We'd now like to turn to Paul's letter
to the Romans.
The theme of Romans is really there in
the first verse of this letter.
In that expression, the gospel of God.
This is the gospel of God, the good
news that God wants to send to every
part of this world.
And as we go through this book, you
will discover that people stop at different places
along the way and don't reach the ultimate
goal that God has for them.
Many Christians have not heard the full gospel
of God.
There are churches which call themselves the full
gospel churches.
I've been in a lot of them.
I haven't heard the full gospel there.
The way it is described in Romans.
You see, Romans speaks about various things.
It's one of the most orderly, logical, step
-by-step presentations of the gospel that there
is anywhere in the Bible.
A lot of the other letters of Paul
are sort of a bit haphazard.
He writes about various things all together.
But Romans is very logical.
It goes step-by-step-by-step-by
-step to the end.
And along that way, you can stop at
any point you like.
If you want only forgiveness of sins, okay,
you stop at chapter 3.
You want to go a little beyond that
and be justified by faith, you stop at
chapter 4.
You want to live at peace with God
and enjoy and recognize that tribulation works, patience,
etc., you stop at chapter 5.
You can go further, be baptized in water
in chapter 6.
You get victory over sin, but still be
legalistic.
Then you go past chapter 7.
Like that, it's on and on and on.
And it doesn't finish at chapter 8.
I want to tell you that.
It finishes way at the end in chapter
15.
And chapter 16 is, of course, the greetings.
So, you may discover as you read this
wonderful book that you may also have stopped
somewhere along the way.
And if you discover where you got stuck,
you can start moving on from there.
Okay.
Romans is the gospel and the good news
is primarily, not primarily, it's entirely for sinners.
The good news is not for those who
think they are righteous.
Jesus said, I did not come to call
the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
So, the first thing that needs to be
established is that you are a sinner.
That man is a sinner.
And that's what Paul seeks to establish in
the first two and a half chapters.
And in the world, there are two types
of sinners.
There is the godless, wicked, worldly sinner.
And he's described in chapter 1.
And then there's the religious sinner, who doesn't
think he's a sinner, who thinks he's righteous.
He's described in chapter 2.
It's like the two sons, which the father
had, we considered yesterday in Luke 15.
The younger was the prodigal son, the worldly,
wicked, godless, immoral type of boy.
He's described in chapter 1.
The elder son is described in chapter 2.
The chap who thinks he's very holy and
very righteous and he's never done anything wrong.
And Paul's aim is to show that both
these people are sinners.
The younger and the elder.
And it's more difficult for the elder one
to recognize he's a sinner.
It's more difficult for those of you who've
grown up in very good homes to recognize
that you are sinners.
It is with difficulty that the righteous is
saved, Peter says in 1 Peter 4.
And when Jesus was on earth, that was
also true that the thieves and the tax
collectors and the prostitutes all came easily for
salvation.
It's the elder brothers of that time, the
Pharisees and the self-righteous people who never
came to Jesus for salvation.
It's the same today.
And Paul establishes that both are sinners.
So the first two chapters are really dealing
with establishing the sin of man.
Okay, let's look at some of these verses.
First of all, he gives us an introduction
to tell us what the gospel is all
about.
It's the gospel of God, which is promised
in the Old Testament that the good news
is going to come.
And it concerns not us.
It concerns his son.
Verse three, who was born a descendant of
David according to the flesh.
That means he came in a flesh as
a descendant of David.
Of the seed of David, of the physical
seed of David that came to his son
Nathan and went down all the way to
the father of Mary and down to the
physical body of Mary.
And from the physical body of Mary, Jesus
got his body.
The Holy Spirit came upon him, upon her.
But it was not a creation inside Mary's
womb, which had no connection with Mary.
It's important to remember that.
You know, God could have created a little
baby inside Mary's womb, which supernaturally existed there
without any connection with Mary with an umbilical
cord.
I believe Jesus was born with an umbilical
cord.
Just like all babies, which had to be
cut when he was born.
Because if he was not like that, he
would not have been part of our race.
He had to have that body from Mary.
It's of course the father's part that the
Holy Spirit did.
So the Holy Spirit replaced the father, but
he was born of the seed of David
according to the flesh.
And the word in the Greek for seed
is sperma, from which we get the English
word sperm.
Of David, according to the flesh, came all
the way down.
And through Mary, Jesus was born.
If you don't believe that, you don't believe
in the humanity of Christ.
You believe that he had no connection with
our human race.
It's a very simple thing.
But you need to think about that and
meditate on it.
There's a great truth in it.
We all know about the deity of Christ.
But we don't experience the gospel sufficiently because
we don't believe in the humanity of Christ
sufficiently.
A lot of Christians will admit in theory
that he was the seed of David.
But they don't think of the implications of
it.
They don't consider seriously that he was born
of the seed of David.
