The Turning Point - 2 Series

Turning Point #2

Romans 3:25-31

Proud young man walked into a room looking for his friend. He passed two blond young women near the door who looked him over then looked at each other and said and the same time ‘NINE’. The prideful young man puffed out his chest and drew a big smile on his face then walked over to his waiting friend. “You won’t believe what happened, when I walked in these two attractive blond women looked me over and rated me a NINE’. His friend replied, ‘I hate to burst your bubble but those two women only speak GERMAN’.

NINE MEANS NO IN GERMAN.

We might carry a high estimation of ourselves and be depending on the wrong information to reinforce that wrong idea. We need to really understand what God is saying. Paul makes it very clear and plain.

• This morning we considered THREE STATEMENTS ABOUT JUSTIFICATION

JUSTIFICATION APART FROM THE LAW JUSTIFICATION THRU FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST

JUSTIFICATION WITHOUT A CAUSE

1) The Law is part of our recognizing our lack of righteousness but cannot participate in making us righteous

2) We are justified by an Act of Faith and not any work

3) God choice to justify us is not because of anything in us.

Thermometer may tell us how hot or cold it is but it cannot produce heat. A tape measure may measure a dress but it cannot sew to fix it. The law tells right and wrong but it cannot make us right.

• There are no degrees of Justification.

1) Justification places us on the same ground before God.

2) Justification is something that God does and not man.

3) Justification does not mean that God MAKES us righteous but that He

DECLARES us righteous. It is a LEGAL MATTER. The Righteousness

of Jesus is placed on our account.

Two men in a lifeboat: One cannot swim but he other won the last Olympics in swimming events. Problem. They are thousands of miles from any shore. Although one may put the other to shame yet neither has a chance without the boat.

JEW might have many religious advantages: religious home & upbringing but cannot get to heaven without the lifeboat of Jesus.

• Tonight we will consider an additional three statements:

(4) JUSTIFICATION COMES THRU GOD’S SON: which is in Christ Jesus (25) Whom God displayed publically as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; (26) for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

• Think of the shame of standing on an auction block and being bid for. Jesus hung on the cross for you and me and took our shame. Displayed publically.

• JESUS became a PROPITIATION:

HOLY OF HOLIES: It is the inner room in the Temple that sits behind a 9-10 thick veil that shields it off. Only one person goes in and that is only one time a year. ROPE/BELLS.

Day of Atonement: two goats brought, one slain with blood drained, other have sins confessed over and sent out into the wilderness with confessed sins upon it(scape goat). East is from West.

ONE SLAIN: blood is taken by High Priest into the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement and SPRINKLED on the MERCY SEAT.

Priest represents sinful man, MERCY SEAT is on top of ARK OF COVENANT: Aaron’s rod, jar of Manna, Tablets of Law which represent God’s holiness and standard.

MERCY SEAT DIVIDED THE TWO: Sacrificial blood satisfies God’s holiness. PROPITIATION is the same word as MERCY SEAT(Heb 9:25). Same word.

Not done in private but now in PUBLIC. He was slain for us and our sins were removed from us. ONE MEDIATOR between God and man.

a) In HIS BLOOD: That is why His Shed blood is so important. It is His shed blood that satisfies God Holiness. Jesus’ life was given but His blood met the requirements of the Law.

(1) Heb 9 ‘without the shedding of blood it is impossible to forgive sin’

(2) Heb 10 ‘it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin’

(3) It states that Jesus Christ took HIS OWN BLOOD as our GREAT HIGH PRIEST and provided a satisfactory offering.

b) Demonstrated God’s Righteousness: That this was the only solution shows the seriousness of sin and how God’s holiness cannot be polluted.

c) In the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed. The Jews sin was not forgiven completely when he went to the temple and offered a bull or a goat. God PASSED OVER. Their offering was meant to be an ACT OF FAITH that looked forward to when God’s perfect sinless sacrifice would be provided.