Good morning, everyone. You may
want to turn in your Bibles to 2 Timothy 2. God, through the
writing of the Apostle Paul, he refers to his gospel as a
faithful saying. And today, I want us to consider
this scriptural answer to this question. The question being,
why is the gospel a faithful saying? If we put it another
way, why is the gospel, that is, the good news of how God
saves a sinner, why is it a truth in which sinners can place their
full confidence How can we know that the gospel of grace is totally
trustworthy, that it's a faithful saying, a saying worthy of putting
your faith in, a saying, a message that can be relied upon and is
therefore worthy to be believed? Well, Paul, under the inspiration
of God the Holy Spirit, in writing to his young understudy, Timothy,
he answers this question for us in 2 Timothy chapter 2. And
his answer is such that it should calls all men and all women who
hear these words to reject any and all the false ways, the false
Gospels." In other words, I'm referring to those ways that
men believe they might be saved, but that prove to be unfaithful
sayings. It's among those various ways
that men imagine is the ones that we all naturally initially
imagine as a way that seems right to us of how we might be saved. But in hearing these words of
why this is a faithful saying, it should cause all men and women
to embrace the one, the sure, the certain way that is set forth
in God's Word and His gospel of sovereign grace. You see,
for His gospel alone can be said to be this faithful saying. So turn with me to 2 Timothy
now, chapter 2, and today I'll be delivering part one of a two-part
series that I've titled, Why the Gospel is a Faithful Saying. The answer to that question is
provided for us very clearly in verses 11 through 13 of 2
Timothy 2. But in order to capture the broader
context and actually so as to be sure that we are clear about
the content of this faithful saying, God's gospel, today I
want to spend some time on the verses leading up to this. as
we'll begin our examination of the text in 2 Timothy 2, verse
8. Paul here is continuing to instruct
Timothy as to the ministry of the gospel. And picking up in
verse 8, we read, he tells Timothy, he writes, Remember that Jesus
Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according
to my gospel. as with some of you, Timothy,
already knew the gospel. And as such, this one short sentence
is packed with information. It speaks volumes to Timothy,
for it would bring to remembrance all the vital issues of the gospel. He refers to the seed of David,
reminding Timothy of Christ's humanity. And he speaks of how
this one who took into union with his humanity was raised
from the dead. So he would be reminded of his
death, his resurrection. He's noting here the necessity. At least it would bring that
to mind to Timothy, who knew the gospel from a young age.
It would bring to mind the necessity of the humanity of Christ. How
he had to become incarnate. taken to union with his deity
of humanity, he had to walk on this earth as the God-man in
order to save his people from their sins. According to God's
gospel, which Paul, having embraced, calls here, my gospel, Christ
had to be made like unto us in every way except without sin. You see, He had to take on a
humanity if he was going to be a suitable substitute to accomplish
the salvation as a representative of sinners such as you and me. As Paul wrote to the Galatians
in Galatians 4 verse 4, he said, But when the fullness of the
time was come, God sent forth His Son made of a woman. as he wrote to Timothy, of the
seed of David, made under the law to redeem them that were
under the law. He had to take on humanity and
be put under the same jurisdiction, subject to the requirement, the
obedience unto God of all His commandments that all of humanity
is subject to. The very perfection that we're
commanded to render before a holy God. He was made under the law to
redeem them that were under the law that we might receive the
adoptions of sons. In the passage I often allude
to, there in Acts 17 when Paul was preaching on Mars Hill, he
teaches there at the end of his sermon that it is by the resurrection
He says that assurance is given unto all men that he's going
to judge the world by that righteousness he accomplished. In other words,
that that righteousness got the job done in that he raised him
from the dead. It tells us there that the full
satisfaction of God's justice was made by his obedience unto
death. So when he reminds young Timothy
of how Christ was raised from the dead, if Timothy, knowing
the gospel, knowing this fateful saying, all of these things are
brought to mind. This is one reason I wanted to
start back here in verse 8. You see, for the very merit of
his work, that satisfaction to justice that Christ rendered,
that which is called in the Scripture the righteousness of God, it
demanded that he live. that he be raised from the dead.
There's a verse on the front of your bulletin, it's a banner
verse of our gospel ministry here, the Reign of Grace ministry.
As Romans 5.21 there points out, just as sin demands death, the
wages of sin is death, Righteousness. That satisfaction to justice
made by Christ. The satisfaction to justice made
both in its precept, that means obeying all of God's law, His
revealed will by way of command. Perfect obedience. and the justice
being satisfied by penalty, that is, the infinitely valuable payment
of His shed blood that was required due to a breaking of the law,
transgression, against an infinitely holy God. Now that's His righteousness,
that satisfaction to justice, and it's that very righteousness
that demands life. It demanded His resurrection,
and it demanded the resurrection of all those he represented.
