Galatians 2:16 "Justified"

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this morning again it's a real blessing to see everyone here today we are gonna be in Galatians chapter 2 so please start making your way there for this morning
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Galatians chapter 2 we're gonna be specifically just in one verse for this morning which is verse 16 it's a mighty verse to be in and I think today this this text the reason that we're just going through one verse today is because the importance the the important theology that's taught in here today we will see one of the most clear texts and all of the
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Bible that teaches us how we are saved and if we are defend our faith so if somebody was to come up and say how are you saved to any one of us in this room
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I would hope that you would have in your back pocket and maybe even memorize Galatians 2 16 and I would actually encourage you today if you do not have this verse already memorized in your mind memorize it today it's one verse it'll take you a moment to memorize it and if you cannot do it today do it this week teacher little ones teacher kids
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Galatians 2 16 that's how powerful this message or this this verse here is today and so that's why we're going through this one thing is because I almost seem to reference anytime
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I do evangelism anytime I talk to somebody about the gospel this is a verse that almost undoubtedly will come up Galatians chapter 2 verse 16 so let's go ahead and pray before we read this text we will read all of 16 to 21 just to see what the context for today's message is going towards let's go ahead and pray
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Lord I do thank you again just for each one of the little ones that you've blessed our church with Lord God we want to lift up our nation in general
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Lord it's going to take you to change people's hearts Lord so God we would ask that you would change people's hearts call your sheep unto yourself open individuals eyes let them see the salvation that really that rests in Jesus Christ your son and may they have faith that justifies them
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Lord God we come to you humbly because we know that it's not us that has been justified through works but that we've been justified through faith in Jesus Christ that there's nothing good that dwells within us but that you've granted something mercifully and undeservingly to us
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Lord so God we lift up a mighty praise to you today in worship in praise in honor and Lord we want to give you glory and we say this in your name
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Amen let's go ahead and read verse 16 to 21 for this morning it says this nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ even we have believed in Christ Jesus so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works the law since by the works of the law no flesh will be justified this is the text that we're in today and this morning let's continue to read though like I mentioned but if while seeking to be justified in Christ we ourselves have also been found sinners is
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Christ then a minister of sin may it never be for if I rebuild what
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I have once destroyed I prove myself to be a transgressor for through the law I died to the law so that I might live to God I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer
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I who live but Christ lives in me and the life which
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I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself up for me
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I do not set aside your translation might say I do not nullify the grace of God for if righteousness comes through the law then
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Christ died needlessly or Christ maybe some of your translations might say
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Christ died in vain very strong language that Paul puts forth for us this morning so let's go ahead and pray one more time as we look at this
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Lord God I would just again ask that you would be glorified in today's message
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Lord that you would help myself utter that which is honoring and correct and is exhorting your people
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Lord God I would ask that today we would take confidence in what you have accomplished on our behalf
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Lord that we would rest in the righteousness of Jesus Christ Lord I would ask that if there is anyone in here including myself including the children including the elderly
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Lord that if if any of us look to the righteousness the supposed goods that our hands have done
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Lord that you would correct us that you would humble us and that you would show us that there is nothing good in us that it is you alone that is good it is you alone that has justified us
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Lord God may we be reminded today that it is not the works of the law but it is through faith in Jesus Christ that we are saved this object of our faith that is true that is good that is the way that is the life unto you
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Lord so God may we take hold of that truth that way in that life and just have confidence in a world that seems to hate you that seems to hate us that seems to have continually have already done and has continually rejected
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Jesus Christ the man in whom we have been justified so Lord we say this in the God man's name
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Jesus Christ amen so for context today I want to just discuss last week we discussed just that boldness of Paul in rebuking the
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Apostle Peter that courage that would have had to take in place in Paul's life to go to the
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Apostle Peter and say Peter you're being a hypocrite Peter had fallen into hypocrisy after several faithful years of ministry is what we talked about last week and his conduct was not consistent with the gospel as he was showing unhealthy favoritism and the fear of the circumcised party meaning that when he would be eating with the
