:52:17,140
Number one, I put the Latin up there for you,

1100
00:52:17,140 --> 00:52:19,260
you Latin nerds, not you.

1101
00:52:19,260 --> 00:52:22,100
You Latin nerds, not me, you Latin nerds.

1102
00:52:22,100 --> 00:52:23,420
Put the English beside it.

1103
00:52:23,420 --> 00:52:26,300
Knowing, knowing.

1104
00:52:26,300 --> 00:52:28,340
Know the facts, know the facts of the gospel,

1105
00:52:28,340 --> 00:52:30,940
know who Jesus is, but is that enough?

1106
00:52:30,940 --> 00:52:33,380
When we say we believe in Jesus,

1107
00:52:33,380 --> 00:52:37,180
we don't just mean we know who Jesus is.

1108
00:52:38,900 --> 00:52:40,340
It goes further than that.

1109
00:52:40,340 --> 00:52:43,820
We comprehend what Jesus did, we understand.

1110
00:52:43,820 --> 00:52:46,060
That's the next aspect.

1111
00:52:46,060 --> 00:52:49,140
And they're interwoven together, by the way.

1112
00:52:49,140 --> 00:52:50,540
We know what he did.

1113
00:52:51,620 --> 00:52:52,940
But even that's not enough

1114
00:52:52,940 --> 00:52:55,940
because there are plenty of people in scripture that knew.

1115
00:52:58,540 --> 00:53:01,420
Even the demons comprehended what he did.

1116
00:53:04,820 --> 00:53:07,660
There's one more aspect, trust.

1117
00:53:10,140 --> 00:53:10,980
Trust.

1118
00:53:13,340 --> 00:53:15,900
I know you've heard the illustration or seen it.

1119
00:53:15,900 --> 00:53:17,420
I don't have a chair up here

1120
00:53:17,420 --> 00:53:20,100
because I'm not really a visible illustration preacher.

1121
00:53:20,100 --> 00:53:20,940
That's not me.

1122
00:53:20,940 --> 00:53:22,460
My visible illustrations are slides

1123
00:53:22,460 --> 00:53:24,260
because I was a teacher back in the day.

1124
00:53:25,140 --> 00:53:26,620
But if I put a chair up here,

1125
00:53:29,060 --> 00:53:30,380
I could look at the chair and say,

1126
00:53:30,380 --> 00:53:32,500
well, I know that's a chair.

1127
00:53:32,500 --> 00:53:34,660
Is that displaying any faith in that chair?

1128
00:53:34,660 --> 00:53:36,180
No.

1129
00:53:36,180 --> 00:53:37,180
I could look at the chair and say,

1130
00:53:37,180 --> 00:53:40,260
well, I know it's a chair and I know it holds people.

1131
00:53:40,260 --> 00:53:42,380
Is that displaying any faith in the chair?

1132
00:53:43,780 --> 00:53:46,540
What would be faith in the chair

1133
00:53:46,540 --> 00:53:47,940
if I actually did what?

1134
00:53:48,900 --> 00:53:50,860
Sat in the chair.

1135
00:53:52,460 --> 00:53:53,540
This is faith.

1136
00:53:54,460 --> 00:53:59,060
Throw yourselves on Jesus

1137
00:54:00,740 --> 00:54:01,740
and he'll hold you.

1138
00:54:03,540 --> 00:54:04,740
Three Rs this morning.

1139
00:54:05,940 --> 00:54:09,340
If you're not a Christian, number one, run to Jesus.

1140
00:54:09,340 --> 00:54:10,940
Run to Jesus for righteousness.

1141
00:54:10,940 --> 00:54:15,540
There is a problem and that's where sinners and God is not.

1142
00:54:15,540 --> 00:54:17,340
But there is a remedy.

1143
00:54:17,340 --> 00:54:21,540
Jesus, he's the only one that can make you righteous.

1144
00:54:22,540 --> 00:54:23,540
Throw yourselves on him.

