How many people have been able to see into heaven
itself throughout time? I know that Isaiah did, and I know
what he saw. He said, in the year that King
Uzziah died, I saw also the Lord high and lifted up, and his train
filled the temple. He saw the Lord. I know that John did. He said, I looked and behold,
a throne in heaven and somebody was sitting on it. A lamb as it had been slain. And what our brother just read,
Stephen saw the son of man. Heaven was open and what did
he see? Pearly gates or streets of gold. You know how religion
talks about heaven. Same way they think of what salvation
is here. It's just us being better off
than we were before. The abundant life to religion
is having everything you want. And their idea of heaven is the
same. The few men, the few sinners that have ever gotten a glimpse
into glory, they all saw the Lord Jesus Christ. They saw him
high. They saw him on his throne. They
saw him on the right hand, that means power. That means authority. But what does all that have to
do with us this morning? How have we come here this morning? Have we come realizing who God
is? Have we come realizing that if
we were able to see into heaven itself right now, what we would
see, that one has promised to meet
with us if we gather in his name. And I'll tell you what it means
to us right now. I know this, he sits on the throne
of mercy. If he wants to have mercy on
a sinner this morning, You think your will's gonna stop him? Saul of Tarsus' will didn't stop
him. Abraham's didn't. Mine didn't. Oh my. If the Lord will, he'll
make you clean this morning. If the Lord will, he'll save
somebody you love, with all your heart and would do anything for,
but you can't do anything. He can. And he delights to show mercy. Colossians 4.1, master is given
to your servants that which is just and equal, knowing that
you also have a master in heaven. Now we spoke on this verse last Sunday as part of the context
of chapter three and how that we are exhorted to adorn the
doctrine that we've been taught and that we preach. And that's
vital. That's life. That's who sinners
are when God saves them. By his grace, that's the work
of salvation. It's what Christ did for us and
what he's done in us. We're not to declare the forgiveness
of God, and we do. By God's grace, we declare that
there's forgiveness of sin with God, but we're not to declare
that and then be cruel to those that we've perceived to have
wronged us. We're to adorn the doctrine that
we preach. We're not to proclaim the loving
kindness and mercy of God and then be mean as snakes. We're not to experience and affirm
what a wonderful king our Savior is and then abuse whatever authority
the Lord may have given us in this world. That's verse 1, what
we just read. We have a master. and all authorities of him. But
this verse also reminds us of a particular attribute of God
which is glorious and comforting and especially seen in light
of the gospel. You see how specific this verse
is when you consider what it could have said? Masters, give
unto your servants that which is just and equal, knowing that
you also have a master in heaven. The framework of the verse is
telling masters to treat those who serve them in a certain way
because of our master and who he is and how he's treated us,
our master in heaven. And it could be kindness, It
could be master's deal with your servants in kindness. It could
be generosity. It could be wise governance. It could be love to them. As
that centurion loved his servant, he came to the Lord and said,
Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously
tormented. What did he care about that old
servant? We just get another servant if that one can't do
the job. No, he loved his servant. All of these and more would abundantly
apply to our master in heaven, would they not? But we're told specifically here
because of our master in heaven and who he is to us to be righteous
and fair. in our dealings with those over
whom we have whatever authority it is. That's the two words. To be just and equal means to
be righteous and fair. Whether as a parent, an employer,
in the church, in any capacity under God. The clear implication
being that God, our master, is just and equal in his dealings
with us. Hold on a minute. Hold on a minute. Is that what we want? On the
surface, it sounds like something we don't want. And in a sense,
it is something that we very much don't want. You've likely heard a few preachers
say that if God gives us what is right, what we deserve, we
all go to hell, and that's the truth. As we are in our natural condition
before God, as sinners, all have sinned and come short of the
glory of God, and therefore, we deserve hell, only hell, nothing
but hell. We are by nature the children
of wrath, even as others, just like those who suffer the wrath
of God eternally. We're just like they are. And let's look at that passage
of scripture where it says by nature we're
the children of wrath, Ephesians 2.2. Ephesians 2, 2, wherein in time
past you walked according to the course of this world, according
to the prince of the power of the air, the devil, Satan, the
spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience, those
who are popping off about their free will, free will Baptist
church, we'd all be members there without the grace of God, wouldn't
we? are held captive by Satan at his will. According to the
prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in those that hate God. Among
whom also we all had our conduct in times past in the lusts of
our flesh and fulfilling the desires of the flesh. You see
what it is to serve Satan? It's to serve self, isn't it?
