I would like you to turn to Matthew
chapter 17. Matthew chapter 17. Verse 8. And when they had lifted up their
eyes. They saw no man. Save. Jesus. Only. Let's pray. Lord, we ask in Christ name.
that we might be enabled by your grace. To see no man. Save Jesus only. Lord, that's above the strength
and energy of this flesh. But we ask in Christ name that
we might be enabled. To be with those. Men so long
ago who said, sirs, we would see Jesus. May we be privileged to do so
in Christ's name we pray. Amen. Christ alone. That's what I want to try to
talk about. Christ alone now I've announced. last week that
these are what are known as the solas of the Reformation. Scriptures
alone, Christ alone, grace alone, faith alone, the glory of God
alone. And I think that we do them great disservice if we think
of these things as products of the Reformation. Now I would
not in any way try to not think about what those men,
those were men who died for the truth. I'm not in any way taking
away from the importance of these men like Calvin and Zwingli and
Hux and Luther and all these different men who, many of them
actually died for the faith and we esteem them greatly. So I'm
not trying to take away from the importance of these men.
But when we talk about Christ alone as being a product of the
Reformation, we greatly trivialize this glorious truth because this
is eternal. Christ alone. Now Colossians chapter 3 verse
11 says Christ is all. He stands alone as all. I'd like you to turn with me
to 2nd Corinthians chapter 11 Christ alone. When they saw no
man save Jesus only, they saw everything, didn't they? Look in 2 Corinthians 11, beginning
in verse 1, Would to God you could bear with me a little in
my folly, and indeed bear with me, for I am jealous over you
with a godly jealousy. For I have espoused you to one
husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means,
as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should
be corrupted from the simplicity. the onlyness of Jesus Christ,
Christ alone, Jesus Christ, the son of God, the second person
of the Trinity, Christ alone. Now, the reason for creation
is Christ alone. You know, there's something very
comforting to me about that. God's reason for creation Christ
alone. I think of that scripture in
Revelation 13, verse 8, and I would want to rarely, really I would
never want to bring a message without, if I don't quote this
scripture, yet it's behind everything I'm saying. Christ is landslain
from the foundation of the world. And the reason that God created
the universe was so the lamb slain in eternity could come
in time and be slain. Christ alone. The reason for predestination?
Christ alone. For whom he did foreknow, them
he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his
son. That's the reason for predestination.
to have a vast number of people just like the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, when we think of election,
I love election. It glorifies God. It tells us
God is God, but what's the reason for election? According as he
hath chosen us in him. What is election without Christ?
Some kind of arbitrary choice of God saying, well, I'm gonna
save that one, I'm gonna damn that one. No, that's not what
election is. It's God's choice of his people
eternally in Christ Jesus. And I want you to think about
this. You have never been looked upon by God independently of
his son, Jesus Christ. The reason for adoption is Christ
alone in love having predestinated us unto the adoption of children
by Jesus Christ. The reason I'm an adopted child
is because of the Lord Jesus Christ. The reason I was born
again is because of the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm in Christ alone. I think of what Paul said when
he said, I live yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. Isn't that regeneration? Christ
liveth in me. The reason for acceptance is
Christ alone. He hath made us. Now right now,
I'm accepted by the Father. If you're a believer, you're
accepted by the Father. And that doesn't mean he's just tolerating
you. It means he's well pleased with you. He sees no sin in you,
he sees no guilt in you, he's perfectly satisfied with you.
Now that's a hard thing to get, we know it by faith, don't we?
We don't know it by sight, we know it by faith. But why is
that? Ephesians 1, 6, he hath made
us accepted in the beloved. Christ alone Now not only was
the universe created for Christ alone, it was by Christ alone
that the creation came into being. In the beginning was the word,
the word was with God, the word was God, the same was in the
beginning with God. Now listen to this, all things
were created by him. And without him was not anything
made that was made. By whom also he made the worlds,
the scripture says. All things were created by him
and for him. And he is before all things. And by him, all things consist. He is the creator of the worlds. Christ alone controls providence. That means everything that happens
in time, everything that happened to you yesterday, Everything
that happened to you this morning, what's going on with you right
now. Now, this is an incredible thing to think about, but everybody,
you do what you want to do. Nobody is secretly compelled
to do something that they don't really want to do. Everything
you do, you do because that's what you want to do all the time. You're doing what you want to
do. And Christ is completely sovereign over everything you
want to do. That's how glorious He is. It's
not difficult for Him. Everything is His will being
done. By Him, all things consist. All
things are held together. The reason you breathe just now
was because He willed it. Now we call it, we wasn't thinking
about it, we wasn't thinking, you know, I need to breathe.
