Its Implications

The point: Consider if you have truly been justified through faith in Christ.

Donnelly shares his personal experience of 35 years in ministry, stating that if people truly understood justification, pastoral work would be cut by 50%, illustrating its profound health-giving and transforming power.

I was ordained to the gospel ministry in the month of October 1968 so if God spares me till next autumn I will have been a minister of the gospel for 35 years. it has passed remarkably quickly and in those years I have met with a lot of people and I've come to believe that if our people really understood justification by faith our pastoral work would be cut by at least 50% I mean that There is nothing more spiritually health-giving, nothing more transforming than this glorious truth.

1:55 - 2:49 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Drawing on the history of the Reformed Presbyterian Church, Donnelly illustrates how an overemphasis on 'distinctive principles' can lead to neglecting the gospel, resulting in…

Donnelly recounts the history of his denomination, the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Ireland, where the gospel was neglected in favor of 'distinctive principles,' leading to spiritual coldness and a loss of balance for two generations. This serves as a cautionary tale against neglecting the gospel's centrality.

of the denomination of which I am a minister the Reformed Presbyterian Church has been in Ireland for over 300 years in all that time by God's grace she has remained faithful to the gospel our statement of faith is now as it was then and I am not aware that there has ever been a case of heresy I'm not aware that a pastor has ever been charged with unbelief we have held solidly to our confession in theory but not always in practice

8:20 - 9:06 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Drawing on the history of the Reformed Presbyterian Church, Donnelly illustrates how an overemphasis on 'distinctive principles' can lead to neglecting the gospel, resulting in…

Donnelly uses the humorous example of Jimmy Durante, known for his large nose, to illustrate the folly of defining oneself by a distinctive feature rather than one's core identity. This analogy warns against churches defining themselves by their distinctives instead of the gospel.

It's the first thing when you meet him, you say, In fact, there was a man, some of you remember Jimmy Durante, known as Schnuzzle Durante.

12:57 - 13:09 Read in full sermon

Driving home: He's talking about an objective reality. The truth is that we are at peace with God. Whether we feel that or not.

The relationship between America and Japan, once at war and now at peace, is used to illustrate the objective state of peace between God and believers, where enmity is gone and no issues are outstanding.

There's no enmity. It's like two nations at peace. America and Japan once they were at war. Now they're no longer at war.

21:08 - 21:18 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: This section applies the truth of peace with God to those haunted by their past sins, explaining that Christ's atonement has removed all grievances. Donnelly emphasizes that all…

Donnelly describes people haunted by past sins, even trivial ones, leading to depression and anguish. This illustrates the need for grasping justification to find peace with God and overcome the torment of the past.

Do you believe in ghosts?

21:58 - 22:00 Read in full sermon

The point: Grasp justification and understand that there is peace between you and God to overcome being haunted by your past.

A criminal who has served his sentence but still fears police illustrates how Satan tricks believers into fear and guilt, even though Christ has taken their sins and God holds no grievance against them.

They're not understanding that there is peace between them and God. It's like a criminal who has served his time. He has spent his life in crime. But he has served a sentence.

23:46 - 24:00 Read in full sermon

The point: Keep remembering that all your dealings with God are through Christ.

Donnelly quotes Bishop Hugh Latimer, who said, 'Our Saviour maketh our sins nothing, so that we be like as if we had done no sin,' to emphasize the radical completeness of forgiveness in justification.

Bishop Hugh Latimer was burned at the stake by Mary Tudor in 1555.

25:06 - 25:13 Read in full sermon

The point: Keep remembering that all your dealings with God are through Christ.

Donnelly quotes Martin Luther's statement, 'I will have nothing to do with an absolute God,' explaining that all dealings with God for Christians are through Christ, reinforcing the 'through our Lord Jesus Christ' phrase.

it's too good to be true or perhaps to follow on Paul's words we're ignoring what he says here we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ Martin Luther said I will have nothing to do with an absolute God Now what did Luther mean? He meant that all our dealings with God are through the Savior All our relationship with God is through Christ And all his relationship with us is through his Son Christ is the way, Christ is the channel, Christ is the mediator

26:01 - 26:50 Read in full sermon

Driving home: when God looks upon the sinner who an hour ago was dead in trespasses and sins he looks upon him with as much love and affection as he ever looked upon his son

Donnelly quotes Spurgeon, who said God looks upon a justified sinner 'with as much love and affection as he ever looked upon his son,' to highlight the intensity and undeserved nature of God's grace.

Intense delight God doesn't put up with us God doesn't grit his teeth And decide grudgingly to keep us in his family God loves us God delights in us God showers his blessings upon us There is a smile on our Father's face when he looks at us. He has an unchanging heart of love towards his children because he sees us as perfectly righteous in his Son. Listen to Spurgeon.

31:19 - 32:01 Read in full sermon

Driving home: when God looks upon the sinner who an hour ago was dead in trespasses and sins he looks upon him with as much love and affection as he ever looked upon his son

Donnelly uses the example of saying 'I have loved my wife for 39 years' to illustrate the Greek perfect tense, signifying a past action with a present, abiding effect, applying it to the permanent nature of access into grace.

