How Shall a Man Find Forgiveness with God?

In this part of the sermon: Before diving into Romans 4:4-5, Martin provides the broader context of the book of Romans, explaining its theme as the 'gospel of God' which reveals a righteousness provided by…

Paul's exposition of man's need for righteousness is compared to a salesman convincing a customer they need a product before trying to sell it, highlighting the necessity of understanding one's guilt before appreciating the gospel.

Now he begins to unfold the theme in verse 18 of chapter 1. And verse 18, chapter 1, all the way through chapter 3 and verse 19 is simply an exposition of the necessity for such a righteousness. No sense trying to sell a man a product unless he's convinced he needs it. And so the apostle says, I come with this gospel to Jew and Gentile and I don't come with a luxury product.

9:40 - 10:07 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin details the 'worker' from Romans 4:4, describing him as one who seeks to commend himself to God through his own performances. He identifies two categories of workers: the…

The Pharisee's prayer in Luke 18 is presented as the classic, obvious example of a 'worker' who trusts in his own righteousness and performances to commend himself to God.

There are those who obviously in a very gross and evident way manifest this spirit. The classic example, of course, is the Pharisee of Luke chapter 18. Look at it. He dares to do He dares to stand in the presence of God and say words such as these.

16:52 - 17:11 Read in full sermon

Driving home: The whole mentality of labor relationships is I have performed the one for whom I've performed must recompense and the recompense is not gracious or gratuitous, it is of debt. And Paul says as long as you're operating on…

The common experience of working for wages (e.g., cutting a lawn for three or five dollars) is used to illustrate the principle of debt versus grace, showing that earned recompense is never gratuitous.

When one of you boys goes to a neighbor and says, I'm willing to cut your lawn. You want me to cut it? Yes. And the neighbor says, how much?

22:31 - 22:41 Read in full sermon

The point: If your conscience is tormented by God's holy law and you are trying to work your heart into conformity, recognize your miserable condition.

Paul's life before conversion, as described in Philippians 3, is alluded to as an example of a 'worker' who was lulled into delusive complacency by his external righteousness.

Their consciences have become hardened and seared and insensitive. And as long as they were doing and working externally, they were lulled into a delusive complacency. Seems to be that Paul was in that state for a good period of his life. Read Philippians chapter 3.

29:06 - 29:22 Read in full sermon

The point: If your conscience is tormented by God's holy law and you are trying to work your heart into conformity, recognize your miserable condition.

Martin Luther's spiritual struggles, fasting and vigils, are used as an example of a 'worker' whose efforts led to tormenting misery because his conscience was sensitive to the law's demands.

On the other hand, there are others who are working to him that worketh, seeking to produce something that will give them grounds to believe they may come unto the Lord and his provision. You know what it leads in their case? To tormenting misery. Look at Martin Luther, fasting, almost killing himself with religious vigils, but his conscience was tormented that the law of God touched the deep springs of his being, and he felt as though the judgments were hanging over his head hour by hour, and all the torments of a man who sees God is holy, I am sinful, God's law touches every faculty of my be...

29:23 - 30:16 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin then describes the 'non-worker' from Romans 4:5, who, recognizing his utter inability, brings nothing to God but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly. This man's…

A hymn lyric is quoted to express the 'non-worker's' complete reliance on Christ alone, bringing nothing of his own to God.

nothing, nothing without in my hands I bring. Simply,

33:40 - 33:50 Read in full sermon

The point: Stop striving and believe on the God who for Christ's sake justifies the ungodly.

Being rescued freely from a drowning sea is used to illustrate that receiving grace without cost naturally produces gratitude and a desire to serve the rescuer, refuting the idea that free grace leads to license.

Ah, but someone says, that doctrine will lead to license. My friend, if you talk that way, you've never experienced its sweetness. You mean to tell me if I were sinking beneath the billows of an angry sea, and some man came by who was a potential rescuer, and he rescued me freely of his own kindness and risked his own life. And then I'd get out and throw dung on him.

50:54 - 51:25 Read in full sermon

The point: If you bemoan your hard heart, gaze upon Calvary and the free grace of Christ, for it is there that hard hearts are melted.

Mount Sinai (law) and Calvary (grace) are contrasted to show that a hard heart lingers by the law, but a heart that gazes upon the bleeding Savior at Calvary is melted.

It'll continue to be hard till it's broken at the sight of free grace. A heart that lingers by Mount Sinai will always be a hard heart. And it'll die a hard heart. And it'll go to hell a hard heart.

52:14 - 52:32 Read in full sermon

The point: Look and live by believing in the Son of Man lifted up, just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness.

Naaman's initial reluctance to simply wash in the Jordan River is used to illustrate how human pride often resists the simple, humbling means God provides for salvation.

The soul that sinneth, it shall die. And the only way to escape being an eternal monument of his righteous judgment against a broken law is to find refuge in that perfect righteousness of his own dear Son. The simplicity humbles us, doesn't it? Like Naaman, who was asked to go wash in a river.

53:37 - 54:00 Read in full sermon

The point: Look and live by believing in the Son of Man lifted up, just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness.

The story of the Israelites bitten by serpents and commanded to look at the bronze serpent to live is used as a powerful analogy for the simplicity of looking to Christ by faith for eternal life, contrasting it with intellectual debate or self-imposed penance.

Oh, if only the prophet had asked me to do some drink. I can imagine what may have happened that day. In Numbers 21, when bitten by the serpents and Moses commanded to make a serpent of brass and hold it forth, with the great news that all who would look in trust would live, they might have had the intellectuals who said, this is all a stupid idea. And while they're debating about the stupidity of it, they die from the snake bites.

54:00 - 54:26 Read in full sermon