Thank you, Gabe. Thank you so
much. Good to be here. As Paul was
singing, I thought, I sure like his daddy, Henry. But the more
time I spend around him, I like him a lot, too. Thank you, Paul. That was outstanding. Outstanding. It sounds like that you believe
Christ is all. That it's all about Him. I appreciate your pastors inviting
me here. You can be turning to Ephesians
chapter 2. It's an honor. It's a real honor
for me to be here and I'm staying with him and his home, he and
Hannah. He even kicked out his daddy
and mother-in-law so I could stay there. You can deal with that. But in two weeks, two weeks from
today actually, yeah. These are preliminary remarks.
You still want it on? OK. I might forget otherwise.
OK. Two weeks from today, September
29th through October 1st, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, we'll be
having our conference in Sylacauga, Alabama. And you're all invited
to come. Brothers Don Fortner and Bruce
Crabtree and Darvin Pruitt will be doing the preaching. All the
information is on Free Grace Radio. So I pray that The Lord
will allow some of you to come. We would love to have you. We've
all heard the expression, don't ask me to explain exactly what
is meant by it, I have an idea, but the expression, all roads
lead to Rome. Well, I question that, don't
you? But I know this. In this book, in God's word,
whether you go back to Genesis and start forward, or you go
forward to Revelation and start backward, all roads lead to the
Lord Jesus Christ. That's what this book is about.
It's all about Him. All about Him. That's the title
of my message. It's all about Christ. One time, you remember, there
was some men came to our Lord. This is recorded in Matthew chapter
8. And one of them said, Master,
I'll follow you anywhere you go. I'm ready." And our Lord
said, the foxes have holes, the birds of the air have nests,
but the son of man doesn't have anywhere to lay his head. You sure you want to follow man?
And the man said, well, Lord, Allow me first. Me first. Me first. And the Lord wouldn't allow that.
It's Christ first, not me. And not you, it's the Lord Jesus
Christ. It's all about Him, isn't it? Here in Ephesians chapter 2,
I want to read just two verses. Just two verses here. And then we'll go to Philippians
chapter 3 and read a few more verses. First, Ephesians chapter
2. verses 19 and 20. Paul writing, and he says, now
therefore you are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens
with the saints and of the household of God, and are built upon the
foundation of the apostles and prophets, not foundations, foundation,
Jesus Christ himself. Don't you like the sound of that? Don't you like the ring of those
words? Jesus Christ himself being the
chief cornerstone. Jesus Christ himself. It's all about him. Now turn,
if you will, to Philippians chapter 3. We'll read just a few verses
here, verses 7 through 10. Very familiar, both of these
places are very familiar to you. Verse 7 of Philippians 3, but,
but, Paul is referring back to those things he'd already mentioned
in the previous verses. He's speaking of that when he
says, but what things were gained to me, those I counted lost for
Christ, Yea, doubtless, I count all things but loss for the excellency
of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered
the loss of all things, and do count them but done that I may
win Christ and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness,
which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of
Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. that I may
know him, that I may know him and the power of his resurrection
and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his
death. The first message that Charles
Spurgeon preached after the construction of the Metropolitan Tabernacle
in London after they had opening services, but when they began
to conduct regular services, Mr. Spurgeon, on March the 25th,
1861, took this as his text, Acts 5 and 42. And daily in the
temple and in every house, they, that is the apostles, ceased
not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. They seemed to think,
the apostles, that it was all about him, all about Christ. And you know what? If you think
you've progressed to something more than that, or better than
that, or in addition to that, or besides that, you've not progressed
at all. You've gone backwards, because
it's all about him. Mr. Spurgeon said in his message,
as he introduced the message from that text, he said, I would
propose that the subject of the ministry of this house As long
as this platform shall stand, and as long as this house shall
be frequented by worshippers, shall be the person of Jesus
Christ. I am never ashamed, he said,
to avow myself a Calvinist, although I claim to be rather a Calvinist
according to Calvin. than after the modern debased
fashion. I do not hesitate to take the
name of Baptist, but, I like this the best, but if I am asked
