Sermon Tone Analysis

WE ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH

Good is never quite good enough, is it?

For every good essay we write in class, there’s always somebody who writes something better.

For every song we learn on the piano, there’s always that one friend who can play it 10x better.

And for every chore we remember to do, there’s always 5 more that we completely forget about!

Our good efforts just never seem good enough.

And often, it seems to be that way in our spiritual life as well, doesn’t it?

For every Bible verse we memorize, there’s always someone who can call to mind the next 5 verses after the one we quote, isn’t there?

For every ministry opportunity we serve in, there’s always someone who seems to get recognized before we do.

And for every prayer we make, there’s always someone in our group who’s prayers make ours look like chump change!

Truly, our good efforts just never seem to be good enough.

And if we had to evaluate why we do what we do… why each and every one of us is trying to do what they do… then we’d all probably come to the conclusion that its because we just want to do whatever it is that we were created to do… whatever it is that we were created to do.

Our problem is this, though: You and me and every other human were created for one purpose: to glorify God and Him alone, according to Paul in .

How do we do that?

- fearing Him and obeying His Law.

But how are we doing in that regard?

By a show of hands, how many of you have broken one of God’s commandments, at least once?

Don’t lie, or you’ll just prove the point.

So based on the evidence, it’s clear: We’ve got a bit of a problem on our hands.

There is a Law we are supposed to be keeping, but we cannot keep it.

There is a God we are supposed to please, but we cannot please Him.

Now, the punishment for breaking His Law abides on us, and we have no ability to appease it.

Truly, truly, good is simply not good enough.

So what are we supposed to do?

Is everything hopeless?

Are we all going to die?

Not quite.

Freedom from the Law is available in its fullness through one means: the work of Jesus Christ on the cross.

The assignment I was given this week was to teach you all about the doctrine of redemption and propitiation.

So, what better place to start than Paul’s letter to the Romans, his theological masterpiece?

So today, we’re going to be in chapter 3, verses 19-26 specifically.

Here in , the apostle Paul teaches us about 3 dynamics that are at play in God’s power to save: enervation by Law, exoneration by grace, and expiation by blood.

CONTEXT

Now, Paul’s letter to the Romans was written sometime between 54-58 AD, while Paul was in Greece, which we know from .

Paul was hoping to evangelize Spain on his next missionary tour, and Rome seemed as good of an entry point as any!

So, Paul penned this letter to the believers in Rome in order to introduce himself and, as Robert Mounce says, “set forth the doctrine of justification by faith and it’s impacts on Christian living”.

Our passage today comes right on the heels of , where Paul lays down our inability to be good enough: we cannot make ourselves right with God because of our sinfulness.

But now, here Paul reveals the solution: man can’t be made right with God, God makes man right with Himself.

So essentially, Paul’s main point in writing was to instruct the Romans that redemption from the condemnation of the Law does not come from the Law, but from faith in Jesus Christ.

Follow along now as I read from .

ENERVATION BY LAW ()

The first dynamic at play in God’s power to save is enervation by Law… enervation by Law.

Look at verses 19-20 for a moment:

What exactly is enervation?

A feeling of being drained of vitality or energy… fatigued.

Heavily fatigued.

This is what the Law of God does to us.

Notice Paul’s words here in verse 19:

“Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law...”

In order to understand what Paul is getting at in this passage, we’ll need to define some terms here.

One key term right off the bat here is “Law”.

What even is God’s Law?

In this context, it is the words and commands he gave to Israel in the first 5 books of the Old Testament.

But wait - does that mean we all get off easy because we don’t live in national Israel today?

Hardly!

Listen to what Paul has to say to us on this !

Ouch.

Whether we know what the Word says or not, we are still accountable for following it.

Whether we know the Law or not, we are still liable to follow it.

Why though?

Why would God place this burden on our backs?

Look at verse 19 again:

“in order that all mouths may be shut...”

Essentially, the Law of God speaks and has spoken in order to end the talk of men.

And not only does the Law silence the sons of men, but it forces them to have perspective.

Look at the next part of verse 19:

“and all the world may be accountable to God...”

Basically, the Law of God speaks in order to end the talk of the sons of men and to hold them accountable before their God and Creator.

Not just some, but everyone!

But then that begs the question: “what is the purpose of the Law, anyway?

I thought it was to help our lives, not ruin them!”

I agree.

The Law does help our lives, but not in the way that we’d expect.

Look at verse 20 and see what I mean.

No flesh!

No man!

Not you!

Not me!

Not anybody!

No flesh will be justified in His sight.

He sees everything!

Understand it like this: the purpose of the Law of God is not to commend men but to condemn them.

The answer?

None of us.

But thanks be to God, who has provided a way out by the riches of His grace.

Look at verses 21-24 now, where we find the 2nd dynamic at play in God’s power to save: exoneration by grace… exoneration by grace.

EXONERATION BY GRACE ()

What is this exoneration?

Think of it like a prisoner on Death Row, about to receive a punishment that he deserves, getting clothed in a fresh, new outfit and set free by the judge himself, who tells the prisoner, “Be free.

The penalty for your crime has been paid.”

But this imagery is even greater: cosmic treason, cosmic pardon.

Look at what Paul says in verse 21:

“But now apart from the Law, the righteousness of God has been revealed...”

These are the most important words in this entire passage.

“The righteousness of God has been revealed.”

Understand it like this, beloved: the holy justice of God is put on display through the Law.

But the holy love of God is put on display through Christ.

But is this truth something brand new?

Something that has never before been known?

Something that God’s people in the past had no way of knowing!