You Have Been Justified!

You take your Bibles and turn if you would to Romans chapter three. You have to pardon me if I stumble over some of the words this morning. I left home and I brought my sermon for which I was glad but I forgot my Sunday school book and I forgot the CD that had the PowerPoint and I forgot my glasses. So, it's been an interesting morning. I got my Bible with slightly bigger print.

So, I should do alright without the glasses today. Yes. It's alright. I have a little bit of astigmatism. So, it it only helps so much.

That's alright. I'm good. Romans chapter three and we are going to read verses 19 through 28. Verses 19 to 28. Last two weeks, we've looked at two aspects of our salvation.

First, is is that word itself. Salvation. We've been saved. We've been saved from what? We've been saved from sin and hell.

We have been rescued through Jesus Christ, our savior and if you know Christ as your savior today, you have been saved and praise God that Jesus did that for us. He rescued us when we could not rescue ourselves. Secondly, last week, we looked at the word redeemed, redeemed. We have been redeemed. We were in bondage, in slavery to sin, and sins penalty.

Christ has redeemed us. He bought us back with his blood. With his sacrifice. Reconciled us to God. That verse we read first Peter three eighteen a few moments ago reminds us of that and also connects that doctrine redemption.

With the doctrine this morning that we're going to look at that of justification. All of these words describe the relationship that we have with God through faith in his son, Jesus Christ. We have been saved, redeemed, and this morning, we have been justified. Look if you would in Romans three nineteen. Romans three nineteen.

Now, we know that what things so ever the law say it, it say it to them who are under the law that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore, by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight. For by the law is the knowledge of sin but now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested or clearly seen being witnessed by the law and the prophets. Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe. For there is no difference.

For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God. To declare, I say at this time, his righteousness, that he that is Jesus might be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded.

By what law? Of works? Nay. But by the law of faith. Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

Let's pray again once more. Lord, thank you for your word today. May you be honored. As it is preached and proclaimed. May you guide and direct my words and may you take the word of God by your spirit and use it as a sword to pierce our hearts.

Lord, we pray. Lord, if there's one here today that does not know if they are justified through faith in Jesus Christ, if they have not yet received you by faith alone as Lord and savior of their life, I pray that indeed they would today and be saved and redeemed and justified in Jesus Christ. I pray Lord that Jesus Christ would be lifted up and honored. I pray Lord that you would draw our attention to him today and his sacrifice and his work of justification in Jesus name we do pray. Amen.

Amen. So, we're looking at the doctrine of justification and we got the word justify up here on the screen or the wall, okay, but it's a screen. The wall is a screen, alright? Justify. Now, again, I mentioned earlier, when you're writing something on Microsoft Word and there's a little button at the top and if you hit it, it makes the margins straight on both sides.

That's called justifying it, okay. It makes it right and even. There is some common denominator in the definition there, but that is not what we're talking about in itself today. Often times, sadly, we use words in Christianity in preaching the word of God that we have lost the understanding as to their meaning and if we do not know what they mean, then, they do not they do not carry the the understanding, enlightenment that they meant to or instruction that we need. So, what does this word justify mean or justification?

As it's used in the Bible, the word of God. Well, the word means to render or show a regard as just or right or innocent, okay? To justify somebody means to render them, to show regard as just, that is right, righteous, or innocent. As it's used in scripture in particular, it means to make righteous in the sight of who? In the sight of God and that's how it's used the vast majority of time in the word of God.

But the two are one and the same. To render just or innocent, That is what God has done for us through Jesus Christ is to render us just, guiltless, and innocent and that's what we're going to look at today through God's word. The best way to illustrate the doctrine of justification is in a courtroom. So, what we have up here on the right side are three chairs today and we're going to assign certain people positions to these chairs as we go throughout the message today. We are going to start with the judge.

So, we'll say this first chair here is the judge. Now, the judge is very important in the courtroom setting. What do we know about the judge? Well, the judge should be of impeccable character. We hopefully elect and people appoint judges who are of impeccable character.

You would not want to judge who could be easily bribed or was terribly skewed or or unreliable, okay. Judges to be of impeccable character. Judges to be innocent. In other words, you wouldn't want a judge who was a criminal, okay. And so, judges are innocent, adjust, they're just, they're fair in their rulings, they're honorable, hopefully, in their department and they sit in an exalted position in the courtroom.

