Reasons for the Incarnation – Righteousness (2)

Text: Romans 3:19-26

Theme: Why did God come in the flesh? To make us righteous!

Date: 12/14/14 File name: Incarnation4.wpd ID Number: 95

When my brother an I were growing up we went to stay with our paternal grandmother one weekend while our parents were out of town. Grandma Laura was the “fun grandma.” The next morning, grandma told us, "Now, if you are good for your grandma, we'll walk up town this afternoon and I'll by you some ice cream." To which my brother responded, "How good do I have to be?"

That's the age-old question lost men have been asking. "God, I want to go to heaven when I die. Just how good do I have to be to get there?" The question implies that most men are interested only in the minimal amount of “goodness” that will allow them to squeak into the kingdom.

It's an assumption so widely accepted in our society: Good people go to heaven when they die. Bad people don't. This has even become a widely accepted premise in the minds of many Christians. ILLUS. The American Worldview Inventory, a Barna survey taken in August of 2020, reports that, when it comes to salvation, Americans like a do-it-yourself approach. Most Americans (71 percent) believe say people must contribute some effort toward their own salvation. You have to have faith, but you also have to be a “good person” and “do good things” if you want to get to heaven.

American tend to view getting into heaven like they do getting a good job or getting into a great college. If you want a job, you show them your resume’ Your resume’ says, “Look at my vocational experience. I’m worthy of you hiring me.” And if your resume’ is good enough you’re hired. If you want to get into a good school you show them your academic record and GPA. Your academic record says, “Look, I’m smart and motivated. I’ll be an asset to your institution. I’m worthy of you acceptance.” And if your academic record is good enough you’re accepted. Americans look at God and heaven the same way. You want to get into heaven you show God your moral record. Your moral record says, “Look God. I’m a really decent human being. I’m not a Hitler or a Mao Zedong. I don’t do drugs, or rob or cheat on my income tax. And I’m way more moral than Donald Trump or Bill Clinton. I deserve to be allowed into heaven.”

That sounds right to many people, especially in our “pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps” culture. God’s Word tells us something different. God's answer to that question “Just how good do I have to be?” is, "You can't be that good!" It's an answer relatively few seem to hear, let alone are willing to accept.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been trying to answer the question, Why did God come to Earth in the flesh? I’ve tried to communicate to you the reasons for the incarnation.

Why did God come in the flesh? He came to redeem us – to cover our sins by paying the ultimate price.

Why did God come in the flesh? He came to reveal God’s character and nature to us. If you want to know all about God, then simply get to know all about Jesus.

Why did God come in the flesh? God came to reconcile us with Himself. When God reconciles us to Himself, He re-establishes a close relationship that was broken by sin, but is restored by our faith in Christ.

Why did God come in the flesh? God also came in the flesh to make us righteous in His sight.

“Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. 21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile,” (Romans 3:20–22, NIV)

I. THE INCARNATION REVEALS THAT WE CAN'T BE GOOD ENOUGH BUT GOD CAN MAKE US RIGHTEOUS

ILLUS. Let me ask you a couple of questions this morning? Ya ready? First: Are you a righteous person? A lot of Christians respond like this, “No, I’m not a righteous person. I’m just a sinner trying to live for God the best I can.” Let me give you a better answer to the question, Are you a righteous person? Here’s the better answer, “I am still a sinner, but God sees me as righteous as Jesus Christ is righteous because by grace God has imputed the righteousness of Christ to me by grace through faith.” I’ll get to the second question in a few moments.

1. the little phrase but now in verse 21 introduces a change in topic

a. up until now Paul’s theological argument has centered on just how thoroughly sinful, and unrighteous and God-hating men truly are

b. but now, Paul is going to reveal how thoroughly holy and righteous and sinner-loving God is

2. the first great theme of Romans is the exceedingly sinfulness of man's sin

ILLUS. A look back on the events of the last two years ought to be enough to convince anyone of how thoroughly depraved mankind is. When men are not restrained by law and the inevitability of justice and judgment they will live lawless lives.

a. according the bible the whole world lies in sin, lives in lawlessness, and stands condemned before a holy God

“Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.” (1 John 3:4, ESV)

1) we've all blown it with God, and we’re all answerable to God

ILLUS. The author of the Book of Hebrews is correct when he writes, It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, (Heb. 10:31). Puritan preacher Jonathan Edwards said, “Even now, it is the mere mercy of God that keeps wicked men from being overtaken by the devil and his demons and cast into the furnace of hell.”

