Sermon Cloud

Something For Everyone

Today, our study in Romans is taking us into deeper water.  We’ll be reviewing God’s grace, redemption and propitiation.

Romans 3:22-31.  This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.  Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.

Last week, we talked about salvation through Christ by faith alone.  If you believe in Him and trust in Him, you have Him.  If you have Him, you have salvation. 

This week, we take it all a step further.  How does this righteousness of God come to us?  It comes by the grace of God, apart from any merit on our part.  It is Grace – God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.

Grace.  Amazing grace.   There is no more wonderful word.  It is not just a free gift.  A free gift would be generosity.  It IS a free gift, but it is given to those who truly deserve the exact opposite.  That’s what makes it amazing. 

We sing the hymn Amazing Grace – that saved a wretch like me.  But how many of us actually think of ourselves as a wretch?  How many of us, rather, would think we need psychological counseling if we had such a low self-esteem? 

But we ARE guilty.  We act like it.  And react like it. 

An pastor heard that one of his parishioners was in dire straits.  She was penniless and couldn’t pay the rent.  He took up a collection and west to see her. He knocked on the door again and again.  But no answer.  So he left.  Next week, he saw her at church.  “I came to your house at noon on Tuesday and tried to see you but no one was home.” 

“Oh dear,” she said.  “I was home, and I heard you knocking.  But I didn’t answer.  I thought it was the man calling for the rent.” 

That’s a perfect illustration.  It illustrates grace – unmerited favor.  And it illustrates the reason for our inability to accept it.  Or even appreciate it.  Now I want you to notice something. 

First of all, we tend to concentrate on the woman.  And that makes it funny.  We don’t identify with her. 

Why not?

Well, we usually CAN pay the rent.  We CAN pay our bills.  Or at least we can make some sort of down payment or partial payment.  At least we can negotiate or arrange some sort of new financing deal. 

What’s wrong with that?  Well, what’s wrong with it is that we can’t do that with God.  We can’t make a down payment on our salvation, or partial payment.  We can’t renegotiate with God.  It’s His way or the highway.  So don’t identify with the woman. 

Look at the story and identify with that.  Look at it from the man’s point of view. 

How many times do you think that pastor called on others who needed help, guidance, love?  Some much better.  Some much worse.  How many rich people did he approach about salvation and they looked down their noses at him?  How many drunks in the gutter did he plead with, only to be refused because the crazed alcoholic looked up and actually preferred his plight? 

Now can you see what Paul means when he says that there is no difference?  All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God?  Until you see that, you can’t fully appreciate salvation. 

Let me be blunt.  Whois the worst person you know?  The most vile, the least attractive?  The most evil?  Who takes advantage of everyone?  Abuses everyone? 

In God’s eyes, apart from Christ, you and I are in exactly the same boat as that person.  In God’s eyes, we’re all equally unacceptable.  When you see it THAT way, you begin to accept the truth. 

We all fall short.  And we are all saved by the amazing, boundless grace of God. 

Perhaps when we don’t answer the door when God is knocking — it’s for a completely different reason.  Not because we expect judgment or punishment.  But instead.  I wonder if we don’t answer because we might get something we totally don’t deserve – and our pride won’t let us accept it. 

Pride.  Not fear. 

If you have difficulty accepting the salvation offered by God’s grace, you should think about all of the things that God graciously provides.  Each and every day.  He gives these blessings to everyone, every person.  Regardless of their race, religion or position in life. 

The sun rises and sets upon the just and unjust alone. 

If you have here in reasonably good health, it is because of God’s grace.  If you have good clothes to wear, it is for the same reason.  If you have money to spend, it is because God has provided it for you.  It is the same for nearly everything.  Everything you have, every good thing you possess.  All of it.  It’s yours through the grace of God, His unmerited favor.  Who among us earned the sunrise?  Who among us put a down payment on the air we breathe?   

If you think you somehow earned such grace, deserved such generosity, then that it is proof that you are dreadfully far from God. 

It’s called common grace.  And it is freely, generously given as a gift to all of mankind. 

But here, Paul is actually talking about more than that.  More than just the common grace of God. He’s talking about the specific, saving grace of God for salvation.  It’s not common, even though it’s available to all.  The only people who receive it are the ones who accept through faith in Jesus, completely apart from merit. 

How could we possibly believe that we deserve it?   In fact, I would state that we can’t possibly fully appreciate grace if we think we deserve it.  If we deserved it, it wouldn’t be grace. 

