Today's message will be the first
of a two-part series I've titled, The Necessary Christ. And the
scripture we're going to look at is Luke chapter 24, chapter
24 verses 44 through 47. As we begin this morning, I want
you to consider a question that's in keeping with this title, The
Necessary Christ. I want you to ask yourself, Is
the Christ I worship, in keeping with my understanding of how
God saves sinners through or by Christ, is that Christ and
is that understanding such that I now see the absolute necessity
that he die and that he rise again from the dead? Not just
the facts of it, but the necessity. And I want us to seriously Consider
that as we proceed now. To give you a little context,
the events recorded in Luke 24, they took place after Christ
had been crucified on the cross. He had been buried in the tomb
and a stone rolled in front of it to block the entrance. And
as the chapter opens, some of the women who had seen Christ's
lifeless body taken down from the cross and his body placed
in the tomb. They had gone back there on the
first day of the week to anoint the body with spices and ointments
as was their custom. But when they got there, they
found the tomb empty. And two angels appeared to them
there and assured them that Christ was risen from the dead, just
as he had told them would be the case before he died. And
so these women then proceeded to go and report all of this
to the apostles and the others that were gathered there with
the apostles. But we're told that they did not believe their
report. Peter, regardless, he decided
to go and check it out for himself. And we read he saw the linen
clothes lying in the otherwise empty tomb. And we're told that
when he left there, he was wondering what had taken place. As the
chapter continues, then we read of a conversation that our risen
savior had with two of these men as they were traveling to
the village of Emmaus. and of Christ eventually making
himself known to them there. And I'm mentioning all this background,
as you will see in a moment, because I'm going to be referring
back to these encounters with the risen Savior. These two men
then, they returned to Jerusalem, and that evening they gathered
again with the other disciples, and they told them of the Lord's
resurrection. And as they were talking there,
Jesus appeared in the midst of them, Initially it says they
presumed him to be a spirit, as in an apparition or a ghost. And so he showed them his nail-pierced
hands and his feet, his wounded side. And the wording there suggests
that they just found it almost too good to be true, hard to
believe in that sense. And so he ate with them and gave
them further assurance thereby of his bodily resurrection. And
it's then at that point that we pick up in our text in verse
44, where he said unto them, these are the words which I've
spoken to you while I was yet with you, that all things must
be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses and in the
prophets and in the Psalms concerning me. Then opened he their understanding
that they might understand the scriptures and said unto them,
thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer
and to rise from the dead the third day and or even that repentance
and remission of sins should be preached in his name among
all nations beginning in Jerusalem. You'll notice I emphasize two
words in that passage, the word must and the word behooved. In the Greek, those two words
are the same. It's a little word spelled D-E-I,
and I believe it's pronounced die. And that little word is
used 104 times in the New Testament. And it's often found within the
same context as we see here in verse 46, where it's translated
behoove, but in the context of speaking of the absolute necessity
of Christ's death and subsequent resurrection. So the word's usage
is not intended to suggest something that should happen or something
that might happen, but rather it denotes something that is
binding, that is inevitable, that which must happen, that
which is absolutely necessary. I mentioned the chapter open
with the women discovering the empty tomb and the two angels
then appearing. to assure them of Christ's resurrection. I want you to look with me at
that, at what the angels told the ladies, starting there back
in verse five, where we read, and as they, that's the women,
were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they, speaking
of the two angels who had appeared to them as men in shining garments,
the angel said unto them, why seek ye the living among the
dead? He is not here, but is risen. Remember how he spake
unto you when he was yet in Galilee saying the Son of Man must be
delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified in the third
day, rise again. It was absolutely necessary. He must be delivered, crucified,
rise again. That word there is that same
little word die that's translated behooved in verse 46. I also
had mentioned earlier the risen Christ had appeared to the two
men on the road to Emmaus and were told that their eyes were
hidden so that they didn't recognize Christ at first. When he joined
them, they were discussing among themselves all that had happened
with Jesus about his crucifixion on the cross. And so as our Lord
joined them, he asked them what this was all about. And so they
proceeded to relate to him, Jesus, who was still a stranger in their
eyes at that time. They related to him how Jesus
had been delivered up and crucified on the cross, and they told him
the story of the empty tomb as it was related to them by the
women. And then they told him how others
had gone to the tomb and also found the body missing. So picking
