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Woe to modern-day Israel, and the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us
because that is the only way we can be righteousness now!
Fred R. Coulter—April 21, 2018
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State of Nation and World
Remember the parable that Jesus gave about the vineyard. Here's the vineyard in prophecy in Isa. 5.
Before services we were talking about the high prices of rental. Two small rooms in Hollister are $1200. A house is between $2800-$3100 a month. Think how much you have to make just to pay for the rent.
On top of that, you have nearly everyone in Hollister commuting to San Jose or Santa Clara. Then you have the cost of the car, cost of the gas, cost of the insurance, cost of maintenance, altogether. That's before you eat.
It's going to cost you how much to eat? If you're lucky and single, and you buy a lot of things pretty well you can fix or already prepared, you might get by at $120 a week. I suppose if you didn't have enough money, you get your Burger King two whoppers for $6. Think about the expense of all of that, which means that in order to exist in a 2-room rental in a house, and commute where you go to work, you have to earn a minimum of $5,000 a month.
Then we were talking about how in New York City, 10-12 million people are all stacked up together. It works really good as long as everything works. But long ago they ran out of places to put the waste and the garbage. Stop and think how much you produce yourself every week. Then times that by 12-million plus other things.
In New York City garbage men make between $105,000-$120,000/yr. It's imperative to get the garbage out every week. I want you to think about how nice everything works as long as it's smooth.
I'm sitting here thinking about the garbage that they have to ship out, the waste, not just the garbage. There are two things they ship out of New York, no place to put it: the garbage and the waste. They can't handle everything through their sewer processing plants, so they have to send the garbage and the waste on trains. One route of a train takes it all the way down to Alabama. I want you to think about how delicate all of that is, to say nothing about electricity, water and gas.
If you make $120,000 in New York City, you just barely get by. If you want to buy an apartment, forget it. If you get a real cheap flat, you might be able to get it for—bad neighborhood and everything—$125,000. In the neighborhood of Trump Tower, tens of millions. What do you have? You have a fantastic view, which is great, as long as everything works!
Jonathan is an architect and knows that everything has to be to code in order for it to work and survive. What happens if it's not? Remember they had a fire in Trump Tower this week; think about how you get the water up 31 stories!
Take that concept and multiply it by all of the large countries with large cities in the world. Think how vulnerable they are, yet they think they've got it made. It's a catastrophe in New York when the garbage men go on strike. You will pay them their increase, because if you don't, within a couple of days the rats come up out of the sewer—more rats than people—get on the street for all the goodies.
I just did some Church at Home (churchathome.org) where an atheist just rails against the God of the Old Testament. Richard Dawkins, a famous atheist, hates the Old Testament. What is the story of the Old Testament over and over again?
- God coming to the people that He has made
- God wanting to bless them if they choose His way
- God warning them that if they go their own way automatic things are going to happen
God doesn't have to do it, because He's already set the laws in motion, so that when the transgressions happen, the penalties come automatically.
God doesn't have to sit back and say, 'I'll do that because you did this.' No, He said, 'Here are My laws and commandments. If you love Me, keep My laws and commandments and I will bless you.' We want Your blessings!
- I'll bless you in the country
- I'll bless you in your cities
- I'll bless you in your basket
- I'll bless you in your store
- I'll bless you in everything that you do
- I'll set you on high above the nations of the world
You will be rich and they will be poor if you diligently seek to keep My commandments and love Me.'
You would think that would be an automatic thing for people to really want to choose. Furthermore, God says, 'If you love Me, I'll love you. You won't have to worry about:
- sickness
- disease
- war
- debt
Everyone wants that, but to do what God says, no.
Let's see what God says about His vineyard, which is Israel. The Church is also a vineyard. Jesus said, 'I am the vine, you are the branches. You dwell in Me and I in you. Just as the branch cannot produce fruit by itself, neither can you if you're not in Me.'
God propositions are always the same. In the Old Testament they are the propositions of physical blessings or physical cursings. It's really interesting how the mindset of people becomes when they are entrapped in sin and refuse to repent.
The other night I was watching I Almost Got Away With It. I watch that every once in a while. But what is so profound is the mindset. They think that continuing to break God's laws—they don't put it that way—they're going to get away with it. They lie, cheat, steal and rob, but they always get caught, because they always make a mistake.
Let's look at what God wanted to give Israel as the vineyard and then think about what God wants to give us spiritually.
