SIN LESS
Part 3
September 7, 2014
MF Blume
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the
gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every
one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Not our power to be able to do good!
Notice that BELIEVING is the key that is required for this power to work IN YOU.
• He said the same thing that we read in Ephesians 1.
Ephesians 1:19 KJV And what is the exceeding greatness of his
power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty
power,
Romans 1:16-17 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is
the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew
first, and also to the Greek. (17) For therein is the
righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written,
The just shall live by faith.
We do not live, and not die instead, by doing good deeds.
• We live and EXIST as people of God who please Him BY FAITH!
• Therein—wherein? In the BELIEVING
that he mentioned in verse 16—is the righteousness of God
revealed.
• Not OUR righteousness, but GOD’S!
• That means that HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS shines through!
For people who always concern themselves with doing good to be a
Christian to please God, SELF RIGHTEOUSNESS SHINES FORTH, and it is an
UGLY SIGHT TO SEE!
Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our
righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and
our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
The Bible said that the JUST shall live by faith because NO ONE CAN BE
JUST unless, BY FAITH, they trust in Jesus’ goodness and His
obedience FOR GOD TO GIVE US RIGHTEOUSNESS!
• So you do not EARN righteousness by doing good
deeds and making sure you do nothing bad, but you BELIEVE to have
righteousness!
When we get discouraged with ourselves because of all the bad things we do, we have slumped into legalism.
Hebrews 9:27-28 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after
this the judgment: (28) So Christ was once offered to bear
the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the
second time without sin unto salvation.
Why would it say that CHRIST DIED ONCE because it is appointed for US TO DIE ONCE?
• Shouldn’t it say that we die once because it is appointed for us to die once?
• This shows us that JESUS DIED because of the need for OUR DEATHS.
• That means HIS DEATHS COUNT AS OURS.
• And HIS DEATH was THE ACT OF OBEDIENCE that makes God pleased with us.
Philippians 2:8-9 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled
himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the
cross. (9) Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and
given him a name which is above every name:
He was so ultimately obedience, that GOD HIGHLY EXALTED HIM and MADE HIS NAME ABOVE EVERY NAME!
• That is why we baptize IN JESUS’ NAME.
• It puts US INTO HIS DEATH.
Acts 2:38 KJV Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized
every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins,
and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Acts 8:16 KJV (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)
Acts 10:48 ISV So Peter ordered them to be baptized in the name
of Jesus the Messiah. Then they asked him to stay there for several
days.
Acts 16:31-33 KJV And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (32) And
they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his
house. (33) And he took them the same hour of the night,
and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.
Acts 19:4-5 KJV Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the
baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe
on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
(5) When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the
Lord Jesus.
Acts 22:16 KJV And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
• And THAT NAME that is so great because of His ultimate obedience of DYING, BECOMES OUR NAME!
• THAT is the obedience that makes God PLEASED WITH US to make us righteous.
• NOT YOUR OBEDIENCE.
2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no
sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God IN HIM.
The way we might become the righteousness of God is for Jesus to be MADE SIN FOR US AND KILLED.
• And God actually made us RIGHTEOUSNESS!
• And it is ONLY BY BEING IN HIM!
• IN JESUS!
• That is why baptism was so huge in the early
church, MUCH MORE than it is today in its watered-down form of not
involving remission of sins.
It is DEPENDING UPON HIS GOODNESS for God to be pleased with us!
Titus 3:8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou
affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be
careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable
unto men.
Notice he spoke about you who “have BELIEVED IN GOD.”
• You BELIEVED in Him to be righteous.
• You knew you could not BE GOOD in order to be righteous.
• But just because good works did not save you,
you still need to be careful to maintain good works once you are saved.
• This is not to tell you that you can sin and sin does not matter any more.
• Just puts DOING GOOD in its proper place OUT OF THE POSITION OF WHAT WE LOOK FOR TO PLEASE GOD.
• It’s just that GOOD WORKS do not make you pleasing to God.
First we need to know what pleases God enough to save us from hell.
• Then we will grow and learn how to stop sinning and change our BEHAVIOUR.
But the behavior issue needs to come AFTER THE ISSUE ABOUT WHAT MAKES US RIGHTEOUS.
When you truly know that Jesus’ work on the cross MAKES US
RIGHTEOUS, totally apart from whether or not we did good works, WE WILL
SEE THE BLESSING OF GOD COME UPON US!
• The more you trust IN JESUS’ GOODNESS to
make God pleased with YOU, the MORE the power and blessing of God comes
upon you!
Romans 4:6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,
Right now, whether you do more bad things than good or not, if you can
make yourself realize that THE GOODNESS OF WHAT JESUS DID ON THE CROSS
is what makes God pleased with YOU, as far as being righteous is
concerned, it does not matter about all the bad things you do.
• YOU ARE RIGHTEOUS ONLY BECAUSE OF WHAT JESUS DID ON THE CROSS!
• That will take off all the pressure to have to
DO GOOD, and get your focus off that to where it should be.
• TRUSTING TO JESUS.
• …Because the same trust in Jesus that
you look at in order to know YOU PLEASE GOD is the same trust that will
eventually BREAK OUT in your behavior and allow God to CHANGE YOUR
BEHAVIOUR that you are so incorrectly concerned about now, anyway!
The Old Testament actually encouraged folks to seek righteousness through THEIR OWN obedience.
Deuteronomy 6:25 And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do
all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us.
God simply put us inside of Christ, so to speak, so that we might be
considered righteous without having done one good deed to deserve it!