up in verse 25, we read, then he, Christ, and he's a stranger
in their eyes at that time, but he said unto them, O fools, and
slow of heart to believe, all that the prophets have spoken,
And then he says this, ought not Christ to have suffered these
things and to enter into his glory? And as you may guess,
the word ought there, it's that same little Greek word, D-E-I. So in essence, Christ is saying
here, was it not absolutely necessary for Christ to have suffered these
things and to enter into his glory? You know, I think most
who call themselves Christians, if you ask them, was that absolutely
necessary? I know at a time when I didn't
know the gospel. It was foreign to me. I never
heard God's gospel of true sovereign grace. If you'd asked me that,
I'd have probably said it was necessary. But it's a good question. And if I had really peeled back
the layers of my own thoughts, I would have seen that I was
fooling myself. And so I ask you this morning,
do you see the absolute necessity of Christ's death, burial, and
resurrection. That's what this word, die, conveys,
the absolute necessity. That word is the same one Jesus
used when he told Nicodemus, ye must be born again. And I think the translation of
that word in Acts 17.3 probably puts it best in terms of conveying
to us this absolute necessity. There we're told Paul and Silas,
they had traveled to Thessalonica and had gone into a Jewish synagogue. And picking up in Acts 17, 2,
we read, and Paul, as his manner was, he went in unto them and
three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures, opening
and alleging that Christ, and I like it here, must need have
suffered and risen again from the dead. And listen, that this
Jesus, this necessary Christ, this one which must needs have
suffered and risen again from the dead, this Jesus whom I preach
unto you is Christ. That same word die, translated
here must needs. Well, back in Luke 24, Christ
is telling them that this was absolutely necessary. He said,
because all things must be fulfilled. which were written in the law
of Moses and in the prophets and in the Psalms concerning
himself. God's purpose cannot fail to
be realized. And God, being God, cannot lie. Christ himself spoke of this
when he said in the Sermon on the Mount, think not I'm come
to destroy the law or the prophets, I'm not come to destroy but to
fulfill. For verily I say unto you, till
heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle shall in no
wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled. There is a sure
and a certain salvation for those who truly trust in this necessary
Christ. As we read in the book of Hebrews
regarding that, there's great assurance, a great consolation
to those who flee to Christ for their refuge, for all of their
salvation. And it tells us that assurance
comes from two immutable or unchangeable things. It's because God purposed
their salvation, and two, God promised it. God, it tells us there, he cannot
lie. And in God's gospel, in his words,
He doesn't lie. And we can see how it all fits
together, how it adds up in this sense. Not only must have Christ
suffered and rose again because God had purposed it and he had
conveyed it to us in his word, he had promised it. But in salvation,
in belief of God's gospel, it is revealed to true believers
How there is no other way by which a holy and a just God could
save ungodly sinners such as we and remain true to himself,
to his character as God. And, and that's my goal this
morning is that your appreciation for that truth will grow as we
proceed. So, with that in mind now, I
want to spend the rest of our time today And next week, talking
about that which is set forth here in our text as being absolutely
necessary. And to help us remember, I'll
use some alliteration, giving you five R's that are absolutely
necessary for the salvation of any sinner. In this passage from
the Gospel of Luke, we see that in salvation, there is first
a necessary revelation to those who are saved. We see that in
salvation, secondly, there is a necessary redemption for those
who are saved. Now, those two points we'll be
discussing this week. Next week we'll be discussing
how in salvation there is, thirdly, a necessary resurrection for
those who are saved, how there is a necessary remission of sins
for those who are saved, and a necessary repentance by those
who are saved. And see, all of this speaks of
the necessary Christ, because we're speaking of His necessary
work. And the necessary or inevitable
fruit and effects of that work. So first, let's consider how
in salvation there is the necessity of a divine revelation. We read
in verse 44, He said unto them, these are the words which I spake
unto you while I was yet with you, that all things must be
fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses and in the
prophets and in the Psalms concerning me, in verse 45 he says, then
opened he their understanding that they might understand the
scriptures. These disciples, they had been,
excuse me, they had been called to follow Christ and they had
done so. And yet, here we see that even after the resurrection,
they had not yet understood the necessity of his suffering and
the inevitable resurrection that would follow. Now he had told
them of this necessity. They had heard it with their
physical ears. They heard his words. But it
took a divine intervention by God for them to see that the
Old Testament scriptures available to them at that time spoke of
Christ and the glorious accomplishment of his obedience unto death.
So once again, let's go back to the beginning of the chapter.
