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You can turn in your Bibles to 
Philippians 3. God willing, we'll return to 
our exposition of 1 Timothy next Sunday evening. Philippians 3 
is a familiar passage if you've been at this church for any amount 
of time. And the doctrine we're considering tonight, hopefully, 
is a familiar one, justification by faith alone, primarily found 
in verse 9 here in Philippians chapter 3. We will have cause 
to reflect upon the whole section. And if you miss anything that 
I say tonight, or you have no clue what I say, just memorize 
that hymn we just sang. Hymn number 440 is a wonderful 
presentation of the truth of justification by faith alone. Beginning in verse 1 of chapter 
3 in Philippians. Finally, my brethren, rejoice 
in the Lord. For me to write the same things 
to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe. Beware of dogs, 
beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation. For we are 
the circumcision, who worship God in the spirit, rejoice in 
Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. Though I also might 
have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may 
have confidence in the flesh, I more so. Circumcised the eighth 
day of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew 
of the Hebrews. concerning the law, a Pharisee, 
concerning zeal, persecuting the church, concerning the righteousness 
which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gained to 
me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also 
count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of 
Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all 
things and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be 
found in him not having my own righteousness, which is from 
the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness 
which is from God by faith, that I may know Him and the power 
of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed 
to His death, if by any means I may attain to the resurrection 
from the dead. Amen. Well, let us pray. Father, 
thank you for this wonderful passage of Holy Scripture. Thank 
you for the doctrine of justification by faith alone. I pray that we'd 
all have a proper understanding that we would find the comfort 
that is involved in such a teaching that we would be prepared to 
meet our maker, not because of good that we have done, not because 
of a righteousness of our own which is from the law, but having 
a righteousness which is from you through faith in our Lord 
Jesus Christ. How we thank you, God, for your 
grace. How we thank you for your mercy. How we thank you for the 
gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. And it's in His name that we 
pray. Amen. This morning I mentioned that 
on the deathbed, perhaps next to Psalm 23, that's one that 
I think we'd all agree is a blessed psalm to consider prior to entrance 
into Emmanuel's land, Romans chapter 8 verse 1. The Apostle 
says, there is therefore now no condemnation to those who 
are in Christ Jesus. who do not walk according to 
the Spirit, a flesh rather, but according to the Spirit. The 
only way that we have this status, the only way that we have this 
position, this idea, this reality of no condemnation is because 
of what God has done in the Christian gospel, because of this doctrine 
of justification by faith alone. The reality that God pardons 
all of our sins and accepts us as righteous in His sight only 
for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us and received by 
faith alone. That is the essence of what the 
Apostle highlights here in verse 9. Everybody, just about everybody, 
agrees that justification includes the pardon of sin. Everybody 
agrees that in justification we are forgiven of all our sins. But not everybody agrees that 
there is this imputation of righteousness, this reception of a righteousness 
that avails with God. Well, that is precisely what 
Paul is highlighting here. in verse 9. There is a righteousness 
which is of the law according to his own works and then there 
is this righteousness which is through faith in Christ. And 
the Apostle takes pains in Romans and in Galatians and in various 
other places in his epistles to highlight this glorious truth 
that we are justified freely by God's grace through faith 
alone in Jesus Christ alone to the glory of God Most High alone. So as I said, I want to focus 
primarily on this idea of justification by faith alone, but I want to 
do so in a responsible manner, giving heed to the context as 
we find it. The first section in verses 7 
and 8, Paul highlights his possession of Christ. The fact that he has 
gained Christ. He has given up everything else, 
and now he possesses Christ. Secondly, he highlights his position 
in Christ. That's in verse 9. And then in 
verses 10 and 11, he states his privileges in Christ. So we've 
got possession, position, and privileges of believers in Philippians 
chapter 3. verses 7 to 11. But notice, first 
of all, with reference to his possession, verses 7 and 8 come 
as sort of a statement concerning the revolution that took place 
in Paul's life. Notice, going back to verse 1 
for a moment, he says, Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. 
