The Law Shows Sin

You may be seated.

Good morning.

My name's Matthew Capone, and I'm the pastor here at Cheyenne Mountain Presbyterian Church,

and it's my joy to bring God's Word to you today.

A special welcome if you are new or visiting with us.

We're glad that you're here, and we're glad that you're here not because we're trying to fill seats,

but because we're following Jesus together as one community.

And as we follow Jesus together, we become convinced that there's no one so good,

they don't need God's grace, and no one so bad that they can't have it,

which is why we come back week after week to hear what God has to say to us in His Word.

This morning, we're continuing our series in the book of Romans, and as I mentioned that, I should say,

we started Romans at the very beginning in chapter 1.

I was good about saying, hey, we're going to break at some point and take a pause,

and we're coming up to that.

So we're going to finish Romans chapter 3, which is sort of this concise argument that I've been telling you.

Romans 3 · chapter mention

It goes together.

Paul's trying to say one thing in Romans chapters 1 through 3.

Romans 1 · chapter mention

We're going to break, and then we probably will not come back to Romans chapter 4 until sometime in 2025.

Romans 4 · chapter mention

So I don't want you to be caught off guard by that.

But we are in Romans this morning, and you'll remember that Romans is a letter written by the Apostle Paul in the 50s AD,

and it is called Romans for a very simple reason, which is that it is written to the churches in the city of Rome.

This letter is about the gospel.

It's about the good news of Jesus' death and resurrection.

And Paul's hope in writing it, as we saw in chapter 1, is that these people in these churches would be established in the gospel.

Paul has many applications.

We have already and we will explore many different topics.

And yet he always returns back to, he has a special focus on the mission and the unity of the church.

And so there are many spokes, many different things we're going to explore.

We're going to be constantly, even this morning, coming back to the hub of the gospel.

In these verses, verses 19 through 20, Paul is going to put the last nail in the coffin,

the summary of the argument that he's been making in these three chapters in Romans.

He's going to bring to conclusion, in a sense, preparing us for next week,

where he explains again the good news of the gospel,

the conclusion that everyone, Jews and Gentiles, deserve God's judgment.

Everyone needs God's mercy.

And so it's with that that I invite you to turn with me to Romans chapter 3.

Romans 3 · chapter mention

You can turn in your Bible.

You can turn on your phone.

You can turn in your worship guide.

No matter where you turn, Proverbs chapter 30, verse 5 tells us,

Proverbs 30:5

every word of God proves true.

He is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

And so that's why we read now Romans chapter 3, starting at verse 19.

Romans 3 · chapter mention

Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law,

so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.

For by works of the law, no human being will be justified in his sight,

since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

I invite you to pray with me as we come to this portion of God's word.

Our Father in heaven, we do praise you and thank you as we do every Sunday,

that you have given us your words, that you speak to us, that you instruct us,

that you haven't abandoned us or left us alone.

But instead, you're a good father who cares for his children,

who guides them, who comforts them, who directs them.

And so we ask that you would do that again this morning,

that you would help us to understand and believe what you've written here in Romans chapter 3.

Romans 3 · chapter mention

And most of all, that you would help us to see Jesus Christ,

that we would grow in our love and our affection, our reverence and our all,

our obedience to him.

And we ask these things in his mighty name. Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

In 1998 or 1999, my family decided to finally become a dog family.

And we adopted a dog from our local humane society.

We had had two guinea pigs before that who quickly became very boring

and were greatly ignored.

And we took the name that the shelter had already given to this dog, which was Tramp.

And Tramp had presumably, we think, escaped from his previous owners

because he tried many times to escape from us.

He liked trying to get out from under the fence and climb over all sorts of things,

which I think was just kind of genetic in him.

But was one great advantage that we had with Tramp adopting him when he was already a year old,

and it was this, his previous owners had already housebroken him.

And so we didn't have to worry about training Tramp to go outside to use the bathroom.

Although, as you know, if you're a pet owner, whether it's a cat or a dog,

you may have that problem.