The reason people are so demonic is because they love themselves.
What did Satan say in the garden? This is all about you. Is God
depriving you? Is God limiting you? He didn't say if you do what
I tell you, I'll be God. He said, you shall be his gods. fulfilling the desires of the
flesh and of the mind and whereby nature, as we're born into this
world, sinners, the children of wrath, that is the wrath of
God, hangs over our heads by nature. We're born in sin. And
David said, in sin did my mother conceive me. That doesn't mean
there's something sinful about the conception of children. That
means when I was conceived, I was a sinner. Your cute little children are
sinners and they must have Christ or they will perish forever in
hell. But God, is there a more beautiful verse
of scripture Yeah, there's, well not more
beautiful, there's plenty just as beautiful, aren't there? The
gospel, what a refreshing breath from the very throne of
heaven. But God who is rich in mercy. God who is rich in mercy. For his great love wherewith
he loved us. even when we were dead in sins,
hath quickened us, given life to us, together with Christ,
by grace you are saved. So God, because of his great
love, wherewith he loved us, gave us life. The love of God is salvation.
The love of God is life. He don't love you and then put
you in hell. God's love is sovereign. God's
love is invincible. God's love is infinite. And God's love is saving. It's
always he loved and, he loved and quickened us. He loved and
gave himself for us. He doesn't just sit over in a
corner and love everybody and hope the best for them. It's
love and. Gave us life together with Christ
who rose from the dead for our what? Justification. Justification So mercy has to do with justification Even though we were deserving
of his wrath We followed Satan and were rebels even to the point
of murdering God's only begotten Son Because he loved us He had
mercy on us But is that just? If God has dealt with us justly
and fairly, can He have mercy on us? If God is strictly just
and we deserve hell, we get hell. That's what justice is. but God, notice the turning point
of this passage, but God who is. It doesn't stop there, it tells
us what he is, how he is, who he is, but think about those
words for a second, but God who is, because of who God is, I'm saved. And all on whom he has shown
mercy and given his son quickened us together with his
son. We can never in this life understand
this. But what a glorious thing to
know. It has to do with who God is. Who
is God according to this passage of scripture? How does it define
him? It says, God who is, is where mercy comes from. God
who is, how is he described there in Ephesians 2? Rich mercy and
great love. Romans 5, 8, but God commendeth
his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us. It is enough that Jesus died
and that he died for me. Now let's look also at the context
of this passage. Romans 5, 8, we just read. Turn
with me to Romans chapter 5. And look at the context of that.
God commendeth His love toward us in that while we were yet
sinners, if God is just and we're sinners, we're goners. But God's not only just. He is justice itself. He's all
just. He's always just. He's never
unjust. We can never think of God's attributes
as limiting one another. He's merciful, but He's only
so merciful because He's just too. And He's just, but He's
only so just because, no, He's all justice and all mercy. I
don't get it. I don't get that, but I know
it's right. The scriptures teach that so
clearly. But look at Romans chapter five. Let me get over there. Chapter five. Verse 1, therefore being justified
by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. And he's going to explain that.