Actually, if they were to logically think through,
they think that he was born like a
little baby created inside Mary's womb without an
umbilical cord, just floating around in the water
and was born with no connection with the
race of Adam.
He was not like that.
That's what he's trying to emphasize.
The gospel of God concerns his son, who
was born of the seed of David, very
much part of our race.
That's the only way he could bring salvation
to us.
But of course, he was free from sin.
He did not have a sinful nature because
he was born of the Holy Spirit.
We have a sinful nature because we have
a human father.
So, what was born of Mary was holy.
But there was a very clear connection with
our human race.
That's what he's trying to emphasize.
And because if that is not true, then
he cannot be an example for us.
You see, a man, if there is some
creature in Mars, comes here and tries to
be an example for us.
We can't follow.
There are no creatures there.
But if there were, I'm just saying a
creature from another planet can be no example
for us because he doesn't understand our problems
here.
So, it's very interesting that the Apostle Paul
is trying to stress this fact that Jesus
was born of the seed of David.
Now, I find that very few people recognize
the importance of this truth when preaching the
gospel.
How many people, when they preach the gospel,
emphasize the fact that he was really part
of this human race?
You know, when Paul was dying, just before
he died, he wrote one last letter to
Timothy.
And I want to just read to you
a verse that he said there to Timothy
in 2 Timothy 2.
He said, Consider what I say.
Consider what I say.
Chapter 2, verse 7.
And the Lord will give you understanding in
all things.
Verse 8.
Here's what I'm going to say.
Remember Jesus Christ who was born of the
seed of David and raised from the dead
according to my gospel.
He always thought of the gospel connected to
Jesus of the seed of David.
Very much a human being just like us.
He lived on earth not as God but
as man.
And once we see this, I remember the
first time I saw this.
It really gripped my heart.
It changed my life.
When I saw Jesus became like me in
all areas.
He was tempted like me.
He was made like his brethren in all
things.
Hebrews 2.17. Tempted like his brethren in
all things.
Yet he did not sin.
And since Romans is talking about how to
be free from sin.
He's giving us the example of Jesus first
of all.
Okay.
And he was declared to be the son
of God with power by the resurrection.
Romans 1.4. From the dead according to
the spirit of holiness Jesus Christ our Lord.
Of the seed of David but at the
same time he was the second person of
the Trinity.
The son of God.
This is what we must always bear in
mind.
And proved to be the son of God
we can say by the fact that he
rose up from the dead.
The first human being ever to rise up
from the dead never to die again.
All the others who were raised from the
dead in the Old Testament died again.
But here is one.
The beginning of a new human race of
which we are going to be a part.
A new race.
That is the gospel.
That God is making a new race.
Out of this old human race.
What a gospel.
It's a completely new race.
And it's that work is beginning inside.
And from inside it will ultimately come outside.
And if you cooperate with him.
You can be a part of this wonderful
work that God is doing in these last
days.
And that is essentially the gospel.
To preach this gospel is to lead people
to become part of a new race.
Okay.
And he says God has given us apostleship.
To bring about obedience to the faith among
all the Gentiles.
For his name's sake.
God calls certain people to spread this wonderful
gospel.
Across the world.
And I tell you.
It's the greatest honor.
A human being can ever have.
To make this gospel clear and plain.
To human beings who belong to this old
fallen race.
That they can come and become a part
of this new race.
That God is building.
And if you see the glory of that.
You will see the tremendous honor it is
if God ever calls you.
To serve him.
You know God doesn't call everybody.
He calls perhaps 1% of Christians.
To serve him full time.
1%.
Imagine if you are going to be in
that 1%.
Of people called by God.
Spend your days.
Full time.
Leading people to experience this wonderful gospel.
I don't believe God could have ever given
me.
A greater honor than that.
Anything in the world is garbage.
Compared to that.
Paul saw the greatness of his calling.
What are all your engineers and doctors and
computer scientists and specialists.
Whatever they are.
Compared to the glory.
Of being one who proclaims the gospel of
God.
It's trash.
Absolute rubbish.
Okay they make more money.
So what.
Is there anything more glorious than transforming people
to become a part of this new race.
We got to see.
The dignity and the glory of our calling.
As I have gone on with the Lord.
The dignity and the glory of the calling
of being a servant of the almighty God.
Has just become more and more glorious in
my eyes.
And I pray that you young people will
see the glory of it.
Right from your youth.
Of course if God hasn't called you to
that type of thing.
Well.
It's another thing.
But if God's called you there's absolutely nothing.
I cannot imagine how anybody can give up
the call of God.
To go for something else.
I cannot imagine it.
Obviously he hasn't seen the glory of it.
And people talk about.
I sacrifice this job.
To go and serve the Lord.
Such people have never seen the glory.
They haven't seen the glory of it.
That's why they talk about all their sacrifices.
I mean to use an illustration.