You may have that problem if your pet is young,

and you may have that problem if your pet is old.

And this is something that carpet cleaning companies have figured out.

And so they have a technique that they use to show you your deep need for deep cleaning.

There's a pastor in Idaho named Stephen Kingsley,

who at one point ran a carpet cleaning business.

And he says this,

In our family carpet cleaning business,

we offered a special service for removing pet urine odors

to show potential customers their need for the service.

I would darken the room and then turn on a powerful black light.

The black light caused urine crystals to glow brightly.

To the horror of the homeowner,

every drop and dribble could be seen,

not only on the carpet,

but usually on the walls, drapes, furniture,

and even on lampshades.

One homeowner begged me to shut off the light.

They said,

I can't bear to see any more.

I don't care what it costs.

Please clean it up.

Another woman said,

I'll never be comfortable in my home again.

Now speaking of that,

we are picking up where we left off last week.

And remember,

Paul tells us these passages from the Old Testament,

and his point there,

which he sums up here,

the law does not save you.

It exposes you.

It reveals you.

We might say it another way.

The Ten Commandments are the black light,

which reveal the urine of your sin.

And if you think that it's inappropriate,

if it's scandalous to talk about urine in church,

I'll tell you what's more scandalous.

What's more scandalous is our sin against a holy God.

That's what's more scandalous.

That's what's more shocking.

One pastor puts it this way,

The law is not a checklist we keep.

It is a benchmark we fail.

The law is not a checklist we keep.

It's a benchmark we fail.

That raises the question, though,

what do we mean when we say the law?

Paul tells us here, verse 19,

Now we know that whatever the law says,

it speaks to those who are under the law.

Well, thankfully, this is in context.

Paul has just given us these quotations from the Old Testament,

mostly from the Psalms,

in verses 13 through 18.

That's what we saw last week.

He gave us these quotations.

That's why, by the way,

if you are using an ESV Bible,

if you look at verses 13 through 18,

you'll see a bunch of quotation marks.

The reason you see those quotation marks

is because Paul has simply been giving a list of passages

from the Old Testament.

Those words in verses 13 and 18 are not really his.

They're the words of those who came before him,

most of them from the Psalms.

And so when he says,

we know what the law says,

he's meaning by the law the entire Old Testament.

Look at these things I've just quoted

from the Psalms, from the prophets.

Those things that I reminded you of,

that is what applies to you.

We even saw this at the beginning of chapter 3.

Remember, chapter 3, verses 1 through 2,

he says,

the oracles of God are the great blessing

that the Jewish people have been given.

And yet those same oracles,

again, this is last week,

show, they reveal our sin.

They show our sin in our mouth or our words for all of us,

and they show violence for some of this.

Paul then is saying once again

and what he has said many times

in the last couple chapters,

which is this.

You think having the Old Testament gives you a pass?

You think the blessing of possessing the law is enough?

No.

It's the very opposite.

It doesn't give you a pass.

It doesn't cover your sin.

It shows your sin.

It doesn't excuse your sin.

It reveals your sin.

Reveals the sins of Jewish people

who think they're okay because they're Jews.

Reveals the sins of religious people

who think they're okay because they're religious.

Paul is saying this.

You know from the Old Testament

what God requires.

But have you done it?

We might say, Christian,

you know from the Old and New Testaments

what God requires.

But have we done it?

All of it.

Paul then goes on to say

that whatever the law speaks,

it speaks to those who are under the law.

Under the law here literally means in the law.

In other words,

those who have access to God's commands.

In other words, he's saying

whoever's been given what God says,

whether it's Jews or religious people,

those people are accountable,

as we saw in chapter two,

for what they've been given.

And what happens

when we see this clearly?

Well, he goes on to tell us

that same verse, verse 19,

so that every mouth may be stopped.

The illustration here is of someone

who's in a courtroom.

They're being accused.

All the evidence has been presented.

And the evidence is so clear,

so irrefutable,

so damning,

that when they're asked,

how do you plead,

they don't say innocent or guilty.

