Romans 3:21-31
Getting on the Same Page as God about How Salvation Works
Introduction
A. I am the first to admit that the last several weeks have been really tough to deal with
B. The couple of weeks remind me of a story in Readers Digest.
a. A Car was pulled over by the police. The police say can I see your license and registration. The guy responds “MAYBE I COULD SHOW YOU IF I ACCTUALLY HAD TAKEN A TEST AND GOTTEN ONE”.
b. The lady in the front seat hit him and apologized to the police man saying “DON’T PAY ANY ATTENTION TO HIM, HE ALAWYS ACTS LIKE THAT WHEN HE IS DRUNK”
c. Just then a guy in the back seat wakes up and says “OH NO, I KNEW WE SHOULT HAVE STOLEN THIS CAR”
d. Then there was a knock form the truck “ARE WE ACROSS THE BORDER YET?”
C. Ever feel sins just keep pilling up? That is the way I have felt after the first three ½ chapters of Romans.
D. Fortunately for us, today I don’t have to start with the preference I love You guys and don’t blame me it is in the Bible
E. Both of those are still true, but today we have good news
F. Today we are going to learn about How Salvation Works, specifically
a. Free
b. Forgiveness
c. For All
I. Free (21-22)
A. Explanation
1. The law was limiting in many ways, one of the main was it was only offered to some
2. We also learned last week that the law could not declare anyone righteous
3. We often kick around the work righteous, but what does it actually mean?
4. To be righteous is to be not guilty of any sin.
5. To be totally sin free
6. We have just spend about a month learning how we are guilty guilty guilty
7. Paul certainly proves his point, what he says here is amazing
8. Despite how guilty we are, despite how bad we are
9. There is a way
10. Even better then that it is FREE!
B. Illustration
1. Miner Story: There was a preacher who was trying to explain all this to a Coal Miner. The coal miner said that’s great preacher how much is it gonna cost me. NOTHING, IT IS FREE. What are the hidden costs? NONE. What about shipping and handling, NONE. I don’t get it how can it be free.
2. The preacher asks the miner how he got to the mind today. Miner said simple I drove to work, parked my car, took the elevator down 200 feet and away I went. HOW MUCH DID YOU PAY FOR THE ELVATOR? Nothing. SOMEONE HAD TO PAY FOR THE ELVATOR.
C. Application
1. How can we apply this to our lives
2. We are skeptical at anyone who tries to offer us something for free
3. We also ask what is the catch, how much will I owe, what do I have to buy.
4. Folks, there is nothing!
5. This is free!
6. Absolutely totally free
7. How do you become righteous – free from sin?
8. Read vs. 22. Come through faith
9. Does not cost anything
10. This is God’s gift to us
II. Forgiven (23-26)
A. Explanation
1. Let us move to the forgiveness aspect
2. When you start to think about that forgiveness that God ask their come to my mind two questions that have to be asked how and why.
3. How does forgiveness happen, and why does God do it
a) First how, look at verse 25a. In order for salvation to happen, their had to be a price
b) Now before you start thinking that I am contradicting myself after we just got done talk about freely let me explain
c) While it does not cost us anything it cost God a lot
(1) Let me try and relate. In kindergarten a girl was cheating off my paper, while the teacher found out that one of us was cheating. I know it was not I, but I was willing to stand guilty for her. The teacher then told my mom and my mom found out and eventually got the whole situation under control. My mom loved me so much that she did not want me to be punished unfairly
(2) Do not think for a minute that God does not feel the same way about His Son Jesus.
d) However, He allowed Jesus so go on that cross, and hang their for all the sins of the world, past present and future
e) We are not talking about taking blame for one sin that happened in kindergarten; we are talking about taking the sins on for the whole entire world.
f) Imagine your own son, who lived a perfect life, he was righteous, dying on that cross to make atonement for our sins
g) Now I feel that we should explain what atonement is
(1) In the Old Testament law the Day of Atonement described in Lev. 16 there were two goats presented. One goat was then selected for a sacrifice. It was slain, and its blood was taken into the Holy of Holies and sprinkled on the mercy seat. The priest then put his hands on the head of the other goat and confessed the sins of the people. The goat was then taken out into the wilderness and set free to symbolize the carrying away of sins
(2) However, the blood of animals could never take way sin, it could only cover over it. Hence we have the Passover celebration
(3) It was not until Jesus came and finished the job that redemption - meaning a purchasing of the sinner and setting him free
h) So we move to the second question WHY?
