Stop Negotiating

By show of hands, how many of you have a moment of honesty here. How many of you by show of hands are into zombies shows describe a trend up own and I will judge you. I promise that my hand is up to your neighbor might judge you but I won't judge you that it seems like zombies are definitely the horror genre of choice these days. Here's one little statistical be some proof more than twice as many people watch the opening season of the walking dead.

As I watch the final season of mad men I which is kind of like a zombie show in its own way. In my opinion, but, read a great article in the New York Times recently by one of my favorite social commentators guiding Chuck Klosterman who suggested that the reason that zombie shows appeal to so many of us is because sort of subconsciously they correlate with how we feel in our day-to-day lives are seemingly endless onslaught by mindless emails and advertisements and pop up ads and tweets and voicemails that you have to eliminate one by one, or else be consumed by them talking about you open up your email on Monday morning and there are 68 emails is gonna droning towards you, but you gotta start shooting each of them with the delete button.

One by one on the good news, Klosterman says, is that by now were all pretty prepared for the zombie apocalypse, if you're away from it, and you don't immediately see a member of the hospital staff. You should assume that a zombie takeover has transpired during your incapacitation. Do not let zombie spit on you if you knock one down. Make sure that you pop a second bullet into its brainstem to make sure that it's dead I am by the way if you've never seen an episode of the walking dead. Here's the basic plot line of each episode, every episode is this is it there something that we really need over there where the zombies are. That's basically how everyone unfolds zombies are basically moving bodies without souls. Zombies are bodies that mimic the actions of being alive, but they are not in fact live. I want to use that image of the next three weeks to explain the concept that were to call Phantom date having phantom faith means that you go through the motions of Christianity, but you do so without the soul, and by that I don't mean that you're an out and out hypocrite, just that there are certain core things about the Christian faith that you don't quite get yet and so you wind up mimicking the motions of Christianity, but there's something missing in your relationship with God, and maybe you know that there that you there's a joy that you like is a competence that you lack, so I many use this series to identify three concepts that a lot of of sincere people mess and cause them to live this way without the soul of Christianity, and by that I don't just mean newbies to Christianity. How sometimes these people that I might describe a miniatures for years and they still never quite grasp these things were to talk about Hunter not a Christian I might explain some of the things that make out what Jesus taught, absolutely distinctive from every other religion in the world, sometimes people that are light one on one of the scriber people are trying to get back in the church with a lot of people. The church that I won't be some life event to get divorced, or maybe they had a baby or something, and.net. It is like I gotta get back in church.

These are the concepts that they seem to stumble over. In fact this message series came from me, having conversations, one on one with I just felt like all the BMI we all at some of the same things, and I was like I got a good talk about his one-to-one artist series on them.

So here we are hotly led and also give you sort of four premonition maybe or miss on the right word. Whatever, for the first three weeks of October were good to baptisms every weekend. Here the church here's opportunity that baptism is supposed to be the first act that you take as a new believer, it is what we call the going public phase of your faith, how we know that we got a lot of people over the last few weeks here. Make first time decisions to trust Jesus and follow him and you ought to follow that up by being baptized there.

Others of you that it had a relationship with Jesus for a while but you've never taken that step and so were to give you a chance in the coming weeks to do that, were not in October yet but is you that are really bad with your calendars you like that to date no, it'll start in October. I just want to give you a sort of time to get prepared at the end of our message today I'll actually I give you some steps you can take to get prepared on the first concept wouldn't talk about in phantom faith is from Romans chapter 4 of you have your Bible, you might you take it out and begin opening to Romans chapter 4 Romans is the sixth book in the New Testament. If you need help finding it.

Just open the table contents of the person next to you judge as you raise your hand. All have been thrown out. Okay you can do that. Romans chapter 4. It concerns how you know for sure that you belong to God, or why you think it is that you were going to go to heaven that you know this I will mask it this way if you were to die today and gobble to say to you, why should I let you would have and what we would your response be, and I know that sounds like a cliché question if you grew up in the South you work in the church you have to like that's your Billy Graham I think made that question famous Navidad tonight. Do you know the Christians would always assume you're going to die at night.

Nobody knows why but whatever, it's a cliché question, but it's still a good one, why do you think the Godzilla let you would have any CJD.

