Good evening, brethren. I'm going
to be reading from Psalms, or Psalm 37. Let's begin in verse 37. Psalm 37, beginning
in verse 37. Mark the perfect man, and behold
the upright. For the end of that man is peace. And that's speaking of the Lord
Jesus Christ. He's the perfect. He's the perfect. You look at him, his end is peace. You that follow him, your end
is peace in Christ. But the transgressors, those
that don't believe, shall be destroyed together. The end of
the wicked shall be cut off. But the salvation of the righteous
is of the Lord. He is their strength in the time
of trouble. And the Lord shall help them
and deliver them. He shall deliver them from the
wicked and save them because they trust in him. Let's go to the Lord in prayer.
Our gracious Lord, we thank you. We thank you, Lord, for your
goodness, for your mercy, for your provision for us in the
Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, that you've given to us
all things in Christ our Savior. And Lord, in grace and mercy,
you've turned our hearts from the enmity of this world and
going the way of this world, and you've turned us to Christ.
to the friend of sinners, to our gracious Lord, who in mercy,
love, and compassion came and fulfilled your will for us, laying
down his life to put away our sins and to give us life in himself. Lord, we thank you for this grace
and mercy. We confess that we're not worthy
We confess, Lord, that we are sinners and have nothing to boast
in of ourselves. But Lord, we thank you for the
boast that you've given to us in the Lord Jesus Christ. Hold
him always before our eyes, Lord. We ask that, Lord, you would
dwell in our hearts always by faith. And Lord, keep us ever
looking to you. Help us, Lord, to walk in love
toward our brethren and love toward our God, in peace and
in joy and rejoicing of our God. We thank you for this love and
light and liberty that we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. We
thank you for brethren. We thank you for the fellowship
of the saints. We thank you for your Holy Spirit.
Lord, we ask that you would be with us this night, that you
would not leave us to ourselves, but that you would put your spirit
upon us and that you would teach us and lead us and show us the
Lord Jesus Christ, that you would loosen our tongues to worship
our God, to praise him in thanksgiving. It's in Christ's name we pray
and give thanks. Amen. Our hymn this evening will be
139 from your softback. 139, as on the cross of Christ
I thought, you As on the cross of Christ I thought,
it seemed I heard one cry. There's all, there's nothing
in your eyes, to whom you stay past five. Is not such suffering
greater than that which you've seen before? And was there ever any man who
grieved or suffered more? I looked again, and what I saw
I cannot fully tell. It seemed within his very bones
there raged the fire of hell. What caused you grief, I ask
the man, what crimes could you have done? That God Jehovah struck you down
and left you all alone. His answer cut my heart like
steel and left me void of breath. Tis for your sins this pain I
feel, for you I go to death. Your soul before my Father's
throne could find no place to hide. This is the way God can
be just, and you be justified. Jehovah's mercies never fail,
each morning they are new. Great is His faithfulness and
love, therefore we're not consumed. Jehovah God in Christ the Son
shall all my poor should be. My soul shall therefore wait
for Him and live eternally. Thank you. Let's be turning to John chapter
19. When Christ was in the custody
of Pilate, the Jews that had brought Christ to him, they said,
if thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend. Those were threatening words.
Those words carried some weight to Pilate's ears. Caesar is the
emperor of the Roman Empire. And that man, by Caesar's authority,
Pilate is the governor of Judea. And they're saying to him, if
you let this man go, you're not Caesar's friend. You're no friend
of Caesar's. And he knew, he knew these Jews,
he knew who they were, and he knew you're not friends of Caesar's
either. However, if he didn't hear these
words, if he didn't take these words into account, he was sure
that these words would come back to bite him, because they would
form the foundation of their complaint if they appealed unto
Caesar, saying, Pilate, let this man go, a political insurrectionist,
a man who claims to be king, and you're the only king, Caesar.
