Justified Freely by His Grace
Scripture: Romans 3:24Devotional Series: Preach the Gospel to Yourself
Teaching: Preach The Gospel To Yourself pt. 1 (SUN_PM 2024-10-27) by Pastor Star R Scott
In Romans, Chapter 3, we see this great, great chapter of our redemption. He says in verse 24, “Being justified freely by his grace….” Man, you can live off that for a long time, can’t you? Just think about it: being pronounced righteous, no works, freely by His grace, unmerited favor. It’s just been gifted to us. We’re not, with anything innate in ourselves, worthy of these great gifts; amen? We have not earned them. The value that we are, individually, does not merit them. “For in us, (that is, in our flesh,) dwells no good thing” (Romans 7:18). God loved us. Jesus, with that substitutionary death, took our place, paid that price, became sin with our sin, became sick with our sickness, praise God! We merit, then, in Christ, right standing with God. Hallelujah!
As we see the great message unfold, and the insanity in people who reject that free gift of being right eternally with God for a few earthly, enjoyable moments of sinful pleasure, rejecting an eternal abiding in God’s presence. The Scripture says that not too long from now, we’re going to look into His face, and we’re going to see Him as He is. That makes it all worthwhile. Anything we reject in this life, any sufferings we go through, will be such a small thing. This little light vapor, the Scripture calls it, of life is going to end, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Hallelujah! The Scripture says: three score and ten, and eighty if you’re strong, then it’s all over. Then that trumpet’s going to sound. All of these pains and all of the sorrow and all of the battles of life will fall at our feet as we ascend into His presence. Hallelujah! Everything here will be left behind and we will take on a new body. Mortality will take on immortality, the Scripture tells us. We will get to see Him. We will get to be with Him, and greater than being with Him; we will get to be like Him. You’ll never remember your tears or heartaches. He did it freely on our behalf while we were still His enemies. While we hated Him, He loved us. While we ran from Him, He pursued us. The hound of heaven hunted us down, praise God!
There are things that we should not take for granted. There are revelations that most people you run into don’t know. You are not bringing them old-hat information. You’re bringing, to the majority of people that you witness to out there today, revelation from the Word of God, from the presence of God. People don’t know the gospel anymore. We’re living in a heathen nation. So, as we understand this, the Scripture is very clear. Remember in Mark, Chapter 1, verse 4, when John the Baptist was preaching and he was baptizing? The Scripture is very clear, it said he was baptizing them to repentance for the remission of their sins. It was preparatory for the baptism that was going to come through the death of Jesus, the baptism into Christ that occurs at regeneration at the new birth. But John, as the forerunner, the proclaimer of the kingdom of God, was preaching, "The kingdom of God is coming. The fullness of God’s reconciliation is at hand." “Behold the Lamb as Jesus walked by who taketh away the sin of the world”; amen? It’s our message. It’s what we’re supposed to be doing.