LISTEN
This sermon was preached by J Adams at the Ladybarn site of Christ Church Manchester on Sunday 25th February 2018.
SERIES
This message was part of the ‘SERIES NAME’ series, preached at Christ Church Manchester’s church in Withington in EARLY/MID/LATE YEAR. The full series included the following sermons:
BIBLE VERSES
This sermon was based on Romans 3: 1 – 20.
God’s Righteousness Upheld
1Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? 2Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. 3What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? 4By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written,
“That you may be justified in your words,
and prevail when you are judged.”
5But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) 6By no means! For then how could God judge the world? 7But if through my lie God’s truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? 8And why not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just.
No One Is Righteous
9What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, 10as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
11 no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
13 “Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
14 “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 in their paths are ruin and misery,
17 and the way of peace they have not known.”
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
19Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
KEY POINTS
What advantage is there in being a Jew?
- If it is by faith we are saved, what is the point in things like prayer, worship, church services? Why should we partake in them?
- Paul tells us that it is our privilege to live out the word of the Lord now, not just when we get to heaven.
- God gives us these things because they are the best for us now.
Can God’s faithfulness run out?
- The simple answer: No.
- Paul uses the Greek
work that means ‘No! No! No!’ 13 times in his letters. Nine of those times are in Romans. - God has the right to not fulfil the covenant because we have not lived up to our end of the bargain. But He doesn’t. He is always faithful.
If God forgives me, can I just keep on sinning?
- Again, no. Not only is it a stupid argument to suggest that our sinning furthers the showing of God’s grace — it doesn’t –, but our sin also has consequences.
- Just look at the world around us: The suffering, the hurt, the loneliness, the oppression, the anxiety, the fear. The chains of sin are heavy and leave a nasty mark.
- For us to understand the power and significance of salvation, it is imperative that we understand the disparity, desperation and deadliness of our sin.
MORE SERMONS
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