They would make that argument to Caesar. And so Pilate had
to think real hard, real quick, about what he was going to do. And it gives us a question. It makes us ask the question,
whose friend am I? Am I the friend of Caesar, the
friend of this world, or am I the friend of God. Do I love Caesar? Do I love this world? Or do I
love the true and living God? James said it this way in chapter
2 verse 23, that the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham
believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness. and he was called the friend
of God. The testimony of scripture is
that the one who believes God, who hears his word, who receives
his word, and believes the testimony of God, the scripture says he
is the friend of God. He receives him whom the Father
has sent. believing this is my salvation. I'm to hear this man. I'm to
believe him. The Father is well pleased with
him. The Father has sent him. Believing
God, one who believes God, is bearing testimony of living faith. They have living faith that causes
them to look away from self and look to the true and living God.
And living faith, that faith is wrought not in this flesh,
not of this flesh, but it's wrought by the Spirit of God in the new
man, the creation of God. The creation of the Spirit of
God. born after the seed of the Savior, born after the seed of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith will take sides and does
take sides with God against ourselves. Faith knows that God is true
and every man is a liar. Believing God speaks of this
faith, this This hope that we have in the Lord and the world
is not kind to God's friends. The world can't touch God, but
the world will touch the friends of God. If it can lay their hands
on them, if God allow it, they'll lay their hands on God's friends.
And that's because this flesh, what we are by nature, is enmity
against the true and living God. Let's turn over to Romans. Let's
go to Romans chapter 8, and we're going to begin in verse 5. I
want to read a few scriptures there. tells us that they that are after
the flesh do mind the things of the flesh. That's what our
minds and thoughts are on, are on the things of the flesh. But
they that are after the spirit, the things of the spirit, our
minds and thoughts are on the things of the spirit. For to
be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded
is life and peace. because the carnal mind is enmity
against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed
can be. So then, they that are in the
flesh cannot please God." You know, Cain was of the flesh. Cain was of the flesh, and his
works did not please God. He brought to God the fruit of
the dust of the earth. picturing the fruit of our wicked
works in the flesh. What we bring forth of the flesh
to God, God is not pleased with them. And Cain was angry with
God. When he saw that God did not
have respect unto his offering, but received his brother Abel's
offering, he was angry. And he slew his own brother,
because he was angry with God. He was angry with Him. There
was enmity in Cain's heart. And it's only by a work of the
grace of God, it is only by a work of the grace of God in our hearts,
because of the redemption of the Lord Jesus Christ, because
of His blood, it's only by a work of grace in our hearts that that
enmity in our own heart is removed from controlling us and influencing
us and turning us away from the true and living God. But by the
grace of God, we're turned from this world, from this flesh,
from trusting ourselves and hearing the Word of God and believing
Him, trusting the true and living God. It's a spiritual work grace
done in our hearts, removing the heart of stone which is in
us by nature, and putting in a new heart of flesh, one that
is soft and pliable to the hand of God, one that hears God and
believes God. Let me finish in Romans 8 verses
9 and 10, but ye, brethren, ye are not in the flesh but in the
Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any
man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ
be in you, the body, his body, is dead because of sin, but the
Spirit is life because of righteousness. This flesh is still as corrupt
and vile and dead and unbelieving and provoked by the things of
God as it always has been. but by the grace of God. In the
new man, we worship God and believe Him and trust in Him. Our hope
is in the Lord Jesus Christ, not in the works of this flesh.
We have no confidence in this flesh, and our confidence is
not in this world. It's in the true and living God,
by the grace of God. Now, Since Christ has been on
trial, we've seen both the Jews and Pilate do a lot of manipulating
of one another. They are manipulating each other
back and forth. They're going. We're told by
Mark and Matthew as well, but Mark tells us that Pilate knew
that the chief priests had delivered Christ for envy. He knew it.
He knew why they brought Christ there. He knew something of Christ.