When the angels appeared to the women at the tomb, we read from
verse six how they told him, he is not here, but is risen. Remember how he spake unto you
when he was yet in Galilee, saying, the son of man must be delivered
into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and the third
day rise again. That biblical record of Christ
speaking to them in Galilee of his coming death and resurrection,
that's found in Matthew 17 and again in Mark 9. In the interest
of time, I won't have you turn there. You may want to look at
that later. But actually, in Matthew chapter
16, many of you will remember our Lord had spoken of how he
must go to Jerusalem and suffer these things. And you may recall
Peter rebuked him and said, oh, no, Lord, be it far from thee.
And of course, Christ responded, get thee behind me, Satan. God,
it's interesting then as you get to Matthew 17, There in Galilee,
we're told that in hearing this, you'll read how it said the disciples
had great sorrow. So clearly at that time, they
were not understanding the glorious eternal salvation that would
be accomplished, see, by his obedience unto death. That death
that was absolutely necessary for their eternal salvation and
the salvation of all those for whom he lived and died. When
you get to Mark 9, we're told that in hearing these words from
Christ in Galilee again, that they did not understand them,
but they were afraid to ask him about it. Well, back in Luke
24, we're told when the angels reminded the women of these words
that they, it says they remembered of having, him having told them
of his necessary death that was approaching while he was in Galilee.
And so in verse 9, then we're told that When they returned
from the tomb to where the 11 disciples and the others were
gathered, it says they told them all these things to them. Certainly,
I think that implies all the things that the angels had related
to them. And I would suppose that it would
include the fact that, don't you remember, we heard those
things, as they recalled, having heard them in Galilee. Well,
in spite of that, in verse 11 we read, that their words, this
report of all that the angels had told them, seemed to them
as idle tales, and they believed them not. Well, revisiting again,
once more, that dialogue on the road to Emmaus, we see that after
Christ had told them in verse 26, ought not, or is it not absolutely
necessary for Christ to have suffered these things and to
enter into his glory, Then we read in verse 27 that, and beginning
in Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them and all
the scriptures the things concerning himself. You know, I like how,
on that note, how a preacher acquaintance of ours once put
it. He pointed out how the whole Bible is a history book. In this sense, it's history. It's his story. It's the story
of redemption by the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. All
the blood of the lambs that were slain from Abel's offering, then
throughout the entire old covenant, that which was set forth in the
scriptures available to them at that time. All that blood
shedding, all those lambs that were slain, they were types and
pictures and prophecies of the Lord Jesus Christ. the eternal
Lamb of God. Remember, John the Baptist, the
forerunner, as Christ approached, he said, behold the Lamb of God
that taketh away the sins of the world. At that time, the
gospel had been restricted up until then to just the Jewish
nation. Now, he's proclaiming, here's
the Lamb of God that would take away the sins from among all
nations. It would be his offering of the
sacrifice of himself that would save his people from their sins.
You know, Paul had told the Galatians essentially the same thing when
referring to the law that was given to Moses in Galatians 3.24
when he said, wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring
us unto Christ that we might be justified not by the law but
by faith. As we read, for by deeds of the
law, no flesh shall be justified. See, that was the purpose of
all the pictures and types of the Old Testament, to point us
to Christ so that we would see that by our doing, by our law-keeping,
by our meeting a condition, by any obedience of ours, that none
could be justified, but rather that sinners are only justified,
declared not guilty and righteous, by the blood of Christ, by his
doing and dying, by that see which true genuine faith looks
to for all of salvation. Now back to Luke 24, when those
two men reached the village of Emmaus with Christ, they asked
Christ, you know, Christ then had been expounding unto them
in the scriptures, teaching them. And they asked him if he would
stay on with them, so he did. stay long enough to eat with
them, and at that point in verse 31 we read this, and their eyes
were opened and they knew him, and he vanished out of their
sight. They said one to another, did not our heart burn within
us while he talked with us by the way and while he opened to
us the scriptures? Now I think that's very much
akin to what we read in verse 45 where it says he opened their
understanding that they might understand the scriptures. And
this miraculous opening of the scriptures, I think, was clearly
in order, in the context we can see, that it was in order that
the absolute necessity of Christ's death and subsequent resurrection
be made known to them. This is why Christ told Nicodemus,
he said, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom
of God. The Bible's clear on that point.