We'll look at some verses pertaining to that in a moment. That is,
all those for whom the Lord Jesus Christ came to save those for
whom He came and lived and died for. So, by this brief sentence
to Timothy, Paul is reminding Timothy of those things. You
see, in the Gospel, it's not just the historical fact that
He died and was raised again and that He came to earth. Oh,
but it's what was accomplished therein. That's where we behold
the glory of God in the person of Christ. He continues the thought
now in verse 9 of 2 Timothy 2. He said he was speaking there.
We know he's speaking. He said, according to my gospel. And he continues saying, wherein
I suffer trouble. I suffer trouble as an evildoer."
Not that he had done evil in the sense meant here, but that
he was accused of being an evildoer falsely. He says, I suffer trouble
even unto bonds, but the word of God is not bound. Paul wrote this letter to Timothy
while he was in prison in Rome. He was in prison in persecution
over the gospel. The gospel he proclaimed. But
he adds, though he might be in bonds as he was in jail there,
that the Word of God is not bound. Why? He even wrote this epistle
while he was in jail. The Word of God there is not
referring to all truth. And of course, anything God tells
us is true. But it's not referring to the
entire Bible, for example, but rather to a specific truth, that
specific word of the gospel for which he was being persecuted.
It was the good news to one that God convinces of sin, of the
gospel that sets forth God's way of salvation by Christ alone. Now, it's noteworthy that men
may be, as Paul was, bound for the sake of the Word, but Almighty
God overcomes any and all obstacles to ensure His Word reaches the
objects of His everlasting love. Each and every one for whom Jesus
Christ lived and died In a familiar passage to many of you, Christ
said in John 10, 27-30, My sheep hear My voice, and I know them,
and they follow Me. And I give unto them eternal
life, and they shall never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them
out of My hand. I'll keep them. My Father which
gave them Me is greater than all. No man's able to pluck them
out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one." The
Word of God, see, is not bound. It will reach the sheep. He said,
my sheep will hear my voice. So Paul here in 2 Timothy has
told Timothy that he suffers trouble over the gospel. But knowing that this very specific
Word of God, the Gospel message itself, shall reach its intended
audience. Paul says in verse 10, Therefore
I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain
the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. You
see, it's for the elect, the sheep. Those chosen from everlasting
by God the Father unto salvation, which He said is in Christ Jesus. Their salvation is not in something
they do in order to obtain it. No, the obtaining is their revelation
that all of salvation is in Christ Jesus, in Him alone. And it's
knowing that there's a chosen people out there that will certainly
hear and believe the Word of God that Paul, and it's for that
reason he endures or perseveres in his suffering, for he knows
that the Word of God is not bound. We're talking about Almighty
God. It will get to those He intends to hear it. All those
for whom Jesus Christ lived and died shall without fail hear
and believe the gospel. Paul writes that he perseveres
in the gospel ministry that they may also obtain the salvation
which is in Christ Jesus. Also, in other words, just as
he had obtained it, it had been revealed to him. You see, again,
the salvation's in Christ Jesus. The elect simply obtain it. That's
not something they do in order to get it. That Greek word for
obtain there is one that means it shall light upon them or it
shall meet up with them or it will affect them. This salvation
which is in Christ Jesus, you see, shall have its effect own
them as it meets up with them." In other words, as with Paul,
each of them without fail shall be enlightened to the salvation
which is exclusively in and by the person and work of Christ. That takes place as they're given
spiritual life and all those faculties of life. eyes to see,
ears to hear, that they might understand. That takes place
as they receive the life, listen, that was purchased for each and
every one of them by Christ. Each and every one for whom He
lived and died. Because salvation is in Christ
Jesus. Consider another well-known passage
in John chapter 6. There in verse 37 Christ says,
All that the Father giveth me, that's the elect for whom Paul
says he endures all things. All that the Father giveth me,
Christ said, shall come to me. That is, they shall obtain salvation. They'll come to Him by God-given
faith. It's going to light upon them
by the power of the Holy Spirit under the preaching of this faithful
saying, the gospel that proclaims that all of salvation is in Christ
Jesus. And that's going to take place
in their respective lifetimes. And in verse 39 Christ continues
and he says, And this is the Father's will which hath sent
me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing,
but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is
the will of him that sent me, that everyone which seeth the
Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life, and I
will raise Him up at the last day." It's a faithful saying. So what we see then is there
are these. There's a, who are these everyone's,
which he says, seeth the Son, and believeth on him, whom Christ
says, I will raise up at the last day. Well, if we go back
to 37, verse 37, we see, they are the all which he, God the