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Gentiles if one of these circumcised men the party of the circumcised these Judaizers if they came into the building you would see
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Peter guess what he would do he would immediately stand up and go and and fellowship or or want to join in with the circumcised party he didn't want to be associated with the
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Gentiles and that again is after that vision he had received in Acts that told him not to do such that we saw in Acts 10 and 11 so Peter had become a hypocrite through years of faithful ministry after Peter had been obedient to God's Word God's command he fell into hypocrisy and so I hope that out of everything that we learned last week that we implemented this week and we would continue to implement that we should not be hypocrites that we should live a life that is honoring to God that is obedient to his
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Word and that is consistent with the testimony of the gospel that we are saved by the grace of the
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Lord alone and that there's no distinction amongst others again if you think that you could be a Christian on Sunday or when it is convenient for you and then
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Monday through Saturday you are a hypocrite and and you live a life that is not holy that is not set apart that is not unto the
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Lord you need a rebuke you need to be told to stop we need to live a life that is glorifying
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God without exception of what's going on around us so today's message however is is going to be teaching us how
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Paul was saved how Peter was saved how the Apostles were saved how
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Abraham Isaac Moses Ruth Joseph Job David and all the other
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Old Testament saints were saved and likewise how all past and current suffering saints of the church today all the church fathers all the
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Reformers all the Puritans all the well -known pastors and all the teachers all the unknown and forgotten saints how each one of us if saved how we are saved is what today's message is going to be talking about what is set forth in the text today and let me be clear in saying this none are justified none are saved by the law but those who are saved are justified by faith alone and this principle faith alone is a principle that is a absolute essential to the faith of Christ the faith of the of the
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Christian religion this is a doctrine faith alone that we should be willing to die upon a doctrine that that that doctrinal heel of faith alone is a heel that we should be willing to die alone we might disagree on eschatology ecclesiology the study of the church is what that is the regulative principle of worship the dates then that that has to do with how we worship we might disagree with the dates that are set forth in the
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Bible you and I might disagree with who the author of Hebrews is where maybe is
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Jesus Melchizedek the politics in the Bible we might disagree with evangelism methods and much more but listen to me we cannot we must not disagree with this that we are saved by faith alone that is a doctrinal heel that cannot be denied and if one was to say we are we are saved through faith plus something else that would be to deny
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Christ and to make him die needlessly is what 21 says for us here it's to deny the the
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Christian religion unto which his elect Christ's elect are called unto which
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I would hope today you would say that's the religion that I have been called unto Romans 1 16 through 17 says this for I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes to the
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Jew first and also to the Greek for in it and listen this is the verse that opened
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Martin Luther's eyes to see the grace of God it says this we're in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith as it is written the righteous shall live by faith that verse right there is what started the whole
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Protestant Reformation scripture is what started the Protestant Reformation scripture was the fiery furnace that that forged
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God's Church it's what we live on today is this continual reforming effect this continual reminder that it is not through going to a priest is not through saying
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Hail Mary's it's not through listening to what the priest tells you to do that you are saved but it is through what
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God's Word has told us we are saved by faith the righteous lives by faith and so today
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I would like to tell us the theme of today's message is going to be covering three things and that's one what it means to be justified to what are the works of the law and three what is faith in Christ what are those three things that we're going to be looking at so let's go ahead and read 16 again it says this nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works the law but through faith in Jesus Christ even we have believed in Christ Jesus so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works the law since by the works the law no flesh will be justified what does this word justified mean what does justification justified justifying what is this word mean the worldly definition if you were to type into Google what does justification mean is this it gives you this definition having or shown to have a just right or reasonable basis and I would argue with us today that that definition that Google spits out for us is not even close to what justification is defined in God's Word what justification is according to the
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Bible this type of worldly justification which again having or shown to have a just right or reasonable basis that Google definition this type of justification is not something that we should try to step before God and try to justify our actions based off of this is how the world thinks they they think something along the lines of this