It’s grace, all grace. 

The righteousness from God, by grace, apart from works. 

Grace, the source of that righteousness, apart from works. 

Redemption, apart from works. 

Justification, apart from works. 

How many different ways can I say this?  How many times would I have to say virtually the same thing and make it past our hesitation?  I think, by now, we all understand it.  I want us to accept it.  Believe it.  And act accordingly. 

It’s FREE. Totally, and for a lot of people – an unbelievably FREE gift from God. 

Verse 24.  Paul repeats himself for the umpteenth time about the cost of our salvation.  Romans 3:23-24.  “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” 

Now, let me approach this from the complete opposite point of view.  I’ve mentioned that we can’t do anything to earn grace.  There’s something else I want to stress.  We can’t have done anything to prevent grace once we have asked for it. 

There is no unforgivable sin, other than refusing to ask for forgiveness. 

And that, my friends, is humbling.  But, wow, is it encouraging.  Think of it like this.  There is nothing that you’ve ever done, no matter how heinous or awful, that disqualifies you from God’s grace.  Nothing.  There is no sin so large that God’s grace cannot fully deal with it. 

Last week, we sang Amazing Grace.  This week, we’ll sing it again.  It was written by John Newton, a slave trader who was wonderfully saved by God, and became a gifted preacher and hymn writer. 

His life was tragic and awful.  He was raised in a Christian home, but his mother died when he was six.  He was sent to live with an unbelieving relative.  He joined the British Navy.  But he was immoral.  Almost unimaginably immoral.   

His friends remembered that he could swear for two full hours without repeating himself.  Eventually, he deserted off the coast of Africa.  Why?  Because he didn’t feel that he had sinned enough! 

THAT John Newton.  But caught in a terrible storm, he found himself remembering long-forgotten Bible verses.  Felt God’s call.  He accepted the way of salvation.  He was transformed.  He became a tremendous evangelist, a distinguished preacher.  Before his death in 1807, he even preached before the Queen of England. 

This the man who wrote Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. 

This is why John Newton preached grace.  This is why Paul preached grace.  This is why John Schmidtke preaches grace. 

Free grace.  Completely, totally, magnificently free…to us.  But incredibly expensive, exceeding costly, to the God Who provides it. 

Verse 24 again.  “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” 

Redemption.  Jesus, the Redeemer.  We know this as God paying the price for the judgment against our sin. 

The substitutionary death of Christ on the cross.  Dying in our place.  Redeeming us from our bondage to sin. 

Since I discussed John Newton, the slave trader, let me again make the point that this word can refer to the purchase of a slave off the block.  Paying the price.  And in the case of Jesus Christ, setting we the slaves completely free. 

This is a precious concept.  Foundational in the church.   But today, especially in some of the newer church growth movements, it is fading. 

We don’t like to think of ourselves as slaves to sin.  We don’t like to think of ourselves as completely helpless in our spiritual condition, outside of Christ.  We don’t like to think of ourselves as lost.  We like to think of ourselves as – perhaps – only misguided. 

Many churches, and many pastors, don’t talk much about redemption.  That might turn off the seekers.  Instead, they talk about release…or deliverance.  That way, we can think of Christ as setting us free, but without there having been a price to be paid. 

He rescued us.  And He surely did.  But when we emphasize only that, we cheapen it.  When a fireman or police officer rescues us, he pays a price.  But not a financial one.  In fact, when a policeman or fireman dies in the line of duty, we talk about him paying the ultimate price.  But that’s not usually the case.  When we think of rescue, we think of effort being expended.  Expertise being applied.  But not a price being paid. 

But sin HAD a price.  The wages of sin IS death.  And Jesus paid it to redeem us.  A few weeks ago, we talked about the total depravity of man apart from Christ, our helplessness to please God.  Last week, we talked about the amazing gift of salvation.  As long as we realize that Christ’s death on the cross accomplished all that, then we will cherish Him as our Redeemers. 

So, first, there – Grace.  Then redemption.  Now there is propitiation.  Verse 25.  God presented Jesus as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in His blood.  This verse seems strange to us.  Yet it has been the basis for salvation for untold millions of believers, especially earlier in church history. 

Why?  Well, first of all, there was more generally known Biblical truth in earlier times, even among nonbelievers.  Most children literally learned to read by using the Bible.  Unlike today, they understood what propitiation means. 