I'm not even sure that there is a heaven okay if you suppose there is a heaven and what is the criteria for who gets in and who doesn't. And are you sure that you will be one of the ones who gets in five talk with you before about my own struggle with this question for many years and I was in high school and also in in college, just not been able to know for sure and really wanting to know told you that if there were a Guinness Book of World Records for how many times somebody could save the sinners prayer. I know that I would hold that world record because it was like I just every single service. I would like my big I want to make sure that I'd asked Jesus into my heart the right way and that's how my church always talked about in the morning to go to heaven. Of those, you've accepted Christ the one to go to hell those Avenue my why don't you try out inside praying, but every time I built was sorry not for my sin that I understand enough that my life-changing up as a result, maybe not. I better do it again.

My church we were laconic church where you walk forward if you raised her hand. As you know, and so I don't want to invalidate in prayer but not go forward.

So it was like a space of three years. Y'all and I will forward it felt like every single week. It was embarrassing that my dad was like you cut that out on you. Gotta get over this, my uncle John had my own locker in the baptismal changing area because I just was that frequent and good about us four times during that that that season. I don't know if that's like your struggle.

Most people with you, ask him why do you think gobble let you into heaven, I did like it has something to do with their behavior. If you're good enough. You're sincere enough. As a Christian you believe enough to go to church enough you give enough people from other religions. By the way, use the same criteria they do switch out some out some of the specifics instead of going to church is going to Moscow synagogue devils on my that, it's like we are always trying to make a deal with God. I'm God there's let you know how it I do this. But do this this and many times run them good enough, then I expect you to give me heaven. Now we do have a lot in our lives don't make deals with God.

I would say think about it, you probably make a lot of deals with God or try to your out really late, your high school student you say Lord if you will just let my parents be asleep when I get home. I promise I'll start going to church like a solid non-bubble to gobble to Sunday school will teach Sunday school if you let my parents just be asleep when I get home.

Have you ever done something like that. God give me this job and I start to be generous, God let her say yes to going out with me and I will start reading my Bible and thought disorder honest with each other. Raise your hand if you've ever made a deal with God just ain't ready to go and put it IF you and is not out. You are a liar.

Okay, you really are.

We make this got what we do we think God works. I made one when I was fresh in your high school before I became a Christian I was on the soccer team and I was in that there was one. The one like the room is left in the game and the Lord if you will let me score the final goal. I will I will stop cussing to the new the cheerleaders were watching and I was like this let me score it was like 20 seconds later it was a total freak.

I scored a goal. I think the cost at the moment.

When I went.

Maybe it was, I just make deals with God in and you think like oh God in heaven like I know you will us all. Thank you. You know like I gotta get in on that action, you know, tell me how to what I do.

How can I refuse we think of going to heaven like a deal that we make God we give God obedience God rewards us with heaven. But here's what the apostle Paul says, what does Scripture say Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. Abraham was about 90 years old and God told him that he was, and I have a son, Abraham, and never had any children. He evidently was infertile and so God says you have a son and against all logic against all evidence against all hope, Abraham said, well, I believe it. And God saw all his faith in God's promise and God credited to him as righteousness. Verse five to the one who does not work you see as an illustration with Abraham, but trust God instead. Who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. I had a seminary professor who said that this is the most important verse in the Bible. I'm inclined to agree with him.

He said, and it all hinges around this one word here if you understand this one word that you understand the gospel. You don't understand this word you don't understand the gospel board credited. It is the Greek word look good so my luggage in my and it is an accounting term and it needs to count one thing, as if it were another think that's literally what it means is that maybe it is easiest for me to explain it to you by telling you first. What it does not me what that word does not mean is that Abraham's faith actually made him act righteously from that point on. Here's how we know that immediately after Abraham believed God in Genesis 15 in the very next chapter he doubts God and think that God can't really keep his promise and so he tried. He sleeps with his as house servant Hagar try to have a son to her. It was an immoral act. A couple chapters later, there is what I like to refer to is the sister incident where Abraham is traveling and he finds out the King thinks his wife is hot and so Abraham is like oh she's not really my wife, she's my sister, thinking that he'll take her to be his wife. And that's okay as long as Abraham to get killed is a dirt bag maneuver in any culture at all. That's not something that was like they just did back then we can imagine the conversation with Sarah got back home. What what is wrong with you. You know that he doesn't say he's not going to act righteously all the time. From this point on he eon, nor does the phrase mean that faith is actually righteousness in itself. A lot of people think that's what it means as if faith were the supreme of all the virtues goal, the one that really matters to God and as long as you have that virtue. It kinda covers up everything else and nothing else matters.