3. but now Paul introduces the second great theme of Romans; the availability of true saving righteousness which justifies a sinful man before a holy God

“But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.” (Romans 3:21, NIV)

a. obedience to moral codes or religious rituals will not produce righteousness within the life of man — it can only produce an external righteousness like that of the Pharisees

b. in fact moral codes and religious rituals only remind us how far short of the mark of true holiness we actually fallen

“What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead.” (Romans 7:7–8, ESV)

c. the Law gives us God’s standards and illustrates people’s inability to live up to them

ILLUS. Let’s face it; our natures are rebellious ... tell someone they must do something or they must live up to a certain standard or must conform to a particular behavior and a lot of people will do just the opposite.

4. if you or I are going to obtain true righteousness that meets God’s holy requirements it must come from some other source than our effort at living up to religious rules and regulations

5. that other source is God Himself

A. IN HIS GRACE GOD DECLARES US RIGHTEOUS AND DOES NOT TREAT US AS OUR SINS DESERVE

“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. 9 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; 10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:8–12, NIV)

1. according to Romans 3:22 our righteousness is from God and apart from the law

2. God never intended that obedience to moral law or religious rituals would actually provide man with the righteousness necessary to enter the Kingdom of God

a. righteousness has always come by faith

1) this was God's plan from the beginning, not a fall-back position because obedience to the Law didn’t work

b. Paul reminds us that God always meant to save us through faith and not through conformity to outward codes of conduct

ILLUS. Almost everything we see in the Old Testament is a shadow of this truth. The coats of skin which God provided Adam and Eve when they sinned; the animals sacrificed for the sins of the people of Israel, the Tabernacle in the desert and the Temple in Jerusalem and all the symbolism surrounding them—they all reveal the story of a righteousness provided by God for the unrighteous sinner who turns to Him in faith.

d. Paul also reminds us that all of the Old Testament prophets sounded the same theme of righteousness through faith

1) in Psalm 51 David cries out, "Deliver me in Thy righteousness ... Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow"

2) Isaiah reminds us "He hath clothed us in the garments of salvation, in the robe of righteousness"

ILLUS. Someone once said that "God never alters the robe of righteousness to fit the man; He changes the man to fit the robe.” Example: Tailored clothing.

3. we can never be good enough but God offers sinful man a chance to be totally justified in His sight

B. THE RIGHTEOUSNESS GOD OFFERS IS CHRIST’S OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS

“This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile,” (Romans 3:22, NIV)

1. faith is simply taking God at His word

a. and whether you’re a Jew or a Gentile, salvation comes by faith

2. it is through a simple act of belief that God offers unimpeachable righteousness to those who come to Him by faith

a. a faith that He also supplies by grace

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—” (Ephesians 2:8, NIV)

1) God leaves nothing to chance in your salvation

2) even the faith you need to accept His redemptive grace is supplied as a free gift

b. just as ALL men have sinned, so ALL men who come to Christ will be made righteous

ILLUS. One of my heros of the faith was a Catholic Monk, who, while reading this morning’s passage, was born again and altered the course of history. His name was Martin Luther. Listen to part of his testimony: "I greatly longed to understand Paul's Epistle to the Romans, and nothing stood in the way but that one expression, 'the righteousness of God,' because I took it to mean that righteousness whereby God is righteous and deals righteously in punishing the unrighteous ... Night and day I pondered until ... I grasped the truth that the righteousness of God is that righteousness whereby, through grace and sheer mercy, he justifies us by faith. Thereupon I felt myself to be reborn and to have gone through open doors into paradise. The whole of Scripture took on a new meaning, and whereas before 'the righteousness of God' had filled me with hate, now it became to me inexpressibly sweet in greater love. This passage of Paul became to me a gateway to heaven."

c. and in my own testimony of Christian conversion I say “ditto”!

