But Now

Romans 3:19-21

Preached December 21, 2008, Grace Family Church of Americus

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Snippets from the sermon transcript:

"Here is a person for whom assurance comes at a premium…it seems distant and unreachable. Having lived a moral life, he finds no radical conversion story to tell. He can name no grievous sins to confess. He looks for the radical change in his outward behavior, but can find none. For it is not by the outward behavior…..not by works of the Law….that we are justified…but by being given a new nature…..a new heart and a new Spirit within us….And by the grace of our God, this dear man is learning to see the heights of the mount of Calvary. He is learning to see how much he has been redeemed….by having tread for the first time in his life, the valley of despair, helplessness…..from God mercifully showing himself in the mirror of His own holiness.

"This man is not alone in his experience. Many are in the same situation. Being raised in a religious home, lived a moral life, you have never been broken before this holy Law. Never having turned on this hinge of BUT NOW….and if you do not turn on this hinge, you will not be saved. What you need to know, if you have found yourself in this situation, is that there is a subtle attack of the enemy awaiting. He wants to keep you there in verse 19 and 20…..and keep you out of verse 21. He wants to keep you out of the "but now" theology.

"He wants you to see the blackness of your sins, and to think that you cannot be saved, and so despair that you turn away. To you who are there, although that be true about you….BUT NOW! You who have hit your face in despair, unworthy of redemption, you can hold up these words of truth….BUT NOW! You who have stood under the crushing weight of the Law, you who fear God, you who seek God, you who have turned to God, you whose mouths are stopped before God…..you can now say, "BUT NOW!!" For it is true, that if you have been brought to this place, it is done so only by the grace and mercy of God drawing you to Himself. For there is no place closer to the Father's side than here…..BUT NOW!!! Although I am unrighteous, BUT NOW,THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD is mine in Christ…..Although I be unworthy, BUT NOW there is One who is worthy who stands for me…..though I am a sinful man, BUT NOW there is One who has been made manifest who is without sin to stand in my place…..though I cannot live to God, BUT NOW there is One who lives within me to live through me…..though my sin burden weighs heavy on me, BUT NOW there is One whose yoke is easy and Whose burden is light…..though I am weak and tired from this body of death…..BUT NOW there is One who has redeemed me by His Own blood, Jesus Christ, the Righteous!"

The Necessity of the Virgin Birth

Luke 1:26-38; Romans 3:21-23

Preached December 7, 2008, Grace Family Church of Americus

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Snippets from the sermon transcript:

So let us look into this beautiful truth of the Virgin Birth of our Lord Jesus. First, let me state the purpose of this sermon. It is to continue on the same footing which we laid in the exposition of Romans 1-3. We see very clearly in these chapters, that man is utterly sinful, and cannot rescue himself. There is nothing within us that can bring us to God, but only that which is abhorrent to God, worthy of death and Hell. This is a foundational Christian principle. Any who teach an idea that man can rescue himself by any of his own abilities or actions teach that which is heretical to the biblical Gospel. Because, as we will see, God's purpose in the Virgin Birth is the only solution for the redemption for fallen mankind.

Why? We will look at four reasons today:

• Our sin, in Adam, renders us helpless to initiate our own salvation. Salvation not only could not come from the line of Adam, but it also could not come from any man, for all are corrupt. It must come from One who is not of Adam's sin. Salvation, therefore, must be at the initiation of God. This requires a Virgin Birth.
  
• Our sin, in Adam, renders us helpless to perform our own salvation. Not only could we not initiate our own salvation, but we cannot perform it could we initiate it….for again, all are corrupt and worthy of death. Our salvation must first be initiated by One who is not of Adam's sin, and secondly, it must be carried out by One who is not of Adam's sin. This requires a Virgin Birth.
  
• Our sin, in Adam, has the particular consequence that it requires the redeemer to come from the descendant of a woman, not of a man. This requires a Virgin Birth.
  
• Our sin, in Adam, renders our blood unqualified to be shed for our own salvation. It must be shed by One who is not of Adam's sin, and therefore not of Adam's blood. This requires a Virgin Birth.
  

The Total Depravity of All Mankind, Part 2

Romans 2

Preached November 23, 2008, Grace Family Church of Americus

For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.(Romans 2:12-16, ESV)

 

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Snippets from the sermon transcript:

Let us turn to verse 6 – According to what He has done…..The question that must be answered on the day of wrath by every man, both Jew and Gentile is not what sort of family are you from, were you circumcised (for the Jew), or baptized or confirmed, or member, or zealous, or how many fish stickers did you have on the back of your car….the only question will be "did you obey the Law of God?"

