How to Receive a Right Relationship with God
Intro:
1. “Hey man. Trust me!”
a. ILL: Itaewon: “Genuine Rolex Watch - Real Cheap!”
b. ILL: Crazy Charlie’s Used Car Lot - “You like it, you drive it away!”
1. You don’t need credit. You don’t need money.
2. You could be an inmate at San Quentin! “Hey man, trust me!”
2. With all these “great deals” - who can you trust?
3. You can trust Lord Jesus!
Romans 3:21-26
I. v23 - You Can Be a Sinner Without Even Trying!
A. v23 - Everyone has sinned.
1. Telling people about the Doctrine of Original Sin really doesn’t help people.
a. How can I feel guilty about something someone else did 1000’s of years ago?
b. How can you repent - a decision to change your conduct - over something someone else did?
2. Besides Ezek 18:20 says, The soul who sins is the one who will die. The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against him.
B. This verse says you are personally guilty of sin! You have done it - in fact! Think about it & fill in the blanks!
1. Fall short (uστερέω) = did not attain a certain level or goal. The present tense means it is happening continually - probably a lot!
a. You fall short by not allowing God to truly rule within your heart.
b. You fall short by conforming to the environment around you instead of God’s purposes. Rom 12:2 - Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
2. So - it’s easy to be a sinner!
II. v22 & 24-26 - You Can Become a Saint Without Even Trying!
A. v21 - In fact, when you try, you’re doing it wrong!
1. Righteousness (δικαιοσύνη) = being right, having a right relationship.
2. This is “apart from law” - you can’t get to heaven by trying to be good because you can’t be good enough.
3. ILL: Image of the cross as a bridge.
a. There is a gulf separating you & God. - Lk 16:26
b. There is no way to get across to God by your own efforts.
c. Only by receiving what Lord Jesus did for you on the cross can you cross the gulf!
B. v22 - The right relationship to God (righteousness) comes from trusting Lord Jesus!
1. Faith & belief (πίστις) = trust.
2. The Lord is saying, “Hey man, Trust Me!”
3. v21 - The Law & the Prophets testify of this righteousness. The Patriarchs had this trust!
a. ILL: Abraham offering Isaac on the alter at Mt. Moriah (Gen 22:1-18 & Heb 11:18).
b. Job. Job 1:22 - In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.
C. v24-26 - Lord Jesus has proven He can be trusted!
1. v24 - He redeemed you.
a. Redemption (aπολύτρωσις) = purchased, bought.
b. This word is used to buy a slave.
2. v25 - He became your sacrifice of atonement when He died on the cross.
a. Heb 9:22 - In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
b. Sacrifice of atonement (iλαστήριον) = propitiation, expiation, Jesus became your “mercy seat”.
c. ILL: The Day of Atonement.
d. The OT sacrifice died! Jesus died! You die to the old life & are resurrected to the new life when you surrendered to Jesus as Lord!
e. Symbolized in your baptism!
3. v26 - He satisfied the justice of God & at the same time declared you “not guilty”.
a. Rom 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death.
b. So Jesus died to pay the wages for your sins.
c. Since those wages have been paid, you don’t have to pay them!
d. So when you trust Jesus you don’t experience the consequences of your sins.
So when Lord Jesus says to you, “Hey man, trust Me!”, you can truly trust Him with your life. Surrender your life to Him as Lord.
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