WEBVTT 00:00:01.040 --> 00:00:02.080 Good morning. 00:00:02.640 --> 00:00:05.280 Thanks for the kind introduction, Russ. 00:00:05.599 --> 00:00:07.679 As Russ said, my name is David Russ. 00:00:07.919 --> 00:00:10.000 I'm an elder here at Christ the Redeemer. 00:00:10.160 --> 00:00:15.759 And Russ uh asks us elders sometimes to stand in from him from time to time. 00:00:16.079 --> 00:00:19.760 Today we're continuing our series for Lent. 00:00:19.839 --> 00:00:21.839 This is the second Sunday in Lent. 00:00:22.000 --> 00:00:25.199 And we have a lectionary that we follow. 00:00:25.280 --> 00:00:29.839 And this passage is taken from the lectionary for the second Sunday in Lent. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:34.880 And when thinking of today's passage, I was reminded of a story. 00:00:35.039 --> 00:00:41.280 Okay, there's a man named I'm not actually sure how to pronounce his last name, Frank Abagnali or something like that. 00:00:41.439 --> 00:00:46.320 Frank Abagnali is a financial security consultant for the FBI. 00:00:46.479 --> 00:00:50.640 He's been a security consultant for many years now. 00:00:50.960 --> 00:01:01.119 And his early life was the subject of a movie, Catch Me If You Can, which is actually based on his book by the same name. 00:01:01.359 --> 00:01:06.239 As a very young man, if you've seen the movie, you know it's a fascinating plot, and it's a true story. 00:01:06.719 --> 00:01:15.680 As a young man, he posed as an airline pilot and flew all over the world and did all kinds of uh wild stuff and made a living forging checks the whole time. 00:01:15.760 --> 00:01:18.400 That's kind of how he became a financial security consultant. 00:01:18.560 --> 00:01:22.480 And uh his stunts were just were crazy, just borderline unbelievable. 00:01:22.560 --> 00:01:25.599 And my favorite story is actually in the book, it's not in the movie. 00:01:25.760 --> 00:01:38.319 Uh one day he dressed up as a bank security guard, put an out-of-order sign on the not deposit night depository at a shopping mall, and then collected all the checks and cash that the mall had collected that day. 00:01:38.400 --> 00:01:39.599 He just collected it all. 00:01:39.760 --> 00:01:48.560 In fact, he he has this big, these these literally these bags and boxes of loot he's carrying out to his car, and a policeman stops him and he thinks, oh no, it's it's you know, now I'm up. 00:01:48.799 --> 00:01:52.159 And the policeman says, Can I help you with those bags? 00:01:52.400 --> 00:01:54.879 And helps him load all that stuff into his car. 00:01:55.040 --> 00:02:02.959 Now, now we like to we like to think that we have status because we're something, because we've achieved something or accomplished something. 00:02:03.120 --> 00:02:08.000 And it just kind of rubs us the wrong way when somebody gets status just because of how they're dressed. 00:02:08.080 --> 00:02:10.000 That really just kind of rubs us the wrong way. 00:02:10.159 --> 00:02:16.319 But as we're gonna see today, there's actually some unbelievably deep and refreshing truth in that. 00:02:16.560 --> 00:02:20.639 So this morning we're looking at Romans 4, the second half of Romans chapter 4. 00:02:20.800 --> 00:02:22.240 It's printed there in your bulletin. 00:02:22.400 --> 00:02:27.759 And so what I'm gonna do is take a step back and look at the point that Paul is trying to make in Romans. 00:02:28.000 --> 00:02:36.240 Then we're gonna look at today at how this passage illustrates the point that Paul's trying to make, and then we're gonna see how it how it applies to our lives. 00:02:36.479 --> 00:02:40.879 So, what's the point Paul's trying to make in Romans, just to kind of set the context. 00:02:41.120 --> 00:02:45.439 The book of Romans is Paul's longest uh epistle that we have in the Bible. 00:02:45.680 --> 00:02:52.479 And the letter was written to a congregation in Rome, some of whom were Jews and some of whom were not Jews, some of whom were Gentiles. 