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Series Code: CR
Program Code: CR001826A
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00:03 It has been called the greatest document
00:05 in the history of humanity. 00:06 Whenever and wherever people have studied 00:09 and accepted its teachings, 00:10 they have discovered hope, 00:13 life, peace, 00:19 prosperity, and deliverance from tyranny. 00:25 Welcome to Romans. 00:31 Welcome back. 00:32 We're talking about what some scholars have said 00:35 is the greatest masterpiece ever written. 00:39 We're talking about the Book of Romans 00:41 written by the great Apostle Paul. 00:43 In the last program, we dealt with Romans chapter 1, 00:46 introduction. 00:48 It says that the world of the unchurch, 00:50 the gentile, the pagan world is lost. 00:54 Now, we turn to Romans 2. 00:57 And the theme of Romans 2, here it is. 00:59 Not only is the pagan world lost 01:02 but in Romans 2, it says, "So is the religious world." 01:07 Romans 1, the unchurched. Romans 2, the churched. 01:12 I want you to come 01:13 to Romans 2:1 and 17. 01:20 Romans 2:1. 01:21 "Therefore you are inexcusable, 01:24 O man, whoever you are who judge, 01:27 for whatever you judge another you condemn yourself, 01:31 for you who judge practice the same things." 01:34 Have you noticed that 01:35 the people who are the most critical 01:37 are usually the people who are the most guilty? 01:40 And then if you come down, verse 17, 01:45 "Indeed you are called a Jew, and rest on the law, 01:49 and make your boast in God." 01:52 And so when you study through Romans chapter 2, 01:57 it says something like this. 02:00 It says you think you're better than the pagans, 02:02 talking to the religious people, 02:06 talking to the religious, right? 02:09 You think you're better than the pagans? 02:11 Well, actually what the pagans do, 02:13 you do exactly the same. 02:15 And every time you point a finger at somebody, 02:18 every time you point a finger, have you ever noticed, 02:21 "Hey, you got three pointing back at you?" 02:26 Romans 2:23, 24, 02:30 Romans 2:23, 24. 02:33 "You who make your boast in the law, 02:37 do you dishonor God through breaking the law? 02:39 For the name of God has blasphemed 02:41 among the Gentiles because of you." 02:47 So the theme of Romans 2 is this. 02:51 The religious people who had the law of God, 02:53 that means basically the Bible. 02:57 The religious people had the Bible. 02:58 When it came down to reality, these people were no better. 03:05 So if you read this chapter, it says, you know, 03:08 you talk about people doing this, 03:10 the sins of Romans chapter 1. 03:12 Well, actually Paul says, 03:15 "You religious people do exactly the same thing." 03:19 And he says, 03:20 "The name of God is blasphemed 03:23 around the world 03:25 because of the religious people." 03:28 So this is the theme of Romans 2. 03:30 It's pretty hard to stomach. 03:32 He says, "The religious people are no better. 03:36 All are under the wrath of God." 03:39 We're talking good news, are we? 03:40 So far, there's no good news at all 03:44 because Romans 1, Romans 2 says, 03:47 "Everybody is under the wrath of almighty God, 03:52 a righteous God." 03:55 Then you come to Romans 3 that many scholars say 03:57 is the most important chapter in the most important book. 04:02 I want you to notice it with me please. 04:04 Romans 3. 04:06 This is the theme, 04:07 "All men and women are in a state of sin, 04:11 both Jews and Gentiles, 04:14 but God has provided a way of escape. 04:17 His solution is the great and the wonderful good news." 04:23 And it's not good advice. 04:26 Look at Romans 3:10. Now this is not real good news. 04:30 He's starting to make a summary now. 04:32 Romans 1, Romans 2, Romans 3 04:35 gives you the summary. 04:36 This book is written like a lawyer's brief. 04:41 It's full of great arguments. It's logical. 04:44 And it's not for superficial people, 04:47 it's for people who got hearts for God 04:50 and people who really want to get home 04:52 to the kingdom of God. 04:54 So Romans 3:10, 04:57 he says, "As it is written, 05:00 there is none righteous, 05:04 no, not one, not a single person." 