It is important to note here in these verses….that Paul is not teaching how to be saved, for no one is saved by any measure of works. So there must be reasoning for these ideas here. The reason is simple….he is not expounding the Gospel, but He is expounding the Law. Paul is doing what every true evangelist is gifted to do. No, Paul is not dimming down the lights, and beginning to play soft music. He is not hypnotizing the sinners to believe the idea that Jesus is standing at the door of their heart, with no doorknob on the outside, begging to come in. Paul is not teaching how to engineer the slope of the aisle so that sinners naturally gravitate toward the altar call. And he is not preparing the choir to sing "The Savior is Waiting," and then fourteen verses of "Just as I Am." No, Paul is not showing how Jesus is wringing His hands because He can't bear to punish sinners…..No, Paul is doing the work of the evangelist here….he is expounding the Law of God in such a way that shows his hearers (readers) that there is no possible way for them to escape the wrath to come; Paul is giving them Law, showing them their utter ruin, so that they will appreciate and appropriate the glorious Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ!

The Total Depravity of All Mankind, Part 1

Romans 1:21-2:4

Preached November 16, 2008, Grace Family Church of Americus

Though they know God's decree, that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. (Romans 1:32)

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Snippets from the sermon transcript:

I will wear this quote out from this pulpit, because it is of utmost importance…..The very first sentences of John Calvin's "Institutes of the Christian Religion" reads:

"Our wisdom, in so far as it ought to be deemed true and solid Wisdom, consists almost entirely of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves........ "[The] infinitude of good which resides in God becomes more apparent from our poverty. In particular, the miserable ruin into which the revolt of the first man has plunged us, compels us to turn our eyes upwards; not only that while hungry and famishing we may thence ask what we want, but being aroused by fear may learn humility."

Man has one big problem. The Scriptures clearly state that man knows about God. He knows the character and nature of God from Creation, and from Conscience. Now, that knowledge is not theological knowledge (which is actually what Calvin speaks of above, where the children of God attain Wisdom)….but revealed knowledge that is sufficient to cause a man to question his state before this Creator God. So the part about knowing enough about God to come to Him is not man's greatest problem. It is not to be laid upon God the blame that men go to Hell. God has shown Himself to them. All mankind knows God good enough to know that there is wrath to come for disobedience. Man's greatest problem is not a lack of knowledge of God….but refusal of the knowledge of self. The nature of man was so corrupted in the Fall, that all men in their fallen state assume that their disobedience will somehow be overlooked by God, or that their disobedience is not deserving of His wrath. And so the great predicament of man is summed up in Romans 3:18….there is no fear of God before their eyes. Fallen man does not fail to fear God because we do not know God…..we fail to fear Him because we do not…or rather we will not know ourselves.

Here Meet Righteousness, Wrath, and Salvation

Preached November 9, 2008, Grace Family Church of Americus

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. (Romans 1:19, ESV)

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Snippets from the sermon transcript:

It is not as if God has hidden in a closet, and revealed Himself so that no one can know Him. Those attributes which would have otherwise been invisible are made visible to all men. It would be apparent from creation that God is a God of great power, that He must be omnipresent, to uphold things as they are; that He must be good and kind, to provide sustenance for all creatures in such diverse ways; and even perhaps a God who is unapproachable by men.

The attributes of God did not begin to exist in Creation. They have existed always. But because God cannot display His mercy to Himself, or among His Godhead (the Persons of the Trinity), He must have something else to display them to. And that is why He created the world……(Jonathon Edwards wrote a book about this; 'The End For Which God Created the World')…… God created the world in order to display all of His attributes to a world that would fall into sin, that He might display His mercy, grace, and patience to them, according to His pre-arranged plan. In displaying His attributes, He is God.

Imputed Righteousness IS the Gospel!