We're born spiritually dead. We need spiritual life and the
faculties of life, spiritual eyes to see, spiritual ears to
hear, a spiritual heart and mind that we might understand and
embrace the gospel of God's grace. The Bible says that the natural
man, that is, When I say natural man, I'm just speaking of how
we all are born into this world by nature, that it means before
or without spiritual life, that the natural man cannot know the
things of God because they are spiritually discerned, 1 Corinthians
2.14. Well, like myself in years past, listen, like everyone initially,
and even like these disciples, I believe, prior to their understandings
being opened, You may believe as I did that without a doubt
Jesus Christ lived and died and with our hindsight know that
he had in fact even rose again. But until God the Holy Spirit
gives you a new understanding so that with the spiritual eyes
and ears of faith you're taught of God, well then, and listen,
and that through his appointed means. this very preaching of
the gospel of his grace, so as to learn from God, not just the
historical facts of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection,
but to see and value and embrace with the heart, by God-given
faith, the absolute necessity of Christ's death and resurrection
in your place for your eternal salvation. Well, until that's
revealed to us, it doesn't matter how sincere we may have been
in presuming Christ to be our Savior. No, that's precisely
what that is. It's just mere presumption on
our part. In salvation, there is a necessary divine revelation
that's experienced by all who are saved. And it's miraculous. We're born of God the Holy Spirit,
but it's not mystical. We don't just We don't measure
the validity of that new birth by how we felt or the overwhelming
feeling or emotion that may engulf us. It's not from some vision,
but it's exactly how God says it will be per his prescribed
means in his word. It comes by the power of the
Holy Spirit through the God-given, blood-bought gift of faith, whereby
we believe and come to value the preached gospel, the Christ
revealed in that gospel, God's gospel of sovereign grace. Now,
clearly, salvation requires a divine revelation. But how do we know
if we who start out being deceived, as we heard this morning, Satan,
he's the deceiver of the whole world, in spiritual darkness,
how do we know if that which we've come to understand, Is
this divine revelation that takes place in salvation? We don't
know it by the facets of the experience themselves. We know
it by the content of what is revealed to us. And as we see
in verses 45 through 47, we come to see that there is a necessary
redemption. Look at that. Then opened he
their understanding. that they might understand the
scriptures and said unto them, thus it is written and thus it
behooved Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third
day and or even that repentance and remission of sins should
be preached in his name among all nations. It behooved him.
It had to be for this. Listen, this suffering and death
is the saving work of redemption for all the objects of God's
everlasting love. Now, how do I know that? Well,
the Apostle Peter wrote to believers in 1 Peter 1 verses 18 and 19
saying, for as much as you know that you were not redeemed with
corruptible things as silver and gold from your vain conversation
received by tradition from your fathers, but you were redeemed
with the precious blood of Christ, his suffering unto death. And
that as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. those lambs
that were slain and revealed and set forth in those Old Testament
scriptures they had. To redeem something means to
buy it back. The Bible teaches God chose a
people unto eternal salvation in Christ from before the foundation
of the world. You can read of that in Ephesians
chapter one. And yet in accordance with God's
infinitely wise purpose, all of humanity including God's chosen
people, His elect. They all fell in sinful rebellion
in their federal head and representative Adam. But the triune Godhead,
Father, Son, and Spirit, had also determined in that everlasting
covenant of grace, determined from all eternity to save some
from their sins. And it's those that the scripture
refers to in Romans 11 as the election of grace. And by the shedding of the precious
blood of Christ, he redeemed them. Every one that he represented,
he, the last Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ, he bought them back. They are a purchased people.
That's what his church is called in Acts 20, 28. Purchased by
his own blood. As you've heard me and others
say before, redemption is not a mere attempt made, but a payment
paid. and that in full. Now why was
this absolutely necessary? It's because of who God is. God
is holy, and he's righteous, and he's just. And as such, he
cannot, he will not commune with sin. But the Bible says we all
have sinned and come short of the glory of God. So how can
any of us, any of us sinners, be saved? and enter into the
presence of holiness, be accepted before a holy God in heaven. Their sins must be dealt with,
and that by a suitable substitute, one who could deliver a sacrificial
payment of such value before the strict justice of God that
It would equate to more than the totality, see, of the just
penalty of eternal banishment from the presence of God and
the suffering in hell that they otherwise would have realized
as their destiny had he not died and put away their sins. See,
God's justice must be served. Now, there's the necessity. Remember
in our text, Christ explained how all things written in the
Old Testament scriptures must be fulfilled. All the types,
the pictures of the animal blood that was shed. We saw how that
law being a schoolmaster was given to point us unto Christ,
the eternal Lamb of God, who died without spot and without
blemish. It took a sinless substitute,
that which was pictured by the unblemished lambs that God told
Moses to have the priests offer. It took a sinless substitute
to produce a perfect righteousness for God's people. That's simply
referring to the perfect satisfaction made to the law and justice of
God. And so for Christ to do that,
he had to take into union with this deity of sinless humanity.