to say what is my creed, I think I must reply, it is Jesus Christ. It is Jesus Christ. Christ Jesus,
who is the sum and the substance of the gospel, who is in himself
all theology, the incarnation of every precious truth, the
all-glorious personal embodiment of the way, the truth, and the
life. Mr. Spurgeon agreed with Paul. It's all about him, the Lord
Jesus Christ. Philippians 3, verse 8, notice
again. Paul speaks of the excellency
of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord. In verse 7, he said,
for that knowledge, For that knowing him, that is Christ,
I counted, past tense, past tense, I counted all things lost. All those things he mentions
in verses three through six. All those things that he once
trusted in Paul with all his being. Those things that as Saul
of Tarsus he had no doubt recommended him acceptable before God Almighty. Man, he worked hard every day. to weave that robe of self-righteousness. And he thought if anybody, if
any man has reason whereof he might trust in the flesh, man,
take a look at me. I've got more than any of you
ever dreamed of. And Paul said, I counted it all
loss for this. For what, Paul? What in the world
would you toss that aside for? What in the world could equal
that? More than equal. He said, for
the knowledge, the excellent knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ,
I counted all those things as lost. Paul, that's been a number
of years now. Since you cast all that aside,
when God was pleased to reveal his son to you and in you. Let
me ask you, Paul, have you advanced beyond that place yet? Have you
grown any more in your desire, in your ambition since that time? And Paul will look at you, perhaps
scratch his head and say, are you kidding me? Did you not hear
what I said? I'm talking about knowing the
Lord Jesus Christ. And then he goes on in verse
8 and says in answer to that question, I count. Not just that I counted, I count. Whatever may happen today, whatever
may rear its head as arrival to Jesus Christ, whatever it
may be, I count it done for the excellency of the knowledge.
Everything past, everything today, everything tomorrow compared
to knowing him. Nothing is better than this.
Paul would say, I want to know him more, but I don't want to
know anything besides him. As we sing, more about Jesus
would I know. Nothing's comparable to the Lord
Jesus Christ. In the original, the word here
that is used for excellency, it means far surpassing. The excellency of the knowledge
is far surpassing knowledge, superlative knowledge. Nothing
like this. Compared to what, Paul? Anything. Anything. Everything. Paul went to Corinth. and looked at all those philosophers
had to offer, the wise men of the world, and
Paul just looks around, he takes it all in, and he doesn't give
a flip. Boy, all of it put together.
He looks around and says, let me tell you this. I'm determined
to know nothing among you. You've showed me nothing. There
is no attraction equal to this. I'm not deterred for a moment.
God enabled me to know nothing among you save Jesus Christ and
him crucified. There's nothing like him. It's
all about him. Paul was well content. depart
with a sky full of stars in order to have the sun of righteousness."
What was it, a month or so ago? Probably longer than that. Time
goes by faster and faster for me. But the eclipse, the eclipse,
it was big news. Big news. I was inside. I couldn't
find it. I was going to get me some of
those glasses or a lens so it'd be safe to look at it, but couldn't
find any anywhere. But I noticed even from inside
the house that it was beginning to get dark. So I went out and,
you know, I didn't look up at the sun. They said, don't do
that. Where's Todd? I said, that would
be stupid. Don't do that. So I didn't. I don't remember
what they said. It'll happen again in a hundred
years or something. But I know this. That eclipse of that sun, I know
this. When the son of God arises, with
healing in his wings. When the Son of God is pleased
to turn on the light in any sinner's darkened soul and reveal himself
to them, There'll never be an eclipse of that blessed, blessed
experience. Oh, we'll just grow and grow
in our knowledge of Him. I'm convinced, I'm convinced
that even in eternity, we'll not cease to grow in our knowledge
and appreciation. Oh, what did the hymn writer
say? When I see thee as thou art, and I love thee with an
unsinning heart. Oh, wow, Gabe. I can only imagine,
with an unsinning heart. Nothing between me and my Savior
will grow in knowledge. A martyr by the name of John
Lambert, many years ago, was being burned at the stake. And
even as the flames were engulfing his body and his hands, he raised
those hands in flame and cried, None but Christ. None but Christ. It's all about Him. Turn, if
you will, to Jeremiah. Again, these are all familiar
texts to you. But it won't hurt us to look
at it, will it? To be reminded of this. Jeremiah
chapter 9, verse 23. Thus saith the Lord, This is
what God says to you and I, believers, to whom he has revealed his son.