Faith is not the supreme virtue, what is the supreme virtue love my first printing 13, Paul says the greatest virtue above faith is love both and I can have faith so big that I can move mountains, but I wouldn't have love, it would be absolutely worthless when Jesus summarized all of the wall. He didn't say all the whole wall summaries have faith is a below summary of the love Lord your God love your neighbor as yourself so that mean that faith is so awesome to God that that having it makes you righteous and covers up everything else know what it means. What faith credited as righteousness means is that God counts our faith in Christ as righteousness, even though it is not that righteousness is a gift that God gives to us that we do not possess in ourselves. On the basis of something else.

The best analogy I can come up with and I'm sorry for this because is not a great analogy, but it's like when you're playing cards and you have a wildcard senior year and some version of poker and you got. You want to put on a Royal flush and you need to clean our hearts, but you got jokers wild and you know how the Queen of hearts he put the joker in there and it's not going hearts you put it down and it counts as the Queen of hearts, even though it is not the Queen of hearts. What Paul is saying is that faith is like the wildcard that God counts righteousness, even though that is not I'm not saying that faith in Christ or some arbitrary thing simply that faithless of this faith is not really a virtue per se. Faith is a declaration that you don't have virtue, faith is a declaration that if you were going to be saved. It is going to be the cause of God's grace, and not because of your worthiness. Faith is when you and I say to God. God, I have to trust you because I don't have anything else to offer. According to Romans 4512 is declared righteous and goes to heaven has three primary characteristics.

They are Romans 45 again wanted does not work.

Trust God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness characteristic number one is that you know that your ungodly. There's an inherent admission and what Paul says here that I am ungodly. I cannot do anything to change that. It's just admitting what is true.

The second characteristic is you do not work which means you don't think there's anything you can do to change that status. There's nothing you can do to earn heaven. There's nothing you can do to make up for what you did and then the third characteristic is that you trust God, who said that he would take care of you. Trust that he did exactly what he said he would do. And Paul uses Abraham as the best example of this three introduces him of the beginning of chapter 4 is to continue it at the end of chapter 4 severe aromas for get out of verse 18 and and I'll walk you through this, God declares Abraham you can be a father.

All nation of people, Abraham's 90s got no kids verse 18 so against all hope, Abraham in hope believed that I will bet little simple very very discreet way to say I meet when you're 90 years old, and your infertile. It ain't happening. My blue pill, no pill another change that verse 19 without weakening in his faith he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead as he was about hundred series 1 was also did. He knew infertile he understood how things work. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, even though it was so clear. No way to have a baby, even in spite of that he was strengthening his faith and gave glory to God, he decided to praise God for things that haven't happened yet as if they were already done. Verse 21, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why it was credited to him as righteousness. You see those words, Paul says, verse 23. It was low, gets Armida him it was credited to him or not, is written for him alone. They were written for us to God will also did so my righteousness for us who believe in him believe on him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. You see, Jesus was delivered over to death for our sins, and then he was raised to life because of our justification. In other words, God took our sin, dad, and he put it on Jesus and put Jesus in the grave and then God raised him from the dead as a proof that God had accepted Jesus as the payment for our sins. So when we believe that the resurrection happened and that it believes what God said it meant, which meant that the sin debt had been paid in full when we believe that God credits that to us as if it were righteousness, he literally gives us Christ's righteousness. We don't just get forgiveness of sins.

We also get Christ's perfect record that is credited to our account means I become responsible for everything that Jesus did. Jesus, as I've explained to you was not just a dying Savior. Jesus was also a doing Savior and before he died the death that we were condemned to die. He lived the life that we were supposed to live and so when his account has been credited to me. God looks at me. Not only is it but never sin. He looks at me as if I'd actually live the life of Jesus himself is what we call gift righteousness and it's what separates Christianity from every other religion in the world, God's righteousness Jesus as righteousness credited to us as a gift, not because our faith deserves it, not because our fate equals it but because God has declared that faith in his promise is the instrument the wildcard if you will, through which he will credit righteousness to our accounts.

You see, there is no deal there is no deal that you can make with God ever hears why we will give you Paul's logic. Here's what you can't make a deal, got number one. Like Abraham were dead in our ability to please God like Abraham were just as dead in our ability to please God bless what is illustration with Abraham and Sarah so important. Abraham was totally unable to please God was totally unable to have a kid me what he could have one of these young now is 90 or 100 years old.

