Hello everyone. Oh, it's good
to be here this morning. Our scripture reading for this
morning is taken from the book of Psalms. Psalm 101 verses one
through eight. Psalm 101. This is the word of
the Lord. I will sing of mercy and judgment. Unto thee, O Lord, will I sing. I will behave myself wisely in
a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me,
I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will set no
wicked thing before mine eyes. I hate the work of them that
turn aside. It shall not cleave to me. A
froward heart shall depart from me I will not know a wicked person. Whoso privily slandereth his
neighbor, him will I cut off. Him that hath a high look and
a proud heart will not I suffer. Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful
of the land, that they may dwell with me. He that walketh in a
perfect way, he shall serve me. He that worketh deceit shall
not dwell within my house. He that telleth lies shall not
tarry in my sight. I will early destroy all the
wicked of the land, that I may cut off all wicked doers from
the city of the Lord." And may the Holy Spirit add understanding
to his word. I'm going to ask you if you would,
once again, turn in your Bibles to the book of Luke, chapter
18. two-part message. I didn't realize
it was the beginning of a two-part message. I thought I was going
to get it all into one, and I did not. So as I have promised, today
will be Part B, for those of you who were able to be with
us. For those of you who were not, I'm going to give just a
brief summary of what we looked at. The title for the message
is, What is the Difference? And what inspired me to put this
message together is, I had a question. young man on his way out the
door at one of the meetings just recently. Our sister Shirley,
we came together in a special service for her. As you know,
my brother Lee's wife passed away just a short time ago, and
he came out. And this young man asked me,
he says, John, can I call you? I have some questions. I'd like
to talk to you about some things. I'm sure, absolutely. What kind
of questions are you wanting to talk about? I'd like to have
a little heads up. Maybe I could come up with some
scriptures. I'm not very good at remembering
things. And he said, well, for instance, one of the questions
I have is, shouldn't we be different? Shouldn't we be a better person?
Shouldn't we act a little bit differently? than what we did
before the Lord saved us? Now that I am saved, he says,
should there not be a difference? And I thought about the words
of 2 Corinthians 5, verse 17, where it says, therefore if any
man be in Christ, he is a new creature. So yes, the answer
to that question is absolutely. And to take that to the next
step, then we've got to ask this question. What's the difference? And I brought out last week,
you know, what is this new creature, this new man? All I see when
I look in the mirror is a sinner. In fact, I pointed out very clearly
last week that I get worse. I've gotten worse. I'm not better
than what I was before. I wasn't such a bad person before.
I was okay. I didn't kill anybody. I hadn't, well, not that I know
of, hurt anybody, you know, mentally or whatever. I thought I was
a pretty good guy. I thought I was going about living
my life, taking care of John, taking care of my family. Since the Lord saved me, it seems
like All I am is but sin. I get up in the morning and I think,
you know, I forget who my Lord is. I don't call on Him as much
as I should. I don't pray as much as I should. It seems like all I do for study
and for a message is get up on Sunday morning at 4 a.m. instead
of studying about it through the week like I should be, like
most ministers do. I'm the weakest Christian there
is. I'm like Paul, oh wretched man
that I am. Never thought about that before. Pride boils up in me now. Self-righteousness boils up in
me now. So what is this new man? What
is this new creature? Well, I went through a whole
lot to get to this, and I had to skip part of it, and I want
to go back to it. It says, therefore, if any man
be in Christ, in Christ, he is a new creature. Does that kind of give you an
indication that there's something about this new creature, doesn't
it? What? If you be in Christ. Well, what is it to be in Christ?
To be in Christ, as we found out last week, is to have no
righteousness of your own. To have no confidence in this
flesh. To be as Paul writes of himself,
O wretched man that I am. That's to be in Christ. We see
that as an example. Now, I know those of you who
were here last week already read this, but I want to catch those
folks up who couldn't be here last week with us. Look at verse
9, if you would, at Luke chapter 18. And he spake this parable
unto certain which trusted in themselves. That's me. I had
all the trust in myself at one time. See, that's the difference.