Father, hath given to him, God the Son. They are the election
of grace, to whom Paul says, that's who I preach for. That's
why I endure all things. Think of that. You know, we desire
the salvation of all. And in particularly, we desire
the salvation of those we care the most about. Our friends,
our loved ones. And yet, while that's our desire,
we preach indiscriminately to all who will listen. And yet
the Bible is clear that the gospel is only effectual. It will only
be heard and believed from the heart by those given a new heart. That is spiritual life and the
accompanying gifts, the God-given gifts of faith and repentance. And we don't know in advance
who they, the elect, for whom Christ lived and died. We don't
know who they are. But we do know two things from the passages
we just considered. We know first that the true gospel
will only be believed by them and no one else. And two, that
not one of them shall fail to hear and ultimately believe it. They shall obtain the salvation
which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. Well, that brings
us to the verses where I want to spend most of our time, remaining
time today, as well as in part two of this series. Verses 11
through 13. Today we'll look at verse 11
and the first part of verse 12, where we read there, it is a
faithful saying. For if we be dead with him, we
shall also live with him. If we suffer, we shall also reign
with him." Here Paul is asserting that it is a faithful saying. Now the it he's referring to,
that's the specific gospel message of how God saves sinners. It's
not just any way, but it's God's way, a way that Paul distinguished
when he wrote to the Romans in Romans 1, 16 and 17. He distinguished
it from any and all other ways when he said that it's the power
of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth. And then he goes
down in verse 17 and says, For because therein is the righteousness
of God revealed. Now remember, what's revealed
in the specific gospel message is that perfect satisfaction
to God's law and justice that Christ alone rendered and completely
accomplished and fulfilled in His obedience unto death on the
cross. That's the righteousness that
is revealed in this faithful saying. That expression, it is
a faithful saying. is actually found in the Scripture
four times. It was written by Paul in each
instance. And in each case, it referred
to the specific message of the Gospel. The Greek word for saying,
it is a faithful saying, is the word logos. And it's the same
word that was used back up in verse 9 that Paul said when he
said, the Word of God is not bound. That word is the word
Logos. And from the context we've already
seen, as he had continued, he said this, he brought Timothy
into remembrance of things that were according to, what, my gospel. Then he mentions that that gospel,
the Word of God, is not bound. That Word of God is this fateful
saying, and you can tell that from the context. Perhaps the
most well-known usage of this phrase It is a faithful saying
is found in 1 Timothy chapter 1. There in verse 15, Paul wrote
to Timothy that often quoted verse, 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. Now there, Paul is
describing the gospel, I think, in one of its most simplest forms,
as he tells us that this fateful saying is worthy to be accepted
by all, and he says, and it's simply this, Christ Jesus came
into the world. As he told Timothy in 2 Timothy,
the seed of David, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Now, in contrast, in our text
today, I want you to notice that in using that same phrase, it
is a faithful saying in 2 Timothy 2, he does more than simply describe
what the faithful saying is. Here, after stating that it,
the gospel, is faithful, it's worthy of your faith, he describes
for us why it is so trustworthy, why it is a faithful saying.
As he continues with these words, he says, if, and he goes forward,
that's for as much as, are in that. And from this point through
the end of verse 13, he tells us clearly why we have every
warrant to put our confidence in this specific message of the
gospel. that would have us put all of
our confidence in Jesus Christ and salvation by Him alone, for
that's its message. He describes here why it is a
faithful saying, and we find here good news for sinners. You see, if God in each generation,
if you're among those who He convinces truly of sin, of the
impossibility of being accepted by God based on anything that
proceeds from you, the sinner, and see your desperate need for,
listen, to be counted as one with Christ, to see your union
with Him, then I gotta tell you something, there's nothing better
that can happen to you, for you are among those for whom He lived
and died, if you must have that, which He did, as your representative,
as your substitute. And that's what we're going to
consider and major on today, from verse 11 and the first part
of verse 12. This union with Christ. This is in part why it is such a faithful saying. As we'll see in part two of this
message, it's not just that we're united with Christ, but it's
who this Christ is we're united with that cannot fail. And we'll look at that in more
detail later. I hope, as you'll see, when he describes why this
saying is faithful, that you'll see why salvation is so sure
and so certain for God's elect. For all of those who were given
to Christ as their surety, to stand in their place as a representative
and substitute, all those who would be united
with Him, one with Him, see, in the eyes of God's justice,
And our understanding of that union or oneness with Christ