He knew how upset they were. He probably chuckled a few times
hearing the stories of it. But he knew why they brought
Christ there. And so the chief priests were
very crafty. They were very careful in the
arguments that they brought to Pilate as to why he should put
Christ to death. And so they never accused Christ
of breaking their law, of doing something of blasphemy, of something
against their religion. They were very careful to show
that what Christ was doing was, well, they were trying to show
that he was an insurrectionist, a political insurrectionist. Had they said it was for religions,
like their own religion's sake, Pilate could have weaseled out
of it. He could have wormed out of it and had something to answer
to Caesar, but they never said that. They always said, He's
making himself a king, and he's coming against Caesar. You've
got to put him to death. And they did that to keep that
pressure on Pilate. And that's the spirit of the
world. That's exactly how this world operates. It'll lie. It'll cheat. It'll connive. It'll manipulate, it'll do anything
it has to in order to serve its own flesh and to get what it
wants for itself. And Pilate, by trying to not
crucify Christ, he put himself in the crosshairs of the enmity
of the world against the true and living God. And therefore,
we read in John 19, verse 12, From thenceforth Pilate sought
to release Christ. But the Jews cried out, saying,
if thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend. Whosoever
maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar. Pilate would
have to choose whose friend he was. Was he Caesar's friend? Was he a friend of this world
to save himself or Christ's friend and risk being destroyed by the
world that hates the true and living God and his Christ? And
that's really, we face that. I've faced that in jobs. I've
felt that pressure. We face that among peers and
friends and family and jobs and all kinds of things that would
pressure us to say, whose friend are you? Whose side are you on?
Who are you and who do you think you are and why are you talking
like that suddenly? Why are you defending God? and they just rip you apart for
it. They rip you apart for it. The world is no friend of God's. So Pilate knew these Jews could
accuse him of treason against Caesar if he didn't crucify Christ. Pilate knew then the buttons
that he had to push. He went right in and dialed it
right up so that in the end he was able to deliver Christ up
to them to be crucified, verse 16, and they took Jesus and led
him away. He played the game and he went
right along with it. Now he had no faith in Christ,
he had no hope in Christ, but it shows us the natural heart
and we felt it. We've all felt that in our hearts
and for shame we have nothing good to boast of, nothing good
to say of ourselves. Now this account reveals That
wicked heart of man, it shows us our depravity. It shows us
why Christ is despised and rejected of men. When it came down to
Pilate's career, he sided with the people who wanted Christ
dead. And this is why it says in Acts 4.27, that of a truth
against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed both
Herod and Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel were
gathered together. Any one of them could have had
Christ released. Any one of them. They didn't
need one another's permission. They could have released him
if they wanted it, but none of them did. And so they're all
guilty of crucifying Christ. And it shows us what our heart
is by nature. It shows us the darkness and
the enmity of this heart. It shows us that if left to ourselves,
if I'm left to myself, I will go the course of the world. That's what I will do. That's
the enmity that's in my flesh and your flesh. When it comes
to a man's worldly reputation, he's going to choose to please
his fleshly lusts and passions. He's going to do what profits
himself, what advances himself in the world. And Paul reminds
us of this. He says in Ephesians 2.3, among
whom also we all had our conversation. We did the same exact things
as those yet in the world. We, in times past, in the lusts
of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the
mind, and we're by nature the children of wrath, even as others."
