Romans 3:21-31, Manage Your Expectations, Dr. John Carpenter

Romans chapter 3 verses 21 to 31. Hear the word of the Lord. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law. Although the law and the prophets bear witness to it. 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 of God and are justified by his grace as a gift. Through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood to be received by faith.

This was to show 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 just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Then what becomes of our boasting it is excluded by what kind of law? By a law of works. No, but by a law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only is he not the God of Gentiles?

Also, yes of Gentiles also since God is one he will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then overthrow the law by this faith. By no means. On the contrary we uphold the law.

May the Lord add his blessings to the reading of his Holy Word. Well, have you ever expected some bad news and then been pleasantly surprised? Maybe you took your car to the mechanic and expected it to need some really costly repairs.

You're wondering you've got to replace the whole car and all it needed wasn't an oil change. Maybe you had something on your skin. You have some some growth and you expected it to be cancer and the dermatologist looks at it and says us just a freckle.

When I broke my leg, I was told to expect a lot of pain. I was really literally told that expect a lot of pain and I was prescribed 40 Oxycodone pills which are heavy-duty opiates for the expected pain.

And I guess if I used all them I could get refills and I was given that I thought man I'm gonna have to need all this. Plus and if I take all this I'll probably end up addicted to it and then I'll have to go through withdrawal from it.

Which will also be very unpleasant. Now being given that large container of a painkiller pills was the scariest part of the whole ordeal. But much to my surprise. I only needed to take seven of them. I had much less pain than expected.

My expectations of much pain Made the very little pain Seemed like a blessing. Your expectations determine whether you'll be disappointed or caught off guard or shocked or very pleasantly surprised. When I left Alabama for California, I Didn't expect earthquakes, you know, I knew theoretically that they existed, but I hadn't Expected them to actually occur because you know up to that time my whole experience of life.

The one thing you can expect is that the ground is stable. I was startled to learn that what we are standing on can be shaken like a bowl of jello. Once I expected them though, sometimes they recur. Okay, just an earthquake another you can really do about it.

Anyway, when I first went to Singapore, I expected people to bow a lot. Then I learned it's not really a Chinese thing. They don't really bow. That's more Japanese. Now I knew theoretically that I would be a minority there when I went there.

But I didn't know what it would be like to go months. Without even seeing another white person when I'd go months and the only white person I saw except for maybe on TV Was in the mirror. I Didn't expect to learn that I wasn't even considered a white person for that matter.

The Chinese term for people like me there is on mo Red person or literally red hair, but I don't have red hair. He called me red hair for a redhead. I'm not redheaded, but whatever. I didn't expect how how different it would be because my expectations hadn't been hadn't been expanded.

When I went to Ethiopia, I didn't expect what real poverty would look like Americans you talk about poverty. You think I mean you got to ride the bus you got to be on welfare. You know, you can't afford a big TV can't afford one of those stainless steel refrigerators.

Just a regular for that's why we think when You say poverty that's not about real poverty. I didn't expect how it would make me appreciate just little things like ice cream TV. When I went to Chicago, I you know, I knew it's gonna be cold.

But I didn't expect what it would be like to be really cold through the winter. You know, we don't have real winter. We have little we have a cool period where there's little few days where it gets real cold and then I'll go back to cool.

That's that's it's a lot colder there and that really makes you when you're up there. It really makes you appreciate spring. We've got to manage our expectations manager expectations about people if you get married.

See we're sold this to about people or think about marriage and romance that that if you get married this new spouse. It could be your soulmate as the the answer to all your dreams your secret to happiness.

And if that's what you expect, you're likely to be very disappointed when you find out that this other person is human, too. Alexander Pope said blessed is he who expects nothing. For he shall never be disappointed.

But that's not really possible. No one can expect nothing. We're wired to have Expectations. So the more practical advice these days is to manage your expectations. Expect what's real. Not just what you want.

Now some people expect the Bible to comfort their their ego. Tell them what they want to hear. I've heard people I've had people tell me preach the word brother and when I do. They're often very disappointed when the word turns out to say something very different than what they've expected.

