What He Did

God declares man guilty

You have been declared guilty, whether you feel guilty or not.

Rochus Misch was an orphan born in poland in 1917. He joined the military shortly after he turned 20, to defend his country against Stalin and Communism. He eventually became the equivalent of his country’s secret service. In an interview in 2005, he spoke affectionately about being the personal bodyguard to the man he referred to as “boss.” Some of you have already figured out that this boss… was named Adolf Hitler. His body guard said of him “This man was no brute, no monster. No superman.” Misch died in 2013, surrounded by fan mail, proud of it all.

I don’t feel guilty for anything. I feel sorry for people that feel guilty.

-Ted Bundy

Guilt is not a feeling. It is a legal standing regarding a law. And it doesn’t matter whether I agree with the Law.

American Standard Version Chapter 3

23for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;

We have a tendency to shy away from the word sin. We call them mistakes. Hangups. Responses to hurt. We say disease instead of drunkeness. We say affair instead of adultery. Sins need to be medicated. And by doing this, we rob ourselves of the blessed hope that comes from calling sin, sin. Jesus did not come into the world for mistakes, setbacks, hangups, diseases, or any other euphemisms we use to make ourselves feel better.

Christ Jesus Came into this world to save sinners. 1 Timothy 1:15

The son of man came not be ministered to, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. Matthew 20:28

The son of man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. Luke 19:10

God sent his only begotten Son into the world that whosoever believes in Him will be saved. John 3:16

I came not to call the righteous, but the sinners to repentance. Mark 2:17

Man declares God innocent (and then crucifies Him)

John introduced the messiah to the world with a simple and profound proclamation

Behold. the lamb of God, that takes away the sins of the world.

1 Peter 1:19 ASV 1901

but with precious blood, as of a lamb without spot, even the blood of Christ:

Examined at Birth by the Bethlehem shepherds, whose job it was to raise the passover lambs. Tested by the devil, tempted in all ways as we are, and without sin. and examined in the temple for the week before his sacrifice. No one spoke like this man. I can find no fault in him.

Jesus, as our high priest, was the one who made the sacrifice

Galatians 1:4 ASV 1901

who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us out of this present evil world, according to the will of our God and Father:

Galatians 2:20 ASV 1901

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me: and that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me.

1 Timothy 2:6 ASV 1901

who gave himself a ransom for all; the testimony to be borne in its own times;

Ephesians 5:25 ASV 1901

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself up for it;

Hebrews 10:12 ASV 1901

but he, when he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

Jesus was our high priest, and our passover lamb. He was our full propitiation.

Romans 3:24 ASV 1901

being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

God declares man righteous

even if you don’t feel like it

you have been declared righteous, whether you feel righteous or not.

Someone might say, but you don’t know what I’ve done. It’s not right that I should get away with it. I agree. God agrees. He isn’t saying that you should get away with it. In fact, that’s why the punishment had to be so severe. If I took you before a court of law, and they found out your sin, and they sentenced you to the scourging, and crucifixion that Christ endured, no one would say “oh, I can’t believe he got away with it. Guilt is not a feeling, it is a legal standing. Righteousness is not a feeling. It is also the legal standing of having that penalty paid.

Romans 6:23 ASV 1901

For the wages of sin is death; but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 10:13 ASV 1901

for, Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

John 3:16 ASV 1901

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Acts 16:30–31 ASV 1901

and brought them out and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house.

If you call upon the name of the Lord, you WILL BE saved. Next week, we will discuss this salvation in more depth. You have been saved from something, and you have been saved to something. And the day to day walking out of your salvation (sanctification) and your eventual arrival in heaven (glorifcation) are topics for future sermons. But the moment you call upon the name of the lord, you are declared righteous. What does the calling upon the Lord look like?

Luke 18:13 ASV 1901

But the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote his breast, saying, God, be thou merciful to me a sinner.

Even if you don’t act like it.

Justification means that God declared you righteous. So then why do you still act unrighteous? Righteousness is a legal term. Sanctification is a process. You have a new heart. You are a new creation. But transformation is a process.

Romans 7:24 ASV 1901

Wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me out of the body of this death?

Romans 12:2 ASV 1901

And be not fashioned according to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

I have two adorable children in my home. We’ve had them for months, and we pray every day that we will be able to adopt them soon. But you know, our desire to adopt them has very little to do with them. And the moment we adopt them, we don’t expect them to act like Maganas. We don’t expect them to act like grown adults who are kind, and are generous, and delay gratification. They’re babies! They’re still learning how to use a fork. We are going to spend decades training them. It would be silly of us to choose to adopt them, regardless of their behaviour, and then immediately unadopt them because of the exact same behaviour. God has declared you righteous because your sin was paid for. Not because you did not/ do not sin. The Holy Spirit will train you to become more like Christ, whose family you have been adopted in to.

1 Peter 2:2 ASV 1901

as newborn babes, long for the spiritual milk which is without guile, that ye may grow thereby unto salvation;

conclusion

There are only two types of people in this room. Sinners who have had their sins paid for on the cross of Christ, and sinners who still are owed the wages of their sins, which is death. Heaven is a real place where Forgiven people get to go and be with God forever. Hell is a real place where people who have not been forgiven go to suffer for eternity.

Have you been forgiven of your sins? Have you believed upon the name of Jesus, and called upon the Lord for forgiveness? If so, praise God, you are saved.

If not, today is your day of salvation. DO not harden your heart. Calll upon the name of the Lord. He has already paid the penalty even sufficient for you. Ask God for forgiveness, and you can have it. You can be declared righteous, and have peace with a God who sent His son to die on a cross for one reason. TO save sinners.