Counting Stars [Part 2]

Pastor, author, and Bible teacher, Alan Wright. All the rebellion against God, all the selfishness, all the sin, all of it, it's like you're just racking it up.

If you live in any way like you're trying to pay it back, you're going to find yourself either totally giving up on that and rebelling, or you're going to find yourself being enormously religious, frustrated, and anxious, and private. That's Pastor Alan Wright. Welcome to another message of good news that will help you see your life in a whole new light. I am Daniel Britt, excited for you to hear the teaching today in the series, It's All Right Now, from Romans chapters four through seven, as presented at Reynolda Church in North Carolina.

Now, if you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire program, we sure want to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now. It can be yours for your donation this month to Alan Wright Ministries. So as you listen to today's message, go deeper as we send you today's special offer, and you can contact us at PastorAlan.org. That's PastorAlan.org, or call 877-544-4860.

That's 877-544-4860. More on that later in the program. But now let's get started with today's teaching.

Here is Alan Wright. It was that God looked upon Abram as if he were righteous and had not sinned. And this is what Paul is saying for us in Christ, is that it is as if God looks at you as if you had not sinned, as if you'd live Christ's own life. You can think of, in one image, sin being like debt. And Jesus famously, of course, in the Lord's Prayer, says in Matthew 6, forgive us our debts as we've forgiven our debtors. It's just as it says, a Greek word that's about the legal issue of owing a sum of money.

That's what this image is. So it doesn't describe everything about what sin is, but it's a helpful image that it's like accruing a debt when we are continually sinning against God. Paul uses the image in Colossians 2. He says you were dead in your trespasses, that's a different word for sin, and the uncircumcision of your flesh.

God made alive together with him, having forgiven our trespasses. And then look at this, verse 14 of Colossians 2, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with his legal demands. And that image, a record of debt, is actually a word that means a handwritten note that is describing the sum of money that is owed. It is basically a handwritten IOU.

And he says what Jesus has done through the cross is that IOU that you owed God has been canceled. You can think of it sort of like a credit card debt. You know, credit cards, at least back in the day when I worked at my granddaddy's store, we had our little device, you know, like that, you'd put the credit card in there with those little triplicate form, and sometimes that paper would all chew up and sometimes it'd mess up the credit card. Now we just tap them, you know, well you tap them, or you know, I tell you where the most, the least painful thing is Apple Pay, where I just put my thumbprint down and I just, I just paid for it. You know, you just tap, feels like it's free. Just filled up the car gas, tap, gas is free, tap, tap, go to the restaurant afterwards, oh, they had a nice meal, here, add a nice tip, just swipe it through, that felt free too, go buy some new clothes, look at this beautiful, free, until the end of the month.

And then MasterCard sends you a statement and they said we want our money now, but they have allowed a provision of a payment for the minimum amount due, and they love it when people pay the minimum amount due, they love that, they love for people just to keep paying the minimum because they will charge an exorbitant interest rate on the amount that is due, because the fact that you paid a minimum amount doesn't mean that you paid it, you just, you're just biding time, and the debt is growing. I think of this a lot of times when I'm trying to understand the Old Testament sacrificial system, like why did God even do that? Why allow people to bring turtle doves and lambs and passover lamb and come, what is that, what is all that about? Well, it's sort of like there's a huge debt of sin and this is minimum payment due, that the debt's infinite of offense of humanity against God, but I'm gonna give you a shadow, I'm gonna give you a temporary pattern, I'm gonna give you a temporary system by which you can imagine that your sins are, at least for the time being, they're covered, and that I'm patient with you, and you could in this sense let it be as if your sin is transferred to this innocent animal, and so this goes on for centuries and centuries and centuries, but it really is just like minimum payment due, and it's like the debt is just still there, and that's one way of looking at what sin is like, it's like all the rebellion against God, all the selfishness, all the sin, all of it, it's like it's just racking it up. If you live in any way like you're trying to pay it back, you're gonna find yourself either totally giving up on that and rebelling or you're gonna find yourself being enormously religious, frustrated, and anxious, and prideful. We live sometimes like, you know, like it's like it's, we got these debts and we're trying to settle it, I've got a buddy and we're always, wait, and we're always picking on each other is we got this friendship game, we talk imaginary chips in our pocket, you know, like you've got the poker chips and you've got all the chips, and we're always doing this like this, and so it's like we're always trying to pick on each other like who's got the chips now, and it's like if you do something good like, hey, I got a couple good basketball tickets here and go to the game together, oh awesome, you just gained some chips, you know, you got some chips in your pocket, but then if you work late and miss a golf tee time, you got to hand over some chips, you just, you know, and I had to say something to him the other day that I had to back out of a commitment and he just put his hand up to his ear and I said, what are you doing?