Isaiah 5:1: "Now, I will sing to my Beloved a song of my Beloved concerning His vineyard. My Beloved has a vineyard in a very fruitful hill. And He dug it up, and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines… [that sounds just like the parable] … and built a tower in its midst, and hewed out a wine vat in it; and He looked for it to produce grapes. But it produced worthless fruits" (vs 1-2).
This is quite a parable! As we go through here, let's apply this in several different ways, because this is layered. It can be applied to us individually! How do we do what God wants and respond to Him? Jesus said, 'If you remain in Me, you will produce much fruit and My Father will even prune you so you can produce more fruit.'
"…But it produced worthless fruits." Why? Because you cannot produce righteousness with sin! Think on that!
Verse 3: "And now, O people of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, I ask you to judge between Me and My vineyard .… [gave the best land, best plants, best of everything] …What more could have been done to My vineyard that I have not done in it? Who knows?.… [God always asks for a witness. Who's going to tell us?] …I looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes" (vs 3-4)—symbolic of adding to the laws and commandments of God and changing the Word of God.
As we go through, I want you to think about the modern society. Think about the upcoming generation that can't even spell.
Verse 5: "And now I will tell you what I will do to My vineyard.… [notice how God gives judgments and warnings] …I will take away its hedge, and it shall be consumed; and break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down."
Think of this with the destruction of Jerusalem. Is that not exactly what happened? Did not God give the Jews 20 years. Actually the warning of Jeremiah was for 40 years. But God gave them 20 years to change, and there was one short revival under Josiah.
Verse 6: "'I will lay it waste; it shall not be pruned nor dug; but briers and thorns shall come up. And I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.' For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah His pleasant plant; and He looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, a cry of distress!" (vs 6-7).
Does that not sound like the nations of Israel today? I was watching on National Geographic the other night about Montana. The wild one they have equal justice by the mouth of a beast. This one here was in Montana, a wonderful place, broad spaces.
You know what they have up there? A meth epidemic! The average length of time of a heavy meth user is 5-7 years. They're always trying to figure out how to get around the law, because the police are always watching.
- How do they get the meth to their customer and not get caught?
- How many have been arrested?
This one dealer—and they always talk to a dealer. I saw how they do it in San Francisco; that's a terrible place. If you want to know the ultimate of liberalism and lawlessness: San Francisco and Los Angeles. Terrible!
But here's beautiful Montana, wide, wonderful places, no smog, free air. So, here's a meth dealer. They camouflage his face and voice and everything. He's telling how he made some money with the meth. He buys a gram of meth for $50 and sells it for $150. How does he get it to his customers without getting caught and without his customers being arrested? He uses the United States Postal Service! Can you imagine that?
He says you don't put it in a package. You don't send it priority. You put it like in a Get Well card and put in your meth right in there. You don't make it conspicuous and they get their meth. Then he gets $150 and so makes $100. I thought, isn't that the way that the criminal mind is, never seeing the wrong that they do? and always trying to figure a way around the law? Sooner or later they get caught or they overdose and die.
Here we have the vineyard, v 7: "For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah His pleasant plant; and He looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, a cry of distress!"
Verse 8: "Woe to those who join house to house, that lay field to field, until there is no place left, and you are made to dwell alone in the midst of the land!" Where there's no place left, then you build up, up, up.
Verse 9: "The LORD of hosts swore in my ears, 'Truly, many houses shall be deserted, even great and fair, without inhabitant.'"
Think about all of the suburbs, around all of the cities. All the nice streets, mailboxes, garbage collection, water coming underground, natural gas coming in, electricity and you have air conditioning. I'm thinking about the area in Phoenix, Arizona. They have hundreds of thousands of houses and people living in them in the middle of the desert where in the summertime it gets to be 119-degrees. Think about how vulnerable they are. Calamity could come in just two days. Cut off electricity for two days, block all the major highways for two days. What's going to happen? They're going to run out of water, run out of food! Then what's going to happen?
Then the basest of carnal nature will take over, and there will be roaming gangs breaking into houses, stealing, killing, looting. If you have any water stored, it belongs to them. Any food you have there, that's theirs. How are you going to stop it? The police can't do anything. That's why God says woe to woe if you lay houses to houses. Think about what we've done. That's everywhere in the world.
Look at some of these cities, like in India and South America. I remember seeing a program where down in Brazil there's this part of the city that's built up on a hill. No permits, no regular things put in, just all ad hoc. The one who was showing it to the National Geographic, showed him this huge maze of wires for television, absolutely an uncontrollable mess.
They were all stealing the television signals. Most of them were dealing in crime. This is just one little city. I thought to myself: WOW!