00:02:52.639 --> 00:02:56.159 And uh he begins the letter on pretty much a bummer of a note. 00:02:56.319 --> 00:03:03.360 Okay, the first uh three chapters are all about how Gentiles, there's no way they can ever be uh justified by the law. 00:03:03.439 --> 00:03:06.719 And then he goes on how the Jews, there's no way the Jews can be justified by the law. 00:03:06.800 --> 00:03:10.639 And pretty much by the time you get halfway through chapter three, everybody's going to hell. 00:03:10.800 --> 00:03:13.919 Okay, it's it's just not a happy, happy message at all. 00:03:14.080 --> 00:03:23.840 And in chapter three, verse twenty, he comes out and says, For by works of the law, no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. 00:03:24.000 --> 00:03:25.520 I mean, that's that's pretty clear, right? 00:03:25.599 --> 00:03:28.400 That's that's pretty that's pretty uh absolute. 00:03:28.639 --> 00:03:30.639 But then he goes on in verse 21. 00:03:30.960 --> 00:03:43.599 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the law and prophets bear witness to it, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. 00:03:43.840 --> 00:03:44.159 Okay. 00:03:44.560 --> 00:03:49.439 Righteousness is a loaded word, and it's one of these words you actually don't have to look up to know what it means. 00:03:49.599 --> 00:03:52.800 Righteousness means rightness, it means doing the right thing, okay? 00:03:52.960 --> 00:03:58.800 And true righteousness would mean uh doing the right thing all the time, and so it's a little bit like justice. 00:03:58.960 --> 00:04:00.960 Righteousness is a little bit like justice. 00:04:01.280 --> 00:04:07.280 So this this phrase, righteousness apart from law, really should sound like an oxymoron. 00:04:07.439 --> 00:04:11.439 That there's this rightness that's apart from a standard of right and wrong. 00:04:11.680 --> 00:04:24.000 And and Paul says that this oxymoron appears in the Old Testament, in the law and the prophets, and and he says that this righteousness is of God, through faith, for all who believe. 00:04:24.240 --> 00:04:26.319 Of God, through faith, for all who believe. 00:04:26.480 --> 00:04:31.279 It's like all of a sudden righteousness is a liquid that you can pour from one place to another, okay? 00:04:31.519 --> 00:04:33.199 And that's a that's a shocking claim. 00:04:33.439 --> 00:04:34.800 That's a shocking claim for anyone to make. 00:04:34.879 --> 00:04:40.240 It's especially a shocking claim for a Jewish uh person trained in the law to make. 00:04:40.319 --> 00:04:41.680 And can he back it up? 00:04:41.759 --> 00:04:43.040 And that's the second point. 00:04:43.199 --> 00:04:52.879 Today, in the past we're looking at today, Paul is taking the life of Abraham to show this principle, to show that even in the Old Testament, this principle of the righteousness of faith was there. 00:04:53.120 --> 00:04:55.120 Abraham is Father Abraham. 00:04:56.240 --> 00:05:00.319 The Abe part of his name means father, father of nations. 00:05:00.639 --> 00:05:11.120 And um he um, if anyone in the Bible, if anyone in the Old Testament was considered righteous or justified in God's sight, it was Abraham. 00:05:11.199 --> 00:05:12.079 There's no doubt about it. 00:05:12.160 --> 00:05:16.079 He's in the all-time you know spiritual hall of fame, okay. 00:05:16.319 --> 00:05:18.879 Um and how do we know that? 00:05:19.040 --> 00:05:23.040 Because God made some some wild promises to Abraham. 00:05:23.199 --> 00:05:32.000 He made a series of promises to Abraham, and and the craziest was that he would be the father of many nations, that he would have all these descendants and would and would bless the world. 00:05:32.240 --> 00:05:35.759 Okay, in order to have descendants, you have to have children, right? 00:05:36.000 --> 00:05:40.240 And and Abraham and Sarah didn't have any children, and they were pushing a hundred years old. 00:05:40.399 --> 00:05:44.079 So that's kind of like kind of a kind of a wild promise, okay? 00:05:44.319 --> 00:05:50.720 So how did Abraham get into this statement, this, excuse me, this state of blessedness and righteousness? 