Sovereign Grace Chapel, located
at 135 Annabel Lane in Beaver, West Virginia, invites you to
listen to a gospel message concerning Jesus Christ our Lord. If you have your Bibles with
you this morning, please turn with me to Hebrews 4. Hebrews
chapter 4. And I'm going to read the first
five verses. Hebrews 4. Let us therefore fear, lest a
promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should
seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached,
as well as unto them. But the word preached did not
profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard
it. For we which have believed do
enter into rest, as he said, as I have sworn in my wrath,
if they shall enter into my rest, although the works were finished
from the foundation of the world. For he spake in a certain place
of the seventh day on this wise, and God did rest the seventh
day from all his works. And in this place again, if they
shall enter in to my rest. I have just recently been in
a place where I was out shopping and someone come up to me. They
wanted to tell me a few things. They started talking out about
the reformers. I thought, well, this is different.
Let me talk to them a little bit. I was not aware of the book
they had in their hand, but this person then offered me a book.
A book that supposedly spoke about the reformers. I happen
to like those teachings from scripture the reformers often
wrote on. And not only them, but some other
older preachers as well. A lot of them I consider to be
my brethren. John Calvin, Martin Luther, Charles
Spurgeon, John Newton, and others. But just as it does most of the
time with these meetings like this, yet digressed from there. I started speaking of honoring
Christ, saying if the book honored Christ, I would read it. If it
did not, I told the person, it would go in the trash. I do not
need a book that someone wrote to learn what God says in his
word. I just need books that proclaim what God says in his
word. So after a few minutes after
me mentioning that God will force his people into believing him
and they will be glad it is so, I noticed this person edging
away from my car. I believe it was evident to them
that they had approached someone that they may have wished they
had not. Although it was not a confrontational
discussion, but it was not necessarily an agreeable discussion either.
God tells us in his word, you are either for me or against
me, it cannot be both. I do not need a book that lifts
up man, that is, man or woman, and what man does, because the
scripture says about man that all his righteousnesses are as
filthy rags in God's sight. So everything we do right is
an abomination before God in his sight. Scripture is clear. If you do not believe this, then
you do not believe God's word. There is no excuse for anyone
in this day and age. God's word is all over the place.
If you do not know what it says, then you are just not reading
it. But even those who might read it will not even see or
truly understand what they are reading unless God reveals it
to them. I did read the book briefly that
was given me, and once I started hearing lies that were being
told, not only on those reformers, but more importantly, on Jesus
Christ the Lord, I filed it away for good. It is not my intention
to bash others today, but I do want to warn people about lies
on God. I want to go through some subjects
today and give what scripture says on those subjects. Those
subjects are God's people are freed from the law, God's elect
reprobate, and Christ is our Sabbath. God's people are freed
from the law. Everyone knows about the Ten
Commandments. There are the Ten Commandments,
but these are not the only commandments God gives us in his law. Certainly,
these ten are far more than we could ever think we could keep
for merit before God. In order to keep the law of God,
we have to be as righteous as God is to begin with. So we are
starting off on the wrong foot because His Word says there is
none righteous, no not one. If God tells us we are not righteous,
there is nothing more you can do about it to make that different.
Nothing. The scripture also says that
even our righteousnesses are as filthy rags in His sight.
