The Law of Faith – Part 2

Romans 3:27-31

Preached February 8, 2009, Grace Family Church of Americus

Click here to listen now!

You can download the complete sermon manuscript by clicking here. Here is an excerpt:

Someone rightly said that carnal men don't have a problem with a Christianity being God-centered, as long as it worships a 'god' who is man-centered. For that is the natural bent of our hearts. The inclination of fallen man is always to be one of entitlement…..of having a right to something….like God owes us something just because we are humans.

Notice…..verse 30. "since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith." (ESV). This brings up another point that is hotly controverted, that point being….that faith is something that the believer does or has prior to regeneration. Does regeneration happen as a result of faith, or does regeneration happen and then faith is the result? What does the text clearly say? God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.

Justifying BY and THROUGH faith. These two Greek words, BY and THROUGH, are the Greek prepositions ek, and dia, respectively. "Ek" is the prefix to the word "ek-klesia", the NT word for "Church", meaning "Called out". The ek is the "out" or "by" part of the word, and so the word means "out called" or "by calling". The dia is the prefix to the word used for dia-konos, the NT word for deacon. The dia is the "through"….through service. A church is who it is by the calling of another. A deacon is who he is through the calling of another to serve. These are both in the Genitive case, a preposition which expresses a relationship between the subject of the sentence and the object of the preposition.  The genitive case is defined as: constituting a grammatical case marking typically a relationship of possessor or source. Here, is would mark the relationship of the subject (God) to the object of the preposition (faith). Here, students, what do we clearly see is the subject of this sentence? GOD. And what do we clearly see is the object of the preposition? FAITH. And therefore, since the Genitive case shows that the object of the preposition has its source in the subject, where does this faith come from? GOD. God is the originator of faith! He uses faith to justify. It is His to give as a gift…..it is not ours to use and therefore be owed something from Him. Justification is by faith, through faith, and that not of ourselves….NOT AS A RESULT OF FAITH, lest anyone should boast!!!!!! Faith is a tool, an instrument, a channel, in the hand of almighty God, to use to justify sinners.

The Scriptures are clear….God causes a person to be born again, and THEN they see the Kingdom of God. Faith is the RESULT of regeneration! Regeneration is only of God's doing, and always precedes faith, therefore no one can boast (John 3:3, Romans 3:27-28, Ephesians 2:8-9).

Martyn Lloyd-Jones: "Faith is nothing but the instrument of our salvation.  Nowhere in Scripture will you find that we are justified because of our faith; nowhere in Scripture will you find that we are saved on account of our faith.....Faith is not what saves us.  What saves us is the Lord Jesus Christ and His perfect work.  It is the death of Christ on Calvary's cross that saves us.  It is His perfect life that saves us.  It is His appearing on our behalf in the presence of God that saves us.  It is God putting Christ's righteousness to our account that saves us.  This is the righteousness that saves; faith is but the channel and the instrument by which His righteousness becomes mine."

 

 

Family Worship

This is the daily devotion from GraceGems.org. I highly recommend that each of you subscribe to their daily devotional thoughts. This one is so important, that it was worthy to be posted just as they sent it to me this morning.

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The advantages and blessings of family worship

(Arthur Pink, "Family Worship")

"Pour out Your wrath on the heathen that do not acknowledge You--and on the families that do not call upon Your name!" Jeremiah 10:25

We wonder how many of our readers have seriously pondered these awe-inspiring words! Observe what fearful threatenings are pronounced against those who disregard family worship! How unspeakably solemn to find that prayerless families are here coupled with the heathen, who do not acknowledge the Lord.

How loudly should these words speak to us! It is not enough that we pray as private individuals; we are required to honor God in our families as well. Each day, the whole household should be gathered together to bow before the Lord--to confess their sins, to give thanks for God's mercies, to seek His help and blessing. Nothing must be allowed to interfere with this duty--all other domestic arrangements are to bend to it. The head of the house is the one to lead the devotions. If he is absent--or seriously ill--or an unbeliever, then the wife should take his place. But under no circumstances, should family worship be omitted. If we would enjoy the blessing of God upon our family--then let its members gather together daily for praise and prayer. "Those who honor Me--I will honor" is His promise.

All our domestic comforts and temporal mercies, issue from the loving-kindness of the Lord. The least we can do in return, is to gratefully acknowledge together, His goodness to us as a family. Excuses against the discharge of this sacred duty--are idle and worthless! Of what avail will it be when we render an account to God for the stewardship of our families--to say that we had no time available? The more pressing are our temporal duties--the greater our need of seeking divine help. Nor may any Christian plead that he is not qualified for such a work--gifts and talents are developed by use--and not by neglect.

Family worship should be conducted reverently, earnestly and simply. It is then, that the little ones will receive their first impressions, and form their initial conceptions of the Lord God. Great care needs to be taken, lest a false idea of the Divine Character be given to them.

The advantages and blessings of family worship are incalculable! First, family worship will prevent much sin. Daily prayer in the home, is a blessed means of grace for allaying those unhappy passions to which our common nature is subject. It awes the soul, conveys a sense of God's majesty and authority, and sets solemn truths before the mind. How can those who neglect the worship of God in their families--look for peace and comfort therein?

Personal piety in the home is the most influential means, under God, of conveying piety to the little ones. Children are largely creatures of imitation, loving to copy what they see in others.