They can't say anything.

That's how overwhelming it is.

That's what the Christian,

what the Jew,

what the reader of this passage

is meant to feel

after verses 13 through 18.

That's what they're meant to feel

as they review everything

that God has given in his word,

that as we stand

against the standard of God's holy law,

there is no response.

Remember, Paul's been closing every door.

He's been cinching every loophole

so that there is no way to get out.

There is burning clarity

about the guilt of every human being.

He's saying when you compare yourself

to God's law,

the case is so devastating

that it's what we might call

an open and shut case.

No one should make it

through chapter one,

chapter two,

and chapter three of Romans

and get to this point

and think,

you know, actually I'm good.

None of what Paul says

applies to me.

No, he says even more than that.

It's not just that it applies to you.

Again, verse 19,

the whole world

may be held accountable

to God.

That phrase held accountable

actually means guilty here.

Remember we talked last week

about what Paul says

in verse 18.

He says there's no fear of God

before their eyes.

And I told you having the fear of God

means having a right view of God.

It means understanding

that God is in fact

the judge of all the earth.

And so Paul is saying

as all of humanity

stands before God

and he functions as judge,

our mouths are stopped.

Because the black light

of God's law

reveals our sin.

It might have looked good

before we looked at the law.

We might have thought

we were great people

before we understood

the Ten Commandments.

Now our mouths

are stopped.

What Paul teaches

Jesus taught first.

Remember Jesus'

Sermon on the Mount

Matthew chapter 5.

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

He takes the Ten Commandments

and says,

hey, you might think

that you're good.

You might think

you've kept all of these.

You actually haven't.

Because it's not just

about the action

but about the heart.

And so Jesus gives

some specific examples.

You think you're good?

You've never murdered anyone?

Well, guess what?

If you've ever cursed

your brother

then you're guilty of murder.

You've never committed adultery?

You think you're good?

Guess what?

If you've ever lusted

after someone

you've committed adultery.

Of course,

those are just

a couple of examples.

The law exposes us

in so many places.

We are commanded

to honor God

with our wealth

but we honor ourselves

instead.

The fourth commandment

tells us

rest is a non-negotiable.

And yet somehow

we don't trust God enough

to take a break.

The Psalms tell us

over and over again

that we run to God

first in prayer.

But instead

we run first

to addictions

and distractions.

Jesus tells us

to love our neighbors

as ourselves

but instead

we mock them

and discount them.

The black light

reveals

so

much.

For by the works

of the law

no human being

will be justified

in his sight

since through the law

comes knowledge

of sin.

I mentioned this phrase

earlier in our worship service

during our confession

of faith.

This idea

that no human being

will be justified

in God's sight.

And so you already

have a sense

of what it means

to be justified.

It means to have

this right standing

before God

that you and God

are in relationship

with one another.

Sort of what I talk about

when we take communion

that if God

has invited us

to a table

that means we're

at peace with him.

Our sins

have been forgiven.

Christ's righteousness

has been credited

to us.

And Paul tells us here

that's not going to happen

through works

of the law.

In other words

there is nothing

we can do

to earn anything

from God

or to prove

anything to God.

And the works

of the law

certainly won't help.

Our behavior

certainly won't help

and we find out

exactly why.

Verse 20 again

since through the law

comes knowledge

of sin.

And Paul's highlighting

here a critical point.

Shows up in other letters

that he's written.

The law can show sin.

It cannot heal sin.

The law can expose

the heart.

It cannot change

the heart.

The black light

shows the urine.

The black light

will never

clean

the urine.

The problem

isn't the black light

right?

The problem

is the stain.

The problem

is not the law.

There's nothing wrong

with the law.

The problem

with sin.

The law

is never intended

to heal

or restore.

The law

will show us

our need.

It will not

meet our need.

The law

will show us

the problem.

It will not

fix

the problem.

We see this phrase

too in verse 20.

It says no human

being will be

justified

in his sight.

