You all bear with me just a moment,
please. If you wish to go ahead and turn,
you can turn back to the chapter that John read, Philippians chapter
3. Philippians chapter 3. And I'll give you a moment to turn
there and you can drink water. Before I begin, My fellow pastor at chapel usually
on Saturday evenings or Sunday mornings will send me a hymn
or at least several verses of a hymn. And I usually read these verses
to the folks at chapel because they always bless my soul because
Joe is not going to send me the old rugged cross. He's going
to send me something that actually teaches the gospel. I'd forgotten
you all had Gadsby's hymnals here. It's actually found in,
it's number 721 in Gadsby's by Joseph Swain. He was an old particular
Baptist preacher in the 1700s. He did not even live to the age
of 40. He wrote several songs and one
of them says this, to him that loved us, ere we lay concealed
within the passive clay, to him that loved us though we fail
and saved us from the pains of hell, to him that found us dead
in sin and planted holy life within, to him that taught our
feet the way from endless night to endless day, to him that wrought
our righteousness and sanctified us by his grace, to him that
brought us back to God through the red sea of his own blood,
to him that sits upon the throne, the great eternal three in one,
to him let saints and angels raise an everlasting psalm of
praise. At one time, Baptists knew the
truth, at least some of them did. It is a blessing for both
Penny and I to be here. I pray that after I finish preaching,
you will be able to say it was a blessing that I was here. But
we truly mean that. We truly, really are blessed
to be able to be here. And we are looking forward to
next weekend as well. Also bring you greetings from
your brothers and sisters in Christ at Sovereign Grace Chapel. Now, Philippians chapter 3. I will read just one verse. The
verse is verse 9. Philippians 3 and verse 9. I
hope you have your Bible with you and have it open. Look at
what Paul writes in verse 9. 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. Now let me read it again, and
let me emphasize a few things. And be found in Him, Of course,
the nearest antecedent to Him is Christ. In the last part of
verse 8, to be found in Christ. This is what Paul wrote by the
inspiration of the Spirit of God. To be found in Christ. I do not want my own righteousness. There is a righteousness. But
it's not sufficient righteousness. Some people think that when they
hear grace men preach, we're saying that there is only one
righteousness. That's not really true. There
are many righteousnesses, but there's only one that is accepted
of God. Paul says, not having my own
righteousness, and then he clearly states what that righteousness
is, which is of the law. Paul was not against God's law.
But he knew God's law was against him. God's law is a glorious condemnation
of death. And that's all it is. And that's
what God meant for it to be. Therefore, that is enough. not having my own righteousness,
which is of the law, but that, and the word that refers to righteousness,
but that which is through, and here is my title and my subject
for this morning, the faith of Christ. The righteousness which
has God as its source, that's what he's saying here, the righteousness
which is of God, by faith. And the nearest antecedent to
faith, again, is the faith of Christ. Not Paul's faith in Christ,
though that is vital. That is vital. He goes on and
says, that I may know him. That's faith. But the faith that
Paul rested in was the faith of Christ. When I began trying
to preach the gospel, I did not understand this. But I knew it down in here. God
had so conquered my heart and mind that I trusted Christ only,
even though I understood and knew very little. But God had
began to teach me a little bit about the person and work of
Jesus Christ. Now I want to take note of two
things here this morning. Now there are far more than two. But I want to take note of two
things here this morning and I will deal mainly with the second,
not the first. I will deal with the first but
it will be far more brief. But I want to take note of two
unassailably evident absolutes in this text. I am not here to debate these
things. I'm not here to simply try to
academically teach these things. God has sent me to declare these
things that they are so based upon the truth of God's absolute,
infallible Word. The two things I want to deal
with, first of all, is this. Number one, fleshly righteousness. And read the whole context, you'll
see that. Paul says, do you want to brag about your flesh? Let's
have a bragging contest. Here's my background. And I'm
going to tell you, I was raised a good old Baptist. And I was of a particular brand
of Baptist. And I can't say that my brand
of Baptist holds up to what the Apostle Paul says his background
was. But yet, Paul rejects fleshly
righteousness. Secondly, Christ's faith, not
our faith in him, but Christ's faith is the God-righteousness
we must have. See three things first. Fleshly righteousness is debunked. You don't have to turn to it,
but I will read Galatians 3 verse 21. Is the law then against the
promise of God or promises of God? God forbid. But here's the
problem. For if there had been a law given
which could have given life, Truly or verily, righteousness
should have been by the law. But our problem is, by nature,
we are spiritually dead. We cannot keep the law. We may overtly fool ourselves
and others into thinking that we have kept the law, but the
law is deeper than overt, outward things. The law looks at us in
here. And of course the classic example
of this is our Lord's teaching himself. When he said, you don't
have to actually commit an act of adultery with an individual. All you have to do is look at
that individual and lust after them in here. Never even speak
to them out there. Pass them by on the street and
they know nothing about you and what you were thinking. But if
you think about them in that sexual way, you are guilty by
law already. If God gives you eyes to see
and a heart to perceive, that will put you in the dust. Because
there's times when I think things and I wish to God I could get
those thoughts out of my mind, but they just won't run away.