It's like a man saying.
I gave up this 500 rupee job.
For the sake of this 20,000 rupee
a month job.
That's a joke.
Is that a sacrifice.
That you gave up a 500 rupee a
month job.
To get a 20,000 rupee a month
job.
It is something like that.
When you give up some earthly job.
Because God called you to serve him full
time.
To live for him.
It's far greater than that.
That's what Paul says.
I'm an apostle.
I'd have wasted my time as a businessman
in Tarsus.
But God called me to be an apostle.
The glory of it.
To go among all the nations.
Proclaiming this wonderful gospel.
And then he goes on to say.
He says.
I'm under obligation.
Verse 14.
And I'm eager.
Verse 15.
And I'm not ashamed.
Verse 16.
Three I am's.
I'm under obligation.
That means I'm a debtor.
To all the people in the world.
Because God has opened my eyes.
To see this wonderful gospel.
I cannot keep it to myself.
God has called me to be an apostle.
And I cannot.
Be but in debt.
Until I clear this debt.
What sort of a Christian are you?
If you have borrowed money from everybody in
this town.
And you have not paid it back.
Are you a good Christian?
Even if you borrowed only 10 rupees from
everybody in this town.
And you never paid back even one of
them.
What sort of a Christian are you?
You are a thief.
Do you know that when you don't preach
the gospel to other people who haven't heard
it.
It's the same thing.
You are not clearing your debt.
People you know so well.
Whom you meet everyday.
You don't clear your debt.
Do you clear your debt to the people
whom you meet everyday?
There was a man who used to come
to our house selling old newspapers.
And I got an opportunity one day.
To give him a try.
And very soon after that he died.
I was glad that I could give him
the gospel.
There was a man living next door to
our house.
Who was a Muslim.
Old man.
He was there for a long time.
And I got a chance one day to
give the gospel to him.
Before he died.
Oh what a responsibility we have.
To clear our debt.
To people around us.
We don't have to do it with great
evangelistic campaigns.
There are people we meet regularly.
Clear your debt.
Paul said I am a debtor.
And I am going to clear my debt.
And I am eager.
He says in verse 15.
Because I am a debtor.
I want to clear my debt.
I want to make restitution.
Like Zacchaeus wanted to make restitution for those
people he owed money to.
Paul says I also got to make restitution.
God has given me something to give all
these people.
And I am in debt.
And I am a thief if I keep
it to myself.
I am eager therefore to come to Rome.
To clear my debt.
And I am not ashamed of this gospel.
Because this gospel is not just a message
for me.
It is the power of God.
Unto salvation.
To everyone who believes.
It's not for everyone.
It's for everyone who believes.
How much will you experience of this gospel?
As much as you believe.
If you can believe only up to chapter
3.
You will only get up to chapter 3.
If you can believe up to chapter 4.
You will get chapter 4.
If you can believe up to chapter 6.
You will get up to chapter 6.
If you believe up to chapter 8.
You can get up to chapter 8.
If you believe all the way up to
chapter 15.
You can get everything.
It's for everyone who believes.
And he says I am not ashamed of
this wonderful gospel.
For in it the righteousness of God is
revealed from faith to faith.
As it says the righteous man shall live
by faith.
Faith to faith means first of all he
proclaims the faith that saves us.
From the guilt of sin.
That makes us righteous before God.
Chapter 3 to chapter 5.
And then faith to faith.
He leads us on to the faith that
sanctifies us.
That makes us holy.
Separated from sin.
In chapter 6 to 8.
And then he leads us on.
To the faith that.
Consecrates us to God.
In chapter 12.
And makes us part of the body of
Christ.
With whom we fellowship.
In chapter 14 and 15.
It's from faith to faith to faith to
faith.
And at any point you can stop.
It's like climbing a mountain.
You can stop anywhere you like.
And say okay that's good enough.
It's like studying in a school.
You know there are many people around us.
Who drop out in fourth standard.
Eighth standard.
Tenth standard.
Twelfth standard.
Some people finish PUC and say that's enough.
Some people are not satisfied even after they
get a PhD.
They go for post doctoral studies.
I wish there was that type of eagerness.
In spiritual things too.
To pursue, pursue, pursue, pursue spiritual experiences with
God.
That you're not satisfied with kindergarten stuff.
You move on and on and on and
on.
And you never want to drop out.
You want to get the ultimate.
Everything that God has for a human being.
I know sometimes I pray to God and
said Lord.
Everything possible.
For a human being to experience.
Of your gospel and your nature on earth.
I want it.
Before I die.
Every experience of fellowship with Christ in his
sufferings.
That I can experience on this earth before
I die.
I want it before I die.
Because I can't get it when I go
to heaven.
Can you get beaten for Christ's sake in
heaven?
No.
Can you get taken to court for Christ's
sake in heaven?
No.
Can you get abused and scandalized in heaven?
