AOY 2014: Now Is the Time

Righteousness By Faith

Benjamin Ng

Army Of Youth

5. The Woman of Romans 7

Father in heaven, may you please continue to guide us as we look at more quotes, as we look at your scripture, that you would please speak to our hearts with your Holy Spirit, help us to grow in faith more and more and to understand these topics of justification and sanctification that we're about to look at.

I just wanted to go through this real quickly.

We looked at justification yesterday and I just want to attach some quotes to that.

Justification and also sanctification we're going to look at real quick, okay?

But look at this is a really interesting quote that we have to try to grasp our mind around and put this into something practical here.

The faith I live by, page 116 paragraph 2.

She says this, the righteousness by which we are justified is imputed.

The righteousness by which we are sanctified is what?

So this 1, imputed righteousness and imparted righteousness, imputed is our title to heaven.

Now what does it mean to impute versus impart?

I'm imparting, I'm imparting, I'm giving it to you everyday.

We born, we die, and since our birth, since we could, we have committed sin.

Committed, oops, why did IIISSI, sin, okay, we live the life of sin all our life until we met Jesus, okay, whatever age that is, and we ask God to forgive us, alright, what He does is He imputes His righteousness on us and at that very point in time when we ask for forgiveness it's as if we have never sinned before.

And so his righteousness, his life that he lived is like stamped upon us.

But we can't do it if we don't confess our sin.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.

And now it's like wearing that robe of righteousness.

It's almost like putting on a costume and we look exactly like Jesus now.

And God looks at our life like we've never sinned all our life.

Because He doesn't see us anymore, He sees who?

So did we do anything worthy of getting this righteousness?

But then sanctification is something that's imparted to us every day.

His righteousness that must be given to us every single day of our life.

And I just want you to see that as we go through these quotes.

So this is justification and sanctification.

There are conditions to our receiving justification and sanctification and the righteousness of Christ.

I know your meaning, but you leave a wrong impression upon many minds.

I guess she was referring to somebody who was talking about this topic.

While good works will not save even 1 soul, nothing good we do will ever save us, yet it is impossible for even 1 soul to be saved without good works.

However, if you have no good works, you'll never be saved.

God saves us under a law that we must ask if we would receive, seek if we would find, and knock if we would have the door open to us.

But what we have there in yellow and underlined is exactly what I'm trying to point out here.

But faith that produces those good works, That will save us.

It's impossible for even 1 soul to be saved without those good works.

Even though it doesn't, does not, does not save us.

Is there some kind of danger for people to think we must have faith and works?

Yes, look we do have to be concerned about our works.

At the end of the day I go home and my wife said, Ben why did you say that?

And she tells me, well you did this, you did this and that's not the right thing to do.

We have to still go back to the mirror and look at that mirror that reflects our own character and where we fall short.

We don't have to be concerned with it but realizing that that's not what changes us.

But the next time we walk out, do I have to be wary of that?

It's something that's, you know, humanly, it's in the back of our mind whether we like it or not.

But the fact that we are able to overcome it, it's a result of our faith.

I mean, from a preacher's standpoint, I have to talk about your behavior you know why because you don't think you're bad oh no no the problem with the other people in church is they don't know no it's not that thou art wretched and miserable, poor and blind and naked.

The problem with the other Christian churches is they don't know that they're bad.

And that's why we have to point that out and then point them to the Savior.

The reason why you're this way is because you're lacking in your devotional life.

Buy of me gold, tried in the fire, that's faith, right?

And in all the nights with eyes, so that I may see, which is what?

The reason why people are bad is because they're not studying the Bible.

We have to show them because they don't think that they're bad.

But it's not the fruit that saves them, it's the fruit that will now then realize, oh yeah, I am short on many things as a Christian, and I have to go back to the Word of God.

4. Saving Faith

Father in heaven, thank you for this day again that you've given to us for the gift of life.

Thank you for bringing us here again to study your word and I pray that you would please be with us.

Help us to continue to understand in a deeper way what it means to exercise faith.

And I pray Lord that you would guide us through this time.

Okay, today what I want to do is in this session look at saving faith.

And we already know that, but I'm gonna give you another few examples from the Bible, okay?

About how essential faith is to our salvation.

And it's interesting, as I was sitting there in the morning devotion, were you thinking about righteousness by faith?

And then he quoted again Hebrews 11 verse 7, right?

And We look at that righteousness but like I said many times we miss out faith which is so important which is so essential for us to be saved.

Let's go to Romans chapter 10 Romans chapter 10 starting in verse 6.

We're going to read all the way to verse 9.