For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for 
you it is safe. Paul continued to repeat himself 
for the comfort, the security, and the stability of the churches 
to whom he wrote. He then issues this caution in 
verse 2. He says, Beware of dogs, beware 
of evil workers, beware of the mutilation. Basically what he 
is saying is beware of Judaizers. Paul is not concerned about you 
walking to your mailbox and being bitten by a canine. When he says 
beware of dogs, he is talking about a specific group of people. 
Jews traditionally referred to Gentiles as dogs. Well, here 
the Apostle Paul is using that moniker, he is using that label, 
he is using that word to identify Judaizers. Those who would come 
to the churches and say that it was a good thing to believe 
the Gospel, it was a good thing to believe on Messiah, but you 
must also be circumcised, you must also obey the law of Moses 
in order to be saved. So beware of dogs, he says. Beware 
of evil workers. Notice how Paul treats heresy. 
He doesn't say this is an alternate opinion. He doesn't say that 
this is a divergent thought. He calls these men evil workers. There's a lot of scandals going 
on in the political realm right now. It seems like people are 
absolutely terrified to ever say that someone is lying. We 
don't dare say that person is lying. I suspect that if the 
Apostle Paul was involved, he would say that person is lying. 
He calls these men evil workers. To go to the churches and to 
sow seeds of heresy is not good. It's not godly. It's not righteous. Rather, it is evil working. He 
then refers to them as the mutilation. See, they thought, or they were 
saying, that all you needed to do was to be circumcised. Paul 
says the circumcision that they peddle is really just a mutilation. And then he makes this glorious 
statement. He says, we are the circumcision. 
He's writing to a Gentile church. Believers in Jesus Christ are 
the true circumcision. They are the true Jew. And then 
he highlights the reality that if there ever was a man who could 
have availed favor with God, in His flesh it would have been 
Him. That's the purpose of chapter 
3, verses 4 to 6. He says, verse 3, For we are 
the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in 
Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. Though I also might 
have confidence in the flesh, In other words, if there was 
ever a man who could have confidence in the flesh, it was the Apostle 
Paul, or it was Saul of Tarsus. And if you ask the question, 
how is it, Saul of Tarsus, that you yourself could have had confidence 
in the flesh, Well, that's what he goes on to describe. He says, 
"...circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the 
tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, concerning the law 
of Pharisee, concerning zeal, persecuting the church, concerning 
the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. This is his 
religious pedigree. This is his religious resume. 
This is the bullets, the statements that validate the reality that 
if ever there was a man who could have confidence in the flesh, 
it was this man Saul of Tarsus. But notice what he goes on to 
say with reference to Christ. He speaks in the language of 
commerce. It's as if when he's highlighting 
his possession of Christ, He uses a debit and an asset column. He says in verse 7, but what 
things were gained to me, all the things he just mentioned, 
what things were gained to me, circumcised the eighth day, of 
the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, concerning the law 
of Pharisee, concerning zeal, persecuting the church, all those 
things I used to bank on, all those things I used to rest upon, 
All those things I used to think God was going to allow me into 
heaven for. He says, what things were gained 
to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. You see, those things 
do not gain favor with God the Lord. Because even though he 
was circumcised the eighth day, as being of the stock of Israel, 
being a Pharisee, being a persecutor of the church, the best things 
that Saul of Tarsus ever did were filthy with sin. So you 
see, they weren't perfect and pure works that God the Lord 
would say, wow, that's great, I'm gonna let you into my high 
and holy heaven. Paul says, those things that were gained to me, 
I count lost now. I don't rest upon these things. I don't look at this old resume. 