This course of the world that he spoke of in Ephesians 2.2,
it's the broad way that leadeth to destruction. The course of
this world is the carnal mind that is enmity against God. The course of this world is the
nature of this flesh. It's the friendship of this world
and the natural man, the flesh, is right at home in it. Very
comfortable in this world. Speaking of this very thing,
James wrote in James 4.4, he said, ye adulterers and adulteresses,
and he's talking about idolatry. He's talking about spiritual
adultery. He says, know ye not that the
friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore
will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. And so, this flesh, loves the
world. Sad to say, this flesh loves
the world. In spite of all the evil that
we see in the world, in spite of all the injustices that we
see men inflicting upon other men, or the injustices that we've
received from others or the system of this world, or the injustices
that we ourselves have inflicted upon others, in spite of all
those things, When it comes down to it, we would. If left to ourselves,
we will turn to the world and trust the world to provide for
us and to care for us and to help us out, rather than the
true and living God. We would sooner trust the world
than God, and I know that because that's the very nature of my
heart. That's the very nature of this
flesh. And you can trace that all the
way back through every generation, all the way back to Adam and
Eve. who after they sinned, and their
eyes were open, and they knew that they were naked, heard the
voice of God walking in the cool of the garden, in the cool of
the day, and they hid themselves. And when God called Adam to account,
he said, I was afraid, and I was naked, and I hid myself when
I heard your voice. And that's what we do. If God
leaves us to ourselves, when we hear the voice of the Son
of God declared in the Gospel, we run and hide. We run and hide. Oh, I can't hear that. That's
too much for me. I don't want to think about that
right now. And we just put it off, put it off, put it off,
until we can't put it off any longer. Turn with me to John
12. Let's go to John 12 and then
just stay there for a bit. I'm going to return to it shortly
again. In this passage, we're reminded
of the old man's heart toward the Christ of God. To see that
without the Holy Spirit, this is us. This is where I would
go without the grace of God. It says, verse 37, John 12, 37,
but though Christ had done so many miracles before them, yet
they believed not on him, that the saying of Isaiah the prophet
might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed
our report? And to whom hath the arm of the
Lord been revealed? Therefore they could not believe,
because that Isaiah said again, The Holy Spirit moved Isaiah
to write this, He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their
heart, that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand
with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them. Man doesn't trust God. And that's
exactly why we need the grace of God. And we need the mercy
of God. We're not going to work ourselves
out of this. We're not going to deliver ourselves
from sin and death and destruction. Because our very nature at its
core is depraved, it's vile, it's sinful. We trespass against
God like we're drinking water on a thirsty day. We're just,
we're wicked in ourselves. left to ourselves, we all are
unbelievers. Verse 41, these things said Isaiah
when he saw Christ's glory and spake of him. That's Isaiah chapter
six. That's when he saw Christ's glory,
when he saw Christ on the throne and said, I am undone. I'm a man of unclean lips and
I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. Nevertheless,
among the chief rulers also many believed on him, but because
of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should
be put out of the synagogue. For they loved the praise of
men more than the praise of God." This is a description of one
who is a friend of the world. They would sooner side with the
world than be found with Christ. confessing Him and believing
on Him. They put their fleshly passions
and lusts before anything else. Because they don't want to be
marked for the hatred of the world. But does man have a standing
for mistrusting God? Does man have any valid reason
for doubting God and for this enmity that he has against God?
Does the coming of Christ say anything to us? Does the coming
of Christ not show the grace and the mercy and the compassion
and the love of God for sinners? That the Son of God should lay
aside His glory and take up the weakness of this flesh and come
as a substitute, as a surety, a sacrifice for His people. Does the coming of Christ not
show us this? Does it justify man in his hardness
and his unbelief? Or does the coming of Christ
justify God and show us God? We have no business doubting
God. We have no reason to mistrust
the true and living God. In the coming of the Lord Jesus
Christ, We see God's kindness. We see God's love and mercy for
sinners, for vile sinners, those to whom he would be gracious,
those whom he receives in his darling Son. Continuing in John
12, verse 44, Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me
believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. And he that seeth
me, seeth him that sent me." Would you know the true and living
God? Not through the eyes of this
mistrusting, cynical flesh. But would you know the true and
living God? Then look at His Son. Look at
the Lord Jesus Christ. That's how we see God's heart
in truth. That's how we know who the true
and living God is. Not through the eyes of Adam,
but through the eyes of Christ. Because everything He did, everything
