John chapter 15 and verse 1. John chapter 15 and verse 1.
The title of the message is The comfort of union. The comfort
of union. The Lord Jesus Christ said to
his disciples, I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth
not fruit, he taketh away, and every branch that beareth fruit,
he purgeth it, that he may bring forth more fruit. Now you are
clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide
in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit
of itself except it abide in the vine, no more can you except
you abide in me. I am the vine and you are the
branches. He that abideth in me and I in
him, the same bringeth forth much fruit. For without Me you
can do nothing. If a man abide not in Me, he
is cast forth as a branch, and is withered, and men gather them,
and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide
in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will,
and it will be done unto you. Herein is My Father glorified. that you bear much fruit, so
shall you be my disciples." Abide in me. Jesus Christ here says,
I am the vine. I am the source of life and nourishment. For who? The branches. You, believer
in Christ, are the branches. You receive life and nourishment
by abiding in union with the vine, with Christ. Jesus makes it clear, everyone
who abides in Christ shall bring forth fruit. Much fruit. This fruit is the fruit of the
Spirit. Love, joy, peace, meekness, temperance,
faith. All of these things are the fruits
of the Spirit of God that dwell in you, believer. You believe,
you love, you rejoice only as the Spirit of God is in you and
you abide in Christ. And so, if we desire joy, if
we desire peace and faith and all of these fruits, which you
do, if you're a believer, you desire these things, you want
these things, how then should we get these things? Only as
you abide in Christ. in Christ. All of these things
come from Christ. Now, anyone outside of Christ. anyone who does not abide in
Christ. If you have no union with Christ,
you shall wither and you shall be burned under the justice of
God. This is a fact. This is a truth. There is no life outside of union
with Christ. No life. No joy. No peace. No comfort of the Scripture. No hope. Now there is then, therefore,
nothing more needful than everyone under the sound of my voice to
be in union with Christ. There's nothing more needful.
Nothing more needful. If you are not in union, you
have no life. He alone is the rock and refuge
for sinners. He who himself has endured the
wrath of God for the sin of his people, he alone is the refuge,
the source of life and hope for sinners." For sinners. This is
a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. That Jesus
Christ came into the world to save sinners. Sinners. You remember that illustration,
that picture in the Old Testament of the city of refuge, how if
a man accidentally slayed his neighbor, he was commanded to
leave all and flee. Flee to one of these cities of
refuge. You see, believer, we are the
slayer. We were the slayer. We were the
sinner. We've offended the justice of
God. And the avenger of blood, that person that were to pursue
the one who murdered their relative, if they caught him outside of
the city, they slew him and were legally justified to do so. And you listen, the slayer is
the justice of God. The slayer is God. It is God
who pursues the sinner. It is God's justice that demands
satisfaction. And as the slayer of blood, the
justice of God, looms over the head of guilty sinners, do you
know what separates the sinner outside of Christ from hell?
It's one breath. One breath separates a man from
hell. One breath. If he's outside of Christ, if
that breath, he exhausts that last breath, it's then swiftly
the justice of God will fall on him and he will die in his
sins. But listen, I will tell you of
a hope. I'm here to tell you of a hope. There is a hope for
such sinners. There is a hope for such men
under the justice of God. Under the condemnation of God.
There is a city of refuge. You know, this was said that
they had to make these ways well marked to these cities of refuge.
They had to make sure the paths were clear, that there were no
obstacles in the way for the man to flee. Listen, this morning,
by the grace of God, I should remove all obstacles Is there
any objection for you not coming to Christ? Well, I'm not worthy. Well, that's
good, because that's the only people that are allowed in the
city of refuge. Well, I can't. Well, good, because
that's the only one He draws is those that can't. My sin is too great. No, the
Savior's blood is greater than any sin you've ever done. He
is able to deliver thee. He is able to save. His blood
is capable of washing away the vilest of sinners' sins. Capable. Able. But I don't know
if He's willing. He says He is. You pay attention. He is more willing to receive
a sinner than a sinner is to come. He is more willing than any sinner
is to come. Why? Man by nature is not willing
to come at all. But yet Christ is willing to receive. And so
then, the only obstacle in the way of you coming to Christ is
you. You will not come. That's the only obstacle. And
so if you fall by the avenger's sword, it will be your fault.