I don't think for a moment that I'm going to stand before God 
in the eleventh hour and say, Lord, you have to let me into 
heaven because I was circumcised on the eighth day. No. When he 
met the Lord Jesus Christ, it radically changed his life. What things were gained to me, 
these I have counted loss for Christ. Notice in verse 8, he 
moves to the present. He says, yet indeed I also count 
all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus 
my Lord. present comforts, present benefits, 
present blessings, present temporal achievement, all that stuff does 
not matter. Nothing that I have, nothing 
that I've accomplished, nothing that I could ever see me doing 
matters when it comes to compare with the Lord Jesus Christ. He 
says, Indeed, I also count all things lost for the excellence 
of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, notice, for whom I have 
suffered the loss of all things. You look at the Apostle Paul, 
he suffered the loss of all things. If you wonder about that, look 
at 2 Corinthians chapter 11 sometime. Paul was beaten. Paul was shipwrecked. Paul was in trouble. Paul was 
in distress. Paul had issues. Paul had trials. Paul had challenges. Yet none 
of that mattered when it came to the reality that Christ was 
his. He says, I have suffered the 
loss of all things and I count them as rubbish that I may gain 
Christ. Now just for a moment we ought 
to stop and ponder. Can we say this? Do we look at 
our lives that way? The things that were gained to 
me, I have counted lost for Christ. My upbringing, my Christian education, 
my impeccable obedience to my parents. If we are trusting in 
those things, if we are resting upon our accomplishments, if 
we are looking to what we've done, we are in bad shape. We are in a sorry position. But 
are we as well able to say with Paul, yet indeed I also count 
all things lost for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus 
my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things. and count 
them as rubbish. Now, God in his goodness has 
given us many good things, hasn't he? You live in Chilliwack or 
you live in Abbotsford or you live in the lower mainland, more 
than likely you have good things. You've been blessed temporally. 
God gives you food. God gives you water. God gives 
you blessing upon blessing. The idea isn't go get rid of 
all that stuff and be a monk, shave your head, put on an orange 
outfit and bang a tambourine at Vancouver Airport. That's 
not the point, but rather the point is, if you are deprived, 
if these things are taken away, if everything is stripped from 
you, as it was in the case of godly Job, are you able to say, 
naked I came into this world, naked I will return, blessed 
be the name of God. In all this, Job did not complain. You see, everything was stripped 
away from him and he continued to worship. Everything was stripped 
away from the Apostle Paul, but he continued in allegiance to 
Jesus Christ. When he says that I may gain 
Christ, what he is saying is that Christ far surpasses every 
other thing. And this is like trying to explain 
color to a blind man, to the unconverted. You ever done that? You ever met a blind man and 
said, here's what blue looks like. Here's what red looks like. It's kind of tough, isn't it? 
He has no point of reference. There's nothing for him to grab 
on to. You tell an unbeliever, and I 
suspect there might be some or one or two or a few in here tonight, 
Christ far exceeds everything. It sounds like a statement in 
Japanese. What do you mean? What does that 
mean? What are you talking about? You 
see, it's the converted. It's the born again. It's the 
by the grace believer on the Lord Jesus Christ that can track 
with Paul in Philippians 3, 7 and 8. It is those who have the spirit 
who can say, yes, if God took everything away, if I lost my 
job, if I ended up as a troll living underneath a bridge, but 
I still had Jesus, I've got everything. You see, if you're not a believer 
in Christ, that sounds bizarre. That sounds wretched and twisted 
and weird. That's you tonight, may I encourage 
you to listen and follow along and see why it is that the Apostle 
Paul says what he says here. I read one time that philosophy, 
or I read a philosopher who said, I don't remember the name of 
the philosopher, but he defined philosophy this way. He says, 
it is that theory or that doctrine or that teaching that prepares 
one for death. I totally disagree. It's theology 
that prepares one for death. It is specifically soteriology 
that prepares one for death. And subcategory, it is this doctrine 
of justification by faith alone that prepares one for death. 
