Exalting God's Glory Through Justification by Faith

Devotional

Day 1: Reflecting God's Glory Through Unity and Love

Living a life worthy of the gospel means embodying its infinite worth through a fearless unity of love, rooted in humility and selflessness. This unity is not just about agreement but about a shared commitment to the cause of the gospel, standing firm together against adversaries. Humility is the foundation of this unity, as it involves counting others more significant than oneself and devoting oneself to the welfare of others. This selfless love reflects the ultimate goal of God: the exaltation of His glory. [01:45]

Philippians 2:3-4 (ESV): "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others."

Reflection: Who in your life can you serve selflessly today, putting their needs above your own, to reflect the unity and love of the gospel?

Day 2: Overcoming Obstacles to Gospel Living

Paul identifies two significant obstacles to living a life worthy of the gospel: a sense of superiority and the inadequacy of that superiority to make one right with God. Before his conversion, Paul’s sense of superiority hindered his ability to serve others humbly. He realized that his achievements were worthless compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ. By considering his achievements as rubbish, Paul embraced humility and the doctrine of justification by faith, which is essential for being right with God and living a life that glorifies Him. [03:54]

Philippians 3:7-8 (ESV): "But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord."

Reflection: What personal achievements or qualities do you need to consider as loss in order to fully embrace the worth of knowing Christ?

Day 3: Justification by Faith: A Foundation for Righteousness

Justification by faith is essential for being right with God. It is not based on our own righteousness but on the righteousness of Christ, imputed to us through faith. This doctrine has been central to the Christian faith and has played a significant role in historical revivals. Understanding that righteousness comes through faith in Christ frees us from relying on our own performances and empowers us to live obediently as a response to being accepted by God. [06:33]

Romans 3:22-24 (ESV): "The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."

Reflection: How does understanding that your righteousness comes from Christ change the way you approach your daily walk with God?

Day 4: Living in the Freedom of Imputed Righteousness

The righteousness that comes through faith is not merely a verdict of innocence but the imputed righteousness of Christ. This understanding liberates us from the pressure of relying on our own performances and empowers us to live obediently as a response to being accepted by God. It shifts our focus from trying to earn God's favor to living out of gratitude for the grace we have received. [29:59]

2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV): "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

Reflection: In what ways can you live more freely today, knowing that Christ's righteousness has been imputed to you?

Day 5: Proclaiming Justification by Faith for Spiritual Renewal

Embracing and proclaiming the doctrine of justification by faith alone can foster spiritual renewal and advance the gospel. This doctrine has been at the center of significant revivals and remains a powerful truth for the church today. By understanding and sharing this truth, we can foster a fearless unity of love and advance the gospel in our communities, bringing about spiritual renewal and transformation. [47:21]

Galatians 2:16 (ESV): "Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified."

Reflection: How can you actively share the message of justification by faith with someone in your community this week?

Sermon Summary

The ultimate goal of God throughout history, creation, and redemption is the exaltation and communication of His glory. Our lives should reflect this by living in a manner worthy of the gospel, demonstrating its infinite worth and value. This involves a life characterized by the "Fearless unity of love," which includes unity in the cause of the gospel and fearlessness before adversaries. Paul identifies humility, counting others more significant than oneself, and devoting oneself to the welfare of others as the roots of this fearless unity.

In Philippians 3, Paul addresses two significant obstacles to living this kind of life and being right with God. The first is his pre-Christian sense of superiority, which hindered his ability to serve others humbly. The second is the inadequacy of his superiority to make him right with God. Paul resolves these obstacles by considering his achievements as rubbish compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ. He embraces the doctrine of justification by faith, which is essential for being right with God and living a life that glorifies Him.

Justification by faith is a controversial yet crucial doctrine. It has been attacked and misunderstood throughout history, but it remains central to the Christian faith. Paul emphasizes that righteousness comes not from our own law-keeping but through faith in Christ. This righteousness is not merely a verdict of innocence but the imputed righteousness of Christ, which is counted as ours through faith. This understanding frees us from relying on our own performances and empowers us to live a life of obedience as a response to being accepted by God.

The doctrine of justification by faith alone has historically been at the center of significant revivals and awakenings. It was pivotal in the Reformation and the Great Awakening, and it remains a powerful truth that can bring about spiritual renewal today. By embracing and proclaiming this doctrine, we can foster a fearless unity of love and advance the gospel in our communities.

Key Takeaways

1. Living a life worthy of the gospel involves demonstrating its infinite worth through fearless unity and love, rooted in humility and selflessness. This life reflects the ultimate goal of God: the exaltation of His glory. [01:45]
2. Paul identifies two obstacles to living a life worthy of the gospel: a sense of superiority and the inadequacy of that superiority to make one right with God. He overcomes these by considering his achievements as rubbish compared to knowing Christ. [03:54]
3. Justification by faith is essential for being right with God. It is not based on our own righteousness but on the righteousness of Christ, imputed to us through faith. This doctrine is central to the Christian faith and has been historically significant in revivals. [06:33]
4. The righteousness that comes through faith is not merely a verdict of innocence but the imputed righteousness of Christ. This understanding frees us from relying on our own performances and empowers us to live obediently as a response to being accepted by God. [29:59]
5. Embracing and proclaiming the doctrine of justification by faith alone can foster spiritual renewal and advance the gospel. It has been at the center of significant revivals and remains a powerful truth for the church today. [47:21]
** [47:21]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:11] - God's Ultimate Goal
[00:31] - Living Worthy of the Gospel
[01:09] - Fearless Unity of Love
[02:42] - Obstacles to Living Worthy
[03:18] - Paul's Superiority Complex
[04:10] - Inadequacy for Righteousness
[05:03] - Solution to the Obstacles
[06:18] - Justification by Faith
[07:11] - Paul's Pedigree and Loss
[09:17] - Overcoming Superiority
[11:16] - Law and Righteousness
[13:19] - Union with Christ
[15:06] - Controversies in Justification
[19:48] - New Perspective on Paul
[22:10] - Faith and Obedience
[29:23] - Implications of Righteousness
[37:34] - New Testament Ethics
[45:25] - Implications for Today
[48:09] - Call to Proclaim Justification by Faith

