Open your Bibles, if you would, to Romans chapter 15. Romans chapter 15. We're going to be looking at verse 7, and then after this verse, we will be going over to Philippians chapter 3. So put your finger in Philippians chapter 3 and Romans chapter 15. The name of the message is, glorying only in Christ.

Now, as born-again, blood-washed believers, we have nothing within ourselves to glory about, right? But we have everything to glory in the Lord Jesus Christ, because it's Him who has saved us with the shedding of His precious blood and the giving of His life. When He came here as the perfect substitute, as the Lamb of God, God Himself became a man, right? The Lord Jesus Christ, the God-man. who is the sent one of God. He was sent by God the Father to come and to save you and I, who are his people, from all our sins. Isn't that amazing? That's enough to make you shout hallelujah, isn't it? Isn't that wonderful? And that's true. That's truth. He actually accomplished salvation for us. Scripture says, and having obtained eternal salvation, he's already done it. And there's nothing for us to mess it up. It's already done. Isn't that amazing? And we just look to Him, don't we? Now every day we still look to Him, don't we? Every day we're coming to Him. Every day we see our sin. Oh Lord, please forgive me. But we're totally forgiven, beloved. Washed in the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's something to greatly be thankful for.

We'll look at a verse here. for this message where we see that Paul addresses the saints at Rome. Look at Romans 15 verse 17. Look at this. I have therefore wherever I may glory through Jesus Christ in those things which pertain to God. So what do we have the glory in? The things that pertain to God through Christ. See, it's always about Christ, isn't it? It's always about what he's done for us. We don't have anything to glory in within ourselves, because we're just rebels saved by grace. And now, isn't it amazing that now we're rejoicing through this life at the great things God has done for us? And he keeps showing us, doesn't he? Through the preaching of his word. How good He's been to us. How merciful He's been to us. How gracious He's been to us. And it's wonderful. It's absolutely amazing.

Now look over at Philippians chapter three. We see here that Paul is very careful throughout his ministry not to glory or boast or brag in the flesh in anything he does, right? Now he's done a lot for the Lord, hasn't he? But it's actually the Lord working through him. And he acknowledges that. He knows that. He knows that anything he does, right, for the glory of God, it's because God's working through him and in him. He actually wrote about preaching, who's sufficient for these things? Well, no one. God makes the preacher. I am what I am as a preacher by the grace of God. Charlie, if you and I, when we were younger, you'd have told me I was going to be standing up in front of people preaching about Christ, you'd laugh and I'd laugh, right? We would have thought, if someone had told us that, we'd have laughed them to scorn. If someone had told us we'd been sitting here enjoying the gospel, we'd have laughed them to scorn, wouldn't we? in our natural state, but here we are, loving the Lord, loving the gospel. What a work of grace, what a miracle.

Look at this in Philippians chapter three, look at verses seven to nine. But in what things were gained to me, those I counted for loss. So all his religious works, right, all his wealth that he accumulated, he was a wealthy man, I believe, all that stuff, all the glory, self-glory and man praise he got, he says, I counted nothing. Look at this, I counted, those things that were gained to me, those I count lost for Christ, they're nothing. There's nothing. Nothing. He says, yay, doubtless. I count all things but lost for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.

So what's he saying? He's saying all the things I counted as precious, right? Prestige, having a name, being a Pharisee, having wealth, having people go, well, that's Paul walking down the street. That's Solitaris. Man, make him stand up a little bit, right? He says, it's all nothing. It's absolutely nothing. I count it all loss. Why? What? What for? Look at this. For the excellency of the knowledge of Christ. Just to know Christ Jesus my Lord. He says all those things, just to know Christ, I count them all loss. Lost. They're absolutely nothing. Just for the knowledge of Christ. Just for having Christ revealed to us.

Do you see how I say what we have is far more valuable than the richest man in the world's wealth? We know Christ, beloved, by the grace and mercy of God. We know Christ. God's had mercy on us. Just remember, remember Noah? Noah, here's all those folks gonna perish. Right? But Noah found what? Grace in the eyes of the Lord. We could say, Brian found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Barb found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Charlie found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Isn't that wonderful? And all of us as believers can put our names in there. We found grace in the eyes of the Lord. The only one who made us to differ.