And today, yes, we're going to put the finishing touches on the importance of the law of God for obedience and everything but in Romans chapter 10 verse 6 the Bible begins by saying this but the righteousness which is of what?

Faith speaketh on this wise say not in thine heart who shall ascend to heaven that is to bring Christ down from above or who shall descend into the deep that is to bring Christ again from the dead, but what saith it, the word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that is the word of what?

Faith, which we preach, that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

How are we saved according to those last 2 verses or even that last verse?

Look, The only way that we can be saved is once again through belief.

And you know, if we have that faith, the Bible says we will what?

But in verse 8 it says, What saith it, the word is nigh in thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart.

So Somehow faith has also got to do with the application of us confessing or speaking from our heart.

And that's why Noah was a preacher of righteousness.

Because when he had faith, the faith led him to do things that were already in his heart.

And that's something that really runs through many of these characters that we've talked about and even the character that was highlighted this morning in Noah.

You see, we looked at Abraham yesterday, right?

And we looked at a few things about Abraham.

Did Abraham know God's command in Genesis 12, verse 1 and 2?

Okay, what was the command of God in Genesis 12, 1 and 2?

Leave your house, leave your kindred, everybody, right?

But then when it came to Genesis 22 and he wanted him to offer his son Isaac on a mountain, right?

He had no idea why God wanted him to do this, except the command was clear.

He didn't understand the reason, yet he still obeyed.

Many a times, we refuse to obey until we have a clear reason why.

God, tell me the reason why before I do it.

You know, Abraham could have stopped there and said, you know, I'll look like pagan people.

They offer their children up for sacrifice too.

Give them the wrong message of who you are.

He could have had many reasons not to obey.

I hope you've been applying what you've been learning.

God, if you're struggling with something in your heart, God, help me to change.

Not because of something that I can do, but because your Word said I can be perfect.

Did you claim that promise this morning like that?

You got to allow these lessons to begin to change your life.

But here in Romans chapter 10 as we've just looked at, we're reminded again faith is the very substance that saves us and nothing else.

Acts 16, Acts chapter 16, verses 30 and 31.

This is when Paul and Silas were caught as prisoners and they were sitting in the jail cells praying and singing with 1 another and God shook the whole prison right?

And the prisoners were free and the guard was about to kill himself because if the prisoners got free and ran away his head would be on the chopping block.

And then Paul calls out and says, don't, don't, don't kill yourself, we're all here, right?

And in verse 29 they come and the guard falls down before them and he asks this question in verse 30.

And brought them out and said, sirs, what must I do to be saved?

3. Righteousness By Works

What we're going to be looking at is righteousness by faith versus righteousness by works.

Righteousness by faith versus righteousness by works.

So let's begin with a word of prayer, shall we?

Father in heaven, thank you for the good food that you've given to us.

Thank you for this time again that we can come to study your word once more.

I pray that you would please be with us and once again guide us with your spirit, oh Lord, and help us to understand this most important topic of faith.

Thank you for your praying, in Jesus' name, amen.

So I told you we're going to be studying about Abraham.

And before we get into it, I'm gonna be using the whiteboard a lot, so if you would like to move over to this side, I'm sorry, it's not, it's not on wheels, so I can't bring it to the center.

But I like to use the whiteboard when it comes to teaching.

So if you need to move, feel free to move over now so that we don't have to move over in the middle of it.

But for everyone else, let's move over, turn our pages to James chapter 2.

James chapter 2 and starting in verse 20.

And if you're familiar with James chapter 2 especially, you're going to know that it talks a lot about faith and works.

And so yes we are going to look at works for a little bit here, but it's really mainly faith that we are interested in.

But let's go to James chapter 2 and starting in verse 20.

The Bible says, but wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is what?

But then it jumps into this illustration of Abraham, okay?

Was not Abraham our father justified by what?

Okay, give me another word for justified.

So wasn't Abraham our father made righteous by...

I mean, we'll be expecting faith there, right?

But here it says, was not Abraham our father justified by works when he had offered Isaac, his son, upon the altar.

How Abraham was asked to sacrifice Isaac, his son, and he was ready to plunge the knife down and kill his son, right?

Seest thou how faith wrought with works, and by works was faith made what?

Somehow works has a role in making faith perfect.

Which means, follow along with me for a minute, which means the time before Abraham was ready to offer his son Isaac, Abraham's faith was not what?

Abraham's faith was not perfect before God called him to offer his son Isaac on the altar.

But then, verse 23, and the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness, and he was called the friend of God.

So look, Here is the perfect example of mingling together of faith and works.

In your Bibles, does anybody have a center column reference in your Bible?