Literally there

it says no flesh

will be justified.

And so Paul's

highlighting again

the weakness

of humanity.

We could think

of Elrond

the elf

and the lord

of the rings

when he says

that short sentence

men

are weak.

That's what

Paul's saying

here.

Men are weak.

Men are weak.

They need

something

greater

than the law.

Now I've been

telling you

for many weeks

now that in

chapters 1

through 3

Paul is

saying one

thing.

And the one

thing he's saying

will come next

week in verse 23.

All have sinned

and fall short

of the glory

of God.

That raises

a question

though.

Why does it

take three

chapters?

Why couldn't

Paul have told

us verse 23

right up front?

Right?

Why could we

not have heard

you know the

righteousness of

God?

It's from

faith for

faith to

all who

believe.

And then we

just jump.

We could

skip basically

two chapters

and go to

verse 23.

The reason

is this.

Paul wants

us to

understand

with

burning

clarity

the bad

news of

the gospel.

And Paul

wants us

to understand

the bad

news of

the gospel

with that

sort of

clarity

so that

we can

finally

and fully

see

the good

news of

the gospel.

It makes

no sense

what verse

24 will

tell us

if we

don't

understand

and embrace

and admit

verse 23.

There is

no point

in telling

us

Jesus

offers

you his

righteousness

if we

don't

understand

our need.

And so

Paul goes

verse by

verse,

argument by

argument for

three chapters

so that we

would not

miss this.

that our

only hope

in life

and in

death

is that

we are

saved by

our Lord

Jesus

Christ.

He wants

us to

know

Jesus

is the

only

option,

he's the

only way

of escape.

That's why

he answers

every excuse

refutes

every argument.

That's why

he spends

chapter one

speaking about

the lack

of excuses

for the

non-religious.

That's why

he spends

chapter two

speaking about

the lack

of excuses

for the

religious

so that

in chapter

three he

can show

us the

great beauty

and clarity

of the

gospel

so that

we cannot

escape

our great

need.

Stephen

Kingsley,

the pastor

from Idaho

who cleaned

carpets,

goes on

to say

this,

the

offense

was there

all the

time

but it

was invisible

until the

right light

exposed it.

It would

have been

cruel to

show customers

the extent

of their

problem

and then

say too

bad for

you

and then

walk away.

I brought

the light

so they

might desperately

want my

cleaning

services.

brothers and

sisters,

Paul has

spent three

chapters

explaining

the extent

of human

sin so

that we

would want

the gospel.

Paul has

spent verse

after verse

unfolding how

bad it is

so that we

would see

our need

for Jesus

Christ.

carpets

can't

clean

themselves.

They

need the

power and

mercy

of someone

else.

Christian,

or if you're

not a

Christian,

you cannot

clean

yourself.

You need

the power

and mercy

of someone

else.

to

there is

one who

offers to

cleanse

us.

There is

one who

offers to

make us

right with

God,

and it

is our

Lord and

Savior,

Jesus

Christ.

He's the

one who

lived the

life that

we should

have lived

and credits

that to

our account.

He's the

one who

dies the

death that

we should

have died

and removes

the punishment

that we

deserve.

In his

sermon on

these verses,

Dr.

Martin Lloyd

Jones ends

by quoting

the hymn,

The Solid

Rock,

because that's

what Paul is

driving us

towards.

On Christ

the solid

rock I

stand,

all other

ground is

sinking

sand.

Let's pray.

Our

Father in

heaven,

we do

praise you.

and thank

you that

you do

not gloss

over the

truth,

you don't

quickly pass

it by,

you don't

mutter it

under your

breath,

but instead

you make

it clear

and plain

to us.

We ask

that you

would do

that again,

that we

would see

with great

clarity

our desperate

need for

you,

and that

would move

us to

embrace you

and follow

you like

we have

never before.

and we

ask these

things in

Jesus'

name,

amen.

I invite you

to stand

for our

closing hymn.

Pete

bin mission

rise

into

prix