I'm going to ask you to take
your Bibles and turn with me to the book of 1 Peter chapter
4. 1 Peter chapter 4. I'd like to read verses 17 and
18. 1 Peter 4, 17 and 18. For the time has come that judgment
must begin at the house of God. And if it first began at us,
what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely
be saved, where shall the ungodly and the
sinner appear? I'd like to speak for a few minutes
on this subject, the difficulty of salvation. The difficulty. Romans 10, 13 says, for whosoever
shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. I want to know something about
that. I want to know what that means. I know that it means something
more than just a verbal few words. I know that. Men speak of salvation as being
something that's just easily accomplished. They say all you
have to do is believe. Believe what? Believe who? Salvation. I want to read the
entire passage. I just read Romans 10, 13. Turn to Romans 10, just a second. I want to just read a few other
verses after that. This is what I quoted a minute
ago. Whosoever, verse 13, Romans 10, 13. Whosoever shall call
from the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then? shall they call on Him in whom
they have not believed? And how shall they believe in
Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without
a preacher? And how shall they preach except
they be sent as it is written, how beautiful are the feet of
them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings
of good things? Salvation. Oh, one of these days,
this is the only thing that's going to matter. Do I know Him? One of these days, very, very
soon, very soon, this life's a vapor. And very soon, this life's going to be over.
And every one of us is going to stand before God And in that
day, He's going to settle all things. And He's going to settle
all things according to His Word. 1 Peter, that's what we read a
minute ago. 1 Peter 4.18 says, If the righteous
scarcely be saved. Where shall the ungodly and the
sinner appear if the righteous are scarcely saved? Now that
word scarcely does not mean just barely or just by the skin of
their teeth. It's not like a man coming around
third base and sliding into home plate and an umpire is standing
right there and he's watching and he's listening. He's watching
to find out if that runner sliding into home plate or any other
base, he's watching to see when does his foot touch that base
and he's listening for the sound of that ball hit the glove. I'm right, ain't I Connor? That's
what he's doing. He's listening. And he's watching. And when he makes a call, everybody
in the stands may think that they saw it better than he did.
But he's standing right there. And I'm telling you, if that
foot touched that plate and he heard that ball hit and it was
just... Safe! Somebody said, boy, he barely
made it. That's not what this word means. This word means with much difficulty. Hard work. If the righteous with much difficulty
be saved, where is the ungodly and the sinner going to appear?
If God's elect are scarcely saved, where's everybody else going
to be? Now this work of difficulty,
I know this, it's not on man's part. Because the scripture says,
not by works of righteousness which we have done. But according
to His mercy, He saved us by the washing of regeneration and
renewing of the Holy Ghost. So I know this, the word scarcely
there means with much difficulty, with difficult work. It can't
be on our part. So this work, this difficulty,
This total effort of man's salvation must be outside of man. I want us to consider six difficult
things that must be for a man to be saved. Six things that
according to the scriptures Someone say, well, if it's on God's part,
it must not be difficult. The Word of God said, if the
righteous with much difficulty be saved. So before we start
summing up what God says He did and what God called it, let's
just go ahead and say the Lord said that with much difficulty. Six things. Here's the first
one. For a sinner to be saved, God
is going to have to will to show him mercy. Romans chapter 9 verse 15-16.
Romans 9, 15-16. For he saith to Moses, I will
have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion
on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that
willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy.
Now my friend, The Spirit of God has related
to us. That's a difficult thing. Who's known the mind of God? Again, someone might say, well,
I don't see why that's so difficult. You let God be true. You let
every man be a liar. with much difficulty, scarcely,
if the righteous scarcely be saved. It is a miracle of God's
grace that Almighty God would will to show mercy. James 1.18
said, Of His own will begat He us with the word of truth that
we should be a kind of first fruits of His creatures. Scripture bears out that salvation
is according to God's will, not man's will. And Scripture bears out that
if the righteous scarcely... Say that again, say that's not
a difficult thing. Why don't you try to change God's
will? Why don't you see who can change
God's will? That's a miracle of God's grace, that Almighty
God would show mercy. By the will of God, still in
Romans 9 verse 11, for the children being not yet born, neither having
done any good or evil, but the purpose of God according to election
might stand. Not of works, but of Him that
calleth. It is a miracle. It is a miracle that God would
choose to show mercy to anybody. Here's the second thing. I know
what it's going to take. What's it going to take if the
righteous scarcely be saved? It's going to take God's will.