So even our best deeds are an abomination to God. It says that
both Jew and Gentile have proved, this is proved to God that we
are all under sin. Again, God said this. So who
is going to convince God that what he says is not right? God is holy and righteous. He
does not change, and he said this. So it is so. whether we
agree with it or not, whether we believe it or not. God must
be satisfied in one of two ways. Either we keep the law, which
we already know we cannot, or we must die for, that is, the
wages of sin. That is what we have earned,
death. You want merit, there is man's merit. He has merited
death from God. The wonderful news of the gospel
is this. This is what makes good news
to a sinner like me. Jesus Christ purposed to come
into this world to save a sinner like me. He would satisfy the
judgment of God on my behalf. Just think about it. God himself
was going to take my punishment if he died for me, and it is
he that would suffer death for sin on my behalf. This was the
whole reason why Jesus Christ came into the world. In Matthew
we read, for he shall save his people from their sin. This is
an absolute, an absolute of God, this shall. He said he was going
to do it, and he did. Being made sin for me, he took
my sin in his own body on the tree, and was forsaken of God
the Father, where he cried, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken
me? So he was forsaken of God because
of sin. But then in his last breath that
he purposed to have, he cried, it is finished. What? What is finished? Salvation is finished. Christ
came to save his people from their sin and Jesus Christ tells
us in his word that he finished the work for salvation. so that
we might be made the righteousness of God in him. He is my righteousness
before God. So much so that we then read
in Romans 8 in verse two, we see, for the law of the spirit
of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of
sin and death. So I have been freed from that
law, that law of God, the Mosaic law, the 10 commandments. I'm
freed from that law, so I am no longer looking, nor were God's
people ever looking to that law for righteousness before God,
not even in the Old Testament. Else there would be no more conscience
of sin, Hebrews tells us. Next we have God's elect, because
it says he shall save his people from their sin. So who are his
people? I think it is a good question
to ask. God gives us an answer. God tells us in his word that
those for whom Christ died are those for whom he chose in Christ
from before the foundation of the world. That is what the elect
means, those chosen of God. We are told we can know our election. First Thessalonians 1.4 says,
knowing, brethren, beloved, your election of God. Election is
all throughout the scripture. It is also throughout the scripture
that this was based on God's will and choice and had nothing
at all to do with what man's will was or what man would do,
as we will see a little later. We read of God's elect in several
places. You can read it in Colossians
3.12, 2 Timothy 2.10, Titus 1.1, 1 Peter 1.2, 1 Peter 5.13, 2
Peter 1.10, 2 John 1.13. This is not all of those places,
but these are the ones in the New Testament that makes clear
that God has an elect. But how do we know we are the
elect? It is really as simple as this.
You believe that Jesus is the Christ. That simple. Now that
statement is not so simple when you start to look at who Jesus
the Christ is in scripture. The whole scripture is about
Jesus Christ. But you will believe him even
if you do not know everything about him. Even if you do not
know what election is. Salvation is a person that is
Jesus the Christ. He accomplished what was needed
for the salvation of his people. Those God chose, he did so in
Jesus Christ. We were chosen to salvation.
What does this mean? That means God chose us. Christ
died for us. God calls us in time. We believe
in time. And we'll ultimately be glorified
and be with him in glory. The reprobate. So if you're not
chosen of God, what does that make you? Those not chosen of
God are reprobate or rejected. That's what the word means. Again,
I say to you that God tells us in his word this is true. If
you do not like that or you do not believe that, then you can
argue with him. I'm sure it will be in vain because
what he says, he has done. Romans 9 verses 11 through 13
reads this way. for the children being not yet
born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose
of God according to election might stand, not of works, but
of him that calleth. It was said unto her, the elder
shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have
I loved, but Esau have I hated. The word here for hated means
to detest, versus the one he loved, which means to love. I
know some people want to tell you it means he loved them less,
but he did not hate them. Well, let's read down a little
further in Romans 9, verses 14 through 16. What shall we say
then? Is there unrighteousness with
God? God forbid. For he said to Moses, I will
have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion
on whom I will have compassion. So then, it is not of him that
willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. Paul knew what all men's response
would be. It was his response at first,
before God revealed this to him in love. And it was my response
when I first heard it, before God revealed it to me in love.