By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein
we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. In other
words, we're saved. We rejoice that And this ain't
hope like I hope my ball team wins, you know. This is hope. This is a steadfast hope. This
is a sure hope. This is a hope that's the foundation
of our soul. Christ is our hope. And not only
so, but we glory in tribulations also. Even when things... Everything else is killing us. we can still rejoice because
our hope is not in things not killing us, it's in Him. Knowing that tribulation worketh
patience, not only are our afflictions light when you
consider the glory that shall be revealed in us, but they're
actually for our good. God not only takes the poison
away from them, he makes them work for us. Experience and experience
hope and hope maketh not ashamed because the love of God is shed
abroad in our hearts. By the Holy Ghost, which is given
unto us for when we were yet without strength in due time,
Christ died for the ungodly. When we couldn't do anything,
He did it, He saved us. Simon said, I will, Lord, I will,
I will, I will die with you. No, you won't, but I will. I
will go and I will prepare a place for you and I will come again.
That's salvation, not I, but Christ. For scarcely for a righteous
man will one die, yet peradventure for a good man some would even
dare to die. There may be virtue enough in
a man that knows something of grace and sacrifice and honor
to do that physically, but God commendeth His love toward us.
His love isn't like ours. In that while we were yet sinners,
Christ, died for us. Notice again now that Christ's
death is the definition of love. God commendeth his love toward
us. What does that look like? What
is love? He died for us. That's what it looks like. That's
the definition. Much more than being now justified
by his blood. Now wait a minute. We're talking
about God being just and equal with us? And our first reaction
might be, I don't want that. I need mercy. But here, we're
talking about mercy now that's justified. We, sinners, being
not guilty. Justified means not guilty. Doesn't
mean you've made up for it. Your good has outweighed your
bad. It means your sins are gone by His blood. You see what our text is talking
about? The spiritual truth of that. God has dealt with us in
equity and justice. and had abundant mercy on our
souls. By the blood of his son, by the
precious blood of Christ, we shall be saved from wrath through
him. For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by
the death of his son, much more being reconciled, we
shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also
joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received
the atonement. Wherefore, as by one man sin
entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon
all men, for that all have sinned." Death because justice requires
it. Death because justice demands
it. For until the law, sin was in
the world, but sin is not imputed when there's no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from
Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the
similitude of Adam's transgression, that is, in the very face of
God's given revealed law, who is the figure of him that
was to come. But not as the offense, so also
is the free gift. For if through the offense of
one, many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift
by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ hath abounded unto
many. And not as it was by one that
sinned, so is the gift for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many
offenses unto justification. not guilty. For if by one man's
offense death reigned by one, much more they which receive
abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign
in life by one, Jesus Christ. Therefore, as by the offense
of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation, even so
by the righteousness of one A free gift came upon all men unto justification
of life. Everybody Adam represented, sinned
in Adam and die in Adam. Spiritual death, but everyone
whom Christ represented on Calvary have life in him, righteous. He is our righteousness. For
as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by
the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Christ's obedience
unto death, even the death of the cross, has made me righteous
in the sight of God. So do I want justice from God?
In that sense, yes. God can only be just that way
if Christ died for me. if Christ died instead of me,
if Christ died in my place as my substitute, as my mediator,
as my representative. Moreover, the law entered that
the offense might abound. Now, when God gave his law, it
was just, that didn't make us sinful. The law just reveals how sinful
we are. but where sin abounded. And those in whom sin had the
strongest foothold, it seems, doesn't it? And those who were
the most wretched of all the wretched, grace did much more
abound. That as sin hath reigned unto
death, even so grace might reign through righteousness. unto eternal
life, and the only way any of that makes any sense, by Jesus Christ our Lord. The
answer to how God can be God and justify a sinner is Jesus
Christ our Lord. And what he did for us on Calvary.
So we're reconciled to God by the death of his son, as it said
there in verse 10, and put this way in verse nine, justified
by his blood, justified by his blood. So then the way that God
can have mercy on us in a righteous way is by the precious blood
of Christ, shed for our sins according to the scriptures.
