I'm almost there every once in a while it's Facebook just gives me a little bit of problems here. It just freezes on me
There we go. All right. Wonderful. Well, good morning. Good morning. Good morning. Welcome to Coffee and devotions is where every day you and I we get together. We have a little bit of coffee, we get into Lord's word and we grow in our love for the Lord together. And this year 2022 We'll make it all the way from the book of Acts to the book of Philemon. I'm so glad to be with you this morning. I'm sorry about yesterday, I was on a phone call with Pastor on India and just didn't have time to be able to jump on here in the morning. So we're gonna just start where we left off Romans chapter three, verse 21. Let's have some coffee. We'll pray and we'll get into the Lord's word.
Let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for the grace you have shown us in Jesus Christ.
Lord, we thank you for how wonderful you are toward us. We pray that we would see this this morning that we would know you and we would know the great love that you have poured out upon us in Jesus's name we pray. Amen. All right here we go. Romans chapter four, or sorry, Romans chapter three, beginning at verse 21. But now, the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed. being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood through faith, to demonstrate righteousness. Because in his forbearance, God has passed over the sins that were previously committed to demonstrate at the present time, his righteousness, that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus, where his boasting then it is excluded. By what law of works No, but by the law of faith. Therefore, if we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law, or is he the God of the Jews only? He is not also the God of the Gentiles. Yes, of the Gentiles also, since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised by faith. Do we then make void the law through phase? Certainly not. On the contrary, we establish the law. Right. It's one of my my favorite passages in the entire Bible, where he's been all you've been bringing this indictment against everyone. And here he gets to the point. Here, he's, he's showing that God is both just, and the justifier God is the righteous one, and the one who declares us to be righteous. God is the one who uses faith as the instrumentality for justification. We can't keep the law problem is all of us fall short of the glory of God. See, the condemnation is going on here. We're in he says, Even the Righteousness through faith in Christ to all who believe for there is no difference. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Just a little bit of grammar there for all have sinned writers in the past but if we thought well, yeah, I did. I did silly stuff when I was a kid and that was wrong. No and fall. Now, present act of indicative now we still as part of our human nature, we fall and we fail and we we cannot be justified by the law because the law brings knowledge of sin and it shows us that we are sinful. And so what do we do about it? Oh, right. Oh, wretched man that I am right. We have this problem that we are sinners, everyone Jew and Gentile. So how can we stand before a righteous God? We need God to declare us to be righteous. Even the righteousness of God through faith in Christ to all who believe being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. See, we don't bring anything to our relationship with God. It is God who brings us into relationship with Himself. This is the grace that He is showing us. He shows us divine favor by purchasing us with the blood of his own son. He declares us to be righteous. He declares us to be perfect in his sight.
This is the wonderful thing here. And this is why he says it is in verse 26. To demonstrate at the present time his righteousness, see, we want to we want to have our eyes on ourselves. We want to look to ourselves, we want to think about ourselves as well. We're not to bad people, right? But no one on this. The whole good news of Jesus is that it is God demonstrating that he is righteous. He is the just one and he is the justifier This is why Jesus came and lived a perfect life under the law. He was tempted in every way as we are yet without sin is a righteousness that's not our own. We're gonna get into a little bit later but there's a righteousness that God is imputing to us. He is charging to our account as the old theologians would say this is an alien righteousness. So the logical question then is verse 727. Where's boasting then? It's exploded. Right? IKEA boast about a gift. I can't I can't brag about something that I didn't earn. But I sure can praise God for it. See, the beautiful thing is the near passage of this is Ephesians chapter two. For by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves is a gift of God. Not the results of works. Less anyone should boast is God who has saved us it is God who has shown us His grace, and so we don't get to boast about it. So the next logical question he says by what law of works, you know, did he make us righteous? By the law of works? He's Uh, no. But by the law of faith, right, not by works but by faith. Do we believe has he circumcised our hearts as you take it out our hardest stone given us a heart of flesh? Have we been reborn? Have we been regenerated? This is the heart of what's going on here. Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. There's a wonderful, wonderful Christian song. It brought me to tears when the first time I heard it. I remember sitting in my car and I was parked outside my house and I just it was amazing. 10th Avenue north was the band's name. And the song is has a line about why are you trying to earn Grace it's this beautiful song about stop it. But you've already been purchased. You've already been bought with the price. He's shown His grace to you. Stop trying to go back to work. Stop trying to earn your father's love. Do the things because you love him but don't be so wracked by fear that he's something you somehow somehow have to earn his love. That you have no rest for your soul. And so is it good news? This is wonderful news. Because it's not just for this is what verse 29 and following it's that right is he the God of the Jews only? No, no, he's the God of the Gentiles also, since there's one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised by faith. Do you see what he's doing here? He's saying he's, he's tearing down this wall of division. There is a barrier between the two of them Jews on this side gentiles on this side, anything Whoa, that wall goes away in Jesus Christ. Because the Jews are justified by faith in Christ and the Gentiles guess how they're justified by faith in Christ? Both both groups ie all humanity. There's only one way I am the Way the Truth in life No one comes to the Father but by me. We must go to the Father through faith in Christ. That's the only way for Jews and Gentiles since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised by faith. Right? So this is this is what he's saying. It's about faith. Faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ. This is why he's going to get to that place where he's gonna say that if we confess with our mouths, that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved. Do we have faith
in God's promises? Do we have faith specifically in the person and work of Jesus Christ? We got a problem in our lives. We're not good enough to go before a holy God. He's got beef with us. He's got charges against us. But in Jesus Christ. He's redeemed us. And he's declared us to be righteous. Well, I didn't know I mean, I'm just I'm just so excited about the president. A What is this about? I didn't get the idea. That was the best verse. Well, I have a whole bunch of stuff underlined. Here. I basically have everything from verse 22, to verse 26, underlined and on the side is double, underline. And I have an exclamation point and Archon and then in verse, I have verse 28, underlined, double underlined as well. What would you in your Bible? Let me know down in the comments, what would you underline if you're on Facebook or YouTube? What would you say is the best first to get the heart of this
last calling? What are we called to do? I don't know maybe some of you maybe you were you started this road by faith. And you've slipped into this. This understanding this mindset that somehow you have to earn your Father's Grace. You started by faith, but now we're trying to finish by works. You were redeemed unto holiness. That's true.
But we weren't redeemed out of a slavish fear. But we were redeemed that we might love. God, that we might serve Him with a whole hearted joy. Yeah, it's a slog. Sometimes it's not easy. Maybe they were told to put to death therefore the the desires of our flesh right this is we have to beat our bodies into submission, right which is difficult to do and the Christian life. But my sanctification is a joy for what the Holy Spirit is doing. Not a measure of whether I'll go to heaven or not because I don't earn my own righteousness. You don't earn your own righteousness. So I tell you to rejoice always in the Lord. To fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of your faith to know nothing other than Jesus Christ and Him crucified. To know that you have a living hope in Jesus Christ who has risen from the dead, to worship and praise your Father who is in heaven. I pray that you'll find rest for your soul.
I pray that you have joy today. I certainly think our calling is to believe to have faith in Christ. And if you have faith in Christ, Marvel and his goodness Let's pray. Father, how wonderful and how good you are.
That you are both righteous and the one who makes us righteous. Lord, we thank you that you have purchased us with the blood of Jesus Christ and that we are your own
sinful people we are Lord but you have been so kind to us. You have loved us with a costly love. And we pray that we would rejoice always in what you have done.
That we might marvel in your goodness. In Jesus's name, Amen. Or May the joy of Jesus Christ wash over your heart this morning, May He give you peace and comfort knowing that He has loved you and will always love his people. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye
Transcribed by https://otter.ai