And that's where we move now to his position in Christ. Why can Paul, or how does Paul, 
can he say that what were gained to me, or what things were gained 
to me, I have counted lost. Yet indeed I also count all things 
lost for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my 
Lord. That I may gain Christ, now notice in verse 9, and be 
found in him. not having my own righteousness, 
which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, 
the righteousness which is from God, by faith." Now I want to 
look at the doctrine of justification by faith, with our confession 
helping us, with the particular text, and then I want to look 
at one departure from this doctrine. See, oftentimes I think we can 
see the value in the import of something when we consider the 
departure from it. Right? Imagine if you were up 
in an airplane, and you had a parachute strapped to your back, and you 
jumped out of that plane. You would praise God that there's 
that parachute, wouldn't you? Now, let's just suppose for a 
moment that you took that parachute off and then jumped out of that 
plane. Somewhere in your descent, you would probably see the value 
of the parachute. The departure from the use of 
the parachute underscores how important the parachute is. Considering the Roman Catholic 
perversion of justification, I think, underscores how important 
the truth is. So just let's go in this direction. First, the doctrine of justification 
by faith. Let's just get a couple of good 
confessional definitions. London Baptist Confession 11.1, 
along with Westminster Confession 11.1. Those whom God affectionately 
calls, He also freely justifies, not by infusing righteousness 
into them. What does that mean? Justification 
finds its benefit, finds its power, finds its basis in the 
work of Christ for us. Not the Spirit's work in us. That's sanctification. And that's 
what the Confession is highlighting. Not by infusing or transforming 
or making them righteous, but by pardoning their sins and by 
accounting and accepting their persons as righteous. Not for 
anything wrought in them or done by them, but for Christ's sake 
alone. Just think this way. is Christ 
for us. Sanctification is the Spirit 
at work in us. Our acceptance with God is based 
on Christ's work for us, not the Spirit's work in us. You keep that in your head, you 
keep those two categories separate as you ought, and you will be 
a happy, happy Protestant. What happens when you don't keep 
them together and you mingle them? You will be an unhappy 
Roman Catholic in that 11th hour. More on that in just a moment. 
One of the best extra-biblical definitions of the doctrine of 
justification is Westminster's Shorter Catechism, number 33. Justification is an act of God's 
free grace wherein He pardons all our sins and accepts us as 
righteous in His sight, only for the righteousness of Christ 
imputed to us and received by faith alone. Protestant theology, 
confessional theology teaches what the Bible teaches. Justification 
consists in the pardon of sin, the forgiveness of sin, and in 
the imputation of righteousness. You see, we need our sins forgiven. We need our sins obliterated. 
We need our sins washed away. And Christ's death answers to 
that. It is through His blood that 
we have redemption. But you see, we also need a righteousness. We also need to be clothed. We 
also need to be accepted by God as righteous persons. That's 
where Christ's life comes to play. He always obeyed the law. He always did the will of His 
Father. And His righteousness, by God's 
grace, is imputed or given to us, and we receive it by faith 
alone. Everybody with me? Yes. We're 
all tracking. This is most important. You need 
to get this. It is a legal or it is a forensic 
declaration. That's why Romans 8.1 says, there 
is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 
If you are looking at yourself, if you are looking at your life, 
if you are looking at your attendance upon the means, if you are looking 
at the way that you respond to persons at red lights, if you 
are looking at the way that you conduct yourself in the business 
world, can you with a clear conscience say, there's no condemnation 
for me? Probably not. But if you see 
yourself by the grace of God in Christ, you can say, there 
is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ. Now notice specifically with 
our verse, verse 9, and be found in him not having my own righteousness, 
which is from the law. You see, the beauty of justification, 
the beauty of acceptance with God by God's means is not some 
blemished, tarnished, wretched attempt to provide a righteousness. Paul, as the man who could say, 
I could have confidence in the flesh, now rejoices in the reality 
that he is found in Christ, not having my own righteousness, 
which is from the law. Do you realize, my dear friend, 
speaking to those who are outside of Christ, if you think that 
you can obey the law of God, you have to do so in a manner 
that is personal, that is entire, that is exact, and is perpetual. Now, I suspect you can't go two 
seconds under that framework. Well, I know you can. You cannot 
fulfill the law the way that God demands. It is to be personal, 
entire, exact, and perpetual. That's what you need to provide 
if you seek justification by your law keeping. It's terrifying, 
isn't it? Isn't it? Where's the comfort 
on the 11th hour? Where's the comfort on the deathbed 
with that working definition? Has any man ever done such a 
thing? No, Paul says, "...and be found in him, not having my 
own righteousness, which is from the law, but," he says, "...that 
which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from 
God by faith." Notice the from God and from the law are mutually 
exclusive. There's one of two approaches 
to gain God's favor. To have your own righteousness, 
which is from the law, or to have that righteousness through 
faith in Christ. The righteousness which is from 
God by faith. Robert Raymond says this, with 
a gloriously monotonous regularity. gloriously monotonous regularity. You know what monotony means? 