The difference is I don't have any confidence in this flesh
anymore. I don't have any trust in the thoughts. All my trust,
the only place I can have, is in Christ. If I don't have my
trust in Christ, I'm going to fail. I'm going to fall flat
on my face. I'm going to go through that
door marked unbelief. That door marked death and unbelief. That's the unforgivable sin.
That's the one sin that God does not forgive. And it's when you
go through that door marked death in unbelief. Those which trusted themselves
that they were righteous and despised others. Two men went
up into the temple to pray. One a Pharisee, one a religious,
one a moral man. He went to church on Sunday.
He did all the right things. He got out on his knees and he
prayed, and he prayed, and he did all the things. He didn't
cheat anybody. He paid his tithings. He did
all the things that he thought he was supposed to be doing.
And he went to church. And the other, to everybody. One who knew that
he had nothing of any worth to give unto God. Listen to what
the Pharisee said in verse 11. The Pharisee stood and prayed
thus with himself, God, I thank Thee that I am not as other men
are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican, this
guy who is over here. That's what that word despised
others means. Put them down. I'm holier than this guy even.
Thank you Lord that this guy who's over here on the corner
pounding his chest, I'm not like him. He says I fast twice a week,
I give tithes of all that I possess. There's example number one of
what we all were before. What's the difference? What's
the difference in me now and the me then? Why am I different today than
what I was before? Here's what God's people are
today. And the publicans standing afar off. Why was he standing
afar off? He knew he had no right to call
upon the Almighty God. I got no right. There's nothing in me worthy
of him listening or hearing my voice. I'm a sinner, condemned,
unclean. He was standing afar off and
would not lift up so much as his eyes into heaven, but smote
upon his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me, a sinner. What is the difference? The difference
is between a self-righteous, unbelieving, religious person
and a sinner who knows they have nothing. We sing the song, Once
I was blind, but now I see. You see, folks that see me, and
I brought this out last week. my friends and family, they still
see John Reeves. They don't see my heart. They
don't see the pride that used to be in my heart, gone. They don't see the loathing that's
in my heart of one who stands before a thrice holy God with
absolutely nothing. I need a Savior. is Christ in you. Those of you who were here last
week, I want to get to that part. Christ in us, the hope of glory,
which we could not get to last week. Paul says, of whom I am
chief, after he declares, O wretched man that I am. Only God can cleanse
a sinner's heart. Only the perfect Blood of Christ
can wash away my sin. When our Lord applies His sin-atoning
blood, the new man emerges to see with a new heart the glory
of God in the face of His Son, the Lord
Jesus. This is the new man. The new
man is one who has a new heart, one who no longer looks at things
and says, God, thank you for dead, pounds upon his chest,
seeking for the mercy of God." Listen to this. This is from
Jeremiah 32, verse 40. The Lord says this about the
new man. He says, I will make an everlasting covenant with
them. Now, I want to stop there for just a moment. God says, I will make an everlasting
covenant with Did you catch that? Can we come away from that statement
with God loves the whole world and died for the whole world?
Isn't that what the religious people of today teach? Isn't
that what they preach? That God loves everybody and
He's just waiting for you to step up to the plate and do your
part? I will make an everlasting covenant
with them. Over in chapter 33 he says, as
of old, as of, well let me, you know what, I've got to turn over
there and read that right so I don't get it wrong. You know
me! Can't remember anything. I think it's chapter 33. We'll find out in a second. If
I can just get to it. No. It says He has loved His
people. He says, I have loved you with
an everlasting love. That's the everlasting covenant
that this is talking about. An everlasting love. Therefore, in loving kindness,
I have drawn thee. It takes God to shine His love
into our hearts for us to become this new man. This covenant with
Him, that I will not turn away from them to do them good, but
I will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from
me. Listen to Ezekiel 36. Verses 26-28. He says, A new
heart will I also give you, and a new spirit will I put within
you, and I will take away the old stony heart. That's the old
stony heart that says, I will not have a God who rules over
all creation. I will not have the God whose
purpose throughout all time is settled and clear. I will not
have that God rule over me. That's the old stony heart. Take
away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you a heart
of flesh and I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk
in my statutes and you shall keep my judgments and do them
and you shall dwell in the land that I gave your fathers and
you shall be my people and I will be your God. That's Christ in us. The hope
of glory. That's the very One who comes
and gives us that new heart. So, as we see in our text back
in 2 Corinthians 5.17, therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is
a new creature. My answer to you is this, what's
the difference between what you were before and what you are
today? Norm Wells and I were talking
about this very thing this morning. We were talking about some of the folks who have left
the church in San Diego. First off, they were steered
wrong. They were told that a church without a pastor is not a church.
