Nothing to say, yet
Transcription
The sermon is about objections to faith alone. The first objection is about the advantage of being Jewish and whether works are necessary if saved by faith. The pastor explains that being Jewish is an advantage because they were entrusted with the oracles of God. The second objection is whether unbelief nullifies God's faithfulness. The pastor assures that unbelief does not nullify God's faithfulness and cites scripture to support his point. The third objection is about whether sinning more brings more glory to God. The pastor clarifies that sinning does not bring glory to God and explains the importance of living as ambassadors of Christ to spread the word of reconciliation. You and I have been given the Word of God, the Gospel, the Word of Reconciliation so that others might see Jesus in us. It's time for this week's message from Kings Grove Baptist Church. Due to time constraints, today's message has been condensed from its original form. To hear the full message, simply visit us online at kingsgrove.org. That's kingsgrove.org. Here's our pastor, James Williams. One of the crucial roles for leadership is risk assessment. As a leader of your family, you look at your house and you determine, okay, what are some dangers, what are some risks that we have here? Well, if we want to have steps, we might need a handrail so that we can be safe. If we're going to have back porch, we might need a railing so you don't fall off that back porch. And so there's some risk assessment to every level of leadership because, again, the leadership wants to know these things so that we can protect ourselves against them. And that's exactly what Paul is doing here in Romans chapter 3. He's presented in Romans chapter 1 and 2 this idea that we are saved by faith alone, that Gentiles and Jews alike are on the same playing field, that it is faith in Christ that saves us, not words, not obedience to the law. And so Paul begins to think that when I teach this doctrine, when I teach this saved by faith alone, what are some objections, what are some risks that may come back at me that I need to be prepared to answer? And so we find three of these objections, three of these things in the first eight verses of Romans chapter 3. And so the title of this sermon this morning is Objections to Faith Alone. So Paul does this analysis and he gives us three things. The first one comes in verses 1 and 2. He says, what advantage then has the Jew or what is the prophet of circumcision? Much in every way. This is his answer. The objection was verse 1. Here's the answer. Much in every way, but chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God. So the objection is what advantage then has the Jew or it may be entitled this way. Why do the works if we're saved by faith? Why do the works if we're saved by faith? And Paul's answer is very clear. He says, first of all, you have the advantage of being a Jew because you were committed the oracles of God. Now, the oracles of God is determined by the word of God and the promises of God. And so you have to go back to the history of Israel to understand this. Who were given the very words of God? It was the Jews. They were entrusted with receiving, translating, and keeping the very words of God. And so we have the Scriptures that we have today because of the faithfulness of the Jews in times past. And so Paul is saying, look, it's because you were committed the oracles of God, the word of God. He touches this on Romans 9 verses 3 through 5. He says, for I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen, according to the flesh, who are the Israelites. OK, so we say the Jews, they're the Jews. This is my countrymen to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, the promises of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is overall the eternally blessed God. Amen. And so Paul is saying, yes, it's an advantage to be a Jew because from you comes the word of God. From you comes the prophets of God. From you comes the Savior. And so don't look down on yourself for being a Jew, that there is an advantage to being that Jew. These are a special people. We need to understand that even today. That they were at some point all the things that Paul commends them for in chapter 2. He says, they rested on the law, they made their boast in God, they knew His will, they approved of the things that are excellent, they instructed out of the law, they were a guide to the blind, they were a light to those in darkness, they were an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes. And so Paul is saying, do not undermine that. That you are an amazing people because if it weren't for you, we wouldn't have what we have today. And so that's a message that even some Jews could listen to and accept today. That they didn't need to undermine their Jewishness because they are a special people to God. They were called the nation of God. The promises of God were for the Jews. The prophets of God were from the Jews. You look at Hebrews chapter 11 and you hear about all of the history of the Jews. And you hear about the great hall of faith found there. And you hear about all the amazing things