We're going to cover quite a few woes here, because that's the way the world is. Verse 11: "Woe to those who rise up early in the morning to go after strong drink; who continue late into the night while wine inflames them!" How long do they live?
Randy just did a Church at Home (churchathome.org) for us that showed how many of the rock stars and musicians die at an early age from drugs, drinking and illicit sex. They're the ones that are the models for the teenagers growing up. Amazing thing!
Verse 12: "And the lyre, and the harp, the drum and pipe, and wine, are at their feasts… [you could say rock concerts, that's what they are] …but they do not regard the work of the LORD… [God? Who is He?] …Yea, they do not see the work of His hands." Just happened, came from a tree, no a rock, no single cell.
Verse 13: "Therefore, My people are gone into exile because they have no knowledge…"
- Did that happen to the Jews?
- Did it happen to Israel?
- look what's happened in the Middle East
- look at all those countries
- What would it be like when it hits here?
"…and their honorable men are famished, and their multitude is dried up with thirst. Therefore, the grave has enlarged its appetite, and opened its mouth without limit; and down goes her glory and multitude and brawlers, and he who rejoices in her, shall go down into it. And man is bowed down, and men are brought low, and the eyes of the lofty are humbled" (vs 13-15).
How much does it take? Verse 16: "But the LORD of hosts is exalted in judgment, and God, the Holy One, is sanctified in righteousness. Then shall the lambs feed in their own pasture, and the waste places of the fat ones shall strangers eat" (vs 16-17).
Look at the woes—one after another. What does it say in Matt. 24? Because lawlessness shall be multiplied, the love of many shall grow cold! That describes this world.
The thing is, we can't control the world into which we are born. The only thing we can control is our relationship with God. So, the way that we maintain that relationship is the most important thing in the light of these things that are coming. Look at how quickly the strike against Syria took place. Death, destruction and misery in the middle of the desert. What a place!
Verse 18: "Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin with cart ropes; who say, 'Let Him hurry and hasten His work, so that we may see it; and let the purpose of the Holy One of Israel draw near and come, so that we may know!'" (vs 18-19).
They really don't want that. They want their sins with the blessings of God. They don't want to repent. If they repent, it's not enough to really do what's necessary to cause God to lift His hand. They don't want to know the purpose of God.
Let me summarize it for you; I've done this before recently, so I'll make it real quick: Have every little city and village, in a certain area, everybody keep the Ten Commandments of God. That would bring what they would want. But they're unwilling to do it. So, here's what happens and this is what's happening right now more and more.
Verse 20: "Woe to those who call evil good…" Think of all the government programs that have been given.
The other day I went into Knob Hill and here's this guy out there petitioning. He had about five things you sign up for that can go on the ballot, each one of them a benefit from the government to help the people, supposedly, that need help. But how many programs do we have of those? How bad are they? You take in Medicare and Medicaid, and all of this, then all of the corruption that's involved in that. That's to help the people because of sickness. Likewise, look with the opioid thing. They say that 150 people die every day of opioid overdose in America. That's amazing!
The government can't go in there and tell the manufactures to shut it down, and arrest the pharmacists and get rid of them who over prescribe and get those who sell it. I don't know what you're going to do with them, there are so many. You're probably going to have to arrest them, get the record and you're probably going to have to let them go. There's no place to put them because the jails are full. Isn't that something?
Verse 20: "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil; who put darkness for light and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!"
Guess who does that the slickest way possible? All the religionists! I'm getting tired of watching TBN, because every single one of them is a liar, the best of them. Even if you brought out, 'Hey guys, do you have the Bible?' Yeah. 'You believe the Bible?' Yeah! 'What about the fourth commandment that says remember the seventh day to keep it Holy?' Forget that! They wouldn't do that.
I have a book I just got from England, published in the 1700s. Here was this Sunday-keeping preacher who read about the Sabbath, stood up in the pulpit, and said, 'We're going to have services now every Sabbath.' All hell broke loose against him, because that was against the orthodoxy of the Church of England. Who can do what is right?
In bringing this up, think about the liberty and blessing that we have that we can still do the things that are right. California is trying to pass a law that if you say anything against any other sexual orientation, publish a book, they can confiscate it. Think where it's coming.
Here's what happens when you do this, when you never admit that you are in wrong, when you never acknowledge that there's such a thing as sin, when you never acknowledge that there is such a thing as the commandments of God, and that if you will keep the commandments of God He will bless you and watch over you. No! They won't admit they're wrong!
Verse 21: "Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!" Isn't that true of everything: government, religion, financing.