It will be your fault. All obstacles are removed. Come.
Come to Christ. And all who come to Christ in
this great city of refuge, they find a high priest. A high priest. That's what was in the city of
refuge, was a priest. And listen, he was to dwell in
that city until when? The priest died. Listen, the
priest has already died. Christ is the high priest. He
has already died. Come and welcome. Find refuge. I notice this about men who say
they want to come to Christ. They spend a lot of time looking
at Christ, examining Him. They spend a lot of time, they
may have been studying the theology and doctrines and so forth, but they have not entered in. What good is it to study the
door and not enter the door? The door is not made to be studied,
it's made to be entered. Christ is the door. Come in.
And listen, all who come in, I want you to see this. You are
in perfect union with Christ. You're in perfect union with
Christ. All of the benefits of being in Christ are yours. This
morning we're in a building. And however sturdy this building
is, we are afforded its protection, aren't we? If there were a storm
outside, if the storm is not greater than the building, we're
safe. You see, Christ is the building.
Christ is the refuge. Christ is the ark. And all who
are in Christ are afforded all of the protections of Christ,
all of the benefits of Christ. the blood of Christ, the righteousness
of Christ. Don't stop short of entering
in. Listen, He said, I am the vine, you are the branches, he
that abideth, listen, in me. And listen, I in him. The same shall live, bring forth
much fruit, If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth." Now
this morning, you who are in Christ, that's who I want to
talk to. You are in Christ. I want to do for you what God
commands me to. Comfort ye, comfort ye my people,
saith the Lord. Speak comfortably unto them. Tell them that their warfare
is accomplished. Four, the Lord hath received
double. You get that? Double for all
your sins. Double payment has been made. Twice the payment than was required. And so I want to comfort you
who are in Christ, and I want to comfort you by showing you
five aspects of your union with Christ. Five things about being
in union with Christ that should bring you great comfort. The
first of these five things is this. Our union with Christ is
an eternal and everlasting union of love. This union we have with
Christ is a union of eternal effectual love. Go over to Hosea. Hosea chapter 11. Look at verse 1 of Hosea chapter
11. Remember Israel is a type. Israel
in the Old Testament is a picture of who? True Israel. Those who
are spiritual Israel. Listen to what he said. When
Israel was a child, then I loved him and called my son out of Egypt. As they called them, so they
went from them. They sacrificed unto Balaam,
and burned incense to graven images. I taught Ephraim also
to go, taking them by the arms, but they knew not that I healed
them. I drew them with cords of a man,
with bands of love, and I was to them as they that take off
the yoke in their jaws, and I laid meat unto them." God says as
Israel was a child, He took him out of Egypt, and He healed him. And listen,
He knew it, Not. He knew it not. What did he do? He sacrificed unto false gods. And then God, in time, in love,
He drew him with the cords of a man, with the bands of love. See, believer, that even before
we knew God, He knew us. He delivered us in Christ. I
will send My Son out of Egypt. Who is that talking about? Well,
we know that's talking about Christ, isn't it? That was a
prophecy of Christ. Christ, He's talking about. Before
we knew it, what did He do? My Son shall come out of Egypt. Christ sent Christ to die in
our stead before we ever believed on the Son. But in the appointed
time, what did He do? He drew us. He drew us with cords
of love. Is it not the goodness of God
that led you to repentance? Was it the wrath of God that
led you to repentance? No, it was the goodness of God.