Usually, the judge is not down here, Usually, the judge is what? Well, the judge is more up here in an exalted position. Now, that's not only so the judge can see everybody, but that is because the judge in the courtroom is in charge. He is the authority. He is an exalted position of ruling not only of keeping order but of ruling in the case, okay?

He's a very important, very powerful person in the courtroom, the judge. Now, we said all of these things about the judge, an impeccable character, innocent, just, honorable, and sitting in an exalted position, and who does that remind you of? Well, that reminds you, I would hope, of God himself. The judge in the courtroom is a imperfect copy type of God himself who is the true judge of all. The true judge, the judge of the quick and the dead, the Bible says.

The word quick means living. So, God is the judge of the living and the dead. He is the judge that we're talking about today in our lesson. Paul wrote to Timothy, he says, I charge thee, therefore, before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick, the living, and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom. So, the judge is God, more specifically, the God, the judge is who?

The judge is the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ is the judge who shall judge the living and the dead at his appearing when he returns to this Earth. He is the judge. I am not your judge this morning. Praise God.

I'm not your judge. I don't want to be your judge and you don't want me to be your judge. I'm an imperfect judge. But not my God. He is he's a perfect one and he is the rightful judge, the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is to the Lord Jesus that the Bible says, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that he is Lord to the glory of God the father. If you would take your bibles, hold your place in Romans chapter three because we will be back to Romans. It's where we will spend the vast majority of our time this morning. But look if you would quickly in Revelation chapter 20. Revelation chapter 20 gives us a very vivid description of the judge and the judgment before which all of the lost will stand.

And their sentence will be carried out before the judge of heaven, the judge that matters most of all. It says in verse 11 of Revelation 20, I saw a great white throne and him that sat on it, from whose the whose face the earth and the heaven fled away and there was found no place for them. The glory and the majesty and the awe and the power of the one sitting on the throne. Made everything else in this universe flee to hide. From the holiness of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Nothing can stand in his presence, in all of his glory. Verse 12, I saw the dead small and great, stand before God, the books were open, another book was open which was the book of life, and the dead were judged out of the things which those things which were written in the books according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and the death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them, and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast in the lake of fire, this is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

The bible says Romans six twenty three, for the wages of sin is death. That death includes this death, the second death. The dead that will stand before this judgment will be judged based upon their works. On whether they have sinned against almighty God, their creator and they will all be found guilty because indeed they are. We are all guilty.

We have all sinned against our maker. We continue to sin. We are all guilty and if we were judged based on our works, we would all be cast into the lake of fire. The Bible says here in verse 15, and whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast in the lake of fire. You see, there is an escape and that is to have your name written in what?

The book of life and those whose names are written in the book of life are not on trial here because their sins have already been paid for and they have already been declared guiltless before the judge of heaven. Therefore, they do not stand at this judgment, but all of those who die without Christ in their sins will. God himself is the judge. God alone has the right to judge. He is the creator of all mankind.

All things were made by him and without him was not anything made that was made. That's John one three and that's speaking of Jesus. Jesus is the creator of all things and thus, as our creator, he is also our what? He is also our judge. He is also the supreme lawmaker, the supreme lawmaker.

Isaiah thirty three twenty two, for the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king, he will save us. Bible says, there he is our judge and he is our law giver. James four twelve, there is one law giver who is able to save and to destroy. Who art thou that judgest another? James says, be careful going around looking down your nose, condemning everybody else.

There is one law giver and thus one judge of all humanity, it's not you. It's Jesus Christ. He is the creator and he is the law giver. It's his law that we will be judged upon, not man's law. We live in a world today that has been infected and affected by a religion called secular humanism that teaches that you make your own law.

You make up your own code as you go along. What's right for you? Well, that's okay. That might be wrong for them, but it's okay for me. Does it work that way?

No. You're not the lawgiver. You don't make the law. God does. And because God is the creator and because God is the lawgiver who makes the law and therefore will judge humanity based upon his law, we might want to take note.

