God’s Faithfulness Wins!
Intro: Well, it seems like we’ve taken a long break from our study in Romans. We took a month to go through the One-Month-to-Live series, then had Palm Sunday, Easter, heard from the Lead Pastor of the OMN, and celebrated Mother’s Day. Now, back to business.
-To review, Paul was writing to a church that was made up of Jews and Gentiles. Both groups loved the Lord and had put their faith in Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross for their forgiveness. However, there was some friction between them, as was common throughout the Roman world in the mid first century AD. The church had been started by Jews most likely after the Day of Pentecost when Jews from all around had gathered in Jerusalem for the Feast of Pentecost. They heard Peter stand up and tell them the good news about Jesus – that His death and resurrection had provided for their forgiveness. So they responded to the good news and became followers of Jesus. They took the message back to Rome and started meeting in homes, much like the Jerusalem believers. They continued to go to their Jewish synagogues to hear and discuss the Scriptures, but faced opposition from other Jews who did not believe.
-Well, the Emperor Claudius got tired of the Jewish rebellions and uprisings and kicked all the Jews out of Rome. Less than 20 years after it was founded, this Jewish church suddenly became 100% Gentile. For 5 years the church was led, influenced, and attended by Gentiles who had come to believe in Jesus. When the Jews were allowed to return to Rome, the church faced some serious issues. Some of the Jews began to look down on the Gentiles. After all, God had given His law to Jews and Jesus was a Jew. Therefore, they assumed that the Jewish way of life should be the model lifestyle for all believers. The Gentiles had a past filled with all kinds of sin and paganism, and, from the perspective of many Jews, had no real say in how to best guide the church.
-So Paul’s message to the Romans includes an emphasis on the power of the good news about Jesus. He said in 1:17, “I am not ashamed of the good news for it is the power of God that leads to salvation for everyone who believes – Jew and Gentile alike!” Paul continues in ch.1 with God’s judgment on all sin and perversion. He points out that God was in plain sight, but people quit thanking Him and refused to acknowledge Him as God, so He let them have their own way and they began a downward spiral to an ugly life of moral degeneracy. Paul then builds the case that we are all guilty before God – Jews and Gentiles. Therefore, we all need a Savior. He says that a true Jew is one who honors God by his faith and obedience.
-That brings us up to chapter 3, in which Paul indicates that being Jewish is a blessing, but reminds them that we’ve all failed God and need a Savior. Let’s look at Rom. 3:1-8.
Romans 3:1-8 What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? 2 Much in every way! First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God. 3 What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God's faithfulness? 4 Not at all! Let God be true, and every man a liar. As it is written: "So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge."
5 But if our unrighteousness brings out God's righteousness more clearly, what shall we say? That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.) 6 Certainly not! If that were so, how could God judge the world? 7 Someone might argue, "If my falsehood enhances God's truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?" 8 Why not say-- as we are being slanderously reported as saying and as some claim that we say-- "Let us do evil that good may result"? Their condemnation is deserved.
-It is a challenge to piece all of this together today, but I’d like to communicate 5 observations that come from these verses. First of all…
I. God wants us to know Him (1-2)
-That is why He has shown Himself to Mankind through the Jews. He entrusted the revelation of Himself to the Jewish people. From Moses to David to the Prophets, we have a written record of who God is and the words He spoke to His people. He gave them words to live by and a moral code to teach them right from wrong.
-And though they didn’t know it at the time, God was preparing them for the greatest demonstration of His love – the offering of His one and only Son for their sins. The animal sacrifices that were offered to cover sins were only symbols pointing to what Jesus would do for us all when He died on the cross.
-So God chose the nation of Israel, descendents of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to be the recipients and keepers of His words to mankind.
-And today, God still wants us to know Him. There has never been a time in history when the truth about God has been so accessible as it is today! You don’t even have to own a Bible to find out about God. Go to your local library and you can find a Bible there. In fact, get on the computer and you have access to nearly any translation of the Bible you want to read. Several sites will even read it aloud to you.
-Let me just say that if you don’t have your own Bible, and cannot afford one, we would be happy to help you out and give you one. Most of America isn’t short on Bibles. They just don’t recognize that the story of God is the only story that will last and that can make an eternal difference in their own story.
-What are you doing to get to know the God who made you and loves you? He is seeking to show Himself to you at every turn. He uses the circumstances of our lives to draw us close into relationship with Him.
-So, God wants us to know Him and He chose the Jewish people to be the ones who would receive His words and pass them onto us. He chose the Jewish nation to receive the Messiah, Jesus, the Word of God made flesh. As a nation they still haven’t accepted Him as their Messiah – although many Jews have. God is not done with Israel! There’s more to come, as Paul indicates later in Romans 11. Their failure to do things God’s way doesn’t cause Him to give up on them as a chosen nation to fulfill His purpose. That leads us to the next thought.
II. God can be trusted (3-4)
3 What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God's faithfulness? 4 Not at all! Let God be true, and every man a liar. As it is written: "So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge."
-Human failure does not constitute Divine failure. God will not break His covenant with Israel. Individuals who reject Him will miss out on His salvation, but God is preserving a remnant who will honor Him with all their hearts.
-You can’t place your trust in people without getting let down, burned, and disappointed. People will fail you, but God never fails! We have and will fail in different areas of life, but Jesus never fails! We can trust Him to keep His promises. And one of the best promises we have is that He will never leave us alone – He will always be with us.
III. God is completely fair
5 But if our unrighteousness brings out God's righteousness more clearly, what shall we say? That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.) 6 Certainly not! If that were so, how could God judge the world? 7 Someone might argue, "If my falsehood enhances God's truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?" 8 Why not say-- as we are being slanderously reported as saying and as some claim that we say-- "Let us do evil that good may result"? Their condemnation is deserved.
-Human failure demonstrates the power of forgiveness and salvation, but that does not let us off the hook for our sins – only the sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf covers our sins. Human failure must be paid for – God is totally fair!
-God will punish all sin that has not been paid for. Or as I explained to the Cub Scouts a few weeks ago, Jesus has paid for all our sin, but some people never cash the check! Your debt of sin is paid in full, but if you never accept the payment, then the bill goes unpaid.
-In Paul’s example, someone was saying that God shouldn’t punish them for their sins because their sins make God look good. In other words, since our sins showcase the forgiveness of God, then they shouldn’t count against us anyway because they are producing a greater good. “The more I sin, the more I’m forgiven.”
-It is hard to imagine people actually making this argument. It flies in the face of God’s holiness and discounts the power of the gospel to change lives. Sin is a very serious thing and if not dealt with properly, it can and will kill you! Sin destroys, but Jesus gives life and power over sin! And that leads us to a final thought.
IV. God is holy and makes us holy
-The Good News Brings Moral Transformation!
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
-God owes us nothing, but offers everything! We can live a holy life that is pleasing to Him when we begin to trust Him for forgiveness and for change.
Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
-Our minds can be renewed when we start feeding them right. Our minds were created for God thoughts! GIGO- Good in, Good out.
-Get the words of God into your mind! Read the Bible. It will change your thought patterns as you take it to heart.
-We have such a faithful, loving, gracious God! Even though we are often sinful and rebellious, He still calls us, forgives us, and makes us His own. God’s promises are sure. He promises to give us new life if we will simply place our faith in Jesus Christ.