you to repentance. It was the love of God that led
you to repentance. It was the grace of God in sending
His only begotten Son into the world to save such a vile wretch
like you. That's what drew you. I draw
you with love. And what did He do when He drew
us? He took that yoke out of our mouth. Bridal. You know that's what the slaves,
they'd put those yokes even in their teeth like a horse, and
they'd drag them around, turning them wherever they wanted to
go. That was us under the law, wasn't it? We were under the
yoke of bondage, and what did he do? He said, I'm going to
be to them like one that took that out of their mouth. Wouldn't
you be so pleased to have someone so powerful who is able to take
you from the yoke of bondage? And what did He do? He didn't
just let you go. He laid meat before you, which
is Christ, the Gospel. He laid the Gospel. He set His
Son before you. And what are you doing right
now? You're feeding. You're free from the law. And you're feeding
on Christ. Is this not cords of a man? Does this not tug on your heart? It should. May God make it so.
I know we can be cold and indifferent. May God help us to see what great
love He has. Oh, don't look at yours. Don't
look at your love for Him. It's nothing to look at. Look
at His love for you. His love for you. Long before
we ever felt or knew His love, before we ever were made bound
to Him by faith and love in effectual grace, you see, He has joined
us to Christ by the bands of love. He's taken the bands of
love and He's wrapped them around you and the Savior and you are
together. You're together. Before the worlds
were made, before our Savior bore our nature and suffered
in our stead, He loved us. He loved us. Look back as far
as you can. In your mind's eye, look back
as far in eternity past as you can possibly see, and what will
you find? God loved you. That's what you
will find. God loved you. When God dwelt alone, His eyes
were fixed on you. That's amazing because I don't
like to look at me. You ever look inside your heart? Do you like it? I don't. But I'll tell you something. He had his eyes so fixed on you
and there was nothing but happiness when he thinks of you Go over to Proverbs Proverbs Chapter 8 Verse 22 Let's get you some background. This is the Lord Jesus Christ
talking. He said, The Lord possessed me in the beginning of His way,
that begotten me in the beginning of His way, before His works
of old. I was set up. He was set up to be the Christ.
He was set up to be our Redeemer. Ever, from everlasting, from
the beginning of beginning, or ever the earth was. Listen, when
there were no depths. I was brought forth. When there
was no fountains abounding with water, before the mountains were
settled, before the hills I was brought forth. While it was yet,
He had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part
of the dust of the world. When He prepared the heavens,
I was there. When He set a compass upon the
face of the depth, when He established the clouds above, when He strengthened
the fountains of the deep, when He gave up the sea to His decree
that the waters should not pass His commandment. when he appointed
the foundations of the earth. Then I was by him, as one brought
up with him. I was daily his delight, rejoicing
always before him. This is Christ. Now listen what
he rejoices in. I want you to get a sense of
what Christ's happiness is. What he is rejoicing in. Here
it is. Rejoicing in the inhabitable
part of the earth and my delights. were with the sons of men. Before ever the earth was, before
there were ever sons of men, His delight was with the sons
of men. You. You. His delight was with you. His
love was set on you. And this love is real. This love
is binding. For His love is like all of His
other attributes. Immutable. Unchangeable. Eternal. Fixed. Therefore, the Apostle Paul in
Romans defies anyone. He said, who shall separate us
from the love of God? I defy you to find one person,
one thing, one act, one deed, one thought that should ever
separate you from the love of God. And then he concludes with
this, nothing shall separate us from the love of God. Why,
Paul? Because it's in Christ Jesus.
