with the Lord's table, we want to take time to reflect on what Jesus has done for us.
And so we're turning to the letter that Paul wrote to the church at Rome this morning to do that.
Now, this letter of Paul's is a challenging letter.
It's much easier to just read through the narratives of the Gospels,
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, than it is to read through this letter.
This letter is packed.
In fact, Paul is known for making the most of every word and not wasting any breath.
He's got some of the longest sentences in the Bible.
And here, in this letter, he's making a case for some very important truths.
And all of these important truths have to do with the Gospel, the good news of Jesus.
And he takes almost the entire letter to logically build his argument,
and he touches these various truths and themes together throughout as he builds his argument
to bring forth what he wants to say about the Gospel of Jesus.
So it's hard to just dip into this book for a little bit this morning,
but we can't just leave it off to the side and avoid it.
So we're going to go into Romans this morning and do some work to try to dig into this
and see something for ourselves here this morning.
Romans is all about the Gospel.
It's all about the Gospel.
And that's kind of an old word.
Maybe some of you are like, what's the Gospel, you know?
It comes from an older English word, God spell,
which literally, broken apart, means good news or message or word.
And this is what Paul wanted to tell the Roman Church about,
the good news of Jesus.
And not just the church at Rome.
This good news that Paul is so eager to share,
he's been preaching this all over the Mediterranean world,
from city to city to city.
Now, what is the Gospel, this good news of Jesus?
If you're a member, this is a question that we asked you last year during membership review,
to put it into your own words.
What is the Gospel?
And some of you gave the more typical Sunday school answer,
that Jesus came, died on the cross for our sins,
to atone for them, so that we could be forgiven,
and so that we could receive eternal life.
And that is the heart of the good news.
But some of you others pointed to other things
that are part of the larger story of the Gospel.
Because the good news of Jesus is big.
It's not just a few little things that Jesus has done for us.
It's a big, deep, rich, full package deal of blessing,
and grace, and favor that comes to us through Jesus.
Let's listen to what Paul has to say about this back in the beginning of his letter.
You can stay in chapter 3, it'll be on the screen here.
Back in chapter 1, verse 14, he says,
I'm obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks,
both to the wise and the foolish.
That's why I'm so eager to preach the Gospel also to you who are in Rome.
For I'm not ashamed of the Gospel,
because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes,
first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.
Proclaiming and sharing the good news about Jesus is Paul's calling,
it's his mission, it's his passion.
You can just hear it in his words.
But now after telling us this, we expect Paul to go on to share the good news,
to tell us what is the Gospel about Jesus.
And we half expect Paul to just maybe tell us the story,
much like Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John did.
Paul, what's the Gospel?
What's the good news of Jesus?
Well, amazingly, this entire letter of Romans is Paul's answer to that question.
And he has a very different way of explaining and saying it than Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John.
Why?
Because the good news of Jesus, as I said before,
it's more than just a few things that Jesus did for us.
It's a rich and deep, wonderful multitude of things
that God has been planning from long ago
and has now brought to pass through his son Jesus
for the benefit of those who believe in him.
So this is how Paul introduces the good news of Jesus here in Romans.
He says,
I'm not ashamed of the Gospel because it is the power of God
that brings salvation to everyone who believes,
first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.
He goes on,
For in the Gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed.
A righteousness that is by faith from first to last.
Now that's probably not the words that most of us would choose
to describe the Gospel.
Somebody asked you,
What's the Gospel?
Probably most of us would not be thinking in our minds,
Let me tell you,
It's the story of the righteousness of God.
But that's exactly how Paul answers the question.
And then he begins to explain what he means by that.
He goes on to explain in these first few chapters
the big story of our world.
How mankind has rejected and rebelled against God.
How man has been living unrighteously.
And because of this,
He says,
All humanity stands guilty before God.
God's justice hangs over us.
It's been revealed that we deserve God's righteous wrath,
says Paul.
His just punishment for the sins that we have committed.
This is chapters 1, 2, and the first part of chapter 3.
And in the midst of this, Paul also says,
Just in case there are any of you who are thinking,
Well, that doesn't apply to me.
Like, I'm a good person.
I haven't been doing a bunch of wicked things and sinning.
I'm not guilty of that.
I've been keeping God's commands.
I've been living a good, a righteous life.
Just in case anybody's thinking this,
Paul says,
For them,
No.
You too are guilty before God.
Because nobody has kept God's holy law
well enough to be righteous in His sight.
I'm paraphrasing.
I'm summing it up here.
Some of you, says Paul,
are hypocritical,
self-righteous,
proud.
You think you are good.
You think you're righteous.
