Romans 3:21-26

I'll be preaching for us today. Romans 3:21 226. Next week. We're in a cover verses 27, to 31, and then we'll get to hear from our new pastor assistant, Joseph Darwin, while I'm out of town and Rob Clark will be preaching for us as well. And then the summer will resume our study in the Psalms. So it's just kind of in the default tradition that Psalms becomes kind of the summer study cuz a lot of people are traveling and it's hard to stay in the rhythm of the series on the person that soon. But that's your overview right now. Let's focus our hearts on this particular, text truly the high point of Romans in many ways were Romans chapter 3 verses 21 through 26. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the law and the prophets bear witness to it. The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ, for all who believe for there is no distinction for all, have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified by his grace. As a gift through the Redemption, that is in Christ. Jesus, who put forward as a propitiation by his blood to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness because in his Divine forbearance the attached over former sins it was to show his righteousness at the present time so that he might be. Just and the just fire of the one who has faith, In Jesus. I told you when we began our Series in Romans that a mini have argued through the centuries that Romans is the most important book or letter of the Bible. There were probably 10 quotes from various figures through church history who attested to the greatness of this epistle. Where you may find interesting as follow-up to that, is that many of those same people testify that the few verses that I just read or actually the greatest verses and all the rodents, so it's not just your in the best. It's some people's opinion. This is the best of the best burn house at it. This way, I'm convinced today after these many years of study that these verses are the most important in the Bible.

Another said I just got heart of the Gospel, it is a Bible within the Bible.

There's a problem.

It doesn't always feel that way.

If I would have read John 3:16, like you would have thought greatest hits of Christianity.

And yes, I read those verses a few moments ago.

did you not at some point, just kind of find yourself some bling over some, some rather heavy for five syllable words like righteousness, justifications Redemption, propitiation Are you repeat them over and over again? And that there's something about like this, that it seems almost like it accessible. Or maybe like, theological philosophical, not necessarily like right at the heart and practical spiritual energizing Maybe and maybe some of you read it and just it's it. Shivers down your spine. You thought this is the best verse ever and that would be bright of you to feel so. But what I'm trying to acknowledge is that many of us sometimes, just get a little, like, hung up on just the thoughts like the concept itself like a wrestling with the idea with the with the argument and like we have a hard time like internalizing it directly as like the best thing we've ever heard. And I think that this particular passage the very famous Surfers from a few for illustration choices. And maybe when you read this in times past or someone has explained it to you that they kind of present of this truth about this righteousness that comes from God as something like a financial problem. You ever heard that analogy, you had a big debt, Jesus actually accrued a surplus and then a financial transaction took place on the cross. Yay, for balance Ledger sheets. Nothing gets to the Heart Like A reconciled Ledger.

Or some person it merely as a legal problem. But you were speeding through the school zone. The blinds kits is 20 mph, you were going 80. And there was a $5,000 fine imposed.

Any justification, what God did? Was he fixed your legal problem, he paid your speeding ticket. So, Jesus was sent. And the judge himself paid for the transaction right out of his own wallet, and guess what? Now you no longer have a speeding ticket.

What's good? I am still that I made it is nice to get out of a speeding ticket. It's nice to have a zero balance on The Ledger, maybe my favorite analogy for these verses that you know really Gets to the heart. Not is this? The archery one? You know, this verse is about You have missed the mark.

How many of you have actually shot a bow and arrow before his want to? I guess a lot of you how did you do it regularly? I thought so.

All right, so I'm a aching when I hear. Did this passage is tell me that I've missed the mark but Jesus hit the mark. What I'm hearing and that is why I'm not that good at archery. Anyway like I think I had a bow and arrow is a 5th Grader.

And it just said it wasn't that big a deal to me that I missed the mark like okay was like, wasn't expecting that much. Anyway.

Yay. Yay, for Jesus hitting the Mark. I'm not making fun of any of these things. I'm trying to illustrate that. Why do they give certain truths what they do? Is they depersonalize like the richness of the actual text

They make it more of a financial problem or a legal problem, or an athletic problem.