Now out of the mess of all of this, we do have a President who is trying to do some things that are right, but it's so bad, and he has fought against it at every turn. That shows you, and this tells you exactly what the thinking of the government and the thinking of religion, and the thinking of education really amount to. It's their way or no way! "…wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight."
Verse 22: "Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink, who justify the wicked for a bribe…" (vs 22-23). Is there anyone truthful in Washington, D.C., New York City, Los Angeles, and Sacramento?
"…and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!" (v 23). Yes, if you are against all of their perverted sex orientations, you're an enemy.
Verse 24: "Therefore, as the fire devours the stubble, and the flame burns up the chaff; their root shall be like rottenness, and their blossoms shall go up like dust, because they have cast away the Law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the Word of the Holy One of Israel."
So what's going to happen? Delores keeps saying, 'You know you have all these millennials out there and they're all educated in communism and they're all educated in fascism as well. No one can have an opinion other than theirs.'
Then you look at all of us 'oldies,' and we're hobbling to the store and hobbling home. On election day, you hobble down to the election thing. Then you remember the words of Oprah Winfrey. What a lovely, lovely, wonderful woman. When the question was asked her, she said, 'How are you going to get in this kind of agenda. That is this liberal agenda! She says, 'A lot of people have to die first.' How's that for love and concern!
Every time I look at people going to vote, with their walker, gray hair, cane, assistance. Will they be there for the next election? A lot of people have to die first!
Sidebar: It says here in Isa. 3 that women are going to rule over you. Remember how prophecies are fulfilled: to the maximum, not the minimum. Look at how many women are running for office. Many of them are more qualified than men, because the men are so stupid!
Nevertheless, who's going to rule over you? What else is going to happen? The stranger will rise up high above you! Combine the two of those into a presidential run in 2020 by someone like Oprah Winfrey, and she wins.
- stranger
- women
- youth are worthless
- old people are oppressed
- no one wants to do what is right
- everything is upside down and backwards
We can be thankful that God has put Donald Trump there, but that's only a thin veneer, because in many areas it looks like even all that he's trying to do, it's too late! May slow it down, but it's too late!
Wait till you hear what they're trying to do with the Word of God. Different countries, especially China, want to re-write it so that it now becomes their Bible. Other countries, other nations, the same way.
Why does it say at the end-time it's going to be so bad? Because all of the sins are added up and multiplied and multiplied!
I'll mention one last thing and we'll change the subject. What's going to happen to the world currency situation, not just the dollar. What's going to happen because the world is sitting on $390-trillion worth of unfunded liabilities?
He who owns the debt-instrument will become the ruler. Who is behind that? Satan the devil! All of these things that are grown and multiplied and come out the way that they have come out is because Satan is there to say, 'I have a benefit for you. You don't have to worry about God. You don't have to worry about any of that. I have a benefit for you. If you do this, you'll like it.'
What does he do? He gives success! So, they repeat and repeat and repeat. Ultimately that's what's going to happen in the whole world everywhere.
Like I've mentioned before, every time I drive home from the store with something, and I drive through this little neighborhood, wonderful nice houses, everybody has their lawn mowed, trimmed, ready to go. They water the flowers and the lawn. They keep it nice and clean. They put the garbage cans out on Tuesday night and the garbage is collected Wednesday morning. Everything is fine. The water comes in through the pipes and the electricity, gas, all the video things they want. Everything is just lovely.
I imagine they are very friendly to each other as neighbors, and so forth. But what's going to happen when it all collapses? Just need the electricity to go, that's all. Take away the electricity one week and we're history!
Didn't mean to be a downer on that for you. But just seeing the way that the world is going, we need to understand it. If we don't look at things realistically, the way that they are, and ask God for help and strength so we can endure whatever we need to go through, that's why. The world is going to be absolutely floored!
Go to 7-Eleven and say, 'I want some water.' It's all gone! You go to the gas station and say, 'I need some gas.' It's all gone! You go to the grocery store and say, 'I need some of this.' It's all gone! You go to the pharmacy and say, 'I need my medicine.' It's all gone!
Everything, right here the first one, v 8: "Woe to those who join house to house, that lay field to field…" I hope you can look at news a little differently.
(go to the next track)
Imputed Righteousness #2
- Why does God impute righteousness to those who are His?
- Why do we need it imputed? We cannot earn it!
We've covered a lot of things here in the book of Romans, so I'm not going to go back and go over those.