Is that what the Bible teaches? Turn with me to Romans chapter
three, verse 21. Is that the gospel? Is our verse? Is that right? Is that true that
God has dealt with sinners in justice and fairness? Look at
Romans 3.21, but now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested. How can there be righteousness
without law? That's what righteousness is
based on. It's what's right and what's
wrong. But it's not saying that God
does away with his law and is righteous to do so. Righteousness
without the law is righteousness for a sinner without that sinner
keeping the law. You look at the context of it,
that's exactly what it is. Righteousness without me keeping
God's law, without me even being under God's law anymore. Righteousness
without the law is manifested. Something that's impossible,
logically. Righteousness and lawlessness
being the same thing? How's that possible? Well, God
makes it clear. Here's how he does. Being witnessed
by the law and the prophets. That's what God has always presented,
what he's always revealed. His righteousness for sinners
without them keeping the law. When he gave his law on Mount
Sinai, and they had those tables of stone, they had the law of
God, what did he do? At the same time, make a mercy seat. What's that for? For the lawless, for those who
break the law, for those who cannot keep the law. so that they can come and I'll
commune with them there on the mercy seat. That's the Lord Jesus. Being witnessed by the law and
the prophets. Even the righteousness of God,
which is by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. If you look
up that word faith, faith of Jesus Christ, that's not you
believing on Christ. That's not what that word is.
It's by the faithfulness of Christ. It's righteousness by what He
did, not by what you do. It's without the law as far as
you're concerned. But He kept the law. He honored
the law. He made the law honorable. It's
by His faithfulness unto all and upon all them that believe. There's faith that He gives the
sinner. Faith and by grace through faith are you saved, not of yourselves. You didn't come up with that
faith. It's the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should
boast. For there's no difference. There's no difference. All have
sinned, as he says here, and come short of the glory of God.
We're all condemned by the law. There's no righteousness by the
law. There's righteousness without the law for sinners, but not
by the law. For all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God and yet justified by God. Those who believe, be justified
freely without a cause, That's without a cause in you. Well,
there's a reason that God saved you. We've been reading about
it all morning. Love. For his great love, wherewith
he loved us. Being justified freely by his
grace. How can God do that? How can
he just say, your sins are gone? How can he say to a sinner, I'm
well pleased with you? through the redemption that is
in Christ Jesus by the precious blood of Christ. Whom God has set forth to be
a sin offering. That's what a propitiation is.
To be a sin offering through faith in his blood. Now Christ
is the sin offering whether you believe on him or not. but he's your sin offering through
faith in his blood. Isn't that a glorious phrase?
Faith in his blood. I believe in his blood. That
is great. To be a propitiation, a sin offering
through faith, to declare his righteousness for the remission
of sins, better past. To declare that God is righteous
in remitting sins. He doesn't just arbitrarily sweep
your sins under a rug. He did something about them.
To declare his righteousness for the remission of sins, better
past, through the forbearance of God, to declare, I say, at
this time, his righteousness. that God might be just. That's
our text. And the justifier of him which
believeth in Jesus. Your master in heaven hath dealt
with you in a righteous and equitable way in saving you simply because
the precious blood of Christ was shed for you. You see that
word redemption there in verse 24? The word propitiation in
verse 25? And the phrase faith in his blood
also in verse 25? And all of that adds up, what
Christ did, who he is and what he did adds up to God being just
and declaring you just. Do you know what it is to have
faith in Christ's blood? Let's talk about that in closing.
What is it to have faith in his blood? It is to believe that only, only
by the blood of Christ, I am acceptable and even holy in the
sight of God. That's faith in his blood. I'll
tell you what it's not. It's not to believe that Jesus
shed his blood for everybody. And the only way that that makes
a difference for me is if I decide that it does. That's not faith
in his blood. That's faith in your decision.