I could say to you, I loved my wife for 39 years.

33:17 - 33:23 Read in full sermon

Driving home: this word access means entrance to the king's presence through the favor of another that is a technical term for somebody meeting you at the palace gate taking you by the hand through all the different corridors and cour…

The Greek word for 'access' is explained as a technical term for being led by the hand into the king's throne room through the favor of another, illustrating how Jesus Christ brings believers into God's presence.

it's only found three times in the New Testament it's used in writing of the Persian kings in classical writers the lexicon tells us that this word access means entrance to the king's presence through the favor of another that is a technical term for somebody meeting you at the palace gate taking you by the hand through all the different corridors and courts and bringing you by the hand into the throne room and leading you right up to the throne of the king and presenting you there that's the word Paul chooses to use We have access by grace into the presence of the King through the favor of an...

34:18 - 35:04 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Donnelly explains that 'standing in grace' signifies both boldness and confidence before God, and stability and steadfastness. He highlights that this standing is not based on…

The military concept of 'making a stand' is used to illustrate the stability and steadfastness of believers who 'stand in grace,' contrasting it with the shifting sand of standing in one's own works.

Isn't that wonderful? We can stand up in the presence of God. but the word also refers not just to confidence and boldness but to stability and steadfastness it was used in Greek military language of troops in battle making a stand still is in military language an army makes a stand Paul uses it that way over and over again in Ephesians 6 in the picture of the Christian soldier we're able to stand Stand therefore Stand in the evil day Digging your feet into the ground Saying with Luther Here I stand Paul says we take our stand

37:01 - 37:47 Read in full sermon

Driving home: nevertheless without my deserving it at all out of sheer grace God grants and imputes to me the perfect satisfaction righteousness and holiness of Christ as if I had never sinned or been a sinner

Donnelly quotes the Heidelberg Catechism's answer to 'How art thou righteous with God?' to powerfully articulate the imputation of Christ's perfect righteousness to believers, despite their sinfulness.

My friends, are we hesitant about believing in the grace of God? are we hesitant about urging God's grace on people do we want to qualify it do we want to limit it do we want to be careful about it the devil doesn't want us to believe in the grace of God it's mind boggling it's stunning it's utterly amazing so magnificent that we too easily fail to believe it we forget it I don't apologize for quoting again to you that glorious question and answer from the Heidelberg Catechism

38:49 - 39:35 Read in full sermon

The point: Apply justification by faith to your relationships with each other in the church, fostering communities soaked in grace, quick to forgive and overlook.

A hypothetical scenario of a serious disagreement with a brother in church, suddenly overshadowed by his terminal cancer diagnosis, illustrates how a greater reality (his impending death) puts trivial issues into perspective and evokes love. This is then applied to God's eternal love for that brother.

Now move forward to next Wednesday evening at prayer meeting and that brother stands up in the meeting and he says I was told today that I have terminal cancer I have only two weeks to live and I hope you brothers and sisters will look after my wife and my children now what would you say?

42:36 - 43:01 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: This section applies the concept of grace to interpersonal relationships within the church, urging believers to be quick to forgive, overlook differences, and embody sovereign…

The story of an elderly wife stroking her Alzheimer's-ravaged husband's face and saying, 'Isn't he lovely?' illustrates how God sees believers through the righteousness of Christ, overlooking their peculiarities and failures.

But friends. There's an even greater reality. God has loved that brother in eternity and Christ Jesus has hung on the cross for him and bled and died for him and he loves him now and in the eyes of God that brother or sister who you think is wrong and who may be wrong their sins are forgiven they're clothed in the righteousness of Christ at the deathbed of an elderly man and his wife was in just a few days before he died he'd been a distinguished man

44:07 - 44:53 Read in full sermon

The point: See yourself as a justified person with peace with God, access into grace, and rejoicing in the hope of glory, rather than complaining, worrying, or fretting.

A story of a frail old lady confronting death with a 'win-win situation' (going to family or to Jesus) illustrates the Christian's triumph over the fear of death through the hope of glory.

People are terrified of death. and a few weeks ago death came stalking scattering people in fear before his approach looking for a victim and there standing in his path was a little old lady just a wispy fragile little lady breath would blow her away And she didn't seem frightened Death stood Right in front of her And looked at her with his gleaming eyes She gave death a little twinkly smile She said you know

58:55 - 59:43 Read in full sermon

The point: Go on your knees and ask God by His Spirit to open your eyes to the wonder of the gospel, that the name of Christ will be your passion and goal.

The story of a Scottish couple living in poverty, unaware they owned a valuable masterpiece, illustrates how believers can live beneath their spiritual privileges if they don't realize the immense wealth they have in the gospel.

Aren't we all agreed on that? Doesn't every believer in this room say amen to that? It's all here for us in the gospel. Some time ago in Scotland, a couple had been living in relative poverty.

62:31 - 62:45 Read in full sermon