Bible Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:

Philippians 3:1-9
Leviticus 18:5
Romans 5:19

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Observation Questions:

What does Paul identify as the ultimate goal of God throughout history, creation, and redemption? How should our lives reflect this goal? [00:11]
In Philippians 3, what are the two significant obstacles Paul mentions that hinder living a life worthy of the gospel? [02:42]
How does Paul describe his pre-Christian sense of superiority, and why was it an obstacle to serving others humbly? [03:18]
What does Paul consider as "rubbish" compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ? [05:38]

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Interpretation Questions:

How does the doctrine of justification by faith alone address the obstacles Paul faced in his spiritual journey? [06:33]
Why is the concept of imputed righteousness central to the Christian faith, and how does it differ from righteousness based on law-keeping? [13:19]
How has the doctrine of justification by faith historically influenced revivals and awakenings, according to the sermon? [47:21]
What does Paul mean by the "Fearless unity of love," and how is it connected to living a life worthy of the gospel? [01:45]

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Application Questions:

Reflect on a time when you felt a sense of superiority over others. How did it affect your ability to serve them humbly? What steps can you take to cultivate humility in your interactions? [03:18]
Consider the achievements or aspects of your life that you might be tempted to boast about. How can you shift your focus to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ? [05:38]
How can embracing the doctrine of justification by faith alone empower you to live a life of obedience and fearless love in your community? [06:33]
Identify a situation where you relied on your own performance to feel accepted by God. How can the understanding of imputed righteousness change your perspective and actions? [29:59]
The sermon mentions that justification by faith alone has been central to significant revivals. How can you personally contribute to spiritual renewal in your community by embracing and proclaiming this doctrine? [47:21]
Think of a person or group you find challenging to love or serve. How can the concept of "Fearless unity of love" guide your actions towards them this week? [01:45]
What practical steps can you take to ensure that your life reflects the infinite worth and value of the gospel? [00:31]

Sermon Clips

The great and ultimate goal of God in all of history and in all of creation and in all of redemption is the exaltation and the communication of his glory. Let your manner of Life be worthy of the gospel and I argued that worthy of the Gospel means living in such a way as to show that you esteem the gospel as infinitely Worthy, infinitely valuable. [00:00:11]

Paul saw himself as totally Superior to all those who were making their boast in the flesh this is the pre-christian Paul he knew he was Superior to them so how in the world will he ever be able to serve them, count others more significant than himself when he knows he is off the charts Superior to them in the very things that they're boasting about. [00:03:14]

He counts all of his superiority over here as refuse rubbish dung and over here because he did that he casts himself totally on the righteousness of another to be right with God so our focus is going to be on to the doctrine of justification by faith that's what we're going to talk about today it's enormously important. [00:05:38]

Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord for his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish in order that I might gain Christ and be found in him not having a righteousness of my own that comes from law, but that which comes through faith in Christ. [00:13:27]

The righteousness from God that depends on faith that we're going to spend all of our time on this verse and before I begin to unpack it I want to step back and and speak for a moment about the the lay of the land in in the world the little part of the world I know about the doctrine of justification by faith. [00:14:53]

The doctrine of justification by faith it has been a highly controversial Doctrine and it has been attacked in every conceivable way ever since the beginning namely Genesis 12 and especially since the Reformation so what I want to do is talk about maybe I don't know how many have I got five five ways in my experience. [00:15:13]

The righteousness that comes through faith is not merely a verdict of innocence but the imputed righteousness of Christ. This understanding frees us from relying on our own performances and empowers us to live obediently as a response to being accepted by God. This righteousness in Christ from God is not a mere verdict of innocent. [00:29:23]

The most natural way to understand this righteousness in verse 9 this new righteousness I believe is that it is Christ's perfect obedience Christ's perfect righteousness that is imputed to Paul now why do I think that that of course and he Wright continually accuses me and everybody who thinks like I do of being controlled by tradition. [00:39:48]

Justification by faith alone is the basis for full acceptance with God and the basis for sanctification or humble Fearless unity of love that we saw yesterday so yesterday's life lived to the glory of God is only possible because of being right with God by faith alone. [00:45:35]

Are you aware just historically that in God's Providence, this Doctrine has been at the center of stunning Awakenings, clearly it was at the center of Luther's Awakening called the Reformation, it was clearly at the center of Wilbur forces achievements Wilberforce only wrote one book, read it, the point of the book is I did what I did by means of justification by faith. [00:46:14]

Let's make the doctrine of justification by faith alone the foundation of fearless unity in love. Father in heaven I am so thankful as a sinner that Christ not only died for me but from the moment of his conception until the moment of his Ascension fulfilled all righteousness so that it could be counted as mine in Union with him. [00:48:09]

What a glorious truth, cause it to come to our hearts with fresh love and appreciation and make us Valiant for this truth I pray in Jesus name, amen. [00:49:06]

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Exalting God's Glory Through Justification by Faith

Devotional

Day 1: Reflecting God's Glory Through Unity and Love

Day 2: Overcoming Obstacles to Gospel Living

Day 3: Justification by Faith: A Foundation for Righteousness

Day 4: Living in the Freedom of Imputed Righteousness

Day 5: Proclaiming Justification by Faith for Spiritual Renewal

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Exalting God's Glory Through Justification by Faith

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