Raised for our Justification

Text: Romans 4:23-25

March 31, 2013

Introduction:

A.    Death, God’s Judgment and Resurrection are Certain.

B.    God’s Judgment is Righteous.

C.    God’s Judgment is Universal.

D.    Man’s Dilemma is Dreadful.

“But how can a man be in the right before God?” Job 9:2

“The essence of other religions is advice; Christianity is essentially news. Other religions say, “This is what you have to do in order to connect to God forever; this is how you have to live in order to earn your way to God.” But the gospel says, “This is what has been done in history. This is how Jesus lived and died to earn the way to God for you.” Christianity is completely different. It’s joyful news.” Tim Keller

What is Christianity? What does it mean to be a Christian?

Lesson:

I.     Christ was delivered over to death because of our trespasses (Rom. 4:25a).

II.    Christ was raised from death for our justification (Rom. 4:25b).

“If God had not raised Him from the grave we might draw the conclusion that our Lord was not able to bear the punishment of the guilt of our sins, that it was too much for Him, and that His death was the end. But He was raised from the dead; and in raising Him up God was proclaiming that His Son had completed the work, that full expiation has been made, that He is propitiated and completely satisfied. The resurrection declares that, and it is in that sense that He is ‘risen again for our justification.” Martyn Lloyd-Jones

“How does Christ's resurrection benefit us? First, by His resurrection He has overcome death, so that He could make us share in the righteousness which He had obtained for us by His death…” Heidelberg Catechism, Q. 45

Conclusion:

“The Christian is a man who says, ‘Yes, alas, it is true; I have been vile and horrible and a desperate sinner, yet I believe I stand righteous in the presence of God in Christ.’ He can face his past, he can look into himself and see the vileness, the pollution, of sin still remaining, and when the devil says, ‘Do you think you have a right to say that you are a Christian?’, he says, ‘Yes, I do. In spite of the fact that all this is true of me, I know I am righteous in Christ.’ He does not look at himself to find justification, he looks entirely out to Christ and all that he is in Christ. He believes this Word about the resurrection, the proclamation of God in raising Christ from the dead. He looks to that in spite of all. If you cannot do that you have not got justifying faith. Faith is this confident protest against every voice that assails us from within and from hell. It stands with Paul in chapter 8 and says, ‘Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.’ Who is he that condemneth in the light of that? There is no one, there is nothing. It is in spite of what we know about ourselves, of what the Law knows about us, of what hell knows about us. So stop talking about your past sins, stop talking about your present sinfulness. In this matter of justification you must not mention them. You just stand as you are in the righteousness of Jesus Christ, and in Him believe the staggering Word of God about yourself.” Martyn Lloyd-Jones

© John Fonville

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