No.
Where can we experience the fellowship of his
sufferings except on this earth?
Do you have a passion for that?
I find my heart is passionately longing.
To experience everything that a human being can
experience on this earth.
Of the fellowship of Christ's sufferings.
And of partaking of God's nature.
From faith to faith to faith to faith
to faith and it's endless.
That's the gospel.
So many of us are a long way
from the full gospel.
And lot of full gospel churches are millions
of miles away from the full gospel.
Let me tell you that.
It's not just forgiveness of sins, baptism in
the Holy Spirit.
That is kindergarten.
That's not full gospel.
It's like a child finishing kindergarten and saying
I finished school.
What do you mean you finished school?
You just got into the kindergarten and learnt
ABCD.
What is that?
You got saved, you got baptized in water
and you got baptized in the Holy Spirit.
That's kindergarten.
That's not the full gospel.
So in chapter 1 he goes on to
describe the guilt of the sinner.
How they started out.
They did not honor God.
Verse 1 as God did not give him
thanks.
And that's the first step downwards.
When a person does not give thanks to
God.
Is not grateful to God for his life,
for creation, for health.
He's already started backsliding.
That's the first step downwards.
Please remember that the first step downwards in
the Christian life.
Is when you stop giving thanks to God.
When you're not grateful to God.
And you go downwards and you finally end
up in verse 30.
Slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors
of evil.
Unloving, unmerciful.
All the wretched things described in verse 29
to 31.
It starts with ingratitude.
And then it goes on.
It says three times.
It says here in verse 24.
God gave them up.
Verse 26.
God gave them up.
Verse 28.
God gave them up.
At each stage.
Like there's a faith to faith growth upwards.
There's a downward progression also towards evil.
Where you don't respond to God's convictions.
He gives you up.
You go one step still lower.
And then you still don't respond to the
convictions of the Holy Spirit.
God gives you up.
And you go still one step lower.
And there's a going downwards also.
Like verse 17 speaks of going upwards.
Here is a going downwards.
Finally.
There's nothing more for them.
They're counted to the depths of sin.
And that's the condition of the worldly sinner.
Lot of sexual sins are mentioned here.
And worshipping the creature more than the creator.
Verse 25.
I told you the other day that all
temptation is basically worshipping the creature more than
the creator.
Then in chapter 2.
He goes on to describe the guilt of
the religious man.
The religious man who thinks.
Who's ready to judge other people.
You who pass judgment on others.
Chapter 2 verse 1.
Do you judge yourself?
Because in the thing that you judge other
people.
You're condemning yourself.
The very sins that you find in other
people.
Are there in your heart also.
That's what the Lord is trying to tell
the Pharisees.
Okay, you catch this woman caught in adultery.
You Pharisees who are standing there.
Tell me how many of you have not
committed adultery in your heart.
If you have not committed adultery in your
heart.
Throw a stone at this woman.
And do you know what it says?
The oldest man went away first.
You read John chapter 8.
The oldest man walked away first.
He couldn't stand in the presence of Jesus.
The light was so shining there.
They went away one by one.
That's what the Bible says.
You who condemn others.
What sin is there in the other fellow.
Which you haven't done in your own heart.
Tell me.
And he says.
We know the righteous judgment of God.
Falls upon those who practice such things.
But do you suppose that when you pass
judgment.
Verse 3.
He just because you practice these things in
secret.
You are going to escape that judgment.
That fellow practices it openly.
You practice it secretly.
You think it makes a difference in the
eyes of men.
It makes a difference.
In the eyes of men.
You're a holy man.
And that fellow is a sinner.
But God may deal more mercifully with him.
Than with you.
Because you got one more sin called hypocrisy.
Which that sinner doesn't have.
And that's the worst sin of the lot.
Once you see that hypocrisy.
Pretence.
And spiritual pride.
Are the two sins which are on the
top of the list.
Above murder, adultery and all come further down
the list.
Top of the list is hypocrisy and spiritual
pride.
Once you see that.
You will discover in the story of the
prodigal son.
That the biggest sinner in that story was
the elder son.
Not the younger one.
He was much better.
Once you see that story from God's eyes.
You'll see the elder son was the biggest
criminal in that house.
The younger son was far better.
That's what Jesus tried to tell the Pharisees
in his time.
And they didn't understand it.
And I find that's what I try to
tell a lot of Christians.
And they don't understand it either.
Because the Christians of today are just as
blind as the Pharisees of that time.
They think it's those godless people who are
sinners.
They don't realize that God sees hypocrisy and
spiritual pride.
Pretending to be holy for example.
Giving other people the impression that you are
a very prayerful person.
That puts you top of the list.
If you are not actually like that in
your private life.
Giving other people the impression that you are
very generous in giving to the Lord.
When it's not true in your private life.
It puts you at the top of the
list above all the murderers and adulterers in
the world.