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I can demonstrate before the living holy judge of all creation that I was right just or reasonable in my actions in my life in the way
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I behaved in the ways that I lived and therefore I should not be punished by him listen how many people and this is something
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I've seen very regularly when talking to unbelievers and I would hope that you've seen this how many of us have seen somebody say
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I'm going to heaven because I'm a good person that's almost undoubtedly the answer that is heard when you ask someone are you going to heaven or hell they'll say
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I'm going to heaven cuz I'm a good person their eyes see themselves their eyes see themselves as meeting the standards that they have made in their own mind to say
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I am good Romans 310 says no one is good no not one it's almost like if we are to go before a worldly judge to argue our case that's how the world thinks about it imagine for a moment you were in your home someone breaks in we're living
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Idaho so you grab your gun and you shoot the person you shoot and kill the intruder that has broken into your house he was facing you and he had a gun right this seems to be a justified action right that seems to be a justified response to an intruder what if the intruder that you killed was shot in the back as he was fleeing from you seems to be a little less justified right but regardless what would you still do when you go before a judge regarding that incident you would try to justify yourself you would try to justify your actions but in this instant you are the party wronged by the intruder that's how we always try to think of this
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I can justify myself because I'm the one being wronged I'm the one that I can justify my actions
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I can create a standard that I fit how about this for the example you are the intruder you have broken into the first house and you killed the homeowner the police have caught you and now you go before a judge again guess what you're going to try to do you're going to just try to justify yourself in your actions you're still going to try to make yourself the guilt the guiltless party in that instance the my neighbor wronged me
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I'm poor whatever these excuses you're going to try to justify your actions before a judge you're gonna say
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I did something that was just reasonable and right what standard they held to though what standard are we held to we make standards that we can fit and somehow try to make ourselves into the hero and morally just person in the world and in every instance that's what nature tries to do for us you can almost see this started out in the very garden brothers and sisters what is the response of Adam when
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God questions him for breaking the law it was a woman that I'm just I didn't do anything wrong it was the who you gave me that's the reason
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I fell trying to justify themselves before a holy and righteous God said
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Eve comes and what does she say it was the serpent that's how mankind behaves they try to justify themselves we try to justify ourselves before a judge we don't like to take responsibility listen that we're very serious example here in 2023 many of us probably can recall there was a school shooting done by transgender at a
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Christian Academy and let me pause here this is so pertinent because guess what just happened yesterday somebody shot at Trump and killed someone if that person had not been killed what do you think that they would try to do justify their actions how would they justify it
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Trump is a terrible being I had every right to shoot at him that's how they would try to reason that's how they would try to think through their actions but let's look at this example this 2023 example like all mass shootings we can obviously and quickly identify that the shooting was obviously get wrong and sinful right we can we can clear everyone in the world can look at these things and say this person was wrong however what do you think goes through the murderers mind about their actions they thought that they were justified they thought they were doing what was right in their own moral compass this girl in that 2023 account with the
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Christian Academy thought that since the Christian Academy taught things that were in line with the
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Bible and went against her feelings she felt she was wronged while attending the school and there therefore therefore because of her feelings she felt justified in shooting it up what about Columbine the
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Aurora theater shooting the mountain mental massacre of 1857 or the Las Vegas shooting of 2017
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I bring these examples up because they are obviously immoral horrible detestable this including every secular sense of morality people can see this is wrong however each of each of these cases involved men and women who thought that their actions were justified and why why do you think that they think that their actions were justified because they thought their actions were warranted reasonable just or right in response to how they were treated without the moral law without man submitting himself to the objective standard of God guess what man will always do make themselves into God in their own eyes and the essence of what they think truth is that's what man tries to do can we do this before a holy and just God can can you and I go before God and say
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God look at all the good things I've done this is why I did those evil things you shouldn't punish me can we do this absolutely not listen if if you were to come up here and slap me in my face this morning what do you think
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I'm gonna probably do back to you I might get angry maybe I'll slap you back maybe I don't think I probably but I would probably just stand up here in shock let's say you go slap someone out on the streets what is most likely gonna happen they're probably gonna call the cops on you what happens if you slap the cop gets there what's gonna happen to you you now go to jail let's say you slap the president of the