The proud the proper Religious person expects that the word will bolster his pride will remind him of how much better off he is. Than that improper riffraff who wear their pants too low and use bad words and get drunk and are immoral.

They are sure that they deserve better than that. That's why Paul has begun to unveil the gospel like he has starting in chapter 1 verse 18 there He began saying that in the gospel Contrary to most of our expectations the anger of God is revealed.

That's the first thing you got to keep in mind to manage your expectations. God is holy and so he is angry at the ungodliness. That is the hearts that are turned away from him hearts that are not that do not love him that are not about God that aren't seeking him and Then the exchanging because that's the way their hearts are they then exchange the truth about God for the lies.

They want to believe ungodliness leads to Unrighteousness. The gospel begins by completely overturning our Expectations. The good news begins by telling us the bad news. Now for two chapters Paul has shown both the depravity and the equality that is that is all are equally depraved.

All as he sums it up in verse 23 here have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. He concludes that none are righteous. No, not one that no one has a heart with a worshipful reverence for God. This there is equality and depravity resulting in all Being condemned now the purpose of that.

That's for two Unrelenting chapters of taking away every defense every excuse every. Every thought that I have an advantage with God because I've done this and so or I'm born into this nation. The purpose of that was to manage Expectations as long as people expect that either they are good.

Or that they have an excuse because they've done doesn't so they have an advantage because they're born into this ethnic group or that God. Maybe they expect God's just laying it. He's just kind of a tolerant kind of guy and he will he won't punish sin.

He may be wishes we didn't sin, but hold on up just kind of winking and shrugging his shoulders and saying ah shucks. You're so cute. I can't resist you and then if that's what they expect then they cannot understand the good news.

They expect if they expect to be accepted without change.

They're.

In for a surprise and so Paul is the first two chapters really three chapters of Romans is managing adjusting our expectations. It's like a patient going to the doctor Expecting to get a clean bill of health just to check up gonna tell me I'm fine or maybe it worse.

He'll tell me I need to lose a little weight and I need to get some more exercise and cut back on the fried foods. It's what he expects. Going to the doctor, but instead the doctor comes in and tells him you've got cancer.

You have a couple months to live. Unless you get the treatment The cancer can be treated you can go into remission and the you the patient can have many more years of life but if you the patient Refused to accept the diagnosis. You're just expecting a clean bill of health.

You just what what you're this is. This is not what I expect. I refuse to even believe it if that's the attitude You won't accept the treatment. If you just but if you or the patient will just let that diagnosis cancer a soon coming death.

Let that transform Your expectations. I'm not healthy after all. The idea that I was was a delusion. I was wrong. I'm dying. Then when the doctor says but but now There's a treatment. Oh That will be that'll be good news.

That'll be great news. Paul has been managing our expectations for for two gloomy Unrelenting chapters we are sinful. We're depraved without any excuse or advantage and God is angry. He is just he's got of justice.

He is holy and he will punish our sins what Paul is called in these chapters the day of wrath. So we are indeed in the words of that famous Jonathan Edwards sermon sinners in the hands of an angry God and once we accept that.

Diagnosis.

Once our expectations have been transformed managed really to reality We expect God's volcano like anger. We expect severity. We expect punishment eternal damnation.

Once we expect that.

Then the two greatest words. We couldn't have expected.

But.

Now.

To get us through that unexpected good news. Paul takes us to four Places. My expectations were changed in four places in California and Singapore and Ethiopia Chicago. Here Paul takes us to four places to change our expectations.

First the court. Then the marketplace then the altar and finally the stage. First there's the court. The court is where do you expect justice to be meted out? It's what courts are for. Give justice. Give righteous people the justice.

They deserve. Give Evildoers what they deserve. A righteous judge gives out Justice. If we've been paying attention from chapter 1 verse 18 we expect for us That justice to be severe. We know the verdict is guilty.

We know we're guilty. And so the just punishment will be. Condemnation if we you know, if we come to court knowing that you deserve condemnation, you know, you're guilty, you know, you did the crime you expect Condemnation then in verse 21 We're coming to court Knowing we're guilty.

But now.

We are to our surprise to our shock our delight declared.

Not guilty.