00:05:50.959 --> 00:05:57.279 Did Abraham get this state of righteousness because of Abraham, because of his keeping the law, because of his doing the right things? 00:05:57.439 --> 00:06:01.120 Or did Abraham get this state of righteousness because of God's grace? 00:06:01.360 --> 00:06:05.839 Uh Paul makes it very clear to us in the in the text we looked at today. 00:06:06.079 --> 00:06:13.360 For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. 00:06:13.600 --> 00:06:16.000 It didn't come through the law, it couldn't have come through the law. 00:06:16.160 --> 00:06:19.680 For one thing, Mount Sinai was like 400 years in the future. 00:06:19.839 --> 00:06:26.639 And the other thing, at this point in his life, Abraham was uncircumcised, which would have been a symbol, you know, to the Jews. 00:06:26.800 --> 00:06:29.040 Well, he wasn't circumcised at that point. 00:06:29.360 --> 00:06:37.199 Um, and Paul goes on to say, for if it's if it is adherents of the law who are to be heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 00:06:37.360 --> 00:06:41.279 For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law, there is no transgression. 00:06:41.600 --> 00:06:46.639 The law cannot do anything to help you achieve the obedience that it demands. 00:06:46.800 --> 00:06:47.040 Okay? 00:06:47.199 --> 00:06:49.040 All the law can do is condemn. 00:06:49.279 --> 00:06:51.600 So this promise could not have come through law. 00:06:51.759 --> 00:07:01.439 And in fact, he goes on to say, that is why it depends on faith in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all of his offspring. 00:07:01.680 --> 00:07:05.519 That is why it depends on faith in order that the promise may rest on grace. 00:07:05.759 --> 00:07:07.439 Now that phrase sounds a little confusing. 00:07:07.600 --> 00:07:09.680 It depends on faith, rests on grace. 00:07:09.839 --> 00:07:12.639 You know, let's let's just unpack that for a second. 00:07:12.959 --> 00:07:16.079 The Greek word for faith is a very strong word. 00:07:16.160 --> 00:07:19.279 It's a much stronger word than the English word for faith, okay? 00:07:19.519 --> 00:07:26.480 It's it's a strong conviction, but it's a strong conviction that results in you living your life differently, okay? 00:07:26.720 --> 00:07:34.319 Um think of think of it as relying on something else or transferring your trust, okay, or or letting go. 00:07:34.480 --> 00:07:39.279 One reference I consulted said that one sense of the word is surrender, okay? 00:07:39.600 --> 00:07:42.079 Um in English, you can have faith. 00:07:42.240 --> 00:07:46.959 I can have faith that that chair, I can stand here and have faith that that chair is gonna hold me up, right? 00:07:47.120 --> 00:07:52.720 In Greek, you have faith that a chair is gonna hold you up when you're sitting in it, when you're depending on it, when you're relying on it. 00:07:53.120 --> 00:07:57.120 Grace means God's favor or blessing. 00:07:57.279 --> 00:08:01.199 Something you didn't earn, it's a gift, it's something you didn't earn, something you don't deserve. 00:08:01.439 --> 00:08:06.399 So this phrase depends on faith, the promise may rest on grace, means something like this. 00:08:06.800 --> 00:08:16.319 The promise depends on Abraham transferring his trust to God, so that the promise is coming from God and his power and not from Abraham. 00:08:16.560 --> 00:08:16.879 Okay? 00:08:17.120 --> 00:08:22.319 The promise has to rely on Abraham giving up, letting go, and trusting God. 00:08:22.480 --> 00:08:26.560 And that way, the promise is based on God's power and not on Abraham's strength. 00:08:26.639 --> 00:08:29.759 And that's why it's guaranteed to his offspring. 00:08:30.319 --> 00:08:32.720 And God is the power source. 00:08:32.960 --> 00:08:39.759 And the God in whom Abraham believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. 