that these Jews did in their time. And so they should celebrate their heritage. They shouldn't look down just because that salvation comes by faith and not by works. They say, what's the point? Paul says, no, no, no, no. You need to celebrate that. This is an advantage. It's every way chiefly because you were committed the Word of God. So how does that apply to us today? Because the last time I looked, I don't think anybody that's in here this morning would consider themselves to be a Jew. And so we can look at that and say, that doesn't mean anything for us. Now, hold on, because again, remember how I rephrased that question. Why do the works if we are saved by faith? I believe that's a question that Christians today, especially here in America, wrestle with and many fall on the outside of that question. And they would say, there's no point. I'm saved by faith. I don't have to do anything else. I'm saved by faith. I can live any way I want to. I'm saved by faith. I don't need to go to church. I don't need to pray. I don't need to read my Bible. I don't need to live like a Christian. I don't have to use great communication. I can use communication of any type. I can say cuss words. I can live any way. I can do anything I want to. Why? Because I'm saved by faith, not by what I do. We've all known people who claim to be a Christian. Hey, I'm a Christian. I've acknowledged Christ. I said a prayer back when I was eight years old. But out in the world, each and every day, they don't worry about the things of God. They don't consider the things of God. They maybe even talk down about the things of God. But they're a Christian because they said a prayer a long time ago. And I'm saved by faith, so it doesn't matter. Paul says, that shouldn't be. That's not what God's called. Because he has Christians today. Why do the works if we are saved by faith? 1 Corinthians 5, 18-20 says this, Now all things are of God who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, listen, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. That is that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us, listen, has committed to us the Word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ as though God were pleading through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. In the same way that the Jews were given the Word of God in the form of the law, we as believers today have been given the Word of God in the form of the Gospel of reconciliation. And so why should I do the works if I'm saved by faith? So that others can hear the Word of reconciliation through how I speak, through how I live, and through hearing and seeing, they too can be reconciled to God. You and I have been given the Word of God, the Gospel, the Word of reconciliation, so that others might see Jesus in us. But why do the works if I'm saved by faith? So your children will see Jesus. So your nieces and nephews will see Jesus. So your neighbors will see Jesus. So your co-workers will see Jesus. Beloved, we have to wrestle with this fact, especially the younger generations. And I consider myself a younger generation. I may not look it. I may not feel it from time to time. But I consider myself a younger generation. We have to wrestle with this fact. It is not about me. It's not. Did God come and send His Son to die on a cross for me? Absolutely not. Did God send His Son to die on a cross for only me? Absolutely not. You see, many of us might have grown up in a youth group that said, well, just take John 3.16 and put your name in there. For God so loved James, that He gave His only begotten Son that if James believes in Him, then James would do this and James this and James that. Yes, He died for me. Yes, He will forgive me. And yes, He came for me. But not just for me. So I shouldn't live like it's just for me. I should live out the word of reconciliation through my works so that others might see Jesus in me. So the first objection to faith alone is what advantage has the Jews, because we've been entrusted with the Word of God. The second is this, does unbelief nullify God's faithfulness? Does unbelief nullify God's faithfulness? Look at verse 3 and 4. He says, For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? Certainly not. Indeed, let God be true, but every man a liar. As it is written, that you may be justified in your words and you may overcome when you are judged. Does unbelief nullify God's faithfulness? So again, Paul is talking to a Jewish group in this particular area. And so they come and they might ask him. And again, he's fleshing this out himself. This is not somebody else who raised this question. This is him as a leader saying, okay, I'm teaching this doctrine. I need to be prepared to answer these arguments. And so he's kind of heading them off at the past, so to speak. And so he said, if we didn't believe as a nation, if we didn't believe as a chosen people of God, does that void God's contract? Will God keep His promises to Israel since many of the Jews don't believe in Jesus? If we don't keep up our end of the covenant, will God keep up His end of the covenant? And Paul is very pointed in his answer. He says, certainly not. Your