He was made righteous so that the moment God puts us into Christ is the moment we can say that we are righteous.
The Old Testament way to righteousness was by works of obedience when
all the while the same Old Covenant showed us that the only successful
route to this status was by faith. Law stated, “The just
shall live by faith” (Hab. 2:4).
Habakkuk 2:4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.
This prophet did not say it was God’s personal righteousness, though.
• So THAT DETAIL was not yet revealed back then.
2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who
knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
PAUL REFERS TO GENTILES
Romans 1:18-32 KJV For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven
against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth
in unrighteousness; (19) Because that which may be known of
God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
(20) For the invisible things of him from the creation of the
world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made,
even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without
excuse: (21) Because that, when they knew God, they
glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in
their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
(22) Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
(23) And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image
made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and
creeping things. (24) Wherefore God also gave them up to
uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their
own bodies between themselves: (25) Who changed the truth
of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the
Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. (26) For this cause
God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change
the natural use into that which is against nature: (27) And
likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in
their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is
unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error
which was meet. (28) And even as they did not like to
retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind,
to do those things which are not convenient; (29) Being
filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness,
maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity;
whisperers, (30) Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful,
proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to
parents, (31) Without understanding, covenantbreakers,
without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: (32) Who
knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are
worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that
do them.
When we read Romans 2:1, we see that after speaking of GENTILES IN THEIR SINS outside of serving God, Paul turns to the JEWS.
Romans 2:1 KJV Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever
thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou
condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.
Jews had far greater light than the Gentile world, but even so, the JEWS DID THE SAME THINGS THE GENTILES DID!
• But Jews excused themselves just because they had the TRUTH and KNEW IT.
• But God said that is not what God wanted.
• INEXCUSABLE.
The GENTILES were inexcusable, too.
Romans 1:20 KJV For the invisible things of him from the creation
of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are
made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without
excuse:
How much more are the JEWS INEXCUSABLE if they HAD CLEAR TRUTH, more
than Gentiles who could only conclude truth of God from looking at
creation?
Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
Look at how Paul pushes this thought:
Romans 2:17-21 Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the
law, and makest thy boast of God, And knowest his will, and
approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of
the law; And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the
blind, a light of them which are in darkness, An instructor of
the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and
of the truth in the law. Thou therefore which teachest another,
teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal,
dost thou steal?
Paul’s whole point was that the LAW THAT DEMANDED FLESHLY EFFORT
TO BE RIGHTEOUS accomplished no more for the Jews than what the
Gentiles had without any LAW OF FLESHLY EFFORT.
Although Deuteronomy said they would be righteous if they DO all the commandments, …
Deuteronomy 6:25 And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do
all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us.
Look at a powerful revelation about law and righteousness:
Galatians 2:21b …for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
Galatians 3:21b …if there had been a law given which could
have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.
You could not get any more proof of how flesh cannot make us righteous
by good deeds than by having God, Himself, provide a law to detail what
and what not to do in fleshly efforts in order to be righteous, and yet
Israel could not keep it.
Romans 3:10-19 As it is written,
• There is none righteous, no, not one: There is
none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
They are all gone out of the way, they are together become
unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. (PSALM 14:1-3)
• Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; (PSALM 5:9)
• the poison of asps is under their lips: (Psalm 140:3)
• Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: (PSALM 10:7)
• Their feet are swift to shed blood:
• Destruction and misery are in their
ways: And the way of peace have they not known: (ISAIAH 59:7-8)
• There is no fear of God before their eyes. (PSALM 36:1).
Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who
are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world
may become guilty before God.
Paul wrote to Jews in the church of Rome.
• He used the Old Testament passages to prove what he was saying.
• He was saying that although Jews had the LAW
that told them everything they needed to know to be righteous, NONE OF
THEM LIVED RIGHTEOUSLY.
• The LAW itself testified that those who had it could not keep it.
And Paul said GOD ARRANGED IT THIS WAY FOR A PURPOSE:
• “that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.”
• Gold gave them the law knowing full well they could not keep it.
• Why?
• “that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.”
And so Paul makes a conclusion:
Romans 3:20 KJV Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no
flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
All that Law did for Israel was let them know what sin was.
• Light concerning what sin is.
• LAW DID NOT GIVE ABILITY TO PEOPLE TO BECOME RIGHTEOUS.
• If Law could not solve the sin problem, but
only provided the awareness of sin, then IT CAME TO EMPHASIZE WHAT SIN
REALLY DID TO MAN.
• Why?
• IT PROVED that man cannot make himself good by good deeds!
• ISRAEL HAD TO KNOW THAT BEFORE JESUS WOULD COME!
• It TAUGHT THEM A LESSON so that they would
receive JESUS with THE GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS when He would come.
Romans 3:21-22 KJV But now the righteousness of God without the
law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
(22) Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus
Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no
difference:
So this is the purpose of LAW.
• People had to know beyond the shadow of a
doubt that even if God Himself gave them directions to obey to be
righteous, when they realized they could not do it, they would never in
a million years try to use FLESH to be saved.
Romans 3:23-30 KJV For all have sinned, and come short of the
glory of God; (24) Being justified freely by his grace
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: (25) Whom
God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to
declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past,
through the forbearance of God; (26) To declare, I say, at
this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier
of him which believeth in Jesus. (27) Where is boasting
then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of
faith. (28) Therefore we conclude that a man is justified
by faith without the deeds of the law. (29) Is he the God
of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles
also: (30) Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the
circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.
You cannot make yourself good for Heaven, anyway, so why try to do so good in your flesh and get condemned when you can’t?