Open your Bibles, if you would,
to Acts, Acts chapter 15. We'll be reading the lengthy
portion of Scripture there and then focusing on one verse within
the passages. Today's message is called Salvation,
All of Grace. I'd like us to read the context
of this very important issue. being bought before the Jerusalem
Council. It's an issue of whether circumcision
was essential to salvation or if salvation is all of grace.
Now this early dissension rose within the church and it had
to be dealt with as heresies are in direct opposition to the
gospel of God's grace. The gospel of salvation in Christ
plus nothing. And this is here for our learning,
beloved. All the scripture is for our learning, for us to learn
that no man would deceive us. And certain had risen up within
the church and said, you must be circumcised to be saved. Therefore,
they were mixing law with grace. And they said it was a necessity
of keeping the Mosaic Law, which circumcision was. But they were
shackling the believers, especially we see in Galatia, they were
shackling the born-again blood-washed believers with works of the law. Anyone who tries to shackle you
with works-based salvation, and I mean anything, anything, any
little checkmark, you say to them, I am free in Christ. And you stand fast in the liberty
wherewith Christ hath made you free, Paul wrote. And be not
again entangled with the yoke of bondage, because that's what
that is, beloved. That's what it is. Anybody, I
like to call it checklist Christianity. Some of these fellows, they have
a checklist. And if you don't check all their boxes, then they
say, well, you're not preaching the gospel. You know what? The
gospel of God's free and sovereign grace goes forth. And salvation
is in Christ alone plus nothing. No matter what any man ever says,
baptism can't save you, right? Belonging to a certain church
can't save you. When I was a Catholic, I used
to think belonging to the Catholic Church, I was saved. No, I was
wrong. I was lost. It was a white goose in a snowstorm.
I had no clue who Christ was. So anybody tries to yoke you,
and that's what it is. It's like putting chains on you.
Anybody tries to yoke you with the bondage of things that you
have to do or checklists that they have. No, no, we stand fast
in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free. Ordinances
are no saviors. Works are no savior. There's
only one Savior and that's the Lord Jesus Christ in Him alone. Paul and Barnabas had completed
their first missionary journey and they returned to Antioch
and declared all the things that God had done for them. Turn over
one chapter before we get to 15. Look in Acts 14 verses 26
and 27 here. And then sailed to Antioch from
whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work
which they fulfilled. And when they were come, and
had gathered the church together. And remember, the church is not
a building. The church is the ekklesia, the called-out ones
in the Greek. It's the called-out ones, which
is the body, the people. The people is the church. They're
the church. They had gathered the church
together. They rehearsed all that God had done with them.
So they told them, look at that, they told them all the great
things that God had done. Because it's God who's done it.
And how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles. Oh,
could you imagine the joy? that they would have hearing
that? Could you imagine the joy that the church, the ecclesia,
the people would have when they hear that the Lord saved someone?
You remember when we heard the Lord saved Bill Kirkpatrick?
Remember how joyous we all were? My, I'll never forget when Kevin
told me, calls me on Father's Day, says, my dad just called
me, told me the Lord saved him. We were all rejoicing, weren't
we? We were rejoicing over that. Could you imagine how these brethren
would feel, these brothers and sisters in Christ would feel,
knowing that the door of faith had been opened up to the Gentiles?
Oh, they'd be rejoicing. they'd be rejoicing. And when
the word of God's dealings and saving mercies among the Gentiles
had filtered back to Jerusalem, certain men took it upon themselves
to travel to Antioch and tried to undermine Paul in his ministry. There's always folks like that.
Every grace preacher has them happen sometime in their ministry.
People who undermine their ministry and oppose them. But you know
what we do? We do what Drew Dietz wrote me about three weeks ago. We stand back and watch the sovereign
work. That's what we do. Battles of
Lords, isn't it? And he stirs his people up, doesn't he? He
stirs his people up. It's amazing. It's absolutely
amazing. So these guys had come, these certain people had traveled
to Antioch and tried to undermine Paul's ministry and convince
the Gentiles who believed that it was needful for them to be
circumcised. So what were they doing? They were entangling them
with bondage. That's exactly what they were
doing. Now let's go to Acts chapter 15. It appears that Paul and
Barnabas, who were preachers of the gospel of God's free grace
in opposition to the doctrine of circumcision and law keeping,
they decided that they were going to go and see the elders at Jerusalem. And of course they were led by
God to do this. They were led by God to do this.
And these men who had come up from Jerusalem to visit Paul
and Barnabas at Antioch had been inclined to call in question
Paul's authority. and to run down his apostleship
as much as possible. And not just cause a small dissension,
no, they were looking to cause a large dissension among the
body of believers. So with that in mind, let's read
here in Acts chapter 15, look at this. And certain men, which
came down from Jerusalem, taught the brethren, and said, Except
ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.