We are Right with God contrary to the only what we thought was the only logical expectation the righteousness of God. That is a right relationship with God has been he says there has been that's a perfect tense.

It's a completed action. It's accomplished it's done in the past it has been Manifested manifest means it's been shown been demonstrated. That is the right relationship with God can now be Seen you can see it.

You see it in Jesus and it is without the law that is without us having to do. Anything without we could translate we can interpret it as without legalism without our works without our earning it. It's not as though we were good people that came in and got the justice we deserve.

We were bad people and we got what we didn't deserve and that's just shocks our expectations. How did that happen? Well, the Old Testament told us that it was coming. He says in verse 21. We're in court.

The law and the prophets they take the stand we're on trial. All right, the prosecution bringing up the law and the prophets which his term is what we would call the Old Testament the Word of God and The Word of God comes forward testifies to two things first testifies to our sin.

That we really are guilty. Remember it quoted those seven quotes from the first part of chapter three. None is righteous. No, not one and that includes you. So it's testifying against us. So we expect Condemnation, this is a hard witness against us.

But second thing. It testifies it's on the stand and the witness stand testifying about us. It's the Word of God testifies something took we didn't expect that. There's a way to be right with God not by keeping the law which we've already broken.

It's too late for us to do that. But in verse 22 through and That preposition is very important through. Don't say by. Just through faith in Jesus. Doesn't say by faith that somehow we save ourselves.

By agreeing with the right doctrines, but through faith that his faith is the pipeline through which God delivers this surprising verdict the salvation. Like if you get your paycheck through the mail.

You get it through the man, you know get it by the mailman. He's not signing your check. I don't think It's not that the postman is is the one paying you. He's just the means he's the way Through which the pay comes to you faith is the way that God delivers his salvation to you here.

The analogy is legal. Again, we're in a courtroom. That's the place. We're guilty. We're on trial. We deserve condemnation now, we know that right not as not as righteous. No, not one that includes us.

But now.

Unexpectedly. The judge declares us not guilty. Innocent. How did that happen? Well, the Old Testament looks forward to the Old Testament is giving testimony first. It told us we're showed us were guilty, but then it gives a testimony to another one.

It testifies behold Behold me to look at observe behold my servant in Isaiah. That is in what Jesus Christ did the right relationship with God was was exhibited. He was shown now in trials. So where we are we're in court we're in trials.

Tangible evidence. Evidence you can see. Given to the judge it's called is it exhibits? Right exhibit number one the exhibits manifest or they show something.

Here.

Christ in Christ is the exhibit of how to be right with God and it is accomplished that rightness being declared not guilty is Accomplished and is done and over with. In Christ because of Christ the relationship with God is for and this is this.

What Christ did is for. Not just one ethic group. Not just one kind of people because they're inherited because they're descended from Abraham or somebody but in verse 22 It's for all who believe. That is for all believers.

That is faith marks you out. It's the sign is is one of the ones for whom Christ died. Okay before all believers. And he says for there is no distinction no distinction between Jews and Gentiles. Far from the Old Testament being only for the Jews and not for us the law and the prophets.

It shows us that God's way of salvation through Christ is for all people. That's certainly Not what we expected.

Is it?

Now this right relationship with God is what in theology is called Justification. Now that's a legal term when you'd expect to hear in a courtroom and that's where we are. We're in a courtroom. So we hear this legal term justification.

We come to court expecting condemnation. Expect guilty because we know we're guilty. Expect guilty since it's to death. But now we hear the opposite justification. Not guilty. You're free to go.

How.

Imagine if you were on trial for your life, you know, you're guilty. You're standing there. You know, you did it. You know, the evidence against you is ironclad. It's on it's been exhibited. There's no doubt about it.

And instead you hear but now. Not guilty. You're free to go.

How?

It says in verse 24 justified that is made right made not guilty by his grace. He did it for you not because there anything you did and just in case we that's just clear enough. Cuz we always have a way of trying.

Well, maybe we are in disgrace. Well, if you earned it's not really grace, but that's the point the people that's the way people think it just in case somehow. You think you can earn it? By his grace.