That's faith in your will. Faith in his blood is to believe
that his blood is my righteousness, my salvation. His obedience unto
death, even the death of the cross is my righteousness. And
his blood, his very soul made an offering for my sin is my
sin offering unto God. Here's faith in his blood. We
know that all things work together. Turn over there with me. Let's
close with this. Romans 8 28 Romans 8 20 y'all
were turning there without me even telling you Let's just smart
people Romans 8 28 and we know that
all things work together for good to them that love God To
them who are the called according to his purpose now you're very
familiar with this passage now But we're getting to a specific
part of it. I that proclaims our text, that expounds our text
like nobody ever could. Listen to it now. This part is
telling us about the security. How saved are we? All things work together for
good to them that love God, to them who are the called according
to His purpose, for whom He did foreknow. And that's not just
being aware of you and everything about you. That's foreknowledge. As Adam knew his wife Eve, he
loved her. That's how we're able to say
that we love God because He first loved us. Whom He did foreknow, He also
did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son. Our
destiny, if we'll talk about destiny, our destiny is to be
just like Christ because God made it so and works it out every
day, every moment, throughout eternity even. He also did predestinate
to be conformed to the image of his son that he might be the
firstborn among many brethren for his glory, for his preeminence. Moreover, whom He did predestinate,
them He also called. And whom He called, them He also
justified. He made them not guilty. And whom He justified, them He
also glorified. What shall we say then to these
things? If God be for us. If God did all that for us, are
we still going to be maybe lost? Really? It's up to you. God has done
everything for you, but it's up to you. Really? That's not
what it says. What it says is that if God loved
you and gave Himself for you, justified you on Calvary by His
precious blood, then there's nobody and nothing in heaven,
earth, or hell that can harm you. That's what this says. And listen more specifically.
If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not
His own Son. Are you telling me Christ died
for people that are in hell? That's not what this says. This says if God spared not His
own Son for you, you have everything. And you can't be separated from
His love and you can never perish. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. Who's
going to overturn that? He's the one we sinned against. If the one we sinned against
says you're not guilty, you're free. David said, against thee and
thee only have I sinned. I may do you wrong, but I can't
sin against you. You're not God. I sinned against
God when I did you wrong. Who is he that condemneth? How
in the world am I ever gonna be harmed at all? How in the
world is a hair of my head ever gonna fall to the ground without
him, much less me still go to hell? It is Christ that died. You see how that does away with
all the false religion in this world? It is Christ that died,
and you're telling me that he died for somebody and they're
yet gonna perish? That's not what this says. Who is he that condemneth? It's
Christ that died, yea, rather that is risen again, who is even
at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for
us. The reason that I am just, the
reason that I am just in the sight of God, the reason that
God deals with me in a just and equal way in justifying me is
that Christ died for me. His death doesn't make salvation
possible for me. It makes it inevitable. It makes
it a reality. His death does not give me a
choice to make. When He shed His precious blood
for me in eternity and at Calvary, He saved my wretched soul and made me without blemish and
without spot before God. And you know the rest of Romans
8, don't you? When Paul writes of the love
of God, He hasn't changed the subject
here, has he? What love? It is Christ that
died. That's love. When he starts talking
about the love of God and the rest of it, that's what he's
talking about. He's elaborating on the fact that Christ died
for me. It is Christ that died. I'm uncondemnable
before the very throne of God. Because He died for me, And you
see what happens when Christ dies for you when he loves you? Nobody can take that away. Nobody could separate you from
that love. May our tongues rot from our
mouths before we ever utter a single word that even reeks of universal
redemption and the universal love of God. If Christ died for you, then
nothing and no one in heaven, earth, or hell can separate you
from the one who gave himself for you. And his infinite love
is the reason that your master in heaven is just and equitable
in saying unto you, well done. Thou good and faithful servant,
enter thou into the joys of thy Lord. And that glorious gospel, that soul-saving truth, when
God reveals Christ to us, it'll affect everything we think, everything
we say, everything we do. Salvations of the Lord. Let's
pray.