Tonight, I ask you to turn in the back of the Psalter Hymnal to page 30 to Lord's Day 23, page 30. We turn in the Word of God to the Old Testament prophet Zechariah chapter 3, and just read the first five verses of that chapter. And turning over to Romans chapter 3. where we consider in a particular way verses 21 through the first part of 25 in connection with Lord's Day 23. So many places again. Page 30 in the back of the Psalter hymnal to Zechariah chapter 3 and then also to Romans chapter 3. We first give our attention to Lord's Day 23, page 30, as we give expression to the answers that we believe. This Lord's Day, as you may recall, comes right on the heels, right after the final consideration of the last article of the Apostles' Creed. And therefore, question 59 asks, What good does it do you, however, to believe all this? In Christ I am right with God and heir to life everlasting. How are you right with God? Only by true faith in Jesus Christ. even though my conscience accuses me of having grievously sinned against all God's commandments and of never having kept any of them, and even though I am still inclined toward all evil, nevertheless, without my deserving it at all, out of sheer grace, God grants and credits to me the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ, as if I had never sinned nor been a sinner, as if I had been as perfectly obedient as Christ was obedient for me, all I need to do is to accept this gift of God with a believing heart. Why do you say that by faith alone you are right with God? It is not because of any value my faith has that God is pleased with me. Only Christ's satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness make me right with God. And I can receive this righteousness and make it mine in no other way than by faith alone. Zechariah chapter 3, the first five verses. Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. The Lord said to Satan, The Lord rebuke you, Satan. The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you. Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire? Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. The angel said to those who were standing before him, Take off his filthy clothes. Then he said to Joshua, See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you. Then I said, Put a clean turban on his head. So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the Lord stood by. Romans chapter 3, beginning at verse 9. What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all. We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. As it is written, there is no one righteous, not even one. There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless. There is no one who does good, not even one. Their throats are open graves, their tongues practice deceit, The poison of vipers is on their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood. Ruin and misery mark their ways. In the way of peace, they do not know. There is no fear of God before their eyes. Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore, no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law. Rather, through the law, We become conscious of sin. But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the law and the prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished. He did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. Where then is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No. but on that of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too. Since there is only one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. Do we then nullify the law by this faith? Not at all. Rather, we uphold the law. well dear people of god the most amazing claim that a christian can indeed is able to make is that i am right with god the god we confess in the apostles creed the triune god father and our creation son and our redemption holy spirit and our sanctification this is the most amazing claim that you and I as believers can make that I am right with God and it's also a most important claim that we can make because without the truth of this claim there is no hope but then of course the natural question is how how are you justified that's what justification means doesn't it being made right with God how are you justified how do you stand in a right relationship with God and this too is no small no unimportant matter because it goes way back to the beginning when sin entered the world and man no longer was right with God the way God had created him and this is the question for which the word of God spells out the answer from beginning to end and it is the question with which the church has struggled throughout her history with many wrong answers that give even a little bit of credit to man when absolutely none is due. Now, the Apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, answers this question clearly, and we believe the Lord brought his church back to a proper and accurate and a true understanding of this very question with that hallmark of the Protestant Reformation's teaching justification by grace alone through faith alone on account of Christ alone. Sadly, though, there are some who have grown up, maybe even some among us here tonight, some who have grown up with the treasure of God's truth of justification, learning about it from an early age, but they've gotten bored with it. And they say, we've heard it over and over and over again, and we don't need to hear it again. We know it all already. But I humbly submit to you that if that is your attitude, if that is true of you, either you haven't truly understood this blessed truth or you haven't meditated upon it or both. Because as we think about being right with God, standing in a right relationship with God, we are to be amazed that we can even consider it. That we can even talk about it. That it's even possible. Because all the evidence is against us. Look at, again, what Paul says in those first few verses that we read. That is not very complimentary, is it? Not at all. All the evidence is against us. As Paul says, there is none righteous, no, not one. There is none who seeks God. There is none who does good. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. And Isaiah makes it clear that even our best works, even those we do in faith, are filthy, stained with sin. And Paul also makes it clear that we still struggle with sin. The evidence is clearly against us, beloved, yet the Gospel comes to us and says, there is a way. There is a way, and it's not only possible, but it is actual and it is real. Not through you, not through me. but through Jesus Christ. And therefore, with confidence, we can speak of our righteousness before God. And our righteousness before God, though, is a righteousness that is unperformed by us in the first place. You may say, well, isn't that contradictory? We say our righteousness, and then we say that it's unperformed by us. Indeed, we claim it as our own, but not because it's performed, not because it's provided by us. In fact, the fact that this righteousness is unperformed by us, Paul makes clear, is proven by the law. Consider verse 20 again, just before the text. Therefore, no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law. Rather, through the law, we become conscious of sin. The law of God does not point to our righteousness, beloved, but it points to our lack of righteousness. It points to our sin. That law that was given by God to His people whom He rescued from bondage to Egypt, and He covenanted with them and said, I will be your God and you will be my people. Therefore, as He says in Leviticus, be holy even as I, the Lord your God, am holy. And He gave them His law which expresses His character. It expresses His holiness. He gave them His law to spell out for them, for you and me, of how to be holy. It spells out clearly for God's people what it is that pleases Him. And Paul says of this law in chapter 7, verse 12, So then the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good. But then at the very same time, he points to the law's inability in other places. In Galatians 2, verse 16, he says, by observing the law, no one will be justified. And a bit later in this letter, Romans 8, verse 3, what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature. He points to the inability of the law, but that inability, you see, is not because the law is defective, not because there's something wrong with the law of God. It is holy and righteous and good. but the problem is with you and me. It's because of sin. Paul says in Romans 7, What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not. Indeed, I would not have known what sin was except through the law, for I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had said, do not covet. The law of God is completely contrary to our sinful nature, that nature that is anti-God and anti-God's law. And the law of God, on the one hand, testifies to God's righteousness, but at the very same time, it testifies to our unrighteousness. It testifies to that sad truth of verse 23, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. When Paul says all here, this is one of those places where he means all, he means everybody. He is giving a panoramic view of mankind, with everyone included. So that everywhere one looks, wherever a human being is found, a sinner is found. And believe it or not, beloved, that's true even when you and I look into the mirror. A sinner is found. For all have sinned. Missing the mark is that word sin there. Missing the mark of the standard of God's law. One who misses the mark of that law. All have sinned. And that disqualifies every single human being, you and me alike, from God's favor and from God's verdict of righteousness. And therefore, the law can only declare you and me guilty. It does not make us right with God. And it does not, as some are teaching again these days, even among the Reformed camp, It does not keep us saved. Instead, as Paul says in Romans 4, verse 15, the law brings wrath. It brings the wrath of God against our sin. And you see, the God who gave this law knew this. And we know that because that law was given with the sacrificial system. The people said, we will do, after Moses explained all that God had said, The people responded, we will do all that God has commanded of us, no problem. But God knew that they would do none of what He had commanded. They would keep none of His commandments. But He provided a way. And Moses gave the rules for the sacrifices alongside the law. If they could keep the law, they would not have needed the sacrifices. And He gave especially the atonement offering, the atonement offering for sin. You remember the Ark of the Covenant that was located in the most holy place in the tabernacle and later on the temple. That Ark, we know, was a gold-covered box about three foot long and that box then contained the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments and the cover of that box was called the Mercy Seat and upon that Mercy Seat sat two cherubim that were facing each other with their wings spread out. And symbolically, that pointed to the fact that God dwelt above the ark. And that was a picture of judgment, you see. As God looks down and He sees that law, but not just the law, He sees the broken law. He sees the sin of His people, that sin that must be punished. That sin that draws His wrath. But one day per year on the Day of Atonement, the high priest, would enter with the blood of the sacrifice, with the blood of that innocent victim, and sprinkle that blood on the mercy seat. And that blood then would cover the sins of the people, the broken law, and therefore God would then see the blood and not the sins. The sacrificial system pointed to the need for another. Paul says in verse 21, But now a righteousness from God apart from law has been made known, to which the law and the prophets testify. And most likely, when he's talking about the law and prophets here, he's talking about the whole of the Old Testament. The law, again, with the sacrificial system, pointed to the need for the righteousness of another that could only be and would be provided by God. And the prophets, or the Old Testament, the rest of it pointed forward to the seed of the woman, spoken of in Genesis chapter 3. And indeed, the whole history of Israel, we see, With that history, God preserves history as the line leading to the Messiah, to the righteous suffering servant that Isaiah speaks of. And over and over again, the prophets point forward to that righteousness that only comes from God. We read about it in Zechariah 3. Dear people of God, the law proves that our righteousness before God is not performed by us. Instead, as Paul makes clear, it points out our sin. These are the facts. But then these facts then