You know, like my Bible has a middle column reference.

Because you look it up and the center column will tell you where this is from.

But does anybody know, In verse 23 of James 2, it says, Abraham believed God.

The scripture was fulfilled which says, Abraham believed God and it was imputed on him for righteousness.

James is quoting from the Old Testament here.

Ah, have you got a Southern Column reference there?

Okay, so Genesis chapter 15, let's all go there, and I want to start actually in verse 1, but we're going to make our way all the way to verse 6.

We're going to start in verse 1, but we're going to make our way all the way to verse 6.

Okay, Genesis 15, let's pick it up in verse 1.

After these things the word of the lord came unto abraham in a vision saying fear not abraham abraham sorry I am die shield and I exceeding great reward and abraham said lord god what will that give me seeing I go childless understood of my house is this aliaza of damascus So what is Abraham saying to God?

He's saying, look, I haven't got any seed, but look, my servant is really faithful, Eliezer.

In other words, he's like, please bless him, right?

Let him be the inheritor of this promise.

And Abraham said, behold, to me thou has given me no seed, and lo, 1 born in my house is mine heir.

Verse 4, And behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir.

So he said, Eliezer is not going to be that heir, okay?

Even though you think he's a good man and maybe he was born in your house and became your servant, that's not the 1.

But he that shall come forth out of Thine own bowels shall be thine heir.

It's going to be your biological son that will be the heir.

Then verse 5, And he brought him forth abroad and said, Look now toward heaven and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them.

And he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.

And then verse 6 is where James quoted from, And he believed in the Lord, and he counted it to him for righteousness.

That he would have an heir from his own bowels, right?

At that time did he have any heir from his own bowels?

But yet the Bible said he believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness.

He hadn't done anything except, God, I believe you.

So, Could we say that Abraham had faith at this point in time?

But remember, we saw in James 2 that his faith was not perfect until when?

When he held, he was ready to sacrifice his son by plunging that knife down into his heart or wherever and kill him, right?

2. What is Faith?

Alright, let's bow our heads for a prayer again, shall we?

Father in heaven, may you please continue to guide us and lead us with your spirit and as we dig further into your word and look at some illustrations from your word, I pray that you would please make it very plain and clear to us about faith and also our duty and our part of where we come in in relation to this topic of faith.

Thank you for your prayer in Jesus' name.

So recap, just looking at our definition here.

Faith is expecting the word of God to do what it says and depending upon that word to do or to accomplish what it says.

So, in order to understand this definition, I'm going to give you some examples and we need to go to the Word of God to find where it teaches about this.

And then we'll also read verse 9 as well.

The Bible says, By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.

Let's follow on from the centurion's illustration, right?

Only by the word of God and nothing else did God call into existence from nothing and turn it into something, okay?

The greater part of the first chapter of the whole Bible, Genesis 1, there are no fewer than 6 distinct statements of faith.

And of course, Genesis 1, verse 1, the Bible says what?

In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.

And I'm gonna show you some statements on faith.

And then you begin to understand, hey, this is the reason why God put creation at the very first chapter.

Do you know Genesis was not the first book written?

But yes, it made sense to put creation first because it's the first thing in the history of our earth right but actually it's almost as if God is trying to tell us if you can't believe creation you know what you won't believe anything else written in here This is the reason why creation and evolution do not go together.

And I'm gonna show you this in a minute, okay?

The Bible says, and God said, let there be light, and there was light.

Verse 6, and God said, let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters and let it divide the waters from the waters.

Every time through the first 6 days of creation, what we see is God speaking.

Faith is the expecting of the word of God to do what it says.

So when God says, let there be this, it created out of nothing.

If 1 second passed for light to be created after God spoke it, you know what we call that?

Because evolution is progression over a course of time.

Even if it just took 1 second for that to appear, that's evolution.

No, As soon as God spoke, bang, it appeared.

When God said, let there be the earth and the grass and the trees and the flowers, bang!

It's the power of the Word of God to expect the word of God to do what it says and then what?

Adam was the last thing, apart from Eve, Adam was the last thing that God created, right?

After Adam, did he still have to create the sun, the moon, the stars?

Back to Menu

All Teachings

5. The Woman of Romans 7

1h

4. Saving Faith

1h

3. Righteousness By Works

1h

2. What is Faith?

1h 19m

1. Living by faith

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Now Is the Time

48m

What Might Have Been...Can Be!

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Reading Revelation- 2

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Reading Revelation- 1

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The Raging Red Sea- Go Forward

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Plaguing Pharaoh

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Exodus Excuses

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Sound Doctrine