is essential to our understanding of why the gospel is indeed a
faithful saying. The gospel of grace sets forth
how God saves sinners, listen, not based upon any contributing
contribution or condition or requirement met by those sinners. that He came to save, but rather
based solely upon His work of saving, the finished work of
Christ, their substitute on the cross of Calvary. The message
is worthy to be believed and relied upon because He, the God-man,
cannot and did not fail to save His sheep. Well, how do you know? That must seem reasonable to
anyone who's listening. If God chose a people and Christ
did the work to save them and they believe that God is in fact
God, deity, and that Jesus Christ is God, man, then He cannot fail
to do what He came to do. But it begs a question, doesn't
it? How do you know if you're among them? You know, the scripture doesn't
call on sinners to go about trying to figure out if they're one
of the elect. No, it commands sinners to believe
God's gospel and be saved. So the question is, so who finds
out, discovers they're one of God's elect? It's one who has
been given faith so that from their heart of hearts they can
believe not just any gospel, but this specific faithful saying
that would have us look to Jesus Christ and to Him alone. In other
words, must you have this, His way of salvation? Well, if so,
the Scripture's clear that except there's repentance that you'll
perish. In other words, have you repented
from ever imagining that something you did, your decision for Jesus,
your inviting Him into your heart, your act of faith, your baptism,
your just determination to be a good church-going person and
zeal for God. Have you repented from imagining
that anything like that that proceeds from you, the sinner,
could accomplish?" Listen, and here's where the evil is in that
kind of thinking. Accomplish what the Scriptures
declared could only be accomplished, and was fully accomplished, and
necessitated that Jesus Christ come into this world and die
on the cross for the sins of the people. In other words, that
which only His righteousness, the righteousness of the God-man,
the impeccable righteousness, that one must have to stand accepted
before a holy God who cannot commune with sin. And yet we
all by nature, initially and naturally, approach God with
the notion of, well, okay, let me figure out what I must do
to be saved. Okay, I'll invite Him into my
heart. I'll do this, I'll do that. When in truth, God-given
faith would exclude any notion that your faith is what distinguished
you from those who perish. No, what Christ did for you bought
the faith of God's elect. And it's really that simple.
He shall save His people and His people are those, how do
we know who they are? They're providentially bought
to hear and believe from the heart His gospel. And it's that
simple. If God hasn't already done so,
then pray He will grant you spiritual life to see why this matters,
that this is a big deal. To see your desperate need for
Christ and His imputed righteousness. That is, the merit of what he
accomplished credited to the account of his sheep, imputed
to them, in the same way that he bore sins he didn't have any
part in producing, for they were accounted to him, imputed to
him, to use the scriptural term, where he might pay the penalty
due unto them. You can study that set forth
so clearly in 2 Corinthians 5.21. Now, as we consider today, verse
11, and the first part of verse 12, I want you to notice what
I believe are two facets to the believer's union in Christ. Two
facets that I know are always found together in the life of
one now who has already been blessed with God-given faith.
First, if you, from the heart, believe the gospel, there is
a union or oneness of that believer with Christ as at the cross of
Calvary. That is, when He died, they died. When He made satisfaction to
justice in His death on the cross, the Scripture makes it clear
that when He died, His people died. When He died, I died. When He arose again, I arose
again. While that's foolishness, I wasn't even born yet, you might
say. No, But the Scripture's clear
that He did what He did as a representative for a people. And in my substitute,
I died. And in my substitute, I live. And secondly, for all those who
have been blessed with God-given faith, there's a union or a oneness
of that believer with Christ in His walk of faith in this
life. Now we see how these things can't
be separated because there's no walk of true God-given faith
except for those for whom that faith was purchased because they
died with Him, because they were one with Him in His work as He
represented them and substituted Himself for them, dying to pay
a debt due unto their sins on the cross. Well, as we consider
these two facets, now let's look at this explanation here, the
first part of this, as to why the gospel is is a faithful saying. Paul begins saying, For if we
be dead with him, we shall also live with him. Now that's good
news, as John 6 has taught us. All those given to Christ by
the Father in what men call the everlasting covenant of grace,
those for whom Jesus Christ lived and died in time, He says, He
shall raise them up at the last day. Not He might, He shall.
They shall live eternally with Him. You see, there's no doubt
about that, for Christ didn't die for Himself. The Scripture
says He knew no sin, that He offered Himself up without spot. He died for sins He didn't produce,
but that were imputed to Him. He died for His sheep bearing
away their sins. And by this perfect satisfaction
to God's justice, He merited for them. everlasting life. And that's a faithful saying.