Isn't that where you are? He that abideth in me, and I
in him, shall live and bring forth much fruit. Are you in
Christ? Then you are in His love. His love is eternal love in Christ. Just as the soul of Jonathan
was knit to David, so that he loved David as his own soul,
so does Christ love you as His own soul. Loves you as His own soul. so loved were we that the maker and creator of
all things did something for us that is so great nothing else could be greater
he put us in oneness with himself So then he holds all the family
of the elect in love. In love. You remember that passage
when he says about Christ, he said, to wake o'er sword and
smite the shepherd, the man that is the shepherd, the man that
is my fellow. And what did God say? I will turn my hands to
the little ones. See what He did in love, so that
He might turn His hands to you. This is because of our union
with Him. Eternal, everlasting union. He says this, Yea, I have loved
thee, I have loved thee with an everlasting love. Everlasting. Therefore with loving kindness
have I drawn thee. Does this not then beg the question,
why me? Why me? Why would he love me? There is no answer to that but
grace. But God, that's it, but God would
love you. How sweet and awesome is the
place with Christ within the doors, while everlasting love
displays the choices of her stores, while all our hearts and all
our songs join to admire the feast, each of us cry with thankful
tongue, Lord, why was I a guest? Why was I made to hear thy voice
and enter while there's room, when thousands make a wretched
choice and rather starve? The answer, "'Twas the same love
that spread the feast that sweetly drew us in, else we still refuse
to taste and perish in our sins.'" Comfort yourselves with this.
God has loved you. God has loved you who are in
His Son. And second of all, our union
with Christ, our union with Christ, is according to the purpose of
God. Not only is it according to the
love of God were you in Christ, but purpose of God that you were
in Christ. Look and see that we were put
in Christ not only as an act of love, but of divine will. Now, our love is fickle. Is it
not human love? Oh, I love you. I love you. I
love you. Oh, I don't love you. I don't love you. What mess! What horrible passions and full
of lust and deceit is the passions and love of man. Men say this
a lot. I just can't help who I love.
I just love who I love and I can't help it. God's nothing like that.
See, God loves and God loves on purpose. Now you may not be
able to help who you love. God can. God said this, Jacob
have I loved. And what was that love? It was
according to the purpose of divine election. That the purpose of
election, purpose of God according to election might stand. He said
this, I have loved Jacob. How did he love? I loved him
on purpose. The sons of God, the Son of God,
He loved us, He chose us, and so did the Father make the same
choice and decreed that we should be one in Him. See, our love, our Father's love is not
just a wishful thinking kind of love. If this was the case, this is
the case of false religion, this is what they think, that God's
love is nothing more than a wishful thinking. Isn't that right? If
God loves everyone, God desires everyone to be saved, but not
all people are saved, then His love is nothing more than a wishful
thought. Well, I love them. I hope that they're alright. I
hope they'll be okay. God loves all men without exception,
and He wishes and hopes and pleads and tries to save them, but can't.
If this is the case, that the love of God has no power to save
us, then what good is the love of God? If God's love has no
purpose, if God's love has no power, then what good is God's
love? It would be no good to us if
God loved us, but could not and did not purpose to save us. If the love of God for Judas
was the same as for Peter, who made the difference? Who made the difference? Why
did Judas spend eternity in hell, and why is Peter now in glory?
Who made the difference? They both betrayed the Lord.
They both denied Him. What's the difference? I tell you, because God did not
love Judas, and He did love Peter. Isn't that what Christ said?
You shall betray Me, but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith
fail not. What's the difference? Christ
is the difference. Peter was in union with Christ
and Judas was not. There's the difference. God purposed
to save Peter and he did not purpose to save Judas. We who are in Christ know that
we are saved, not by our works, not by our will, not by our merits,
or religion, or ceremony, or any such foolish nonsense. We
are saved by the grace and purpose of God. If anyone asks you about election,
it is very simple. It is not a complex doctrine.
Do not think it is. It is very simple. Did God save
you on purpose or accident? That's it. Did you just stumble upon this?
Did God just love you and you happened upon it and made some
choice, some decision? Or did God design it? Did God
scheme it? Did God purpose it? Oh, I know
He purposed it. I know He did. Listen, if you're saved on accident,
you have no idea who God is, and you definitely don't know
who Christ is. Romans 8, 28, for we know that
all things work together for good to them that love God, to
them who are called on accident. He smiled because you know that's
stupid. That just doesn't make sense. "...called according to
the purpose of God, for whom he did know, he also foreknew,
he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his
Son, all on purpose." On purpose by design, by plan. "...for the
children not yet being born, neither having done good or evil."