That's not correct. You're the church. I'm not the church. I may be
part of the church, but I am not the church. The man who stands
in this pulpit is not the church. He is the servant of the church. That's what I'm here for. I don't understand why God has
done it. I think there are probably more people, I know there are
more people more qualified to be here than me. You are the called out. That
group of folks down in San Diego, that's the called out. Those
who have gone away from the church and left it because they feel
that it shouldn't worship there because there's no pastor there
anymore, they're wrong. I can't help but think this,
they went out from us because they were never of us. Isn't
that the Word of God? When Christ takes up residence,
we've already seen what He does. He cuts away that old stony heart. He gives us a heart to look to
Him. He becomes our God. Christ in me, the hope of glory. That's what it's all about. I
have hope of glory, but only in the Lord Jesus Himself. I
have no hope in myself, in my flesh, and neither do any of
God's children. The moment we start getting hope
in our flesh, the Lord brings us trouble to wash it away. That's why Paul tells us to glory
in our troubles. That's why He says about His
glory and His own troubles. It keeps that thorn that the
devil buffets Him with. It keeps that thorn from taking
too much out of Him. It keeps Him looking to Christ,
His Savior. It keeps us looking to God's grace. The grace of God. My grace, He
says, is sufficient. We wouldn't believe that if it
weren't for the gift of God and faith, and giving us faith to
believe on Him. If any man be in Christ, here's
the question you should be asking yourself. Am I in Christ? Is Christ in me? In your own time, read John chapter
17. In your own time. And see how
many times in the latter part of that chapter the Lord Jesus
Himself says, I in them and them in Me. You can't separate it.
If Christ is in you, you're in Christ. One of the men tried
to express to me I understand, John. I understand.
Christ in me, the hope of glory. He says, but when I'm steeped
in my own sin, I just don't see Christ in me. I understand that I was in Christ
when He walked this earth. I was in Christ before the earth
began. I was in Christ when He went
to the cross. I was in Christ as He sits on
His throne. But when I'm steeped in my own
sin, You guys understand what that
means? I see head bobbing up and down, absolutely. I know
what that means. We all do, don't we? We know
that in this flesh dwelleth no good thing. Polly, I am so steeped
in sin, from the moment I open up my eyes to the moment I close
them every day and sometimes even then when they're closed.