He himself is the judge, and he does have the right, for it is his law that we have broken. He is also a just and righteous judge as we mentioned earlier. He is a just and a righteous judge. Proverbs fifteen three says this, the eyes of the Lord are in every place beholding the evil and the good. In Psalm sixty nine five, it says, oh God, thou knowest my foolishness and my sins are not hid from thee.

You may think that you're getting away with it. You might fool me. You might fool your family. You might fool your friends. You might fool your neighbors and your coworkers but you will never fool your God.

He sees it all. He knows it all. As David said in Psalm one thirty nine, he sees when I sit down, he sees when I stand up. He hears every word that comes out of my mouth before it actually comes out. He knows the thoughts of my mind.

If I say, surely the darkness will hide me, it doesn't. He sees me as clearly in the darkness as he does in the day. If I say, I'm going to flee to the other side of the world from his presence, guess what? When I get there, who's already there? God is because he's everywhere and he sees it all and he knows it all and that maybe a scary thought or it maybe a comforting thought.

It depends on your relationship with God. He is the best judge to have because he sees the whole picture. He knows the truth. Sometimes, we judge other people and sometimes we judge wrongly because we don't have all the what? We don't have all the facts.

We only see snippets of their life. But God, he sees it all. Not only does he know it all but he is incapable of mistake. He is incapable of sinning. He doesn't make mistakes.

He doesn't make errors in judgement. This judge on Earth might but our judge in heaven won't. He is impartial in all his dealings. He's impartial. He's he's just.

He's fair. Acts ten thirty four, then Peter opened his mouth and said, of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons. What that means is Peter said, I I realized that God is always one. He's always fair. Sometimes, we treat people differently for sometimes the most shallow of reasons.

But God is not like us. He is not a respecter of persons. He treats everybody fairly. He judges everybody the same. And that's a good thing.

He is holy and he cannot allow sin to go unpunished. You might get away with crime against the government or a crime against your neighbor because you don't get found out. You might get away with it because you hire a slick lawyer. You you might you might get away with it because of your charismatic personality or because you know the right people. On earth.

Sometimes, judges aren't all what they made what they're made out to be and sometimes you might bribe the judge or sometimes if there's a jury, the jury might rule wrongly. But this is not the case with God. He is a just and holy judge. He won't let things slip. He sees, he knows, and he will judge and punish accordingly.

He is a holy God. He can't simply overlook sin because he likes you better than somebody else. You're a sinner, and we deserve God's punishment. So we've looked at the judge today. The judge is God.

The judge is just and righteous. He knows everything. He is right, has the right and the authority to judge. Let's look now at the accused. Who is the accused in our scenario?

The accused, in the next chair down there, the accused is mankind. The accused is you. The accused is me. Not collectively, but individually. Look if you would in Romans three twenty three.

What does it say there concerning mankind? It says this, for all have what? Sinned and come short of the glory of God. All. That means everyone has sinned and come short of the glory of God.

What does it say in Romans three ten? It says, as it is written, there is what? None righteous, no, not one. Now, it sounds to me like God's judgment is not just collective, but God's judgment is individual, but he's concerned about everyone, everyone, every individual. The bible says, we will all stand before the judgment.

That doesn't mean we will all stand collectively, it means we will all stand individually. We won't be judged on the works of humanity, we'll be judged on our own works and on our own works, we will be found what? Guilty. Man will be found guilty because of his sin. Not just because he sins, but because he is a what?

A sinner. Now, if you brought a dog in here, we put the dog up here. And the dog started to bark. Okay. Would we say that it is a dog because it is barking or would we say it is barking because it is a dog?

We would say it is barking because it's a what? A dog. If I brought a seal up here and the seal started to bark, would you say, oh, it's a dog because it's barking? No. It's obviously a what?

Seals. Seals bark too. Okay? But the dog barks because he is a dog. The cat meows because it is a what?

A cat. A sinner sins because he is a what? Because he's a sinner. The problem is where? It's in our heart.

The problem isn't with what we do, it's with who we are and we do bad things because we are bad people. There is none righteous, no, not one in the sight of almighty God. We have all fallen short of God's glory. None of us meets the standard. We all fall short.

