Sermon Tone Analysis

Text: Romans 3:19-26

Theme: Why did God come in the flesh?

To make us righteous!

Date: 12/18/16 File name: Incarnation4.wpd

ID Number: 96

A little boy was staying with his grandmother while his parents were out of town.

The grandmother told the little boy, "Now, if you are good for your grandma, we'll walk up town this afternoon and I'll by you some ice cream."

To which the little boy responded, "How good do I have to be?"

That little boy was my twin brother when we were 10 or 11 and staying with my grandma Laura.

His was the age-old question lost men have been asking God.

"Lord, I want to go to heaven when I die.

Just how good do I have to be?"

It's an assumption so widely accepted in our society: Good people go to heaven when they die.

Bad people don't.

This has even become a widely accepted premise in the minds of many Christians.

ILLUS.

A recent survey by Lifeway Research found that Americans struggle with basic Christian doctrine.

The survey found reason for hope in that a majority of American adults believe in the Trinity, the resurrection, and the authority of Scripture.

On the doctrine of salvation, however, they are deeply confused.

On the matter of sin: 65% agree with the statement, “Everyone sins a little, but most people are by nature good.”

At the same time 74% disagree with the statement, “Even the smallest sin deserves eternal damnation.”

On the matter of salvation: 60% agree with the statement, “Jesus Christ’s death on the cross is the only sacrifice that could remove the penalty of my sin.”

At the same time 52% also agree with the statement, “By the good deeds that I do, I partly contribute to earning my place in heaven.”

America has always been a “pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps” culture.

As the Lifeway poll reveals, the majority of Americans have the same attitude about their eternal salvation.

They believe that God forgives sin.

They believe that the death of Jesus is somehow involved.

But most also believe that, in the end, it’s up to us if we get into God’s Kingdom or not, and most believe they will, because most believe that their really not that bad a person.

God’s Word tells us something different.

God's answer to that question “Just how good do I have to be?” is, "You can't be that good!" It's an answer relatively few seem to hear, let alone are willing to accept.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been trying to answer the question, Why did God come to Earth in the flesh?

I’ve tried to communicate to you the reasons for the incarnation.

Why did God come in the flesh?

He came to redeem us – to cover our sins by sacrificing himself as a spotless offering to God the Father.

Why did God come in the flesh?

He came to reveal God’s character and nature to us.

If you want to know all about God, then simply get to know all about Jesus.

Why did God come in the flesh?

God came to reconcile us with Himself.

When God reconciles us to Himself, He re-establishes a close relationship that was broken by sin, but is restored by our faith in Christ.

When we are reconciled to God, we can be reconciles to each other.

Why did God come in the flesh?

God also came in the flesh to make us righteous in His sight.

“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.

21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.

22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.

There is no difference between Jew and Gentile,” (Romans 3:20–22, NIV)

I. THE INCARNATION SHOWS US THAT WE CAN'T BE GOOD ENOUGH BUT GOD CAN MAKE US RIGHTEOUS

ILLUS.

Let me ask you a couple of questions this morning?

Ya ready?

First: Are you a righteous person?

A lot of Christians respond like this, “No, I’m not a righteous person.

I’m just a sinner trying to live for God the best I can.”

Let me give you a better answer to the question, Are you a righteous person?

Here’s the better answer, “I am still a sinner, but God sees me as righteous as Jesus Christ is righteous because by grace God has imputed the righteousness of Christ to me by grace through faith, and He sees me as blameless in His sight.”

I’ll get to the second question in a few moments.

1. the little phrase but now in verse 21 introduces a change in topic

a. for 3½ chapters—81 verses—the Apostle’s theological argument has centered on just how thoroughly sinful, bodaciously bad, absolutely unrighteous and God-hating men truly are

1) in vs. 23 he is going to remind us all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

b. but now, Paul is going to reveal how thoroughly holy and righteous and sinner-loving God is

2. the first great theme of Romans is the exceedingly sinfulness of man's sin

a. according to Romans 3:19 the whole world lies in sin and thus stands guilty and condemned before a holy God

1) we've all blown it with God

3. but now Paul introduces the second great theme of Romans; the availability of true saving righteousness which justifies a sinful man before a holy God

“But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.”

(Romans 3:21, NIV)

a. obedience to moral codes or religious rituals will not produce the required degree of righteousness within the life of man

1) they may sooth your conscience, but they won’t save your soul

b. in fact moral codes and religious rituals only remind us how far short of the mark of true holiness we actually fallen

4. if you or I or our neighbors are going to obtain a saving righteousness it must come from some other source than our effort at living up to religious rules and regulations

5. that other source is God Himself

A. IN HIS GRACE GOD DECLARES US RIGHTEOUS AND DOES NOT TREAT US AS OUR SINS DESERVE

“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.

9 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; 10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.

11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:8–12, NIV)

1. according to Romans 3:22 our righteousness is from God and apart from the law

2. God never intended that obedience to moral law or religious rituals would actually provide man with the righteousness necessary to enter the Kingdom of God

a. righteousness has always come by faith

1) this was God's plan from the beginning, not a fall-back position because obedience to the Law didn’t work

b.

Paul reminds us that God always meant to save us through faith and not through conformity to outward codes of conduct

ILLUS.

Almost everything we see in the Old Testament is a shadow of this truth.

The coats of skin which God provided Adam and Eve when they sinned; the animals sacrificed for the sins of the people of Israel, the Tabernacle in the desert and the Temple in Jerusalem and all the symbolism surrounding them—they all reveal the story of a righteousness provided by God for the unrighteous sinner who turns to Him in faith.

d.

Paul also reminds us that all of the Old Testament prophets, sounded the same theme of righteousness through faith

1) in Psalm 51 David cries out, "Deliver me in Thy righteousness ... Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow"

2) Isaiah reminds us "He hath clothed us in the garments of salvation, in the robe of righteousness"

ILLUS.

Someone once said that "God never alters the robe of righteousness to fit the man; He alters the man to fit the robe."

3. we can never be good enough but God offers sinful man a chance to be totally justified in His sight

B. THE RIGHTEOUSNESS GOD OFFERS IS THROUGH JESUS CHRIST

“This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.

There is no difference between Jew and Gentile,” (Romans 3:22, NIV)

1. faith is simply taking God at His word

a. and whether you’re a Jew or a Gentile, salvation comes by faith

2. it is through a simple act of belief that God offers unimpeachable righteousness to those who come to Him by faith

a. a faith that He also supples by grace

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—” (Ephesians 2:8, NIV)