That's right. Paul says, and we looked at this
last week, didn't we? Paul says, even the good that
I do, I see evil. So this is my, he says, I don't
see Christ in me when I'm in my own sin. When I'm running
from God, Christ can't be in me. Let me tell you something,
that's foolishness. Why is that foolishness? Because
Christ says, I will never leave you nor forsake you. Now, I don't
understand that. I don't understand how He wouldn't
be leaving me when I'm steeped in my own sin. But this is the
point. He will never leave me nor forsake
me, and I believe it. That's Christ in you. That's
Christ in you. The phrase, in Christ, occurs
77 times in the New Testament. I brought that out. But I wanted
to bring you to this. 1 Timothy 3.13, it says, Faith
which is in Christ Jesus. Am I in Christ? Is Christ in
me? Therefore, if any man be in Christ,
he is a new creature. I have faith in Christ. I believe
Him. I believe His Word. What is the
difference between John now and John then? I believe all of His
Word. I don't understand hardly any
of it. How could God be made flesh? How could the One who created
all there is come in the flesh and walk this earth among sinners? Isn't He supposed to be so holy
He can't even look upon sin? That's true, but when He was
the God-man, He walked among us, didn't He? You know, in Hebrews
chapter 10, it says that a body was prepared for Him. A body
that didn't come from Adam's seed, but came from the Holy
Spirit. That's how a virgin bore a child. No other virgin has ever been
able to have a child without being with a man. Am I wrong
in that? I have to ask the question because
there are people who think they're, well let's just say they think
they're different. They may believe that a virgin
could have a baby, I don't know. They believe men can be women
and women can be men. That's some pretty strange stuff,
but I'll leave it to them. We are saved by grace through
faith. Isn't that what it says in Ephesians
2, verse 8? 1 Timothy 3, verse 13 again. Faith
which is in Christ Jesus. Am I in Christ? In John 3, verse
16, it says, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish. And that's the key to that very
phrase right there. God gave His only begotten Son,
absolutely. He loved all of His people throughout
all time, throughout all the world is what that world means
there. All the different tongues, all
the different nations, He has a people in every one. And He's
loved them so much, that He prepared a body for His Son, the eternal
Son of God, to come to this earth and shed His own blood for that
people. But they've got to believe. They've got to believe. Whosoever
believeth on Him should not perish. This believing is the gift of
God as we read in Ephesians 2, 8-9. If we could conjure up this
belief of our own, Isn't that what the religious of the world
do? They boast in what they do? I made a decision to follow the
Lord in such and such date. There was a day when I determined
that I was no longer going to smoke, I was no longer going
to drink, and I was going to put all my worldly things aside
and follow God. That's what that Pharisee was
saying, wasn't it? Thank you, Lord. I'm not like
that I used to be anymore. Our pride would spread. You must be brought to believe
that Christ is the author and the finisher of your faith. Your
belief is faith in Christ. Now I want to turn over to Ephesians
chapter 1. And I ask you this after reading verses 3-7. Turn
over to Ephesians chapter 1 real quick. Look with me at verses 3-7. This is what we couldn't do last
week because I ran out of time. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who have blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places. What? In Christ. Am I in Christ? What this just
tells me right there is that all spiritual blessings in heavenly
places are mine in Christ. It's not yours if you've done
something. It's not yours if you could earn
it or purchase it. It's only yours if you're in
Christ. Am I in Christ? If I am, then
it's all mine. Listen to what these blessings
are. Go on with me if you would. According as He has chosen us. God chose a people in His Son
before the world was. And if you're chosen in Christ,
you're one of the ones He's talking about here. According as He has
chosen Him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy. That's in total agreement, isn't
it, with Hebrews chapter 10? Where it says, by one offering
He hath perfected. I know. I know. I'm just like you are. I get
up in the morning and I look in the mirror and I just see
the sinfulness right there. There it is, standing right before
me. How can I be perfect? Not in John Reeves. in Christ. That's what it's telling us here.
That we should be holy and without blame in love. Having predestinated us unto
the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself according to
the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of
His grace wherein He hath made us accepted in Christ. That's the Beloved. That's who
the Beloved is. It's the Lord Jesus. God loves
His Son. It is Him who the Lord God Almighty
says, this is My Son in whom I'm well pleased. It's not, this
is John Reeves in whom I'm well pleased. It is in My Son whom
I am well pleased. In the Beloved. Look at verse
7. In whom? In Christ. We have redemption. through His blood, the forgiveness
of sins." Folks, there's the good news! That's the gospel! We were given some books last
week. And I regret allowing that to
happen. If you got one and I didn't know
about it, I tried to get ahold of everybody who got one and
tell them, just throw them away. We were given some literature
that spoke some truths, but there was no gospel in any of it. There
was no good news. You know what works is without
turning us over to the gospel? The good news that Christ came
to save sinners? It's just works. And a child of God has come to
the understanding by the gift of God that our works are never
worthy of anything. I am the most insufficient, unworthy
minister of God's ministers all over the world. That's just the
way it is. That's the way all of us look
at each other, at ourselves with. I'm the guy over in the corner
pounding on my chest. Lord, have mercy on me. I've
got no reason to stand before anybody and say, look at me,
how holy I am, because I'm not. That's the difference. That's
Christ in us, the hope of glory. In whom we have redemption through
His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches
of His grace. Am I in Christ? Look over at Romans chapter 3.