He said, was exactly according to what the Father sent Him to
do. The Father sent Him here for
this purpose. The Father gave Him the words
to say. And everything he said and did
was according to the Father's will and purpose for his people. Then look to the Lord, because
it says in, I think it's John 13, it says, having loved his
own, he loved them to the end. did nothing but love and mercy
and showed mercy and kindness to his people. He says, verse
46, I am come a light into the world that whosoever believeth
on me should not abide in darkness. That's that glorious light. We
see the heart of God all the way back in Genesis chapter 1
verse 3 when God said, let there be light. And we know that's
the uncreated light. And when God shone that light,
the light of the Lord Jesus Christ, that's Jesus Christ there, when
he shone that light on the dark world, it declared the glorious
purpose of God for people. God was saying, I have a people
here. I'm going to make a people here
to whom I will be gracious, and I will forgive their iniquity,
and I will give them life and love, and they shall know me
through my darling son, the light whom I've sent. Christ has come
to redeem the lost sinner. Christ has come to put away our
sin. Christ has come to cover our
nakedness. Christ has come to remove that
enmity in our hearts and to restore that fellowship with holy God. We should know Him and call Him
our God, our Savior, our friend, our hope, our help. Our all. If any man hear my words, he
said, and believe not, I judge him not, for I came not to judge
the world, but to save the world. He says his word that he speaks
will judge us. Those that don't believe the
word, but you that believe him, he's come to save you. He's come
to save you. Verse 49, for I have not spoken
of myself, but the Father which sent me. He gave me a commandment,
what I should say and what I should speak. That's God's heart. Everything
Christ said and did, that is God's heart. For you, sinners,
who have no righteousness of your own, no way of saving yourselves,
who have no hope of salvation, Christ is given unto you for
your hope. And it's a sure hope, a good
hope, a perfect hope. It's the Lord Jesus Christ. I
know, verse 50, that his commandment is life everlasting. Whatsoever
I speak, therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak. So that you and I would know
that Christ's words are words of life. Christ's words are words
of peace, of forgiveness, of love, of liberty. to restore
that which was lost, to give us an expected end, a good end,
a good inheritance in the Lord Jesus Christ. He's all. He's gracious, and He receives
all who come to Him for help and mercy. If Christ is gracious
and merciful to all who come to Him, it's because the Father
who sent Him is gracious and merciful to all who come to Him
in and by the Lord Jesus Christ. That's why Christ is gracious
and merciful. That's why he never turned any
sinner away. That's why he was gracious to
all who came to him. The friends of this world thought
to speak ill of Christ, calling him a friend of publicans and
sinners, but wisdom is justified of her children. Oh, he's the
friend of publicans and sinners? I love that man. I need him. I need to go to him. He's merciful
and gracious to all who come to Him. He's a friend of sinners,
and that's what I am. And that's what you that are
sinners, you hear that and you go to him because he's drawing
the sinner. He's drawing those that have
no righteousness of their selves and he's delivering his people
from that enmity in our hearts. It says in Luke 15, 1 and 2,
then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to
hear him, all. All who know that they are sinners,
they come to Christ and they're all forgiven. All of you who
know that you are sinners have offended God and trespassed against
Him time and time and time and time again. He receives all who
come to Him seeking mercy and forgiveness in the Lord Jesus
Christ. He turns none away, none away. And the Pharisees and the scribes
murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.
There's the testimony. There's the testimony. He receiveth
sinners. He receiveth sinners. The natural
man, the very thing that the natural man hates Christ for
is the very thing that sinners love him for, because he receives
us. He receives us and heals us and
forgives us. You know, I'm burdened with the
weight of my sin when sometimes my foolishness, my folly, my
sin comes back on me. Whether it's a recent sin or
something from decades ago. And it'll just come back to me
and just bother me. and just really make me feel
so stinking low in myself. And it breaks my heart because
there's nothing I can do to fix it or to change what I've done. I can't do anything about it.
But I'm so thankful that Jesus is the friend of sinners. I'm
so thankful to God for His love and faithfulness and doesn't
turn me away. and won't turn you away who are
sinners and need Him and come to Him. He'll never turn you
away. He's the friend of sinners. So those who believe God believe
the Son and they follow Him. Our God tells us, you hear Him,
this is my beloved Son in whom I'm well pleased. You hear Him. I'm well pleased in him. He's
speaking to you rightly. He's telling you exactly what
you need to know. He's the light. He's your light. You follow him. because He's
speaking for me, and He's doing exactly what I sent Him here
to do. And Christ leads His lost sheep. He finds them, and He leads us
in paths of righteousness for His name's sake, to the praise,
glory, and honor of His name. And He shows us the Father, and
in Him we receive all spiritual blessings, because that's in
whom the Father gives them, in heavenly places, in Christ Jesus.