We say, but pastor, I don't fall short as some of these other people. You know, I'm not in jail. I haven't murdered anyone. I didn't steal anything. I didn't cuss anybody out.

That's not the point. We judge ourselves based on others. God judges us based on his law and more importantly, his son. We don't measure up. It doesn't matter whether you've fallen short by a mile or whether you've fallen short by 10,000 miles, the fact is we have all what?

We have all fallen short. We have all been declared guilty because we are all guilty because we are sinners and therefore, we break God's law. Just try today. Say, I will never sin ever again. You won't make it till the end of the day.

You may not make it till the end of the hour. There's a good chance you won't make it till the end of the minute. We do not have that power within ourselves. We are sinners. And the bible says in Romans five twelve, wherefore as by one man's sin entered into the world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned.

In Romans six twenty three, I quoted a minute ago, the first part of it, for the wages of sin is death. There is a penalty. There is a judgment coming. Based on our works, we've already failed. We're already stand condemned before God.

All that is left is for the sentence to be carried out at the great white throne. The Bible says in Romans, in John three eighteen, he that believeth on him that is Jesus is not condemned but he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten son of God. John three thirty six, he that believeth on the son hath everlasting life. He that believeth not the son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth or already abideth on him. It's not a matter of if, it's just a matter of when.

We already stand condemned. We already stand guilty before God. We have utterly failed to meet his standard. We have all fallen terribly short because at heart, we are sinners in rebellion against the God who made us. So, the state of the accused doesn't sound very good.

It brings us to the final chair on the side over there, and that's the prosecution, the prosecution. The prosecution is the law. We are prosecuted based upon the law. Look if you would in Romans three nineteen and twenty. Romans three nineteen and twenty.

Mm-mm. There's a lot of people here today, not necessarily in this room but there's a lot of people today. Chris people sitting in churches. That believe that they are going to get to heaven by the works of the law. They think that if they follow the laws of Moses or they follow the laws of the church, if they follow whatever set of laws or rules their religion dictates, that they will earn their way to heaven by doing the works of the law.

Well, let's see what the the Bible has to say. Look if you would in Romans three nineteen and twenty. Romans three nineteen and twenty. Now, we know that what things so ever the law say it, it say it to them who are under the law that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God. Why does God give us the law?

Why did God give the law to the Israelites? So that they would come to recognize that they are sinners, they are guilty, they are condemned, and that they would come to God in repentance and faith and with the proper sacrifices under the Old Testament law. For the forgiveness or remission of sins. You see, when God gave Israel the law, the 10 commandments and other laws, he also gave them the sacrifices as a means to be forgiven of the sins that they would make in breaking the law because God knew that they couldn't what? They couldn't keep the law and therefore, they were always bringing what?

Always bringing sacrifices. Every time they messed up, here they had to come with another sacrifice. That is until the final sacrifice, until the lamb of God came. The lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world, Jesus Christ, and shed his blood on Calvary's Cross. So, we no longer have to bring the blood of lambs and goats and bulls.

We have been justified as we'll see in a moment by the blood of Jesus Christ who shed his blood on Calvary's Cross. Not just for the Jews only but for the sins of the what? For the sins of the world. But by the works of the law, it says in verse 20, if you'll read, look in verse 20. Therefore, by the deeds of the works of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight.

For by the law is the knowledge of sin. So you say, hey, I'm I'm gonna do the works of the church. I'm gonna get baptized. I'm gonna take communion. I'm I'm gonna do this.

I'm gonna do that. I'm gonna keep the laws of Moses. I'm I'm gonna not ever lie again. Go go ahead. You know, that would be a good thing for you to do, but chances are you won't keep it, will you?

But go ahead, say I'm I'm gonna do that. The Bible says, by the works or the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in the sight of God. You might impress other people, but you will not impress who? You will not impress God. Because the fact of the matter is, no matter how hard you try, you won't keep it.

You won't measure up to his law. His law was given to make us realize that we must have a savior, that we are guilty, and that we are not able. We need a savior. Everyone is liable to God in God's court. Nobody is without excuse.

You say, well, what about the people that live in the jungles of Africa? What about the people who haven't heard and been presented with the gospel word for word? What about those people? They're not going to be held accountable. Well, let's see what the Bible has to say.

