20241027 Romans 3:9-20 The Condemnation of Country Club Christianity

Welcome to Vertical Church

Acts 2:42 LSB

42 And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers.

As a church we seek to uphold the values of the NT church as seen in Acts 2:42 -

We are Trinitarian - while God is one in essence, He is three in person: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit

We believe in the sovereignty of God - sovereign over all creation, sovereign over the affairs of men, sovereign over salvation

We believe in the authority of the Bible - Scripture alone is the Word of God

We are Biblical in our theology - we are a bible teaching church

We believe that the Church is not a building or a denomination but a people - those who are truly in Christ and embrace the truths that were embraced and confessed by the New Testament Church, the apostolic church.

We are evangelical - we believe that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

We are a Vertical Church - we believe that all true worship and living is Vertical, God directed and for the glory of God alone.

Scripture Alone, Grace Alone, Faith Alone, Christ Alone, For the glory of God alone - join us on Sundays

Call to Worship - Psalm 18:3-6

Psalm 18:3–6 LSB

3 I call upon Yahweh, who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies. 4 The cords of death encompassed me, And the torrents of vileness terrified me. 5 The cords of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me. 6 In my distress I called upon Yahweh, And cried to my God for help; He heard my voice out of His temple, And my cry for help before Him came into His ears.

Scripture Reading - Romans 3:9-20

Romans 3:9–20 LSB

9 What then? Are we better? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; 10 as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one; 11 There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God; 12 All have turned aside, together they have become worthless; There is none who does good, There is not even one.” 13 “Their throat is an open tomb, With their tongues they keep deceiving,” “The poison of asps is under their lips”; 14 “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”; 15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood, 16 Destruction and misery are in their paths, 17 And the path of peace they have not known.” 18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” 19 Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are in the Law, so that every mouth may be shut and all the world may become accountable to God; 20 because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

Let’s pray

Introduction:

In a world filled with entertainment, distractions, opportunities for fun, relaxation, and pleasure, what does the bible say is the message of the church to the world?

Come to church and find yourself? Come to church and have fun? Come to church and feel better about yourself?

1 Timothy 1:15 LSB

15 It is a trustworthy saying and deserving full acceptance: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost.

The Final Verdict of Scripture - Not just a few people, but every person in the world is under the wrath of God because of our sin

We are not sinners because we sin, we sin because we are sinners

In our spiritual poverty we are beggars telling other beggars where to find bread

And that bread is the gospel - that Jesus Christ has come into the word to save sinners

And so the message of the early church was not, Come to church because God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life, but instead, flee to Christ who alone has the power to save you from the wrath of of God and the coming judgment that all people will face

Romans (Chapter 8: Under Sin (Romans 3:9–20))

We are not ready to hear the gospel until we first understand the indictment against humanity that comes down to us from God himself. The view of humanity that we see in Romans 3:10–20 is on a collision course with everything our culture tells us about our natural condition. People today profoundly disagree with the apostle Paul’s assessment of our condition, but we must not be caught up in what we as fallen people think of ourselves. What matters is God’s assessment of our condition.

Romans 3:9-20 gives us that assessment

(1) We are all under the weight of sin

Romans 3:9 LSB

9 What then? Are we better? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin;

Under - the weight of sin, sin presses down, we are enslaved to sin, we are under the burden of the guilt of sin

Even when we think that we are on top of the world, we are under the weight of sin

The world wants you to think that you aren’t depraved, you are deprive, our culture wants you to focus on your potential instead of the penalty of sin

Paul will now show us the weight and burden of our sinfulness by giving us an overview of our spiritual condition from the Old Testament in verses 10-18, a chronological study on the sinfulness of all people since the beginning of time

(2) A summary of the Old Testament: There is none righteous

(2.1) Our unrighteousness

Romans 3:10 LSB

10 as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one;

Romans 3:10–12 LSB

10 as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one; 11 There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God; 12 All have turned aside, together they have become worthless; There is none who does good, There is not even one.”

Verses 10-12 are from Psalms 14 and 53 -

our righteousness versus God’s righteousness

salvation by self righteousness or works righteousness

an understanding of God, an understanding of our spiritual condition

a seeking, a hungering, a thirsting for God, a desire to know God

No one in their natural condition seeks after God

Romans None Righteous

Thomas Aquinas was asked on one occasion why there seem to be non-Christians who are searching for God, when the Bible says no one seeks after God in an unconverted state. Aquinas replied that we see people all around us who are feverishly seeking for purpose in their lives, pursuing happiness, and looking for relief from guilt to silence the pangs of conscience. We see people searching for the things that we know can be found only in Christ, but we make the gratuitous assumption that because they are seeking the benefits of God, they must therefore be seeking God. That is the very dilemma of fallen creatures: we want the things that only God can give us, but we do not want him. We want peace but not the Prince of Peace. We want purpose but not the sovereign purposes decreed by God. We want meaning found in ourselves but not in his rule over us. We see desperate people, and we assume they are seeking for God, but they are not seeking for God. I know that because God says so. No one seeks after God.

I was searching for meaning, I was searching for purpose, I was searching for pleasure but I was not searching for God. But just like Paul on the road to Damascus, I remember when God sovereignly found me in my first year of university

(2.2) God’s standard

Isaiah 64:6 LSB

6 For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, carry us away.

Matthew 5:48 LSB

48 “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

(2.3) Our radical corruption

Paul now moves from the general to the specific. He shows us how our acts of unrighteousness

Romans 3:13 LSB

13 “Their throat is an open tomb, With their tongues they keep deceiving,” “The poison of asps is under their lips”;

Ps 5:9 - Ps 140 - throat, tongues, lips

Romans 3:14 LSB

14 “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”;

Ps 10:7 - mouth

Romans 3:15–17 LSB

15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood, 16 Destruction and misery are in their paths, 17 And the path of peace they have not known.”

Is 59:7 - feet

Romans 3:18 LSB

18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Ps 36 - the eyes - the conclusion - no fear of God - we are not afraid of God in our natural condition

Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved

(3) We are all guilty

Romans 3:19–20 LSB

19 Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are in the Law, so that every mouth may be shut and all the world may become accountable to God; 20 because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

v19 - we are all guilty. If on judgment day the Lord was to play back every scene of your life, what would you have to say? Wouldn’t your shame and guilt bring you to silence?

The conclusion, vs 20 - we cannot produce the righteousness that is required for salvation.

There are those who hope that their good deeds will outweigh their bad deeds. But the Law reveals the depth of our rebellion and corruption, it reveals how far we are from God’s holiness.

We cannot be saved by our works. Only the finished work of Christ, the perfect Savior can save us. We are made righteous through the death of Jesus

Woe to the person who attends church and thinks that they are somehow better than those who don’t attend

Woe to the person who thinks that their actions will somehow earn them eternal life

Woe to the church where the people think that they can look at the world through rose colored stained glass windows and who think that they are somehow not as sinful and those in the world and in need of the same grace, and mercy, and forgiveness

Woe to anyone who thinks that they will not stand before the judgment seat of Christ

And that is why verse 21 begins with the word BUT and that is where we will begin next time

Romans 3:21 LSB

21 But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,

May the Word of God dwell in you richly in all wisdom to capture your hearts for Christ, to comfort your hearts in Christ and to humble your hearts before Christ. Amen.