Go to the left in your Scriptures. Look over to Romans chapter 3. What's the difference? What's
the difference between John then and John now? Am I in Christ? If any man be in Christ, he is
a new creature. Look at verse 21 through 24. But now the righteousness of
God without the law is manifest, being witnessed by the law and
the prophets. Even the righteousness Am I in
the right? Yeah, 321. Even the righteousness
of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all
them that believe. For there is no difference. For
we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God, being justified
freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus. He's our redemption. He's the
Redeemer by shedding His blood for us. You know, folks who He has left
to themselves will spend eternity shedding their blood, crying
out for God, and He will not hear them. But because of His
Son shedding His perfect blood, God has accepted that sacrifice. It's called substitution. He
stood in our stead. Everything that we deserve, He
took upon Him there. And in doing so, God accepted
that sacrifice, and we are redeemed unto Him in Christ, as it says
in verse 24. Am I in Christ? Is all my sin been laid upon
Him? Look over at 1 Corinthians, go
back to the right again, one book, 1 Corinthians, and look
at verses Look at chapter 1 of 1 Corinthians. Am I in Christ? Let me tell you
something, if you're in Christ, this is going to fit right to
you. This is going to bless you, because this is in your heart,
that no flesh, verse 29, 1 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 29, that no
flesh should glory in His presence, but of Him. That's just another
way of saying, in Christ. But of God, are ye in Christ. Jesus, who of God is made unto
us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption. That according as it is written,
he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. Am I in Christ. Turn again to 2 Corinthians this
time. Just a couple of pages to the
right. Chapter 1 again. Look at two verses there with
me if you would. Verse 21. 2 Corinthians chapter 1 verse
21. Now He which established us with
you in Christ and hath noted us is God, who hath also sealed
us Given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts, am I in Christ. Two more if you would. Philippians
chapter 3. Continue to the right. Just past
Ephesians. Philippians chapter 3. One verse
over there if you would. Am I in Christ? Look at verse
3 of chapter 3. For we are the circumcision which
worship God in the Spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and
have no confidence in the flesh. Last one, if you would. 1 Peter,
all the way over past Hebrews. 1 Peter chapter 1. 1 Peter 1, of which salvation the
prophets half inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of
the grace that should come unto you, searching what or what manner
of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify,
when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and
the glory that followed. Now look over verse 14. as obedient children, not fashioning
yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance. But as He which hath called you
is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation." If you're
in Christ, you were in Him before the world began. If you're in
Christ, You were in Him when He walked this earth. If you're
in Christ, you were in Him when He laid down His life as your
substitute. If you're in Christ, you were
in Him when He rose from the grave to sit on His throne in
heaven this day, as He is now on His heavenly throne. Listen
to Ephesians 2, verses 4-7. But God, who is rich in mercy
for His great love, wherewith He loved us, even when we were
dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace
ye are saved, and hath raised us together and made us sit in
heavenly places in Christ." Is that not good news, Mike?