But it's all an external show that you put on
while in your hearts
wickedness.
You're far from God.
You don't love Him.
You don't fear Him.
No.
Everybody, says Paul,
is guilty before God.
Listen to how Paul says it here now
in chapter 3,
verse 9.
We have already made the charge
that Jews and Gentiles alike
are all under the power of sin.
As it is written,
there is no one righteous.
Not even one.
There is no one who understands.
There is no one who seeks God.
All have turned away.
They have together become worthless.
There is no one who does good.
Not even one.
Their throats are open graves.
Their tongues practice deceit.
The poison of vipers is on their lips.
Their mouths are full of cursing
and bitterness.
Their feet are swift to shed blood.
Ruin and misery mark their ways.
And the way of peace they do not know.
There is no fear of God
before their eyes.
This is how it looks here on earth
from God's point of view.
Of course, we don't see it that way many times.
We often think that we're pretty good.
We do our best to try to minimize our sins.
But according to God's evaluation,
as we just heard,
not a single one of us is righteous
before God in God's sight.
Not a single one of us is good
like He is.
Maybe you remember the time
that a rich man came up to Jesus
and asked Him a question.
Mark chapter 10 verse 17.
He said,
Good teacher,
what must I do to inherit eternal life?
Jesus answered him and said,
Why do you call me good?
No one is good
except God alone.
Jesus Himself,
speaking the words of the Father,
proclaimed this same truth
that there is no one righteous,
not even one.
We are all guilty before God.
As we just heard,
Paul goes on here in Romans
to tell us
how human beings have managed to sin
with almost every part of their bodies.
I won't read it again.
Their throats,
their tongues,
their lips,
their mouths,
their feet,
their eyes.
Do you hear this?
No one,
not a single person
is righteous.
Paul goes on,
verse 19.
He says,
We know that whatever the law says,
it says to those who are under the law,
so that every mouth may be silenced
and the whole world held accountable to God.
In other words,
what was spoken at Mount Sinai
was spoken to the Jews who were there.
But it wasn't just for the Jews who were there.
It was for the whole world
that God said all that He said at Mount Sinai.
It was so that all of us would know and understand
what God's just and righteous standard is.
What true goodness is.
Verse 20.
Therefore,
Paul says,
no one will be declared righteous in God's sight
by the works of the law.
Rather,
through the law,
we become conscious
of sin.
Do you hear this?
No one,
not a single person
will be declared
good or righteous
by keeping commandments,
by observing the law.
Why?
Because none of us is able to
keep it.
We all fall short of that.
We can't.
So Paul says,
rather,
through the law,
we become conscious
of sin.
What does the law do?
One of the purposes of the law
that God gave,
this is the first books of the Bible.
Genesis,
Exodus,
Leviticus,
Numbers,
Deuteronomy.
One of the purposes of the law
is to show us
that we are indeed
sinners.
That we fall short.
that we are guilty
before this holy God
who created the world.
And this is probably
one reason
why we tend not to like
the Old Testament
and prefer
the New Testament
because
it's true.
Parts of the Old Testament
are like that.
They're like a mirror
that God is holding up to us
saying,
see,
this is
what you are.
You are guilty.
You are sinful.
You are deserving
of justice.
Let me encourage you
at this point.
Don't neglect
the Old Testament.
The books of the law,
those scathing words
of the prophets,
we need them.
We need them
to become conscious
of sin.
To become aware
of where we truly
stand before God.
God.
It's only
there,
looking in the mirror
of the law,
the righteous law
of God,
that we see
our true need
for the remedy
that God has provided.
Let's hear about
that remedy now.
I'll go back
and read this.
Therefore,
no one will be
declared righteous
in God's sight
by the works
of the law.
Rather,
through the law,
we become conscious
of our sin.
But now,
says Paul,
apart from the law,
the righteousness
of God
has been revealed
to which the law
and the prophets
testify.
This righteousness
is given
through faith
in Jesus Christ
to all who believe.
There's no difference
between Jew and Gentile
for all have sinned
and all fall short
of the glory of God.
And all are justified
freely by His grace
through the redemption
that came
by Christ Jesus.
These are some
of the most wonderful words
in the whole Bible.
Do you hear what Paul
is saying here?
He's saying,
I've just told you now
the bad news.
That we are all guilty
before God.
Deserving of God's wrath.
No matter how hard you try,
you can never keep
God's law and commandments
well enough
to be righteous
in His sight.
But now,
listen,
God has done something new
through Jesus Christ.
There's good news.
God has revealed
His righteousness.
a way to get
a right standing
with God.
And we don't get it
through keeping the law,
he says.
It's apart from the law.
We don't get it
by trying to obey
all of His commands
better.