Look if you would in Romans one. See, we're in Romans. Look in Romans one hundred nineteen and twenty. Romans one hundred nineteen and twenty. Let let's look in verse 18 actually.

It says, for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth and unrighteousness because that which may be known of God is manifest in them For he has showed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made even his eternal power and God had so that they are without, what's the next word? Excuse. Now, that's not my word. That's whose word.

God. That's God's word. That's God's word. God says, that we are without excuse. Why?

Because God said, I put something in your heart. I gave you a conscience. You were born with it that tells you that there is a god that you need to find out about because he's going to hold you accountable because creation, my creation that surrounds you tells you that there is an almighty God, a great designer, a great creator to whom his creation is accountable and you are without what? You are without excuse. We are all liable before God.

It says in Romans two fourteen through 16, look there. Romans two fourteen through 16. Speaking of the Gentiles, back in the Old Testament days when they did not have the laws, the Israelites did. It says in Romans two fourteen, for when the Gentiles which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, they have having not the law or law unto themselves, which show the work of the law written where? In their hearts.

Their conscience also bearing witness in their thoughts, the meanwhile, accusing or else excusing one another. In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel. The Bible says that God has written a law in our hearts. And even when children lie for the first time or do other things, they feel what? They feel guilty.

Now, when we do it over and over and over and over and over and over and over over and over over again, we start to lose that guilty feeling. The Bible says, we can sear our conscience to where we don't feel it anymore. But even when the unsaved sin initially, they feel what? Guilty because God has given us all a conscience so that we would know that there is a right and there is a what? A wrong.

And when we do wrong, we're guilty before our creator. So, we see the judge, our holy righteous God, the accused, sinful mankind, the prosecution, the law, of which we all have fallen short. You say, I haven't murdered, but I bet you've lied. You say, I haven't committed adultery, but I bet you coveted. You say, I haven't worshipped idols, but have you ever taken God's name in vain?

You have broken God's law untold times, because we are sinners. Now, if that's where we stop today, it would be a hard time calling that the Gospel because that doesn't sound like good news, does it? That sounds like bad news. But you see, before you can get to the good news, you have to first understand the bad news. Okay?

But now, here comes the good news and that is the act of justification. You see, there's something really wonderful that I want to tell you about this morning and that is this, the judge that sits up here that is your judge and mine, the God of the universe who created us, the God who who has given the law, the God who is holy and just, the God who knows it all. Jesus Christ is also our advocate He is also the defense attorney, the advocate for his children. And he, the judge, who is also the advocate, has made a way for us to escape this terrible judgment, and for us to be declared innocent, that is guiltless, before the throne of God. There is a way.

That way is called justification and Jesus Christ, the righteous judge, because he loves us, has made a way. The one who knew no sin. Second Corinthians five twenty one, for he that is Jesus, for for he that is God hath made him Jesus to be sin for us, who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Jesus was righteous, holy, a lamb in the Old Testament was innocent but it wasn't righteous. Jesus Christ is better.

He's not just innocent, he is righteous and he offers to share his righteousness with us, the accused. And he is the only one who can do so. Look if you would back in Romans chapter three. Look if you book back in Romans three verse 21. But now, the righteousness of what?

Of whom? The righteous, not not of man, but the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, that is manifested in the person of Jesus Christ. Verse 22, even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe for there is no difference. Look, if you were in verse 24, being justified freely by his grace through redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his his righteousness, not ours, for the remission of sins that are past through the forbearance of God to declare I say at this time, his righteousness that he might be just and the justifier of them which believe. You see, the sinless son of God who is the creator and the judge came to this earth and what did he do?

He died on a cross and he shed his blood and he took our place. He prayed the price that we could not pay. He made the sacrifice that we could not make and through his sacrifice, we are justified. Romans five eight, but God commendeth his love toward us and that while we were yet sinners, Christ what? Died for us.

That is he died in our place. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him and by his stripes and his suffering on the cross for sin. We are what?

We are healed. We are healed from sin and sin's penalty of death. First Peter three eighteen again, for Christ also hath once suffered for sins. Whose sins? Our sins.