are also testified to by our conscience. You see, one who understands the truth of justification is one who is already born again, one who is already converted. You see, we don't look forward. The unbeliever doesn't care. He doesn't see things clearly. It's only after God has brought us to the faith and we study His Word that we look back and we understand. The one who understands the truth of justification is one who is already born again, already given faith in Christ and then is already being sanctified. That one is justified and is being sanctified by the Holy Spirit. And that one becomes conscious of his sin and offense. And he becomes conscious of what he truly deserves. And as he looks into the mirror of God's law, he finds nothing in himself to boast about before God. Instead, his conscience accuses him. The catechism is correct when it says, even though my conscience accuses me of having grievously sinned against all God's commandments and of never having kept any of them. That's the only thing our conscience can accuse us of, beloved, of having transgressed against all of God's commandments. sometimes when satan gets a little bit of a hold of us we might think well i've done pretty good over here but not so good over there but the truth is our conscience can only accuse us of having violated all of god's commandments and the believer's conscience confesses with the psalmist in psalm 130 if you oh lord kept a record of sins and there's only one answer to that if question oh lord who could stand and the answer is no one the believer's conscience confesses with paul again in chapter 7 verses 18 and 19 i know that nothing good lives in me that is in my sinful nature for i have i have the desire to do what is good but i cannot carry it out for what i do is not the good i want to do no the evil i do not want to do this i keep on doing that our righteousness before God is unperformed by us. It's proven by the law. It's testified to by our own conscience, but it's also evidenced by our sin. The catechism also rightly says we are still inclined toward all evil. In our daily lives, we struggle with sin. As we examine our lives, we see. We are brought to see that often we do put our trust more in the things of this life than in God, and in that way we put other gods before Him. We are brought to see, as we reflect, that there were times when we had the opportunity to defend God's name, but we didn't do it, and therefore we too are guilty of taking God's name in vain. Boys and girls, as you think back over this last day, or maybe this last week, maybe you hated someone in your heart. You were really angry at them in your heart. That's murder from the heart. Or maybe you hit your brother or sister. That's murder from the heart. And as we reflect on our lives daily again, we think about those images that have come to our eyes, maybe through the television or magazines or billboards, whatever it might be, and how we have lusted. We are reminded how we have coveted by desiring something that someone else has that we don't, but we really want it. And we want it so bad we want it to be taken away from them. Our sin, beloved, that we struggle with daily is a constant reminder that we have and we do fall short of the glory of God. There is nothing right in us or about us that can make us right with or keep us right with God. Well then, if this is all there is, that's pretty depressing, isn't it? That's pretty hopeless. Because all the self-justification, all the excuses we could give in the world cannot make us right with God on our own. If Paul had stopped with verse 20, therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law. Rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. If he had stopped there, his audience and you and I with them would have been left hopeless, but he didn't end there. He says in verse 21 again, but now, he makes it clear, there is no righteousness from the law. But now a righteousness from God apart from law has been made known as if to say, praise God, that our sin did not keep God from or make Him incapable of declaring us righteous. But instead, He secured our righteousness before Himself. Which has been, in the second place, perfectly provided by Christ. Paul says in chapter 8, verse 3 again, For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. You see, Paul's constant theme throughout his writings is the righteousness of another. that we need, the righteousness of God, a righteousness that comes from God in Jesus Christ. And this righteousness, He makes clear, is His gift given. Because it's been accomplished by Him. All who believe, as verses 24 and 25 say, are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus, God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in His blood. You see, the perfect Son of God came and He offered perfect obedience to the law of God in our place. By which He was qualified to go to the cross and take upon Himself that wrath that our sin earned, that wrath of God and punishment of God for our sin, in our place again. And His shed blood ransoms us. It covers our sin against God from the sight of God. It comes between our sin and us so that He no longer sees our sin. But He sees the blood of the perfect and sinless sacrifice. And as the sacrifice of atonement, beloved, Jesus Christ removes the guilt of our sins so that we are forgiven of all of our sins by God. And he changes God's wrath that was against us to his favor and his pleasure towards us. And with our sin removed, which blocked our way to God, the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ, of God himself, is freely given by his grace. Verse 24 again, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. You see, this text is a sample of all of Paul's teaching on justification. As in this text, we see that we, the believer, is completely passive. When it comes to justification, the believer is completely passive, not active. God is active. God is the doer. we are the objects of His work. He is the one who removes our clothing of sin and clothes us with the righteousness of Christ. That righteousness is a gift given to you and me without payment by us. That's the idea here. It is given not because of our righteousness, not even a little bit, but it is given in spite of our absence of righteousness. And indeed, beloved, it is our gift received. Because this righteousness is a