Spiraling upwards.
a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,
Recently I have been reading a book called Spy Catcher -
It is a fascinating story about a man who basically helps clean up the British secret service.
It seems that MI5 and MI6 were continually hampered by agents who had sold out to the other side. For one reason or another they had given their allegiance to Russia and were constantly reporting the movements of MI5 to the Russians. The worst breach of all was the head of MI5 Sir Roger Hollis was suspected as being a double agent - Most of these agents had their faith in communism rather than in the various democratic governments of Great Britain.
Even the Prime Minister of Britain Harold Wilson was suspected of having connections with the other side.
As the investigation penetrated the lives of these double agents the primary question that emerged for me was - Where is their faith? . Did they in their youth have some ideological link with communism or were they likely to fall in the range of ideologies that were found in the British government.
If not they were likely to be spies.
It occurred to me, that in the Christian church our lives are likely to be determined by what or whom we have put our faith in.
There come moments where our faith is tested and tried and it is out of such great moments of our lives that our faith and therefore our lives are defined.
It is out of such moments, also, that boundaries and limits to our faith are draw. Sometimes in the life of someone who has stood for decades for Christ, they may feel they have not made great inroads, but the satellite picture of their lives reveals the word faith spelt out around them.
In the 2nd Century A.D a young Berber woman of Carthage found herself torn between Motherhood and belief. With Christianity outlawed by Roman rule, she refused to renounce her religion and along with five others preparing for Baptism was condemned to death by the sword. While imprisoned, Vivia Perpetua began a diary, in which she recorded her relinquishing of her infant through the cell bars, the ultimate sacrifice for her faith.
In the last few weeks we have looked at Romans chapter one and this week we look at the verse that has been said to be the key verse to the whole book.
What is it?
17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."
a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,
This morning I want to look at three things that God wants us to know relating to faith and three things we can do in response to this knowledge that can lift our Christian lives to a whole new level so that we can have faith that is "faith from first to last"
17 For in the gospel ----------
Lets look first of all at the gospel -
Gospel translated simply means good news. - there is a translation of the bible that is simply titled - good news for modern man -
There is something incredibly important about the gospel because it stands over and against the rest that the world has to offer which mostly is bad news.
If you pick up your daily newspaper or a magazine such as time magazine you may be immediately struck by the amount of bad news that you read.
It is quite simple to read news such as what is currently happening between Israel and Palestine as bad news - but there is much more that is there that is bad news - read of some Movie icon who has just found a new partner and has left behind a shattered marriage and abandoned children - you are not reading glamour and hype but rather bad news that will affect a large number of people for generations.
Melvin Newland says:-
Hallmark has a card that fits the mood of our time by saying, "I can’t promise you forever, but I can promise you today." That’s about as deep a commitment as some are willing to make.
B. But in contrast to that, God exhibits & honors faithfulness. Psalm 100:5 says, "The Lord is good & His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations."
Every time you see a rainbow, remember that God is faithful - He keeps His promises. Every time you pick up a Bible, remember that He said, "Heaven & earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away" [Matthew 24:35].
The key to the Gospel is it is hope.
The Gospel works anywhere and everywhere. It has been declared on every continent of the earth, under every possible social and economic condition, and it always produces the same fruit.
The gospel affects human destiny - when we grasp the gospel we can no longer live like there is no future - The good news of the Gospel solves the problem of human destiny, the most fundamental problem of human existence.
The gospel is good news for those who will accept it as Jesus says:-
MT 7:24 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
In Proverbs chapter PR 15:24 The path of life leads upward for the wise to keep him from going down to the grave..
One version of this is The path of life winds upward for the wise but the path of the unwise spirals downwards.
This is according to my memory from a tape I heard last week.
So you see the thing about this good news is it is only good news if we put it into our lives
We have to act on it. We are to life as disciples of Jesus.
As we do our lives will take an turn upwards from a Godly perspective. Ever been traveling on a road and thought you are going down hill until you look in the rearview mirror then you realise you are actually climbing uphill - life is like that for the Christian sometimes you think that your circumstances and the various events of your life are taking you down - but then you look in the rearview mirror of your life and you realise you have been climbing uphill all the time.
It builds your faith
You see circumstances shouldn’t throw us - they can but they shouldn’t we get some bad news or other and we can choose to allow that thing spiral us downward like some airplane in a spin or we can allow it to wind us upward knowing that according to RO 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
I don’t understand this situation for now but God, somehow is going to make it work together for good.
The death of Lazerus was like that. His family sent word to Jesus - Jesus didn’t turn up - everyone is thrown into grief and despair - the worst has happened - but then Jesus comes into the situation and all is saved - because Jesus is there it is even better. Not only is Lazerus raised from the dead but now - God is glorified by his incredible healing.
You see they wind upwards.
Faith trusts in the good news of the gospel - no matter what.