And less of a relational problem. Which is what Paul has been ultimately concerned about through the book. There is a choice, there's an energy. There's like a relational pesos through the book of Romans this is not a theology book is a letter written. The gospel partners and like he knows that they love God and they saw themselves as a out of sorts with him but they've been brought into fellowship with him through Christ. Head over the last few chapters like what he's been doing for them. It's just reminding them of where they were before they were ever reconciled to God. They were all Rebels. They were all Rebels. They were all off, choosing their own way and they were destroying their lives. And yet, God intervened. They were not only hostile to God. That some of them were hardly enough to believe that they could get themselves back into God's. Good graces through moralism, Willis traded with the door over here there that they could instead of going through like God's way to get back in a relationship with him. They just try to like point out the faults of everyone else and that somehow makes them feel better and Falls. Like some of you were just more or less you were beating down the wrong door and it didn't work. So if you try the other door of religion, you tried to know all the rules. You tried to follow the rituals and it didn't get you anywhere. Like the long never brawl rescue. It only brought like a revelation of God's Wrath against you. And he's been doing all of this like really heavy work. To bring our hearts back up again to the greatness of what he said. At the very beginning. The gospel is the power of God unto Rescue It rescues. Rescues us back into relationship with God. It is the revelation of his righteousness, like how we can be right with him through faith alone. It looks kind of like in a song where it kind of starts off in a minor key. That's only a setup to like like for things to shift to shift into a brighter mood or brighter tone. There's there's a contrast there's a pallet Quincy already told him like yeah the gospels good news. But let's remember how bad it is and here's where it gets good. Again this is supposed to be hitting us right in the heart but admittedly we do have to make it past some rather large words. The biggest that we've seen over and over again but I need to rehearse with you again. Now is righteousness righteousness. What do we mean by righteousness beating? Right with God. I think maybe another analogy would help. You can think of justification or righteousness as the same word. To justify something means to make it right. To be righteous means to be in the right.

But how can we think of this, in a way that actually, like resonates with the way that we feel, the way that we really think and process? How do we keep this from being a math problem and athletic problem? A legal problem alone. How's it relational? Well, I would friends just have you walked back and you're like mental history. To the last time that you had to fill out an application. The last time that you submitted a resume, Do you know that? Remember that feeling? Of like, like, putting yourself out there like, making yourself. No, not just for a job. Maybe it wasn't a written resume. Maybe you were making a pitch to someone else as a young man for the heart of someone to lead and love for life. That fear of even dating, like I'm going to put myself out there, I'm going to like make myself known and you're you're you're trying to like show that you're in the right. You're trying to show that there's compatibility or trying to show that, you know, what this relationship is going to work. Like I'm going to meet the standard of approval. If it's Athletics, I've got the athletic report card for it, I've got the grades to get into the school, I've got the competencies to get the job and then relationally, is I have what I need to offer to really be a part of this relationship for this relationship to be, right? Prince righteousness. Yes, has legal overtones, but it's about being reconciled with the good God, who created us and the one who sustain us in about entering back into a relationship with him. It isn't just that there was a parking ticket. It was that there was a relationship that was broken our lives or broken their wrong. They're off their Twisted, Sister B like the relationships, not as it should be and it was our own Rebellion. That got us there and our moralism couldn't fix it at our self-righteousness and religion, couldn't fix. And what pole is saying here is like the way that like the way back into this wonderful loving relationship with God, is through the righteousness that he provides. In Christ through faith. It's the hit hard. Had to help that today. I want to walk you through this text on this righteousness from God. Just pointing out a few features. This is to elevate your heart friends. This is to lift your spirits. This is for you to be able to actually Rebel in and rejoice and the gospel that sometimes seems maybe block, maybe a little irrelevant.