He says, let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither
let the mighty man glory in his might. Let not the rich man glory
in his riches, but he gives us something to glory in. You can
exercise all the elbow room you've got, and you won't stretch this
far. Let him that gloryeth glory in
this, that he understandeth and knoweth me." Wow. Wow. You mean a nobody like Larry
Criss? People, I ran into somebody just
the other day. What's your name, Larry? What's your last name,
Criss? What? You've got two first names. Yeah, I guess I do. I got a middle
name. It's Wayne. Pretty simple, pretty
plain. Never in my wildest dreams, Kyle,
growing up, did I ever think this hillbilly from West Virginia,
whose daddy was a coal miner, would one day Had the Lord Jesus
Christ revealed to him. My soul, what a miracle, what
a wonder. Larry Criss, glory in that, glory
in that. With Paul, let us say it's all
about Christ. He says that I may know him. then the power of his resurrection,
and then the fellowship of his sufferings. But first, first
and foremost, I must know him. I must know Christ, and then
his blessed doctrine. Because as we all know, perhaps
have experienced and seen in others, sad to say, Doctrine
without Christ is just an empty tomb. It's just dead. It's just dead. Jesus Christ
himself is the beauty. He himself, as we read concerning
Spurgeon's sermon, his first sermon at the Tabernacle, Jesus
Christ himself gives the beauty, the beauty, the loveliness of
those precious truths we hold so dear. They derive their beauty
from him. Without him, they're nothing
but empty shells, just dry bones. Chosen, election, like Todd. I like that word. But brothers
and sisters in Christ, when we think about election, we don't
think about an it. We think about who. We look back
in eternity past, as we say. I don't know how else to express
it. And we see God Almighty saying to his son, thou art my first
elect, God said. And then he chose all of us in
Christ our head. Behold the Lamb of God. It's
all about him. called. It pleased God, Paul
wrote, to call me out of darkness when it pleased God to call me
by his grace. To reveal his son in me, Paul
said, immediately, I preached about things. No, he didn't. He said, I preached him. I preached
him. I began preaching him. I continued
preaching him. And I convinced until that executioner
severed Paul's head from his body, he was still talking about
him. Until he went to glory and saw
that one who loved him and gave himself for him. Accepted, yes. Accepted by God. As Todd preached,
what a blessed, blessed comforting thought. God accepts me. Marvin, God accepts me. I'm accepted. Oh, but the beauty
of that is that one in whom I'm accepted. Oh, there's the beauty. I'm accepted in his son. Oh,
I'm as accepted as his son. I'm as loved as his son. It's all about him. I hear people
talk about heaven or their concept of heaven, pretty wild ideas. My soul, brothers and sisters,
I know you, I don't need to tell you that the glory of heaven,
the heaven of heaven, the blessings of all blessings will be this.
Try this on. I mean, I don't have a lot of
gray matter. I can't afford to lose any. But
I'll tell you this, if I had all of ours combined, I cannot
grasp this. I'm promised by God himself,
God who cannot lie. I'm told that I shall see his
face, the Lord Jesus Christ. That's heaven. That's heaven. David, hear people talk about
streets of gold and bigger crowns? I'm about to use that word again,
Todd. Oh, no. Heaven is this. Heaven is this. We shall see his face. It's all about him. A moment
ago, we sang a few hymns before I came up here from your hymn
book, Great Hymns of the Faith. Same one we use in Sylacauga.
Good hymn book. We use it. But this book, That
book you're holding in your lap, it's a hymn book too, isn't it?