He's doubly dead in the same way we are utterly unable to be righteous. We don't think of ourselves that way doing with tumor cells, like, sick. I think a little bit I'll eliminate if Evans try little bit harder but take a few religion pills Bible a few times resolved any better than the number to be able to be okay you little harder to get a passing grade on the final exam because as you are so so off God's God's God's measure of goodness is the 10 Commandments listen recently I was reading some of Martin Luther, who said if you want to stimulate your relationship with God been for a month.

Just every morning to the 10 Commandments in your mind and pray through them I thought well marked with recommended it outright. It is been absolutely devastating for me in the mornings as part of what we call quiet, been going to the 10 Commandments because others realize that there's not a single one of these that I just instinctively naturally keep day and for example, you shall have no other gods before me.

I asked myself. Do I really love and cherish God more than everything else in my life. Is he the most important is the occupy my first thoughts is he the most valuable to me and I'm more concerned about his opinion than anybody else's. You shall make no graven images of me I am I satisfied with God the way that he is or I'm I constantly wishing I could make God into something else am I saying God, why don't you do it this way you know God if you are really good.

Why don't you give me this. Once you do that God is our God. This is what I do and I think you should probably do what I think you to do this and skip if you honor your parents. I have asked myself have always been submissive to the authorities that God put in my life that's part of that commitment about what I submissive my parents naturally must submissive always to the police to my teachers to a boss that me rephrase that.

Have I ever been naturally submissive to the authorities. God's place in my life but thou shalt not steal. How many times do I try to appropriate things. I don't really belong me to say that Chris got the obvious things like cheating business or your taxes or something like that. But how often do I take credit. That's not mine, and not give credit for an idea because I want somebody to think I'm smarter than I actually am dry listen to illegally download music and say well it's good to be okay. Do I still do it, thou shalt not lie. How often do I exaggerate the truth to make myself look better, or bend the truth to avoid a difficult situation or an awkward encounter not come to thou shalt not commit adultery, and am I gonna feel pretty good about them is always been faithful to my wife until I see what Jesus said about that one. You said you never look at somebody's not your spouse, and lusted after them in your heart is like you committed adultery, thou shall not murder. Much okay finally want to put the W column. Then Jesus says in Matthew five ever desired to see somebody else harmed nothing about how many times I rejoice in somebody I don't like suffered or maybe mad not the one you would see what happens to them. Me your something that was a great there's a German word that I'm trying to teach my kids because it's it's I going from what I know Shane Freud you what that word means simply means when you rejoice in somebody else's misfortune. I'm trying to my kids.

You should not rejoice when your brother sister gets in trouble but actually I look as I'm talking this thing this is exactly what I do.

I rejoice in somebody else goes, the pain sometimes because I have a spirit of violence and murder in my heart even if I don't commit the act. Thou shalt not covet am always fully satisfied with the situation the God has me in right now, and never craving somebody else's income or privileges, or talents her success. Her family situation and I'm telling you when I get done with this list. I realize that I am all for 10 when you're over 10 on the final exam. You're not gonna pass the Glatt pass the class say oh I'm pretty good except for me and instinctively align hateful pilfering rebellious, adulterating blasphemer so for those little details you really feel like you're a good person. Jesus, if you so you just look at the wrong standard leisure, righteous like a father in heaven is righteous shall never enter heaven. Which brings up another thing some of you don't trouble yourself the 10 Commandments, you can open your own standard of what it makes for a good person because I was a little to that standard. Let me two problems with that. First of all, you made it out. Seriously, what is that what else is that working life. I imagine you shoulder Duke University as a freshman he sit down with teachers I don't have you registered say I didn't apply MCM and your teacher says what we require this of me GPA in the some your SAT and that you are doing the things but I'm just we could go to ballet and about. I belong to Duke University and that's my standard work.

Why would you think that in heaven God I came in just whatever works for you yelling your bathroom standard awesome. Come on course not, that you will live up to your own standard if you want to shoot yourself and have half the time at your own standard lab describe it to you is if you have a little invisible tape recorder or something recorder Sonoma news with a visit to get an invisible recorder in your neck that only activated when use of the word ought she audited that he ought to do that now.

To do that and as all recorded and then at the judgment seat got only judge you by whatever you said somebody else ought to do during a single one of you in here that will pass the judgment.