No, it's, what do they call it? I can't remember, involuntary,
whatever it is. But the fact of it is, it's only
because His volition, because of His will that we're breathing,
that our heart is beating. Everything that takes place,
He's in control of it. I know people will say, well,
How could this bad thing happen? And how could this bad thing
happen? I don't know, but he does. And I trust him. I trust him. Whatever he does
is right, holy, glorious, and true. It's who he is. Christ
alone is the cause of all things. Christ alone is the reason of
the scripture. And Christ alone is the subject
of the scripture. He's the reason the Bible's written
in the first place. Every story is, you know, I'm
excited about preaching tonight because I'm going to preach on
Jacob and Leah and Rachel. Now that's a story. Where's the
gospel there? Very clear. That story of Jacob
being deceived and marrying Leah, who was not so pretty, and then
after he worked seven years for Rachel, and then going back and
working another seven years for Rachel, and all the madness that's
in Jacob and Rachel and Leah, and they're two Dilla and Zilpa,
I can't remember what their names, I think that's their names, but
they had the 12 patriarchs through that. That is, you think, what
a bizarre story. It's the gospel. It's the gospel,
just like every story is given to teach us of Jesus Christ and
Him crucified. Do you believe that? Everything
in the Bible, I don't care what it is, everything in the Bible
is to teach us Jesus Christ and Him crucified. He is the subject. They are they, speaking of the
scriptures, the Lord said this, they are they which testify of
me. You will not come to me that
you might have life. You know, the entire Bible is
written to teach us, remember the subject right now is Christ
alone. The entire Bible is written to teach us how God can be just
and justify somebody like me or you. That is, and to say that
the Bible is with regard to Christ is to say that the Bible is with
regard to how God can be God, just and holy, and yet justify
and make not guilty somebody like me or you. That's the parable
of the publican and Pharisee. Remember the Pharisee praying,
God, I thank thee that I'm not as other men are. And that's
everybody's natural religion. We find somebody we can compare
ourselves to. We find something somebody else
does that we think we don't do, and they're bad, we're good.
That's this Pharisee. I thank thee that I'm not as
other men are. And he went on to talk about
all the things that he did. And then we have that publican
in the temple beating on his breast, standing afar off, not
up front like the Pharisees, afar off. God, be merciful to
me, the sinner. And Christ said, with regard
to that man, I tell you, that man went down to his house justified,
rather than the other. Now, Christ alone is the explanation
as to how that man could go down to his house justified. Christ alone. Our redemption, our sin payment,
is Christ alone. Not Christ and, Christ alone. I love the way those two words
fit together, Christ alone. Nobody can be compared to him.
Nothing can stand beside him. It's Christ alone. Don't you
love the way when The disciples, they'd hit the dirt, they were
scared to death, they'd been watching as the Lord talked to
Moses and Elijah, and that's when Peter comes up with his
brilliant statement, it's good for us to be here, let's make
three tabernacles. And that's when that one for you, one for
Moses and one for Elijah. And that's when that cloud overshadowed
them. And they hit the dirt, scared
to death. And the scripture says, after that time, they heard the
voice of God from heaven. This is my beloved son in whom
I'm well pleased. You hear him. You forget Moses.
You forget Elijah. You hear him. And the scripture
says, when they rose up after the Lord touched them, they saw
no man save Jesus only. Christ alone. He's the reason for the forgiveness
of sins. Be kind, tenderhearted, forgiving
one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven
you. He didn't forgive you because
you were sorry. When have you been sorry enough
in the first place? When have you ever demonstrated a sufficient
amount of sorrow for your sin? Now you might have felt real
sorry when you got caught or embarrassed or exposed or if
it was fresh on your mind, but you forgot it quick enough, didn't
you? You forgot it. I've heard people say, oh, I
just can't forgive myself. I don't need to, I just forget
it. But the Lord, I look to the Lord's sorrow. I look to the
Lord's sorrow. I look to the Lord's faith. He's
all, not only is He all as the object of my faith, I look to
His faith. His faithfulness. Jesus Christ
alone is all in salvation. Christ in you, the hope of glory. Now, if I'm saved, the object
of my faith is Christ alone. I can't take that far enough.
It's not Christ in my works. It's not Christ in my sincerity. It's not Christ in my It's not
Christ and my ability to fight sin. It's Christ alone Christ
alone Repentance is repentance of anything other than Christ
alone That's when you repent you have a change of mind concern
anything but Christ alone. That's faith and repentance both
the same things Christ alone now the reason for perseverance
is Christ alone and It'll be over in just a second.
Now unto him that's able to keep you from falling. The reason
you persevere is because he keeps you. And you know how you persevere? By continuing to look to Christ
alone. That's the only way you'll persevere.
By continuing to look to Christ alone. And in eternity, I won't
see God the Father, He's spirit. I won't see God the spirit. He's
spirit. I'll see and worship Christ alone. He is all I will see. Now, what I want to do to emphasize
this is I want us to turn to 1 Samuel 17. Just about everybody who has been exposed
in any way to the Bible knows the story of David and Goliath.