unfaithfulness will not nullify God's faithfulness. And he gives two points. He says, because God is true. Let God be true. But every man a liar. You see, here's the truth of the matter is that sometimes our experiences lead to questions about the reality of God. Have you ever been talking to someone about being a Christian? Maybe you're sharing the Gospel. Maybe you're telling them, hey, I'm a Christian, and they come back with this. Well, I just can't believe in a God who will let things happen like the Crusades. That's what Christians are. They're just a bunch of people who go around murdering people for no reason. Well, I can't believe in a God who allows slavery. All your churches. Y'all didn't promote slavery. Y'all just pushed it. And the Bible teaches that it's okay. Well, what about y'all? Y'all are just so judgmental against homosexuality. And you hate. And you're full of hate. And all this stuff. And I just can't believe in a God who is like that. Or, I used to be a Christian, but then, you know, that deacon said some strange words to me and made me angry, and so I just quit. Maybe you've had conversations like that. The reality is that sometimes people's experience with a Christian rubs them in the wrong way that says I just can't believe in a God that that's His people. And so what does Paul do? Because the reality is not only do experiences lead to questions about the reality of God, but unfaithfulness leads to questions about the reality of God. If God is who you say He is, but you live like He is not what you say He is, then some will conclude that God must not be who you say He is. God is loving. He's kind. He's gracious. He's merciful. He's forgiving. But then you live like He's not one of those things. Well, God must not be that way. If we truly believe God is who He says He is in His Word, then we will live like it from the overflow. The problem is we can't live like it from the overflow because we're not getting filled up ourselves. It's hard, isn't it? It's hard to fill up yourself. Well, I just can't go to that church anymore because I just don't feel like I'm being fed. Well, I hope you're eating more than once a week. You all can tell I eat more than once a week. If I had it my way, I'd eat more than once an hour. If all we're doing is eating once a week, then we can't live out of the overflow because we're not being filled up ourselves. We've got to fill ourselves up. Well, how do we fill ourselves up? Spending time alone with God. In prayer. In feeding from the bread of life. His mercies are new every morning. Do you experience those mercies? Do you get alone with God and say, God, I need Your mercy today? Fill me with Your Spirit. Fill me with Your power that I might live from the overflow so that others will see that what I believe about God. Where does Paul take them? When they ask this question, will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? He takes them to Psalm 51. I want you to flip over there with me. Psalm 51. I want us to read that. Because even though he only quotes a little piece of it to the Jew, they would have in mind the full thing. They would have in mind the situation of what's going on. They would have in mind what God is doing through David in this psalm. And so when he quotes Psalm 51, he brings this to mind. This is a psalm of David when Nathan the prophet went in to him after he had gone into Bathsheba. So he committed his sins with Bathsheba. Nathan the prophet has come to him and said, David, you're wrong. You shouldn't have done this. You sinned before God. This is David's response. Verse 1 of Psalm 51. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness, according to the multitude of Your tender mercies. Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. So what Paul is saying this, Paul is doing for the Jewish believer all the way back over here in Romans, he's doing something for them. He is saying that no matter what you do, God is faithful. He's reminding them that David, the great king, your great ancestor, the one that you look up to as being the gold standard of leaders, guess what? He sinned against God. And guess what? God was still faithful to him. Do you remember what God's promise to David was? I'm going to set up your throne for all of eternity. You will have a son. Your descendants will be the king for all of eternity. And of course, we know that Jesus came from the lineage of David and Jesus is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He is sitting right now at the right hand of God, interceding for you and me. That is the eternal throne that God promised to David. And even though David sinned against God, even though David sinned against Bathsheba, even though David sinned against Uriah, even though David committed this horrendous sin and there were consequences for that sin, God was still faithful to His promise to David. Beloved, even when we fall, even when we falter, even when we sin against God, you know what? He is still faithful to His promise. And you know what? His promise to you and to me today is that if we will confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And if we will confess, we will be faithful to His