Listen, that's the purpose of God. according to election might
stand, not of works, but of him that calleth. It is said to her,
The elder shall serve the younger as it is written, Jacob have
I loved, but Esau have I hated. Is there unrighteousness with
God? Is God unfair? Is God unjust to do so? God forbid
you should say anything like that. He's already told Moses,
I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy. And I will have compassion
on whom I will have compassion. So then God's love is not fickle.
God's love is on purpose. You are in Christ on purpose. God loved you on purpose and
God put you in Christ on purpose. On purpose. We are called on purpose, we
are loved on purpose to receive the mercy of God according to
the free sovereign grace of our God. And this mercy, though displayed
for us at our calling, was the purpose of God that we should
be heirs from before the world began. That all of this, all
of this, should redound to the glory of God. You don't want
to know why you're in Christ and why you're loved? That God
should be glorified, that's it. That God should receive all the
praise and glory. That He should take the most
unworthy and vile objects, rebels in heart and will, dead in trespasses
and sins, and seeing that we would be born in this corrupt,
vile, adamic nature, both unable and unwilling to come or obey
God. And before our fall, he said,
I will that these objects be the heirs of all my glory. I want those worthless, vile,
rebel, God-haters, and I'm going to make them sons. On purpose. You see, there was
no other way that you or I would have ever been made a son unless
it was on purpose. Isn't that what Isaiah said?
He said, if God had not had a remnant, we would have all been as Sodom
and Gomorrah. None of us would have ever turned.
And now with that song, I still would have refused to taste and
never come. Had you not loved me. And we
see this most clearly in Ephesians. Read it with me. For your comfort,
read it. Ephesians 1. Oh, believer, if you ever have
your doubts of your standing before God, read this. Read this. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ. Why, Paul? Who hath blessed us
with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places. Where are
these? In Christ. According as He hath chosen us
in Christ. Before the foundation of the
world. What for? That we should be holy and without
blame before Him. And how did He do it? In love,
having predestinated us under the adoption of children. And
how should all this be done? By Jesus Christ, to bring us
to Himself according to the good pleasure of His will, to the
praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted
in the Beloved. Look at verse 11, "...in whom,"
in Christ, "...we have obtained an inheritance being predestinated,"
listen, "...according to the purpose of him who worketh all
things after the counsel of his own will." Did you slip up and
get into Christ? Is that how you got in there? No. You were put in there. You were put in there by God. Before you ever knew it, you
were put in. Put in Christ. And purpose to be holy. That's
God's purpose for you. To be holy. Listen. And you are. You're not waiting to be holy.
You know that? You are. If you are one with the Son of
God, you are as holy as God's Son. I know you don't feel it. But
since when does faith have anything to do with feelings? If you've got to feel it first,
then it's not faith, is it? No. Faith is believing what you
don't feel. Faith is believing God's Word
instead of your feelings. God puts you in union with this
Christ. Now then, the third thing is this. Our union is a federal
union with Christ. A federal union with Christ. Jesus is one with us federally. Now what does federally mean?