But it's not H-Y-M-N, it's H-I-M, Jesus Christ himself. That's what Paul said, oh that
I might know him. Now circle him. Circle him. I remember hearing a story in
I hope I get it right, because I heard you tell it, Paul. It's
your story. I hope I don't mess it up to
detract from the preciousness of it. But about you visiting
a friend in the hospital. If I recall, it's been a long
time that I heard you tell this. And I think she was suffering
from Alzheimer's. Okay, he nods, I feel better. And he sat down
and said, sister, how you doing today? Talked a little bit, visited
a little bit, and he could tell. He could tell by the expression
on her face. She didn't know who he was, didn't
have a clue. And she said, I'm sorry, I just don't remember
you. And Paul said, well, that's all
right. But you remember my daddy, I'm sure. I know you know my
father, Henry Mahan. And the poor dear lady looked
and said, I'm sorry. I don't know him either. I love
his story. And Paul said, well, that's OK,
because I come to talk to you about Jesus Christ. And her eyes
lit up and said, oh, yeah, I know him. I know him. And Paul told her, well, then
you can forget all about me. In John chapter 4, our Lord,
the great shepherd of the sheep, went on purpose through Samaria. Because there was one there that
the father had entrusted into his hands before he ever created
this world. And the time of love had come.
And he went and found that sheep on purpose. Just intercepted,
or just got right in their way. Aren't you glad he does? I read
something the other day, I don't know where, but it said, you
know, God's a gentleman and he never imposes his will on anybody. Now, I've heard that all my life,
but I saw it writing in print. Lynn, I'm not going to get in
trouble with you because I'm not married to you. That's stupid.
That's just stupid. I'm thankful that God imposes
his will. Aren't you, Fred? You wouldn't
be saved if he didn't. Thank God. I mean, I hear people
quote this verse and they grit their teeth, you know, and turn
all red and the sweat pops out. Man, I rejoice in this. I smile
when I hear it. It's not of him that willeth,
and it's not of him that runneth. Thank God it's of him that showeth
mercy, because nobody would be saved otherwise. Is that not
so? He said to this woman at the
well, Lady, if you knew, if you knew. Now she had religion. She
had some religion. She took it out and, you know,
showed the Lord her fig leaves. He pretty much ignored them.
Said, you don't know what you worship. You don't have a clue
who God is. But he said, if you knew the
gift of God, remember what he said? And not what. She knew. She already had some
what's. He said, if you knew the gift of God and who, who,
who it is that's talking to you right now. If you knew who I
am, you would ask of me. I'm the fountain of living water.
You've drank from every well this world has to offer and you
just keep coming up thirsty and thirsty and thirsty. Anybody
like that here tonight? Anybody thirsty? Anybody like
this woman in John 4? I mean, you know what was the
old saying? I think it was a beer commercial
or something. You only go around once in life,
get all you can get, grab all you can. Well, you've tried it,
but you're thirsty. Not satisfied. The Lord says
to you, like he did this woman, If you knew who was talking to
you, if you knew the gift of God and who it is that says to
you, I'll give you a drink, you would ask me and I'd give it
to you. Ask me, he says, ask me, I'll
give it to you. I'd give you a drink and you'll
never thirst again. Child of God, is that not so? Did you not find it to be so?
Or are we thirst for just more of him? More of his grace, more
of his love, more of his person, more of his presence? On the
Damascus road, Saul of Tarsus had just a whole saddlebag full
of what's, but then he met who? And he threw them away. Take
them out with the rest of the trash. It's rubbish. It's done. I've met who? I've met the Lord Jesus Christ.
I've met that one that all the prophets I studied were talking
about. And the psalm. And Moses. It's all about him. Paul met
who? And he never got over it. In
John chapter 17, that's exactly what our Lord prayed, didn't
he? Father, you've given me power over most flesh. No, no, no. You've given me power over all
flesh that I should give eternal life to as many as thou has given
me. That brings back a sweet memory
for me. Not long, just a couple of months
after I moved to Sylacauga, about the first weekend or so in January,
I came to church one Sunday morning, and I'd been there maybe three
months, and there was a couple. And it's not hard to notice when
you've got visitors. But like Bruce, I was visiting
with Bruce Crabtree, spent a night or two at his house a few months
ago, and I said, Bruce, how many do you have now? How many do
you pastor? He said, under 500. And I said, me too. But there was this couple, and
I chatted with them, introduced myself, they introduced themselves,
and then I preached. From that very text that I quoted
a moment ago, John 17 and 3, this is life eternal, that they
might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou
didst send. And after service is over, we
chatted a little bit more and then they left. They were about
100 miles away. And I thought, Paul couldn't
help but think, wonder if I ever see them again. Wonder if they'll
be back. Wonder what they were looking
for. Because all I preached was Christ. Him. I wonder if that was enough for
them. Well, glory to his name it was.