promise to forgive. And so by quoting Psalm 51, Paul reminds them of God's faithfulness to David. By quoting Psalm 51, Paul instructs them on God's restoration to Himself. How are we reconciled to God? Simply by confessing, repenting of our sin, turning away from our sin, and turn to God. God's faithfulness is tied to His character, not our conduct. Now hear that. God's faithfulness is tied to His character, not our conduct. And His character is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Our conduct fluctuates with the times. There's some days we're doing really good, aren't we? Man, I prayed this morning. I made good decisions. I told somebody about Jesus. Man, we're on that mountaintop. Everything's going great. We're feeling blessed. Man, hashtag blessed. It's just awesome. We've got sunshine in our pocket type of day. I mean, it's awesome. And then morning comes. And it's dark. And it's dreary. We make a bad decision. We sin against God. We use words we shouldn't use. We have a temper that we shouldn't have. Somebody cut us off on the freeway. We flipped them off and honked our horn and did the pit maneuver. We just had a bad day. And there's no way God can love us. There's no way that God's gonna forgive me of that. Beloved, hear me. His faithfulness to love you is not tied to your conduct, but to His character. And He'll love you right through the deepest, darkest days of your life. And if we will repent and cry out to Him, He'll wrap us in His arms and pour out that love and kindness that David talks about in Psalm 51. The last objection. What advantage then has the Jew? Does unbelief nullify God's faithfulness? And lastly, is God unjust in His judgments? Look at verses 5-8. But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath? I speak as a man. Certainly not. Then how will God judge the world? For if the truth of God has increased through my lie to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner? And why not say, let us do evil that good may come? As we are slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say, their condemnation is just. And so, Paul is saying, if my sin, my unrighteousness, my lying, my rottenness, when contrasted to God's holiness, makes Him look good, then how can He judge me as a sinner? Because I'm making Him look good. It's all about His glory. And that's what I'm doing through being dirty and rotten and unrighteous. Well, that means we have to have two fallible thoughts. The first being this, that God is glorified through sin. Of course, Paul very plainly says, certainly not. This shouldn't be. He says in Romans 6, verse 1-2, what shall we say then? Shall we go on sinning that grace may abound all the more? Certainly not. He touches on this topic again. So, the thought that God is glorified through sin is not a sin. It's our righteousness, our unrighteousness up against His righteousness. But the truth is this, what brings God glory is not our unrighteousness contrasted with His righteousness, but it's our unrighteousness exchanged for His righteousness. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin, but He made Him who knew no sin to be the righteousness of God. You see, God's glory is not seen when we put us against Him. Have you ever been in your car? I had my car cleaned the other day. And here's the bad thing about taking your car to a place to be cleaned. It's they never do the windows right. I'll pay 40 bucks to have somebody clean my car and get in there and the window has this haze on it and I can't see nothing. And when you get halfway, because of my little short arms, I can't reach the passenger side. So I clean the driver's side. And I get it all crystal clear. And I look over there and there's this film, this haze. Crystal clear and haze. And there's this contrast of clean and unclean. And that's what this thing is saying is that when you put us two side by side, you can see how holy and righteous and worthy God is and how unholy and unrighteous and dirty we are. And if you contrast, man, that makes God look good. And in a sense, yeah, you're right. But what God does is even more than that. Is God takes His cleanliness, His righteousness, His holiness, and gives it to you for your unrighteousness. Says I'll take that sin, that unrighteousness, that rottenness, that pride, that anger, that all that sinful stuff that you carry, I'll take all of that and lay it on my son so that you might be the righteousness of God. And so it's not us contrasted with God's holiness. It's the fact that God gives us His righteousness. That's what makes Him glorious. That's what makes Him loving. That's what makes Him kind. That's what makes us look to Him in awe and just say why would you do that? So is God unjust in His judgments? The first wrong thinking is that God is glorified through sin. The second is that God is unjust. And Paul simply answers this. God is just no matter what. No matter what He does, God is just. He is right. He is holy. He is perfect. That's why He said let every man be a liar. God's true. God's right. God's holy. Don't ever question that. Now it's hard for us when bad things happen. That's hard for us when hurt and heartache happens. God, why