Righteousness is imputed, given by God to those who believe Him, love Him, repent and are baptized. Why is it necessary for God to do that? Is it not enough to repent and be baptized, have your sins forgiven? That's a requirement; that's a start! And receive the Holy Spirit, that's a requirement; that's a start!
- Rom. 4 talks about Abraham
- Rom. 5 will help answer what work, thought or what activity eliminates from any person 'the law of sin and death'? If the law of sin and death were eliminated, you wouldn't need righteousness imputed!
We saw two terrible mistranslations in Romans that God had made Paul free from the law of sin and death. That's a terrible translation. No, He delivered Paul.
- How did God deliver Paul?
- How does God deliver us?
That's the important question. Let's see why Jesus had to take upon Himself the law of sin and death, because it was in Jesus' flesh that sin and death were condemned.
- Was it in Abraham's? No!
- Was it in David's? No!
- Was it any of the other apostles? No!
- Any of the other prophets? No!
- Were they counted as righteous? Yes!
Romans 4:19: "And he… [Abraham] …not being weak in the faith, considered not his own body, already having become dead, being about one hundred years old, nor did he consider the deadness of Sarah's womb; and he did not doubt the promise of God through unbelief…" (vs 19-20).
Even though Abraham had this perfect faith, did this perfect faith remove the law of sin and death from him? No! You cannot be perfectly righteous as long as you have the law of sin and death.
The way we have right standing with God is through imputed righteousness, so that we can receive His Holy Spirit, receive His blessing, receive His intervention in our lives and change, grow and overcome.
"…rather, he was strengthened in the faith, giving glory to God; for he was fully persuaded that what He has promised, He is also able to do" (vs 20-21).
Think about 'your seed shall be like the stars of heaven.' He had to wait fifteen years for that one night. Then came Isaac, one son. His wife talked him into a little sidebar with Hagar, and that didn't turn out so good.
Notice what this does. This all ties in with do you love God with all your heart, mind, soul and being. Do you believe God and His promises that what He has promised to do He is able to do and will carry it out? And that you know and understand that God has called you?
Verse 22: "As a result…" Likewise with you as a result of your repentance and baptism, as a result of your desire to love God and serve Him.
"…it was also imputed to him for righteousness" (v 22). What kind of righteousness is this? Godly righteousness!
Can you have true Godly righteousness inherent in yourself while you still have the law of sin and death in you? No! You may be good. You may be obedient. You may be all of these things.
That's why when you read in 1-John how we need to repent of our sins when they come along, even after we're baptized. How in Heb. 12, there that the sin so easily besets us, and how that you know and I know that we have thoughts go through our minds, thoughts we don't even intend or know are going to come. Do we have total control over our minds, thoughts and emotions? No!
The righteousness of Christ is imputed to us because that is the only way we can be righteousness now.
Verse 23: "But it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; rather, it was also written for our sakes, to whom it shall be imputed—to those who believe in Him Who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offenses and was raised for our justification" (vs 23-25).
The more you think about it, pray about it, study about it, and go through and keep the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread every year, we learn more. What also is a phenomena that happens? The more you receive of God's Holy Spirit, the more it exposes the evil within so that we can repent and overcome!
Romans 5:1: "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."
We are no longer hostile against God. Doesn't mean you don't have faults or mistakes, you do. I do, everyone does. But not everyone has the righteousness of Christ imputed to them!
Verse 2: "Through Whom we also have access by faith into this grace in which we stand…" I don't think we've fully comprehended the fullness of the grace of God. Think of it. The Sovereign Ruler of the universe is dealing with each one of us individually, personally by imputation of His righteousness through Christ.
- Can you earn it?
- Can you buy it?
You certainly can't go back and make up for your past life. That's why we need Christ! And to think and know and understand even greater, greater what God did through Christ.
- God's judgment is perfect
- God's righteousness is perfect
What happened when Adam and Eve sinned? We will see in just a bit.
"…and we ourselves boast in the hope of the glory of God" (v 2). What is the great hope? Resurrection of the dead!
Verse 3: "And not only this, but we also boast in tribulations, realizing that tribulation brings forth endurance." This is the kind of character that comes from those things we discussed during the days of Unleavened Bread.
Verse 4: "And endurance brings forth character…. [because you wait. You believe God. You wait for God to do what He needs to do] …and character brings forth hope. And the hope of God never makes us ashamed because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, which has been given to us" (vs 4-5).
Think of that for just a minute. What a tremendous thing that is that each one of us have from God the Father His Holy Spirit and from Jesus Christ His Holy Spirit. They dwell within us! God says, 'I will dwell in them and walk in them and be their God' (2-Cor. 6). That's why we need the righteousness of God imputed to us so that can happen.