And I have to fight them, and fight them, and fight them. If
there had been a law given, and God's law is what? Holy, just,
and good. The law is not against the promises
of God. The problem's not the law, the
problem's me. the problems you, verily, righteousness
should have been by the law. And look, I'm not just grabbing
something out of thin air. But the scripture hath concluded
all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ, not
faith in Jesus Christ, but by faith of Jesus Christ, might
be given to them that believe. And I will say, believe Jesus
Christ. Fleshly righteousness is debunked
by this whole book. See another thing. Christ's faith
is exalted. Christ's faith is exalted as
our hope. You don't have to turn, but that
one is found in Ephesians chapter 3. Let me read you just a couple
verses. Ephesians chapter 3. Or just
one verse, I'm sorry. Just one verse. Ephesians 3 verse
12. In whom, and the nearest antecedent is Christ Jesus our
Lord. The verse before. In whom we
have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him. His faith gets me there. Not
my faith. Even that faith that is the gift
of God. That faith gets me to Christ.
Christ gets me to God. You see what I'm saying? That
faith brings me to Christ. I believe Him. I trust Him. I
rest in Him. But He gets me to God. Christ's
faith is exalted as our hope. See, one more thing. See, superior
versus inferior righteousness, and I know you all are familiar
with all these things, but sometimes, as the old phrase goes, familiarity
breeds what? Content. Our minds, especially
our minds in the old man, is so corrupt still yet, That even
as a believer, we hear a man begin to preach the truth, and
our mind tells us, I already know that, and we turn him off.
And wait for that other good morsel. But we must be constantly
reminded even of the basics, because we will forget. Romans
3, verse 19. Again, I say superior versus
inferior righteousness. Now we know that what things
soever the law saith, that's not just the Ten Commandments,
that's all the book of the law. Now we know that what things
soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law,
that every mouth may be stopped. And my old pastor Earl Cochran
used to say, God's law says shut up. Just shut up. Sit and really listen to what
the law says about us. The law says, thou shalt not
steal. Grace knows what we really are.
Grace comes along and says, let him that stole, steal no more. Because if you've stolen, and
this I will say, if you've stolen, you're already guilty of the
whole law. The law doesn't say quit stealing.
The law says, thou shalt not steal. So we know that every
mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before
God. Therefore, by the deeds of the
law, there shall no flesh be justified in His sight. Why? For by the law is the knowledge
of sin. And the law defines to us exactly
what sin is. And that hasn't changed. That
hasn't changed. The law defines to us exactly
what sin is, but only grace can teach us how bad sin really is
by giving us an eye toward and a heart toward Jesus Christ's
suffering at Calvary when God made him to be sin for us and
turned his back on his son. There's the gravity of sin. But, now, the righteousness of
God, and what does that say, without the law, is manifested,
being witnessed by the law and the prophets. The law and the
prophets are not against this. They testify of this. even the righteousness of God,
which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that
believe. For there is no difference, because
we've all sinned and come short of the glory of God." So my believing
is in the faith of Christ. And if you've heard us preachers
often speak about the person and work of Christ, that's what
Paul calls it. He doesn't use the phrase. Nowhere
is the phrase the person and work of Christ used in the New
Testament or the Old Testament, but the truth of it is taught
there. But here's the truth written, the faith of Christ. There's my God righteousness.