would You allow this? God, why would You do this? God, why me? There's a number of reasons that can answer that question. That God has a plan and a purpose for you even in your hurt and heartache. That He's going to do something glorious through that. We don't see it. We don't understand it. We don't like it, but it's what Scripture says. God, I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans not to harm you, but plans to prosper you, to give you hope in a future. That He works all things for the glory of those who love Him or are called according to His purpose. We say we believe that, but then bad things happen and we're like, God, why? That's exactly when we need to run to those verses. That God, I know that You have a plan and purpose for me. I know that You work all things for the good of those who love You and are called according to Your purpose. And I don't understand it. God, I need You to show me now. I can't tell you how many times I've found myself in that situation. Personally and on behalf of somebody else. I say, God, they're struggling with it. They're having a hard time with it. Their faith is right on the edge. Lord, I know You're doing something. Will You reveal it to them? Reveal it to me so that we can know what You're doing. What's the purpose behind this? And it may not be instant. It may take some time, but I can honestly say this. I don't ever remember a time praying that prayer that God did not reveal something. Again, it may not be instant. But a week later, a month later, we can look back and say, oh, that's what God was doing there. He let me walk through that so that I could talk with You here. He let me walk through that so that when I faced it here, it would be a little bit easier because I've already experienced it. We need to understand that God is just no matter what He's doing in your life or my life. And we can trust in that because He is faithful. And so Paul weaves all of these things together. And that's something that we need to understand. That's a little bit difficult at times. That as I preach through Romans, we need to understand that this is a single letter. This is not a series of teachings that Paul wrote. This is a single letter to the church at Romans. And I don't know, it's probably been a while. Not many of us receive handwritten letters anymore. But have you ever received a letter or a card in the mail and you open it up and you read the first line? You say, well, I'm going to come back next week and read the second one. Or I'm going to come back in a month and read that next part. No, when you get a letter, you read the whole letter. Now obviously, I can't preach the entire book of Romans all at once. I mean, did you all pack a lunch? Maybe I'll give it a shot. No, I can't do that. So we're picking apart, but we need to understand that as Paul is writing this letter as a whole, that it's all woven together very, very specifically, very detailed. So Paul says, look, the Gentiles are saved by faith. The Jews are saved by faith. All of these objections need to be understood in the light of we're saved by faith. So as we close today, what are some things that we can take home with us? What are some things that we can apply to our lives and be reminded of and remember as we go out this morning? That as believers in Christ, we have been entrusted with the word of reconciliation. We should be living in such a way that we will reconcile the world to God. Even when we sin against God, He is faithful to His promises to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness if we will repent and confess our sins to Him. And lastly, God seeks to bring Himself glory by exchanging His righteousness for your unrighteousness. But He must judge sin because He is holy and just. The question then becomes, will we trust Christ to be our payment for that sin? Or will we carry that burden ourselves? The question is simply this, have you put your faith and trust in Christ this morning? If you haven't, I believe that today is the day of salvation. I believe that God has led you here. I believe that God has called you here to sit under the sound of My voice for a reason, for a purpose. That even in the midst of your unfaithfulness, God still loves you. Even in the midst of your sin, God will forgive you. That while I was yet a sinner, Christ died for me. I didn't have to clean myself up. I didn't have to go to church so many times. I didn't have to wear the right t-shirt or know all the words to the songs they were singing. I simply had to come in repentance to Him. Acknowledge Him as Lord and Savior. And He will cleanse you from all unrighteousness. Thank you for joining us today for the broadcast of Kings Grove Baptist Church. Our pastor is James Williams. You can reach us on the phone at area code 864-868-3030. That's area code 864-868-3030. If you'd like to hear this or any of our other messages again, you can visit us on the web at kingsgrove.org. That's kingsgrove.org. If you'd like spiritual help, feel free to reach out to us. That phone number again is 864-868-3030. And be sure to join us again next week at this same time for the broadcast from Kings Grove Baptist Church.