It's not a carte blanche to sin. It is an encouragement to draw close to God so you don't sin, so that you repent of sin, so that you grow and overcome.
Verse 6: "For even when we were without strength, at the appointed time Christ died for the ungodly." I don't think I have yet even given a sermon that is comparable to what could give us the understanding of what Jesus actually did to divest Himself as God to become a man and take within Him the mitochondrial genes of His mother Mary. Think of that. Does that not forever change Christ? Yes, indeed!
"…Christ died for the ungodly." That's why the scribes and Pharisees were disappointed because they figured they were the righteous ones and the Messiah should come to them and make a political alliance. 'Let's get rid of these Romans.'
Verse 7: "For rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, although perhaps someone might have the courage even to die for a good man." You hear of that every once in a while.
Verse 8: "But God commends His own love to us…" Remember, think in big terms, not just me, myself and I. All those whom God has called, all of those whom God has not called, add to that the Millennium and the Great White Throne Judgment. All of those things.
When we read some of these Scriptures, we need to look at the broader, bigger picture. 'God so loved the world' (John 3:16).
Verse 8: "But God commends His own love… [His personal love] …to us because, when we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
- When was He slain? It was set from the foundation of the world!
- Does that not cover all human beings?
- Was that not before Adam was created?
- Yes, indeed!
Verse 9: "Much more, therefore, having been justified now by His blood…" Justification means put into right spiritual standing with God:
- through the forgiveness of your sins
- by the sacrifice and shed blood of Jesus Christ.
No other way is going to do it!
"…we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if, when we were enemies…" (vs 9-10).
What did they say to Jesus first thing when He was hung up on the cross? His enemies were right there in front of Him. Pontius Pilate represented the governments of the world. Sadducees and Pharisees and scribes represented the religious leaders of the world. All of those out there against Christ represented all of sinful human beings, 'Crucify Him!' Even the thief that thought he was asking a reasonable question said, 'Why don't you come down from there and save Yourself and us?'
He didn't die for one righteous person, because there's no such thing outside of Jesus Christ as one righteous person! When Jesus said, 'When you've done all the things you're commanded to do, you should call yourself unprofitable servants because that's what you were required to do.' If you understand that, then you will know why Job had such a hard time, because everything that Job did was commanded by God!
Verse 10: "For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His own Son, much more then, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom we have now received the reconciliation" (vs 10-11)—and the imputed righteousness of Christ!
Verse 12 tells us why we need the imputed righteousness of God the Father given to us through Jesus Christ: "Therefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and by means of sin came death; and in this way death passed into all mankind; and it is for this reason that all have sinned." It's inherited! The law of sin and death is stamped on every gene of your body.
- What law can you do to get rid of it?
- What can you do to have it taken out of you? You cannot!
- How then will you ever be righteous before God?
Because of His love, mercy and imputed righteousness so that you are in right standing with Him! But this right standing with Him has to be maintained by our own choices, our own love, and doing the things that God has said. That is:
- love God
- keep His commandments
- grow in grace and knowledge
- prayer and study
- prayer and study
- prayer and study
After studying the Bible and translating the Bible, in all the years in the ministry, I'm still learning. There's so much in the Bible it's absolutely incredible. It's not a matter that you memorize Scripture and now you have something really good. Well, you do, but that's like a start.
God created everything in the world, even the smallest particle. As we sit here right now, those smallest particles are passing right through us and we don't even know it. The God Who did all of that:
- loves us
- has called us
- has imputed His righteousness to us
so we can be faithful to Him and believe!
This is the end-sum of all we are going through; Romans 8:1: "Consequently, there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus... [qualifier]: …who are not walking according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit."
It doesn't say you're perfect, but it does say you're seeking the spiritual things of God and walking with His Spirit, and minding the things of the Spirit and not the things of the world and of the flesh.
Verse 2: "Because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has delivered me…"—not freed me, did not set you free from the law of sin and death.
- Rom. 7 tells you that within you there's no good thing that exists of itself. How did He deliver?
- forgiveness
- removing our sins as far as the east is from the west
- giving us His Holy Spirit
- giving us His Word
- giving us His tools so we can resist and fight and overcome
God did not impute the righteousness of Christ to us so we have nothing to do. He did that to inspire us to do what He wants us to do. Then you have those Scriptures applied to you for repentance, when and if you sin, that's every day!