He said, if you listen closely, you can hear the sound of chips falling out of your pocket right now, and you know, we kind of live our relationships like that, like who's got the most chips, and the problem is if you live this way with God at all, at some point, you'll have to acknowledge he's got all the chips and you got none. That's what Paul's been talking about in Romans two and three, and so if you have a big credit card debt and you get so big that you just don't have a way to ever pay it, then you're just in this insurmountable debt and something's got to happen. Something's got to happen. It doesn't just go poof.

It doesn't go poof. Either you're going to pay it or let's just imagine that MasterCard just loves you more than anything in the world and they just write you a note and say we're forgiving all of your debt. It's canceled, and you're like woohoo. It wasn't that the debt wasn't paid. It's just they paid it. Somebody pays the debt.

That's why forgiveness is never free. And what Paul is saying is that to be credited with righteousness is in the first place to have the debt completely paid for by the gift of Jesus and more. It is as though the wealth of Jesus is credited to you. Back to Abraham. It was credited to him as righteous so that God would be just in blessing Abraham. He didn't do anything that deserved this great reward, so what's the reward? It's the reward that's been credited to him.

It's always been this way. I love the words of Jeremiah 23 where the Lord speaks to the prophet behold the days are coming declares the Lord when I'll raise up for David a righteous branch. He's talking about the Messiah. Whenever you talk about the one that will follow David you're talking about the Messiah.

It's talking about Jesus. And he shall reign as king and deal wisely and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will dwell securely and this is the name by which he will be called the Lord is our righteousness. The Messiah you see that Jeremiah is prophesying the Messiah is not just the righteous one. He is our righteousness. Here's the plan of God to deal with the debt of unrighteousness.

He'll bring the payment of his only begotten son and he will extend beyond that to give to us look upon us as if we had lived Jesus's meritorious life. This is why Paul's quoting Genesis 15 back in Romans chapter 4 verse 13 for the promise to Abraham in his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. Now we realize what Paul's getting at is inheritance that Abraham and his offspring would be heir of the world. He's laying his case so that you can understand by the time you get to Romans 8 that you are co-heirs with Christ. To be an heir of the world is not just that he got forgiven by being credited with righteousness but he became an heir of the world. This is what theologians call imputed righteousness.

That's Alan Wright and we'll have more teaching in a moment from today's important series. Seeing as Jesus sees. It's the title of Pastor Alan Wright's newest book just released and it's the giant secret of real transformation. Followers of Christ tend to focus on doing so we've been told to ask what would Jesus do but even our noblest efforts to be more like Jesus ultimately fail for the same reason that pledging to keep the law never works. There's no gospel power in ourselves striving but what if the secret to personal transformation and victorious living isn't found in doing as much as in seeing.

Anyone who has ever had an aha moment or has suddenly discovered the truth of a situation knows that fresh vision changes everything. In his eye-opening new book Alan Wright invites readers into a new simple spiritual practice a little breath prayer that can be prayed throughout the day. Jesus how do you see this?