Now let's park on number two. I'm going to give you four things,
Lord willing. And I will have, when I finish
these four things, if God gives me life and breath enough to
finish it up in the next 25 minutes, I will have but scratch the surface. So I'm going to try to give you
just four little scratches. But let me take a shot at it. Number one, Christ's faith. is a hallmark of God-wrought
righteousness. Turn to, and I want you to turn
to this one, Hebrews chapter 3. Hebrews chapter 3. Again, I say, number one, Christ's
faith is a hallmark of God-wrought righteousness. Hebrews 3 verse
1, Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling,
consider the apostle and high priest of our profession, Christ
Jesus, who was faithful. Somebody said, did Jesus need
faith? No! He was faith. He is faith incarnate. He is faith intrinsic. He is
faith in all of its absolute perfection with no flaw whatsoever. God has given us a gracious gift
called faith. And it's just a little piece
of that faith of Christ given to us. And Christ said, if you
had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you could say to that mountain,
and I do not believe he was exaggerating. You could say to that mountain,
be thou picked up and moved over here into the sea, and it should
obey you. And I can't do that. I couldn't even stop the rain
this morning when I was coming over here. But yet I have been
given enough faith to believe on the Son of God. And that's
far more important than being able to say to this mountain
or this sycamine tree, be thou plucked up by the roots and cast
into the sea. But Christ's faith is so absolute
and full that He could speak this whole universe into existence. He got no problem with a little
mountain or a sycamine tree. He can say to the wind, when
he and his disciples were in a boat. And it was so bad, the
disciples thought they were going to die in the storm. And he says,
peace, be still. And immediately, great God. I don't have that much faith,
but I got that kind of faith. because it comes from Him, but
my hope of righteousness is in His face. Look, who was faithful
to Him that appointed Him, as also Moses was faithful in all
his house, for this man, that is Christ Jesus, for this man
was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, and as much as he
who hath builded the house hath more honor than the house. Moses
was faithful, but he was a part of the house. Christ was faithful
and he was the one building the house. For every house is built
by some man, but he that built all things is Jesus Christ. He says God, doesn't he? That's
Jesus Christ. And Moses verily or truly was
faithful in all his house as a servant for a testimony of
those things which were to be spoken after, but Christ. As a son over his own house,
whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and rejoicing
of the hope firm unto the end. Lay hold of Christ with whatever
strength God gives you. And don't let go. And then pray, God, lock my hands
around it. Briefly, faithfulness is absolute
in Christ and Christ only. Again, I say, He didn't need
faith. He is. Faith. James says, I'll show
you my faith by my works. But he didn't. He pointed to
two other people. But Christ showed us his faith
by his work. Faith without works is what?
Dead. Faithfulness is absolute in Christ. It is, again, intrinsic to Christ. Faith was never lacking in the
smallest iota in Christ. He is God. The Apostle Paul makes it clear
that one of the fruit, not fruits per se, but one of the fruit
of the Spirit who is God is what? F-A-I-T-H. Christ, here's another thing,
Christ by faith has faithfully built his house. Isn't that what
that says? Not his building. He's not building. He's built his house. Somebody
says, explain that preacher. No, I'll let God explain that
to you. You'll find that out if he ever lays hold of you.
If he ever puts you in the house where he's already built you,
you'll find out about it. Christ, by faith, has faithfully
built his house. His house equals his elect. His
elect equals those who hold fast, the confidence and rejoicing
of hope firm unto the end. So that, by default, lets me
know there's got to be a starting point with you or me somewhere.
Because you can't continue where you never started. Now can you? That's the question I ask some
of you. All of us, have we ever really
started? Or we just, well, I've always
believed this. If you think you've always believed this, you've
missed it because you haven't always believed this. You may
have been taught, some of you may have been taught, I don't
know, from your youth and maybe you're adults now, but you've
not believed this all your life. That's too long. That's too long. Number three. The fountain of
such absoluteness is this, speaking of Christ who was faithful to
Him that appointed Him. Now there's a God-righteousness.
Is it not? Can you say that of yourself?