"…has delivered me from the law of sin and death" (v 2)—not removing it from you. Set free means take it out of you. I'm going to set you free of your right hand; I'm going to cut it off. No!
- He gives you the tools to overcome
- He gives you His Spirit to use to overcome
- He gives you His Word to be taught the Truth so you can be inspired to change and grow
So, you can develop a tremendous relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ.
I think about what it's going to be like on that Sea of Glass, and there are all of us saints all together. It's going to be a large number. We're going to have to take over the whole world. Everyone there will have graduated through the resurrection of the dead, and they no longer have the law of sin and death! Perfection does not come in the flesh. Perfection comes in the spirit at the resurrection!
Romans 5:13: "(For before the Law… [given to Israel] …sin was in the world…. [because the law was still there] …However, sin is not imputed when law does not exist." How can God say the whole world is guilty before Him, if the Law does not exist?
Verse 14: "Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam until Moses, even upon those who had not sinned in the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the One Who was to come."
Isn't that something? We all receive the law of sin and death because Adam and Eve sinned. Adam was the one who was held responsible. Adam is the one who conveys the law of sin and death to every human being—male or female—in every subsequent generation down through time.
Verse 15: "But should not the free gift be even as the offense was?…. [free gift is grace and imputed righteousness] …For if by the transgression of the one man many died, how much more did the grace of God, and the gift of grace, which is by the One Man Jesus Christ abound unto many?"
Think of this in relationship to the plan of God, not just the Church of God, not just the New Testament:
- reaching back to the patriarchs
- reaching forward into the thousand-year period
- reaching forward into the Great White Throne Judgment
Will not that grace abound greater than all the sins that came about because of the sins of human beings through the law of sin and death inherited from Adam and Eve? That's going to be something. We need to think big on these things.
Verse 16: "And should not the free gift be like that which came by the one who had sinned? For on the one hand, judgment was by one unto condemnation…"
- What is that condemnation? By one!
- What does it say? As in Adam we all die!
- whether you know God or don't know God
- whether you live long or whether you have a short life
That condemnation was the law of sin and death within you unto death. Also that's why it says all, not some, but all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
Verse 17: "For if by the offense of the one man death reigned… [ruled, like a king] …by the one, how much more shall those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness… [imputed righteousness] …reign in life by the One Jesus Christ."
- in our lives today
- in the lives of all of those who have gone before us in the Churches of God
- in the lives of all of those who will come into the Kingdom of God during the Millennium
- in the lives of all of those who will come into the Kingdom of God in the Great White Throne judgment
Think of it that way, great and fantastic things occurring.
Verse 18: "So then, even as by the one transgression condemnation came unto all men, in the same way also, by the one act of righteousness… [through His life, death, crucifixion, resurrection] …shall justification of life come unto all men." Notice how broad that is. That's why it's important to understand the plan of God.
Verse 19: "For even as by the disobedience of the one man many were made sinners, in the same way also, by the obedience of the one Man shall many be made righteous." True righteousness, not just imputed! Imputed while we're still in the flesh. True righteousness at the resurrection.
Verse 20: "Moreover, the law entered, so that transgression might abound; but where sin abounded, the grace of God did super abound." Think in this again in terms of the whole swath of God's plan.
Verse 21: "So that even as sin has reigned unto death, so also might the grace of God reign through righteousness… [the imputed righteousness] …unto eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
That's a fantastic section of Scripture that is difficult to understand if you don't look at the whole plan of God. So this is something.
This is where works of law. What work of what law will remove the law of sin and death from you? None! As important as Sabbath-keeping is, it cannot get rid of the law of sin and death.
- it can keep you in contact with God
- it can keep you from doing a lot of other sins because you keep it
- it can help you have more knowledge of God
But it cannot remove it, because it cannot be removed until you die, and are then resurrected. Then it's gone!
This is why the first resurrection is so powerful. Those who come into the Kingdom of God after us are not going to have to fight against Satan the devil, fight against the depravity of the law of sin and death. They'll still have it, but not probably in the same magnitude that we do.
Look at all those poor criminals out there. Sinning, breaking the law, thinking evil, wretched, everything like that. God has to judge them whether they're worthy of eternal life or not. That's why it's in God's hands. We don't know. How bad can it get?
- Would you say that the Bible says David was righteous? Yes, indeed!
- What did he do even as king, even knowing God?
- What did he do even in all the Psalms and prayers to God?
Think of that! That was with Bathsheba David's great Laodicean-presumption. He was king and he could order it and he could do it. But what happened because of his one act? The history of the rest of his reign in Israel was one of trouble, rebellion! Think of how the population gets turned off when the leader sins greatly. 'If the king can do it, anybody can do it. Is he not God's servant?'