00:08:40.480 --> 00:08:42.399 God gives life to the dead. 00:08:42.559 --> 00:08:47.200 Sarah's womb was dead, and God is giving life to that so that she can have children. 00:08:47.360 --> 00:08:51.440 And God is calling Abraham's descendants into existence, effectively. 00:08:51.600 --> 00:08:57.600 Abraham doesn't have any descendants, and God is effectively calling them to existence, even though they don't currently exist. 00:08:58.399 --> 00:09:01.279 Now, don't get me wrong, Abraham had an incredible life. 00:09:01.360 --> 00:09:03.039 He lived an amazing life of faith. 00:09:03.120 --> 00:09:09.600 He did some amazing acts that I think we in his shoes most of us would be hard-pressed to do. 00:09:09.919 --> 00:09:13.440 But that's not what made him righteous in God's eyes. 00:09:13.600 --> 00:09:13.919 Okay? 00:09:14.480 --> 00:09:19.120 Instead, Paul emphasizes Abraham's transfer of trust to God. 00:09:19.360 --> 00:09:25.440 Look at verses 20 and 21 and listen to the emphasis on Abraham's transfer of trust. 00:09:26.000 --> 00:09:37.279 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he promised. 00:09:37.519 --> 00:09:44.720 And because his faith was in God's performance and not his own, his faith was counted to him as righteousness. 00:09:44.960 --> 00:09:46.559 Now, does any of this apply to us? 00:09:46.720 --> 00:09:47.919 It's great that Abraham found it. 00:09:48.080 --> 00:09:48.720 What about us? 00:09:48.879 --> 00:09:54.159 Well, for once, me as a preacher, I don't have to, I don't have to like make make any analogy or anything like that. 00:09:54.320 --> 00:09:55.759 Paul just comes out and says it. 00:09:55.919 --> 00:10:01.200 But the words that was counted to him were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. 00:10:01.840 --> 00:10:08.000 It will be counted to us who believe in him, who raised Jesus, raised from the dead, Jesus our Lord. 00:10:08.320 --> 00:10:18.720 It, that is faith, will be counted to us as righteousness who believe in God, who raised the dead, Jesus from the Lord from the dead, Jesus our Lord. 00:10:18.960 --> 00:10:20.000 So what does that look like? 00:10:20.159 --> 00:10:24.399 What does it mean for faith to be counted as righteousness? 00:10:24.639 --> 00:10:34.559 So I asked for this whiteboard to be put up here because uh I want to just draw a picture of what it looks like for faith to be counted as righteousness. 00:10:34.720 --> 00:10:35.039 Okay. 00:10:35.679 --> 00:10:41.919 Here on the uh left-hand side, I'm gonna write Jesus. 00:10:42.080 --> 00:10:46.240 You you come to church, guy's got a whiteboard, first thing he's gonna write on the whiteboard is Jesus, right? 00:10:46.320 --> 00:10:47.039 Okay, fine. 00:10:47.200 --> 00:10:48.559 Yeah, okay, cool. 00:10:48.799 --> 00:10:54.960 Jesus is the God man, Jesus is the first Adam, Jesus is in effect who who humanity ought to be. 00:10:55.039 --> 00:10:59.519 He's he's he in some ways he's our model uh of humanity ought to be. 00:10:59.600 --> 00:11:05.200 On the right-hand side, I'm gonna write another role model for us, not a model of perfection. 00:11:05.279 --> 00:11:08.000 I'm gonna write a model sinner, okay? 00:11:08.320 --> 00:11:14.320 Brian Robinson has graciously volunteered, and I did I did talk to him. 00:11:14.559 --> 00:11:16.320 I'm not just springing this on Brian. 00:11:16.639 --> 00:11:19.200 Brian is our model sinner. 00:11:19.440 --> 00:11:19.759 Okay. 00:11:20.399 --> 00:11:21.360 Thank you, Brian. 00:11:21.519 --> 00:11:22.480 It could be anybody. 00:11:22.720 --> 00:11:24.879 Brian, this will this will have a happy ending, I promise. 00:11:24.960 --> 00:11:26.559 This will have a happy ending, I promise. 00:11:26.879 --> 00:11:27.200 Okay. 00:11:28.000 --> 00:11:33.200 How did Jesus perform with respect to the law? 00:11:33.600 --> 00:11:33.919 Okay? 00:11:34.960 --> 00:11:37.679 Jesus obeyed the law, right? 00:11:38.240 --> 00:11:41.120 Remember, the it's a it's a central doctrine of Christianity. 00:11:41.279 --> 00:11:42.240 Jesus was sinless. 