Before we read in these few verses
here, I'd like to read you something that Brother Don Portner wrote,
and it's good. It's not gonna be like what I'm
gonna be saying. I mean, this is really good.
Don said, according to God's own purpose and decree, our salvation
is an accomplished reality in Christ. He knew us in electing love,
predestinated us to be His sons, called us to be His own, justified
us in His purpose, and glorified us in Christ. That's what the
Lord Jesus Christ has done for us. What a special blessing we
have to be able to worship Him together this morning. Isaiah 45, I'd like you to start
with me in verse 20, and we'll read to the end of the chapter.
Isaiah 45. Assemble yourselves and come.
Draw near together. Ye that are escaped of the nations,
they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image,
and pray unto a God that cannot save. Tell ye, Bring them near. Yet let them take counsel together. Who hath declared this from ancient
times? Who hath told it from that time?
Have not I the Lord? And there is no God else beside
me. A just God and a Savior. There is none else beside me. Our text this morning is gonna
be those six words. A just God and a savior. Read on. Look unto me and be
you saved all the ends of the earth for I am God and there
is none else. I have sworn by myself. The word
has gone out of my mouth in righteousness and shall not return. That unto
me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. Surely shall
one say, in the Lord have I righteousness and strength. Even to him shall
men come, and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed. In the Lord shall all the seed
of Israel be justified and shall glory. And then in chapter 46,
let's start with verse nine. in chapter
46. These verses tell us who our
God is, what kind of a God we have. And there is none else
beside him. I like that, don't you? None
else beside him. Verse nine, remember the former
things of old, for I am God and there is none else. I am God
and there is none like me. declaring the end from the beginning
and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying,
my counsel shall stand. I will do all my pleasure. Calling a ravenous bird from
the east, the man that executes my counsel from a far country,
yea, I have spoken it. I will also bring it to pass.
I have purposed it, I will also do it. Our Heavenly Father, we come to you through our Savior,
the Lord Jesus Christ, your beloved Son. We realize that this is
the only way that we are accepted in by being accepted in the beloved. We realize that our only righteousness
is in him. We realize also that all our
holiness is found in Jesus Christ. And all our perfection is in
Christ. Lord, we thank you for what you
have done for us. our wonderful God and Savior, the one who's redeemed us and
has forgiven us all sin through your blood. This morning we want
to praise and honor and glorify the name of Jesus Christ. Oh, help us, Lord, to worship
you this morning in spirit and in truth. Lord, we pray that
you would be with our pastor and Shirley and other members
of our church that are down in Florida at the conference. We
pray that you would bless them this morning and then give them
safe travel as they come back to us. We pray for those of our
congregation who have physical problems and other kinds of problems.
Lord, we know that you're the one who brought them to us. And
so we should praise and honor and glorify you because these
things are going to work out for good for your purpose to
us who are called and loved. And Father, we pray that you
would bless the word this morning as we speak. I pray, Father,
that you'd give me strength, help me to stand and proclaim
that God is a merciful God and a gracious God, and he'll be
merciful to whom he will be merciful. He'll be gracious to whom he
is gracious. We pray, Father, that you will
save such as should be saved here at Lantana Grace Church
in around Crossville. May we be the witnesses that
would bring them to hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Let's stand together and sing the hymn
of the day in a voice. Back in Isaiah 45, those six
words, I want to remind you again. Down in verse 21, toward the
end of the verse, he says, there is no God else
beside me, a just God and a Savior. A just God and the Savior. How can a just God save sinners? Job was asked this question,
how then can a man be justified with God? I was sitting in my store selling
some tires and a former preacher friend of mine
of the free will persuasion was there, and he was talking to
my son. And I was just listening to what
they had to say. And they was talking about the
mercy of God. And I thought, well, that's a
good subject to talk about right there, the mercy of God. And
then that preacher said, do you realize that God has to give
up some of his justice to show mercy? And I looked at him and
I said, sir, you don't know the gospel. Because God will never
give up any of his justice. He can be and is a just God and
a savior. A just God demands perfection,
not even close. A just God demands perfection. As a matter of fact, He says
in Matthew chapter 5, 28, Be ye perfect, for I am perfect.