God chose those to whom he would show mercy, and it was the ones
for whom he loved. The rest were already fitted
to destruction because they have sinned against God. They do not
believe God. These reprobates have a father
who is Satan. Jesus Christ is not fighting
Satan and he never was. By his death on that tree, he
bruised Satan's head as we read in Genesis that he would. That
bruising meaning he crushed his head. Satan has always been in
God's sovereign control. You can read the book of Job
sometime and find this out. Satan cannot do anything unless
God allows him to do so. I do not have the power to fight
Satan, but God has all the power. Even with Peter, Christ told
him that Satan desired him to sift him as wheat. We know that
he did because Peter denied our Lord three times. But just as
Christ promised him, his faith did not fail. Faith is a product
of Jesus Christ the Lord and not what I do. Scripture tells
us that Jesus Christ is the author and finisher or that is perfecter
of faith. When we begin to fear and look
to ourselves doing something for Christ, then we will begin
to deny him. If he is so pleased to give us
life by his spirit and in giving that life by his spirit, there's
fruit. The fruit of his spirit is all these things, love, joy,
peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, meekness, faith, and
it says there is no law against these things. So you are either
the elect or chosen of God or you are reprobate or rejected.
Christ is our Sabbath. The law of God says in Exodus
20 and eight, it says, remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. But it goes on further to say,
in Exodus 31, verses 14 and 15, you shall keep the Sabbath therefore,
for it is holy unto you. Everyone that defileth it shall
surely be put to death. For whosoever doeth any work
therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Six
days may work be done, but in the seventh is the Sabbath a
rest. Holy to the Lord, whosoever doeth
any work in the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. That is the law. There is no
giving this law. There is no excuse that can be
given to not obey this law. If that is what you are doing,
is trying to keep the holy law of God, It says that if you do
any work on that day, you shall be put to death. This is the
seventh day of the week from Friday evening, sunset, to Saturday,
sunset. For those who are His chosen,
His elect, Jesus Christ is their Sabbath. Let's now read Hebrews
chapter four in its entirety. Let us therefore fear, lest a
promise being left us, entering into his rest, any of you should
seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached
as well as unto them, but the word preached did not profit
them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we
which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, as I have
sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest, although
the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise,
and God did rest the seventh day from all his works. And in this place again, if they
shall enter into my rest, Seeing, therefore, it remaineth that
some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached
enter not in because of unbelief. Again, he limiteth a certain
day, saying in David, Today, after so long a time, as it is
said, Today, if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. For if Jesus had given them rest,
then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. There
remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that
is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own
works, as God did from his. Let us labor therefore to enter
into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of
unbelief. For the word of God is quick,
and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing
even to the dividing asunder of the soul and spirit, and of
the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and
intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature
that is not manifest in his sight, but all things are naked and
opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. Seeing then
that we have a great high priest that is passed into the heavens,
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession,
for we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with
the feeling of our infirmities, but was at all points tempted
like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly
into the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find
grace to help in time of need. Those who hold that the Sabbath
day can and must be kept for acceptance before God, and that
is Friday from sunset to Saturday sunset, are hypocrites. Not just
because they have church on that day. The day in which God's people
meet together matters not. It is when you think by doing
so gains you any favor before God. Our Lord said in Luke 13
verses 15 and 16, The Lord then answered him and said, Thou hypocrite,
doth not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or his ass
from the stall and lead him away to watering? And ought not this
woman being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound low these
18 years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day? He is
saying you do work on the Sabbath even though you say you don't.
He looses us just as he did this woman from the bond of this Sabbath
day. We are instructed by God's word
to let no man judge us concerning the Sabbath days. Colossians
2.16. Let no man therefore judge you
in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a holy day, or of the new
moon, or of the Sabbath days. Salvation is in no way the keeping
of any of God's law. Salvation is in Jesus Christ
and Jesus Christ alone. If you think that in keeping
any part of God's law makes you acceptable before God, you are
obligated to keep the whole law fully and completely. That means
if you keep one part of God's law but fail in another, you
have broken all of God's law. This is scripture in what God
says to us. There are hundreds of commands
in God's law, not just 10. But we can in no way keep God's
law, not even ten of them, not even two that Christ gave us. We are unrighteousness before
God. Scripture also tells us that
it is evident that no man will be justified by the law of God.
