Good News for Lawbreakers (Part 2 of 2)

The why would God establish laws that are possible for us to keep order will explore today on Truth for Life with Alistair Begg died right in. Alister concludes our study of the 10 Commandments like this morning to address this to wrap up this series under three headings.

The first of which is the condition to be faced the condition to be faced.

We've been discovering and we need to reaffirm that today the law of God was never given to save us the 10 Commandments were not given as a step ladder on which we were to climb into heaven rather what we discovered is that the law of God has been given to pinpoint sin to define it to bring it out of its hiding place is and where and to show as the immensity of our problem.

The reason why some of us this morning.

Sit in this congregation still in our sins, is because we have never been brought by the spirit of God to face our true condition before God's righteous standard. Some of us who are wondering about where we are in relationship to spiritual things are nowhere because we have never been truly converted by the spirit of God. We have exchanged one set of external circumstances for another.

We ones didn't go to church and now we go we once weren't interested in religious things, and now we are.

We once didn't really care what we did have a conscience and now we do. And so we had all that together and resume and therefore must be.

I wanted to have a friend, and somebody told me Jesus is a friend. I wanted to have purpose and some he told me Jesus give me purpose. I wanted to be free from anxiety and somebody told me Jesus give me freedom from anxiety but did you ever once hear Jesus say I have come in order that you might've purpose, in order that you might have life.

Why would he want to give life to people of life is the life we have is not life is actually we are spiritually dead, but nobody's going to put on the Hennessey Jesus give me some of that life to force the spirit of God says your dead man doesn't matter how moral we appear doesn't matter how philanthropic we are. It doesn't matter how idealistic we may be or how apparent our righteousnesses.

None of that stuff. Transfers in the currency of God's kingdom. The whole object of the 10 Commandments, then, is to show us that we must be saved and secondly to show is that we cannot save ourselves. So we do the 10 Commandments we go. This is a message that says we need somebody to do for us what we can do for ourselves. Now if we have truly come to faith in Christ. This is a reassuring thing if we never have than it is in their jangling thing because what Paula said is that irrespective of our background with her were clueless. You know whether we are a religious person. All of us has missed the mark. You'll notice there in verse 22. There's no difference. Verse 23 for all have sinned and all fall short of the glory of God well flunked well flunked the test papers come back and nobody did anything other than close to a D better and you got you got an Saul laughs everyone. The only person ever got a name is Jesus RNA so that may go down the cubes and he may put his day in our place and that God may exempt because of his irrespective of our you know many people in this church Sunday by Sunday Goliath here assuming that the message is going to bring my grade up.

I'm going to bring my grade up. I'm sure I need to get at least a D or CB got to get my grade up here me this morning if you've never heard me before. If you work from now to the day you die, you cannot do one thing to get anything else other than there is not one religious thing I can do.

No one philanthropic thing I can do.

There is nothing I can do to alter my grade now until I understand that I am in the most perilous condition because I will then be living with the potential for considering that all these things that I am able to do are always things that I trusted will somehow or another change my condition before God and it's okay for the pagan and it's okay for somebody else. But this is a message for me to drive problem in our culture you look in the mirror. Okay, got set a good enough expression of the bad news is best I can do the time I have.

Lets go from the bad news to the good news. The condition to be faced. The provision to be found. I had to spend time putting the velvet down so that when I bring the diamond out you can see how wonderful it is one of the great problems is working with them come to faith in Jesus Christ.

The people walking around up here holding up diamonds holding up gaze as it were made for a very happy with the B+ visited and realized and is what is seen here. We got apps and we can get any higher will, then we better have some good news for the story overall. Indeed, trouble we do verse 21, two fantastic words to my favorite words in the New Testament, but now but now were waiting for but now but now what's well but now here's the good news what I buy my own endeavor.

Am unable to accomplish God on the basis of his great grace has provided all of my attempts to keep the law perfectly have been a failure. I know that you know that you keep coming to me going with only done five flunked in all five is ongoing for basing that 1/10. The possibility and even that I'm not sure we know where lawbreakers so unless there is a contribution made. That is nothing to do. That is, apart from our ability to contribute by our works of the law, this verse 21, the phrase apart from the law unless there is that kind of contribution from another source. We are dead and lost her sense you see what happens. Is this that only those who have come to cease to rely upon their own endeavors in their own deeds and their own morality and their own religion will ever enter into the benefit of this provision. If this righteousness which is so necessary does not become ours. As a result of our endeavor. Then how do you get it. That's what I want to know here is heaven. How do I get.