What is that? Federal head. We use that a lot. But what does it just mean? It
means representative. I copied this definition. Federal
headship refers to a representation of a group united under a federation
or a A covenant. A covenant. A covenant. Look, believer, and see that
God putting you into union with Christ was by a covenant. A covenant
oath between God and His Son. A covenant that the Father said,
I love these. And the Son says, I do too. And
the Father says, I'm going to put them in union with you. And
the Son says, please do. And they entered into a bond,
and the son said, I will be surety for them. I will be surety for
them. I will guarantee their salvation. Isn't that what it says then
in Isaiah chapter 9 verse 6? For unto us, a child is born
unto us, a son is given, his humanity, his deity, and the
government shall be upon his shoulders. He will bear them. The weight and responsibility
of His government shall be on His shoulders. And what is His
government called? What is His people? Wonderful
Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince
of Peace. And of His kingdom there shall be no end or increase. Why? He bore it. He sustained
it as their federal head. You see, Adam was our federal
head, wasn't he? He was a federal head and he
represented us according to a covenant of works. And as long as our
Father bore under that covenant of works, His race was safe. His race was secure. He was able
to commune with God. He was able to fellowship. And
so was Eve, wasn't she? She was allowed this because
of her federal head at that time. But when He fell, all of His
race fell with Him. When He died, all of His race
died with Him. We all fell in that, in our covenant
head. How far did he fall? So far he
had fall, the man that was in wisdom, named all the animals,
walked with God and received the strength of all God's blessings.
As soon as he broke that, he died. He died. And his sin and death did not
stop at him, but stained and permeated the whole of all his
federal headship. All he represented died in him. Wherefore is by one man's sin
entered into the world, and death by sin. So death passed upon
all men. Why? It's a federal headship.
It's how God ordained it. God ordained that we should be
stand or fall in a federal head. And we all fell in a federal
head, Adam. But seeing God loved us and purposed
to save us, gave us another head. And I like this because my federal
head lived long before Adam. This federal head was actually
first. Not known first, not seen first,
but first nonetheless. Therefore we, by the flesh, were tied to Adam. and His fallen
race, even so, we, by the grace of God, have been before tied
to Christ by another covenant, a covenant of grace and redemption. Just as Levi was in the loins
of Abraham as he paid tithes to Melchizedek. You listen. You
were in the loins of Christ. You were in His loins. You were
in Him before. And He was your mediator of the
better covenant, a covenant not of works, a covenant decreed
and ratified and sure from before the foundation of the world.
And so then Jesus in this covenant of work, covenant of grace, He
came as a man, as a representative, and obtained righteousness for
us, and by His death has forever removed all of the sins of those
who were given to Him. And so then what does Paul say
about this in Colossians? He says this, you are in Christ,
I want you to hear it, you are complete in Him. You are complete in Him. which is the head of all principality
and power. In whom? You also were circumcised
with the circumcision made without hands in the putting off of the
body of sin of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. What
do you think he was doing on the cross? It was a circumcision.
He was putting away our sin. Putting away our flesh. buried with Him, crucified with
Him, buried with Him, wherein you are also risen with Him through
the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised Him from
the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision
of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven
all your trespasses. blotting out the handwriting
of ordinance that was against us, which was contrary to us,
and took it out of the way, nailing it to the cross, and having spoiled
principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing
over them in it." Do you not see then the union? What your
union has resulted in is this, your federal head has made you
complete. Now something complete, what
is missing? If something is complete, what's
missing? Nothing. Or it wouldn't be complete. You
are complete in Him. In Him. I like this song. To
which Jesus and His chosen race subsist a bond of sovereign grace,
that hell, with all its infernal train, shall never dissolve or
rend in twain. The sacred bond shall never break. The earth should to her centers
shake. Rest, doubting saint, assured
of this, for God has pledged His holiness. He swore, but once
the deed was done, was settled by the great three-in-one, Christ
was appointed to redeem all that the Father loved in Him. Hail
sacred union, firm and strong, how great the grace, how sweet
the song, that worms of earth should ever be one with incarnate
deity. one in the tomb when he rose,
one when he triumphed over his foes, one when in heaven he took
his seat, while seraphs' songs sings all hell's defeat. This
sacred tie forbids their fears, for all he is or has is theirs. With him their head they stand
or fall, their life their surety and their And not comfort you Your federal
heads taking care of everything you need He's done it all and
listen you did it because you were one with him And this this this next thing
I want you to see this Christ's union with us means that he took
our nature In order for you and I to be
one with Christ, He must be one with us. Why? Only those who need a... Sinners need a Redeemer. We need
a Redeemer. Those who need to be redeemed
need a Redeemer. And in order for that to take
place, we must have blood. There must be blood. There must
be suffering. There must be death. There must
be righteousness. And it must come, listen, by
a man. If He is to be our federal head,
He Himself must take upon our nature. This was the only way for Him
to be in union with us. This is what God purposed, is
that our federal head should be made a man. For as much as the children are
partakers of flesh and blood, he also took likewise part in
the same, that through death he might destroy him that hath
the power of the death, that is, the devil, and deliver them,
who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to
bondage. For verily he took on him not the nature of angels,
but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things
it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might
be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to
god and make reconciliation for the sins of his people this savior this god that we
serve He was born of a woman. He hung upon the breast of a
woman. He dangled upon her knees. He grew up as a child and became
a man in every stage of life. He was really and truly a partaker
of our nature. In every way, He was a man except
sin. This is the only exclusion. Sin. There was no sin in Him. There
was no sin done by Him. But He was a man nonetheless.