That's a command. Be ye perfect, for I am perfect. Now if we're going to make it
to heaven, we're going to see our Lord Jesus Christ. We're
going to see all the saints around the thrones and the 420 elders. We're going to have to be perfect. I'm not. You just have to be
with me for a little while and you'll know that. I'm not perfect. But then he also says, Peter
says it this way in 1 Peter 1, be ye holy for I am holy. I'm not holy. Not in me, not in myself. I'm
not holy. Again, you don't have to be around
me very long to find out. I'm not that holy person. But
you notice that's a command too? Be ye holy, for I am holy. That's God's command to us. A just God commands us to be
perfect. A just God commands us to be
holy. A just God commands us to be
righteous. And in and of ourselves, none
of us are. And then he says, to add to that,
I am the Lord, I change not. He will not change. He will not
change the fact that he's a just God. He will not change the fact
that he has commanded you and I to be perfect. He will not
change that he has commanded us to be holy. He will not change
that he demands of us righteousness. He won't change. He is Jesus Christ, the same
yesterday, today, and forever. Well, what does God require? Whatever God requires, no mere
man can meet those requirements. No matter what He requires. No
mere man can meet those requirements. I just had four points in this
message this morning. The first one is, a just God
demands perfection. The second one is, because I'm
imperfect, because I'm unholy, because I'm unrighteous, A just
God demands the punishment of the sinner. He demands the punishment of
the sinner. Well, am I a sinner? Am I a sinner?
For whosoever shall keep the whole law and shall offend in
one point, he's guilty of all. I've never kept all the law.
Matter of fact, when I go through the law, I realize I never kept
any of it. Romans 3.23 says, for all have
sinned and come short of the glory of God. That's me. I've sinned, I've come short
of the glory of God. I've not been able to attain
it. It's the shooting of the arrow and the arrow falls short.
Doesn't even reach the target. That's me. Then in Romans chapter three,
verses nine through 12, I want you to look at that with me.
Turn to Romans 3, nine to 12. Romans 3, verses 9 through 12. What then, are we better than
they? No, and no wise. For we have
before proved, both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under
sin. Now he quotes from David, the
psalmist. As it is written, there is none
righteous, no not one. That's what God says. I'll take God's word over yours
and mine any day, won't you? There is none that understandeth.
There is none that seeketh after God. They're all gone out of
the way. They are become together, become
unprofitable. There is none that doeth good. No, not one. Are we sinners? Yes, we are.
And because we are sinners, the wages of sin is death. The soul that sinneth, Ezekiel
said, it shall die. He said it twice in the same
chapter. The soul that sinneth, it shall die. In Exodus, when Moses wanted to
see the glory of God, and God put him in the cleft of the rock,
And then God spoke before him. And one of the phrases he said
is that God will by no means clear the guilty. We're gonna live in this body
of sinful flesh until the day that God calls us home. He'll
not clear. He told Adam, in the day that
you eat thereof, concerning the fruit, in the day that you eat
thereof, ye shall surely die. Adam lived 960 years. What did
God mean? Well, he didn't mean physical
death, but he meant a spiritual death, separated from God. Separated from God. And then Paul says it, he puts
it all together this way. Wherefore, as by one man sin
entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon
all men, for all have sinned. A just God demands the punishment
of the sinner. We're sinners by nature, and
sinners by choice. That's who we are. before a holy
God. Sin is what we do because sin
is what we are. Jeremiah said, can an Ethiopian
change his skin or a leopard his spots? Neither can you do
good who are accustomed to doing evil. That's who we are before
God. A just God demands perfection.