1145
00:54:24,540 --> 00:54:27,340
Number two, rest.

1146
00:54:28,540 --> 00:54:29,740
Rest.

1147
00:54:29,740 --> 00:54:33,940
Christian, rest in the righteousness of Jesus by faith.

1148
00:54:35,740 --> 00:54:38,340
Rest in the righteousness of Jesus by faith.

1149
00:54:38,340 --> 00:54:39,540
The band will come up.

1150
00:54:39,540 --> 00:54:42,540
The band will come up and repent.

1151
00:54:44,140 --> 00:54:44,980
Repent.

1152
00:54:45,940 --> 00:54:49,140
Repent for not resting in the righteousness of Jesus by faith.

1153
00:54:51,740 --> 00:54:53,340
And I love you, I'll say this to you.

1154
00:54:53,340 --> 00:54:54,540
I still battle it.

1155
00:54:54,540 --> 00:54:56,940
When we don't rest in the gospel,

1156
00:54:56,940 --> 00:54:58,140
what are we saying to God?

1157
00:55:00,140 --> 00:55:01,540
Our payment wasn't enough.

1158
00:55:02,540 --> 00:55:04,140
We make the cross meaningless.

1159
00:55:04,140 --> 00:55:05,340
We're just like the guy gave you

1160
00:55:05,340 --> 00:55:07,340
at the beginning of the sermon.

1161
00:55:07,340 --> 00:55:08,740
Debt's been paid and surely not.

1162
00:55:08,740 --> 00:55:10,340
There's surely something I gotta do.

1163
00:55:10,340 --> 00:55:12,740
When we can't rest in the finished work of Christ,

1164
00:55:12,740 --> 00:55:13,940
that's what we're doing.

1165
00:55:15,940 --> 00:55:19,340
So if we think that God's more pleased by

1166
00:55:19,340 --> 00:55:22,140
some emotional experience I have,

1167
00:55:22,140 --> 00:55:24,340
how much I'm giving or serving,

1168
00:55:24,340 --> 00:55:27,540
and again, it's not bad to give and it's not bad to serve,

1169
00:55:27,540 --> 00:55:29,740
but that's not what makes you righteous.

1170
00:55:30,940 --> 00:55:33,540
We make the cross meaningless and we've all done it.

1171
00:55:33,540 --> 00:55:36,140
We've all this week, some way shaped, fashion, or style,

1172
00:55:36,140 --> 00:55:38,340
we've all done it and we need to repent of it.

1173
00:55:38,340 --> 00:55:39,340
So let's do that.

1174
00:55:39,340 --> 00:55:44,740
Father, we repent for trying to merit our righteousness

1175
00:55:44,740 --> 00:55:48,340
by works of the law, by what we've done or haven't done.

1176
00:55:49,340 --> 00:55:51,140
That makes the cross meaningless.

1177
00:55:51,140 --> 00:55:52,540
Forgive us.

1178
00:55:52,540 --> 00:55:54,740
This morning, if there's anyone that doesn't know Jesus,

1179
00:55:54,740 --> 00:55:56,940
I pray that you would stir in their heart

1180
00:55:58,140 --> 00:55:59,540
through your Holy Spirit,

1181
00:56:00,340 --> 00:56:02,740
something that would cause them to run to Him

1182
00:56:02,740 --> 00:56:03,740
for righteousness.

1183
00:56:03,740 --> 00:56:05,140
And those of us that are would be

1184
00:56:05,140 --> 00:56:07,140
reminded of the truths of the gospel.

1185
00:56:07,140 --> 00:56:09,340
Rest in it and may that rest in the gospel

1186
00:56:09,340 --> 00:56:13,140
fuel us to live out a life of our union with Christ.

1187
00:56:15,340 --> 00:56:16,940
The cross is not meaningless

1188
00:56:18,140 --> 00:56:19,740
because Jesus makes us righteous.

1189
00:56:19,740 --> 00:56:35,340
We love you in Jesus' name, amen.