And this grace of God is seen and witnessed in them that believe
Jesus Christ. We believe Him because it's a
testimony, it's a witness of what God has done in our hearts. This faith isn't of the flesh,
it's of God. And you that believe Him and
hope in Him and have no other hope of righteousness, though
your flesh is screaming out and saying, you're condemned, you're
condemned, you're condemned, why do you waste your time? Because
I don't know where to go, I have nowhere else to go. He alone
has the words of eternal life and I am sure that He is the
Christ of God. And so we will not turn from
that. Romans 4, 7, and 8 says, Blessed
are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord will not impute sin. It's not for their works that
the Lord forgives and imputes righteousness for faith. It's
not for our works. It's for Christ's sake. Do I believe Christ and confess
Him before men? Men of flesh dare not confess
Christ alone, lest they should be put out of the synagogue of
man's praise and high esteem. These reject Christ and they
crucify him afresh. And men still bend to the world
and what the world wants, that they might be counted among Caesar's
friends and be called friends of the world. But what can Caesar
do for you? Our Lord said, what is a man
profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own
soul? But unto those who trust the
friend of sinners, They go to Him. Go to Him. Go unto Him without
the camp bearing His reproach. We go to Him because we're sinners.
We bear that reproach because we're sinners. Sinners saved
by the grace of God, who has made Christ unto us wisdom and
righteousness, sanctification and redemption, everything we
need. Everything we need God has given
to us fully, freely in the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe the
promise of God revealed in him because by grace we have been
made the friends of God. By grace, by the spirit of grace.
James said Abraham believed God and he was called the friend
of God. The friend of God. We once were
friends of this world. Now we're reconciled to God by
the friend of sinners. And he's given us his spirit
who's regenerated us so that we are become the friends of
God by grace. Through that same faith that
Abraham had, all by the grace of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm so thankful. So thankful
for the grace of God. I'm so thankful for the Lord
Jesus Christ. And I'm thankful for you, brethren. whose hope is in Christ, whose
friend is my friend too, the Lord Jesus Christ, the friend
of sinners. Amen. Let's pray and then have a final
hymn. Our gracious Lord, we thank you for your mercy and grace
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, we confess our sins. We confess our faults. Lord,
that we in our flesh, we're weak, we're unable to stand and unable
to confess You, but by Your Spirit, by Your grace in us, by Your
help, Lord, we see Your grace and mercy, and Lord, we don't
want to stand with this world, we don't want to be counted among
them. Lord, count us among Your friends, in Your family, by the
grace of God in Christ, receive us, Lord. We have nothing but
you. And we ask that you would be
merciful to us. Heal us, Lord. You know our troubles.
You know our weaknesses. You know our sins and faults. And you know what we are. Lord,
be merciful to us. Help us. Turn us from this flesh
and help us to bear that light of the Lord Jesus Christ, our
help. Lord, even if it's just to say
what you have done for us. And Lord, we pray about the things
that you know that we struggle with and are troubled by. We
ask, Lord, that you would heal us and help us. Give us wisdom
and direction. Help us to love one another.
It's in Christ's name we pray and give thanks. Amen. Our closing hymn will be 103.
Glory, glory, I'm forgiven. 103. Glory, glory, I'm forgiven, all
my sins are washed away. Christ, by his great blood atonement,
all my sin has put away. Sin and punitive my Savior when
He died upon the tree. As the substitute for sinners,
God will not impute to me. Glory, glory, I'm accepted, Robed
in Christ's own righteousness, I'm a child, an heir of heaven. saved by God's almighty grace. Christ's obedience to the Father
is imputed now to me. In God's sight I'm pure and holy. He declares me so to be. Glory, glory, I'll not perish. In Christ's hands I am secure. He who saved me sure will keep
me. By God's grace I shall endure. This is not a vain presumption. I just take him at his word. Christ has sworn they shall not
perish who believe on me their Lord. Thank you.