Have you seen yourself like that?
Chapter 2 is for such people.
Who consider themselves to be pretty holy.
Pretty accepted before God.
Not who look down at these fellows who
are drug addicts and drunkards and you know
horrible things like.
We've got clean sins like spiritual pride and
hypocrisy.
Not these horrible ones like drug addiction and
all that.
Chapter 2 is for such people.
And Christian churches are filled with such people.
And the more separated they are from the
denomination churches.
The bigger the Pharisees you find in them.
The smaller Pharisees on the main line denominations.
The big Pharisees.
The more their doctrine is pure.
The bigger the Pharisees they are.
Because there is so much hypocrisy in their
life.
They are defeated by sin in their private
life.
And they think they are better than everybody
else.
The more you think you are better than
people in other denominations.
The more you have a responsibility to manifest
a life which is far superior to the
people in that denomination.
And ask yourself whether it is true.
If you find one person in those denominations
whose life is better than yours.
You should hang your head in shame.
And say Lord please don't let me waste
my time.
And fool other people thinking I am better
than them.
I am not.
So chapter 2 speaks about those who are
proud like that.
And he goes on to say a number
of things.
You bear the name of Jew etc.
And finally he says.
What shall we say then chapter 3 verse
9.
Are we better than them?
Not at all.
All are under sin.
You think you seek after God.
Verse 11 says.
There is nobody who seeks after God.
You say but that can't be true.
Because I did seek after God.
Well here is the verse for you.
Verse 4.
Let God be true and every man a
liar.
So you must be a liar.
If God says you don't seek after Him.
And you say you did seek after Him.
You must be the liar not God.
I believe what God says in verse 11.
There is nobody who seeks after God.
It is God who sought after us and
found us.
And the more we think I am better
than somebody.
Because I sought after God and He didn't.
I got light because He didn't.
I tell you all the light I have
today.
Is because God gave it to me in
His mercy.
It is not because I sought Him.
I don't deserve one bit of it.
He gave it to me.
It does not make me one bit superior.
To the unconverted Roman Catholic.
No it doesn't.
I don't believe it.
Or a person of another religion.
It is pure mercy.
It is 100% grace.
Grace.
Grace from beginning till end.
If you haven't understood that.
You have not understood the gospel.
A person who has really understood the gospel.
Can never.
I say never.
Be proud spiritually.
If you are spiritually proud.
I would say to you in Jesus name.
You have not understood the full gospel.
That's why.
You have not understood grace.
If you can look down at people in
other groups.
You have not understood the gospel.
And lots of born again believers.
Have not understood the gospel.
Because they look down on other people.
A man who has seen the full gospel.
His face will be in the dust.
He will never look down.
On other people.
Even though he may be the holiest man
on earth.
Such a man has understood the full gospel.
There will not be an atom of spiritual
pride in him.
He will recognize it's all of grace.
Lot of believers talk about grace.
But they haven't understood one single thing about
grace.
Deep down in their heart.
They believe that they accomplish their salvation.
I believe what God's word says.
And I want to tell all of you.
This is so important.
If you want to experience the full gospel.
Please first of all understand.
What a filthy, rotten, good for nothing sinner.
You were.
And if there is anything good in you
today.
It is sheer mercy and grace.
You cannot glory in it.
Over any other human being.
On the face of the earth.
Say to yourself.
What it says here in verses 10 to
18.
Apply it to yourself.
It applies to everybody.
There is nobody righteous.
Lord, I'm not righteous.
Lord, I don't understand.
Verse 11.
Lord, I never sought after you.
Lord, I was the one who turned aside.
I have become useless.
I never did any good in my life.
Verse 12.
My throat is an open grave.
This is my natural condition in Adam.
My mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.
The path of peace.
Verse 17.
I never knew.
You think this applies only to the prodigal
son.
It applies to the elder son.
And therefore we say.
Nobody can open their mouth.
Verse 19.
Everybody's mouth is shut.
Before God.
Has your mouth become shut?
You see a humble man.
His mouth is shut.
One of the things that I have labored.
For many many years.
In my local church.
And the churches God has given me responsibility
over.
Is to convince them.
That they are filthy good for nothing sinners.
Because I know from my own experience.
That that understanding.
Is what brings them to the fullness of
salvation.
Otherwise.
They will become a bunch of self-righteous
Pharisees.
Who think they are better than others.
And I've seen people like that.
Who understood half the gospel.
And their spiritual growth is stunted.
Because they haven't got a good foundation.
In seeing the filth and corruption of their
human nature.
Which they got from Adam.
So it's very important to lay this foundation.
Which Paul is laying for the gospel.
Don't think he's wasting three chapters here.
These three chapters are the foundation for the
full gospel.
What is that?
That you are a filthy good for nothing
sinner.
You never sought after God.
There's nothing good in you.
Your mouth is full of cursing.