Finally, family prayer gains for us the presence and blessing of the Lord. There is a promise of His presence which is peculiarly applicable to this duty, "Where two or three are gathered together in My name--I am there among them." Matthew 18:20. Many have found in family worship, that help and communion with God--which they sought for with less effect in private prayer.

The Law of Faith – Part 1

Romans 3:27-31

Preached January 25, 2009, Grace Family Church of Americus

Click here to listen now!

You can download the complete sermon manuscript by clicking here. Here is an excerpt:

So we then come to this question in the text….what does the text mean when it says "by what kind of law"? This word law means here a "principle". There are two possible principles here….the principle of works, and the principle of faith. Now, we will not have time to enter into this today, for there is much richness here. But suffice it to say today that God has ordained that what is required of us is absolute perfection in works. If a man can keep the whole Law, at least in theory, that man will be saved. He has commanded that if we do these things….if we keep the Law, doing good works, we shall live. The apostle asks the question….can this principle of Lawkeeping and good-works doing exclude boasting? No. The Law was not meant to save….although God in His word acknowledges that it is possible in theory to do so. The Law was meant to point us to Christ, to chase us to the foot of the Cross, and no further! It was made to stop the mouth of a sinner, and set aside any possibility of boasting. The principle of lawkeeping….good works…cannot permit boasting, because it has been established that not only was the Law never intended as a means of salvation, but also that it has been proven impossible for anyone to keep it. The Law condemns. The Law brings death. It is a high gate which prohibits the entrance of any who boast in their ability to keep it, to do good works.

Hear the words of Spurgeon…. "THE VERY GATE WHICH SHUTS OUT BOASTING, SHUTS IN HOPE AND JOY FOR YOU"

The principle of works-rejection is a glorious one indeed. It sets the field as level. There is no advantage for anyone. You may feel like you are so wicked today that you have no chance to enter heaven, but you are no different in the sight of God than that man who spends his days on his face in prayer. You may feel like your thought life is too sinful for you to be considered, but know this….that your thoughts will not be weighed in any balance against the thoughts of someone as holy as Jonathon Edwards. You may look at your family background, and say that you come from a father who was ungodly and a mother who was a tramp, but the man whose parents have the front pews at the church has no more right to Christ than do you.

God is no respecter of persons. His grace has been extended to the worst of sinners, and to the holiest of saints. It has taken hold of the adulterer and changed him into a man whose life is given to Christ and family, and it has taken hold of the preacher who saw his need of salvation in the Scripture after years of serving the church. You stand today on the level ground of the Cross, friends.

 

Beautiful Abominations

From time to time, I will be posting some quotes that I hope will encourage you in your reading. Many of what you will see here will be from old books, as my rule of thumb is to read at least three old books for every one new book. If I could encourage each of you in one thing, it would be to read more. Read Scripture incessantly, then read the words of the wise…..which are most often found in old books! - Pastor Matt

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From Thomas Brooks' "A Cabinet of Choice Jewels" (The Works of Thomas Brooks, Volume 3, page 441-442)

There is never a hypocrite who makes God, or Christ, or holiness; or his doing or receiving good in his station, relation, or generation—his grand end, his highest end, his ultimate end of living in the world. Pleasures, profits, and honors—are all that the hypocrite aims at in this world; they are his trinity which he adores and serves, and sacrifices himself unto, 1 John 2:16. A hypocrite's ends are corrupt and selfish. SELF is highest end of his work; for he who was never truly cast out of himself, can have no higher end than himself. A hypocrite is all for his own glory; he acts for himself, and from himself. "Just so that I may have the profit, the credit, the glory, the applause!" this is the language of an unsound heart. [John 6:26; Mat. 6:1, 5, 16; Gal. 4:17; Isaiah 58:3; Mal. 3:14; Zech. 7:5-7; Gen. 24:21-22.] A hypocrite will seem to be very godly when he can make a gain of godliness; he will seem to be very holy when holiness is the way to outward greatness and happiness; but his religious wickedness will double-damn the hypocrite at last.

Selfish ends are the operative ingredients in all a hypocrite does. SELF is the chief engine, self is the great wheel, which sets all a hypocrite's wheels a-going. When hypocrites take up religion, it is only to serve their own turns, to bring about their own carnal ends; they serve not the Lord—but their own bellies, Romans 16:18; Philippians 3:19. They use religion only as a stream to turn about their own mill, and the better to effect their own carnal projects….No man can go higher than his principles, and therefore a hypocrite having no higher principles than himself—all he does must needs be terminated in himself. Look! as all the rivers that come from the sea do return back again to the sea, from whence they come, so all those duties which arise from a man's self, must needs center in a man's self. A hypocrite always makes himself the end of all his service; but let such hypocrites know, that though their profession be ever so glorious, and their duties ever so abundant—yet their ends being selfish and carnal—all their pretensions and performances are but beautiful abominations in the sight of God. A hypocrite has always a squint eye—and squint-eyed aims and squint-eyed ends in all that he does.

It is the end which dignifies or debases the action; which rectifies it or adulterates it; which sets a crown of honor or a crown of shame upon the head of it. He who commonly, habitually, in all his duties and services, proposes to himself no higher ends than the praises of men, or rewards of men, or the stopping the mouth of natural conscience, or only to avoid a smarting rod, or merely to secure himself from wrath to come—he is a hypocrite. The ends of a man's actions are always a great discovery either of sincerity or hypocrisy.