Look at that. That's checklist Christianity
right there in the scripture. I've heard people through the
years say you have to be baptized to be saved. Church of Christ
folks like to say that. Seventh-day Adventists like to
say you have to worship on Saturday or else you tuck the mark of
the beast by worshiping on Sunday. It's just ridiculous what people
come up with. Absolutely ridiculous what people
come up with. All kinds of things and they're
never what the scripture says. when therefore Paul and Barnabas
had no small dissension and disputation with them. So now they're having
dissension here, and of course the brethren are hearing all
this too. And Paul and Barnabas, they're holding fast for the
gospel. They determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain
other of them should go to Jerusalem unto the apostles and narrators
about this question. And being brought on their way
by the church, they passed through Phineas and Samaria declaring
the conversion of the Gentiles, and they caused great joy unto
all the brethren." Look at that! When they went, wherever they
went, they told people, the Lord's saving the Gentiles! It's causing joy, like it should,
like it should. Oh my, we rejoice to hear these
things. And when they were come to Jerusalem,
they were received of the church, they received them as the brothers
and sisters in Christ, and of the apostles and elders, and
they declared all things that God had done with them. So again,
they declare the great things that the Lord had done among
the Gentiles. But there rose up certain of the sect of the
Pharisees which believed, saying that it was needful to circumcise
them and to command them to keep the law of Moses. Now these folks
have grave clothes still. Norm Wells and I like to say
this, this is grave clothes. It says they believed and they
got these grave clothes still. They think that you have to be
circumcised to be saved. But the Lord teaches his people,
doesn't he? He teaches his people. And he teaches us that salvation
is by grace alone through Christ alone. Nowhere else. Nowhere
else. Let's read on here. And the apostles
and elders came together for them to consider this matter.
And when there had been much disputing, and there was much
disputing because this was a gospel issue. This was a gospel issue.
Peter rose up and said unto them, men and brethren, you know how
that a good while ago God made choice among us that the Gentiles
by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel and believe. Now
look at that. Who made the choice there? God
made the choice, the scripture says. Look at that. Praise God,
because I'm a Gentile. So are you, too, right? I'm so
thankful that's in there, because we would never have chosen God.
My, He made the choice among us that the Gentiles, by my mouth,
should hear the gospel and believe. And God, which knoweth the hearts,
bared them witness and gave them the Holy Ghost, even as He did
unto us, and put no difference between us and them, purifying
their hearts by faith. Now therefore, why tempt ye God
to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither
our fathers nor we were able to bear? Look at that, a yoke,
a yoke of bondage like Paul wrote about. But we believe, now look
at this, look at this verse, this is it right here. But we
believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, we
shall be saved even as they. That's a mountaintop scripture
right there. Then all the multitude kept silence. After that was
said, there was silence. And gave audience to Barnabas
and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among
the Gentiles by them. And after they had held their
peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto
me. Simeon had declared how God at first did visit the Gentiles,
to take out of them a people for his name. And to this agree
the words of the prophet, as it is written, After this I will
return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which
is fallen down, and I will build again the ruins thereof, and
I will set it up, that the residue of men, look at that, that the
residue of men might seek after the Lord. in all the Gentiles,
upon whom my name is called, all those who are granted faith,
the belief regenerated by the Holy Spirit of God. Sayeth the
Lord, who doeth all these things. It's the Lord who doeth these
things, not man. This is the Lord's church. This
is the Lord's Gospel. I just get the honor of preaching
it. But somehow the Lord takes my words, and He uses them for
His glory. Donny Bell and I often talk about
that, how our stumbling words out of our mouth, the Lord takes
them and blesses you all, and then uses them for His glory.
It's incredible. It's absolutely incredible. Amazing. But it's all His work. that the
residue of man might seek after the Lord and all the Gentiles
upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all
these things. No one under God are all his works from the beginning
of the world. The Lord knows who his sheep
are. He knows who he chose in Christ in eternity. He knows
the end from the beginning. See, it says here, knowing unto
God are all his works. My, oh, my. He's absolutely sovereign. Wherefore, my sentence is that
we trouble will not them which from among the Gentiles are turned
to God. Don't yoke them to bondage. Let them be free in the liberty
that they have in Christ. Let them be free. But that we
write unto them that they abstain from pollutions of the idols,
and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.
Now, the pollutions of idols and fornications, those were
all part of the pagan rituals. That's why they're told to abstain
from that, because the Gentiles have been saved out of their
pagan religions, which involve those things. and from things
strangled and from blood. For Moses of old hath in every
city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every
Sabbath day. So we've seen in our text that
Paul and Barnabas traveled to Jerusalem to consider this vital
question with the apostles and the elders and the church at
Jerusalem. And again, we saw after much disputing, Peter stood
up and clears the air with this plain God-inspired statement
of the gospel. We believe that through the grace
of the Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be saved even as they.
That'll be our text today, Acts 15, 11. And I'd like us to consider
four things we can learn from this wonderful statement of salvation
in and through Christ alone, plus nothing. Salvation is in
Christ alone, plus nothing. Nothing added, it's all of Him. That's why we preach Christ and
Him crucified. There's no other way, no other
way. Let's look at verse 11 again,
Acts 15, 11. But we believe that through the
grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be saved. Look at that
wonderful statement, even as they. Salvation's all of grace.