And bitterness.
And you got hatred.
You got jealousy.
Everything in your heart.
There's absolutely nothing good in you.
He labors that point.
And I find I've had to labor that
point.
And when I have labored that point.
And people have been convinced about it.
I see the result in their lives.
I see humility.
I see Christ-likeness.
And then the grace of God comes upon
them.
And they don't go around thinking that they
are superior to others.
But.
I find even in my church.
There are people who sit and who don't
understand that.
They think this applies always to other people.
You can hear a message like this.
And think oh that's all for.
I'm glad these other people are here to
listen to it.
It's not for these other people brother.
It's for you.
It's so important.
To recognize.
That you're the chief of sinners.
I believe that if you're really living before
God's face.
There will be frequent times in your life.
I don't think we can bear it all
the time.
But sometimes.
God gives us a glimpse of his glory.
And his holiness.
And we feel like little worms.
We feel that we are the filthiest.
Most selfish.
Sinners in the whole world.
If you've never had an experience like that.
I wonder whether you've ever encountered God really.
You may have encountered a doctrine.
But not God himself.
So I want to encourage you my brothers
and sisters.
To see yourself in God's eyes.
That is the first step to experiencing the
full gospel.
Once you've come there.
A major work has been done.
You see the ground has been cleared now.
You see it's like something like this.
Why is it easier to work with prodigal
sons.
Than with the elder sons.
Shall I tell you why?
Because it's like asking this question.
Supposing you had to build this building.
In an empty plot.
Or supposing you had to build this building.
In a plot where already there was an
old structure.
Which is easier?
You know the answer.
It's easier to build it where there's an
empty plot.
In the same way.
A person who's got no righteousness at all.
Filthy.
He's a sinner, murderer, thief, drunkard, gambler, adulterer.
He's like an empty plot.
It's very easy to build.
The gospel.
In such a person's life.
It's the easiest thing in the world.
He's an empty plot.
But people who come with huge structures.
Of the holy life that they have lived.
From the good family and so many good
things.
What a lot of demolition has to take
place.
Before we start building.
We had to bring the bulldozer.
We have to bring.
Dynamite and blow up so many things.
Such a lot of dust and muck and
blowing dust.
It takes such a long time.
And some people the work is not done
completely.
They just blow up half the structure and
start building.
And they have problems all their life.
So I want to say to you.
Particularly those who are in chapter 2 of
Romans.
Let God do a thorough work of demolition.
Destroying all your pride in your religiosity.
If you want to really experience the full
gospel.
I'm not saying you have to commit sin.
I didn't have to go and commit sin.
In order to recognize I was a sinner.
I had to just come into God's presence.
Isaiah felt he was one of the filthiest
men on earth.
Not because he was the filthiest man.
How did Paul say in one sentence.
I've kept my conscience clear since my childhood.
And the other side he says.
I feel I'm the greatest sinner on earth.
How do these things go together?
Did Paul commit murder adultery theft so many
things.
He says no.
I kept my conscience clear from childhood.
But he felt I'm the greatest sinner on
earth.
Because he saw himself in God's light.
This is the foundation.
And I don't mind laboring that point.
Because I believe that many many people.
Never experience the full gospel.
Because they don't go through the first three
chapters of Romans.
And apply it to themselves.
They read Romans 1 to 3.
And they think that's always for the other
person.
For example.
Sexual perversion.
Do you feel you're capable of it?
Say oh no.
Not me.
Because you're a holy person, right?
There's still a lot of demolition work that
has to be done in you.
That's one example.
You read Romans chapter 1.
You feel that that's not for you.
You cannot be involved in such things.
These are for filthy sinners.
That's exactly how the elder son said.
That's for this prodigal son.
And that's why the elder son never got
a chance to sit at the father's right
hand.
And that's why also the measure of anointing
and power and freshness in our life is
absent.
Why are we so dry?
Because you don't allow the spirit of God
to demolish that righteousness that you've got from
Adam.
You haven't seen that all your righteousness is
like filthy rags.
What to do?
You will be dry and boring all your
life.
Till you allow God to do a thorough
work of demolition.
And you can never again, never again look
down on any human being, leave alone any
believer in any other denomination.
Impossible.
When you come to that place, you can
be pretty sure the demolition work is complete.
But I don't think many believers have ever
come there.
I've been preaching this for 25 years.
There are people sitting in my church who
still haven't come there.
The demolition has not been done.
I can't do it.
I can only tell you.
This is the way.
But whether you come there or not, but
you'll see the fruit of it in your
life.
If the demolition is not done in your
life, there won't be a freshness.
There won't be a victory.
There will not be an experience of the
full gospel.
And that's what the Holy Spirit is trying
to do in the first three chapters of
Romans.
And he says in verse 23.
All have sinned.
He finally says.
That's the conclusion.
Everybody has sinned.
