There's a phrase that I have on my study desk. It's a borrowed phrase from a
friend, from an old friend, an old pastor friend, Scott Richardson.
And it's a phrase regarding preachers. It goes something like this.
What is a preacher? A preacher is a nobody who tells
everybody about somebody who can save anybody. Well, I'm going
to change that just a little bit. What is a believer? Because years, years ago, I heard
a message on pastors, bishops, and deacons, and it was said,
the qualifications for a pastor are the qualifications for a
believer. whatever their qualifications
are, and look them up each there in the passage of scripture he
talks about. It's the same for every, for a believer. It really
is. So this is what I would like
to ask us. What is a believer? They are,
we are nobodies that tell everybody about somebody who can save anybody. That's the outline. Short. Sweet,
let's go through this phrase or quote as a simple outline
for us this morning. What is a believer? We, as Bruce
said this morning, we're nobodies. We are truly nobodies. And if
we think, if we are speaking to somebody and we have this
looking down at them, if we have this haughtier than thou attitude,
they're not gonna listen to you. And I quote another quote from
Scott Richardson, people don't care how much you know until
they know how much you care about them. Our master, the Lord Jesus
Christ, was a servant. He humbled himself, as we've
seen in Philippians, our study in Philippians chapter two, he
humbled himself to speak to his fellow men, women, and boys and
girls. Paul said in Ephesians, he said,
I am less than the least. I am, me, myself, I, am less
than the least, and that word least means, it means literally
far less. I'm less than the least, far
less. And to his fellow labor, Paul
said to Timothy, he distinctly noted that he was a sinner. No, he was the chief of sinners. That word chief means foremost
or most prominent. Christ came to seek and to save
the lost. That's what our desire is. God be glorified and the people
we were preaching to would get lost. This simple scriptural
thought that we are nobodies This will everyone who names
the name of the sovereign Christ, they will know it, they will
acknowledge it, and they will own up to it. They will own up
to what is said, we do not deserve any grace or any mercy from the
triune God. We do not deserve the least of
his mercies. We will concede The same as that
lady in Matthew 15, when she approached the Lord Jesus Christ,
the Syrophoenician woman, he said, it's not meat to give the
food to the dogs. And she says, yes, Lord, that's
what I am. I'm nobody. I'm a dog. but we
eat the things that fall from the master's table. Or as our
old friend and brother Mephibosheth said in Samuel, he was a dead
dog sinner begging at the master's hand for all he was to receive. Or what about also what this
unerring word says in Galatians, you don't have to turn there,
but Galatians chapter six and verse three, For if a man, a
woman, a boy or a girl, think themselves to be something, when
they are nothing, they deceive themselves. Nothing, that Greek
word means not anything. Not anything. Which is the same
phrase as Paul uses again in 2 Corinthians chapter 12, And verse 11, he says, am I become
a fool and glorying? You have compelled me, for I
ought to have been commended of you, for in nothing am I behind
the very chiefest apostle, though I be nothing. Though I be nothing. Oh, how this smacks, I mean,
right up the side of the head, in the back of the head, in the
front of the face, how this smacks at our so-called goodness, our
so-called free will, or our puny works, which we try to present
as, as Cain did. Look, this is the best, I'm something. No, we're nothing. What are, what are believers?
We're nobody. Secondly, we tell everybody. Everybody needs to hear the gospel. There's only one gospel. Paul
made that clear in Galatians. Galatians, if it be another gospel,
which there is not another. We go forth preaching and teaching
in Christ's name, in Matthew 28, baptizing and making disciples. You know, I've told you this
before, a relation of mine said, I don't know what I want to be
when I grow up. I don't know what I'm supposed to do. Well,
what is a believer? If we're believers, We know we're
nothing, we're going into less than nothing, but we tell everybody. We go forth. Or as Ezekiel 37
says, when he was presented with these valley of dry bones, so
he said, I go as I was commanded. That's what we're commanded.
If we're a believer, we're commanded to go and to tell of the Lord
Jesus Christ. We are in Isaiah 57 and verse
19, we speak to those who are far off and to those who are
near. In Ezekiel chapter two, which I'm gonna look at this
one, you can turn if you want to, Ezekiel chapter two, we file this report, like Isaiah
says, who have believed our report, we file this report to those
who will hear our message or to those who will forbear. Ezekiel
chapter two and verse seven and eight. And thou shalt speak,
this is written to all believers, this is written to the prophet,
but to believers, my words unto them, whether they will hear
or whether they will forbear, for they are most rebellious. But thou, son of man, hear what
I say unto thee, be not thou rebellious like the rebellious
house, open thy mouth and eat that I give thee. David said
it's by word, you know, he digests the word to re-speak it. In Isaiah, I think it's 55, Isaiah
says, Ho, everyone that thirsts us, you come to the waters. What
waters? Waters of life, liberty, peace,
which is only in Christ Jesus, our King. So that's the third
point. Who are we? What is the believer?