Jesus Christ being his people's Sabbath rest, if we are in him,
then he is our rest. We rest in him and what he has
done. There is nothing else to do.
Don't walk an aisle. Just believe Him. Pray for mercy
to Him. No man other than Jesus Christ
can do anything for you. The best we can do is just proclaim
to you what God has told us in His Word. That is, Jesus Christ
is our Sabbath rest. Just as God rested on the seventh
day from creating everything, Christ being that perfect rest,
we can rest in Him. He has finished the work. There's
no rest outside of Jesus Christ the Lord. Outside of Christ,
there's always doing, doing, doing. And with all the doing,
there is sacrifice after sacrifice after sacrifice, which can never
take away sin, the scripture tells us. your doing will not
gain you any favor before God. If Christ did not die for you,
then you have no sacrifice that will satisfy him. But Christ
came into the world to save sinners. It says, for he shall save his
people from their sins. Those for whom he chose from
before the foundation of the world, he chose them to salvation. Not only did he do that for which
he was required for God's holy law, but he also paid the penalty
of sin on his people's behalf. He was made sin for them so that
they might be made the righteousness of God in him. Galatians 2 verses
3 through 5 reads this way. But neither Titus, who was with
me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. and that because
of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy
out our liberty, which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might
bring us into bondage. To whom we gave place by subjection,
no, not for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue
with you. When it comes to the gospel,
we do not allow any time to anyone who seeks to lift up man and
put Christ down. You may not even be saying anything
about Christ, but if you lift up man, you are putting down
Christ. If there is anything in man that
is worthy toward God, then Jesus Christ is not needed. Scripture
testifies that Jesus Christ is the only way to God. If you are
going to talk to me about what man, that is man or woman, does
or has done some kind of merit before God, then there is no
time that should be given you. All honor and glory go to Jesus
Christ because it is He He that is the glory of God the
Father. It is not because I know it all
or that I think I am better than you. It is because Scripture
declares that all honor and glory are to the praise of His name.
So I'm not going to give time to those such as this. 2 John
7-11 reads this way. For many deceivers are entered
into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in
the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look to yourselves, that we lose
not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive
a full reward. Whosoever transgresseth and abideth
not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God. He that abideth
in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the
Son. If there come any unto you and
bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither
bid him Godspeed. For he that biddeth him Godspeed
is partaker of his evil deeds. The doctrine of Christ is paramount. You might ask, what doctrine?
The answer is very simple and found in the very statement itself.
the doctrine of Christ, everything about Christ, who he is and what
he has done. If someone does not bring or
proclaim this message, that is Jesus Christ and him crucified,
then I'm not even to have them into my house or even to tell
them you have a good day. We are just as the apostles were
told to shake off the dust from our feet if someone will not
hear us. Jesus Christ himself said this. So if you're telling
me some other doctrine other than Jesus Christ, then it is
a perversion of the gospel and I should not hear it. Are you
a sinner? Have you been one who has continued
to try to do the right thing so that God might save you? Does
it seem that every time you think you have done something right
or good, that you then do something wrong or evil and it makes you
what you did previously of no value? I assure you that there
is nothing that you can or will ever do that will gain you any
favor before God. The whole purpose of God that
he has done was to come into the world to save sinners. To
the praise, honor, and glory of his name. Just as Paul the
Apostle did, I do now. I beseech you. That is, call
you near, invite you to hear what God says in His word. I
pray by His power, He opens your eyes, your understanding, so
that you might see Jesus Christ as your salvation, your Sabbath
rest. Can you rest in Christ? I just
want to remind you that on WVVACW at noon, you can hear a portion
of one of our Sunday messages. If not, you can come here just
past Little Beaver State Park off Country Club Drive on Annabelle
Lane. We start at 10.30. Come join
us and hear Jesus Christ and Him crucified proclaimed.