Preached October 26, 2008, Grace Family Church of Americus

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith." (Romans 1:17, ESV)

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Snippets from the sermon transcript:

We live in a day where there is much disparity between the understanding of salvation taught by the modern church and that which is clearly taught in the Scripture. It is a condition that sets the stage for reformation. It was the same situation in which a German monk named Martin Luther found himself in the year 1519. As Luther taught and studied the Scriptures, he saw an ever-widening gap between the teachings of the contemporary church of his day (Roman Catholic) and the teaching of the Scriptures. Two years earlier (October 31, 1517 – Reformation Day), Luther had nailed the famous "95 Theses" to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. This was the beginning of a lifetime of discoveries by Luther, and soon thereafter, by many thousands of others, of that which the modern church had, in fact, stolen from the people, by teaching things as theological truth that were not confirmed by the Scripture. The 95 Theses were primarily refuting the abuses of the Pope and the sale of "Indulgences", but as Luther began to free his mind of the teachings of men, and focus his learning of theology solely on the Scriptures, he was used by God to bring about what we now know, and celebrate with joy on Oct. 31, as the Protestant Reformation. May God raise up many more such men today, who will forsake the teachings of men, and faithfully and forcefully preach those truths about God and His Christ, as revealed in Scripture alone, which can bring about such a Reformation in our day!

What was it that so stunned Luther to motivate him to stand against the most powerful force in the world of his day? It was the verse upon which we rest this Lord's Day….Romans 1:17…..in fact, it was one word we find here…..For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. (KJV)

From Luther's "Tower Experience":

"I meditated night and day on those words until at last, by the mercy of God, I paid attention to their context: "The justice of God is revealed in it, as it is written: 'The just person lives by faith.'" I began to understand that in this verse the justice of God is that by which the just person lives by a gift of God, that is by faith. I began to understand that this verse means that the justice of God is revealed through the Gospel, but it is a passive justice, i.e. that by which the merciful God justifies us by faith, as it is written: "The just person lives by faith." All at once I felt that I had been born again and entered into paradise itself through open gates. Immediately I saw the whole of Scripture in a different light. I ran through the Scriptures from memory and found that other terms had analogous meanings, e.g., the work of God, that is, what God works in us; the power of God, by which he makes us powerful; the wisdom of God, by which he makes us wise; the strength of God, the salvation of God, the glory of God.

"I exalted this sweetest word of mine, "the justice of God," with as much love as before I had hated it with hate. This phrase of Paul was for me the very gate of paradise."

So here we find a dilemma…..we need righteousness in order to be justified by God, but there is absolutely nothing we can do to attain it. Every possible avenue is blocked by Scripture. At every place where a man can poke his head around the corner or rush through a door to try to snatch the righteousness of God for himself, there at the East of Eden, stands great cherubim to guard the entrance with flaming swords in every direction (Gen. 3). Justifying righteousness is completely out of reach….therefore it must be of God, whereby God Himself reveals the righteousness required to satisfy the justice of this almighty God who is angry at the wicked every day. And this righteousness is revealed through the Gospel….for Christ is our righteousness. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:(1 Corinthians 1:30, KJV)

 

Therefore, if the righteousness is clearly not our own….it must be what I've heard Al Mohler refer to as an "alien righteousness"….a righteousness that has been transplanted to dwell in a place that is not it's natural home. We call this the righteousness that is imputed
to us…..granted to us on behalf of the merits of another. It is from faith to faith. From the faithfulness of God to men. Beginning and ending with faith. Faith and nothing between. Ever-increasing faith. The Faithful God grants unto men the capacity to believe….from faith for faith.

 

• Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin."(Romans 4:4-8, NKJV)
  
• Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness.(Romans 4:9, NKJV)
  
• 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.(Romans 4:13, ESV)
  
• Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.(2 Corinthians 5:17-21, NKJV)
  

 

Salvation to All Who Believe

Preached October 19, 2008, Grace Family Church of Americus

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.   (Romans 1:16, ESV)

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(Sorry for the poor audio quality!)

Snippet from sermon transcript:

To all who believeth – this is an exclusive statement by definition.  It is salvation only to those who believe.  This is a spiritual group of people. 

John Calvin:

At the same time, as he [God] works not effectually in all, [as evidenced that not all come to believe] but only where the Spirit, the inward Teacher, illuminates the heart, he [adds to this], To every one who believeth. The gospel is indeed offered to all for their salvation, but the power of it appears not everywhere: and that it is the savor of death to the ungodly, does not proceed from what it is, but from their own wickedness. By setting forth but one Salvation he cuts off every other trust. When men withdraw themselves from this one salvation, they find in the gospel a sure proof of their own ruin. Since then the gospel invites all to partake of salvation without any difference, it is rightly called the doctrine of salvation: for Christ is there offered, whose peculiar office is to save that which was lost; and those who refuse to be saved by him, shall find him a Judge.

