Made Righteous to Live Righteously (JICC)
Sermon Notes
Key Passage: Romans 3:21-31
Proverbs 31:8
Slave Market Redemption (v. 24)
Temple Sacrifice (v. 25)
Law Court Justice (v. 26)
Righteous = right with God, justified
Propitiation = mercy seat, atonement sacrifice, sacrifice for sin
Jean Valjean: Why are you doing this?
Priest: Jean Valjean, my brother, you no longer belong to evil. With this silver, I’ve bought your soul. I’ve ransomed you from fear and hatred. And now I give you back to God!
What can wash away our sins?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make us whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
—Robert Lowry
“Now in one hours time I will be out there again. I will raise my eyes and look down that corridor, 4 feet wide, with 10 lonely seconds to justify my whole existence. But will I?” —Harold Abrahams, in the movie Chariots of Fire
"The voice that spells forgiveness will say: “You may go; you have been let off the penalty which your sin deserves.’ But the verdict which means acceptance (justification) will say: “you may come; you are welcome to all my love and my presence.” —Sir Marcus Loane, The Surpassing Excellence
If you boast in your strength, your confidence will always be fragile. On days when you feel capable, you will feel bold; on days when you feel weak, you will feel ashamed and defeated.
If you boast in your family, or in the success and spirituality of your children, you will turn their lives into a verdict on your own worth. Their success will inflate you; their failures will crush you.
If you boast in your ethnicity, nationality, work ethic, or accomplishments, you will need someone beneath you in order to feel good about yourself. Your identity will depend not just on being something, but on being better than someone else.
If you boast in your morality and good works, you will become severe with others and merciful with yourself. You will be quick to notice the sins of others and slow to face the pride and self-love in your own heart.
If you boast in being respected and admired, you will live for the eyes of others. Praise will be your life, and being ignored will feel like a kind of death.
If you boast in Christ …
Proverbs 31:8
Slave Market Redemption (v. 24)
Temple Sacrifice (v. 25)
Law Court Justice (v. 26)
Righteous = right with God, justified
Propitiation = mercy seat, atonement sacrifice, sacrifice for sin
Jean Valjean: Why are you doing this?
Priest: Jean Valjean, my brother, you no longer belong to evil. With this silver, I’ve bought your soul. I’ve ransomed you from fear and hatred. And now I give you back to God!
What can wash away our sins?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make us whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
—Robert Lowry
“Now in one hours time I will be out there again. I will raise my eyes and look down that corridor, 4 feet wide, with 10 lonely seconds to justify my whole existence. But will I?” —Harold Abrahams, in the movie Chariots of Fire
"The voice that spells forgiveness will say: “You may go; you have been let off the penalty which your sin deserves.’ But the verdict which means acceptance (justification) will say: “you may come; you are welcome to all my love and my presence.” —Sir Marcus Loane, The Surpassing Excellence
If you boast in your strength, your confidence will always be fragile. On days when you feel capable, you will feel bold; on days when you feel weak, you will feel ashamed and defeated.
If you boast in your family, or in the success and spirituality of your children, you will turn their lives into a verdict on your own worth. Their success will inflate you; their failures will crush you.
If you boast in your ethnicity, nationality, work ethic, or accomplishments, you will need someone beneath you in order to feel good about yourself. Your identity will depend not just on being something, but on being better than someone else.
If you boast in your morality and good works, you will become severe with others and merciful with yourself. You will be quick to notice the sins of others and slow to face the pride and self-love in your own heart.
If you boast in being respected and admired, you will live for the eyes of others. Praise will be your life, and being ignored will feel like a kind of death.
If you boast in Christ …
- If you boast in Christ, you do not need to justify your existence, because God has justified you by grace (Rom. 3:24).
- If you boast in Christ, you do not need to feel superior to anyone else, because all have sinned, all fall short, and all boasting is excluded (Rom. 3:23, 27).
- If you boast in Christ, you do not have to be crushed by failure or hide from repentance, because you are justified by faith apart from works (Rom. 3:26, 28).
Weekly Reading
Monday: Exodus 35, Mark 14
Tuesday: Exodus 36-37
Wednesday: Exodus 38, Mark 15
Thursday: Exodus 39, Mark 16
Friday: Exodus 40, Luke 1
Saturday: Psalm 35-36, Proverbs 8
Sunday: 2 Samuel 23-24, 1 Kings 1-6
Tuesday: Exodus 36-37
Wednesday: Exodus 38, Mark 15
Thursday: Exodus 39, Mark 16
Friday: Exodus 40, Luke 1
Saturday: Psalm 35-36, Proverbs 8
Sunday: 2 Samuel 23-24, 1 Kings 1-6
Discussion Questions
3DQ - 3 discipleship questions to ask each other: What is God saying to you? What are you going to do about it? How can I help?
What are some things people boast about besides Christ?
(Strength, family, morality, success, ethnicity, nationality, reputation, being admired) Where do you see the tendency to boast or “justify yourself” in everyday life?
Which picture of the gospel helps you most right now: redemption from slavery, sacrifice in the temple, or justification in the courtroom? Why?
Why is it important that God is both “just” and the “justifier” of the one who has faith in Jesus? How does the cross show that God did not ignore sin, but dealt with it fully?
How does boasting in Christ destroy both pride and despair? Why does the gospel humble us on the one hand and make us deeply secure on the other?
What would it look like this week to live as someone who is already accepted by God in Christ? How would that change the way you handle failure, repentance, relationships, or people who are different from you?
What are some things people boast about besides Christ?
(Strength, family, morality, success, ethnicity, nationality, reputation, being admired) Where do you see the tendency to boast or “justify yourself” in everyday life?
Which picture of the gospel helps you most right now: redemption from slavery, sacrifice in the temple, or justification in the courtroom? Why?
Why is it important that God is both “just” and the “justifier” of the one who has faith in Jesus? How does the cross show that God did not ignore sin, but dealt with it fully?
How does boasting in Christ destroy both pride and despair? Why does the gospel humble us on the one hand and make us deeply secure on the other?
What would it look like this week to live as someone who is already accepted by God in Christ? How would that change the way you handle failure, repentance, relationships, or people who are different from you?
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