And it's usually used in our society kind of as a sports metaphor. A little podunk high school team
beat a big city team that was highly favored, and it's David
battling Goliath. That's the way that's generally
looked at, a sports metaphor, David and Goliath. But look with
me here in 1 Samuel 17, beginning in verse 8. Now this is the giant. Well,
let's begin in verse four. And there went out a champion
out of the camp of the Philistines named Goliath of Gath, whose
height was six cubits and a span. That's pretty much 10 feet tall,
close to it. That fan is over, is not 10 feet
up. Looking above that, that gives
you some idea of the immensity of the height of this man. He
had a helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a
coat of mail. And the weight of his coat was 5,000 shekels
of brass. He had greaves of brass upon
his legs, a target of brass between his shoulders. A staff of his
spear was like a weaver's beam, 20 feet long. His spearhead weighed 600 shekels
of iron, over 20 pounds, and one bearing a shield went before
him. He stood and cried unto the armies of Israel and said
unto them, why you come out to your battle in a ray, and not
I, a Philistine, and you servants of Saul, choose you a man for
you, and let him come down to me. Now the battle's between
two men, isn't it? We're not gonna have everybody fighting.
Goliath, I'll take on anybody you have. Bring me one man. Verse nine, if he be able to
fight with me and kill me, then will we be your servants? But
if I prevail against him and kill him, then shall you be our
servants and serve us? And the Philistine said, I defy
the armies of Israel this day. Give me a man that we may fight
together. When Saul and all Israel heard
these words of the Philistines, they were dismayed and greatly
afraid. They didn't think they had anyone
in their ranks that could stand up to this man, Goliath. They were scared to death. I
understand why. Okay. You remember what David said. I can't read my writing, so I'll
have to find it. Verse 26. And David spake to the men that
stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth
this Philistine, and that taketh away the reproach from Israel? Well, what a gospel message that
is. And then he says, this young
17 year old man or boy says, for who is this uncircumcised
Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?
And the people answered him after this manner saying, so shall
it be done to the man that killeth him. So here's the battle. Beginning
in verse 41, this is when David comes up. Remember when Saul
said, try my armor? He said, I don't want your armor.
I don't need your armor. I don't need your help. I'm doing
this by myself. I'm alone in this. No help. Verse 41. And the Philistine came and drew
near unto David, and the man that beared the shield went thereof.
And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained
him, for he was but a youth and ruddy and of a fair countenance.
And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou
comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David
by his gods. And the Philistine said to David,
Come to me. and I'll give thy flesh unto
the fowls of the air and to the beasts of the field. Then said
David to the Philistine, thou comest to me with a sword and
with a spear and with a shield, but I come to thee in the name
of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom
thou hast defied this day, Will the Lord deliver thee into my
hand, and I will smite thee, and I will take thine head from
thee, and I will give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines
this day and to the fowls of the air and to the wild beasts
of the earth, that all the earth may know that there's a God in
Israel. And all the assembly shall know
that the Lord saveth not with sword or spear, for the battle
is the Lord's. Now, with regard to your salvation,
remember this. The battle is the Lord's. It's
not yours. You don't have any hand in this.
The battle is the Lord's. And he will give you into our
hands, And it came to pass when the Philistine arose and came
and drew nigh to meet David. The David hasted and ran toward
the army to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand in his
bag and took thence a stone and slain it and smote the Philistine
in his forehead that the stone sunk into his forehead and he
fell upon his face to the earth. He killed him with a sling and
a stone with no help. So David prevailed. over the Philistine, not David
and Saul, not David and Eliab, not David and anybody else. David
prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone
and smote the Philistine and slew him. But there was no sword
in the hand of David. He didn't need man-made weapons. Therefore David ran, and stood
upon the Philistine, and took the sword, and drew it out of
the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith.
And when the Philistine saw their champion was dead, they fled. That's when the men of Israel
and Judah arose and shouted and pursued the Philistines until
they came to the valley and the gates of Ekron. And the wounded
of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shariam, even unto
Gath and unto Ekron." Now, what's the point of this story? It's
a glorious story. We all love it. Everybody does. Everybody loves to hear of a
David defeating Goliath, but we'd miss the meaning if we don't
see this. This is to teach us that Christ
alone is our salvation. Now, can't you rest in this?
Everything that God requires of you, he looks to Christ alone. And let me say this, in heaven,
who gets all the glory for salvation? Christ alone. And you know that that is so. I don't have to convince any
believer of that. Christ alone bears all the glory. For he did it all. And God created the universe
to display this glorious truth. Christ alone. Now let me repeat, this was not
something that people discovered in the Reformation or even that
they realized during the Reformation.
This is the eternal purpose of God. Christ alone. That's the message of the scriptures
alone. Christ alone. And when you put your head on
your pillow tonight, by the grace of God, I hope for me and for
you, this is our last thought. Christ alone. What a sweet thought. I can go to sleep with that.
Christ alone is all my salvation.