It means unexciting. Paul's not exciting when it comes 
to expounding orthodoxy. Paul's not looking for you to 
be amazed and dazzled. Paul wants you to understand 
it's either works of the law or it's the righteousness of 
Christ. With gloriously monotonous regularity, 
Paul pits faith off over against all law-keeping as its diametrical 
opposite as to reference. Whereas the latter, law-keeping, 
relies on the human effort of the law-keeper looking to himself 
to render satisfaction before God, the former repudiates and 
looks entirely away from all human effort to the cross work 
of Jesus Christ, who alone by a sacrificial death rendered 
satisfaction before God for men." In other words, when we look 
to that righteousness which is of the law, that means self. That means us. That means our 
performance. It means our obedience. And that 
will always bring grief because we cannot keep the laws I've 
detailed. We cannot do it exactly. We cannot 
do it entirely. We cannot do it perfectly because 
we are totally depraved and totally unable and we are dead in trespasses 
and sins. How could we ever keep the law 
the way that the Lord God Almighty says? But this idea of the righteousness 
which is imputed by faith, the righteousness of Christ, we look 
outside ourselves. We look to another. We look to 
Jesus. The righteousness that comes 
from God is God's way of putting man right with himself. And that is what is highlighted 
here. But that which is through faith 
in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith. And that's the instrument. Faith 
is the instrument, not the cause of this righteousness. Faith 
itself is a gift of God, Ephesians 2, 8 and 9. Faith is that means 
whereby we are brought into contact with the living Lord Jesus Christ. 
Faith is not a word. Faith is not our merit that then 
receives the blessing of God. Our confession deals with this, 
not by imputing faith itself, the act of believing, or any 
other evangelical obedience to them as their righteousness, 
but by imputing Christ's active obedience in his death for their 
whole and sole righteousness, they receiving and resting on 
him and his righteousness by faith Which faith they have not 
of themselves, it is the gift of God. So, I feel like everybody's 
confused right now, so let's just try to make this real easy. 
One of two ways to gain acceptance with God. Covenant of works, 
covenant of grace. If you opt for the covenant of 
works, you better be perfect. This is what Paul's delighting 
in. having my own righteousness which is from the law. Covenant 
of grace is look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of faith. Paul glories in the reality that 
he is found in Christ. He doesn't have his own righteousness 
which is from the law, but rather he has a righteousness which 
is through faith in Christ. The righteousness which is from 
God by faith that will enable him to stand before the Lord 
God on that day and hear those blessed words, well done, good 
and faithful servant. John Murray makes this comment 
concerning the difference between justification by works and justification 
by faith. He says justification by works 
always finds its ground in that which the person is and does. It is always oriented to that 
consideration of virtue attaching to the person justified. I was 
thinking about this this morning when Pastor Kim was teaching 
on sanctification. Have you ever met the person 
that says, wow, I haven't been, let's just use Bible reading 
as sort of a virtuous act. I think we'd all agree it's a 
good thing to read your Bible. I'm not going to argue. I think 
we all agree that. You'll meet people that say, 
you know, I haven't been reading my Bible as I ought. That must 
mean I'm not a Christian. Well, it could mean that. I don't 
want to convince you otherwise. But what is the alternative to 
that statement? Does that mean if you are reading 
your Bible, then you are a Christian? I hope you don't say yes. You're 
a Christian because Jesus lived, Jesus died, and Jesus rose again. You're not a Christian because 
you read your Bible. You're a Christian because Christ 
went to the cross for you. So you see, on the one hand, 
I mustn't be a Christian because I'm not reading my Bible. On 
the other hand, I must be a Christian because I am reading my Bible. 
Both of those things are devoid of gospel, cross, Jesus, justification 
by faith alone. Now, in that, read your Bible. 