All too often, I must confess, Lord, I believe. Help Thou my utter failures. Because that's what unbelief
is. Whether it's that big or this big. It's an utter failure. Anybody see any God-righteousness
yet? Anybody see any? Here's this second scratch. This
scratched the surface. Christ's faith is an eternal
perfection of Christ. Turn to Proverbs chapter 8. This
is an astounding passage. Proverbs chapter 8. Proverbs
chapter 8 begins talking about wisdom cries. Wisdom understands. Wisdom speaks. Well, who is this
wisdom? We know this wisdom is the person
of Jesus Christ. But look at what it says about
Him in verse 22 of Proverbs 8. The Lord, notice that is all
capitalized. This would be in direct reference
to the father, because remember, the Psalms, the psalmist said,
under inspiration, The Lord, all capitals, said unto my Lord,
capital L, little o-r-d, sit thou at my right hand, or I'll
make thine enemies thy footstool. Now they are one in essence,
but the son submitted himself to the father. And this book
says that. But let's look at what it says
here. This is amazing. The Lord possessed me in the
beginning of His way, before His works of old. I was set up
from everlasting, from the beginning, wherever the earth was. 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 was I brought forth. While as 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 to the sea His decree
that the water should not pass His commandment, when He appointed
the foundations of the earth, then I was by Him, as one brought
up with Him, and I was daily His delight. Now I know why Paul says, and
be found in Him. You see, God didn't start loving
Jesus when He came and did what He did. Jesus Christ is God Almighty. As a matter of fact, when God
the Father said, let us create man, He was the voice that did
it. He was the voice that did it.
Then was I by him, as one brought up with him, and was daily his
delight, rejoicing always before him. But look, rejoicing in the
habitable part of his earth. He wasn't worried about the Himalayas. He didn't have his mind set on
the depths of the oceans. Look, and my delights were with the suns, of men. He was thinking about us. I see some God-righteousness
there that I can hang my hat on. Look now, therefore, hearken
unto me. Don't you think that's sound
advice? Oh ye children, for blessed are they that keep my ways. Hear instruction, and be wise,
and refuse it not. Blessed is the man that heareth
me, watching daily at my gates, watching at the post of my doors. For whoso findeth me, findeth
life, and shall obtain favor of the Lord. But he that sinneth against me
wrongeth his own soul. All they that hate me love death." What more can I say? Anybody see any God-righteousness
yet? If you're still looking in here, you've missed it. If
God's given you eyes, start looking in here. And you see that it's
all centralized, and that's not even the best word of it. It's
all about Jesus Christ. Here's the third thing. I just
want to scratch the surface. Christ's faith is the God-pleasing
righteousness. In other words, let me just,
as I tell the folks at chapel, take a hand grenade, pull the
pin, and we'll throw it out here on the floor, and we'll see who
runs and who stays. Christ Jesus was elected because
of His merits. God chose Him because of His
work and His faith. God chose us and put us in His
Son. He chose us in His Son. Isaiah
quickly, 42 verse 1, He is the elect one. The elect one. And we know that speaks of Christ
because even Christ said so. I'll take His word at it. But
here's what I want to actually read, Isaiah 42, if you're in
Isaiah. And listen to this one verse. Isaiah 42, verse 21. The Lord is well pleased for
His righteousness sake. Now someone says the Lord is
talking about Himself. Sure He is. Because His Son is His Son. The Lord is well pleased for
His righteousness sake. He that is God's righteousness,
the Son of God, He will magnify the law and make it honorable. Anybody see any God righteousness
yet? Thank God I do. I know I don't
see it as I ought. I definitely know that I don't
walk according to that knowledge as I ought, but I believe it. I believe Him. I need that kind of merit, don't
you? I need Christ's merit. I need Christ's
righteousness. I ask everyone. You know, people ain't ever made
a profession. I'm talking about every one of
us here this morning. Right now, today, do you see your absolute
need of that merit, that righteousness? That's what I'm asking. Here's
number four. And again, I will but scratch
the surface. Turn to Psalm 22 before I even
begin. I want you to see this as I read
it. This is number four. I want us to hear Christ's faith
that is God's righteousness recorded in Holy Scripture. Now remember
that faith, whether it be a noun or an adjective or an adverb,
it all is the same thing. Somebody says, well, but God
don't really have faith. God is the only source of true
living faith. What faith we have is a gift
from Him in free, sovereign, reigning mercy. He doesn't give us all of it
because we ain't going to be God. Even when we are totally
conformed to the image of His Son, in glory we will still worship
the Son. He will not worship us. He is
going to be the light of that city, not us. Man has been clamoring after
that old lie of the devil ever since the beginning. You shall
be like God. You can't be like God. You can't
be like God. Here it recorded, Christ's faith.
Even in His conception and infancy. And I cannot explain this. I
just believe what this book says. Look at it. Psalm 22. And we
know this is speaking of Christ. Verse 1, My God, my God, why
hast Thou forsaken me? Those are the actual words of
Jesus Christ on the accursed tree. But look at what it says. I don't know. He said some of
these words out loud. All of these things were a prophecy
of His very soul's feeling when He hung on that accursed tree.