05:06 And then verse 13, he describes the human race, 05:10 it says, "Their throat is an open tomb, 05:15 with their tongues they have practiced deceit, 05:19 the poison of asps, snakes, vipers, 05:23 is under their lips, 05:25 whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness." 05:30 And goes on and talks about the rest of the sins 05:34 of the human race. 05:37 Folks, it's almost too much to take in. 05:42 Romans 1, the world of the pagans 05:46 stands under the wrath of God. 05:48 "I don't believe in the wrath of God," 05:49 people say. 05:51 Well, the Bible does. 05:54 Romans 1, the Gentiles are under the wrath of God. 05:57 And then it talks about the people 05:59 who've got the scriptures, 06:00 the people who are keeping the commandments of God. 06:03 At least, they think they are. 06:05 But it's all just a sham. 06:07 And the Bible talks about the human race 06:09 and it talks about people opening their mouths 06:13 and out comes the sewer, 06:15 the filth, the lies, the name calling. 06:18 Does this resonate with anybody here? 06:21 Does this sound like our society, 06:25 when people talk in politics? 06:28 You say, "You're getting too close, 06:29 now you're starting to meddle." 06:32 You turn on the television, 06:34 you hear a politician name calling, 06:36 lies, filth... 06:43 Under the wrath of Almighty God. 06:47 So Paul in Romans 3, says this. 06:50 Listen to this carefully. 06:52 We are all locked up in the prison house of sin. 06:56 The law of God is the jailer, 07:00 and He has turned the key. 07:06 In my work as a minister, I have met people who tell me, 07:09 "Oh, you don't understand. 07:11 I have never sinned. 07:14 I'm a perfect person. 07:16 I keep all of the commandments." 07:21 Such a person, the Bible says, 07:24 is totally spiritually deceived and deluded. 07:30 Romans 1, the Gentiles. 07:33 Romans 2, the people with the Bible. 07:37 Romans 3, everybody standing 07:41 under the wrath of almighty God. 07:44 Look at verse 19. 07:48 "Now we know that whatever the law says, 07:51 it says to those who are under the law, 07:55 that every mouth may be stopped." 07:56 Notice the words. 07:58 "And all the world may become guilty before God." 08:04 Have you noticed today? 08:05 I'm not talking about the prosperity gospel. 08:10 This is not just a little baby talk. 08:12 I'm not saying, 08:14 "Well, God just wants you to be wealthy. 08:17 God wants you to drive a Rolls Royce. 08:19 And if you send me money, 08:21 you're going to be tremendously wealthy." 08:23 That's not the religion of the Bible. 08:27 The Bible tells us that we are all locked up 08:31 under the wrath of God 08:35 because of sin. 08:37 Charles Wesley understood this. 08:41 The brother of John the great preacher, 08:43 Charles was a great hymn writer. 08:45 He wrote: "Long my imprisoned spirit lay 08:49 Fast bound in sin and nature's night 08:54 Thine eye diffused a quickening ray 08:57 I woke, the dungeon flamed with light 09:03 My chains fell off, 09:06 my heart was free 09:08 I rose, went forth, and followed Thee 09:12 My chains fell off, 09:13 my heart was free I rose, went forth and followed Thee" 09:17 I'm going to give to the audience 09:19 a little warning today. 09:22 There is a great danger 09:24 in coming to Christ too quickly. 09:28 In a superficial sense, well, people say, 09:31 "Hey, I'm saved, I've just come, and I'm saved." 09:37 And they have no sense of the righteousness of God 09:40 and their own defilement and their own sin. 09:46 It's only when we know that we are great sinners 09:50 that we will cry out for a great savior. 09:55 And the sin of our present age in America, Australia 09:58 and other places 10:00 is the utter superficiality of our religion 10:04 which is a mile wide and this deep. 10:10 The wrath of God. 10:13 I was the pastor of, at that time, 10:15 the largest Adventist Church in Australia, Wahroonga, 10:18 great church. 10:19 And hundreds of young people in that church. 10:22 One morning 4:00 a.m., there was a banging on the door 10:25 and then a banging on the window. 10:27 There was a young man. 10:29 I've been preaching this sort of stuff, 10:32 and people were getting blessed 10:34 but it was causing a lot of people 10:36 to get uncomfortable. 10:38 And he said to me, 10:39 "I can't believe what you're saying." 10:41 He said, "I've got to be perfect." 