Calvin himself notes here that “the power of [the Gospel] appears not everywhere” .  Who then, is the Gospel for?  It is for all who believe.  How, then can we know if the Gospel is ours?  If we believe.  How then, can we know if we believe?  We can know if we believe when we recognize the power of God working in us, causing us to love the Word of God, causing us to love the people of God, causing us to love the Law of God and the God of the Word, to obey Him in all things. 

So if the Gospel is the power of God for salvation to all who believe, then to whom shall the Gospel be offered? 

To everyone!  Every person who has the breath of life within them!

Define everyone – Acts 2 – Peter commanded obedience to the Gospel to "EVERY ONE OF YOU!"  There were Jews and Greeks, a mixed crowd of people from all over the world....and Peter commanded them all to repent!  Therefore, the presentation of the Gospel is commanded upon every man.  There is not a small elite group to whom we are commanded to preach the Gospel.  The command is that of Peter in Acts 2….Repent and be baptized…..EVERY ONE OF YOU, in the Name of Jesus Christ.  EVERY ONE of you! 

The Gospel message is to be proclaimed universally, to every person.  It is to be offered to all, according to the Scriptures, Go and preach the Gospel to every creature.  

As we stood on the streets of Atlanta after the Deeper Conference, we did not find any who we thought unworthy to preach to.  We found none who did not need a Savior.  There were none whose eyes fell upon us, whose ear beheld the proclamation of the Gospel in the open air, who did not have an opportunity to respond.  Those who responded in believing, will be saved.  Those who die in their unbelief, will be damned.  We are simply commanded to preach it to all!

The Gospel is the Power of God

Preached October 12, 2008, Grace Family Church of Americus

For I am not ashamed of the gospel,
for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, ^as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith." (Romans 1:16-17, ESV)

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The Gospel is power of God….but let us ask ourselves the question……what is this the power of God to do? How is it made known? I mean, if such a powerful force is necessary to redeem a soul, then where is it in the world that we can go and look and see such a display of the majesty and the power of God?

When the nuclear bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, there was ample evidence that it had released its power. It burned shadows of man into concrete, incinerating the men and leaving their shadows on the wall. Everything in its path was utterly destroyed.

The tornado that ripped through our town last year left no doubt of its terrible power, destroying buildings and trees and tossing cars like matchboxes and snapping trees like toothpicks. Nobody woke up the next morning and went to work to a normal day. EVERYTHING was different, because of this awesome power.

Hurricanes hit the coast and devastation is not hard to find. But look into the pews and pulpits of the American congregation, and you will be hard pressed to find such a demonstration of this power which is infinitely greater than any atom bomb, tornado or hurricane can every be. My dear friends, if we glue our eyes to the TV to see the power of a hurricane or tonado or nuclear bomb, then HOW MUCH MORE should we glue our eyes and hearts to see such an immensely greater power at work in the human heart? And where is that evidence in the church today? More importantly, where is that evidence in your own life today????

So what is an illustration that I can give that can possibly communicate this truth of a power so great that it is known and realized that something radical has happened in the life of the one who has been gripped with it?

The power of a $3 extension cord.

Last night, as I was sitting at the desk, my two sons Logan and Levi were playing together in the floor. Now, all of the sudden, I hear Levi screaming in terror. Not knowing what he was screaming about, I jumped out of my chair and saw him sitting there, screaming. I thought maybe he had a bug or something biting him. He screamed "It's freezing me, it's freezing me!" Now, where this lamp is, there is no power outlet. So we have this $3 brown extension cord running to the lamp. Somehow, it apparently, unbeknownst to me, got under the rocking chair, which shattered the housing of the plug, exposing the wires. What was freezing my 3-year old son was the surge of electricity through his body. He had grabbed the exposed wires, and his body had become part of the circuit of electricity. Realizing this, as I stood over him for a split second, knew that he could not turn loose of it. It had him, and would not let him go, and he could not let it go. So instead of reaching down to grab him, as my first instinct was, I used my leg to kick him away from the wires. He was not hurt, only except for a couple of burns on his fingers.

This mighty power of electricity, when encountered by men, will not let the man go, and the man cannot let it go. He may will to do so, but he cannot. When a person is gripped in electrocution, his total thoughts are focused on that which has gripped him. The electricity, because of its nature, will not let go.