God's going to have to will to show mercy. And if He shows mercy, that's
by grace. Here's the second thing. I know
for a sinner to be saved, that sinner, and in light of men saying
all you have to do is just believe, just believe, that's all there
is to it. Nothing, just walk down an aisle. Here's what the
scripture says, it's going to take for a man to be saved. That
man is going to have to be holy before God. For a man to be saved, for a
woman, for a sinner to be saved, they're going to have to possess
perfect righteousness. They're going to have to be holy.
Job asked this question, Job 14.4, who can bring a clean thing
out of an unclean? You know what Job wrote under
the inspiration of God's Spirit? He said, not one. Who can do
that? Who can will a clean thing, decide
to give their heart, I'm going to turn over a new leaf, I'm
going to get right with God. Who can do that? Nobody. Nobody. But what is impossible with man,
all things are possible with God. For a man to be saved, he's going
to have to be holy. And for this to be, it's what
it's going to take. This is the difficulty it's going
to take. God himself is going to have
to come into this world. God himself is going to have
to take upon himself flesh. God is going to have to become
a man. All you have to do is believe,
Chuck. That's all, just believe. No? God's going to have to choose
to show you mercy. And secondly, God's going to
have to become flesh. He's going to have to become
one with the objects of his mercy. God himself being made flesh
in the form of sinful flesh, yet without sin, God himself
as a man, as a man, God man, the Messiah, the anointed one,
God himself is going to have to live before his own law as
a man and going to have to obey every jot and tittle of that
law and earn a righteousness as a man that
God will look at and accept. He's going to have to earn a
holiness. He's going to have to earn holiness
that Almighty God will look at and say, well done. You know why? because there is
no righteousness in this world that God will accept. There is
none righteous, no, not one. He must earn that righteousness. The scripture says concerning
the Lord Jesus Christ, He that sent me is with me. The Father hath not left me alone,
for I do always those things that please Him." In word, in
thought, in deed. This is why He came into this
world. Scripture says, Matthew 121,
She shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name
Jesus, and listen to this, for he shall save his people from
their sins. That's pretty emphatic. He shall. And concerning his obedience
to the Father, the Father said of him, this is my beloved son
whom I'm well pleased, hear ye him. And whatever he wills, because
of his obedience, the Father gives him. Father, I will that
those that Thou has given me be with me where I am that they
might behold my glory. I must have perfect righteousness
and it must be a righteousness earned by the Lord Jesus Christ
and He must clothe me Oh, you think about the difficulty. Unless
God Almighty is pleased to robe me in His righteousness, unless
I be found in Him, robed in His holiness, I'm not going to be
saved. Isaiah 61 verse 10, I'll read
this to you. I will greatly rejoice in the
Lord. My soul shall be joyful in my
God, for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation. He
hath covered me with a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom
decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself
with her jewels. I'm going to greatly rejoice
in God. He has covered me. And this little fig leaf righteousness,
this filthy rag righteousness that men think that they produce
before God, without His righteousness robing me, without His holiness
robing me, I'm not going to be saved. Why? Because Scripture says, Exodus
34, 7, God will by no means clear the guilty. Somebody said, well
I'm just going to believe. You're guilty. I'm going to trust
the Lord. You're guilty. I'm going to give
the Lord my heart. What does he want with that?
You're guilty. And God will by no means clear
the guilty. A guilty man cannot make atonement
for his own sins. Because God will by no means
clear the guilty. For a guilty man to go free,
another one is going to have to take his place. Here's the
third thing. For me to be saved, Almighty
God is going to have to pay my debt before His law. God Himself. Why? Because the soul that sinneth
is going to die. The one where chargeable guilt
is found. Here's a miracle of God's grace.
Our Lord, the scripture says in 2 Corinthians 5.21, He hath
made him sin. I looked it up again just to
make sure. To miss the mark. To miss the mark. He hath made Him who knew no
sin." Again, we never take away. He is holy, harmless. He is God's
perfect, holy Lamb. And you talk about difficulty.