So what are these features? Well, let's just look through the text together. Beginning of verse 21 it says. But now the righteousness of God for the righteousness from God, Has been manifested apart from the law. Although the law and the prophets bear witness to it. So what's the first feature of this righteousness? A here's good news friends that are right. Relationship with God, is apart from law, apart from law, there's a first, it's far from law. I've heard it is not about what, you know, or what you do. It's not even about where you come from. Remember When Paul was using the word law here. He's like already defined it as like that special Revelation in the Old Testament that disclosed, like God's rules. Like how to relate with him, like what he wanted and expected and it's rituals that shows that you're in a relationship with him. And it pointed ahead to like how this relationship with him would be provided, but it was a lot of Shadow very little substance. There was relationship with God under the Old Testament economy. But I'm just telling you like when you read through the Old Testament, nobody is going back saying like please set up the relationship that way. That's what I want. Give me syeni.

Impulse in this is good news, this is not a matter of your performance. How to be clear? In the Old Testament. It wasn't a matter of performance either. It was just interpreted that way. They misinterpreted it like they missed like the way it was pointing to. They they had all these rituals to order the point of those things to show them that like the the relief pictured. In those things, as promised they would come, those sacrifices didn't bring about forgiveness but they pointed to forgiveness but they were misusing the law instead of actually like using it as a sign. To point them to a solution they were trying to find a solution in the sign itself. I'm just telling you, I seen that Disney sign many a Time on Interstate, 75, or I-4, and it's just not as cool as the real thing.

Prince, you can spend all the time you want focusing on the rules and the rituals of the Old Testament, you can geek out on Bible knowledge. You can do like Benjamin Franklin, create a list for yourself of all the things that you think you need to do to be the right kind of person in the eyes of God, and then check that list off every day to try to make yourself, feel good about your standing. Before him. You could set new goals for yourself every year and you can like, Post all kinds of beautiful pictures on Instagram, and you can show people your great life on social media and you can polish your LinkedIn profile. And you can keep working on the stuff and the procedure and the list and the goals and and following the rules and it will never satisfy because there is no righteousness, there is no right relationship with God, through through following and rituals.

I was just wondering friends that many of us like fall into that trap, even as believers. Think about the times where you feel like something's wrong, something's off. If righteousness means that we've been made right with God, that all is well that always right. How many of you like get to the end of your day and you actually, like, look at the little list that you made and you didn't get it all done. And you think I am such a failure.

How many do a set these goals? Like for the new year or five years from now? And if they didn't happen, you think what am I even doing? How many do you look at your body and you're saying stuff like, you know what? I wish I was like a little less body fat. I wish I was a little healthier, I wish I looked a little better.

And you're thinking like a broken. Something's wrong. Like you think that's wrong. You think you're in the wrong because you're not as healthy as you only think you're in the wrong because you didn't accomplish as much as you want to accomplish, like you think you're in the wrong on the basis of your performance, when it went great, you think it went fine and then when it doesn't go great, as it often does your back in the wrong again, friends with this text is about is rightness that transcends all the Spheres, the brightness in the court and in the relationship that counts has already been given through Christ. It does not happen through law, keeping one has already kept the law for you. So that's good news about this righteousness, that happened so far from all, but you cannot mix that together. It is something that has been given to you apart from law, but friends, the wall, the moral or even the Old Testament and all of its precepts. And all of its promises, they were pointing to the solution, don't throw out your Old Testament all together. Don't throw out your Ten Commandments all together. Like what he saying here is that they were pointing to the answer. Noticed this a 21, it's been manifested, this right relationship with God, manifested apart from the law, although the law and the prophets bear witness to it. But keep reading your old test me know why? Because all those laws, remember an exodus, like with the Tabernacle, and with those sacrifices, they're actually showing us like the real problem and how we found the solution in Jesus. Like what was the problem with them? Like they were under the oppression of Egypt, a Taskmaster and God deliver them that we know what it means to be delivered to be rescued because of Old Testament law. We knew that they like, God was angry with them and that he had actually like one of the pour out his wrath on them. And yet the day of atonement taught them that a lamb would actually take that sacrifice on their behalf and stay and thereby, they be right with God. And then as we saw it already today and Isaiah chapter 53. The prophets themselves point to not only a better king and a better ruler. Thought I better sacrifice one who would actually fully absorbed the wrath of God and him own self and his own self rising. Again, making things right for all, who would believe in him for the Old Testament, low may not accomplish righteousness, but it certainly points to the solution for that in Jesus. So features of our right relationship with God. It is a part from La. Let's continue reading. What else? What's another feature? What's another bonus? Why should we be excited about this when I noticed this? Pocket of expansion, verse 22 on this righteousness of God and knows what he says. It is through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. So not only is it apart from law? But notice this. It is for all who believe, that's the second feature is for all who believe, don't notice all, it means like everyone who believes not. Those who have the right back around, all those who follow the rules, but those who believe in Christ Jesus, those who trust in him or the ones who enjoy this righteousness. Like, that's the, that's how you receiving call you until I get to work either. Do you notice how he says the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe he said that twice?