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United States on the face what do you think is gonna happen to you the action is the same but the the punishment changes from the the authority of who you slap in the face action the same the authority has changed the punishment therefore is different the reward you have received is different what if you slap a holy eternal
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God who is your creator maker and sustainer what do you think is going to happen an eternal
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God is going to give you an eternal punishment can we go before an eternal holy righteous
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God and say this is the reason I was slapping you because my standard said so is that gonna fly is that going to make it right in judgment day absolutely not the
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Westminster shorter catechism which is very similar to the dispersion catechism that we use as a church it asked a question what is justification let's define biblical justification brothers and sisters because we've looked how worldly justification tries to to make yourself think that you can just be just based off of what you think is right what is biblical justification this is what the
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Westminster gives us an answer it says justification is an act of God's free grace wherein he parted all of our sins and accepts us as righteous in his sight only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us and received by faith alone this is worded very very specifically for us if you would like to you can turn with me to Romans 3 22 verse 30 through 22 through 30 for this again
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Galatians 2 16 this is one of the most serious and important Bible verses that we could ever see but Romans 3 22 through 30 talks also about faith in Christ and justification it says this the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe for there is no distinction for all have sinned and fall short of the glory but I want to pause there all of us have sinned against God all of us have slapped
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God in the face we have all fallen short of his glory we have all fallen short of his standard look we can point out the obvious sins of the world and think that we are better than the obvious sins of the world at the end of the day we have all fallen short we've all fallen short of God's standard listen though what what
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Paul says here even in Romans and are just so all fall short of the glory of God and are justified by his race as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus whom
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God put forward as a propitiation by his blood to receive to be received by faith this was to show
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God's righteousness because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins it was to show his righteousness at the present time so that he might be the just and the justifier of one who has faith in Jesus then what becomes of our boasting this is the question that Paul then asked what what becomes of our boasting because think about it what is
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Paul talking about when he says boasting he's referencing the law the Pharisees the Jews guess what they could do
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I'm more holy than you I've kept the law better than you Paul says what about this kind of boasting is it excluded by what kind of law by the law of works no but by the law of faith for we hold that one is justified by faith apart listen if you have a pencil or a pen this is a great place to mark mark apart circle it show it so clearly in your
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Bibles apart from the works of the law where is God the God of Jews only is he not the
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God of Gentiles also yes of Gentiles also since God is one who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith are the
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Jews saved a different way no are the Gentiles saved a different way no there's only one way that we're saved and guess how we are through faith in Jesus Christ that's what
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Paul argues here being declared righteous before God is through faith and without distinction we are justified by the unmerited favor of God as a gift through the righteous life and propitiation of Jesus Christ this good news is received through faith and not by works the difference between the unbeliever and the believer is not that the believer is better or has done more or has lived a more holy life but instead the believer throws himself to the mercy seat of the gospel for their righteousness and a just standing before God listen we must come on to Christ through faith that narrow path that narrow gate that Christ talks about is not entered through your endurance not through your strength but it is entered through faith in Jesus Christ who is the door who is the shepherd who calls us unto him we are justified by the way the truth and the life it is not through our endurance it's not through our supposed good for our good is nothing but abomination nothing but filth in the eyes of the
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Lord listen if if for a moment you were to suppose that in your life there was not a moment you weren't sinning against God and that's why you think you should be justified imagine imagine the best most wonderful gift that you've ever received in your life you have that picture in the back of your mind maybe you were gifted when you were young a car from your parents whatever that example is and it's a gift that you were not deserving of could you imagine for a moment reaching into your pockets and grabbing one penny out and saying
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I got you I paid you back that's the type of attitude that so many supposed
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Christians have regarding righteousness of Christ the most wonderful gift that outweighs all the gifts we've ever received in this room that outweighs all of creation itself
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Jesus Christ the only good dying for us it's like us taking a penny out and saying
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I paid you back Christ that is not how you're justified so then what is the law so I listen we are justified we are reckoned with righteousness through faith meaning that you and I can go before God now in Christ Jesus being covered with his righteous life so that when