That's the simple take-home message there. But you see, we do that. 
Somebody will say that, I'm not reading my Bible, I mustn't be 
a Christian. No, you're not reading your Bible, repent and read your 
Bible. Good? Just read your Bible. You're not a Christian if you're 
not looking to Christ. You're not a Christian if you've 
not believed the gospel. You're not a Christian if you 
haven't come to Him in whom alone is forgiveness of sin and the 
imputation of righteousness. You see, we are oriented to this 
works approach. Murray says, justification by 
works always finds its ground in that which the person is and 
does. It is always oriented to that consideration of virtue 
attaching to the person justified. He says, the specific quality 
of faith is trust and commitment to another. It is essentially, 
I love this word that Murray uses, extrospective. We all know 
what the word introspective means. That means to look at oneself. 
Introspection means to look at oneself. Extraspective means 
to look outside of oneself. He says it is essentially extraspective 
and in that respect is the diametric opposite of works. Faith is self-renouncing, 
works are self-congratulatory. Faith looks to what God does, 
works have respect to what we are. It is this antithesis of 
principle that enables the apostle to base the complete exclusion 
of works upon the principle of faith. It's a brief explanation 
of this idea of justification by faith alone. What it is? Pardon 
of sin, imputation of righteousness. This righteousness of Christ 
that he gained by virtue of his life and obedience to the law 
of God. And the instrumentality is faith 
and faith alone. Now let's take the parachute 
off for just a moment and leap out of the plane. What's the 
departure? Roman Catholicism defines it 
this way. Canon 9 of the Council of Trent 
says, if anyone says that the sinner is justified by faith 
alone, meaning that nothing else is required to cooperate in order 
to obtain the grace of justification, and that it is not in any way 
necessary that he be prepared and disposed by the action of 
his own will, let him be anathema. Now, that statement is filled 
with problems. The first being his own will. 
That's what the Bible says about our own will. It does not depend 
upon him who wills or upon him who runs, but on God who shows 
mercy. Canon 9 says the man must look 
at his own will, or his own will must be disposed in order to 
cooperate with reference to this grace of justification. But if 
anyone says that the sinner is justified by faith alone, meaning 
that nothing else is required to cooperate in order to obtain 
the grace of justification, what does that mean? That means on 
your deathbed there's no Romans 8-1, unless you have cooperated 
successfully. And no one has. Canon 11 says, 
if anyone says that men are justified either by the sole imputation 
of the justice of Christ or by the sole remission of sins to 
the exclusion of the grace and the charity which is poured forth 
in their hearts by the Holy Ghost and remains in them, or also 
that the grace by which we are justified is only the goodwill 
of God, let him be anathema. So you see, the framers, or the 
men, the guys, the people that put these canons together, not 
only rejected the doctrine of justification by faith alone, 
but pronounced anathema on those who believed it. It's kind of 
like the political leader who says, not only did we not do 
that, everything's your fault! Wait a minute, that doesn't seem 
accurate. Now, what are they saying here 
in Canon 11? It says that there is no distinction 
in justification and sanctification. It says that it's all one big 
ball of wax. And that yes, you need pardon. 