You see we like Abraham are utterly unable to please God, because the problem is not ignorance. The problems that we need a little religion bill. The problem is we are dead and we are sinful and there's nothing we can do to actually change that. The second reason we can't make a deal with God.

Number two is that we don't really have anything to offer God anyway is all Paul explained that verse for the Woodwards wages are not credited as a gift given as an obligation right. If a plumber comes over to my house and works on something and see has been a bill for 80 bucks say men here's your gift as a here's ease like this is what I did the work.

I owe him. We think of heaven.

In those terms that God is good. Always have, and because we paid all this good work here. Two problems with that. First we know everything that God needs I alluded to this in the beginning that they feel foolish or negotiating sounds. God wants of obedience.

I'll go to church another Google charts.

I love church. How can I say no to that. You know I can't review a course that we don't have anything by which we can put God in her debt.

Second, being good in one area that Teresa Bagley broke God's laws in another area.

Imagine if you were on trial because you been caught for a job for assault and battery and breaking and entering. The judge is about to bring on the gavel yet will I know I'm guilty of assault and battery, breaking and entering, but the judge I only use paper scrolls that are made from recycled paper and always get paper and plastic is better for the environment and never involves water and have own compost pile. Previous and you I just am so environmentally cut users that will that's awesome but doesn't think about your broken heart. Somebody it's irrelevant.

We can't put God in our debt by just covering up disobedience to his standards by some other arbitrary standard that we make for ourselves. Number three.

Here's the reason Paul says you can't work your way there. This is God hello get the glory. God alone has determination to get the glory for all this. Here's how he explains it.

Verse two if, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, yet something to boast about before God. Meet me really translate it. If Abraham had been able to impregnate Sarah by his own power that he would've boasted everybody man I was nine and a pull that off, he said. But here's what to say this but God will never let that be. God will not let all the credit for the work that he does on earth, and specifically the work of building his kingdom and bringing people to heaven is not to let that be credited to any human being and if we aren't heaven based on what we did and we would spend a lot of our time in heaven, talking about what we did to get ourselves there. We walked up to each other, and evidence of what you do. Your faith with your wife or how long will you print how much of it.

How many chapters of the Bible you are and how many books oh God must be lucky to have you here the book of Revelation is very clear all of this book of Revelation says that there is what we were nametags in heaven. As you know that your book of revelations is you wear a name tag, but it sucks you in your four head tattooed there and the name that you were in your four head is not to be your own is can be the name of Jesus Christ receives it when somebody walks up to me and says why are you here, I'm not gonna talk about JD's name and how awesome he is, and appointed my four head. I'm afraid that's why I'm here because I never send not one time when I lived and actually had so much faith that I walked on water and and the devil tempted me for 40 days in the wilderness and I would not succumb to his temptation, not even one top and I was on the cross and instead of giving hate back to the people to crucify Mikasa father forgive them for they know not what they do is not my name in the record of my deeds or my reputation that is going to earn me my place in heaven.

It is Jesus's name. That is to be attached to me and the righteousness associated with his name. The fact that he died the death been condemned to die and live the life I was supposed to live. That's my main to get put here and when people say why are you in heaven comes in appointed my head and said that's why I'm here. That's how God is set up we get the grace God gets the glory. We don't on it God that know us. We get the grace of God gets the glory. The only kind of people who go to heaven are though are those that know they don't belong there. Know that there is nothing they can do to fix that or change it, but trust that God, who said he was so gracious that he do it for us actually did what he said he do. You cannot earn heaven. You cannot make a deal with God in any shape form or fashion. What this passage tells you is that righteousness in my righteousness I mean full acceptance by God is a gift that God gives to us while we are still simple, but it is possible Paul says to acknowledge that you are more guilty and more worthy of condemnation than people could ever imagine. The problem is not the people know the real you. The problem if they saw the real you. They would know that you'll never get to heaven, you are simultaneously more worthy of condemnation the people never imagine you are more sure that you are loved and accepted by God than anybody ever dreamed possible because that status was given to you, not on the basis of what you've done what you deserve. It was given you on the basis of Jesus Christ not you. Martin Luther called this the most important and probably the most misunderstood doctrine in the Bible is the doctor. He says, on which the church rises or falls. It is the doctrine which separates true Christianity from its in its absence from every other religion on earth because every other religion on earth.