The power of the Gospel takes a similar form, although there can be no one to come by and kick you off of it. THIS IS THE POWER OF GOD…..You are gripped by it through a power that will not let you go, and by that same power, you cannot let it go.

For I Am Not Ashamed of the Gospel…..

Preached September 28, 2008, Grace Family Church of Americus

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, ^as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith." (Romans 1:16-17, ESV)

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Snippets from the sermon transcript:

Paul realizes more than any of us, that the message of the Gospel is not acceptable in the world. People hate this message. They hate it because of what it is….the righteousness of God, and when the true message is spoken, it brings the true glorious light of the righteousness of God against the backdrop of the blackness of man's sin, and sinful man hates that. He will not receive it, and is indeed an enemy of it, until God opens his eyes. The only way that God opens eyes is through this message….through the Gospel that is hated in the world….and He has given us the task of preaching it. So Paul, in these verses, exclaims that he is not ashamed….and gives us warning not to be so as well, but to expect shame to be heaped on us because of it…..

So how can we be not ashamed? Let us look at David in the Old Testament:

When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting, it became my reproach. When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them. I am the talk of those who sit in the gate, and the drunkards make songs about me. But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness. (Psalm 69:10-13, ESV)

So how is it that the Scriptures teach us to not be ashamed? Here in Psalm 69, we see that a correct knowledge of God gives hope to the one who has been shamed….so that they are not ashamed. This person (David) here was doing things that were pleasing to God, but mockworthy to the world. Humbling himself….fasting….mourning for himself and his people….these are not acceptable to the world…..but David knows his God. He calls not just for God to deliver him….but he calls on God by His attributes….! What David called on in this time of weakness and shame was something that the modern church in America is ASHAMED OF, because it is not taught…..David used THEOLOGY to bring comfort to himself in this time of suffering! Theology is theos (God) logos (knowledge/study), or the study of God. God, not as we imagine Him to be, but as He is revealed in Scripture. And this knowledge of God will bring you great resolution in the day when you face shame. And you will face shame, if you are obedient to the Scriptures.

Our trust must be in God alone, through His Word alone. Our comfort must come from knowing Him, knowing that He promises us deliverance, if not in this life, certainly in the life to come. Though your enemies be many, and though there be much shame heaped upon you for being different, you CAN be not ashamed…..

Psalm 25:1-2 (Scottish Metrical Psalter)

To thee I lift my soul:

O Lord, I trust in thee:

My God, let me not be asham'd,

nor foes triumph o'er me.

 

Let none that wait on thee

be put to shame at all;

But those that without cause transgress,

let shame upon them fall.

 

Shew me thy ways, O Lord;

thy paths, O teach thou me:

And do thou lead me in thy truth,

therein my teacher be:

 

The way the Scripture teaches to alleviate shame is not to change it, not to conform to the standard of others, but to be taught by God, to be led by the truth of God, and to keep one's eyes on God, and to learn continually from God, for He alone is your salvation:

Again, From
Psalm 25:

Mine eyes upon the Lord

continually are set:

For he it is that shall bring forth

my feet out of the net.

 

Turn unto me thy face,

and to me mercy show;

Because that I am desolate,

and am brought very low.

 

O do thou keep my soul,

do thou deliver me:

And let me never be asham'd,

because I trust in thee.

 

Missionary Desire and Fulfillment

Preached September 21, 2008, Grace Family Church of Americus

"…..I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world……" (Romans 1:8, ESV)

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Quote from sermon transcript:

"Paul, being a missionary, is expressing the supreme joy of missionaries, which is to know that the name of God is glorified in the world. Paul is exceedingly glad for the fame of the Romans faith. Why would he be so glad? For Paul, as of the writing of this letter, had not been to Rome. So he was not rejoicing to see that a work he had started was going well. It was not simply that rejoiced to see someone else's work going well. It is not joy in that Paul saw others being convinced of his position. No, Paul's joy in this was something much deeper.

"The Roman Church had made headlines throughout the whole world. Rome, because it was the focal point of the world at that time, the things that took place there ended up being known throughout the whole world. Now, I want to direct your attention to the types of things that make worldwide news…..very noteworthy things. Things that shape nations make the news. Things that divide peoples make the news. Things that alter the course of history make the news. These types of things that become known throughout the whole world. And according to the New Testament, faith is such a thing, to be proclaimed throughout the whole world, because faith is such a thing that changes entire nations, it changes entire cities, it transforms families….because faith at its core is heart-transforming….it is not the work of fallen man, but a supernatural work of God given by His grace so that He be glorified."