Because they came back, and they came back, and they came back,
and they've been making that 100-mile trip one way every Sunday,
every Sunday. Baptized John and Kay Copeland
not long after. He's a faithful, faithful man,
taking care of the service for me tomorrow. Oh, yes, it's all
about him, isn't it? But without Christ, without Christ,
We're without grace. Paul in Romans 5 said grace comes
by one man, the Lord Jesus Christ. Without Christ, we're without
God. Because Christ himself said, no man cometh to the Father but
by me. Without Christ, we're without
hope. Oh, but if I have Christ, if
I have Christ, if I'm his, I have every right to expect. If I belong
to the Lord Jesus Christ, I have every right to expect. If God
Almighty is true to his word, of course, I have every right
to expect when this life is over. And I stand before God Almighty
to hear, not depart from me, oh without Christ I would, but
having Christ to hear enter in, enter into the joy. This is all
for you. This has all been prepared for
you from the foundation of the world. Welcome home. Welcome
home. It's all about the Lord Jesus
Christ. After Paul met the Lord, The
Lord being revealed to him, that was Paul's constant theme, wasn't
it? That was the object of his trust.
the subject of his ministry, and the joy of his heart. Everything
about Jesus Christ was interesting to Paul, wasn't it? Everything. He never worried of thinking
of Christ, speaking of Christ, learning Christ. He went on in
his work. He went on his way with the desire
constantly rising in his heart that I may know him. The glory of his person. the
riches of his grace, the magnificence of his mighty work of salvation,
the excellency of his nature's God-man, and the majesty of his
kingdom. Christ to Paul was the apple
of his eye, and more precious than all things in earth or heaven,
the Lord Jesus Christ, him, him, the alpha and omega, him, the
first and the last, Him, the center and the circumference,
Him are all in all. All the fullness of the Godhead
dwells the only place it could dwell in Him, the Lord Jesus
Christ. That being so, can a believer
be anything other than complete? If I'm in Christ, if I'm in Christ
and every believer is in Christ, And Christ in him dwells all
fullness. And I'm in that fullness. How
can I lack anything? I know when God first saved me,
I would sometimes be buttonholed by these people that wanted to
enlighten me because they perceived that Larry just hadn't, he hadn't
got it yet. There was more. I didn't jabber
in some kind of unknown gibberish. There was a second, I said, now
I was a young believer, Paul, but I thought, wait a minute,
I'm in Christ. I'm in Christ. Christ is all. He is made by God unto me wisdom
and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, and you're telling
me I lack something? No, no, I'm complete. I'm complete
in Him. And I thank God for it. Oh, to
know experimentally. That's the next word. To know.
And there's only two words. First Him, then know, then I.
To know. Not as Paul once knew of the
Lord Jesus Christ, not as Jesus of Nazareth. I think this is
what he means in 2 Corinthians 5 when he said, though we have
known Christ after the flesh, yet henceforth know we Him no
more in that way. I think Paul said there was a
time it was just a head knowledge with me. I knew of him, just
fleshly knowledge. Oh, but now Paul speaks of knowing
Christ experimentally. And don't be afraid of that word.
