Open your Bibles, if you would,
to the book of Romans, chapter 15. Or look at verse 17 for this
message. Romans, chapter 15, verse 17. The name of the message is, Glorying
Only in Christ. Paul writes to the saints at
Rome this in verse 15. He says, I have therefore whereof
I make glory through Jesus Christ in those things pertaining to
God. I'll read it again. He wrote,
I have therefore whereof I make glory through Jesus Christ in
those things which pertain to God. Now Paul, like any gospel
preacher, did not seek to glorify himself. He did not desire to
build a ministry or a following. He desired to glorify God. And
he says here, in this verse, he says, I can glory but only
in Christ and only in the things pertaining to God. We have nothing
to glory in as God's born-again blood-washed saints. Absolutely
nothing. Listen to what Paul wrote in
Philippians. And again, he was careful throughout his ministry
not to boast, and not to glory, or not to brag in the flesh.
He wrote this in Philippians chapter 3, verses 7 to 9. He
said, yea doubtless and i count all
things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of christ jesus
my lord for whom i have suffered the loss of all things and do
count them but dung that i may win christ and be found in him
not having my own righteousness which is of the law, but that
which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which
is of God by faith." So, Paul, he taught others, he taught fellow
believers, he taught fellow preachers, not to boast in ourselves. Because
we have nothing to boast in. Nothing at all. It's natural
for us to want to boast. Even as saved, born-again, blood-washed
believers, we can start bragging on ourself real easy. But we
desire not to be like that anymore. In a natural state, that's how
man is. You ask a man a few questions
and he'll be more than happy to tell you all about himself. The believer, we seek with a
sincere desire to glorify God in everything. We don't seek
to boast in ourselves. And Paul told others not to boast
themselves and certainly he wouldn't boast in himself, not in his
religious heritage, not in his attainments, not in his gifts,
not in his labors, not in the success of the ministry, but
he only boasted through Christ. And again, listen to our verse,
I have therefore wherever I may glory through Jesus Christ and
those things which pertain to God. See, Paul wrote this. He said, but God forbid that
I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by
whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world. We glory
in the cross. We glory in what Christ has done
for us. We glory in the accomplished, finished work of our salvation
by the shed precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. and we
as the born-again blood-washed believers, we seek to glorify
God in Christ. And all the apostles, and those
who truly believe the gospel of God's grace, only glory in
the things that pertain to God, as this verse says in Romans
15 verse 7. As a result of Adam's sin and
rebellion, we fell into condemnation, all of us. So we come into this
world born dead in trespasses and sins with no hope. And we
have absolutely no reason to glory in our flesh. None. None. Before we're saved or after
we're saved, we have no reason to glorify in our flesh. But
we seek to glorify as believers in the things that pertain to
God, not in the things that pertain to our sinful nature. And I'll guarantee you, the flesh
will give no motivation and no glory and no honor to Christ.
It's the new man in us. It's being born again of the
Holy Spirit of God. Listen to what the old man glories
in. Now the works of the flesh are
manifest, which are these, adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath,
strife, seditions, heresies, envians, murders, drunkenness,
revilings, and such like of the which I tell you, as I have told
you in times past, that they which do such things shall not
inherit the kingdom of God." Galatians chapter 5, verses 19
to 21. So, we are told, beloved, to
put off the old man with his deeds. Therefore, as born-again,
blood-washed saints of God, We truly can only glorify or we
can truly only glory in the things pertaining to God. We can't glory
in ourselves. We can only glory in God. Now
here's seven things, seven things I'd like us to consider. I'm
going to set before us seven truths for us to consider when
it comes to the glorying and things pertaining to God. Number
one, we glory in Christ incarnate, the God-man. The Word of God
became flesh. And He is the only hope for sinners. We glory in that. We glory in
that. That He's the only hope for sinners.
Listen to what the Scripture declares. God was manifest in
the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto
the Gentiles, believed unto the world, and received unto glory.