So, therefore, who do we? The only one we have the glory in, then, is the Lord Jesus Christ. Then he goes on and says this, For I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ. And that's waste. I may count them but waste. They're nothing. They're nothing. My. Look at this. That I may win Christ and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness. See, as a Pharisee, he thought, well, I just have to keep doing all these things and I'm good with God. Aye, aye, aye. And he says here, he says, that I may win Christ and be found in him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, which can never justify. Because we break the law all the time. But that which is through the faith of Christ. Oh, look at that. And that faith is given to us, isn't it, Brother Brian? By the grace of God. the righteousness which is of God by faith.

So Paul, we see Paul's teaching others and us too here, 2000 years later, not to boast in anything that we've done in the past, not to boast in any religious acts, not to boast in any of them, but just the fact that we know Christ. We're the richest folks in the world. We've been born again by the Holy Spirit of God. Why? Well, because Christ purchased us 2000 years ago. My. That's that's that's amazing. That's absolutely amazing. My. So Paul's teaching them, don't boast of glory in yourself. And he would not. We obviously see you here written by inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God, but that comes from Paul's heart too, right? That everything I counted dear to me is just dung. Just dung. And look at what he stresses. What he stresses for the success of his ministry is only through Christ, or through Jesus Christ. It's only through him. The success of anything in the ministry here, in the work here, is only through the Lord Jesus Christ. Only through him. Now we marvel what he's done. We marvel. We marvel at what he's done in us, and we marvel at what he's done in others, and we marvel what he's doing with the gospel going out. And what he's doing here in the body, too. We marvel at that. It's all through the work of God, the Holy Spirit. Taking the preaching of the gospel and using it for God's glory. And we have to keep our mind on, we're doing all this for the glory of God. He gets the preeminence, doesn't he, brother John? He gets the preeminence.

Galatians chapter six, Paul wrote this in verse 14. He said, but God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world. He's saying, I'm ruined for the world now. I'm preaching Christ. I'm ruined for the world. And the world's ruined for me. Doesn't hold the luster it did, does it, Brother Brian? Doesn't hold the appeal that it used to. Now we're still living in the world, but this isn't our home. We're going to where our king is. We're going to go live with him forever, all because of his glory and grace.

And the apostles and those who truly believe the gospel of God's grace, we only glory in in what verse 17 of Romans 15 said, those things which which pertain to God. That's what we glory in. the things that pertain to God. Turn, if you would, to Galatians chapter 5. Galatians chapter 5.

Now, because of Adam's sin and rebellion, we're born in this world rebels. Whether people believe that or not, we have enmity with God, we have hatred with God, towards God, in our natural state, and we are in condemnation. And therefore, we have a tendency to glory in the flesh. But in Christ, we have absolutely no reason to glory in the flesh as Paul's bringing forth. We have reason to glory in Christ alone and to lift him up and to praise him and be thankful for the great things he's done for us.

Look at this in Galatians chapter five. Starting in verse 19, he's going to tell us what the works of the flesh are. This is natural to mankind. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these things, adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envions, murders, drunkenness, or violence, and such like, of the which I tell you before, as I have told you in times past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Now that's something we all do, right? Why? By nature. by nature. Look at it. Those who do these things should not inherit the kingdom of God. Who then can be saved? Those who are washed in the blood of Christ. Those who have all these sins forgiven. Isn't that amazing? Isn't that incredible? washed in the blood so God looks upon us and and doesn't see see uh Our sin anymore. He sees christ because we're clothed in the righteousness of christ But the only one who made us different from all the others Who are still doing all those things is the lord jesus christ and we say glory to your name lord Praise your mighty name for what you've done for us. This is wonderful. Oh my

And so Paul, he's teaching folks, he says, don't you glory in yourself? Yeah, put off the old man with his deeds, right? Setting these things before us, put off these old things. Now, some might ask, what are things that are pertaining to God that we can give God all the glory for? Well, we say everything, right? We say everything, but we're gonna look at some things here.