00:11:42.399 --> 00:11:44.080 He obeyed the law. 00:11:44.320 --> 00:11:47.440 He obeyed the law in his actions. 00:11:48.320 --> 00:11:48.639 Okay? 00:11:49.200 --> 00:11:52.080 He obeyed the law in his words. 00:11:52.879 --> 00:11:56.320 He obeyed the law in his thoughts, okay? 00:11:56.559 --> 00:11:58.159 Remember the Sermon on the Mount. 00:11:58.320 --> 00:12:02.799 Uh, if you if you break the law by by your thoughts, it's just as bad as breaking your actions. 00:12:02.960 --> 00:12:04.879 Break the law by words, just as bad as actions. 00:12:04.960 --> 00:12:08.080 So he kept the law in his thoughts, in his words, and his actions. 00:12:08.240 --> 00:12:08.559 Okay? 00:12:08.960 --> 00:12:10.639 There's two ways you can break the law. 00:12:10.799 --> 00:12:16.720 You can break the law by doing something that God says you shouldn't do. 00:12:16.879 --> 00:12:19.840 That's committing a sin or a sin of commission. 00:12:19.919 --> 00:12:20.240 Okay? 00:12:20.399 --> 00:12:21.600 Jesus didn't do that. 00:12:21.759 --> 00:12:22.080 Okay. 00:12:22.480 --> 00:12:26.879 You can also break the law by not doing something God commands. 00:12:27.039 --> 00:12:30.399 You can omit some spiritual service, and that's also breaking the law. 00:12:30.639 --> 00:12:31.919 Jesus didn't do that. 00:12:32.080 --> 00:12:32.399 Okay? 00:12:32.960 --> 00:12:36.960 So Jesus had a perfect record of righteousness. 00:12:37.120 --> 00:12:39.440 Now, now I think it's a it's a tremendous miracle. 00:12:39.519 --> 00:12:41.840 It blows my mind that God can become a human being. 00:12:42.000 --> 00:12:43.919 I mean, that's that's pretty mind-blowing, right? 00:12:44.080 --> 00:12:48.720 I think it's even bigger that God can become a human being and be sinless for 30 years. 00:12:48.879 --> 00:12:52.159 That I feel like, can God become a man, maybe? 00:12:52.320 --> 00:12:54.000 Can a man be sinless for 30 years? 00:12:54.159 --> 00:12:56.480 Wow, that's uh that's really something, huh? 00:12:56.720 --> 00:12:59.840 Okay, so it's just an amazing record of righteousness. 00:13:00.080 --> 00:13:02.559 Now, let's talk about Brian. 00:13:02.799 --> 00:13:03.120 Okay? 00:13:03.759 --> 00:13:05.200 Brian, I love you, brother. 00:13:05.279 --> 00:13:05.600 I do. 00:13:05.759 --> 00:13:06.639 I love you, brother. 00:13:06.960 --> 00:13:07.279 Okay. 00:13:08.000 --> 00:13:13.840 Uh has Brian uh obeyed the law all the time perfectly. 00:13:14.080 --> 00:13:15.519 No, Brian has not. 00:13:15.759 --> 00:13:24.159 Has Brian occasionally uh broken the law in his actions, occasionally doing something that he shouldn't do. 00:13:24.399 --> 00:13:26.799 Occasionally, yeah, yeah, okay. 00:13:27.120 --> 00:13:30.159 Has Brian occasionally said something he shouldn't have said? 00:13:30.320 --> 00:13:31.440 Has he broken the law that way? 00:13:31.600 --> 00:13:32.080 Yeah, yeah. 00:13:32.159 --> 00:13:34.000 Every once in a while, you know. 00:13:34.799 --> 00:13:38.639 Has Brian broken the law in what he's thinking? 00:13:38.799 --> 00:13:48.159 Well, I can tell you right now, yeah, yeah, I can tell you right now, what he's thinking right now is is probably breaking God's law. 00:13:48.320 --> 00:13:49.519 This is kind of gonna limb here. 00:13:49.600 --> 00:13:51.120 What he's thinking right now, okay. 00:13:51.360 --> 00:13:57.759 Has Brian uh occasionally done something that God said he shouldn't do? 00:13:58.000 --> 00:13:58.480 Yes. 00:13:58.720 --> 00:14:03.120 Has Brian occasionally failed to do something that God said he ought to do? 00:14:03.360 --> 00:14:03.919 Yes. 00:14:04.159 --> 00:14:04.480 Okay. 00:14:04.960 --> 00:14:06.399 So that's where we are. 00:14:06.559 --> 00:14:07.279 Poor Brian. 00:14:07.440 --> 00:14:10.159 Now, in all fairness, we could have put anybody's name up here. 00:14:10.320 --> 00:14:12.799 We we pretty much would have gotten the gotten the same result. 