When you get up in the morning, read that verse. Take that verse,
put it on the mirror, right above where your head would be. If
some of you are short, it might be right in the middle, I don't
know. Put it on the mirror and remind yourselves each and every
day that if you're in Christ, He has raised us up together
and made us to sit in heavenly places. That in the ages to come,
He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness
towards us through Christ Jesus. As Moses lifted up the serpent
in the wilderness, I've just lifted up the Lord Jesus before
you. I want you to look to Him. What's
the difference between us today and the day before the Lord showed
us His Word of Truth? Today we look to Him for all
things. If you were in Christ through
all of that, you're in Christ right now. Listen to Romans 8,
verse 1. There is therefore now no condemnation. No condemnation, Wendy. It's
all put away. Our sins have been put away so
far that God doesn't see them at all. Now, I don't understand
that. That boggles my mind. He who
sees all things, Can't see my sin. Doesn't see it because it
was put on His Son. Doesn't see it because it's covered
with His blood. There is therefore now no condemnation
who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. What's
the difference? The difference is to look to
Christ. Salvation is of the Lord. It's to look to Christ as Moses
lifted up the serpent in the wilderness. We look to the only
salvation, the only thing that can keep the serpent's poison
from killing us and taking us to that God forsaken place. What is the difference? It is
to believe in Christ. What is the difference? It's
to trust in Christ. It's to be in Him. To be in Christ
is to have fellowship in His suffering. Look with me in today's
bulletin if you would. There's an article in there by
Henry Mahan right underneath the announcements. He takes his
thoughts from Philippians chapter 3 where it says, that I may know
Him. This is Paul's desire. To be
in Christ, this be your desire, that I may know Him and the power
of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings. Do you suffer knowing that all
of your sins were laid upon Him? It's kind of a sweet and sour
thing, isn't it? It's sour because I hate the
fact that the Lord Jesus Christ had to take all of this ugliness
of John Reeves upon Himself. But oh how sweet it is that He
did. Oh how sweet it is to be in Christ. What's the difference? I believe
I'm in Christ. He says in his writings there
is a fellowship of believers who are redeemed by the sufferings
of our Lord Jesus. When He suffered under the tree,
we were in Him. We were one with Him. His sufferings
and death were our sufferings and death. The world is crucified
unto Me, and I unto the world. We are crucified, risen, and
seated with Him in glory. That's what baptism is. If you've
not been baptized, our Lord tells us to repent and be baptized. That's what this is here. We
are crucified. That was the Lord being put into
the ground, into the earth for three days. We are risen. That
is the Lord coming up out of the grave and we are seated with
Him in glory right now. Secondly, there is a fellowship
of people who now suffer with Him. They, like Moses, esteem
the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures and
the honor and the comforts of this world. I have family who
hates me, who hates this doctrine, who would not even let my mom
come here, bring my mom here for her burial, for her last
service. That's how much they hate this
gospel. I'd rather stand behind this
gospel than change it for anyone's sake. What's the difference between
me now and me then? I believe God's Word, even if
it costs me my family. Being identified with the Lord
Jesus, writes Henry Mann, in his gospel they are despised,
harassed, and ridiculed for believing and preaching the gospel, the
gospel of free grace, which the world hates. But they counted
all joy to suffer with him, for they do and shall reign with
him. He says, prisons would palaces prove if Jesus would dwell with
me there. Thirdly, Henry writes this, he
says, there is a fellowship of the people who suffer here on
this earth for his glory and according to his divine will
and purpose in order that they may minister to his sheep in
their trials. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 1
verse 3, the God of all comfort comforts us in all of our troubles
and tribulations that we may be able to comfort them which
are in trouble. The greatest example of that,
if you don't mind me sharing with you, is the fact that my
brother lost his son many years back. The greatest comfort outside
of God's word was Gene Harmon, who had gone through the very
same trial years before. Lee was able to be consoled by
what Gene had gone through. We help others. He's setting
you? I've got one worse than yours.
Let me tell you how we bypass it. We look to the Lord. All of it has been laid on Him. Nothing can be put to the charge
of God's elect. Isn't that what it says in Romans
chapter 8? Henry closes with this. He says,
so let us not murmur under the afflicting hand of our Father.
His discipline and chastening are not only for our good, but
enable us to be part of the honored, the privileged, the blessed fellowship
of His sufferings. For as the sufferings of Christ
fall to our lot and are experienced by us, so His comfort also is
experienced and shared by others. The Lord trusts His sheep and
shepherds who have been proved under trial. What a fellowship. What a joy divine. Leaning on
the everlasting arm. That's the difference. We lean
on Him. We have no confidence in the
flesh. All of our confidence in what He has done, what He
has promised, and where he is right this moment.