Number one, we glory in Christ In the things pertaining to God, number one, we glory in Christ, who as God incarnate, is the only hope for sinners. The only hope for sinners, as the scripture declares in 1 Timothy 3.16, that God was manifest in the flesh. God was manifest in the flesh. Jesus Christ wasn't just some mere man. He's God in the flesh. Justified in the spirit seen of angels preached unto the Gentiles believed in the world on in the world received up to glory

Another thing we glory in We glory in Christ crucified is the only remedy to put away our sin Can we pay for even one of our sins No, we can't can we? but Christ Jesus paid for the sins of all his elect of all the ages once at Calvary's cross. Scripture declares this, oh my, declares this in 1 Peter 3 18, for Christ also has once suffered for sins. The just, he's the just one, what does scripture call us? The just for the unjust. The wicked Bonafide sinners. The just one, the holy one, the sinless one. Has died for the unjust. Someone says, well I don't like that title. Well that's the title God gives us in our natural state. And you're not arguing with me, you're arguing with the Bible. Which is God is the author.

Look at this though, listen to this. For Christ also has once suffered for sins. He's the sinless one suffering for our sins. The just for the unjust, that he might, what? Bring us to God. Praise his mighty name. Being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the spirit. Raised for our justification. Died. Died and was buried. Raised on the third day. See, we can glory in these things, can't we? We can glory in Christ in these things. Go, look what Christ done for me. The just one died for this unjust one. That's amazing. That's incredible.

Another thing we can glory in pertaining to God is Christ Jesus is the one who suffered for our sins and he is our all-sufficient righteousness. He's our all-sufficient righteousness on Thursday in one of the short sermons I preached on the sufficiency of Christ. The all-sufficient One, right? He's our righteousness. He's our righteousness. He's all our righteousness. We can't stand before God in our own righteousness. God won't accept us, but He accepts us in Christ, doesn't He? And do you know that right now we're clothed in His righteousness, right now? It's not something He does when we get to heaven. We're clothed right now. in the spotless righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Listen to this. Wherein he hath made us accepted and abloved, in whom we have redemption through his blood. Oh, look at that. The forgiveness of sins. That's all sins. According to the riches of his grace. According to the riches of his grace. God's riches at Christ's expense. Grace. Oh my. My, that was Ephesians 1, 6, and 7.

And then we glory in the fact that Jesus is exalted and seated at God's right hand. Because our justification depends upon him being risen. Did you know that? Our justification depends upon him being risen from the grave. Because in Romans 4, 25, it says about Christ, who was delivered for our offenses and was raised again for our justification. So he's delivered for our sins, pays the price, and then he's raised again for our justification. To prove that God is satisfied, Brother Charlie, with that sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ in our room and place. My! Does it get any better than this? Doesn't get any better than this, does it? And he's risen and seated at the right hand of the Father. And then we glory in the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ is coming again. That's fact. He's coming again. Listen to this. When he comes, when he comes, we shall not only see him as he is, But we see him also made, but we shall also be made like him forever. First John, isn't that amazing? We'll be made like him forever, sinless.

And then we glory in the fact that our Lord Jesus Christ has been delivered. He's delivered every single believer from the wrath of God. Turn, if you would, to Psalm 34. This is a fact. He has delivered every believer from all their sins, even the ones who haven't been born again yet. How do we know that? Well, there was a time we didn't know him, did we, Brother Brian? And we found out he died for us 2,000 years ago. He completed all the work. He already paid for all our sins. Oh my, that's amazing. That's amazing. He took the punishment that was due us. He paid the penalty that was due us. So that sin is that it must die. He died in our room and place. That's what the law says. It demands that. So the sinless one, the just one, dies for the unjust, for sinners.

And every believer can say this with David. Look at Psalm 34, verses 1 to 4. I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord. Same thing what Paul was saying, right? I'm going to boast in Christ. Oh my, the humble shall hear their heaven be glad. Well, we're made humble by our King, aren't we? We're bought low. And then we're born again, aren't we? Oh yeah. Oh, magnify the Lord with me. Come on, brother. Let's magnify the Lord together. Isn't that wonderful? Oh, magnify the Lord with me. Let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord and he heard me and delivered me from what? All my fears. All my fears delivered us from all our sins, beloved. Oh my, it's wonderful. Absolutely wonderful.