gift to us from God, just as when someone gives you a gift, it is now your possession. Because this righteousness is a gift to us from God, we can properly then claim it as our righteousness before God. Because He looks at us through the work of Jesus Christ, and again, He doesn't see those filthy garments, but he sees us clothed with his gift of the glorious robes of Christ's righteousness, just as Joshua the high priest had those clothing of sin removed. And he was given those rich garments, even as Satan watched on. We are righteous with God only, as the catechism says, through Christ's satisfaction and righteousness and holiness. Beloved, God's law, or we should say that our sin against God's law, disqualifies us from having a right relationship with Him. But God's own righteousness, freely given to us, changes His verdict that was against you and me of guilty. It changes it to not guilty. How can I claim to be right with God? How does the righteousness of Jesus Christ become mine? it is in the third place procured, acquired by faith. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. That's what we confess in the catechism too, isn't it? Faith alone can sing, as we did a few moments ago, plenteous grace with thee is found. Grace to cover all my sins. And we know what faith is. We know that true faith knows the Word of God, that word as it is summarized beautifully in the Apostles' Creed. We know that true faith agrees with it, believes that it's true, but also true faith trusts. It trusts that the Word of God is true for me, true. It trusts in the perfect work of Jesus Christ in what He accomplished, that it's mine, and through justification, God says, it is yours. It's yours, and it's yours, and it's yours, and it's yours, and it's yours. All of it is yours. And it is a present hope. Paul says again in verse 22, this righteousness that from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. He does not say it will come to all who believe. It might come to all who believe. But it comes to all who believe. Very simply, the moment that one receives the gift of faith in Jesus Christ and believes at that instant. The work that Jesus Christ accomplished so long ago becomes, is made the possession of that one. At that very moment, God says, you are not guilty. You are right with me. And all that my son has done, all that he has earned, it's yours. And nothing will ever change that. And that's why Satan no longer has an accusation against you and me, as Paul makes clear in Romans chapter 8. He stood there next to Joshua. He didn't have a leg to stand on. Well, if it was our own righteousness or what we think is our righteousness, he would have every ground to stand on to accuse us. But because it is Christ's righteousness, he has no accusation. It's a present hope, beloved. If it depended on our own righteousness even a little bit, well, we'd have to wait and see how things work out, And we know the answer, don't we? It wouldn't. You see, if, as I mentioned a moment ago, as some are teaching, even in the Reformed camp, if we are in by grace, meaning if we are saved by grace, and we stay in, we stay saved by works, if that is true, then there is no present hope. There is no future hope. Because even our best works are stained with sin and disqualify us and can only earn the wrath of God. But beloved in Jesus Christ, we have righteousness before God right now. And it is a certain hope right now because it is only the work of God and not yours and not mine. So that in doubt and temptation, I rest, Lord, in Thee, in the blood and the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Dear people of God, this truth is indeed so glorious. It is so wonderful. And may we never become bored with it. May we never treat it as no big deal or think that we don't need to hear it because we do. Instead, may we be humbled and gripped by this truth even as I continue to struggle with sin, that sin that constantly reminds me that I can only earn separation from God. May we be humbled and gripped by this truth that Jesus Christ has done it all as God gives us the assurance of forgiveness and we have confidence that God sees me, as the catechism says, as if I had never sinned nor been a sinner, as if I had been as perfectly obedient as Christ was obedient for me. If that doesn't stir something up in you and me, then nothing will. To know that God sees us that way. And the believer then will not rest or be content simply with this knowledge. But again, those whom God justifies, those whom He declares to be righteous both now and forevermore, He is sanctifying by His Holy Spirit. And to His believers, He gives a new motivation that delights in God's law, that delights to walk with God not as a chore to help get me saved or keep me saved. but as a means to glorify God for His holiness and to thank Him for His precious gift because I am saved. Apart from the righteousness of Jesus Christ, there is no hope for being right with God. Being pretty good, as some think is enough, is not good enough. Trusting in your own righteousness, even a little bit, will prove eternally disappointing. But those who heed the call of God to the gospel of Jesus Christ, that there is salvation full and free in Him, and those who place their trust in Him by faith, for you, for me, are now and forever right with God. And therefore, beloved, may we never think we have heard it enough. May we never get bored with this precious truth of justification. Instead, may we meditate upon it daily. Only then will our response be with Paul. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift. Amen. Let's pray together. Dear Heavenly Father, we do confess that daily, too, we need our arrogance checked, wiped away. because it is so easy to want to find something worthwhile and something good before Your sight in ourselves. But may it be instead, O Lord, that we would always and only desire Christ's righteousness alone, which You have given. And may we grow in that knowledge and truth and in that understanding. May we grow in that glorious assurance of all that You have done for us in Christ Jesus. and may it be because of what You have done for us that indeed by Your Spirit we would walk with You both now and forever. We thank You, O Lord, for hearing our prayer for such a great salvation given to such undeserved creatures as us. In Jesus' name we pray these things. Amen.