A just God demands the punishment of the sinner. A just God demands
satisfaction. He demands satisfaction. Something is going to have to
satisfy God in this matter of justice. Actually, it was someone. It was someone who did. There
is nothing we can do to satisfy God's demands. It's not in us. All our righteousnesses are as
filthy rags, not by works of righteousness which we have done. Now, if he is a just God and
a Savior, a Savior is my only hope. A Savior is my only hope. Oh Lord, don't leave me to myself.
If left to myself, then I deserve and will be punished for all
eternity for my sin, for who I am. I deserve the wrath of
God, but I must have God's mercy. My only hope is Jesus Christ,
my savior. I must have God's mercy. So I
cry out like the publican in a temple, God, be merciful to
me, the sinner. I have no help but you. I have
no one but you. And there's only one God. And he does his pleasure. He
does what he purposes. You see in the eternal covenant
of grace that was made before the foundation of the world,
the father elected a people to be conformed to the image of
his son. And the son willingly became
a surety, the surety of bringing those many sons to glory. And
the Spirit of Christ gathers these elect from the four corners
of the earth through the preaching of the Word of God. Great is
the mystery of godliness. God became a man. Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. Turn to John chapter one. The
Gospel of John chapter 1. John chapter 1, verse 1. In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was
in the beginning with God. All things were made by him,
and without him was not anything made that was made. Now who is
this word? He's God. Who is this word? Look down at verse 14. And the word was made flesh,
and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the
only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. God manifest in the flesh, of
course, was Jesus Christ himself, Emmanuel, God with us. He said, a body thou hast prepared
for me. You know, there's only one reason
why God would do all this. that I could think of right off,
man has to have a savior, because he's a just God. Man has to have
a savior. Thou shall call his name Jesus,
for he shall save his people from their sin. Christ Jesus
came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. But God's justice must be satisfied. And only God can satisfy God. Only perfection can satisfy the
perfect. Only holiness can satisfy the
holy. Only righteousness can satisfy
the righteous. He requires perfection. He requires the death of the
sinner. So the Psalmist David in Psalm 85 verse 10 said, mercy
and truth have met together in the person of Jesus Christ. Righteousness
and peace have kissed each other in the person of Jesus Christ. He's the one who brings it together. He's the just God and the Savior
and he brings them together. He satisfied the Father. Jesus Christ became our substitute. He lived a perfect, sinless life. Holy, harmless, undefiled, and
separate from sinners. He set his face as a flint, headed
to the place God's justice would be satisfied. He was headed to
the cross. He sacrificed himself for his
chosen people. He bore all their sin in his
body on the tree. He was made to be sin for us,
who knew no sin. And there on the cross was a
bloody, mangled man, his visions so marred, more than any man,
it says in Isaiah 52. He was that man of sorrows, unacquainted
with grief. And when He died on that cross,
when He went to that cross for us, He put away, paid for the
sins of all His people. Every last one of them. He obtained eternal redemption
for us. That's what our Lord Jesus Christ
did for us. And He, the Father, Wielded the
sword of justice on his darling son. I can't imagine that. I have a
son. Many of you do too. I couldn't
imagine wielding the sword of justice on my son. But our father did. And he did
because Jesus willingly suffered the penalties of sin for you
and for me. So much so that our Lord cried
out, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? God could not
look on sin. He separated himself from his
Son. And the Son was forsaken, think
about this, so that we would never be forsaken. Never be forsaken. by our God,
by our Lord. The only thing that would satisfy
God's justice was the death of the sinner. God made him to be
sin for us and then willed a sort of justice on his own son. And he hung there for three hours
in darkness till God was satisfied that all the sins of all the
elect was paid for. that the death of the sinner
had paid its due, that Christ's blood was shed for the forgiveness
of their sin. After all this that was done
there on the cross, our Lord cries out, it is finished. Greek word, te telektai. You
know what it means? Perfect. That perfection that
we needed, he was. And once he had done all that
work of salvation, he said, it's perfect. It's paid for. It's done. It's accomplished. There's not a thing you need
to do. I did it for you. If you'll just