00:14:13.120 --> 00:14:16.000 Okay, so what does this mean? 00:14:16.320 --> 00:14:23.360 Um one thing I want to point out is uh suppose um somebody was really good. 00:14:23.519 --> 00:14:29.200 I mean, like like for me, okay, if I when I when I did this, when I did this exercise, just I'll I'll talk about me. 00:14:29.279 --> 00:14:33.840 I probably break the law of God dozens and dozens of times a day, maybe even hundreds of times a day. 00:14:34.000 --> 00:14:36.720 I don't even know how many times I break God's law each day. 00:14:36.960 --> 00:14:41.759 But suppose somebody was a saint, suppose somebody only broke God's law three times a day. 00:14:42.000 --> 00:14:45.600 I mean, they would be like, it would be amazing being around someone like that. 00:14:45.759 --> 00:14:51.279 Well, that person who breaks God's law three times a day is breaking the law a thousand times in a year. 00:14:51.440 --> 00:14:55.039 And in a lifetime, they'll have broken the law 70,000 times, okay? 00:14:55.279 --> 00:15:00.480 You might you might show up before a judge with a parking ticket and feel like you're gonna not have to go to jail. 00:15:00.639 --> 00:15:04.480 But what happens if you show up before a judge with 70,000 parking tickets, okay? 00:15:04.639 --> 00:15:05.679 You got a problem. 00:15:05.840 --> 00:15:07.279 And I think that's where most of us are. 00:15:07.360 --> 00:15:10.559 Most of us think like, I haven't committed genocide, okay. 00:15:10.639 --> 00:15:12.480 Well, that's that's a good thing, right? 00:15:12.720 --> 00:15:16.960 But most of us have got the 70,000 parking tickets, whether we know it or not. 00:15:17.120 --> 00:15:22.159 And how we stand in front of the law, when you really look at the holy law, it's not a not a good thing at all. 00:15:22.320 --> 00:15:26.159 Now, Brian has transferred his trust to God. 00:15:26.399 --> 00:15:31.039 Brian has placed his faith in Jesus as his only hope of heaven. 00:15:31.120 --> 00:15:32.639 That I do know about Brian, okay? 00:15:32.720 --> 00:15:34.159 And he would be the first to tell you. 00:15:34.320 --> 00:15:40.399 And and when we do that, when we transfer our trust uh to God, something amazing happens, okay? 00:15:40.559 --> 00:15:41.759 Something amazing happens. 00:15:42.080 --> 00:15:46.159 God gets out his whiteboard eraser, okay? 00:15:46.480 --> 00:15:57.600 And God takes all this record of rack and ruin and erases Brian's name, and God writes Jesus up here, okay? 00:15:58.559 --> 00:16:06.639 God takes all of the sin that Brian has committed in his life and says, I'm not counting that against Brian anymore. 00:16:06.799 --> 00:16:08.960 Now I'm putting it on Jesus' record. 00:16:09.039 --> 00:16:11.440 I'm gonna I've gotta have a paperwork snafu. 00:16:11.600 --> 00:16:14.879 I'm gonna take all those parking tickets, I'm gonna put Jesus' name on all of them. 00:16:15.039 --> 00:16:19.360 And when Jesus died on the cross, he paid the penalty for every single one of these. 00:16:19.519 --> 00:16:22.320 Our sins are not forgotten, they are paid for. 00:16:22.559 --> 00:16:22.879 Okay? 00:16:23.120 --> 00:16:25.200 God's justice is satisfied. 00:16:25.360 --> 00:16:29.519 It's just that it's his wrath is poured out on someone else other than Jesus. 00:16:29.840 --> 00:16:37.360 In uh Romans 3, Paul quotes David Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven and whose sins are covered. 00:16:37.600 --> 00:16:40.639 Blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin. 00:16:40.879 --> 00:16:47.519 I think most of us as Christians have heard about this, and at this point, um Brian has all of his sins forgiven. 00:16:47.600 --> 00:16:50.559 Okay, Brian is effectively sinless, okay? 00:16:50.720 --> 00:16:53.600 But look, this this podium is sinless. 00:16:53.840 --> 00:16:56.559 Sam's guitar over there is sinless, okay? 00:16:56.799 --> 00:16:59.039 That's that's great, but that's not the whole story. 00:16:59.120 --> 00:17:00.320 That can't be the whole story. 00:17:00.480 --> 00:17:09.759 It's like it's like Brian went from owing God billions of dollars in fines to having that all wiped out and now he's at zero, but he's still broke, okay? 00:17:10.000 --> 00:17:11.839 But but that's not the end of the story. 