Yes, you need the righteousness of Christ. And yes, it is your 
works, it is your deeds, it is your law keeping that does complete 
this package that then garners justification. Again, I submit 
there is no comfort there. There's no Romans 8.1 in that 
equation. There's only a Romans 8.1 when 
we understand the gospel as Paul sets it forth very clearly in 
Romans, Galatians, and scattered throughout his epistles. This 
idea that we see in 3.9, and be found in him, not having my 
own righteousness, which is from the law." You see, when we are 
justified freely by God's grace, we then will, in fact, be sanctified. In other words, when a man is 
justified by grace, through faith, in Jesus, he will pursue holiness. He will put to death the deeds 
of the body. He will do the things the Bible 
enjoins. But when he stands before God 
on that final day, his basis of acceptance is not upon that 
work or that life of sanctification. It's based on Christ. It's based 
on justification. It's based on what Jesus has 
done for him. Is everybody with me? Get this, 
please, most important. You want to die happy, die knowing 
what Philippians 3.9 is all about. If I have confused you tonight, 
that was not my hope, not my intention. Come and see me. We 
can talk. We can go over this line upon line, line upon line, 
precept upon precept, precept upon precept, like we saw there 
in Isaiah chapter 28. See, Rome has a fundamental problem 
in that they do not understand what justification by faith alone 
is. For Rome, justification includes 
sanctification. For Rome, justification not only 
is the work of Jesus Christ for us, it is the Spirit's work in 
us. And that then becomes part of 
the basis for our acceptance with God Almighty. And I must 
say that if you're looking to what you've done, how you've 
done it, when you've done it, where you've done it, or why 
you've done it for acceptance with God, there's not going to 
be a lot of hope. There's not going to be a lot 
of comfort. There's not going to be any singing in 599 on your 
deathbed. There's going to be a whole lot 
of terror. because you are facing the just 
judge of all the earth. And you know in your heart of 
hearts, you know deep down when you're all alone or when you're 
in that eleventh hour, that nothing but perfect righteousness will 
avail with this God. And that's the beautiful answer 
of the Christian gospel, that it's in Jesus Christ that we 
receive this righteousness that avails with God most high. Paul ends by highlighting his 
privileges in Christ, verses 10 to 11, that I may know him 
and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, 
being conformed to his death, if by any means I may attain 
to the resurrection from the dead, the knowledge of Christ, 
the power of his resurrection, and partnership with him in his 
sufferings. That, for the apostle, was great 
privilege. We won't spend time opening that 
up. I just want to close with a few 
thoughts on the importance of justification by faith. The righteousness 
we have is an imputed righteousness. This is not a subjective change 
in the person. This is not moral transformation 
in the person. It is the work, the finished 
work of our Lord Jesus Christ, where we receive forgiveness 
and we receive his righteousness. Calvin said that justification 
by faith is the main hinge on which religion turns. Raymond says, the doctrine of 
justification is the heart and core of the gospel, the good 
news that God by grace alone justifies sinners through faith 
alone in Christ alone apart from the works of the law. Now there 
will always be those who say that if you believe in justification 
by faith alone, then that doesn't matter, well then it doesn't 
matter how you live. Well if people ever say that 
to you, you're in good company. If you preach, you speak, you 
teach, and you talk about and exalt in justification by faith 
alone, and someone says, if what you're saying is true, then it 
really doesn't matter how a sinner lives. You're in the company 
of the Apostle Paul. What shall we say then? Romans 
6, 1. Shall we continue in sin that 
grace may abound? May it never be. You see, the 
true understanding of justification by faith alone brings everything 
into proper perspective. It is because God has justified 
us freely by His grace that we then happily and thankfully live 
the life of sanctification, seeking to put sin to death, seeking 
to engage in things that are righteous as God defines them. It is not a killer of a righteous 
living, but rather it is the foundation and the basis upon 
which we can actually live the way God calls us to. James White 
says, Paul sought the alien righteousness that comes only from God, only 
by faith and only from Christ. He rejected the idea of a righteousness 
of my own derived from the law. That is, one inherent with him 
that comes from obeying God's highest revelation of his moral 
standards. Paul knew that no man could live 
up to such a standard to begin with. So he looked outside of 
himself to a righteousness imputed whose origin and source is God. 
This is why imputation is such a beautiful word to the sinner 
who feels so keenly his lack of righteousness and the perfection 
of the righteousness of Christ. Such a gift cannot be purchased, 
earned, or merited. It must be imputed by grace. Now, if you're wondering where 
this sermon came from, It came from watching a Roman Catholic 
in the 11th hour. It's terrifying. It's grieving. It's horrific. Now, God Most 
High in His mercy and in His grace can save in spite of Rome, 
and I bless Him for that, and I praise Him for that. But you 
don't want to get to that bed where we are all heading. Now 
that much I can assure you, that much I can say without any hesitancy 
whatsoever. You're going to die. There's only one way to be prepared. 
It's the gospel. It's the cross. It's this alien 
righteousness of Christ imputed to us. It's the pardon for sin. It is cleansing in His blood. 