Religious sinners, non-religious sinners, all have sinned
and come short of the glory of God.
What is the definition of sin?
For many, many years, I looked for a
definition of sin, which would be an ideal
definition.
There are different definitions.
In 1 John 3, it says sin is
transgression of the law.
In James 4, it says that sins of
commission.
James 4, it says sins of omission.
The one who knows what to do, which
is right and does not do it.
That is sin.
Yeah, it's all good.
But I finally came to see the finest
definition of sin is here in Romans 3,
23.
What is sin?
Sin is to come short of the glory
of God.
That's it.
It's in that verse.
I read it for so many years.
And it never struck me that this is
a definition of sin.
Sin is not murder, adultery, theft, gambling, drinking,
drug addiction.
No.
Sin is coming short of the glory of
God.
You want to know what sin is in
your life?
Wherever you fall short of the glory of
God, you're a sinner.
What is the glory of God?
Let's define that first.
The glory of God was seen in Jesus
Christ, full of grace and truth.
John 1, 14.
That is the glory of God.
So put those two verses together.
John 1, 14 and Romans 3, 23.
And you get this definition of sin.
Anything unlike Christ in your personality is sin.
Who can say I'm free from sin?
Anybody?
Who can say I'll be free from sin
on any day of his life on this
earth?
If you lower your definition of sin so
low, then you may say, you know, you
can lower past marks and say I passed.
And that's what a lot of people do
when they say I'm free from sin.
They have lowered the past marks to less
than 1% and they say I passed.
But past marks is 100%.
And most of us are not even getting
1%.
Past marks is 100% in God's kingdom.
Anything less than the glory of Christ, anything
less than Christ likeness is sin.
All have sinned.
But you say, well, I'm not such a
bad sinner as the other person.
Do you feel like that?
There are lots of born-again believers.
Say, I'm not such a bad sinner as
that person.
This is like if past marks in an
exam in a class is 40% average.
And one student got 32.
Another got 20.
Another got 10.
Another got 5.
Another got 0.
Are they all sitting in the same class
next year?
Absolutely.
The fellow who got 32 can go to
the teacher and say I'm 32% better
than that fellow who got 0.
Sorry, you also failed.
You're in the same class as that other
person, even though you may be 32 times
better than him.
Makes no difference.
You have failed, he has failed.
You know, we understand this in classrooms.
But we don't understand that in our life.
I've met multitudes of Christians.
I believe as I diagnosed them like a
doctor, I believe their fundamental problem is they
have never seen themselves as filthy, good-for
-nothing sinners in God's eyes.
They are sinners, but they say I'm not
so bad as the other person.
As long as you say that, you'll never
experience the full power of the Holy Spirit
or a full salvation.
Let me encourage you to recognize, you know,
what sin is.
When we think of sin, please listen to
this carefully.
When man thinks of sin, he's always thinking
of the punishment he'll get.
When God thinks of sin, he's not thinking
of the punishment you'll get, he's thinking of
the glory that you'll miss.
You know, there's a lot of difference between
thinking of the punishment you'll get and the
glory that you'll miss.
Don't think of the punishment that you'll get.
That's not the most serious part about sin.
There is a glory that you're going to
miss if you tolerate sin in your life.
It's not a question of convincing other people
that you're holy.
If there's a measure of sin that you
tolerate in your life, that is the measure
of glory you're going to miss.
Because sin is falling short of the glory
of God.
How does God save people who are in
sin?
There's no way to save them because, I
mean, they cannot save themselves.
God has to freely give them a gift.
And so it says in verse 24, we
are justified as a gift.
Means freely.
Your sins are forgiven freely.
Without anything that you do.
Through the blood of Jesus Christ mentioned in
verse 25.
God passes over all the sins previously committed.
Now even though perhaps all of us sitting
here will acknowledge that salvation is by grace.
And forgiveness of sins is free.
Sometimes we act as though we did not
get forgiveness as a free gift.
But that we earned it.
Sometimes we act as though we received the
baptism of the Holy Spirit because we worked
for it.
Do you know that it's all free gifts?
Salvation is a free gift.
Forgiveness of sins is a free gift.
The Holy Spirit is a free gift.
God writing his laws in my heart and
mind is a free gift.
Eternal life, God's nature is a free gift.
And yet I find so many believers, they've
got something freely from God.
And behave as though they achieved it by
their faithfulness.
Why?
Because they haven't understood the second part of
the gospel.
The first part of the gospel is to
recognize you're a good for nothing, filthy, useless
sinner.
No better than anybody else in the world.
If you've understood that I can explain the
second part to you.
The second part is every single thing is
a gift.
What can you glory in then?
Tell me what is it you've got which
is not a gift?
Even your intelligence is a gift.
Your health is a gift.
Much more the spiritual things.
Forgiveness of sins was a gift.
If you're filled with the Holy Spirit, that's
a gift.