It cannot fail to come to pass. This is the God that the Scripture
says declares the end from the beginning. It is as sure that
they shall live as His own resurrection. That is an indisputable fact
witnessed by hundreds. and His ascension to the right
hand of the Father." Now, I believe here Paul is also alluding to
the newness of life, not that they just shall live with Him
in heaven, all that are dead with Him, but I believe he's
also referring to the fact that he and all other elect sinners
who were one with Christ in His death on the cross, what they
come to experience. This newness of life, this eternal
life that actually begins with their spiritual life as they're
made alive in each generation. You see, they're brought to see
themselves as dead in Christ. And that's to be freed from sin. Knowing that the penalty due
unto their sin has been, that debt has been fully paid. You
see, If we be dead with Him, it's to know that the sins I
commit today and tomorrow, next week and next year, you see,
I'm freed from those sins. The debt for them has been paid. It can no longer condemn me. Now that's good news. We're freed
from the power and the dominion of sin to curse us. For, you
see, He died for sins, my past sins, my present sins, my future
sins, even my sin in my representative Adam. And so, it can no longer condemn
us. We're declared, we're justified,
declared not guilty because He bore those sins away. And so,
we now walk by faith, living with Him. God now has invaded our lives,
so to speak. We've been made spiritually alive
by God's Spirit under the preaching of the Gospel, whereby He draws
us to look to Christ and to Him alone for all of our righteousness
before God. And when God in each generation
is pleased to show to each one of His sheep, that their only
hope for salvation is in Christ alone, based upon His imputed
righteousness alone, then they no longer look within here for
their salvation." Now, they're dead to sin. They're not going
to look here as if they're trying to meet a condition or requirement
akin to producing a righteousness of their own, but they're going
to look to their Savior. and Him alone. Be turning with
me to Romans 6. The reason I'm confident that
Paul has in mind both our union in Christ, one as our representative
before God's justice at the cross in His finished work there. And
two, our oneness with Him as one who's been made spiritually
alive unto God in this walk of faith is because Paul himself
linked those things together for us in Romans 6. Look there
at that passage beginning in verse 3. He said, "'Know ye not
that so many of us, as were baptized into Jesus Christ, were baptized
into His death?' Now that word, that being baptized in Christ,
is speaking of that union, that oneness with Christ and the entire
election of grace. The word itself, baptized, is
a word that means they were placed into His death here. This is
not speaking of water baptism. It means to be placed into or
planted together, as we'll see used as the verses continue here. He says, therefore we're buried
with him by baptism into death, that like as Christ was raised
up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so, and listen
to this phrase, we also should walk in newness of life. He bought
that life, that spiritual life for us that we're to walk in.
For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death,
baptized into His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His
resurrection." And I believe there he's speaking that we will
live with Him in eternal glory. Knowing this, that our old man,
the old man speaking of our standing with fallen humanity in Adam,
is crucified with Him. That the body of sin might be
destroyed. That word destroyed there means
rendered powerless. And henceforth we should not
serve sin, for he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we
be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with
Him. And I believe there He means
even now, in our experience, as well as throughout all eternity.
Continuing, he says, knowing that Christ being raised from
the dead dieth no more, death hath no more dominion over him.
For in that he died, he died unto sin once. He fully got the
job done. But in that he liveth, he liveth
unto God. Likewise, reckon ye also yourselves
to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus
Christ our Lord, And look what he says in verse 12. Let not
sin therefore reign in your mortal body. In other words, abstain
from sin. Seek to obey God. Let not it rain that ye should
obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members
as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin." Now I know in verse
13 he is speaking of what we do in this life. Refrain from
sin. Seek to obey God in compliance
with His revealed will by way of command. But listen what he
says here, "...but yield yourselves unto God," and underline this,
"...as those that are alive from the dead." In other words, don't
try to obey God and refrain from sin. Don't try to do right, do
good works, in order to be accepted by God to be made alive. as if
you're attempting to produce a righteousness of your own,
but do so because you already are righteous in Him. The Scripture calls God's elect,
it says that in Him they're holy, unblameable, unreprovable. Are
you talking about sinners like you and me? Oh yeah. Not based on my righteousness,
but having the impeccable perfection that Christ rendered. where I
stand freed from my sin before a holy God, that's been put to
the account of God's elect. So that they are accepted, the
scripture says accepted where? In the beloved, in Jesus Christ. So he says, yield yourselves
unto God as those that are alive from the dead and your members
as instruments of righteousness unto God. Now back there in verse 11 of
2 Timothy 2, do you see this unbreakable link? He said, if
we be dead with Him, we might live with Him if you believe
or you do this or you do that. No, that's not what it says.