He writes as a gift. He's just bearing down on that when he says bit as a gift because it's kind of redundant just just to be clear. This grace didn't come about because anything you did. This is justification.

This is the surprise we get in God's courtroom. Now being a legal term. It doesn't just mean forgiveness. It includes that but it really goes far beyond it. If God merely forgave sin, then he would be an unjust judge.

Why do you think about it a judge who has a horrible criminal come before him and just lets the criminal go free. They're free to go. Because I'm just kind of a lenient and easygoing guy. No punishment, that's an unjust judge.

He's a bad judge. He doesn't care about justice. Indeed the Bible condemns such judges in Proverbs chapter 17 verse 15 he justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the Lord.

So the Old Testament then it gives evidence in court. First against us that we have sinned and none is righteous. No, not one that God is holy that he takes sin seriously. And then it must be punished and so we being wicked be being guilty expect condemnation.

We are a court. We're convinced that we're guilty. Our guilt is it just winked at it's not just excuse. Like like a burp some people think that God takes sin like that. Like we take burps or else God would be unjust yet.

Our guilt is placed on someone else. Who has no guilt of his own on Jesus? Who had no condemnation of his own to have to bear so there's a switching of verdicts. We come in with guilt expecting and deserving.

Condemnation.

Jesus comes in with no guilt. And we have his righteousness put on us and our guilt put on him. So we leave. We hear the verdict not guilty. You're free to go. We leave in a good relationship with God.

The judge and Jesus left for the cross condemned. Our sin was punished as we expected. Just not by us. We weren't punished. Something totally unexpected.

But now.

There is justification amazing our expectations. Behold the man upon a cross. My guilt upon his shoulders. It was my sin that held him there. Until it was accomplished. His dying breath has brought me life.

I know That it is finished. Well, the second place God takes us is the marketplace. Now it's not Only the kind of marketplace we're used to with only things for sale. But the older marketplace where there would also be captives for sale slaves on the auction block human beings in chains sold like cattle and We're not there to buy or sell.

We're there as the slaves. We're the ones being bought and sold. We're the merchandise and this marketplace. We're captives of our own sin. We're in bondage. Having been given over remember chapter 1 given over to our passions to do the will of our master.

Sin. Satan self were dragged up to the block. We're in chains sin makes a bid. Satan's offer something self that's the pride of life the willful insistence that I will be like God I'll declare what's right for me.

Shouts out another bid. We're helpless not to be bought and enslaved by one or all of these. That's the marketplace. Where now we see after two chapters of laying our sin out our sinfulness Exposed laying it all out that we are slaves.

And so we expect now to be bought and.

Sold.

By sin.

But now.

But now our bidding sin and Satan himself is.

The Savior.

Making an offer they can't match. He offers up his own blood in this marketplace. The money he pays for us is his own blood. What a surprise. We did not expect that. We're bought out of bondage by the man on the cross.

Our expectation was slavery.

But now.

We've experienced redemption in verse 24. Now redemption is the act of buying a slave out of bondage to set him free. It means simply to buy back to pay a ransom. It's a business term one you expect to hear at a marketplace here.

We've been purchased with the highest price That could be offered. The price magnifies the marvel of the free grace is Not through not through any price that we that we can pay. We could not pay it. But it was paid for us.

It's the costly price that Christ paid in order that grace might flow. To set us free. Yes, grace is free for us. But it cost Jesus everything. Why should I gain from his reward. I cannot give an answer.

But this I know with all my heart. His wounds have paid my ransom. The third place He takes us.

It's to the altar.

The kind of altar you'd find it at a temple where live. Sacrifices were offered. It's a bloody.

Altar.

Now that shouldn't be a surprise after all we now expect Anger in our sins. The anger of God is being revealed. We've had our expectations overturned. We've realized that we deserve anger that the day of wrath is coming and we expect to suffer on it.

It's coming against us. We are liable to punishment. The demands of justice must be met. The wages of sin is death and we're led to the altar fully expecting to have to pay that price. Human conscience across history across cultures Have has expected to pay a high price.