And look at what it says. Verse 6, I'll start there for
the sake of time. But I am a worm and no man, a
reproach of men and despised of the people. All that see me
laugh me to scorn. They shoot out the lip. They
shake the head saying, He trusted on the Lord. Now did you ever
hear Jesus Christ bragging about Him trusting on the Lord? He
just trusted the Lord. He just went and did what God
the Father sent Him to do. Didn't He? He trusted on the
Lord that He would deliver Him. Let Him deliver Him seeing He
delighted in Him. But thou... Look at it now. Here's
Christ. Here's Christ. But thou art He that took me
out of the womb Thou didst make me hope when I was on my mother's
breast, when He as an infant was feeding me. I was cast upon
Thee from the womb. You see it? From the womb. Thou art my God from my mother's
belly. I certainly can't say that about
me. You got that kind of faith? If you think you do, you're deceived.
But he did. Because he is God absolute. Here it recorded. Even in his
adolescence. Think about this. I won't read
it. Luke 2 and verse 49. At 12 years old, he was about
his father's business in the temple. I'm not saying this never
happened, but I don't know, I don't personally know one 12-year-old
that I could say that of. I hope there are a few at 12
years old. He was about his father's business. Here early in his public ministry,
when he came under satanic attack, and on three specific occasions,
Satan, as it is said in scripture, tempted our Lord, and he said,
on three separate occasions, it is written. He trusted his own word. And men say, well, I don't know
if I believe that. You've got a problem. You've got a problem. So even
in his conception in infancy, even in his adolescence, even
in his early public ministry, but read in his redemptive work,
Isaiah chapter 50. I mentioned what we're about
to see here before, but Isaiah chapter 50. And verse 5, in his
redemptive suffering, we're seeing Christ's faith now, we're reading
about his faith. Isaiah 50 verse 5, the Lord God
hath opened my ear and I was not rebellious, neither turned
away back. I gave my back to the smiters. I used to have a fellow I worked
with years ago, he would come up to you and I mean he would
just smack you on the back as hard as he could. And that irritated
me to no end. And it hurt. He thought it was
so funny. This is what Christ is talking
about. They laid, they flayed the back of the Son of God to
where bone would show through. They tormented Him. I gave my back to the spiders
and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair. Yeah, you men ever
had a beard and somebody come up and just grab a handful and
pull it out? Hmm? Ever have somebody grab a handful
of hair? They were torturing him. They
spit on him. And I just don't think it was
a little... I figure they were clearing their filthy throats. And I hid not my face from shame
and spitting." Why? Because he was tough? That's
what we think of ourselves, that we could do that, wouldn't we?
Well, here we have the answer. Turn to 1 Peter chapter 2 and
we'll find the answer to this. 1 Peter chapter 2. 1 Peter 2.22, speaking of Christ,
who did no sin? Neither was guile found in his
mouth." Who? When he was reviled, reviled
not again. When he suffered, he threatened
not. But why? Because of his faith toward God. But committed, and that word
means to surrender to. But committed himself to Him
that judgeth righteously. who his own self bare our sins
were in his own body on the tree. I cannot comprehend that. I just
have to deal with my own in me and I don't even know all of
them. He knows what sin is. And all
the sins of all of his elect were put in his body. I cannot comprehend that. But I see God-righteousness in
that. To His own self bear our sins
and His own body on the tree that we being dead to sins should
live under righteousness. And who are you supposed to live
under? It's a person. See, most people think, well,
that means I'll start singing in the choir, I'll start teaching Sunday school,
I will pass out tracts. That's not it. That's not even
as good as a legal righteousness. The law God gave, he didn't,
now listen, don't get mad, he didn't give Sunday school and
singing in the choir and passing out tribes. But he gave the law. And Paul said, I don't want that
righteousness. So how much less should you want
your religious righteousness? Or your ethical righteousness?
Or your moral righteousness? Which is like water, it finds
its own level. Penny and I were watching TV
the other day, and I thought, even when I was a youngster, there
are things that are said and done on TV that they would not
have allowed years ago. My mind is boggled, but I know
why. God's lifted his restraint. Maybe,
maybe, maybe, maybe even just a little. to his own self by
our sins and his own body on the tree, that we, being dead
to sins, should live unto righteousness, by whose stripes ye are healed."
No. What does it say? Ours, what
Isaiah said. Peter says, whatever. Somebody
says, well, I need healing. Healing's already taken place.