Now turn, if you would, to Isaiah chapter 53. Oh my. Every born-again, blood-washed believer will glory in Christ alone, because it's his precious blood alone that's delivered us from our sins, that's redeemed us from our sins. from which we could never save ourselves. And Isaiah 53 brings us this suffering Savior before our eyes, beloved. It's wonderful. And marvel at what the Scripture declares about the one we give glory in the Lord Jesus Christ. Isaiah chapter 53, verse 3. Look at this. He is despised and rejected of man. That's what our Lord, He did not for us. Very ones, you know, think of that. In our natural state, we rejected Him. We despised Him. Aren't you glad? See why Paul said that everything that he had, he counts but lost just for the knowledge of Christ, to know Him. He already knows us, but for us to know Him is far more worth all the wealth in the world. Couldn't touch that. The fact that we know Christ, that we've been saved by Christ, that we've been delivered from all our sins.

Look at this. He's despised and rejected a man, Isaiah 53, 3. A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid as it were our faces from Him. We were like, I don't want to see Him. I know in my natural state, before the Lord saved me, I was like that. I don't want nothing to do with Him. That's what that means. I don't want nothing to do with Him. Oh, but God's grace is so wonderful. God's grace is so beautiful. It comes in irresistibly. And with cords of love, the Holy Spirit draws us to Christ.

Oh! Look at this. He was despised and we esteemed him not. What that means is we saw no value in Christ. We saw no value in him. Now he's everything to us, isn't he, brother? Now he's the pearl of great price, isn't he, brother? Now he's the treasure in the field. Oh my! Paul sums it up and says, he's my all in all. He's my all in all.

My, surely He had borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. He bore all the punishment that was due our sin, the wrath of God for an eternity for our soul, even just ours. Count it down, beloved. The wrath of God for eternity, for our soul, fell upon Him, and He bore it all. The penalty that was due. Eternal wrath of God. He bore it all. He extinguished it against us. That's why the scripture declares that God saves us and keeps us. He paid it all already. There's nothing left to be paid for, for our sins. It is completely, 100% paid for. All our sins. That's remarkable, isn't it? But it's true. Heaven forgiven us all trespasses.

Surely he had borne our grace and carried our souls, yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. He was afflicted so that we would never be afflicted. He bore the wrath of God, that just like Noah and those who are in the ark, right, the rain never touched them, that the wrath of God would never touch us. And remember, the ark is a picture of Christ. All those All those who are in the ark are saved from the wrath that's outside, right? And all that rain and everything manifests the wrath of God against sin. But then the scriptures, as we talked about earlier, the only reason Noah and his family was saved, because Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. He's no different than anyone else.

Oh my, this is mountain top stuff, beloved. Let's make a Baptist shout hallelujah. Oh my, but he was wounded for our transgressions, for my sin. Every believer can say, for my sin. And Brother Henry often says, put your name in there. But he was wounded for Wayne's transgressions. Put your name in there, if you're a believer in Christ. He was praised for Wayne's iniquities. The chastisement of Wayne's peace was upon him. And with his stripes, Wayne is healed, or you're healed. Put your name in there. That's powerful stuff, isn't it?

And then he tells us how we are by nature. Oh, we like sheep have gone astray. Oh, we're just wandering sheep, beloved. Before the Lord saves us, we just wander around, groping around in the darkness. And I think it's Luke 15. The shepherd sought that lost sheep, didn't he? That lost sheep is going, bah, in the darkness. And here comes the shepherd. Remember that man at the pool of Bethsaida? Thousands of people at that pool. The Lord comes to a certain man. A certain man. He didn't talk to all those other people around there. He went right to that certain man. That's one of his lost sheep. And the fellow says, well, before I can get in the pool, someone gets in before me. And the Lord tells him, take up your bed and walk. And what's he do? No physical therapy? Man, we've gone through some stuff where we needed physical therapy, didn't we, brother? No physical therapy, just instant healing. That's a picture of us being cleansed from our sins. Isn't that wonderful?