And yet I've seen so many people boast.
You know there's a subtle tone of boasting.
When they talk about God baptized me in
the Holy Spirit on such and such a
date.
Give their testimony.
And you can sense it's not a gift.
These fellows are testifying as though they achieved
something.
These are the people who never experienced the
fullness of life in Christ.
So these are two fundamental requirements I find
which Paul lays down a foundation.
It's a gift, it's a gift, it's a
gift.
Forgiveness is a gift.
Ask God if you've never heard the gospel
like you heard it tonight.
Ask God to open your eyes to make
the reality of this hit you.
Lord, I'm no better than anybody else.
And salvation is a free gift.
I'm justified.
Justified means God declares me righteous.
All my sins are cleansed away.
And he speaks about justification in chapter 4,
justification in chapter 5.
What is the meaning of justification?
If you're using computers and you use a
program like Word.
There's a command there called justify.
In computer language, justify.
You know what it means?
When you're typing a letter.
You know how it was in the old
days when we used typewriters?
You type a letter, then you type the
second line.
And the second line does not reach where
the first line finishes.
Because the word finishes a little earlier or
goes a little beyond.
And if you look at the left-hand
side of these typewritten pages, okay, but the
right-hand side is all jagged.
That's how all typewritten letters are.
Now in a computer, when you shade off
that whole portion and give a command to
justify, that whole right side becomes straight.
Like see the right side of the Bible?
Absolutely straight.
That's called justifying.
And they don't justify just with putting dashes
and hyphens.
There are no hyphens here.
It's all straight.
That's what God does.
From the day I was born, my life
has been jagged.
Sin, sin, sin, sin, sin, sin, sin, sin,
sin, sin.
And one day I accept Christ and God
takes that whole passage and says, justify.
Absolutely straight.
And it doesn't matter whether you have written
10 lines or 10,000 lines.
It's all justified.
It doesn't matter whether you're 10 years old
or 50 years old.
Justified.
And you look at that and you cannot
believe that once upon a time it is
all jagged.
What a wonderful thing justification is.
It's perfect.
You cannot make it more perfect than that.
It's absolutely straight.
That's how God looks at me in Christ.
My past is blotted out.
I'm justified, accepted before the Lord as Christ
is in Him.
And how?
On the basis of faith.
And he uses the example of Abraham in
chapter 4.
He says, how did Abraham get a son?
Was it because he deserved it?
Was it because he struggled?
He struggled for so many years, he never
got a son.
It was a sheer gift.
And he says in Romans chapter 4, justification
is like that.
Just like Abraham got a son, you got
your justification.
Absolutely free.
And therefore, chapter 5, having been justified by
faith, we have peace with God.
We're living in a wonderful new world now.
Peace with God.
We have an introduction by faith into this
grace in which we stand and we rejoice
in hope of the glory of God.
This glory of God is going to become,
which I came short of all my life,
is now going to become part of me
more and more and more and more and
more and more.
And it's not going to make me proud,
because it's all a gift.
Think of that.
Supposing, let me use an illustration to explain
this.
Supposing I brought a cake here, baked by
some very good baker.
I just brought it, I didn't even buy
it.
I just brought it here and I cut
it and pass it all around and you
eat it and you say, boy, brother Zag,
this is a fantastic cake.
I'm not even proud, because I didn't bake
it.
But if I had baked it and then
you say it's a fantastic cake, then I'll
feel a little proud.
When somebody says, brother, you're such a humble
brother, do you feel proud of it?
If you do, you must have manufactured your
humility, like my making the cake.
That's the illustration.
If your humility was given by God, you
cannot be proud of it, even when people
praise you for it.
Just like I cannot be proud of a
cake, which I did not bake.
If somebody appreciates your holiness, as such a
godly brother, and you feel proud of it,
it must be something you manufactured yourself.
If it was what God did in you,
you could not be proud of it, like
a cake which somebody else baked.
If you give a message and people appreciate
it greatly, if you produce the message, you'll
be proud of it.
If God gave it to you, like the
cake somebody else baked, you're not even tempted
to pride.
Do you think the servants in Kena were
tempted to pride when they took that wine?
We didn't make it.
We're just distributing it.
We are not in the production business.
We are only in the distribution business.
Praise God for that.
Dear brothers and sisters, there's far more spiritual
pride in us than we think.
The reason being, we think that we may
manufacture these things ourselves.
Let's learn these two things.
The depth of sin that is in religious
people and the fantastic pride that is in
religious people who have not understood that everything
God gives is a free gift.
Let's pray.
Heavenly Father, we thank you that you can
lay a good foundation in our life that
we can press on to experience the more
wonderful things there is in the fullness of
your gospel.
And I pray that every single person here
will experience that deep foundation in their life
so that you can build a wonderful superstructure
on it in the days to come.
We pray in Jesus' name.
Amen.