The primary purpose of preaching
the gospel is to magnify the name and work of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Any other benefit that might
arise from such is of secondary importance. If Christ alone is not glorified
in the proclamation of the reconciliation which Paul spoke of, then such
preaching is wasted upon the vanity of men who might suppose
that there is some compelling reason why the eternal Lord of
glory should shed his blood to redeem sinners other than his
own purpose to bring glory to himself, because Christ is the
central subject of the gospel. Paul has described it thusly,
this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am
chief. This is the message that shall
be declared throughout the ages to come. Worthy is the Lamb that
was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and blessing. The rejoicing of the saints,
both in this world and that which is to come, is in the exaltation
of His name, which is above every name. This is the everlasting
song of the ages, Christ is all. Let every creature that hath
breath praise Him. It is upon this rich tapestry
that all of the designs and details of the redemptive work of Christ
are seen. If a man should fail to see the glory of Christ in
each and every one of these details, then it is impossible that he
should be able to comprehend anything of the breadth and depth
of the gospel. To preach any message which would
give a man basis upon which to hope, which is not Jesus Christ
alone, is to declare a counterfeit gospel. Christ alone will be
glorified by the redeemed as well as those heavenly creatures
who look on in adoring wonder at the unfolding of all which
he has been pleased to perform. When Paul said, For I determine
not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified,
he eliminated all other declarations as being improper. This is exactly
what Peter meant when he said, Neither is there salvation in
any other. For there is none other name under heaven given
among men whereby we must be saved. The name and authority
of Christ is the very basis of sound gospel preaching. Anything
that is added to it or taken from it is a description which
is worthy of damnation. The introduction of man's free
will as a modification of the complete and finished work of
Christ is to pervert the truth and give man a place that he
might glory in his own works. If Christ is said to only make
salvation possible with man providing the missing link of faith by
an action of his own free will, then man's authority must be
greater than his who is the author and finisher of our faith. This
is a notion which cannot be tolerated, but must be opposed at all costs
by those whose hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood
and righteousness. Faith is clearly the gift of
God, not of works, lest any man should boast. Whenever you find
true faith, you will find those who confess that it is not by
works of righteousness which we have done, but according to
His mercy He saved us. Faith rests in its object, which
is Jesus Christ. Those who truly believe might
despair of ever discovering the operation of faith in themselves,
but they never despair of casting themselves upon Him who is their
faith. True faith is much more readily
seen in us by our brethren than it ever is in our own eyes. The
man who boasts of how much faith he possesses is ignorant of the
nature of true faith, as is the man who considers that he can
believe by an act of his own will. Love of the brethren is
the true evidence of the work of God's Spirit in the sons of
God. The man who is without this love is devoid of the working
of the Holy Ghost. We know that we have passed from
death unto life because we love the brethren. This love is unfeigned,
uncontrived, and not merely theoretical, because it is the product of
him who works in his people both the will and to do of his own
good pleasure. It is that which causes brethren
to bear one another's burdens, esteem one another above themselves,
forbearing and forgiving one another. The work of faith is
the gift of God, and is that which rests in him as its author
and finisher. The labor of love is that evidence
of the Spirit's presence and continued operation in the saints
of God. The patience of hope is that
guilt which is bestowed upon the sons of God that causes them
to look forward to the fulfillment of all the promises of God in
which they have been caused to believe. But let us, who are
of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and
love, and for helmet the hope of salvation. For God hath not
appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord
Jesus Christ. Are you a person of faith, hope,
and love? Does your weary soul long to
find rest in Him who is the hope of the hopeless and the help
of the helpless? If you would like a free transcript
of this broadcast, email us at 4the4 at windstream dot net.