That Christ would be made before God Almighty's law with
this charge, he who knew no sin, you missed the mark. That's what I'm saying. When
I say that, I just, Lord, help me to not say that in a wrong
way. He made him sin. and charged him with this charge,
you, for their sakes, your elect, the one I gave you, for their
sakes, you were made to miss the mark. And God forsook him
and put away the guilt of his people. Made sin. You said, how in the
world could you ever say that He missed the mark? He bore our
sins in His own body. If the righteous scarcely be
saved, with much difficulty, you think it was a light thing
that the Father forsook the Son? Is that a light thing? And we
treat Him so disrespectfully. Claiming our own righteousness
before God and this, that and the other, what we've done. Here's the fourth thing, for
me to be saved. For a sinner to be saved, listen to this,
everything in this world, for a sinner to be saved, everything
in this world is going to have to be ordered and controlled
that God's will might be done. Everything is going to have to
be ordered by God Almighty who has everlastingly purposed to
show mercy. God Almighty chose the people
and gave them to the Son before the foundation of the world.
I told you, He told Jeremiah, He said, before I formed you
in the belly, I knew you. What's it going to take for Jeremiah
or you or me to be saved? It's going to take God Almighty
to order all things after the counsel of His own will. And
He's going to have to get your mom and daddy together and make
you. and bring you into this world.
And he's going to have to order all things and get you, Daryl,
under the sound of the gospel. That's what he's going to have
to do. And he's got to raise up a preacher. And give a preacher a heart.
Give him a new heart. And teach him the gospel. And
put you there. And put you under the sound of
the only message that God's going to bless. The salvation of his
elect. That's what it's going to take. If the righteous with much difficulty,
thanks be unto God, he's all powerful. With men, it's impossible. Can you imagine that? Tell a
man he's got a free will. Free will to do what? Change
God's will? Free will to what? Put away his
own sin? Pay his own debt before God?
Own will to what? Order all things? Get Himself
under the... You see how ridiculous this is? The Scripture says for 2 Thessalonians,
I love this passage of Scripture, 2.13, 13 and 14. But we're bound
to give thanks all the way to God for you, brethren, beloved
of the Lord, because God has from the beginning chosen you
to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the
truth, whereunto He called you by our Gospel, to the obtaining
of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. What's it going to take? God Almighty is going to have
to order everything. He's going to have to move everything
and put His people exactly where He's determined that they're
going to be. Here's the fifth thing. God's going to have to
give that object of His mercy a new nature a live nature. He's going to
have to regenerate him because that which is of the flesh is
flesh. And flesh and blood are not going
to inherit the kingdom of God. What's it going to take for a
man to be saved? Almighty God is going to have
to make a brand new person. God's going to have to make a
new man. The Lord said in John 3, 3, told Nicodemus, Jesus answered
and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man
be born again, born from above, he cannot save the kingdom of
God. Men say, well, just believe.
God said you're going to have to be made brand new. if the righteous with much difficulty,
if the righteous scarcely be saved. Man is born spiritually
dead, and he must have a new heart that's sensitive to God. Proverbs 23, 26, the Lord says,
My son, give me thine heart. But man by nature won't. So you
know what God Almighty is going to have to do? Patty is going
to have to give him a new heart. And He's going to have to make
him willing in the day of His power. And Almighty God is going
to have to give him a new spirit, a new love, a new desire. He's going to have to create
something that only God Almighty can create. He's going to have
to make a new man. He's got to put a new nature.
And He's going to impart a new nature with much difficulty. What's it going to take? God's
going to have to make a brand new person created in righteousness. And then lastly, what's it going
to take for a man to be saved? That regenerated sinner is going
to have to be kept by God. from falling because he still
possesses an old nature that's prone to wander. God's going to have to will to
make him new. He's going to have to make him
new. He's going to have to call him
out of darkness. He's going to have to pay his
debt. He's going to have to robe him in righteousness. He's going
to have to keep it. Keep it. 1 Peter 1, verses 3 to 5, talking
about our inheritance. 1 Peter 1 verse 3, Blessed be the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His
abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by
the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance,
now listen to this, incorruptible to those that say you can lose
your salvation. This is what God has to say.
If somebody tells you that, just listen to what God has to say.
To an inheritance incorruptible undefiled, and that fadeth not
away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power
of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last
time." Almighty God has given us an
inheritance, and then has shown us mercy, and unto Him All honor
and glory and praise is due. Jude, verse 24, 25 says, now
unto him that's able to keep you from falling, and to present
you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. To the only wise God, our Savior,
be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. May the Lord add His blessing
to the preaching and hearing of His gospel, for Christ's sake.
Amen.