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God looks at us guess what he doesn't see he doesn't see Braden the filthy rotten sinner he looks at the believer and he says
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I see my son I see his righteousness I see a holy life now that's what justification is is that we stand before a holy
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God not based of us lowering a standard not based of us trying to reason with God but he sees the one who lived perfectly that never failed that never sinned that's what he sees when we as believers stand before God hallelujah that's justification is being able to stand before God being declared legally righteous in his own eyes not because of our own beings but because of Christ's obedience because of his imputation so within here turn back with me to Galatians 3 to excuse me 216 let's read this again because we want to memorize this today brothers and sisters and how do we memorize that we read it over again repetition repetition is key if you think for a moment that you can't memorize the
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Bible verses because you're being lazy and you can't read the Bible verse just read it over and over again you'll memorize it nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of law but through faith in Jesus Christ even we have believed in Christ Jesus so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law since by the works of the law no flesh will be justified notice in here the what what is that's the question that we need to ask what is the works of the law so we've defined what biblical justification is what is the works of the law here in verse 16
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I believe it would be best to distinguish some things before jumping right into this text regarding the law and I would argue that something
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I would argue for something in theology called the tripartite division of the law meaning that there's this three divisions of the law is essentially what
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I would argue for these three parts would be known as the moral law the ceremonial law and the judicial or civil laws is depending on how the person refers to these things so the moral law ceremonial law and civil law and the confessions that I would hold to and I would
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I would encourage us to seek theology within speaks of these three -part division of the law is this the moral law is the law that was first written on man's heart and was formally given to Moses on stone tablets in the form of the
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Ten Commandments the Ten Commandments are is the law that is over all men it's the the righteous rule of all men but then
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God specifically gave to the nation of Israel more positive law and that was the ceremonial laws that prefigured
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Christ such as a sacrifice temple works and so on and then God also gave him that so that's the ceremonial law
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God also gave to the nation of Israel positive judicial laws that were meant to order the ethnic
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Jews keep the people in the land and ultimately protect the promise of the seed who is
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Christ so there's these different when you look in the Old Testament you start looking into the law there's law that does not apply to us today at all it was meant for the nation of Israel in fact we're gonna see here in the next chapter and I believe it's in verse 15 or 16 it says that the law was until Christ and that's referencing these laws that were meant for the nation of Israel they were until Christ they're completed that the purpose of them to protect that promise seed has been accomplished
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Jesus says that that all things must be accomplished and that's exactly what happened as Christ accomplishes all things that law is no longer needed to protect the nation of Israel the ceremonial sacrifices is another really great example of that this is totally going off on a rabbit trail so I apologize
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I'll try to make it quick but in the book of Hebrews it's very clear that these ceremonial laws have ended in Christ how many of us go year after year after year to Israel and sacrifice a lamb praise
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God we don't have to do that that was a ceremonial law that has ended in Christ Jesus that's not how we start to behave in fact to obey such a law like that would actually be disobedience is what
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Hebrews is arguing for if we if we don't think that's finished work of Christ is the finished work that those those sacrifices were pointing forward to we're trampling on the blood of Christ is what
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Jesus argues or what Paul in the book of Hebrews argues now I find my place in the notes because I chased the rabbit
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I apologize but but God gave these nations positive judicial laws that were meant to to protect them as the point of this and the confession also argues which
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I am completely compelled by scripture to admit as well that the moral law is the only law that is transcendent and continues today as what binds all men to God and demonstrates our falling short of his glory the ceremonial law and the judicial law which was spoken which again will be more spoken on thoroughly in chapter three was until Christ and ceased with the nation of Israel again that moral law that those
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Ten Commandments that we're going through with the kids how many of us in this room have ever stolen in our lives that gets a hearty yes right we all have how many of us have stolen from God without even realizing it we live in his creation has there been a moment where we have been out in his creation taking in basking the air breathing the air that's who owns the air
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God owns the air can we get him back in here we are knowingly are stealing from God all the time how many times do we go out into creation and we bask in it and marvel in his creation we take something home and we don't give him thanks for it there's we still against God and each other continually is what