If we be dead with Him, we shall also live with Him. Christ assured
he took on the responsibility for the salvation of the elect
and so, listen, from everlasting, always, it's always been so,
that they, the elect, have been united to Christ. Now that's
an everlasting love of an immutable God who can change not. It can be said of each and every
one of them, then, that they died with Him. Those are the
ones He came to save. And as sure as He arose from
the grave, then, they, by necessity of who God is, by the fact He's
a just God, they shall live with Him. Not a single one for whom Jesus
Christ paid the debt due unto their sin can possibly perish. or God would be an unjust monster. And who are these? They're all
who come to Him by God-given faith, in belief of the Gospel. In other words, in sole reliance
on the One who's revealed in this trustworthy, faithful way
of salvation. He continues now through Paul
describing this oneness with Christ. At the beginning of verse
12 when he says, he'd said, for if we be dead with Him, we shall
also live with Him. If we suffer, we shall also reign
with Him. Now, again, you see the unbreakable
link there between the condition, if we suffer, we shall also reign."
It's not a condition, it's an evidence. But if that evidence
exists, if we suffer with Him, there's no we might reign with
Him, we shall also reign with Him. It's a faithful saying.
And so it can be said of each and every one of God's sheep
that they suffered with Him because of this oneness. The sentence
structure here, it says, if we suffer. The with Him is left
out there, but it's certainly implied, if you look at it in
the context, as he had just said, if we be dead with Him, we shall
also live with Him. If we suffer, the with Him is
implied, we shall also reign with Him. We know that's true
because we know all suffer in some way, to some degree, and
yet multitudes perish. They not all shall live with
Him. It means here all those who suffer
with Him, that is, with Christ when He suffered on the cross,
and for His sake in their walk of faith. With Him is with Christ
and for His sake. And again, as sure as He ascended
to the throne, at the right hand of the Father in heaven. based
upon His having accomplished, established the righteousness,
which the Scripture says is that righteousness by which grace
reigns, then they shall undeniably reign with Him. Remember, He
died the just for the unjust. He needed no righteousness. He
came to establish one in the room instead of fallen humanity
specifically those chosen out of fallen humanity, His elect,
and it was for His sheep that He established that righteousness,
and they thereby benefit, and so it is they who shall reign
with Him. They shall reign victorious over
sin and Satan, all based upon the merit of His righteousness. And I think it's clear from other
passages that this suffering with Him speaks, again, of our
union with Christ, our representative in His suffering on the cross,
as well as, secondly, in our identification with Him in the
walk of faith. Because as we're going to see
here, Scripture makes it clear that all believers, to some degree,
like the Apostle Paul here, to a great degree, We all suffer,
at least in part, over our identification with the Gospel message, which
the Scripture describes as foolishness to those who God has not yet
enlightened. You see, that's why there is
some suffering. Scripture says that God is pleased to save them
by the foolishness of preaching. In other words, by the preaching
of the gospel. This specific gospel message
is the word of regeneration when it's welded in the hands of God's
Holy Spirit. You see, and He's determined
that they would obtain, that this salvation that's in Christ
Jesus would meet upon them. in each generation by the preaching
of a message that the world, by nature all of us, are oblivious
to or cannot and will not accept and submit to. It's foolishness
to them. And because of that, there is
a degree of suffering, so to speak. First, we know that God's elect
suffer with Christ as He suffered as a representative on the cross. Now that's much like being one
with Him in His death, is it not? But you know, we get a little
different connotation when we think of suffering with Him. It reminds us, first of all,
of what great love and what humiliation that He, all that Christ went
through to procure for His people, to provide, to justify them before
the Father. The prophet Isaiah foretold of
his suffering and he described it in Isaiah 53 when he said,
he was wounded, it was for our transgressions. He was bruised
for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace
was upon him and with his stripes we're healed. We're made whole
and acceptable before a holy God. Now, I gotta tell you, when
you think of that, I don't think I can even scratch the surface
of what it really means to have suffered with Him in being represented
and there as a substitute. But what it means is I have really,
I have, before a holy God, I have all of my sins paid for in full
because I suffered with Him." In other words, because I was
represented by Him, what He endured for His people. That's good news. So we suffered with Him as He
represented us there, and thereby, listen, on that basis alone,
we reign with Him as victorious over sin, over Satan, in an eternal
spiritual kingdom, a reign of grace through righteousness unto
eternal life, whose righteousness by Jesus Christ our Lord." Again,
Romans 5 21. Well, turn with me now to Romans
8. Secondly, we see the application of this union in the walk of
faith as it is applied to the suffering that each of God's
elect experience in their lifetime to some degree, and it's not
just any suffering they experience, but they suffer that for Christ's
sake, for righteousness' sake, as ambassadors for Christ. In Romans 8, beginning with verse
16, Paul writes, "...the Spirit itself beareth witness with our
spirit that we are the children of God." We discover that we
were one with Him at the cross, that He represented us there
as we are brought to bow down and submit to His righteousness
as our only ground of salvation, to look to Jesus Christ and His
finished work alone, and repent of what we knew were our natural