A reality. So nice. She says it twice.

Thanks. Escape is for all who believe noticed this because sometimes verse 23 gets taken out of context Paul ads for there is no distinction. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. And are justified by his grace as a gift through the Redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Paul's there, notice that. I was saying like we've all got the same problem and God has provided the same solution. No matter where you're coming from, no matter what your background is, no matter what, like what kind of like credit you're think. You're bringing into the relationship. It's all liability because nobody's lived up to God standard and we all have the same problem. Guess what? We all have the same solution. Nobody gets in another way. And that's why he continues to dwell on like the universal sinfulness of humanity. He's not doing this to beat us up. He's actually doing it to bring us together when you how Prince think about it, how how awesome is it in life when you run into someone? And you don't want to be this way, but we are. When you've been together with someone who has suffered and weighs similar to you.

You're a cancer survivor. Give me a cancer survivor. There's like an automatic connection. You're single parent, give me another single parent. There's like an automatic connection, like you've got the common struggle.

But you got fired from your job. This person's been fired from their job. There's a Kinect, you just realize like man, we're all the same. What Paul is actually doing here is to help with this Jew, Gentile relationship. He's trying to say, hey the Gentiles may have had their problem and paganism and Rebellion. But also the Jewish people had the same problem, they just masturbate differently. And guess what? If they all had, the same problem. Jesus has only provided one solution, and that is himself, and we find that unity in him. It isn't there's a way of righteousness for you and a way of righteousness for you. And a way of righteousness for you all have sinned. And the only way to enter into the righteousness provided by God is through belief, but noticed how Paul personalizes this? This is brilliant and this is where we need a little bit of clarity. This is no distinction. He's been talking about Jew Gentile stuff. I noticed this for all have sinned and we know that word means to fall short to miss the mark. I noticed this one. And fall short of the glory of God.

Embarrassing. I've never known what that means. As a child, I committed at the Romans road to Salvation to memory and it already started off with Romans 3:23 and for all of us and fallen short of the glory of God. And I need to tell the analogy about the Archer, but I did not know what it meant to fall short of the glory of God. Think with me about that form of, what is Paul referring to in this? What is this glory of God? That we fall short. A French think back to Genesis. Why were we created? We were created to represent God's glory. We were supposed to be like the moon to his son, like we were going to show the rest of the world. But his good rule was like, friends. If you ever act like Wonder like why am I here? What is all this about? Like it was to ultimately to to be in relationship with God and then the broadcast that in the way that you live to the world. Like that's the highest calling. Like that's what you were originally designed to do. And what pole is saying here is that all have sinned, all of missed the mark, all have fallen short of that. Another way you could translate that is all black. This capacity to glorify God the way that he originally created. What he designed? Prince we're missing the glory forever. If we think of it just as, all right, did I do the right behaviors or did I do the wrong behaviors? Like it's just going to miss the heart. But think about, think about beauty. Think about goodness. Think about design. Like think about relationship with God. Like that being the highest like, that's what we lack because of our sin. I love the way that day Northland, I put it in a journal article. Normally we think of Cortland as a popular book writer. I found this obscure journal on this very phrase cuz I was trying to learn it. I wanted to know what he meant and this is beautiful. Just listen.