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I'm trying to say the moral law those Ten Commandments is what binds us to God as showing our fallenness that's the standard brothers and sisters and not one of us has ever lived up to it this moral law again according to reform tradition according to specifically
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Luther he would say that the moral law is like a mirror when you wake up in the morning and right we have that morning breath and morning hair where do we go to try to fix it we go to the mirror and we say okay
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I got a piece of hair out right there I need to get a shower most definitely you get out of the shower you dry and then you
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I'm thinking of a guy right I don't know what girls do but curl hair but you do it in a mirror right it exposes you it demonstrates to you that's what the law is like you look at the law and you say
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I have miserably fallen short of this I need to live a better life according to God's law it's like a mirror right it exposes us however the
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Judaizers in this text this is this is where this is going for us when it says the works of the law the circumcised party also known as the
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Judaizers were trying to force circumcision which is guess what a part of what law do we see circumcision in the
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Ten Commandments no but what do we see it in ceremonial and judicial law they're trying to push something that guess what was finished in Christ Jesus they're trying to take a law from the
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Old Testament that was meant for the Jews for a nation until Christ and they're taking that law and they're saying we need to put that law upon the
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Gentiles we're going to try to make and compel them to live unto something that was not ever intended nor given to them they argue that if if if you did not obey such a command ceremonial and civil law like the law of Moses is what they refer to here but circumcision you didn't live unto that law you're actually not really a
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Christian and guess what was so blasphemous in this way of thinking and saying
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Christ couldn't save you if you didn't obey the laws of Moses Christ couldn't save you if you weren't circumcised if we needed to obey the law in order for Christ to save us let me be very clear in this there would be no hope there would be no salvation and we would all be doomed to eternal hell if that's how we were saved if there was even an ounce of obedience on our side brothers and sisters what would we do fall short of the glory of God all the law from God whether it is the universal moral law or the specific precepts unto
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Israel it always demanded perfection and due to our fallen nature of being in Adam our federal head we are not able to keep the law and therefore we are doomed if the law we are doing let me be clear if this we would be doomed if the law was to be our
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Savior praise the Lord that the law is not what saves me also we need to consider what a statement like this this is this comes again a religion that I have mentioned several times and we'll mention some because Galatians is so obviously opposed against it today in the
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LDS or maybe even the Jehovah Witness they have very similar statements of this but in the LDS in 2nd
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Nephi 25 23 it says this we are saved by grace after all we can do that's like taking the pocket change and throwing it at the feet of Christ and saying
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I earn this reward me this is a grace plus works type of salvation and what is this kind of thinking of the
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Judaizers of the LDS of the Jehovah Witnesses of all the workspace religions in the world today what is this telling us about who
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Christ is what is the teaching of Christ this is where I think is the is the most abominable thing that we can think about when it comes to workspace salvation it's saying this that he is not sufficient that his atonement was not enough that the blood of Christ only did so much but it wasn't enough to save me it was not powerful enough to redeem me and that what you do what you do is what is the ultimate determining factor for your own salvation what a blasphemous thought what a blasphemous thought would anyone who supposedly know
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Christ stand at the cross as they see God and flesh suffering the wrath of sin look and say it's not enough this ultimately stems from pride and the idolization of oneself at the expense of the blood of Christ and the value of our
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God this is worshiping an idol it's worshiping our own works and first Corinthians 1014 says this flee from idolatry
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I can't emphasize this enough take again take those those Bible pens those highlighters whatever you have and then multiple times at first that Galatians 216 says this not of the works of law market over and over and over again not not by the works of law not by the works of law not by the works of law never forget that Paul is the one who's saying no one including himself
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Paul the Hebrew of Hebrews as Philippians 3 would say all and everybody never has been justified by the works of law no one has been declared righteous by their own doing
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Romans 4 2 through 8 says this for Abraham was justified by works he has something to boast about but not before God for what does
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Scripture say Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness now to the one who works his wage are not counted as a gift but as what is due and to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly his faith is counted as righteousness just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom
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God counts righteousness apart from the works blessed are those who deeds are forgiven and who sins are covered blessed is the man against whom the