religious inclinations, the way that seems right to us, but the
Scripture says is a way that ends in death, so that we, as
mercy beggars, discover and know we would never be brought there
unless that life had been purchased for us by Christ. The Spirit
beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God,
and if children, then heirs. You see, that's what would distinguish
it from me imagining I'm a child under a false gospel. For to
be an heir is to do nothing to have earned it. I inherit it. heirs of God and joint heirs
with Christ, he earned it. If so be that we suffer with
him." Now, I think here he's referring to those for whom He
suffered, who suffered with Him as He was their representative
and substitute on the cross. Although it may be both being
implied here, but I believe as He moves down further, He makes
a transition that links these together. He says, if so be that
we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together. We
will reign with Him in heaven's glory. But then look at the transition
of verse 18. He says, "...for I reckon that
the sufferings of this present time..." Now he's talking about
the temporal sufferings. "...for the sake of the Gospels
that all believers experience in some degree." The sufferings
of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the
glory. And there I think he's speaking
of that final glorification with Christ that was earned by our
being one with Him and His suffering on the cross. It was earned by
Him and made in ours because it was for us. It was for God's
elect that He suffered. He says it's not worthy to be
compared. Here's Paul in prison. And Paul would lose his life
in suffering for Christ's sake, for righteousness' sake. And
He says it's not to be compared with the glory which shall be
revealed in us. As you know, in Christ's Sermon
on the Mount, it begins with a group of verses called the
Beatitudes by many. And in those verses, they all
begin, blessed are, or blessed are. Christ, blessed are the
poor in spirit, they that mourn, so forth. Christ, in those verses
He's citing evidences, found among all those for whom He would
die and who would have then already in time received the fruit and
effect of His death. Spiritual life, God-given faith
and repentance. He's speaking there of those
who will have already been translated into the kingdom, this reign
of grace, who would fit Paul's description of having, like him,
also obtained, having the salvation that's in Christ, having met
upon them. And near the end of that section,
in verse 10 of Matthew 5, he says this, Blessed are they which
are persecuted, listen, for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven. Blessed are ye when men shall
revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil
against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice. Wait a minute. I'm going
to be persecuted? and I will suffer." And he says,
rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven. As Paul said, the sufferings
of this present time, they're not worthy to be compared with
the glory. For so persecuted they the prophets,
he said, which were before you. So we see that all who suffered
with Christ, their representative, in his suffering on the cross,
they're going to suffer for his sake in their walk of faith.
Now, there are various, many various ways in which we might
suffer, or that word there means to endure, or suffer some degree
of hardship, or persevere in the faith. But to cite, I want
to cite just one example. And I'll just remind some of
you who've been around for a few years, you know that to the extent
you identify with this church and its beliefs that set forth
and proclaim uncompromisingly this faithful saying that salvation
is in Christ and in Him alone. You know that at least in a small
but an unmistakable way, what it is to have someone say all
manner of evil against you falsely for the very reason identified
here in the Scripture, for Christ's sake, for righteousness' sake. You see, because of our insistence
that it is Christ alone, not Christ plus. It's based upon
His finished work alone, made ours by imputation. And nothing
added to that. Now think about something. If
you're like me, in the early years of my life, I thought I
believed God's gospel. I thought it was this same faithful
saying. But you know, I'd never heard
of the... I didn't even know what imputed righteousness was. The gospel I identified with
that time was not the gospel Paul says, the power of God and
salvation for therein the righteousness of God is revealed. I didn't
understand what that righteousness was, nor did I know of its necessity. And if that's the case, as it
is with much of so-called Christianity, then you're not going to be suffering
or persecuted for righteousness sake. Not if that's not integral,
if that's not the basis, the ground of your salvation, if
it's not righteousness that Christ wrought out. You know, people,
particularly religious people, who have not submitted to the
righteousness of God in Christ, not the one that's revealed in
the gospel of grace, They naturally then will take offense at the
proclamation of that message and its insistence that it is
by the imputed righteousness and that alone that sinners are
justified, declared not guilty, and found acceptable before God
the Father. The Bible refers to this as the
offense of the cross. And as a result, those who identify
with the gospel must endure or suffer to some degree, and it's
thankfully mild for us in our generation. But people hear the
gospel you proclaim, or at least you identify with and support,
and it runs counter to their natural religious persuasions
just like it did mine and yours. You and I are no different. And
so, if and when we first hear what is being said, it exposes
and contradicts where our hope lies. And we go, wait a minute,
that'll mean that aunt so-and-so or great granddaddy so-and-so
or mama or daddy or brothers, whoa, it'll mean that I... If what he says is true or she
says is true, it means that I'm believing a false gospel. And
by nature, apart from God-given faith, we'll say, I'm not going
to shuck all that while I've been in the church for years.