It is redemption. It is salvation. It is justification. It is expiation. Pastor Kim used 
that word this morning. Do you know what expiation means? The removal of guilt. What can be better? God removes 
our guilt. Reconciliation. God and sinners 
are friends. All of these things are given 
to us freely by His grace. All of this comes in the Gospel. All of this comes as a result 
of Christ doing and dying and rising again. It is all bound 
up in the person and the work of our Lord Jesus Christ. This 
doctrine is a protective against legalism. If we understand justification 
by faith alone, it will kill those attempts by us to try and 
garner favor with God based on our doing. Assurance is given 
in a proper understanding of justification by faith alone. Assurance, or Raymond says, with 
reference to assurance, it means that saving faith is directed 
to the doing and dying of the Christ alone, and not to the 
good works or inner experience of the believer. Let me ask you, 
real practically, when you look at your good works, or you look 
at your inner experience, are you encouraged? If you said, 
yes, matter of fact, I am, you can speak with Pastor Porter 
after the service. Really, your good works and your 
inner experience are always so finely tuned and sharply tuned 
and always in such sway that you have perfect assurance with 
God? I think most people that are 
honest with God, honest with themselves, honest with their 
open Bible, would say, whenever I look at my good works or whenever 
I look at my inner experience, I'm sorely discouraged. Raymond 
says it means that the Christian's righteousness before God is in 
heaven at the right hand of God in Jesus Christ and not on earth 
within the believer. It means that the ground of our 
justification is the vicarious, that means substitutionary work 
of Christ for us, not the gracious work of the Spirit in us. It 
means that the faith righteousness of justification is not personal 
but vicarious, not infused but imputed, not experiential but 
judicial, not psychological but legal, not our own but a righteousness 
alien to us and outside of us, not earned but graciously given 
through faith in Christ that is itself a gift of grace. To quote a recent politician, 
whom I believe is corrupt, who asked this question, what difference 
does it make? With reference to this doctrine 
of justification, this isn't a little hair splitting with 
Rome. It means the difference between assurance grounded, based 
upon, and founded in Jesus Christ, and assurance that is on shaky 
ground at best. It makes a world of difference. 
When you hear Pastor Kim and I Go after Rome. It's not because they wear funky 
hats. It's not because they shake incense around their sanctuary, 
though those things are bizarre. It's because they don't understand 
how sinners are made righteous with God. That's everything. Isn't that Job's fundamental 
question? How can a man be just before God? Isn't this what the 
Protestant Reformation was about? It's not just funky hats and 
incense. It's not that we just have an axe to grind with Rome. 
It's not that we just have this bigotry or prejudice against 
Rome. It's that we want to see people 
who have been lied to understand the freeness, the fullness, the 
graciousness, the kindness, the mercy of God Most High lavished 
in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. It's all about the gospel. So when Protestants begin to 
make attempts to reproach with, Rome, that's wrong, that is bad, 
that isn't good, you'll never find that, God willing, as long 
as Pastor Porter and I are here, you will not find that happen. 
And it's not just because of some little oddity here or there, 
it is because the gospel of free and sovereign grace is at stake. Brethren, All of that to say, 
the only path to Romans 8.1 is Romans 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, which I think is encapsulated 
here in Philippians 3 verse 9. We are pardoned, we have a righteousness 
imputed to us and received by faith alone. It is on that basis 
that Paul can say, there is therefore now no condemnation to those 
who are in Christ Jesus. Well, let us pray. Father, we 
thank you for your word, and we thank you for the clarity 
of the Christian gospel. We thank you for this doctrine 
of justification by faith alone. We know, Lord God in heaven, 
that you have blessed us so richly, and we pray that you would help 
us to respond in worship and to respond with thankful hearts. 
and to respond, Lord God, in a growth in grace, in a pursuit 
of Christ, in an understanding of his person and work. And Lord, 
we do pray for those steeped in Roman Catholicism. We pray 
that they would come to hear and come to learn and come to 
know the glorious truth of justification by faith alone. We ask these 
things for your glory's sake and we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.