Romans 3:23, the bottom-line explanation. For why we packed stadiums for football games, pay, thousands of dollars for liposuction and meet with psychologist to plumb the depths of The Haunting sense of the shame. We feel, We lacked glory, and we know it.

At every turn in everyday life. We see evidence of the truth that we know deep within that we have lost our True Glory, our real selves, we feel keenly our sense of alienation from who we were destined to be and we seek to fill that void. Anyway, we can even vicariously through enjoying the glory of others parents ever been there. The message of the Gospel from the perspective of this. Passage is that in Christ? Our glory is given back to us through faith. Did you ever feel like you're lacking the glory? You're lacking to shine like you're like a hollowed-out temple. Like I'm just not the person that I was created to be. I fall. So short Join the club. You're not going to fix it by Temple renovation project.

They're not enough rules. There are not enough religious texts. There are not enough. There's not enough money on the planet, they're not enough likes on the internet for you to recapture That Glory. Apart from receiving back from God, through faith in Jesus. Princess is a feature of the righteousness that you have. It is not through your effort and through your striving. You don't clean yourself up. You come empty-handed and faith and receive what God has provided.

Speaking of features of our right relationship with God. Apart from law, it's through faith. For all who believe through faith for all who believe, however, you want to say it and then here's one more.

In Jesus.

I need to be clear here, because it would be easy for some of us to think that all face. It just means that as long as we believe something, Always were believed in what we were like religious types. Like, maybe that's where like this this great relationship with God comes from Friends, Paul is so Crystal Clear. He says it, not through faith alone, it comes through faith, in Jesus. And then he waxes eloquent on all that Jesus has done, it isn't just, you intellectually accenting that Jesus existed. Paul is going to give you the content of what it is that you actually believe or clean to about Jesus. And this is where he expands upon it. Notice and verse 25. He says it is a reverse 24 were justified by his grace as a gift, like you can't pay for it. You can't get it on your own through the Redemption that is in Christ. Jesus and God put forward as a propitiation by his blood to be received by faith. Now there's two of those two bigger words again The first one Redemption, the second propitiation to both of them speaking to what Christ has done, what is it that we're believing that Jesus has done, that actually like brings about this right relationship with God. Well, the first thing is that he has redeemed us redeem to buy back. You know what you see on the back of a soda can redemption value $0.05. Wherever they do that, I don't know. The last time I've turned in a can to try to get a nickel, but you've already see that on the back. Redemption payment, to the Greek. There's no need to be too fancy here, but I will actually, just shed a little bit of light on historical context. Redemption particularly was used in slavery, purchases. We think about is the Greco-Roman World 1/3 2/3 of the population. Slaves owned by another person because they were either conquered by another Nation or they fell in financial hard times. And somebody says, okay, I'll feed you. I will clothe you that you're mine.

And yet there was a way out. You just had to pay enough. Somebody had to buy you. You pay off the owner. Prince, this is a picture of what Christ has done. He redeemed us, he he paid for us like he actually expended his resources. Take it off. Now, this text actually doesn't say who the payment was paid to. Some people have erroneously believe through the years that LOL Jesus Paid a Debt to Satan. And he somehow like released, I have no idea where that came from Jesus did not pay a debt to Satan. The focus isn't on who repaid the debt to if it was anyone it was the father because he's satisfied God's righteous penalty payment through death on the cross. But this is on the cost. Jesus actually paid like what are you believing that he actually liked expended everything he gave his life for you. You know this financial transaction in relationship to the gods was a pretty popular thing people kind of like taxes today. Used to actually give these offerings and sacrifices to the Greco-Roman panoply of Gods on a regular basis and they thought that by offering these little pieces of fruit or animals or even money at times to the temple that the gods would be looking out for them, that that they would actually like take care of them. So what's an unusual thing to think o what a financial transaction needs to take place for there to be a harmonious relationship with the Gods? But can you imagine? The role reversal. What some of these Pagan gentiles? When they first would hear the news. that the god of the universe doesn't receive payment but makes payment First people.