4. Why would God do this? What would motivate God to do such a thing as put His only Son on that Cross to die for our sins
5. Two things are at work here there is both God’s Love and God’s Justice
6. Because of God’s Justice – and we learned a couple of weeks ago Justice demands payment – that their had to be a payment for our sins
a) It is impossible for God just to turn his back on our sin. There has to be a payment. Because Justice demands payment, God offered His Son
7. Now the other side is his love. Out of God’s love we have Grace and Mercy
a) Mercy is God not giving us what we deserve
b) Grace is God giving us what we do not deserve
c) Think about what we deserve and what we do not deserve and you quickly realize what God did and break out into one of those spontaneous praise Sessions (by the way it is ok to say Wow, Thank you Lord at anytime)
B. Application
1. All that stuff that we have been talking about the last couple of weeks, all that sin
2. By one great and mighty act is forgiven
3. All of it gone
4. The guilt, gone
5. The separation, gone
6. The penalty, Gone
7. All of it gone by one great and might act
8. And act of love
9. And an act of Justice
10. Forgiven completely
III. For all (27-31)
A. Explanation
1. So now the skeptical would be sitting their listening to the commercial just waiting for the stuff that they put on at the end of it
2. You know the part were a guy comes on and starts talking at a high rate of speed. Not valid in all states, employees of are not eligible….
3. Well it this were a commercial on the radio allow me to demonstrate what you would hear after we mentioned forgiveness
4. (A long silent Pause)
5. There would be nothing
6. See there is not exclusion clauses
7. This salvation is open to all
8. Notice what it says in verse 22, to all who believe
9. It does not say all Americans, it does not say all Jews, it says ALL
10. The Bible goes on in verse 27 through 31 we get further explanation
11. The pride that the Jews had in being Jewish was enormous
12. They had such hatred towards the gentiles.
13. Hitler had hatred to Jews, what he did was inexcusable, but that is the same amount of hatred that the Jews had for the Gentiles
14. So for Paul to make this statement, it would be shocking to everyone that would hear it
15. But ultimately there is one God and Faith in One God is offered to All
B. Application
1. What does that mean to us?
2. Do not boast! Such boasting is ridiculous. We have just got done explaining how Salvation works
3. What did you do in the whole Salvation Process?
4. Nothing!
5. Salvation is a Gift from God for everyone!
6. None of us deserve this.
7. But God gives it to everyone
C. Illustration
1. Let just say we were planning an event. This event was going to be huge. We were all going to go down to the Ohio River, right at Heinz field and we were going to hold a contest. The winner of the contest would get 4 million. Obviously many people would be interested. The contest would be to jump across the Ohio River. If you make it, 4 million. We could invite every one to participate including the World Record holder for the long jump. What would happen? Some would make it 10 feet, some would make it 20, maybe some one got off a great jump and would go whole 30 feet. But, no one would even be close to the other side
2. We would all be short of the goal
3. It does not matter is one person is closer then the other
4. We all miss it by ourselves
5. God offers all of us the opportunity to get to the other side, he does not save it for just a select few
Conclusion
A. There is one more term we need to define Justification – Technically – Justification is the act of God whereby He declares the believing sinner righteous in Christ on the basis of the finished work of Christ on the Cross
B. To put is simply Justification – Just if I never Sinned
C. This is the Gospel folks
D. This is why we have hope
E. Please, please please never take Salavtion for granted
F. I want you to respond in two ways
G. One: If you are here and never have accepted in faith, the gift of salvation, I want you to raise your hand right now, (look for hands, then ask someone to talk to them)
H. Two: You might be here and heard the message of Salvation 4932 times. But I want you to think about it. Use your head. Use your Heart. Think about what all it means to you. Once you start thinking about it I would tell you what to do next but it should be obvious, start praising the Lord
I. I have tried to explain a lot of these great theological concepts in a simple easy understood way. Two reasons for that, I wanted to make sure we all knew what we were talking about and two: I wanted to be able to put them in words that you can use to share them with your friend who have not accepted God’s Salvation
J. Please if you are still confused, if you do not understand, please that is what I am here for. Trust me, the best way I can think of to spend my time is to tell people about God’s Salvation. I would love to share with you.
K. The question is, Are you on the Same Page as God about How Salvation Works?