All kinds of people over all history kind of just know that We owe a price that we have to pay and here's an altar. We're trying to pay it somehow God or the gods We just kind of feel are angry and we've got to placate them somehow.

We've got to do something to assuage that anger now. Some would offer human sacrifices and second Kings chapter 3 the as the Israelites are besieging Moab and appear to be on the verge of A total victory the king of Moab offers his own son as a human sacrifice.

The Israelites seem to have been just so stunned by that That they withdrew they saw that and thought well. Maybe the Moabites God's gonna be on their side. We can't win so they left the Moabite King believed his gods were angry with him.

And so he offered the greatest sacrifice he could. The Aztecs in Mexico believe that their gods were often angry at them and So offered an enormous number of human sacrifices on their pyramid there. Some think perhaps over 20 ,000 people were sacrificed there a year.

All to assuage the anger of false gods they sensed. He sensed rightly that there was something against them that demanded blood. And they were right. But not realizing that their bloodiness Only made that anger hotter and hotter With every person they killed.

Now today many people think the idea of an angry God is primitive and barbaric. They expect God to be like the fictional one in the footprints poem when they can complain to Kind of disrespectfully that he wasn't there in the stormy parts of life only to hear him sweetly explain That he was carrying them through those storms.

They expect that God Accepts them as they are that he carries them through storms. Not that he controls those storms for his purposes. And it's normal today for us to hear people talk about God's reckless love.

Apparently for everyone even singing songs about how the cross shows how much we are worth. We're just a good investment, you know I was just smart to see how much we're worth rather than showing how much punishment their sin deserves such people don't expect To hear about their depravity about God's anger being revealed about a day of wrath in which the fury that God has stored up against.

The sins of people will be finally let loose. They expect to be accepted as they are and expect God Not to be holy. They need to manage their expectations with Scripture. God is a just and holy God is Angry at rebels.

Psalm 2 says that the Lord speaks to people in his wrath. He terrifies them in his fury that his son the anointed one will break his enemies with a rod of iron you smash them in pieces and So we had better honor and love him or he will be angry and we will perish.

Manage your expectations with that and then manage your expectations with what you've seen in the last two chapters here in Romans. That we are not righteous. No, not one of us and we're brought to the altar now.

Now expecting condemnation Brought to the bloody altar. And so now we expect like the Moabites like the Aztecs to have our blood be spilt on that altar.

But now.

Something we didn't expect. Here at the altar where we expect Anger we get. Propitiation in verse 25.

Now that's an unusual word.

Propitiation means appeasing. Anger means turning anger into favor. The act of making someone Here God happy with you who was rightfully angry with you. That's what alters are for to assuage God's anger.

They are places where God's just anger at us is dealt with so we can then be seen as Pleasing to him. To God. And people the world over have given their lives are often the lives of other people. To find a way to do that, but now Paul says in verse 25 Contrary to our expectations to have find that we have another way that we find a way to do that.

But now Paul says in verse 25 Contrary to our expectations God has set forth God has presented The sacrifice on the altar for our sins. We didn't do it. We expect we expect now to have to offer the sacrifice.

You know, we expect you to do enough religious works give enough money go to church enough to be moral enough. Whatever it is. Some people give their whole lives. If we do that somehow we can dissuade God's anger in be pleasing to him.

That's what we expect but he says but now to our amazement God offers the sacrifice. He offers the propitiation for his own anger. Now in verse 25 God sets forth the propitiation. God makes the sacrifice.

To appease his own anger.

God.

Appease God For our propitiation and that's what we find. At the altar. We've been brought to the altar and instead our blood being there the blood of Jesus is there. Jesus is presented as the sacrifice to take away the anger that we deserved and So we get the favor bought there through faith.

We cling to what he did for us and that then puts us right with him. The English Puritan John Bunyan wrote in his famous grace abounding to the chief of sinners as I was walking up and down in the house as a man in the most woeful state.

Because he was aware of his own sins. He's being convicted of his own sins expected the anger of God against him. That word of God took hold of my heart. You are justified freely by his grace Through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

But oh what a turn it made upon me. Now as I once awakened out of some troublesome sleep and dream and listening to the heavenly sentence I was as if I had heard it thus expounded to me sinner. You think that because of your sins and weaknesses, I cannot save your soul.