He had to be made under the law, subject to the same requirements
that all of human flesh fell under, so that he could render
a perfect obedience to the law in the place of those he saves
as their substitute, perfectly obeying all of God's revealed
will for them. But he did that. He wasn't doing
that for himself. He did that for fallen, otherwise
guilty sinners that God had graciously chosen out of Adam's fallen race
and for whom Christ had agreed in that everlasting covenant
from all eternity to stand in their place as their substitute
and their surety to pay the debt that all of us owe, but none
but this one who's both God and man could pay for us. See, our
God does not pretend that things are not as they are. He doesn't
put his head in the sand. He doesn't just look the other
way and save us in spite of our sins as if he's just going to
overlook them. No, he's holy and he's just.
And the guilt or the demerit of the sins of his chosen people
must of necessity be removed. They have to be justly dealt
with in order for those otherwise guilty sinners to be found acceptable
before him. As we read in Ephesians 1, they're
accepted in the beloved. the beloved son of God. You see,
he, as we read in 2 Corinthians 5 21, he was made sin for us
who knew no sin. He wasn't contaminated with sin.
He was a lamb without spot or blemish. He who knew no sin was
made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of
God in him. So, save sinners have a righteousness. They had no part in producing.
And he bore their sins, sins he had no part in producing.
The penalty paid due unto the sins, again, it had to be of
such infinite value that the dead owed to the justice of God,
you see, would be just completely wiped clean. The Bible says the
sins were put away as far as the east is from the west. It
had to be paid in full. And that's what it took for God
to justify a sinner. That means to be able to declare
that sinner not guilty, but righteous in his sight. In the Bible, sinners
like me and you, whom God has saved through Christ, are called
unreprovable, unblameable, holy sinners. You see, they have a
holiness, a righteousness that resides in heaven that God has
imputed or placed to their account. So just as the priest under the
old covenant, they chose those spotless, unblemished lambs as
as God prescribed to Moses, and then shed their blood on a specified
altar, that which denoted the value of the sacrifice. It set
that sacrifice apart for the purpose intended, to distinguish
it from just the random slaying of an animal. Well, likewise,
the eternal lamb of God, the God-man, he offered up the sacrifice
of his own humanity, he shed his blood, on the altar of his
deity. For you see, it was his deity
that set his sacrifice apart, that made it an offering of infinite
value. We're talking about the precious
blood of Christ as of a lamb. Again, not one contaminated with
sin, but as a lamb without spot or blemish. It behooved Christ,
the sinless God-man, to suffer this death. It was absolutely
necessary for the salvation of those he came to save. So again,
I ask, is your understanding of the person and work of Christ
such that it was absolutely necessary to the saving of your soul? I
say that because I know that for years, I adhered to the doctrine
of most who call themselves Christians today. I sincerely thought I
was worshiping the true Christ. I call this historical Jesus
my savior. But my doctrine exposed in hindsight
how I was unwittingly worshiping a counterfeit. What Paul called
in his letter to the Corinthians, another Jesus, as he warned them
not to fall for such an imposter. I called what Christ did on the
cross a work of redemption. I would call him my redeemer
at that time. But the truth is, by my way of
thinking, he didn't really redeem or buy back anyone. At that time,
like many, I did not even believe that he had a chosen people from
all eternity that needed buying back. I thought his precious
blood simply made salvation possible. if the sinner then would do his
or her part and believe what was prescribed in order to seal
the deal for themselves. But in reality, see, at that
time not having been blessed with the necessary divine revelation,
that revelation which God the Holy Spirit provides for his
people by putting them under this preached gospel of his grace
and teaching them, applying it to them, Before that, my understanding
was tragically flawed. In my spiritual blindness, I
was oblivious to the evil of my own religious thoughts. Now,
you know, most folks, that's offensive to many because I know
that the doctrine I'm speaking of is the more popular view among
those who call themselves Christians today, but if you've had the
evil of your religious thoughts exposed to you, you'll thank
God for it. You saw one of the points that
I will be making next week is that necessary repentance that
must take place. And that initial repentance that
accompanies salvation is a repentance from ever having dared to think
those thoughts about the Lord Jesus Christ and how God saves
sinners. It wasn't I was an immoral man
when I'm speaking of my former evil thoughts. I was religious. I was teaching Sunday school,
a deacon in my church. And I was sincere. I wasn't evil
in the fact that I was playing games or didn't mean business.