The just, that is Jesus, the judge, for the unjust, that is us. That he might bring us, reconcile us together with God, being put to death in the flesh but quickened by the spirit. As he died on that cross, he died between Earth and heaven to bring us back together with God to reconcile a relationship that was broken by sin that we couldn't fix but God sent his son to fix it for us. And as he cried out on that cross, it is finished. The made, the way was made.

Love found away. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the father but by me and that is through his sacrifice. The sacrifice of Christ who died to pay the penalty for every man, who rose from the dead to declare salvation to all to come to him by faith. You see, as we sit accused, let's say that you committed grand theft auto.

You went out and you stole a brand new BMW. Alright? And you got caught, and you got brought before the judge, and the judge said, okay, here's the deal. You either have to pay a million dollars or you're gonna go to jail for the rest of your life. Okay.

How many of you have a million dollars? No, don't raise your hand. Don't raise your hand. Maybe you do. Fact is, know that I ever will.

Fact is, if the judge required me to pay a million dollars, I couldn't pay. What if the only other alternative was life in prison? What would happen to me? A life in prison. That would be it.

You see, we as sinners cannot pay the price of a righteous sacrifice because we are not righteous. We can't pay that penalty. We can't do it. So, we have to pay the penalty in a place called what? Hell.

Hell. The Lake Of Fire. But here's the thing, the judge loves you so much that the judge said, I don't want you to have to spend eternity in hell. I want you to spend eternity with me in heaven. That's what I created you for.

And I love you. And the Bible says, for God so loved the world, he sent his only begotten son. And God sent his son to die on the cross. And you know what Jesus Christ, the judge, has offered to do for you? He has offered to take your place.

See, you can't pay the penalty, but he can. And not only for your sins, but for the sins of the whole what? The sins of the whole world. Because he is righteous and holy, he could pay that price, and he did on Calvary's Cross. And he offers it as a free gift to any who will accept it by faith, who will come to him in repentance, in faith, and believe on him.

He offers you justification. He offers you eternal life. And once that payment has been paid, there is no more payment to be paid. You see, we aren't judged for our for individual sins. We are judged for the fact that we are what?

Sinners. And when Christ pays the penalty for our sin, it's paid once and for all. And you are declared what? Guiltless, innocent, righteous. Why?

Because the price has been paid not by you. But by Jesus. And you can no longer be held accountable. For he was held accountable. In your place on the cross.

And thereby, we can be justified, declared guiltless. If you will put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ. In these verses, it uses the word faith several times. It says, even the righteousness of God which is by faith. It says in verse 22, unto all and upon all them that what?

Believe. How do we receive this? How do we accept this gift, this offer of God? We accept it by faith in his son, Jesus Christ. We accept it by faith.

Romans six twenty three, for the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is what? Eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. John one twelve, as many as received him, to them gave you power to become the sons of God even to them that believe on his name. Romans ten nine, that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For whosoever shall call in the name of the Lord shall be saved.

And when we receive his gift by faith, his payment in our behalf, we are what? We are justified by the justifier Jesus Christ, forgiven forever. I want to close by reading Romans eight thirty one. If you'll turn there, Romans eight thirty one. What shall we say then to these things?

If God before us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own son but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth?

It is Christ that died, yea rather than is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God the father who also maketh intercession for us. What does those verses mean? Those just mean this, the same one who is our judge is also our what? Our justifier and our savior. And if God has declared us guiltless, who is the judge?

Based upon the sacrifice of Christ that we have received by faith, then who can accuse us? No one. No one. Because the judge and the savior are one and the same. And he has declared us forgiven.

Forever. Let's pray. Dear heavenly father, we thank you Lord for your word, for the opportunity today. To get to know it better, to get to know better the salvation and our standing before God in heaven, to be reminded of the sacrifice that you paid, and to be challenged and encouraged by the recollection once again that we have been justified forever in heaven. Our names have been written down in the book of life and we will not stand at the great white throne judgment to be cast into the lake of fire.

Not by works of righteousness which we have done but because of your mercy, you saved us. You've justified us and I pray if there's one here today that doesn't know they are born again. Who have yet to receive God's gift of eternal life, I pray that they would come. And I pray for your people, they would be reminded every day of the price that you paid and the justified position wherein we stand before God in heaven because of what you have done for us. In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.