No,
this righteousness,
this right standing
with God
is given
by God
to all who believe
through faith
in Jesus Christ,
says Paul.
This is the good news
that I've been longing
to tell all of you
in Rome.
God has sent Jesus
and by believing in Him,
by faith in Him,
you can have
a right standing
with God.
You can be considered
righteous
in His sight.
And it doesn't matter
one bit
whether you're a Jew
or a Gentile,
says Paul.
Either way,
you're a guilty sinner
who falls short
of God's glory
and either way,
you are justified.
You are made
right
in God's sight
by faith
in Jesus Christ
as a gift
of His grace.
These are sweet words.
Do you hear
what Paul is saying?
Do you hear
what God is speaking
through this apostle here?
Even though you,
like everyone else,
are guilty
and deserve
God's punishment,
even though you
are not righteous,
you can be
declared righteous.
And it's the gift
of God
to all who believe
in Jesus,
the Christ.
I love the language
of grace
in Paul's words here.
This is not a right
standing with God
that we get
by doing good,
by keeping commands,
by earning it.
In fact,
all of chapter 4,
which we won't go to today,
is dedicated
to making that
crystal clear.
You can't earn it.
It comes as a free gift,
unearned.
But to make this clear
in this verse
that we're looking at
right here,
Paul gives us
a few different words
that tell us
of the gift,
of the freeness
of this gift.
Notice the language
he uses here
in verse 24.
He says,
all are justified
freely
by his grace.
First,
there's the word
justified.
The word used here
means to pronounce
or to declare
someone righteous.
Not guilty.
It means,
with regard to justice,
to give us
that favorable
verdict that we
long for
in the courts
of God.
Not guilty.
But of course,
as we've just heard,
that's not the verdict
that we deserve.
And so it doesn't
come to us
because we've earned it.
It comes to us
apart from
what we've done
for ourselves.
This points us
in the direction
of gift.
But then Paul
adds to this word.
He says,
we are justified,
we are made
righteous
freely.
This adverb
in the original language
is actually
the noun
for gift.
And then
the ending
is changed
to just kind of
make it into
an adverb.
Quite literally,
it would be
something like,
all are justified
giftly.
But we don't have
that word in English,
so it's translated
freely
as a gift.
No strings attached.
It's something given.
Not because it's been
earned
or deserved
or worked for.
Think about a gift.
It's something
that you just
hand to someone.
You give it to them.
Maybe you see
that they're in need
of something
and you have
that something
and they can't
get that something.
They can't afford it
maybe.
But you have it
and so you give it
to them.
You just hand it
over to them.
Finally,
there's the third
phrase that Paul
uses
to make this clear
that it's free,
that it's a gift.
We are all
justified freely
by His grace.
By His grace.
I love that word.
What is God's grace?
God's grace
is His goodwill.
It's His kindness.
It's His benevolence.
It's that
favorable disposition
that He has
towards us.
The desire
to meet our needs,
to bless us,
to treat us kindly,
to do good
to us.
God's grace
has to do
with His
generous,
giving nature.
In fact,
the word grace
in the language
of the New Testament
is derived
from a word
that just means
gift again
or favor.
So you bring
all of these together
and there's just
no mistaking it here.
Even though we are
all guilty,
even though we all
fall short
of God's glory,
says Paul,
unrighteous,
all of us
can be made
righteous
in God's sight
and we can have
this
as a free gift
from God
because of His
goodness,
His generous,
kind,
loving nature.
No works
required,
no law-keeping
required,
no strings
attached.
And what do we
have to do
to receive
this gift?
Well,
Paul tells us
all throughout
this passage.
This right standing
comes to us
through faith
in Jesus Christ
to all
who believe.
That's it.
Believe.
It's not what
we must do
as in
earning it.
We couldn't
earn it.
Instead,
it's who we
must trust.
It's who we
must believe.
This is an
attitude of the
heart.
And we
find out
that it's
not so much
about what
we can do
to get this.
It's about
what God,
what Jesus
has done
for us
and us
believing that
by which
we are
brought into
this right
standing with
God.
Notice
the emphasis
of Paul.
This
righteousness,
this gift
of God
to be
not guilty
in his
sight.
It comes
through
Jesus
Christ.
Here in
verse 24,
it came,
the redemption
comes by
Jesus Christ,
Christ Jesus.
He says it
again and
again all
through this
gospel.
There is
only one
way to
get a
right standing
with God
and it's
through
Jesus
Christ
and what
he has
done
for us.
let's
talk for
a moment
about what
Jesus
did
to
redeem
us.
This
is all
driving
to this
central
point,
this
central
moment.