I remember when I professed my faith and walked down this aisle,
I'm not going to repent of that. And so, instead of considering
the message, determined to cling to their
way, and in doing so, they harbor a little ill will. Sometimes
it's not spoken, but you know it's there. And I mention that
way. I know there are far more severe
ways in which believers may and do suffer persecution. Paul here's
in jail. As we know, many of the early
church leaders and apostles were killed in persecution over the
gospel. But this offense of the cross is one way in which every
believer who truly identifies with the gospel is going to suffer
in some degree, and that's why I bring that one to mind. In
considering the offense of the cross to the natural mind, you
can see how all who identify with the gospel are going to
endure some degree of suffering, and it's mild suffering endured
by most believers in our day. But listen, even if it were the
severe persecution of the prophets and the apostles who even died
in persecution over the gospel, that too, as we've read from
God's Word, is inconsequential when we consider the suffering
of our Savior and the blessing that He purchased for His people
thereby, the glory that awaits God's sheep. You know, I think
if we were content with being kind and fair and just, charitable,
loving toward our fellow man, but refrain from insisting that
salvation's by Jesus Christ alone with no contribution from you,
the sinner. That He made all the difference. We might go through
this world a bit more peaceably. In fact, we would be applauded
and embraced by most of Christendom. But I want you to consider what
Paul wrote to Timothy. Just one chapter over from our
text in 2 Timothy 2, I mean 3, verse 12. There he wrote, "...yea,
and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer
persecution." You know, some read that verse and they'll go,
yeah, I know what that's like. When I go to a restaurant to
eat, I take my family and I grab their hands and I say that prayer
there in front of everybody as my testimony that I'm a Christian.
And I know people are looking at me in some smirk or laugh.
I know that I suffer. No, my friend, that's not what
it is to live godly in Christ Jesus. Others may say, I go to
the party and they're serving cocktails there and I get me
a soft drink instead. And I know there's a few of them
there that look at me like, oh my goodness, look at him. That's
my suffering. But I'm standing there for Jesus. I'm living godly. Well, that's
not what he's talking about here. You see, to live godly in Christ,
godly, that's with perfection, without sin. It, to live godly
in Christ Jesus, is to see all of your holiness in Him and nowhere
else. And when you, if that is your
testimony, the testimony of your gospel, you see, it will expose
the evil of thinking anything to the contrary. And that brings
on some persecution. All of God's elect who suffered
with Christ as He represented them in His suffering on the
cross, they shall also in time suffer for His sake in their
walk of faith." And as our text indicates, this gospel is worthy
to be accepted or warrants our faith because all of these who
suffer with Him shall reign with Him. This is speaking of that
spiritual kingdom or reign, the reign of grace which is through
the righteousness established by the Lord Jesus Christ unto
eternal life. Now, if your hope is based on
your possession of that very righteousness, not any you produce,
but His righteousness made yours, not by anything you do, but by
God's gracious imputation of it to you, His charging it to
your account in the same way that your sins were charged to
Him. If that's your hope, if that's what you must have, then
you too must reign with Him in His everlasting Kingdom. You
see, it's a faithful saying, a faithful gospel. And as I hope
you've seen today, it is faithful, it's reliable, it's completely
trustworthy to be believed unto eternal salvation because all
who do believe this gospel, who are granted faith so as to embrace
it from the heart, This message of how God saves sinners by Christ
alone, all these who are given that gift of faith are those
who were one with Him in the eyes of God's law and justice.
And He, the God-man, did not fail to accomplish their salvation. Well, can you, like Paul, say,
this is my gospel? Is your gospel a faithful saying
or an unfaithful saying? It's a faithful saying if it's
because your entire hope of salvation is derived from your being one
with Christ, this union with Him as your substitute and representative. If that's what the mercy you
must have is that which is unmerited by you based on satisfaction
He alone made at the cross, We're going to examine in more detail
in part two of this series how if your hope's in Christ
and in Him alone, that it cannot fail for He cannot fail as verse
13 will teach us. He cannot deny Himself. He abideth
faithful. You see it's who He is. And so
what we have here, it's a faithful saying because all of His sheep
are one with Him. And because of who He is, He
cannot fail. It's a faithful saying, for if
we be dead with Him, we shall also live with Him. If we suffer,
we shall also reign with Him. So look unto Him.