If you have difficult circumstances this week - lean into the bend and allow God to wind you upwards through it - You see you can’t see around bends but God is in this some how and there will be good news around the next bend and you will look in the rear view mirror and see that you have been climbing with God all the way.
The second point is Righteousness:-
17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed,
Soon as most people see that word righteousness something kinda resonates in their hearts -
"I am not righteousness."
Modern Psychologists may try and trick you into thinking that you are
by shifting the boundaries, but the truth is you are not.
The bible says:- RO 3:9 What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. 10 As it is written:
"There is no one righteous, not even one;
RO 3:11 there is no one who understands,
no one who seeks God.
RO 3:12 All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one."
Our basic human condition is flawed - sin makes us heavens "factory seconds." -
Isaiah said : We have a strong city;
God makes salvation
its walls and ramparts.
17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed,
Christ has cleansed us from our sins - it is not our goodness we are talking of here but God’s goodness.
You see God has substituted his perfection for our imperfection - Jesus has carried our sins for us onto the cross.
What does God want us to know about that?
I know he wants us to know he loves us - He wants us to know that we are very important in his eyes because we are worth saving - but most of all I believe he wants us to know that he can be trusted to save us.
Faith in God’s righteousness. Should produce in us a deep awareness or the incredible inheritance we have with God.
It should also make us aware of the fact that we are through the righteousness of God viewed by God as sinless Completely without sin.
In relation to faith it should encourage us to be
Humble - realising what we have come from Hopeful - realising what we are going to heaven itself
Not all Chrisitians have sorted this - some are not humble they feel that they have only needed a little bit of grace not realising where their sins had led them they therefore are always slightly proud and arrogant.
Anyone, though, who has ever been convicted of their own helpless state without Christ will personify a humility that is wonderfully refreshing.
The other type is not hopeful - they can scarcely believe that God could forgive them
You always get a sense of doom or condemnation around such people like they are waiting for a tragedy to occur.
But we can be healthy Christians by appreciating the gift of God’s righteousness for what Paul describes as our filthy rags and by believing God for his righteousness.
Faith in God’s character will produce a humble and yet hopeful person.
Such a person was Hudson Taylor -
At one stage he incurred a terrible injury - he found it impossible to believe he would die even though he was told he would. Yet in his response in his diaries his character comes through.
I will read a small extract.
The Doctor told me to get a hansom, drive home and arrange my affairs quickly; "For," he said, "you are a dead man."
My first thought was one of sorrow that I could not go to China; but very soon came the feeling, "Unless I am greatly mistaken, I have work to do in China and shall not die." I was glad, however , to take the opportunity of speaking to my medical friend, who was a confirmed skeptic of the joy that the prospect of soon being with my master gave me, telling him at the same time I did not think I should die, as unless I were much mistaken I had work to do in China, and if so, however severe the struggle, I must be be bought through.
Here we see humility and hope beautifully displayed because Hudson Taylor knew where his righteousness came from - from God.
When we internalise that we too will display the same qualities.
The third important matter mentioned here is " Deep faith"
It is great having the good news of the gospel and it is fantastic having a righteousness from God but you need to addd to the mix here faith.
If you have ever made a cake and put in all the right ingredients but miss out the baking powder - nothing is going to happen.
Why is faith so important?
I believe it is important because of the object of our faith.
Our faith is in an incredible God.
There is literally nothing that God cannot do - In Hebrews chapter 11 we read an incredible account of how faith has moved the hand of God throughout history = God has created us and the universe - He divided the Red sea - raised the dead and given us Jesus and He has made it clear that He is on our side if we are on his.
Faith in Him is the bridge that brings us onto God’s side.
Growing evidence links a belief in God to better physical health. In twenty-two studies, frequent churchgoers had lower rates of many illnesses, from hypertension and heart disease to tuberculosis and cervical cancer. Scientists aren’t sure why. Jeffrey S. Levin at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia, notes, "It might be that being more religious fosters a healthier lifestyle, offers greater social support, or provides a buffer against stress. Or it could be that hope and optimism somehow bolster the immune system." For example, when doctors examined men over sixty-five who had been admitted to a veterans hospital in Durham, North Carolina, they found those who said religion was very important to them were less likely to become depressed-a feeling that by itself can hinder recovery.
HEB 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Faith is not a theory it is what we practice.
World War II parachute packers had an unacceptable record: nineteen out of twenty parachutes opened. The manager discovered that by allowing the packers the pleasure of testing their parachutes by jumping from a plane, quality rose to 100 percent.
God has allowed us the same pleasure our faith is to be defined by acting on what or more importantly in whom we have believed.
As our passzage said a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,
Our faith is bigger than our circumstances.
When we put these three together -
1 Gospel
2. Our inherited Righteousness (Christ’s Righteousness)
3. Deep Faith
The numonic G (Gospel) 2 Our inherited Righteousness 3. Deep Faith.
Then we can’t help but see God work in our lives.
I 1 Gospel
2. Our inherited Righteousness (Christ’s Righteousness)
3. Deep Faith