and felt every pain infinitely greater than we... What did the
scripture say would be? A man of sorrows and acquainted
with grief. Are you acquainted with grief?
Do you know what it's like to sorrow? So does the one who is
one with me. He knows what it is to suffer. He knows what it is to hurt,
to grieve. and so considering our union
with Christ you must consider his union with us this one who is my savior is
also my brother my near kinsman redeemer a man in every way And our Savior, as a man, suffered
fully the wrath of God in our stead. The sorrow which He suffered
could not be compared to any of ours. Ours was nothing compared
to His. He endured all of these things
as a man. And this was so that we might
be made the partakers of His nature. He took your nature so
that you might take His. And so then, we who are his know
this, that you have his nature as much as he has yours. You
know what Peter said, you are partakers of what? The divine
nature. You're a man of two natures.
Now you have that old nature of sin that abides in you still.
But you have a new nature that is created after God in true
holiness. You are a man of two natures. You know what? So was
my Savior. So was my Savior. He was a man of righteous nature.
He was a man of God. He was God and He was man. Two natures. I'll tell you what. I've not yet fully experienced
what I'm going to be. But I know this. However He is,
that's how I'm going to be. Because one day this old nature
is going to be turned into new. It's going to be made new. This
body is going to be made new. It's going to be like this. So
I'm going to have both human and divine nature. Just like
my Savior. This is what we have to look
forward to. And the last thing is this. What proves our union? I've told you of the love of
God's union. God loved his people and put them in union with Christ
on purpose. Christ became their federal head.
Christ took upon them himself their nature so as to die for
their sins and rise again for their justification. He sits
enthroned as a man of two natures in which one day we should be
like him. How then do I know my union with him? I told you
it's the most vital thing, the most important thing. It's simple. It's not complex. It's not hard. Faith in Christ
is the evidence of our union with Christ. By nature, by nature, a man cannot
and will not come to Christ. How is it that you've come to
Christ? except by divine power. Faith is nothing to scoff at. Faith is a miracle, friends.
To believe on Christ, and listen, to continually believe on Christ.
How many people you've said, well I believe on Jesus, and
where'd they go? Well that wasn't divine power, that was just human
will. It doesn't last long. Oh, but divine power. Faith always
continues. Why? Abide in me. How? By faith. And I in you. You are the vine. I am the vine.
You are the branches. And what is His will? That you
bear fruit. Faith, love, hope. I have faith in Christ. I have
love for Christ. And I have hope by Christ. Is this your place? Are you in
union? Well, you should take comfort
in that. God's love, God's purpose, your federal head, your brother
has redeemed you. and the Spirit, by grace, has
given you faith to have that experimental union. Now, I was
in union long before I experienced it. But I did experience it. I did. And what's the evidence
of that? I believe on the Son of God is
all my hope, all my life, all my joy, all my peace. I'm in
union with Christ. May God bless this to you.