All of them you can put in one category you spell them with two letters and those D0 DO is what I do. That is going to earn me a place in heaven religion to substitute out various things for the due part is when you go to monster date, full bath, or when you're nice to people. Whatever right, but it's all characterized by its what I do, that urge me a place in heaven. The gospel is the only one spell DO in E. Is what Christ has done Jesus and my place is his record, the gets attached to me and it's because of his righteousness that I have assurance before God and so Paul says, in light of that, here's what you should do. How ironic that we have a message on done that I would give you three things to do, but there is A. Paul says you gotta stop negotiating.

Yes, come negotiating.

You see there's all him that we know everything here because it's got a really goofy tune and it is written by John Newton.

Unlike many wrote amazing Grace wrote the that's what can you come up with him for this but but but the words are awesome. The word say lay your deadly doing down what it means is that there is a kind of doing in Christianity is deadly. It looks good from the outside, about praying in one church given money and taking communion. All visible things, but is deadly because you think you're thereby putting God in your debt. Every religion of the world teaches some form of this deadly doing, they say your broken so you better fix yourself. The gospel is yes you are broken and you and I mess it up a God fixed it and we can never fix it ourselves.

We can only receive his salvation is a gift and spend the rest of our lives. Given him the glory you see that it is different than every other religion. I have a friend he said no told me that he explained he was at home in his home office and was a guy meeting with them there in the only the person's homes is 1211-year-old daughter, he said, is in the middle of his conversation with this guy I hear a wave of plates, beginning to break he said not one, not two, not 10, not 20 said it sounds like just must've gone for 30 seconds. He said, and it sounded like me to send like just even though I saw John Bob and I went out there in the kitchen and there is my 1112-year-old daughter. She standing in the kitchen and probably she says 1012 feet around her in every direction is just shards of crystal and shine and plates and glass is the what's and she's crying. Her legs are kinda caught up from the he said she was trying something very top shelf off and she climbed all the way up and she one person. It was against the rules, you knew it and she tried to grab hold the top shelf and pull herself up and said when she did that it broke that shelf which dump everything and she said these are like family heirlooms of the been handed down. It was thousands of dollars worth of crystal in China but one shelf at a time.

This broke all of them until every single plate in there, which is in shattered pieces on the floor and she standing there. She can't walk away because her legs are cut her feeder cut and there's is 10 feet of glass on either side of her face, and I look at my 12-year-old daughter and I shook my head and said well you have done it now look at the mess you have gotten yourself in. You have broken something that's really valuable and you gotta figure out how to clean this up when you get done. You come to my office will talk about what your punishment going to be reset. Of course I did not say that he or some felt my compassion for my daughter.

Yes, you really messed up. He said I settle on sweetheart is now when gotta brew messages hang on there.

I'll be to you. The second he said not cleared away all those things and I iFixit you every religion in the world teaches that the way that God relates to us is essentially the first way I explained that I was set up related to my daughter which wasn't true. He said that because there David religion says you really made a mess of things. What you broke which would mess up, you better fix it minstrel but haven't see if I let you win.

Simple, why would why would we think that that God would be a worse father to his children, then we would be to our own kids what God did as he saw that we were in a situation in his heart broken. He said you can't fix it. What you broke was priceless. You can never put it back together but I'm so gracious that I will come and do it for you if you just hang on there and you sit back and you let me rescue you want to stop negotiating once you let your deadly doing down because every step you take. It is cut yourself up more and more and more. You see, God does not want anything from you didn't want to write a check or 30 lunch money in the plate today you have anything you give them anyway. He has something for you. It is an inestimable gift. Let me give you the sign that you finally understood this here is when you have finally understood this. You will feel sure of your salvation, decide that you don't get it is that you're still negotiating right and you're still unsure while but not enough to get him out. Now I've done it had a good year when Jesus has become my salvation then I am as sure of heaven as he is.

No I don't hope I'm good enough for God to let me in because I know that Jesus was good enough to get him under his name. When I woke up the heaven of God does ask that question.

Why so if you would have an no disrespect to God, we do about it. I'm not even a break stride. I'm an apartment, stop and appoint my head be like Jesus did it all and I believe you did what you said you did and he said it was done he said it was my righteousness. I don't have even answer that question want to let you with let me in because what Jesus did on my behalf. Stop negotiating which leads to B will cease boasting when you do that Christians you understand the gospel for the least self-righteous people you'll ever meet, and I know that you met a lot of ridiculously self-righteous Christians which are surging mineral interest of the gospel. They think they do. They haven't 20 or $70.