3. Martin Luther discovered what Paul had experienced in his own life — that obedience to moral codes, religious ritual and a conscientious way of life will not justify a man before God, but faith in Christ can

4. we can be justified because Jesus Christ became our sacrifice of atonement

"God presented him [Christ] as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, . . ." (Romans 3:25, NIV)

a. here is the grace of God at work which ought to bring every believer to his or her knees everyday in humble gratitude

1) Jesus’ death is the final sacrifice which completely satisfied God’s demands against sinful people, thus averting His wrath from those who believe

2) the moment you and I crossed the line and knowingly sinned, we forfeited our lives to the rule of iniquity and the penalty of hell

b. but through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus God has bought us out of the slavemarket of sin, covered our sin by the blood of His Son, Jesus and adopted us as sons and daughters

1) the word atonement means to make reconciliation for

“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians 5:18–19, NIV)

c. because God looks at us through the blood of Jesus Christ, He sees us as blameless

“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love” (Ephesians 1:4, NIV)

C. THE VICARIOUS, SUBSTITUTIONARY DEATH OF GOD'S SON MAKES OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS POSSIBLE

“But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.” (Galatians 4:4–5, NIV)

1. in order to save us Jesus Christ had to be in one person both divine and human

a. he had to be divine in order to give his sacrifice infinite value and to deliver us out the realm of darkness

b. he had to be human because since it was man who sinned it also had to be man who must bear the penalty for sin and give His life to God in perfect obedience

2. it order for Jesus to offer the sinner true inner righteousness in the sight of God he had to be born under the law

a. the perfect sacrifice for our sin had to be one who was under personal obligation to keep the Jewish law, to actually fulfill it and to ultimately – vicariously – bear the law's penalty for us

b. by doing so, Christ offers to redeem all those under the law and give us the opportunity to become the sons of God

“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—” (John 1:12, NIV)

3. when you accepted Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, the Holy Spirit set in motion series of spiritual events your life

a. accepting Christ’s atoning death on the cross for your sins redeems you from sin and its eternal penalty

b. when you are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb you are reconciled to God – that is, you are brought into close fellowship with God

c. when you are reconciled to God He sees you as righteous as His Son is righteous

4. how does God do this – how does He see us as righteous as His son is righteous?

a. when you came to God in repentance and faith, God infused you with His own righteousness

b. the biblical word is imputeth

“Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,” (Romans 4:6, KJV 1900)

ILLUS. I know very little about metals and welding, but my brother is an excellent welder. He tells me that a good weld is actually stronger than the metal on either side of it. I think there is a good spiritual application in this process. The reason a weld is so strong is that it actually bonds the molecules of the two pieces of metal to each other. They are fused together and cannot be separated.

5. when God imputes us with His righteousness a miracle takes place in the human soul

a. He welds our spirit with His Spirit

1) our personality in infused with the Holy Spirit

b. it is a bond which can never be broken

“For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:” (Romans 8:15–16, KJV 1900)

6. we need God's righteousness since our own righteousness can never satisfy God's demand for perfect holiness

CON. ILLUS. The state of Mississippi owes English creditors seven million dollars. For 150 years English bankers were demanding payment of the debt which the state defaulted on back in 1841. For decades the state treasurers of Mississippi regularly received letters from a British Dept Collection company reminding them that, in the view of British bondholders, Mississippi was still on the hook for the bonds. Mississippi’s vew was, “We’re not paying. What are the British investors going to do? Invade us?”

In 1890 an amendment was added to the Mississippi Constitution formally repudiating this debt. The Mississippi Constitution specifically prohibits repayment of this debt! That didn’t keep English Bankers from occasionally reminding Mississippi of its obligations. To pay it off now with interest would take over $20 billion. Since Mississippi is one of the poorest states in the nation, it is not in a position to release that much money. The problem seems like ancient history to the citizens of Mississippi, but British loan officers speak as if it happened yesterday. One Mississippi state official said years ago, "European bankers never forget,"

1. I tell you that story to remind you that with unpaid debts there is always a day of reckoning

a. this is never more clearly seen than in man's relationship to God

b. Jesus taught that God does not forget unsettled accounts

c. time cannot erase a person's record with the Judge of the universe

1) the day is coming when books will be opened and every life will be judged with absolute justice and righteousness

d. one thing is sure, the Lord will overlook nothing

2. since it is impossible to pay the debt for our sins, the only way to come to terms with this account is to accept Christ

a. He paid it for us

b. He died on the cross as our Substitute so that we won't have to face the unsettled account later

Second question: Are you living righteously? Are you living in the righteousness of Jesus Christ?