Imagine. Image of the Gods paying the people.

Here. Call Hayes with the life of his son. But what are we leaving? And we're believing that God himself is fixed. The problem with his own resources. It wasn't just that he liked change the rules last second, but he like he played by his own rules. He said the penalty for sin is death and his son, then would enter into our human existence and died. There Redemption, like we're trusting in Jesus as our rescuer. The one who invested himself into the problem and it like, brought us back. And it's not just Redemption. But then there's also noticed this other word Propitiation. We're going to sing a song with that very word in it. Right to close the service and it's the only song that I know of in existence that has the word in it. And yet this word shows up over and over again in the New Testament. Propitiation is so hard to translate, some people try to call it, and he is the mercy seat for our sin. Some people use the term atoning, sacrifice for sin, What makes it weird is, it's a very ironic word hilasterion. What does it sound like? Hilarious. It's actually connected to the word Joy.

And yet, what's it associated with sacrifice? Have you talked about oxymoron?

I mean this is a word that doesn't know how to dress, right for the dinner party. It comes across as one thing, is conveying something else and yet. In this brought iron date the two meet Because there are sacrificial elements to the word. And they're also our satisfaction elements to the word and you know what it means. When the text to say that we're believing in Christ, is the propitiation we're saying that Christ is the one. Who endured or took on himself the righteous wrath of God sacrifice, he sacrificed himself, but listen to this.

when God poured out that wrath on his son, it's so satisfy the demands of divine Justice that he was delighted. He was pleased. So, he rose Jesus from the dead.

When Jesus said it is finished, it was finished. Our sin died in his death.

And God was it just neutral with you anymore? It wasn't just like, okay, well work I guess I can deal with him.

About the house. That was satisfied. He is delighted.

He isn't fraud.

Can you grasp that for a moment when your trusting in Jesus were talking about a feature of the righteousness that God has provided for you? Yeah, it's a part from law. And yes, is for all who believe but more specifically, for those who believe in Christ, price, to pay for them and priced who satisfy God's Wrath through them, please. It is not just that he's okay. So if you walk around like regular, even though you're believing in Jesus, for what he said, you think that God is somehow angry with you. You interpret every terrible thing that happens in your life for every Providence of God, in which you don't get the thing that you thought you really, really wanted. That's like somehow God must be angry. Or even if you do think that he's angry. If you think that he's just like mildly, ticked off,

And yet satisfaction was made in the sacrifice of Christ, which is why he was raised from the dead. He's so delighted. And what Jesus has done is that he actually exalted him, you just bring him back alive exhausted and like he was ascended into heaven. He was received at the right hand of God. You're tolerated. You're welcome over. Believing in Jesus. What is true of him? Is true of you. There is no more rat and there is only

Is revelry. If you love, it's joy in you.

Prince Jesus from God, I guess it feature. That's not a bug. That's a feature that that's good news.

This is greatness.

And I noticed this. We have one more feature here. not only is it apart from law and not only, is it for believers and not only is it in Jesus, I bet also, it is for all time. It is for all time.

A princess is a temporary, its all-time notice, he'll verses 25 and 26 to the past and to the present. What Jesus did what he accomplished the way that people have been given this righteousness, is something is true of all time, notice how it says, 25, you put forward his son as a propitiation bias-ply to be received by faith. Why this was to show to prove God's righteousness because it is divine forbearance. He had passed over many cents. You remember that from the Old Testament? Some of us are unlikely to be tempted to think that may be. Why didn't God just like throw out the penalty? Like, right, then, right there. That's a regular parenting struggle. You show Grace to one kid. Another kid could easily think oh this is unjust. How unjust of my parents are not actually like, impose the penalty in that moment. I mean, to say this to all children in the room, thank the Lord for your parents forbearance. That's a fancy word means their capacity to put up with stuff.