1 Timothy 3.16. Number two, the second truth
that we can glory in the things pertaining to God is this. We
glory in Christ crucified, the only remedy to put away our sin. As the scriptures declare, listen
to this, For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just
for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to
death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit. 1 Peter 3.18.
The third thing in which we can glory in pertaining to God is
we glory in Christ Jesus, who is our all-sufficient righteousness
and our acceptance before thrice-holy God. The Scriptures declare this,
whereunto he hath made us accepted in the Beloved, that's accepted
in Christ, in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness
of sins according to the riches of his grace, Ephesians 1, 6,
7. The fourth thing, that we can glory in about Christ and
pertaining to God, is we glory in Jesus Christ, exalted and
seated at God's right hand, as all our justification before
God. The Scriptures declared this about Christ, who was delivered
for our offenses and was raised for our justification. He was
delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of
God for the sins of his people. And then the scripture declares
in the same verse, he was raised for our justification. That's
Romans 4.25. Number five, we glory in Christ's
coming again as all our hope throughout eternity. The scripture
declares when he comes, we shall not only see him as he is, but
we shall also be made like him forever. Oh my, isn't that wonderful? That's absolutely wonderful.
Number six, we glory in this truth pertaining to God, that
Christ Jesus, our Lord, has delivered every believer from the wrath
of God, from the justice of God, from the law of God, from the
punishment and penalty of all our sins. Therefore, every believer
can say, along with David, in what he said in Psalm 34, verses
one to four, he says, I will bless the Lord at all times.
His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall
make her boast in the Lord. The humble shall hear thereof
and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt
his name together. I sought the Lord, and he heard
me, and delivered me from all my fears. Oh, he delivered us
from the fear of death, he delivered us from the fear of the punishment
of the law, he delivered us from the wrath of God, and he delivered
us from all our sins, beloved, and he delivered us from ourselves.
Oh, praise his mighty name. Number seven, every believer,
will glory in Christ alone as it is by his precious blood that
we have been redeemed from all our sins which we could never
save ourselves from. We glory alone in the perfect,
complete, sin atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ on our
behalf as our substitute dying before God who we sinned against. Christ died in our room and placed
before God's law and justice and before God himself, offering
himself up as a sacrifice for our sins. Oh, it's amazing. Listen to this. I'll read a portion
in Isaiah chapter 53, and then I'll read a portion in Ephesians
chapter two. Marvel at what the scriptures declare about Christ. He's despised and rejected. a
man of souls acquainted with grief, and we hid as it were
our face from him. He was despised, and we esteemed
him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs
and carried our souls, yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten
of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities.
The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes
were healed, all beloved washed by his blood. all we like sheep
have gone astray we turn everyone to his own way and the Lord has
laid on him the iniquity of us all our sins laid upon Christ
yet it listen to this and in further down in Isaiah 53 verses
10 and 11 yet it pleased the Lord it pleased the Father to
bruise him to bruise Christ's son He hath put him to grief,
when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin. He shall
see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of
the Lord shall prosper in his hands. This is speaking of the
Father. He shall see the travail of his
soul, the travail of Christ, and shall be satisfied. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Oh, by his knowledge shall my
righteous servant, that's Christ, justify many. Remember, he's
raised for our justification. For he shall bear their iniquities.
Oh, he bore our iniquities, beloved. And in Ephesians chapter 2, it
says this, Wherefore remember that ye, this is you and I, being
in times past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called the uncircumcision
by that which is called the circumcision in the flesh made by hands, that
at that time you were without Christ. Oh, we are born in this
world strangers. without Christ being aliens from
the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants
of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But
now in Christ Jesus, ye who were sometimes far off, are made nigh
by the blood of Christ. Praise his mighty name, for he
is our peace, who hath made both one and hath broken down the
middle wall of partition between us. So let we who are the redeemed
of the Lord, let us glory in these wonderful truths pertaining
to our great God. Amen and amen.