It's a prayer that the Savior loves to answer because after all Christ came to be the light of the world. Clear away confusion win over the darkness and open your heart to wonder and joy by getting your copy of the book right away. When you make a gift to Alan Wright Ministries today we'll send you Pastor Alan's new beautiful hardcover book and as an additional thank you for your support you'll also receive a free six weeks seeing as Jesus sees companion video series from Pastor Alan along with a study guide and a daily reading plan. Let Jesus take you by the hand and show you a whole new perspective for your life.

As you learn how to ask Christ for his eyes you'll start seeing as Jesus sees and you're gonna love the view. The gospel is shared when you give to Alan Wright Ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support. When you give today we will send you today's special offer. We are happy to send this to you as our thanks from Alan Wright Ministries. Call us at 877-544-4860.

That's 877-544-4860 or come to our website PastorAlan.org. Today's teaching now continues. Here once again is Alan Wright. It does not mean that Abraham was intrinsically righteous. Remember we're going back to what the word means looked upon as if, imputed with, reckoned as. It doesn't mean that any Christian is better than somebody else. You don't have inherent intrinsic natural righteousness but in Christ when you accept Christ God looks upon you as if Christ's righteousness is your righteousness. And what's so important about this is that it transforms everything in the Christian life to see yourself not only as a forgiven sinner but as one who is clothed with the very righteousness of God in Jesus Christ. Theologian Wayne Grudem puts it this way, if God merely declared us to be forgiven from our past sins that would not solve our problems entirely for it would only make us morally neutral before God. We would be in the state that Adam was in before he'd done anything right or wrong in God's sight. He was not guilty before God but neither had he earned a record of righteousness before God. Adam in paradise hadn't sinned but he hadn't done anything that would merit eternal glory. And if Adam was forgiven, Adam could sin again and could be under a state of condemnation again. What's happened for us in Christ is altogether better. Beloved, it means you're in altogether better position than Adam was before he'd ever even sinned.

Wow! There really are three forms then of imputation or crediting or looking upon or reckoning and the first is that Adam sinned and everybody was born in Adam. He was the beginning of all of it and he was a sinner and we're all born in him. So the sin therefore of Adam is imputed or credited reckoned to all of humanity. You didn't do what Adam did but because he sinned and you're born in him, his sins imputed to you so everybody is born in sin. That's what Paul's been talking about in Romans chapter 2 and Romans 3. Everybody in the same predicament.

The people that seem to be living good lives and the people that seem to be living really bad lives. They still have Adam's imputed sin but through the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Here's what happens for the Christian. Here's what happens for every single believer. That sin that was imputed to you now is imputed to Jesus. You wonder why Jesus said in the Garden of Gethsemane while he was sweating blood I wish this cup could pass from me. He's talking about the physical crucifixion which was excruciating.

Probably not. He's talking about getting ready to take upon himself the sin of the world. This is what happened. On the cross into his very being in a mystical way, Jesus Christ took into his being, it was imputed to him my sin and yours. Every single thing we've ever done wrong or omitted that we should have done and every person, every single child of God, all of that sin was put into this one man Jesus Christ and that's why he sweat blood in Gethsemane and that's why he said my God my God why have you forsaken me and that's why when he breathes his last he said he's finished. I took it all.

I took it all. I paid the debt. Our sin was imputed to Jesus. But this that Paul is describing is the third imputation and this is where in this magnificent breathtaking exchange what the gospel teaches is that at the same time that Christ became our sin, we became his righteousness. He, the Father, looked upon Jesus as if he had committed all your sin and now he looks on you as if you had lived Jesus' meritorious life. That's what it means to be credited with the righteousness of God and Jesus Christ. Charles Spurgeon, Prince of Preachers said it so beautifully and straightforwardly. God considers us as though we were Christ.

Let me read that again of one of the greatest preachers in American history. God considers us as though we were Christ. Looks upon us as though his life had been our life and accepts, blesses, and rewards us as though all that Jesus did had been done by us, his believing people.