I was anticipating that this righteousness from God, type of argument, like some of the Jews would probably say I'm like, no, no, no it can't be this way because he would have been unjust of him not to have done this in the past that had to be through that Old Testament. A Combi kind of way with all the saying is like none of the stuff in the Old Testament was just like a a pay-it-forward mechanism for when it would actually be satisfy. God puts up with the sins of his people knowing that the payment would have been made fully by his son.

It's all in the past. I want you to know a friend just that anyone saved under the Old Testament, you need to know this, anyone saved under the economy of the Old Testament was saved by grace through faith in God's provision. Now, there was more or less Clarity on who the son was and how he would come, but there has never been any right relationship with God. Apart from God's, provision received through faith. So Paul saying this is for all time it was for the past, but notice this is for the present as well. Bridgestone E6. It was also to show his righteousness at the present time so that he might be just and a justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Rich. I want you to know that God is consistent in the way that he works out his law. He is just he does that which is right. And I think that sometimes were tipped it to think, I want you to go like not real deep, but maybe like shindig with me on this. About God.

That she didn't just say like forgiveness is not just God saying like also case not a big deal, that's not forgiveness.

I think that most of us think what's the big deal about the cross? Like why don't we people just go around like why didn't God just say I was fine I'll let it go.

Because send a man's a real. Cost.

Just imagine how the court system of the United States would work. It's all the judges. We're just well, hearted individuals who never enforce law. If it was your house that was broken into. If it was your family member, that was murdered. If it was your retirement, that was stolen. Like you would want. Payback, you would want satisfaction, you need something.

I presume what you to know like God, is it just like changing the rules up there? Like he's following his own rules even now he is just he has remained just, he always does that, which is right. Listen to this, he made us right in the right way, but bringing the cost of himself.

I hope that you don't misinterpret what I'm about to say. Guys, get prepared. You might have to delete this. I don't know. But I just, I just want to say that. I'm happy to be an American. I pray for a country on a regular basis, but sometimes like I get it, I've read the Constitution. I know how it works. I think sometimes I'm dumbfounded by the capacity. Like, I would love to know the history and somebody's going to tell me after what, I'm sure. But I would love to know the history behind presidential pardons.

because, Like I'm thinking there was a case that was adjudicated somebody like was imposed a penalty and then all the sudden you know the executive branch has to say, all right. Well here's my you know, the person that I don't want to receive any consequence. I don't make me some of your phone account for Bowl. And I will not use specifics. I would say that. There was one instance of this in my own mind, and the former Administration and there's one upcoming I was bad about the other day about a particular rapper who shall remain unknown unnamed. run like what this is even on the table if this person convicted

I'm just telling you how I feel when I hear those kinds of things. I might guess. I'm just, I'm like, well, I guess the Constitution says so, so it's not unjust but there's something about it, that feels weird. What Paul was saying here is, there's nothing weird. It wasn't like winking at some people letting them in. A tendon like really hard-hearted toward other people. He follows like that the nature of his own lot. Like the wall is his nature like it's it's one in the same. It's a goddess remain just he's followed his own rules, the penalty for sin was death. And so what he He provided, he provided like he paid the penalty. I gave us a great cost to himself.

Imprint. I think we should grass this like we should own this. Like what? A beauty. The God himself is it's just he still does that, which is right. And yet, he did it in the right way is not just out there, inflicting, wrath and arbitrarily rescuing some and not others. He's doing it through this just right way. He's provided a way back through Jesus and anyone who believes regardless of their ethnic background, regardless of their performance regardless. So they're going to regardless of their financial capacity regardless of their beauty or their health, like, they can come in through Jesus. His God is just, and he is Justified in his son. He's always done at the same way. French, this is consistent all the way through. Don't think that this was just a blip on the radar. What we're talking about in this text is indeed the heart of the Gospel. It is the Bible of the Bible. If you don't get this, you do not have righteousness from God.

I am.

I've recently at, Experience. How tall is pretty seismic shift in my reading habits.

I'm for those who care. I never really read ever. Unless I was forced to. Until I was about 17. And I realize that I'm going to be like that felt like God was calling me to Ministry and pastors read. And so I've got to go read. That's why I started reading. Like I really didn't do it. I'm I played Sports and video games.