10:42 He said, "I'm up at two in the morning, 10:45 I'm praying, I'm agonizing, 10:46 I'm reading, I'm studying, I'm doing this." 10:50 He said, "I've just got to become sinless. 10:52 And if I don't, I'm going to be damned." 10:56 So I explained to him the good news 10:58 that we're getting to. 10:59 He said, "I can't believe it." 11:03 And later on committed suicide. 11:08 So you better get this straight and ask God to lift us 11:12 out of the world of superficial religion 11:15 that we have fallen into. 11:18 Romans 3:20, 11:21 "Therefore by the deeds of the law 11:24 no flesh will be justified in His sight, 11:27 for by the law is the knowledge of sin." 11:30 We are not saved by the law. Oh, I am. 11:34 No, you're damned by the law. 11:37 You are not saved by your obedience 11:39 because your obedience and my obedience, 11:42 they are not just enough, not good enough. 11:46 There are no sinless people. 11:49 I work for a time in an area where they grew sugarcane. 11:53 The sugarcane farmers would come in, 11:55 covered with a thick syrup of the sugarcane. 11:58 Burn the sugarcane, 12:00 then they'd go out and cut it down. 12:02 When the farmers came in, 12:03 they had a little room outside the house, 12:06 most Queensland, where there was a bath, 12:09 and there was a mirror. 12:10 And the farmer would look at the mirror 12:12 but the mirror didn't make him clean. 12:16 The law does not make you clean, 12:19 the law tells you that you are a sinner 12:22 and you need a bath which is the blood of Jesus. 12:25 You see. 12:27 And the reason people think 12:29 they are sinless and better than others, 12:32 it is because they've never seen themselves 12:38 as God does and other people. 12:42 What I need is good news. 12:45 Romans 1, pagan world, Hollywood world is lost, 12:50 the world of Washington D.C. under the wrath of God. 12:56 Here again, the Bible talks about 12:58 the righteous wrath of God. 13:01 God is not of teddy bear, 13:04 God is a great awesome God, 13:08 and He is holy. 13:10 And because of His holiness, 13:13 He demands righteousness. 13:17 What a dilemma. 13:19 What I need is not more platitudes 13:23 and not more sugar-coated sermons, 13:27 what I need is good news. 13:31 Romans 3:21, "But now..." 13:35 Look at it. Read it. 13:37 Escape from spiritual laziness, read it. 13:41 "But now the righteousness of God apart 13:43 from the law is revealed, 13:46 being witnessed by the law and the prophets." 13:49 Look at that word, the righteousness of God, 13:53 what does it mean? 13:55 I'll tell you what it means. 13:58 Look at me and I'll tell you if you dare. 14:02 God demands righteousness, complete holiness. 14:08 Twenty four hours of the day, seven days a week, 14:13 perfect love, perfect obedience. 14:17 Put up your hand if you are that sort of person. 14:23 Nobody is that sort of person. 14:25 When Martin Luther saw it, 14:28 read about the righteousness of God, 14:29 He said, "I hate it." 14:32 Now Luther had a brain. 14:36 He was a great theologian, he wasn't a superficial person, 14:40 and he didn't come to Christ in a flood of emotions. 14:43 He said, "I hate it." 14:44 And the old confessor said, "Martin, you can't hate God. 14:47 You can't hate His righteousness." 14:48 He said, 14:49 "God is righteousness, I am a sinner. 14:53 God hate sin, unrighteousness, therefore God hates me. 14:57 And if God hates me, then I hate Him too." 15:01 That's logic but not the gospel. 15:07 Perfect love, perfect faith, perfect obedience. 15:10 People say, I've met people... 15:13 When I pass the big churches, little churches, they say, 15:15 "Oh, but we're like that, we actually attained it." 15:22 Try not to spend a lot of time with people like that 15:25 because they'll be terribly critical 15:27 and self-righteous, very hard to live with. 15:32 And I tell them this, 15:33 "If you make the moon low enough, 15:37 any old cow, any old cow 15:41 can jump over it." 15:46 But we're not going to lower the moon, 15:48 you know what the moon is? 15:49 The righteousness of God. 15:53 God will accept nothing from you 15:57 than perfect righteousness. 16:03 But the gospel is apart from the law. 16:06 Good news, we don't need good advice today, 16:09 we don't need platitudes, 16:11 we don't need to be told how to do better 16:16 because none of us have done better. 16:19 And the religious people are the worst. 