I swear I wanted what I have to do nothing on tell me not at all like nothing because nothing means that I would have to accept what someone else is done. You got it. Basically what I want have any reason to boast, you got that clear 26 where that is boasting verse 27 is excluded anybody on the road to heaven is on the road? I am smart person smart enough to exercise faith know you're not there is none to seek after God. No, not one there's none to do with righteousness.

No, not one with the whole world is accountable before God.

So, on what basis then we made acceptable in God's sight because of something he did in Jesus and by his grace at work in our lives, open our eyes to see it. I'm stumped our ears to hear it and stridently we set this is this is good news. Have you ever said that you see faith because this righteousness comes from God through faith in Christ Jesus. Faith is not the cause. It's the conduits difference is not by our faith that we cause ourselves to be saved. It is that faith is the conduit through which God's grace is ministered to us.

We are simply that the only thing that I bring to getting saved is my sin when I come to Jesus again same going about my book is a big show for yourself out. Nothing. Okay, my something not right. Something glorious about the cross paths. The blood of Jesus Christ at great cost to Jesus.

The bestowal was seen as the great mystery of what we read here, then we will discover verse 26 that God is just the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. Because God is just sin must be punished because God is a God of grace he punishes his own son who is in himself, send us in order that we who are the bidders of the maybe put in a position declared to have money. The man or the woman of faith has committed themselves to the truth of Jesus has ascended to that truth is no longer looking to himself about himself, but rather looking away from himself, looking to Christ, the amount of the woman of faith has been justified. Put in our right standing before God, justified freely by his grace. Verse 24 ATP all afternoon talking to you about this.

What is this phrase mean it means that justification is not something that results from what we do, but it is something which may be hours on account of what another has done and he goes on to explain what the other has done justified freely by his grace. How come through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

How did that work well.

He says God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood and all the Jewish people understood that they understood the remember the Exodus from Egypt.

They knew they were held in captivity. There, in the remember the angel of death flying over the remember the instruction to put the blood around the lintels of the door and when the angel of death came seeing the blood he would pass over them, and those who were in bondage in Egypt were liberated on account of the blood that was shed and that was looking forward to the great redemption that would come when he, the Messiah would be the atoning sacrifice for sin. The suffering servant would die in order that those who rebelled against God, and could care less may be declared righteous in his sites, the scum of the earth to become the kingdoms of heaven that proud, arrogant, middle-class, British and American snobby self assertive in the end, highly educated sinners. Maybe rock to see their absolute folly and until they the message of the gospel is a joke to it is enough run to.

It is an irrelevance.

God is not saved is closest to Timothy on account of righteous things that we have done, but according to his own purpose and grace. Other something I need to say to you, before I moved to my final point here in these dying moments and it is this to be justified freely by God's grace is not to be made righteous. To be justified freely by God's grace is to be declared righteous is to be regarded as righteous it is to be sent in a right standing before God. You see, many of us who are trusting in our own righteousness are hoping that our behavior will eventually prove good enough to matter the approval and acceptance of God.

The problem with that is that even when we do our best best doesn't even come close to the perfect standard of God's righteousness declared in the 10 Commandments, in contrast to that of God in his sheer grace showering upon us his mercy and clothing is in his righteousness accepts us as we are and we gladly embrace what he offers is in Jesus, we can then go on and do his will, without constantly whether worrying with her were doing it quickly or not I want to tell you something this morning. If you live your life all the time wondering whether you are getting a good enough grade.

You have never understood justification. I'm not saying you aren't safe. I'm just telling you never understood justification. If you get on an aircraft kind of wheels and the wheel started touring the engines roar you think this may be my last flight which I usually do you find yourself saying, but I'm okay you know because I never I didn't watch that thing on TV and I remember I took the garbage out. I kiss my wife goodbye.

I was at church. I did read my Bible this morning. The individual is thinking why that is never understood justification because the fact of the matter is as difficult it is for us to understand and accept. If we kick the dog through the garbage out over on the way out from God to say goodbye to our wife and left in a rage, we may still go down the runway into eternity.

Confident of our salvation why because he justifies freely by his grace is the mystery of FF Bruce doesn't perfectly. Bruce says this God pronounces a man righteous at the beginning of his course. It's you sign up for the course to give you N/A before you N/A you see my program and see what I'm going to do you read any of my reports so that's another point we read in that I'll be looking at working with you on that right now when you know you got an before ever they do any righteous deeds. Therefore, God's justification cannot be on the basis of works, which amount woman still to do. Justification is an act of God's grace is free grace whereby he pardons all our sins senses as righteous in his sight get any straight off is not with the thief on the cross. Discover what was he going to do to make himself acceptable for him.