Remember the leopard? Lord, if thou will, thou can make me clean. I will be thou clean. And immediately, the leprosy was gone.

Remember Nahum? Go dip yourself in the Jordan seven times. Whoa, they got all kinds of stuff at Syria and all that. Why does he tell me to go and do that? And his servant said, why don't you just do it? And the seventh time he came out, white as snow. And you know, he worshiped God for the rest of his life.

Oh my. Oh my. Oh, we like sheep have gone astray. We turned everyone to his own way. You know what that reminds me of? That reminds me of how scripture says that there was a time in Israel when every man did that which was right in his own eyes. And that's how we were before the Lord saved us. We were doing what we thought was right in our own eyes. I used to think my good would outweigh my bad. So I tried to be good. Little did I know everything I did was tainted with sin. Right? Full of sin. And I wasn't born again. I didn't even know the scripture said you must be born again.

Look at that. But God in his mercy, Didn't he seek us brother charlie? Didn't he draw us with everlasting love chords of everlasting love? Showed us christ Showed us first our need for him Because you know you have to be lost before you can be saved, right? So he shows us our need for him And saves us by his grace By the power of god the holy spirit. It's so wonderful Look at that.

There we were. We were wandering away. And look what happened. Look at, see, we can read this first. Now think of this. Think of our natural state, right? All we like sheep have gone astray. We've turned everyone to his own way. Okay, so that's our natural state, right? And the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. When did he do that? 2,000 years ago. It was already done. We didn't know about it. 2,000 years ago, think of this, beloved. All our sins were laid upon Christ and put it to Him. This is real. It's not just a story. This is real. That man hung upon the cross, the God man. And God loaded him down with the sins of all the elect of all the ages. He's still sinless though, isn't he? He offered himself up without spot and blemish. Here he is, the sinless, spotless sacrifice. Now man can look at him. Those men were looking at him. They couldn't see the load of the elect's sin upon him. And they said, well, he saved others. Why can't he save himself? And here he's saving a number that no man can number. But they can't see that, can they, Brother Charlie? They can't see that. And neither did we. Until the Lord gave us a knowledge, like Paul was saying, that's us being born again. And then he gave us a knowledge of who Christ was. What he did. He died for our sins. And now we're born again.

Now look at verses. Same chapter, but go to verses 10 and 11 of Isaiah 53. Then put your finger in Ephesians chapter 2. Ephesians chapter 2. So look at this. Isaiah 53, 10. Yet it pleased the Lord, it pleased God to do this, to bruise Christ. He hath put him to grief, when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin. For our sins, beloved. Our sins. He shall see his seed, he shall prolong his day, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hands. Look at this. God shall see the travail of Christ's soul, and shall be what? Someone tell me. Amen. Satisfied. If you get anything out of any message I preach, substitution and satisfaction. Christ is our substitute, and God is absolutely satisfied with that sacrifice. Oh, look at that. Look at that. And shall be satisfied by his knowledge, shall my righteous servant justify many, not all, but many, all his people. For he shall bear their iniquities.

Now go over to Ephesians chapter 2, verses 11 to 14. Look at this. This is, we're closing with this. Wherefore remember that he being in pastimes Gentiles in the flesh who are called uncircumcision by that which is called the circumcision in the flesh made by hands. So Gentiles are called the uncircumcision by the Jews.

That time, look at this, this is wonderful, you were without Christ being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenant of promise, having no hope, and without God in this world.

Now here, it just ramps up. But now, in Christ Jesus, ye who sometimes were far off, are what? Made nigh by the blood of Christ. Oh my! For he is our peace. He's our peace with God, who hath made both one. That means Jew and Gentile there, because he's talking about the circumcision and the uncircumcision. He's made all the believers, all the Jewish believers and all the believing Gentiles, one in Christ. One in Christ.

He is our peace, peace who has made both one and has broken down the middle wall of partition between us. So what that means is there used to be a partition. The Gentiles could only go so far in the temple. That's gone. That's gone! It's gone.

So let we are the redeemed of the Lord. Give all the glory and honor and praise to Christ alone. Amen and amen.

Brother Brian, can you close us in prayer?