But behold, my son is by me and upon him I look and not on you and Will deal with you. According as I am pleased.

With him.

That's what we find on the altar.

His blood.

Not ours.

Favor.

Not.

Anger. The fourth place The Lord takes us Is to the stage starting the second half of verse 25. Stages are where you look to see things presented to see demonstrations to see shows. And We would expect from what we've seen on the stage of the last three chapters to see our sin.

To see our punishment see us being punished. That's the display We would expect to be put on the stage in chapter 2. Has told us that the thoughts of our hearts will be laid bare for all to see. And Even if we've managed to put up a good front And we've kept the rules most of the time as best we could we stay faithful to one spouse.

We've not stolen We've not been consumed by dishonorable passions. He wrote about in chapter 1. Still Thoughts of our heart are laid bare on stage. We they will be displayed and we'll be ashamed because all will see That even if we didn't commit adultery.

We lusted.

Even if we didn't steal We coveted. Even if we didn't kill We hated. Even if we went to church and we gave to the offering We didn't really love God. And so we come to the stage Expecting to see our sin and our guilt.

Demonstrated put on display for the world to see for a show.

Of.

Our shame.

But now.

They're on stage.

We see instead the righteousness of God God's justice and Expected the justice but and his justification of us sinners simultaneously displayed in the middle of verse 25. This the Justification in his court the redemption in his marketplace the propitiation on his altar was to show not our disgrace but his grace.

The cross demonstrates That God is a just judge. That he didn't merely he didn't really just get lenient kind of mellow out and excuse criminals. But that he has made provision for the punishment of every sin.

Without the cross the justification of the unjust Would be unjustified. It would be immoral without the cross just to let sins go. So it would be impossible. Forgiveness without the cross would be nothing but inexcusable Irresponsibility.

A holy perfect. God could not do it. Understand. A holy perfect. God would not just excuse our sins without the cross. And so in the cross God demonstrates that as he puts on his show for the whole world to see.

Both.

His justice that he doesn't let sin simply slide and What we didn't expect that He can justify sinners. In verse 26 the cross demonstrates that is it is the show it is the presentation that God is simultaneously.

Just and.

The justifier. So we came to the stage expecting a display of our sins of our guilt of our slavery of God's anger his holiness and his Perfection and yes, we got that but astounding our expectations. We got much more but now.

Justification redemption Propitiation and compassion.

Then on the stage.

He demonstrates three truths about such a great salvation for verse verses 27 to 31 first. What about boasting? What can you boast about now on stage. Well, it is excluded it's prohibited. There's no room for that on the stage.

The cross and the resurrection takes up all the room. There isn't any room left on the stage. For our taking credits why. Because that that pleasant surprise. You know like not having a lot of pain after breaking your leg.

That pleasant surprise that unexpected salvation that justification redemption. Propitiation compassion comes to those who simply have faith to the believers. To those who have faith in Jesus, that's the only the only law.

There from verse 27 To 31. The law the principle the dynamic at work. The law the principle that were saved through faith by grace.

So we believe.

Not boast. I Will not boast in anything. No gifts, no power. No wisdom, but I will boast in Jesus Christ his death and Resurrection. Second we see demonstrated that God is the only God for everyone. Now some have This recurring expectation that they have an advantage with God because because he's their God.

Somehow they were born into the right ethnic group the right family. So we think kind of inherited him. But we see on stage God in God's courtroom on that marketplace at the altar that faith from beginning to end.

For everyone is the one way that we can be saved. Now people today are offended By the idea that there's only one way you tell people there's only one way to be saved. They're offended by that. Their expectation is they can be saved any way they want to.

But once you've had your expectations managed by Romans 1 to 3 the surprising the amazing thing Then is that there is any way to salvation and that way for everyone is believing in Jesus. Finally on the stage.

You see the law.

Fulfilled that is the promises of the Old Testament. Now some had wrongly read it though the Old Testament the law of God from Moses as a way to give them an advantage. They keep the law then they God owes them something and they think it works like that.

They think that's the principle at work a way to save themselves.