00:17:12.000 --> 00:17:14.319 That is not the end of the story, okay? 00:17:14.640 --> 00:17:15.839 God keeps going. 00:17:16.160 --> 00:17:18.880 God still has his whiteboard eraser in his hands. 00:17:19.119 --> 00:17:26.079 He erases Jesus' name over this perfect life of righteousness, and now he writes Brian's name. 00:17:26.400 --> 00:17:26.720 Okay? 00:17:28.000 --> 00:17:33.039 The faith, the uh righteousness of Jesus is counted to Brian. 00:17:33.200 --> 00:17:37.119 Brian is considered as having Jesus' righteousness. 00:17:37.359 --> 00:17:41.440 This is a second imputation to use the big theological buzzword. 00:17:41.599 --> 00:17:42.720 This is the righteousness. 00:17:42.799 --> 00:17:46.319 We talked about the righteousness of God through faith for all who believe. 00:17:46.400 --> 00:17:47.200 That's what this is. 00:17:47.359 --> 00:17:49.440 This is the righteousness of faith. 00:17:49.680 --> 00:17:52.160 We're declared righteous by God. 00:17:52.400 --> 00:17:58.880 God declares us and counts us as righteous long before we're made righteous, in any meaningful sense of the word made righteous. 00:17:59.039 --> 00:18:00.559 And remember what we said about God. 00:18:00.720 --> 00:18:02.880 God gives life to the dead, okay? 00:18:03.119 --> 00:18:06.160 God gives life to Brian in his spiritual deadness. 00:18:06.400 --> 00:18:10.079 And God calls into existence the things that do not exist. 00:18:10.319 --> 00:18:16.000 God calls Brian's righteousness into existence, even though it doesn't currently exist. 00:18:17.759 --> 00:18:22.160 Once we know what to look for, we see it all over the Old Testament, okay? 00:18:22.319 --> 00:18:22.640 We do. 00:18:22.720 --> 00:18:24.480 We see it all over the Old Testament. 00:18:24.640 --> 00:18:31.200 Um, there was this guy named Isaac, actually Abraham's son, Isaac, and Isaac had two sons, Jacob and Esau. 00:18:31.279 --> 00:18:35.039 And Isaac loved Esau because Esau liked to hunt, but he didn't like Jacob. 00:18:35.119 --> 00:18:37.839 Jacob liked to stay inside and read books, okay? 00:18:38.079 --> 00:18:43.359 Um, and so Jacob was a schemer, and Jacob says, I want the blessing. 00:18:43.440 --> 00:18:44.640 I want Esau's blessing. 00:18:44.799 --> 00:18:49.519 So Jacob dresses up in Esau's clothes and goes to Isaac. 00:18:49.759 --> 00:18:51.359 Isaac is blind. 00:18:51.519 --> 00:19:00.480 And Isaac smells the smell of Esau's clothes and treats Jacob as if he were Esau and gives him the blessing. 00:19:00.720 --> 00:19:01.039 Okay? 00:19:01.680 --> 00:19:07.599 Brian is not, God's favorite son is Jesus, the only begotten son. 00:19:07.920 --> 00:19:11.119 Brian is dressed in Jesus' robes of righteousness. 00:19:11.200 --> 00:19:19.359 And when Brian comes before the Father, God smells Jesus' robe of righteousness and gives Brian the blessing as if he were Jesus. 00:19:19.680 --> 00:19:25.279 Queen Esther, the the penalty before you you couldn't show up before the king of Persia unless you were invited. 00:19:25.359 --> 00:19:28.319 And Queen Esther wanted to make a request. 00:19:28.400 --> 00:19:31.839 And so she dresses up in her royal robes and stands before the king. 00:19:31.920 --> 00:19:37.759 And the king sees her in her royal robes and extends mercy to her, unless her come forward and make her request. 00:19:37.920 --> 00:19:42.240 And Brian, dressed in Jesus' royal robes, can come before God. 00:19:42.799 --> 00:19:53.119 The prophet Jeremiah, twice in his prophecy, gives God the name Jehovah Sidkunu, which means the Lord, our righteousness. 00:19:53.440 --> 00:20:00.480 Not the Lord is righteous, not the Lord is righteousness, but the Lord is our righteousness. 00:20:00.799 --> 00:20:03.039 Christ is our righteousness. 00:20:03.279 --> 00:20:05.519 Now I could have put anybody's name up here. 00:20:05.759 --> 00:20:10.400 What's true of Brian is true of anyone who's connected to Jesus by faith. 