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Lord will not count the only place that that someone might refer to as James chapter 2 which we don't have enough time to jump into but James chapter 2 is easily answered in the objection because in there it says a man is justified by faith is a man is justified by faith and works is essentially what it says in there however what that's talking about is again easily answered in the context of what
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James is trying to put out as he's talking about justification between man look it's really easy for anybody any one of us to say
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I have faith in Christ right each one of us would rejoice over that but could you imagine if one of us in this church was homeless was in our church naked because they couldn't afford food clothes and they were hungry because they couldn't afford food and let's just imagine myself if I said
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I have faith in Christ and I go up to that homeless person I say go home be well
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I'll pray for you and sent him on his merry way you would say
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Braden that is not a Christian behavior it's showing to you that I've not been justified it's a demonstration that works expose the fruit of that inward change of regeneration that's happened inside of us again we're not getting super down the weeds in James chapter 2 right now but Abraham was reckoned righteousness the
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Romans 4 says Abraham was reckoned righteousness through faith before any act of supposed righteousness was ever performed before he was circumcised before he attempted to offer up Isaac Abraham was reckoned righteousness he was justified
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Romans 4 says he was justified through faith so what is faith in this text what is faith here because let's look at let's look at Galatians 1 16 or 216 again nevertheless knowing a man is not justified by the works of the law but through faith faith in Jesus Christ even we have believed so faith and belief we have believed in Christ Jesus so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of law since by the works of law no flesh will be justified what is faith saving faith which
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I I'm gonna define here for a saving faith which is not like the supposed faith of non -believers that depart depart and never return is a grace that is given and granted by God to the elect of God and rests in the finished work of Christ is revealed in the
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Word of God saving faith is an unyielding supernatural trust and assurance in God this faith though may vary in strength through differing seasons will never depart the true believer as that saving faith is a gift of God and is completely different in nature to the fake faith of unbelievers
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Ephesians 289 says for by grace you have been saved through faith and this is not of your own doing it is a gift of God what is the nearest antecedent to the gift of God faith
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Paul says it's faith faith was a gift of God to you
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Philippians 129 for it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake so so Paul and Philippians he says not only has your faith been granted but your suffering it's been granted to you
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God is the one that has given this to you Hebrews 11 one says this now faith is the assurance of things hoped for the conviction of things not seen assurance that our sins has been paid and paid for is what that's referencing in there 1st
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John 5 13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God listen brothers and sisters do we believe in the name of the
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Son of God this is this is Paul right or John writing this to us that you may know that you have eternal life saving faith that we possess is a faith that has been granted to us in regeneration it is a trusting assurance in the grace of God it is a conviction of the propitiation of Jesus Christ and his gospel and it is effectual unto salvation because its place is in the
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God -man Jesus alone the saving faith this saving faith is how the righteous man will live that's what compelled
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Martin Luther in Romans 117 from faith for faith the righteous man will live by faith so what is the conclusion of all these things brothers and sisters we must conclude that Paul was condemning the
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Judaizers of his day by proclaiming the doctrine of salvation which is we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone according to scripture alone and this is all for God's glory alone the
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Judaizers supposedly believed in grace faith they supposedly believed in Christ they supposedly believed in scripture especially the
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Old Testament texts as they argued for circumcision and they even believe that God should be glorified however what did they lack what did the
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Judaizers lack they lack the sufficient means of those doctrines they believed in grace but not grace alone they believed in faith but not faith alone they believed in Christ but not
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Christ alone they believed in scripture but they deny the apostles and guess what they meant they they then therefore denied scripture alone they in the worship of God but because of they wanting to justify themselves with works then that they could then therefore go and boast of they denied
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God's glory alone think of all the religions today that follow suit in this this is the importance of the
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Reformers and denying the Roman Catholic Church think of all the false religions here that would deny the words spoken to us in Galatians 2 16 and I would beg run from such of these have faith alone in Christ have confidence that you've been saved by his grace alone and this is according to God's Word alone and is it to your glory to your praise to your honor to your endurance to your goodness no it's
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God's glory alone let this trust this assurance this faith mold your life and influence those around us today and I want to finish out by telling this to us