We stop boasting.

Imagine if you are Abraham summers ago new baby while Abraham still got it in you. I didn't know you had it you like I didn't. I didn't have it. God we understand the gospel and how lost you were the Jesus Christ gave it all to you as a gift and my only hope. My only plea among the bows is his righteousness, and all the sudden humility replaces pride and a sense of gratefulness for plate assesses a sense of entitlement and then gratefulness leads to gracefulness. Listen, that's the soul of Christianity the soul of Christianity as I am so grateful to what God has done for me that it just spills out and how I treat everybody else you want to know what Christian generosity is Christian generosity is not people who give the God because they think they're earning their way to get into heaven.

Christian generosity people who give radically generous as Christians are simply people who say in light of what Jesus has given up for me this is what I want to do for my neighbor as they been since he is been the me I want to be to them what Christian marriages. Christian marriage is not to people who start to treat each other better because they think they got to live in heaven because of that Christian marriage is when two people saying I want to be to you. I will treat you the way Jesus is treated me and then you start arguing but you're not arguing about the normal stuff you're arguing about who gets to out surrender and out survey don't give the other one.

Those arguments are awesome right, because just you beginning to argue that you beginning to love as you have been loved. You see, when Paul says in verse five that a Christian declared righteous does not work it mean that Christians don't do good works. On the contrary, what he means is that the reason that we do good works is changed. We no longer do good works in order to be accepted by God. We do good works because we have been accepted by God and not put joy in our works, that replaces a fear that we used to do good work for can be thought of not going to reject me. Now we do it because were so sure he has received us that we can't help but let that spill out to be generous.

Everybody the way that he was not. So Paul says in first Clement 15 I worked harder than everybody but it was not because I was trying to get God to accept me because I was responding to this incredible grace of God that he had given the me which leads me to see final thing here Paul says you start trusting you got a trust in your trust that he did what he said he did want this to the one who does not work, but trust God to trust in him who justifies the ungodly, it's his faith. It's their faith is credited gives mines righteousness. Some your translations for door trust right here say believe in like a translation because believe in an English to us means like I believe in.

I believe George Washington existed hobby. I believe in Jesus that he was a son of God. I believe you got a cross arrangement that is a historical fact is not what Paul is talking about their but the Bible says that even the demons believe like that you have the demons are better theologians than you may know that Jesus raised the dead, they know everyone it is, they were there when it happens.

So the course they believe it better than you. It's not talking about believing in some translations say believing on and that's better, but my favorite is a store trust because it shows you that there is an action that's going with this mental decision that you made on the illustration I've used over the years with you is is like sitting on the chair that you're sitting down and right now when you came in there was a decision process.

You probably don't remember the decision process but subconsciously you decided that chair that you're sitting on right now at any of our campuses, you decided it would all the way your body I am at some point you said I'm going to transfer the way to my feet off the way my body off my legs much in the month even.

I'm going to ship it out of his chair.

If you did not think the chair would hold you up, you would not of done that right because I would've been embarrassing to go to bed laughing appointing YouTube videos and you would've gone through that. But at some point you said, I believe it and any and and and and and you started to set again, this is all were put in super slow motion were sitting down and at some point you committed high because all the sudden the weight went off of your your your your legs and you started to fall just for psyches are funding you sat down right in the weight was no longer there. It was there that is what the Bible call trusts what it means to become a Christian is when you say I believe the chair I believe Jesus did what he said he did. I believe he was crucified for my sin.

I believe that God raised him from the dead has proof that he accepted Jesus as the payment for my sin and all the sudden you say I trust it and it's mine and you sit down and it in the moment that you transfer the weight of your salvation off yourself and onto him at that moment Jesus record is transferred to you for that means you like what you use illustration about, making some new stuff okay so I'm watching the Star Wars trilogy times two with my kids to the FICA to write a passage for every teenager in a fight your own and so on course restarting for number five Empire strikes back then you go back to number two.

Skip one to Stonington and then mint number three and go back in and with number six return to Jeddah well okay so number six return of the Jedi on the basic plot and on the run. It delicate on what happens but I'm return of the Jedi.