That's always been the plan of God and he demonstrated it in Abram and that's what's happened for every believer. I don't know about you but this is so heart-stirring for me and so magnificent that it really staggers my mind and I think I have an easier time in the believing that my sin could be given to Jesus and that his blood could pay for my sin than I do believing that God, my Father, looks upon me with the same gleam in his eye that he looks upon his only begotten Son. It's a little harder for me to really believe and revel in the deepest part of my being in the words of the Father saying this is my son in whom I'm well pleased and know that now in Christ he sees me the same. But this is the whole gateway and pathway to understanding blessedness in Christ. There is no other avenue to understand yourself as being seated with Christ or to be an heir and a co-heir with Christ or to even have your soul to imagine the glory that is to come when you are an heir of the world. Dwelling in a new heaven and a new earth and reigning together with Jesus. Except for this, you become the righteousness of God in Christ.

Allen Wright. Our Good News message, Counting Stars. It's from the series It's All Right Now from Romans chapters 4 through 7.

Please stay with us. Pastor Alan is back here in the studio sharing his parting Good News thought for the day in just a moment. Seeing as Jesus sees, it's the title of Pastor Alan Wright's newest book just released and it's The Giant Secret of Real Transformation. Followers of Christ tend to focus on doing so we've been told to ask what would Jesus do? But even our noblest efforts to be more like Jesus ultimately fail for the same reason that pledging to keep the law never works.

There's no gospel power in our self-striving. But what if the secret to personal transformation and victorious living isn't found in doing as much as in seeing? Anyone who has ever had an aha moment or has suddenly discovered the truth of a situation knows that fresh vision changes everything. In his eye-opening new book, Allen Wright invites readers into a new simple spiritual practice.

A little breath prayer that can be prayed throughout the day. Jesus, how do you see this? It's a prayer that the Savior loves to answer because after all Christ came to be the light of the world. Clear away confusion, win over the darkness, and open your heart to wonder and joy by getting your copy of the book right away. When you make a gift to Allen Wright Ministries today, we'll send you Pastor Alan's new beautiful hardcover book. And as an additional thank you for your support, you'll also receive a free six weeks seeing as Jesus sees companion video series from Pastor Alan along with a study guide and a daily reading plan. Let Jesus take you by the hand and show you a whole new perspective for your life.

As you learn how to ask Christ for his eyes, you'll start seeing as Jesus sees, and you're going to love the view. The gospel is shared when you give to Allen Wright Ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support.

When you give today, we will send you today's special offer. We are happy to send this to you as our thanks from Allen Wright Ministries. Call us at 877-544-4860.

That's 877-544-4860. Or come to our website, pastorallen.org. Right here in the studio to share Pastor Alan's parting good news thought for the day. And the teaching is counting stars.

And you got to have the bad news to appreciate the good news. And that's exactly what Paul has done here is we're tiptoeing our way to the end of the day. We're tiptoeing our way through Romans chapters four through seven. Well, God was amazingly reassuring with Abraham. He gave him a promise in chapter 12.

And then he came back in chapter 15 of Genesis and reassured him, look toward heaven, number the stars if you're able, so your offspring shall be. And this idea of it being counted as righteousness to him, it's to say that through the simple belief that Abraham had, that God in a way that Abraham could not fully understand would make him a father of a nation. That through just trusting God, through believing him, that God says he counted that as righteousness.

And this is a massively important idea. It means God reckoned or considered or looked upon Abraham as if he's righteous. It didn't mean that Abraham was intrinsically righteous, but it means that it was credited to him. And this is so, so important for everything that Paul has to say here and all throughout Romans is that when you're a Christian, God looks upon you.

He reckons you. He considers you as if you have the righteousness of Jesus. And I think a lot of Christians have never quite grasped that, but it changes everything to think of yourself through God's eyes that he sees you as Jesus's own righteousness. And it's not your own righteousness as his, but he really does credit you as that way.

And that changes the sense of assurance you have in this life and in life to come. Not only can you listen again online, but also get a daily email devotional that matches today's teaching delivered right to your email inbox free. Find out more about these and other resources at pastorallen.org. That's pastorallen.org. Today's good news message is a listener supported production of Allen Wright Ministries.