Knowing Christ by a personal experience. I don't mean that
charismatic nonsense, but being by the grace of God and able
to say, I know whom I have believed. That's what Paul said. In Philippians
1 verse 9, turn back there if you will for just a moment. Verse
9, Paul says, not only was it his desire and ambition and goal
to know Christ, that was what he prayed for other believers
to have. Verse 9, in this I pray, that your love may abound yet
more and more, more and more in knowledge and in all judgment. The word there, judgment, it
means discernment. It means sensible perception
is what the word means as it's used there. Paul wanted them
to know that God loved them. And Paul wanted them to know
that they loved him, that is God, because he first loved them. That was Paul's desire. In Galatians
chapter one, Paul speaks about after three years in the deserts
of Arabia, going up to Jerusalem. And we're told there, or Paul
tells us that for 15 days he went up to see Peter. And for
15 days he abode with Peter. Galatians 1 verse 18. You know
what the word see means? It didn't mean just to go and
say, Peter, how you doing? Top of the morning to you. It
means to interrogate. The word means to interrogate. Can you imagine that? I mean,
Paul sat down and said, Peter, tell me everything you know.
Tell me, what was it like to walk with him? What was it like
for those three and a half years? Peter, tell me everything. Tell
me about that night on the sea when you were sinking. And the
master of the sea reached out and picked you up. Tell me, Peter,
is it true that he stood on the deck of that ship and spoke to
that angry sea, peace be still, and it laid down at his feet
like a dog obeys its master's voice? Peter, tell me everything.
He interrogated him. Night and day. Why? Because he
wanted to know more about Him. The Lord Jesus Christ. This was
Paul's desire. God make it ours. The last word
here and we'll be done. Paul says that I may know Him. I. I. By my own experience of
His grace. Like the thief on the cross.
Remember me. Remember me. I can't see him
through someone else's eyes. And I can't love him with someone
else's heart. And I can't know Christ by someone
else's experience of it. It's not possible. Remember when
in Acts chapter 19, I believe it is, there was some sons of
exorcists. that saw Paul casting out devils. I think they were the seven sons
of Seba, is that right? And they got together, there
was this man possessed, and these seven sons got together and they
said, we adjure you by the Jesus that Paul preaches, come out
of the man. They didn't know Christ. But
they said, we adjure you by Paul knows him. The Jesus that Paul
preaches come out. Said that devil jumped on him.
And first he said, Paul I know, and Jesus I know, but I don't
know you, rascal. And jumped on him and just get
him what I would call just an old fashioned whooping. Just
something. No, second hand salvation just
doesn't work. Salvation by proxy just doesn't
work. Turn if you will to Isaiah chapter
61 and we'll wrap this up. Chapter 61. Isaiah. Verse 1.
Isaiah 61 and 1. The spirit of the Lord God is
upon me, that is the Lord Jesus Christ. He's the speaker. Because the Lord hath anointed
me to preach good tidings unto the meek, he hath sent me to
bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to them that are bound, to proclaim
the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our
God, to comfort all that mourn. to appoint unto them that morn
in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for
mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.
Remember that, brothers and sisters in Christ, when God got you lost.
that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting
of the Lord, that he might be glorified. Our disease is just
rooted too deep, too deep to be healed by any other than the
great physician, neither by the blood of goats and calves, but
by his own blood. Oh, can you just imagine that? Can you picture that? Oh, my
soul, what a Savior. By His own blood He entered in
once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for
us. Worthy is the Lamb. I listened to a CD I had. I forgot
I had it. I was digging around in the console,
and I stuck it in driving down. It was some hymns by old brother
Milton Howard. And he sang this one on that
CD. It's just a homemade CD, so to
speak, but you know the hymn. Once my soul was astray from
the heavenly way, and I was wretched and vile as could But my Savior
above gave me peace, joy, and love when he reached down his
hand for me. Was it Jeremiah who said, I remember
the warm wood and the gall. I still have them in remembrance. Remember when God forced you
by his grace to cry out, oh, have mercy upon me, thou son
of David. Did you go through a spell like
me, wondering if he would? How can he save a wretch like
me, a rebel like me? With thoughts like that, I was
nearing despair when he came to me there and he showed me
that I could be free. Then he lifted my feet, gave
me gladness complete when he reached down his hand for me.
When he reached down his hand for me, He had to reach way down
for me. I was lost and undone, without
God or His Son. But He reached down His hand
for me. That's amazing. God bless you.
Thank you for your attention.