This is why we have it imputed to us because the best of what we can do cannot remove the law of sin and death from us:
- it must be forgiven
- it must be covered with the blood of Jesus Christ
- it cannot be changed or removed until the resurrection
Here's the kind of repentance David had; Psalm 51:1: "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your loving kindness; according to the greatness of Your compassion, blot out my transgressions."
What did God say through Nathan? He said to David, 'You're the man, and God asks:
- Why did you do this?
- Could I have not given you this, that, or the other thing?
- Why did you do this?'
Look what happened!
Prince Charles, Diane, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump. But Donald Trump is probably the only one who has really repented. Don't know, but have to be because at least he keeps his word. That doesn't make him righteous or anything like that, but at least it shows people can change and reform.
Verse 2: "Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin… [it's right there in every cell of your body] …for I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me" (vs 2-3).
There are certain things you're never going to get out of your mind. I don't think God would let David get that out of his mind. I don't know what about Bathsheba, but she wasn't innocent, because she wasn't taking a bath in the bedroom with the doors closed.
Verse 4: "Against You…" All sin is against God! Yes, it's against people too, but against God, because God says
- love your neighbor as yourself
- shall not murder
- shall not commit adultery
- shall not steal
- shall not bear false witness
- shall not covet
To stop this kind of interaction between people. When you sin, it's against God! Why? Who is Lawgiver? God! Who enforces it? God!
Verse 4: "Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done evil in Your sight, that You might be justified when You speak and be in the right when You judge. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me" (vs 4-5).
Not because it was an adulterous relationship, but because of the law of sin and death. Was David subject to it right from the time he was conceived? Yes!
Here's the end result. Here's what God wants. This is why repentance and imputed righteousness is given. This is a lifetime project.
Verse 6: "Behold, You desire Truth in the inward parts…"—Truth!
I'll tell you one thing for sure, we need the Truth of God, the Truth of God, the Truth of God, and none of the teachings of men added to it or take away from it. Those of you who know me, if they start going against the Word of God, more than dander gets up, I'll tell you that.
Verse 6: "Behold, You desire Truth in the inward parts…" Take that and think on that thought the rest of this week. "…Truth in the inward parts…"
Ask yourself: How many times did I lie today? In your heart and mind! How many times did I take pleasure in sin from something I saw? You want Truth, the Truth of God's Word!
"…and in the hidden part You shall make me to know wisdom" (v 6). Only God can give us that understanding.
Verse 7: "Purge me with hyssop…" That reminds me of these high-powered hoses that they have now. There's one that whips it up about ten times speed. Think about purging the inside of you with that.
"…and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow" (v 7). How is that done? Through the sacrifice and blood of Jesus Christ (Isa. 1).
Verse 8: "Make me to hear joy and gladness that the bones, which You have broken, may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God…" (vs 8-10). That's why we're given the imputed righteousness!
"…and renew a steadfast spirit within me" (v 10). Not one that vacillating back and forth. How close did David come to losing it all?
Verse 11: "Cast me not away from Your presence, and take not Your Holy Spirit from me." There's some deep repentance here. I think there are a lot of people in the Churches of God that need to be doing that. Too many are playing 'our social little party and our own little friends and our own little group'. Nothing wrong with that as long as you're growing in grace, knowledge and Truth.
- But are you?
- What are you doing?
- Where are you going?
- Why do you keep the Sabbath?
All of those things are important. This is why we need the imputed righteousness! That is a great, fantastic and wonderful gift of God! Think of that.
Next time you could either see it on television or go stand outside on a clear night—Delores swears that the stars in Oklahoma are even bigger than the ones in Texas. I think about that and look up and I see those stars or I see something like the top of the mountains at 14,000 feet, all layers of the strata, straight up.
God did that! Then made all the stars, everything that there is. That's why David said, 'What is man that You're mindful of him? You have made him a little lower than God.' That tells us the why of everything that God does!
Scriptural References:
- Isaiah 5:1-9, 11-24, 8
- Romans 4:19-25
- Romans 5:1-12
- Romans 8:1-2
- Romans 5:13-21
- Psalm 51:1-11
Scriptures referenced, not quoted:
- Matthew 24
- Isaiah 3
- Hebrews 12
- 2-Corinthians 6
- John 3:16
- Romans 7
- Isaiah 1
FRC:lp
Transcribed: 5-2-18
Formatted: bo—5/3/18
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