They're trying to block the death Star for the second time, but from is the Empire's gotten all smart in anatomy before Phil around it has a plane to fly in and so on that you gotta get the four still down and so they say that Han Solo and Chewbacca and double crew is going to go to the four still down with the Watson indoor and all the other ships are to come in the moment to forceful doubt, the noble desktop but force will then come down the nerves you hit the four still no blowup and so you get this like climatic moment whether all racing toward this force field and that for fill that come down its grades one by one and start exploding and if you will not you start doing echoes on solo is late, and so on console at one of the pilots actually says in the movie when the pilot says something like this.

I cannot believe we have trusted our lives to that swash buckling smuggler or whatever. Han Solo and we said that, I think that is the perfect definition of what Paul talks about when he needs faith because it means I'm headed this direction and I know that he's going to do what he said he do I know that he is going to take down that force field of God's righteous judgment and I know that when I walk into heaven to be a dominant war there and I'm you say you did it. You did what you said you do in the resurrection with the proof that you did what you said you would do in Abraham, Abraham, Abraham trusted God at the illustration Abraham trusted God when God said to go live in a land that you know where it is in and they rinse aware that body on what you get out there now so you and Abraham trusted God and Abraham.today when you have a kid your hundred years old and yet that I'm not in a tight and Abraham trusted God and kept going forward. He kept marching toward believing that God would do what God said he would do what God told you in me that he would do is that he would take care of our sins because he was so gracious and so loving and when you and I believe that we trusted Christ righteousness. What comes hours. That's what he means it is you believe he do what he said he would do the words it was credited to him were not written for Abraham alone written for us. God will credit righteousness. We who believe on him, trust him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead because he Jesus was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life. Our justification when you believe that God has torn down the force field way to God said God would do it at that moment your declared righteous. Paul said because rooms did not summarize it with them. For with the grief you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord over that history. Cynthia's believe in your heart that God raised him from the which means that he did what he said he do and you will be saved, not might be saved when they could be saved, or if you travel hard to say but you will be saved. At that moment. You see, it's with the it's with the heart that a man believes unto righteousness, and it's with the amount that you make confession unto salvation and then Paul, my favorite verse Romans 1013 is a little bill for whosoever will call on the name of the Lord shall be saved that last verse used to trouble me because I would say what you have to ask him what you when you call up to him what you say like hello Jesus, they never know what you say you're missing the point.

The point is not what you say to him is simply that you call Jesus by the right name you call on the name of the Lord you your zoning that friend of mine says that you can tell a lot about your relationship to me one more basil and then you call me right so if when I answer the phone at home and the voice and the other in the line says, may I speak to Mr. Grignard, I'm like okay you know me at all. This is clearly a telemarketer call me Grignard if they say mastery to Mr. Greer or Mashpee, to James, I know. Okay they know how to pronounce my name of a optional now makes a medical James on if they say mastery to Dr. Greer or Pastor JD and Michael getting a little bit about me because there is no call me by whatever time if they say, can I speak to JD Microsoft is a person's mental personal social level, there was a brief time in my life. When a very close group of friends of mine begin to call me Jake doesn't.

So, if the voice on the other end of the line says can I speak to Jade this so I'm like I knew exactly this is somebody that's really close to me from that particular epoch of my life right there for people in the universe who, when I answer the phone, they will say daddy my daddy only four likely that and there is one person in the universe who calls me like a man, and I can tell your relationship with me based on which name you call me what Paul means when he says whoever will call on the name of the Lord listen that you just want to call Jesus the right name and that name is my Savior, my Savior, not because I've earned the ability to you to save me but because I was leaving it, which is that you I believe that when you died, you died for me. I believe that when you raise God was saying.

I accept Jesus's death as JD's punishment percent. I believe that when he was done on the cross he was thinking about me when I say, my Savior, my Savior, right name Christ righteousness becomes mine at that very moment because my faith that I believe he did what he said he did and he is who he says he is that faith is credited. It's will get to my righteousness is the question never call Jesus by the right name. I mean, could you answered on the quiz but have you ever said my my Savior, my Lord is the boss of me, save me is believing Jesus is who he says he is in the 2000 years ago.

He did what he said he is believing that sitting down and that that leads to righteousness credited. He was a gift by your heads all of our campuses. If you don't know for sure that you ever trusted Christ as personal Savior.

You could you do it right now. It would sound something like this, Jesus I know, I know I know I can't save myself, but you did my Savior, Jesus, I know that your Lord, the Lord your mine, but I pray for every person that all of our campuses right now for the first time trusted Christ as their Savior. Give them courage in the weeks to come to do and follow through with what wives change their lives and pray in Jesus name