16:21 Romans 3:22, Romans 3:22. 16:26 Here it is. 16:28 "Even the righteousness of God," 16:31 this unblemished perfection, the righteousness of God, 16:34 "through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who," 16:40 work their hearts out, no. 16:41 "Who believe. For there is no difference." 16:46 The righteousness of God is not by attainment, 16:50 it is by atonement, His atonement. 16:56 Now this is good news. 16:57 At last, righteousness is God's gift. 17:01 I do not attain unto it. 17:05 Look at Romans 3:22 again. 17:08 It's so good. 17:09 "Even the righteousness of God," 17:11 this complete perfection, 17:13 "through faith in Jesus Christ, to all who believe, 17:18 for there is no difference." 17:23 If this is so, which it is, 17:27 I can be right with God right now 17:31 which is what the gospel is, good news. 17:37 And what you do with this will determine 17:39 how you're going to spend this life 17:41 and how you're going to spend eternity. 17:45 And don't think you know it 17:47 because you were brought up in the church. 17:50 Romans 3:23 to 25. 17:54 "How can God save me, a weak, trembling, unworthy sinner?" 18:00 Now these are some of the most amazing words. 18:03 Some people say this is the Everest experience 18:07 of all scripture. 18:09 Other people who are very superficial say, 18:11 "But I don't read it. 18:13 Too hard. 18:14 I just want to watch the Kadarshians. 18:16 I just want to..." 18:20 The tragedy of tragedy 18:22 that people are going to be lost 18:24 because they watch the Kadarshians 18:26 and didn't look to Christ. 18:29 Let it sink down into your ears. 18:32 Don't run away from it. 18:34 "For all have sinned," all of us, 18:37 "and fall short of the glory of God." 18:39 Notice that. It says, fall short. 18:41 The Greek says, "They continue to fall short." 18:45 None of us are good enough, 18:47 we fall short of the glory of God. 18:51 Every moment we're falling short of the... 18:53 "No, no, no," says the perfectionist, 18:55 "I am attaining." 18:56 No. You are falling short. 19:00 Your problem is, 19:01 you just don't see it but others can. 19:04 Ask your family. 19:07 "Fall short of the glory of God, being justified," 19:11 oh, "being justified freely by His grace 19:15 through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 19:17 whom God set forth as a," look at it, 19:20 "propitiation by His blood, through faith, 19:25 to demonstrate His righteousness, 19:27 because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins 19:31 that were previously committed." 19:33 Memorize that, take it to heart. 19:36 Learn it off by heart. 19:38 Say it over and over again until it sinks down. 19:45 What is it saying? 19:46 It's saying that Christ took my place. 19:50 God in Christ, Christ was God in the flesh. 19:55 God in Christ bore my sin. 19:58 He became my propitiation. What on earth does that mean? 20:02 Some translations have changed it 20:05 because it is too offensive to their delicate ears. 20:10 They substituted the word expiation. 20:14 I won't go into the Greek, put up argument, 20:17 but the correct rendering is propitiation. 20:21 He suffered my condemnation and judgment. 20:25 Let me talk about propitiation. 20:29 Ask God to give you now revelation. 20:34 It's hard to understand 20:36 except if you get a revelation from God. 20:41 God is righteous and holy, 20:44 and demands righteousness and holiness. 20:48 And the world, all of us are under His wrath 20:51 because we've broken His commandments. 20:53 If we die outside of Christ, we die under His wrath. 20:58 People say, "I hate this." "Well, I'm sorry. 21:00 I never wrote it." It's scripture. 21:07 But Christ, on the cross, took the sin of the world. 21:16 And Paul said in one place, 21:18 "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree." 21:20 He suffered the righteous judgment of God. 21:27 Romans 1 talks about the righteousness of God 21:30 upon the wicked. 21:32 He took the righteous judgment of God upon the wicked. 21:38 He, on the cross, 21:40 took the righteous judgment of God, 21:43 the vengeance of God upon the wicked. 21:49 Why do you think He died so quickly? 21:53 Why do you think He gasped out, "My God, My God, 21:55 why have You forsaken Me"? 