Justified by Faith: Stand Before God as if You Never Sinned
Dr RJ Sing, 17 min, Part 1 of Resting in the Righteousness of God
Originally preached as “Resting in the Righteousness of God, Part 1”
Sermon outline
You are made righteous and justified by faith in what Jesus did, not by your works, so you can stand before God as if you had never sinned and reign in life.
Main text
- Romans 5:12-21
Opening
He asks the church to turn to Romans and says he wants to share fourteen scriptures on resting in the righteousness of God in one long session that evening. He tells them to write the scriptures down, highlight them and meditate on them, so that when they deal with the devil or awkward situations they will know who they are.
The free gift of grace: God's willingness to get involved in your affairs
Grace is the free gift: you don't deserve it and you can't work for it. It is God's willingness to be involved in whatever you face, lifting you in weakness, becoming your wisdom and giving you solutions to your problems.
“In other words, the grace of God is God's willingness to get involved in your affairs.”
- Romans 5:12-15
Justified: declared righteous before God
Justification means you are declared righteous, free and justified before God because of the blood of Jesus. When the devil reminds you of your past, remind him that your sin is under the blood and removed as far as the east is from the west. So when you pray, forget about your past.
Illustration: When the devil brings up what you have done, remind him that he has a future to reckon with God and that your sin is not his business.
“In other words, when you stand in the presence of God, it is like you have not ever sinned in your whole life.”
- Romans 5:16
- Psalm 103:12
Called to reign in life
Those who receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life: every circumstance is under your feet. By one act of Jesus all were justified, so we pray, fast and tithe because that is what righteous people do, not to become righteous. Salvation costs nothing; religion twisted us into thinking we had to earn right standing with God.
Illustration: An imagined conversation with God: 'Well, how much does it cost, Lord? Nothing. What must I do? Nothing. Who must I see? Nobody.'
“There's nothing you can ever do to become more righteous.”
- Romans 5:17-21
Righteousness is received by faith, not by the works of the law
No one is justified by the deeds of the law; the righteousness of God comes by faith in Jesus Christ, which is simply believing what God said. Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness, while Israel stumbled because it sought righteousness by works. The Word is a mirror: the more you declare what God says about you, the more you receive it.
Illustration: He has the church tell their neighbours that if they believe, they are justified, and tells them to say it like they mean it: if you don't learn to talk in church, you'll never learn to talk back to the devil.
“There's only one way to be declared the righteousness of God. It's to just believe what God says about you in the scripture.”
- Romans 3:20-31
- Romans 4:1-3
- James 1:23-25
- Romans 9:30-33
A righteousness that exceeds the scribes and Pharisees
The scribes and Pharisees were very righteous by works, so your righteousness can never exceed theirs by works; it exceeds theirs only by faith in Jesus Christ. Christians who run from pressure do not know who they are in Christ, but when you understand who you are, the devil and circumstances are beaten, just as Jesus spoke to the storm and to the fish.
Illustration: The Pharisees criticised Jesus as a glutton and a wine bibber, accused His disciples of not fasting, and objected when He healed on the Sabbath.
“If you just understand who you are, the devil is whipped, circumstances are whipped.”
- Matthew 5:20
- Matthew 11:19
- Mark 4:39
- Matthew 17:27
Putting it into practice
- Write down the scriptures, highlight them and meditate on them.
- When you pray, forget your past: you stand before God justified.
- Keep praying, fasting and tithing because you are righteous, not to become righteous.
- Declare aloud what God's Word says about you.
Closing
The recording ends mid-teaching, as he describes Jesus speaking to the storm and to the fish; the session continues in Part 2.
Declarations he led
- Grace is reigning in my life.
- If you believe, you're justified.
- I'm the righteousness of God.
- I'm justified.
- I'm just like Christ.
- I'm just like God.
In his words
- “The grace of God is God's willingness to get involved in your affairs.”
- “When you stand in the presence of God, it is like you have not ever sinned in your whole life.”
- “God's called us to reign in life.”
- “If you don't learn to talk in church, you'll never learn to talk to the devil.”
- “There's nothing you can ever do to become more righteous.”
Every scripture in this message
- Romans 5:12-21
- Psalm 103:12
- Romans 3:20-31
- Romans 4:1-3
- James 1:23-25
- Romans 9:30-33
- Matthew 5:20
- Matthew 11:19
- Mark 4:39
- Matthew 17:27