He's nothing. She's nothing. Who tells everybody
The third point is about somebody, specifically Emmanuel. That's who we speak. He's Isaiah
9, the mighty God. In Zephaniah 3, he is mighty
in our midst. Zechariah 9, he is the sovereign
majestic king and he rules and reigns over all his creation. Daniel nine, what has he done
that we speak of to whom we speak of? He was cut off for sins,
but that he did not commit. He had no sin. He satisfied the law, which was
against us and fulfilled it all for his people, nailing it to
the cross. Colossians two verse 14, first
John three 16, Hebrew seven and Hebrews nine. He rose again for
our justification and thusly all who are in him will rise
in newness of life, Romans 4.25. We speak of him. We tell about
somebody, the Lord Jesus Christ. We don't talk about Joseph Smith.
We don't talk about Mohammed. We don't talk about Confucius.
We don't talk about ourselves. We speak of him. He gave us his righteousness
so we may live in him, 1 Corinthians 1.30. Our lamb, God's lamb is
worthy, Revelations 5, and a great savior. Turn to Isaiah 19. Isaiah chapter 19 and verse 20. Listen to what is said. Verse 19, in that day, Isaiah
19, 19, in that day there shall be an altar to the Lord in the
midst of the land of Egypt and a pillar at the border thereof
to the Lord and it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto
the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt. For they shall cry
unto the Lord because of the oppressors and he, God, shall
send them a savior and a great one. He's a great savior. and He shall deliver them. Not maybe, not if you accept
Him, not if you receive Him, not if you want Him to. He shall
save them. He's a great, great Savior. He cannot fail. It's impossible. He cannot falter. You talk, we
don't talk, but we hear of all these churches around us, they
talk of a Redeemer that does not redeem. He died for people
and they're not gonna be saved. Because they say he died for
everybody. No, it's impossible. It's impossible. He cannot fail. Not the God of
this book. No, he is and shall ever be successful. Turn further with me to Isaiah
53. And verse 11 and 12. He shall see the true avail of
his soul and shall be satisfied. By his knowledge shall my righteous
servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great and he shall divide
the spoil with the strong because he hath poured out his soul unto
death and he was numbered with the transgressors and he bear
the sins of many and made intercession, made intercession. It's done,
it's complete for the transgressors. He's successful. There's no,
there's no, it's impossible. It's impossible that God should
lie. He's left the record. He's left us this record of himself. Lastly, what is a believer? It's
a nobody. It tells everybody about somebody,
Christ, who can save anybody. That would
be as in Matthew 121. He shall save his people from
their sins. Sinners, male, female, boys,
girls, all sizes, all shapes, all colors, all ethnic backgrounds.
Romans chapter 11 and verse 5. Even so, at this present time
the time when he was writing this, and the time right now,
2024. Also, there is a remnant according
to the election of grace. And if by grace, then it is no
more of works, otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be
of works, then it is no more grace, otherwise work is no more
work. Jonah, chapter four. Jonah, I'll get there, Jonah
chapter 4. Well, maybe not. Jonah chapter 4 and verse 11. God said, should I not spare
Nineveh, that great city? We're in our more than six score
thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand
and their left hand and also much cattle. God has a remnant
and he's going to save. He's going to fetch them. He's
going to get them. It's like that. Luke 15, that
sheep, that lost sheep, He's going to fetch, He's going to
send a preacher, He's going to send a believer to speak to that
person. Christ is going to do all the
work. He's done all the work. And it's as though He throws
us on His shoulders. It's like we can't even... He
makes us willing in the day of His power, but it's like we can't...
He's still got to carry us. Without Him, we can do nothing. Galatians chapter 1. Galatians chapter 1 verse 15. But when it pleased God, that's
when He saves. Galatians 1 verse 15. But when
it pleased God, Who, who's the who? God in Christ Jesus by the
Holy Spirit who separated me. I didn't separate myself. I didn't birth myself from my
mother's womb and called me by his grace to do what? To reveal
his son in me. You're not saved until he reveals
his son in you or am I? that I might preach him among
the heathen, immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood. He came to seek and to save the
lost, the downtrodden, the burdened. May God reveal to us our lost
condition with no ability to come to God and no ability to
make any factual decision for him. He must draw us He must
carry us so He and He alone gets all the glory due His name. Has
He quickened me? Has He quickened you? If so, confess Him, trust Him,
be baptized, honor and glorify Him. So what do you do after
that? What are we created to do? Isaiah
6. In closing. In verse 8. I also heard the voice of the
Lord saying. Whom shall I send and who will
go for us? Then said I, here am I, send
me. We have to have jobs, have to
pay bills, pay taxes, renter under Caesar, but this is what
we are to do. What is a believer? Nobody who tells everybody about somebody
who can save anybody. May he send us, he's sending
us, may we respond the same way, in our own little way. Oh, I
can't talk. Well, I said that years ago,
who made the tongue? That's what, Moses tried that. I don't see anybody. Yes, we
do, we see enough people to go shopping and this and that. May the Lord be honored and glorified.
We. Who say we believe and trust
in his grace? Nathan, would you close us?