The Obedience of Faith

Preached September 14, 2008, Grace Family Church of Americus

"…..through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations…." (Romans 1:5, ESV)

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Quote from Sermon Transcript:

So what exactly is it to have the obedience of faith? I want to present to you that to obey the Gospel is simply to believe it….it is the obedience of faith. The NIV translation gets it WRONG! The obedience that is desired here is not a result of faith, not something that comes from faith (as in the NIV wording), in the sense that you have faith, therefore you obey. It is the obedience of faith. Faith is the command that is being obeyed, not anything else! Faith is the END, not a MEANS TO AN END. The command that we are sent out to proclaim obedience to is the command of faith…..Repent, and believe the Gospel! So obedience that we are to proclaim IS to believe the Gospel!!! :

"But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?" So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ."(Romans 10:16-17, ESV)

Obedience to the Gospel is BELIEVING the Gospel. Now, to be very clear on this, believing the Gospel is not simply assenting to the historical truth OF THE GOSPEL, but believing that it is the purpose and will of God that the GOSPEL IS APPROPRIATED to YOU personally. Obedience to the Gospel is a passive act , that results in active, real, life changes, for the glory of God. It is passive in that it is not something you can physically do, but it is a result of the change of the affections of the heart. It results in active obedience and life change because the truth of the Gospel and the power of God radically changes the affections of the heart, from that of fallen Adam's heart of stone to the redeemed heart of flesh. It results in complete and utter submission to the will of God.

Paul is not saying that it should be our goal to go out and proclaim to our kids and to our friends, family and neighbors that they must have the obedience of praying, the obedience of tithing, the obedience of abstaining from fleshly lusts, the obedience of preaching, the obedience of evangelism, the obedience of whatever spiritual command you can mention…..IT IS THE OBEDIENCE OF FAITH that we must proclaim, not the obedience that comes from faith!

It is FAITH that is sought to be brought about, not a system of thou shalt and thou shalt nots. That is what is implied with the NIV wording, and that is NOT what the Gospel is. We do not preach the Gospel to get people to confirm to a standard…..it has long been established that no one can conform to the Standard, that is why it is clear that we are saved by FAITH, not by any amount of obedience that may come from faith!

However, the focus of the entire book of Romans is on faith, NOT works. So to start the translation of this great epistle out indicating that the thing that Paul sets us out to do is to bring about works is absolutely absurd. Paul tells us that we are sent out to bring about faith, and that comes only by the preaching of the Gospel, through the supernatural work of God in transforming the heart of a sinner.

From Luther's preface to his commentary on Romans: "Faith is not that human illusion and dream that some people think it is. When they hear and talk a lot about faith and yet see that no moral improvement and no good works result from it, they fall into error and say, "Faith is not enough. You must do works if you want to be virtuous and get to heaven." The result is that, when they hear the Gospel, they stumble and make for themselves with their own powers a concept in their hearts which says, "I believe." This concept they hold to be true faith. But since it is a human fabrication and thought and not an experience of the heart, it accomplishes nothing, and there follows no improvement…… Faith is a living, unshakeable confidence in God's grace; it is so certain, that someone would die a thousand times for it."

So, how is the command of faith obeyed? To obey something, we must understand the command. The command is to believe…..to believe something that the Scripture clearly states that no man has desire to believe…..so how is that accomplished??? Faith comes by divine enlightenment of the truth and promises of the Word:

From Calvin's "Institutes": "The human mind, when blinded and darkened, is very far from being able to rise to a proper knowledge of the divine will; nor can the heart, fluctuating with perpetual doubt, rest secure with such knowledge. Hence, in order that the Word of God may gain full credit, the mind must be enlightened, and the heart confirmed, from some other quarter. We shall now have a full definition of faith if we say that it is a firm and secure knowledge of the divine favor toward us, founded on the truth of a free promise in Christ, and revealed to our minds, and sealed on our hearts, by the Holy Spirit….[faith] is more a matter of the heart than the head, of the affection than the intellect."

Paul, A Called Servant of Christ

This sermon is from the first service of our new church plant, Grace Family Church of Americus. God has literally blown us away, by bringing 48 people to worship with us for the first service. Praise be to God!

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God...
(Romans 1:1, ESV)

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