But regardless of all that, in my blindness, the reality was
that in thinking Christ died for everyone, Listen, I believed
he even died, as many do, for the multitudes who the scripture
makes clear are on the broad road that leads to destruction,
the many that shall perish in hell. And I thought he died for
them, that he shed that blood for them. And so I had to view
the payment of his precious blood as not quite so precious. Listen,
actually inadequate to purchase anything, and so actually of
no value at all, worthless. I dared to place the real saving
value on the work of man, on his believing, or her believing,
his faith, not solely on the precious blood of Christ, which
truly redeemed. That means it really did pay
the sin debt in full for each and every one for whom it was
shed. Now think about it. That deadly false doctrine, it
negates, it does away with the necessity of the death and resurrection
of Christ. It simply demands that the sinner
believe something. And God does command us to believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ and belief of his gospel. And he
tells us that all who do are saved. But listen, nothing about
my former view and understanding of Christ's work made it necessary
for my salvation. I believed he died and rose again,
but my doctrine said it didn't really get the job accomplished.
His blood just wasn't enough, and that is not to believe on
Christ. It's real easy to see what Savior
you're really trusting in. There's a group of people who
shall end up in heaven, and there's a group of people who shall end
up in hell. And whatever you think makes
the difference in those two groups and being in this group or the
other, that's your Savior. You may say it's Jesus Christ,
but if Jesus Christ did the same for this group as he did for
the other group, clearly you're just fooling yourself. My Savior
at that time was my faith. I thought, oh, but you must believe.
I made the difference by my believing, by my way of thinking. And you
know, in hindsight, I can see now that I only believed he died
and rose again because of the biblical historical record of
it. We should believe the Bible. But there was no other reason
for me to believe in it because I was not resting in what the
Bible actually teaches it accomplished to save his people, according
to the scriptures. So what that means is, I've often
thought about this. I'll give you an absurd example
to make a point. You know, if hypothetically the
Bible had recorded some arbitrary historical fact, let's say it
said, Jesus Christ swam across the Red Sea, and if you'll believe
that, you'll be saved. Well, I know that's absurd to
in light of what we know the scripture says. But did you know
if I had so read that and believed it, it would not have changed
one thing about what I knew of God? Not one thing. You see, and that is salvation.
This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true
God in Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. John 17 3. But at
that time, I didn't know God as he's distinguished in Isaiah
45 as both a just God and a savior. I thought God saved sinners by
dispensing with his justice, just agreeing to overlook their
sins, and then applying whatever it was I imagined Christ had
accomplished for everyone, that he applied that to the sinner
based on the condition I presumed made the real difference. the
believing work of me, the sinner. Listen, I know if that's news
to you that it's offensive. That's the offense of the cross.
But wouldn't you rather know before it's too late the truth?
That doctrine, it is not salvation by grace, no matter how many
times we may have called it grace. See, believing salvation to be
ultimately conditioned on the sinner, his decision, his response,
instead of solely on the sinner's substitute, his doing and dying
alone, that's to believe salvation by works and God will not have
it. As we read in Ephesians 2, 8,
9, for by grace are you saved through faith. and that not of
yourselves. It's the gift of God, not of
works, lest any man should boast. See, God will not accept any
rival to Christ who's to have all the preeminence in salvation.
And to believe, to believe such as I did, it denies the necessity
of the redeeming work of Christ. By Christ's suffering and death
on the cross, He did far more than just make salvation possible.
He redeemed a people. In salvation, there's a necessary
divine revelation, and in that revelation, we're taught of his
necessary redemption. That means he bought them back.
His purchased church. And listen to what Christ said
of them in John 6, 39. He said, and this is the Father's
will which hath sent me that of all which he hath given me. I should lose nothing. but should
raise it up again at the last day. He truly bought them back,
and he's not gonna lose one of them. They're his, they have
been, and they shall be for all eternity. And that's good news
if this describes your Savior. That's a sure and certain salvation.
Well, I pray, if God hasn't already done so, that he will grant you
the necessary divine revelation through this preached gospel
of God's grace. to see the necessity of Christ
in his redeeming work, so that by his saving grace, you too
can place all of your hope for eternal life in him as your redeemer. Before God the Father, you know,
worthy is the lamb that was slain, and that makes this successful
Savior worthy of our trust. You know, believers see their
desperate need for him. the necessary price.