00:20:10.640 --> 00:20:10.960 Okay? 00:20:12.240 --> 00:20:14.880 You are perfectly loved and accepted by God. 00:20:16.240 --> 00:20:22.079 When God looks at you, he sees you through Jesus' perfect life. 00:20:22.319 --> 00:20:25.759 There is no bad thing you can do to make God love you less. 00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:26.319 Okay? 00:20:26.640 --> 00:20:30.640 Because all the bad things you've done or ever will do are put on Jesus and they're all gone. 00:20:30.799 --> 00:20:33.200 There's no good thing you can do to make God love you more. 00:20:33.359 --> 00:20:35.200 He already loves you as much as he loves Jesus. 00:20:35.279 --> 00:20:36.799 How could he possibly love you more? 00:20:36.960 --> 00:20:39.039 And now you know why that's true. 00:20:39.279 --> 00:20:41.759 And all of this is done by God. 00:20:41.920 --> 00:20:43.359 None of this was done by us. 00:20:43.519 --> 00:20:48.559 And so we can have faith that it doesn't depend on our actions, it depends on God and His grace. 00:20:48.960 --> 00:20:49.279 Okay. 00:20:50.480 --> 00:20:52.079 So what do we do based on this? 00:20:53.039 --> 00:20:54.480 What's the application point? 00:20:54.799 --> 00:20:55.839 Trick question. 00:20:56.079 --> 00:20:56.720 There is none. 00:20:56.880 --> 00:20:58.079 There's nothing you need to do. 00:20:58.240 --> 00:21:00.079 It's already been done, okay? 00:21:00.319 --> 00:21:01.839 There's nothing you need to do. 00:21:02.079 --> 00:21:10.319 I I find this truth that I am clothed in Christ's righteousness, I find this to be something I have to remind myself of every day. 00:21:10.480 --> 00:21:13.759 This is so different from our experience in life. 00:21:13.920 --> 00:21:18.799 This is so, I don't know, mind-blowing that I have to preach this to myself every day. 00:21:19.119 --> 00:21:32.480 And I think that it's it's something that if if you try to do something, if you try to think about an application point or a checklist, you're just going to turn your back on this when this is the truth in and of itself. 00:21:32.720 --> 00:21:37.519 Now, Abraham went on to live an incredible life of faith, and I think you will too. 00:21:37.759 --> 00:21:41.920 But you won't grow until you stop caring if you're growing, okay? 00:21:42.240 --> 00:21:46.400 You won't get any better until you stop checking for signs of progress. 00:21:46.640 --> 00:21:55.039 You have to take your focus off of yourself and look squarely at Jesus and his finished work on the cross, and that is how you make spiritual progress. 00:21:55.200 --> 00:22:03.279 And when you do that, well, I'm sure God's going to fulfill the crazy promises he's made for your life, just as he fulfilled the crazy promises in Abraham's life. 00:22:03.599 --> 00:22:15.119 So when Frank Albagnali put on a Pilate's uniform and flew around the world and put on a bank guard's uniform and took all the loot, he actually was tapping into a powerful, powerful spiritual principle. 00:22:15.839 --> 00:22:21.680 Rest on Christ's finished work, wrap yourself up in his righteousness like a bathrobe. 00:22:21.920 --> 00:22:24.559 Put up your feet and enjoy your Sabbath rest. 00:22:25.359 --> 00:22:26.640 Let's pray. 00:22:30.880 --> 00:22:42.079 Father God, we thank you that from eternity past, your plan was to send your son to live a righteous life and die on the cross. 00:22:42.400 --> 00:22:49.519 Your plan from eternity past was for your children to be united to him in faith and to have his righteousness imputed. 00:22:49.839 --> 00:23:02.880 We pray that this truth, that our sins have been put on Jesus, and his righteous life has been put on us, that this would animate our spiritual lives, that we would find rest and comfort in it. 00:23:03.119 --> 00:23:10.880 And we pray for your Holy Spirit to draw us closer and closer to you, that we would realize this truth in our lives and that this truth would change our lives. 00:23:11.519 --> 00:23:13.279 In your Son, Jesus' name we pray. 00:23:13.519 --> 00:23:13.920 Amen.