21:56 The cross didn't kill Him. 22:00 You'd say, "Yes, I did." No! 22:05 It was the wrath of God 22:07 directed against His Son... 22:14 Who had the essence of God. 22:18 And sometimes, we use the illustration, 22:20 He took His own medicine. 22:22 A mother wants a child to take some medicine, 22:24 the child doesn't want to, 22:26 so the mother takes the medicine. 22:29 God didn't just push His Son out 22:31 into the arena and say, "Do it all. 22:33 I'm going to sit on My throne." 22:35 God, in Christ, became a man. 22:39 And on the cross, 22:42 God took His own medicine... 22:49 And suffered His own wrath 22:53 against His righteousness. 22:57 This word, justify, 22:58 you need to get into your heads. 23:00 It doesn't mean to make righteous 23:03 as been taught by our friends, the Catholics. 23:06 And many Protestants believe it, 23:08 even in my church. 23:10 It means, justify means to declare righteous 23:14 as opposed to making righteous. 23:17 Because of Christ's propitiation, 23:21 if I trust fully in Christ as a penitent sinner, 23:26 He declares that I'm righteous, 23:31 as righteous as Jesus is. 23:36 He says, "You can't believe that? 23:38 That's why it's called the gospel." 23:45 That's why it's called the gospel. 23:49 People say, "No, it's got to be a sham." 23:52 No, it's not a sham. The text says, 23:54 so that God Himself can be righteous, 23:57 God is righteous because the righteous God 24:00 goes through the wrath of hell to atone for my sins, 24:06 He becomes a propitiation, so that legally, 24:09 He can declare me a sinner righteous. 24:15 The moment I believe in true faith. 24:20 Who could have thought that up? 24:23 He also changes the life. 24:26 This is called regeneration. 24:28 Simultaneously, it happens with justification, 24:32 He puts a new life in the soul, 24:35 and I become a born-again person. 24:40 It is this teaching that liberates men and women 24:45 and makes them joyful 24:47 and takes away from sour church members 24:50 the sourness. 24:53 And takes away from harsh people, 24:55 critical people, 24:56 legalistic people, takes it all away. 25:02 It breaks the heart. 25:06 Listen: He left His Father's throne above 25:11 So free, 25:13 so infinite His grace Emptied Himself of all but love 25:19 And bled for Adam's helpless race 25:23 'Tis mercy all, immense and free 25:25 For, O my God, it found out of me 25:30 'Tis mercy all, immense and free 25:33 O my God, it found out of me. 25:35 What love! What mercy! Oh, what a God! 25:41 Oh, what a God! 25:44 Long my imprisoned spirit lay Fast bound in sin 25:49 and nature's night 25:51 Thine eye diffused a quickening ray 25:54 I woke, the dungeon flamed with light 25:59 My chains fell off, 26:01 my heart was free 26:03 I rose, went forth and followed Thee" 26:08 This is the true gospel. 26:12 In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 26:15 Amen and amen. 26:23 Jesus said, "All authority has been given to Me 26:26 in heaven and on earth. 26:29 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, 26:33 baptizing them in the name of the Father, 26:35 and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." 26:41 John Carter reports, 26:43 "We have seen God's power as the gospel of Christ 26:46 has been proclaimed in Africa, 26:50 India, Russia, 26:55 Ukraine, Cuba, 27:01 El Salvador, and many other places. 27:04 We invite you to partner with us 27:07 in proclaiming Jesus Christ." 27:13 To God be the glory. 27:16 Great things He has done. 27:21 Write today 27:22 to the Carter Report, P.O. Box 1900, 27:26 Thousand Oaks, California 91358. 27:31 That's the Carter Report, P.O. Box 1900, 27:35 Thousand Oaks, California 91358. 27:40 In Australia, 27:42 write to the Carter Report, P.O. Box 861, 27:46 Terrigal, New South Wales 2260. 27:51 That's the Carter Report, P.O. Box 861, 27:55 Terrigal, New South Wales 2260. 28:00 Thank you for your generous support. 28:02 We look forward to hearing from you soon. 28:05 May God richly bless you. 28:24 For a copy of today's program, 28:26 please contact us at P.O. Box 1900, 28:29 Thousand Oaks, California 91358. 28:33 Or in Australia contact us at P.O. Box 861, 28:39 Terrigal, New South Wales 2260. 28:43 This program is made possible 28:45 through the generous support of viewers like you. 28:47 We thank you for your continued support. 28:51 May God richly bless you. |
Revised 2018-11-05