He didn't have a chance. He's on their bleeding to asphyxiate his life is running away from his friend over on the other side is giving Jesus grief, the son of God while you get down from there and get me down from there. The thief on the other says something you should be talking like this.

After all, he said you will arrive here because we should be.

From what I understand he knew Lord you remember me when you come into your kingdom today. Get in the today you will be with me in case that's the gospel that's why no center is too much of a sin.

That's why none of us can boast about our condition in Christ Gustus top lady in the great hidden rock of ages puts it perfectly. Nothing in my hand. I simply to thy cross likely naked come to the for dress helpless come to the photographs I follow one to your funds and fly wash me Jesus or I die. So there is a condition to face.

There's a provision to be found. And finally, in a phrase that is a decision to be made. That is a decision to be made. This is the message of the gospel to all who believe. If you live to this point in your life recognize believing that because Jesus Christ died on the cross.

Therefore, all people are automatically forgiven and all that we have to do is realize it and get on and live a good life. Somebody has been teaching us from an empty head in a close by. We dare not seek to rush people to Christ.

We dare not seek to get them there any way anyhow. We need to allow the Scripture not only to control our message, but also to control our methodology and here in Romans 319 and following. You have not only the message but the methodology you have it clear here's the message. This is the only message that see's number one the author of God is revealed from heaven against godlessness and wickedness. Therefore, I need to come to see my godless wicked life until I do.

What follows is irrelevant to when I do when I recognize that I do not deserve one thing that I find myself saying amazing luck. How can we outline God would die for me to see when we start with John 316 for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son there is something that is this, as I understand that because my wife loves me and my kids love me and I find that God loves me is not a mix of when I realize that I'm arrange when I realized that all my best endeavors are like dirty filthy rags that every good thing that I've ever rested in every service. I attended every coffee I gave every offering that I gave every time I went downtown and get stuff out the poor people. None of that translates into currency that works in the kingdom of heaven. When I realized my condition and I realize that God would love somebody like she that's why says it's easier for a camel through the eye of a needle information entered in the kingdom of heaven is scavenging by himself and everyone by driver right Carl of the lighthouse attend the right clubs for the right functions and do the right thing.

So he thinks.

He figures I'll be able to. Jesus is easier for a camel a camel to go through the eye of a ladies needle that it is for rich guide when looking for wife because a rich man is good have to bow down flat on his face with the guy who was the thief on the cross and say I going to have to buddy. And since he's unprepared to he doesn't say remains in us to believe in Jesus meets equipped believing in myself meets equipped believing in my religion meets equipped believing in my good deeds it needs to quit relying on anything that I believe would make me acceptable before God and a means to come to him and say just as I without one plea in my defense, except that Jesus blood was shed for me that you have bid me come to love Jesus Christ. I want to come to when a man or woman comes like that the assurance of the gospel licks that they will receive. Can I ask you this morning refinish these 10 Commandments have you faced your condition is your mouth still before God. Have you understood the wonder of this provision, and if so, have you ever decided to accept the give up the and if you have have you ever done. I urge you to today. Now is the accepted time. Now is the day of salvation are best when God's approval. Christ, however, we are accepted just as the are your listing to Truth for Life with Alastair Bragg, if today's message help you realize your need for a Savior like to know more. I want to suggest that you take a minute and visit our website listen to a short six minute video that explains God's plan of salvation for you. The videos called the story and you can find it@truthforlife.org/story if you have benefited from the study of the 10 Commandments. Remember, you can own all 12 messages on the convenient USB drive for just five dollars and for just a couple dollars more you can get the companion pathway to freedom study guide the 10 Commandments are important for us to revisit often to remind ourselves of our human condition and that our only hope is in Jesus. You can find the pathway to freedom USB and the study guide@truthforlife.org/features your Truth for Life. We teach from the Bible every day. Reason is we believe in the power of God's word to save us and to sanctify us. That's why we've selected today's book book is called Spurgeon on the power of Scripture.

Some people may be biblically knowledgeable or particularly gifted in Bible verse memorization but is that what reading the Bible is all about. When you read Spurgeon on the power of Scripture you'll find out what the Bible means when it exhorts us to let the word of Christ dwell in you richly discover how a deeper understanding of Scripture will glorify God bless you and benefit others request. Spurgeon on the power of Scripture to make a donation today of Truth for Life.org/donate or if you prefer you can call us at 88858878 about the pain listing what makes the Bible so special.

How can such an ancient book have any real relevance in today's culture.

Here the answer tomorrow. As we begin a new series called why bother the Bible Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life were the wording is for living