Just believe Him who did it. For we were as sheep going astray,
but are now returned on the shepherd and bishop of your souls." They've
been moved quickly. We see it in his conception and
emphasy. We see his faith. We see God's righteousness in
his adolescence, in his early public ministry, in his redemptive
sufferings. Now turn to Philippians chapter
2. We will see the faith of Jesus
Christ even in His death and the humility of His obedience
to God. But let's look at the specific
obedience to God mentioned here. Philippians 2 verse 5, let this
mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. Now somebody
says, but Paul is going to say this, telling us to let what
was in Christ be in us. And He is. But if you don't get
the first part first, you ain't going to get to the second. God
don't give you a lay hold of Him first. You ain't going to
understand that mind that was in him and let it be in you at
all. Look at what he said. Who? Let
his mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. Who? Being
in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with
God, but made himself of no reputation, took upon himself the form of
a servant, was made in the likeness of men, and being found in fashion
as a man, he humbled. himself, and became obedient
unto death. But it wasn't just a death. He was not suffered to, as Jacob,
pull up his feet in his bed, turn toward the wall, close his
eyes, and pass off into glory. Was he? That would have done
none of us any good. He humbled himself and became
obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. And notice, it's the death of
the cross, not just on the cross. Yes, it was a death on the cross,
but it's the death of the cross. And what is that? Cursed is everyone
that hangeth on a tree. And when God seen him hanging
there being made a curse, God turned his back on the son so
that he will never turn his back on a believer ever. Ever. Wherefore, God also hath highly
exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name, that
at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven,
of things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every
tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory
of God the Father. There is faith. There is God's
righteousness. Believe Him. Now, I ask you,
is this the way that most of so-called preachers preach today? Is this the way they're preaching?
I'm not encouraging you to do this, but if you went home and
turned on your radio or your TV, it's on there 24 hours a
day. You'll hear very little of anything
even similar to what I have declared to you this morning. And it ain't
because I'm a great preacher, it's because God's Word is true. humbled himself and became obedient
unto death, even the death of the cross. Us filthy, rotten creatures were
laughing and mocking him as he died on that tree. And he was
and is our creator and our God. And he could have, had he so
willed, he could have called what were legions of angels and
delivered him from that despicable, accursed place and said, let
them all go to hell. And it would have been just,
had he willed so, but he came to do the will of the Father.
And his whole soul's intent was to do the will of the Father
in absolute, unfading faith. Now, we ain't quite done. One
more. Turn to the book of the Revelation, chapter 5. Now, let's see the crescendo
of Jesus Christ's faith and true God-righteousness. Christ's faith,
let's hear it. It's recorded in the scripture.
In verse 9 of Revelation chapter 5, and they sung a new song saying,
thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof
for thou was slain and has redeemed us to God by thy blood. What does it say? Out of. All
that he redeemed, he redeemed out of something. Yes or no? Is that what this says? Yes or
no? He didn't come to make it possible for us to be redeemed.
Bless God, He redeemed some people. Out of every kindred and tongue
and people and nation, and has made us unto our God, kings and
priests, and we shall reign on the earth. And I beheld and I
heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the
beasts and the elders. The number of them was 10,000
times 10,000 and thousands and thousands, saying with a loud
voice, worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and
riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory. And the
flesh says, please stop. I can't take no more. But the
new man says, feed me more. I need to hear more. Keep exalting
Him. riches, and wisdom, and strength,
and honor, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in
heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as
were in the sea, and all that were in them, heard I saying,
Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be it unto him that
sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever. And the four beasts said, Amen. Amen. And the four and the twenty elders
fell down and worshipped Him that liveth forever and ever."
So then, what does our believing have to do with all this? What
does our believing have to do with all this? Turn to Galatians
chapter 2. We talk about the faith of Christ.
I will read one verse to you. And when I read this verse, I'm
going to stop. I'm going to walk to the back. John Davis can have
a last psalm. Galatians chapter 2. Look at
it. Verse 16. Knowing. Oh God, teach us this. Knowing that a man is not justified
by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ. That's what I've been talking
about. Even we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might
be justified by the faith of Christ. Now you're getting down
to the crux of the message of the good news of the gospel.
My believing doesn't affect anything. It lays hold of Him who has affected
all things. Even we have believed in Jesus
Christ that we might be justified by the faith of Christ and not
by the works of the law. For by the works of the law,
there shall no flesh be justified. I'm done.