trust me, come to me. The father saw the travail of
his soul and was satisfied. No wonder Paul says, for there
is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man, Christ
Jesus. And no wonder he says concerning
us, there is therefore now no condemnation to them that are
in Christ Jesus. Now that's the place I want to
be in Christ Jesus. No other place is going to give
me that safety and that wonderful benefit. You see, justice has
been satisfied by someone outside of myself. And the fourth thing I wanna
talk about is a just God demands the salvation of the elect. Now
he's already provided that salvation. A just God demands the salvation
of God's elect. He will do all his pleasure,
what is purposed, it's done. If our God would cause the eternal
covenant of blood, don't you think he would bring salvation
to all his own people? He didn't do all that for nothing. He did it to bring salvation
to his own. He did all this that he might
remain just and be the justifier of them that believe in Jesus
Christ. Paul told Timothy concerning
Jesus Christ, who has saved us, called us with a holy calling,
not according to our works, but according to his own purpose
and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world
began. Our assurance is Jesus Christ
and Jesus Christ alone. Sometimes I lay awake at night
and remember all the evil things I've done. And then I think of my Lord and
all that he did for me. And now sitting on his throne,
resting, And I start thinking of Him,
and guess what? I start forgetting of all those
things I've been thinking about before. I start thinking about
Him, and His glory, and the magnitude of Himself, and the salvation
that He has brought. Our assurance is Jesus Christ
alone who loved us and gave himself for us. And he commands us, come
unto me. Come unto me. Why, where else would we go?
Who else provided a perfect salvation? Who else provided his own righteousness
for us? Who else gave his own holiness
for us? But then it said, no man cometh
to the Father but by me, but listen to this, all that the
Father giveth me shall come to me. They're gonna get there. They're gonna get there because
they're his elect, his people. He spared not his own son, but
delivered him up for us all. How shall he not? freely give
us all things. And who should lay anything to
the charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies. It's
God that justifies. I'm crucified with Christ, nevertheless
I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. And the life that
I now live, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who gave himself
and loved me and gave himself for me. What a wonderful God. What a wonderful God. Now whatever
God has required, He has given. He has given. We need to be perfect. Look at Romans, or Hebrews chapter
10. Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews chapter 10, look down
at verse 14. For by one offering he hath perfected
forever them that are sanctified. We're perfect. In Jesus Christ,
we're perfect. He did it. He made sure of it. He's our surety to that. Not
only that, but forever them that are sanctified. I needed to be
holy. Sanctification means holiness.
He made me holy. He made me perfect. He made me
righteous. The Lord made Him sin for us
who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of
God in Him. In Him. Other things He's given us because
of this. For by grace are you saved through
faith. Faith. And that not of yourselves. It's a gift of God. Lest any
man should burn. He's given us faith. In Romans 6, 23 it says, the
wages of sin is death, but The gift of God is eternal life through
Jesus Christ our Lord. He's given us eternal life. The very life of himself, he
is life. So it's not of him that willeth,
nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. It's not by blood, nor by the
will of the flesh, nor by the will of man, but of God. Since there is nothing that we
could offer, it must be of God. And thank the Lord, we are accepted
in the Beloved. In the Beloved. not by works of righteousness
which we have done but according to his mercy he has saved us. To those who believe he says
I will be your God and ye shall be my people. I can't justify myself It's entirely the work of my
Savior, Jesus Christ. And if I'm gonna be saved, then
I better do what that publican did. I better be smiling on my
breast and saying, God, be merciful to me, the sinner. Let's pray. Thank you, Heavenly Father, for
the privilege we've had of being here to worship you together, to hear
the gospel again, the gospel of our salvation. And Lord, we pray that the Spirit
of God, through the Word of God, by the power of God, would open each heart to your
gospel. And may we see again our Savior
and magnify Him above all and declare His name. Bless these people. Bless them
as they go their way. And as we come back this evening,
may we honor the name of Jesus Christ. In all that we do, we
pray in Jesus' name. Amen. I don't know the number of it.
Free from the law? 205. Let's stand.