It is a word used to describe the place of atonement, the lid of the Ark of the Covenant.  It was the place where God communicated His judgment.  Yet, when the blood of an innocent sacrifice was sprinkled upon it, it became a place of mercy.  The seat of judgment became the seat of mercy.  That was propitiation. 

Second, propitiation is something that occurs in virtually all religions, but especially in pagan ones.  In such false religious ceremonies, the worshipper presents a sacrifice to appease his god.  That false god was often unpredictable, angry and ever-changing.  You didn’t want to catch him on a bad day.  So you presented an offering to appease him. 

Because of that, many Christians dismiss the whole concept.  Our God is a God of love, they say.  He’s not still angry or full of wrath.  Who says we need to appease Him.  Aren’t we supposed to call Him abba…or Daddy?  If anyone thinks we have to appease a stern God, then he isn’t Biblical! 

Wow.  Really? 

Well, let’s see.  I want to point out a couple of things to show you that Christian propitiation is very real – and very different from that of other religions. 

1. God’s wrath is not comparable to that which is believed about pagan gods.  We may think that the wrath of God is incompatible with the love of God, but who says so?  The Bible clearly teaches that God can be wrathful and loving at the same time.  Wasn’t He wrathful against Adam and Eve when they sinned, cursing them and banning from the garden?  But wasn’t He also loving, clothing them in the skins of innocent animals and promising future redemption?

The answer is yes.  God’s wrath is as real as His love.  You can’t fully believe in one without fully believing in the other. 

2. Propitiation is different in a far more significant way.  In pagan rituals, it is the offering of man – the action of man – that appeases the god.  In Christianity, it is the action of God – and God alone – the appeases God.  He meets His own requirements.

The Ark of the Covenant was made famous in the Indiana Jones Movie.  It was a gold case, with lid with angels on either side.  Their wings were outstretched to cover it.  God Himself was imagined to dwell immediately above the wings of the cherubim, seeing everything, judging everything.   

It was a terrible concept.  It produces dread.  For a lot of reasons.  Not the least of which was that is any unauthorized person touched the ark, he was immediately struck dead. 

Inside the ark was the Law of Moses, in plain view of God.  He saw the law, clearly stated.  Whenever it was broken, in word, deed or inclination, God could not ignore it.  He must act.  Sin must be punished. 

But when the blood of an innocent sacrifice was sprinkled on the lid, propitiation occurs. Now, when God looks down, He doesn’t see the law that was broken.  He sees innocent blood.  An innocent animal has already been punished.  The wages of sin have been paid by something else.  Then God’s love is unleashed. 

And if the blood of an innocent animal accomplished that on the lid of the Ark of the Covenant, think of the powerful eternal effect when the blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was sprinkled on the altar of heaven, forever eradicating our sins, and unleashing the immense and never-ending love of God toward us. 

Do you remember the story of the Pharisee and the publican who were both praying?  Luke 18:9-14.  The Pharisee bragged in prayer about how righteous he was.  But the publican simple prayed this.  “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”

Jesus said that second man was forgiven, the self righteous Pharisee was not.  Why?  Because the Pharisee assumed he had righteousness.   

But he had none.  The publican knew he had no righteousness, so he pleaded for mercy. 

Do you know the exact translation of his prayer?  God, be mercy-seated to me, a sinner.  God, because of the blood poured out upon the altar, set aside your wrath and express your love and forgiveness to me. 

What a prayer.  God, be mercy-seated to me, a sinner.  It starts with God and ends with sinner.  First, God.  Anyone with a proper perspective of God will immediately be aware of his or her own sinfulness.  That’s why we know that the Pharisee didn’t know God.  He wasn’t aware of his own sin. 

But the publican knew God.  And, therefore, he knew his own sinfulness, only too well.  Because of that, he pleaded with God. 

Now, we look at this prayer and say that he was pleading for mercy.  He was not.  He understood propitiation.  He knew that God was above and he was below.  God was judging and he was judged.  But in between was the blood – the very life – of any innocent sacrifice that had already been punished for his sin. 

So he was coming to God based on the sacrifice that had already been made. 

Pagan religions make sacrifices to appease the wrath of their little gods.  Christians come on the basis of propitiation.  They appeal not to avoid God’s wrath, but to gain access to His righteousness. 

What a wonderful prayer.  God, be mercy-seated to me, a sinner.  It was a universal prayer.  Available to all.  Something for everyone. 

No one will ever be saved without it.