I saw I just read very proudly and in very early, I grew fascinated, maybe it was because of some insecurities on my own like I was afraid that I wasn't going to do well. In pastoral Ministry. Like I read everything I could on church and God and Ministry and that kind of thing. But you know what else? I also read a lot of I let her run a credit on a business books. I just loved the idea of like that, the better way like being more productive.

So like right as the self-help movement was like peeking, you know, in the late 1990s and like, it's just still booming today. Look at probably a regular part of my diet. And, you know what, I really like, I love reading biographies of do-it-yourself kind of guys like people who just figured their mess out and they got it done. And those are so much fun to me cuz I can't read that nothing like, yeah, that's me one day. You can dream it. You can do it.

And yet, this is where Andy stays. I don't read that much. I don't follow that much anymore. About self-made men. I still respect, if you're one of those, if you're one of those people who has pulled themselves up by their own bootstraps, and you took, you know, like a lemonade stand as a kid and you've turned it into a multimillion-dollar Empire. That's really cool. I appreciate diligence. I appreciate character. Appreciate planning, not denying any of that.

But here's the problem with the self-made, man. And I love the way one-footed.

Stop admiring self-made, people. Because they too often worship their maker.

Stop following self-made people because they worship their maker.

Themselves.

And I think what a lot of these self-made people are going to think whether it was the financial Empire they made for themselves or the name that they made for themselves or the athletic career that they made for themselves. I think a lot of them growing up and just judeo Christian, United States are probably going to be buried and some place. And there's a high likelihood that like it's going to be arranged that Amazing Grace will be song. I just because like of course, God's grace, kind of like fits well with the American model. I mean it's a pretty pretty Americana type of song. Amazing Grace. How sweet the sound that saved a Wretch? Like Me, I once was lost but now I'm found was blind. But now I see, remember the second verse twas Grace, that taught my heart to fear and Grace, my fears relieved. How precious did that Grace appear the hour? I first believed And your friends, you understand that John Newton did not write in those lines. I him and honor of self-made of righteousness.

The stanzas ReSound from a soul that is empty and longs to be filled from above like a soul that sees itself as wretched and need to righteousness. That only God can provide, my fear is Friends. The reason why some of us don't enter into the joy of the righteousness that's been provided by God. It's because we're still in some small consistent steady waves relying on our own righteousness.

For many the song should go this way. Excessive Works. How Sweet the Sound that came from? The god in me I once was bad but now I'm good. Thanks to my sincerity. Twas works that earned my place with God and deeds that made him smile. How long I toiled and prove my worth and trudged that second mile. When we've been there, ten thousand years being paid, our hard-earned fun. We've no less days to sing Our Praise And boast of all we done.

Never resonate with you.

I got a warning in an encouragement.

Morning. Did any of you who may be in this room today? And you think That you in any way shape form or fashion. Can somehow.

Bring it all yet. God's favor for your efforts. Even your religious ones. You're deceived. The righteousness is from God, apart from law, through faith, in Jesus alone, for all time.

And the kind of be specific just to be clear and maybe this will help you with with friends.

This is what makes Christianity's unique. There's a story told of c.s. Lewis with all of his Oxford buddies. He's hanging out and he hears a debate going on and these guys are trying to like Wax eloquent on the distinctive of Christianity. Is there anything really unique about it or is it just like all the other Christians? He bounces way into the conversation and interrupts and says unique about the Christian faith. Oh, that's easy. Grace.

Prince, the notion of of Love is a free gift. Is what sets apart the gospel that we believe from everything else. It sets you apart from the Buddhist Eightfold Path. It sets you apart from the Hindu doctrine of karma. It sets you apart from the Jewish Torah and the Muslim code of all these are always two approval. Only Christianity offers salvation entirely as a gift. Can I also make one more and I just want to be really time but may this be of help to you. It also sets you apart the gospel that we just proclaimed here. Sets you apart from the Roman Catholic notion of salvation by grace through faith plus the sacraments