How do
we get
a not
guilty
verdict
with
God
through
Jesus
Christ?
Paul
finally
tells us
what it
is that
Jesus
has done
in
verse
25.
He
says
God
presented
Christ
as a
sacrifice
of
atonement
through
the
shedding
of
his
blood.
We'll
unpack
this a
little
bit
quickly
here.
Through
the
shedding
of
his
blood,
this
right
standing
with
God
that
we
can
have,
it
came
by
the
death
of
Jesus.
This
is
Paul's
way
of
referring
to
the
suffering
and
death
of
Jesus
on
the
cross.
What
happened
when
Jesus
died
on
the
cross?
It
was
much
more
than
just
some
political
rebel
being
executed,
which is
what the
world
saw.
Paul
tells us
what
happened
in that
moment.
A
sacrifice
of
atonement
was
being
made.
This
points us
back to
the Old
Testament
and the
language
of
atonement.
The
sacrifices
that were
offered at
the
tabernacle
and later
at the
temple
to atone
for the
sins
of the
people.
But
notice
here in
verse 25
who
brings
the
sacrifice.
It's
not
us,
the
guilty,
but
God,
the
gracious.
God
presented
Christ
as an
atoning
sacrifice,
as a
wrath
removing
sacrifice
for our
sins.
and the
benefits
of this
we
receive
by faith,
by
believing.
There it
is again.
I'll
finish off
the verse
here.
He did
this to
demonstrate
his
righteousness
because
in his
forbearance
he had
left the
sins
committed
beforehand
unpunished.
He did
it to
demonstrate
his
righteousness
at the
present
time
so as
to be
just
and the
one who
justifies.
those who
have
faith
in
Jesus.
There's
lots
here but
basically
it amounts
to this.
God
is in
the
business
of
leaving
sins
unpunished.
He
has been
doing it
since the
Garden of
Eden,
since the
days of
Abraham,
Isaac,
and Jacob,
through the
days of
Israel.
None
of them
and none
of us
are
righteous,
not even
one.
We've
all sinned.
We all
fall short
of God's
glory.
God
has been
leaving
sins
unpunished,
but God's
justice
demands that
all sins
be punished.
And so
Christ came
to take the
punishment that
they deserved
long ago
and the
punishment that
we deserve
here today
so we
could be
justified,
given that
right standing
with God
despite what
we deserve.
God's
death on
Jesus'
death on
the cross
was all
about,
says Paul.
As Jesus
hung there,
he was
offering a
wrath-removing
sacrifice for
you and
for me so
that our
verdict of
guilty could
be changed
to not
guilty and
yet justice
still be
done.
And this is
what we want
to celebrate
today as we
come again
to the
Lord's
table.
Jesus'
body,
represented by
the bread,
was broken.
He was
killed.
He died.
His blood
that was
shed
represents
his life
given
and poured
out for
us.
The
greatest of
all gifts
was offered
here at
the cross
to all
who will
believe,
whether Jew
or Gentile,
a free
gift,
no strings
attached,
nothing
needing to
be done
to earn
it,
to deserve
it.
You and
me can
have a
right standing
with God
and be
declared
righteous
forever.
Our verdict
changed
and it
comes
through
faith in
Jesus the
King
and his
suffering
in our
place
and death
at the
cross.
Maybe you're
here this
morning and
you're wondering
why would
he do
that
for a
wretched
sinner like
me?
Well,
Paul's answer
here is because
of his grace.
He is that
kind of a
God.
He is
kind,
good,
gracious,
there's
real love
in the
heart of
God
for you
and for
me.
Do you
believe it?
The cross
proves it.
We're
going to
go to
worship now.
We're
going to
sing.
We'll have
a chance
through the
songs to
reflect on
this and
then we'll
serve and
partake of
the table
and we'll
sing some
more after
that.
We're
going to
partake now
of the
Lord's
table and
if you
believe in
Jesus that
he is that
sacrifice of
atonement for
your sins,
then this
table is
open to
you and
I invite
you to
partake,
to eat of
the bread and
drink of the
cup when it
comes around.
I'll invite
Dave and
Charles to
come forward
and to
serve the
elements and
we'll wait
until everybody
who wishes to
partake has
been served
and then we'll
eat and drink
together all in
unison.
wedding for
But
you
Amen.
Let's pray.
Father in heaven, we thank you so much for this gift that you have given to us.
Lord Jesus, we thank you for being willing to suffer like you did.
We don't deserve it.
But we are so grateful.
We look forward to the eternity to heaven that you have purchased for us.
Life forever with you because of what you did for us.
Thank you.
We eat and drink in remembrance of you.
Amen.
do