Spurgeon wrote a wonderful book called All of Grace. If you get
a chance to read it, it's wonderful. And he outlines that and brings
that forth, that salvation's all of grace plus nothing. The
first point I'd like us to consider, of course, is salvation is all
of grace. It's all of grace. Look at the
text again, but we believe that through the grace of the Lord
Jesus Christ, salvation is all of grace. God is holy and we
are sinners. The only way that God can be
just and justify the ungodly, which is us, is exclusively by
His free and sovereign grace. There's no other way. And we
as believers wouldn't have it any other way, would we? Because
we know we can't save ourselves, let alone anybody else. And we've
been showing That if we are to be saved, we must be saved by
God's sovereign grace. We've been showing that, haven't
we? And this is the plain teaching of the Scriptures. This is the
message of all the prophets. This is the message all through
the Gospels. And this is the message all through
the New Testament. Salvation is of the Lord. We
are chosen by His grace, the Scriptures declare, even so,
Then at this present time, also there's a remnant according to
the election of grace, even now. God's got a people out there.
He's got a sheep. He gathers his people here, and he's got
other sheep, though, out there. Oh, my. And how are we justified? Well, turn to Romans chapter
3. How are we justified? Well, we're justified by his
grace. Salvation's all of grace. We're
saved by his grace. We're justified by his grace.
Look at the portion in Romans chapter 3. Verses 21 to 27. But now the righteousness of
God without the law is manifest. Where is it manifest? In Christ,
who is the righteousness of God, being witnessed by the law and
the prophets. The law and prophets give witness
of Christ, right? The Lord himself said, the law
and the prophets, they testify of me. That's what he said. That's
what our King said. Look at this. Even the righteousness
of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ, unto all and upon
all them that believe, for there's no difference. Mine. For all
have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Now there's
the level playing field in the whole world. We're all sinners.
All have sinned. We sin in our thoughts, we sin
in action, and we sin with our words. All. All there means all. Religion, it might mean some.
No, it means all. It means all. Everybody. Everybody.
All have sinned and all so what? Come short of the glory of God.
There's not one of us in our natural state who could be in
the presence of God in our natural state. Not one of us. No. We
all come short. We all miss the mark. That's
what it means in the Greek. Miss the mark. Come short. But
look at this. Look at verse 24. Being justified
freely by His grace that's by God's grace beloved justified
just as if I never sinned I can't get over that can you I think
I really I still am in awe when I when I think about that I don't
think I'm ever going to get over that for being justified freely
freely And it has to be free because I certainly didn't seek
it. Did you? Did we even desire it in our natural state? No.
So it's got to be freely, doesn't it? It's got to be all of grace.
How? Through the redemption that is
in Christ Jesus, we are purchased by the precious, precious blood
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Hallelujah, what a Savior. Through
His blood, in Christ Jesus, whom God, look at this, God sent Him.
I remember hearing one preacher, I think it was Henry, he said,
you know, people say, sweet little baby Jesus. Well, no, He's on
a mission. He's born King. He's born King. He's King of Kings and Lord of
Lords. He came into this world on a mission, on a mission. Look
at this, whom God has set forth. To be what? To be a propitiation. Look at that, to be a sacrifice.
The King of kings and the Lord of lords comes to be a propitiation
and every believer can say, for my sins. my sins." And you know
that means he's the sin offering and he's the one who, and I love
it, some of the old commentators say this, he extinguished the
wrath of God that was against us. There's not even any more
smoke coming up. It's gone. The wrath of God has
been exhausted when it was poured out in Christ in the place of
his people. That's good news, isn't it? That's wonderful news.
He's our propitiation, beloved. Through faith in his blood we
Faith's a gift of God, not a works, lest any man should boast. It's
a gift of God. He gives us that faith. Oh my. Whom God has set forth to be
a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousness. Christ is the righteousness of
God and the gospel declares the righteousness of God which is
the Lord Jesus Christ. For the remission of sins that
are passed through the forbearance of God. He paid it all. He paid it all. There's nothing
left to be paid. I was reading something on Facebook
yesterday and I had to shut it down. I got a little upset. This
guy had put up there that God was giving everybody a chance
to repent. It's just up to you. Well, I had to shut that down
real fast. God by His mercy and by His grace saves whom He wills. And it's all by His free and
sovereign grace and mercy. We saw, okay, if God was giving
everybody a chance, well, verse 23 tells us for all have sinned
and come short of the glory of God. And if you look a little
further up in that chapter, verses 10 and 11 I believe, it says
there's none righteous, no not one, there's none that seeketh
after God, there's none to understand. If God left us where we were,
nobody would be saved. Nobody. The reason that the Lord
tarries is because the last sheep has not yet been saved. But when
that last sheep of God, the last sheep of the everlasting covenant
is saved, it's all over. It's all over. Oh my, look at
this. What does the gospel do? It declares
the righteousness of God. Verse 26, to declare, I say at
this time his righteousness, that he might be just. God is
a just God. God is a just God. Christ is
the second person of the Trinity. He's just God. And then look
at this, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
So Christ is both the just God and he's the justifier of his
people. The very one who gave the law at Sinai, this gives
me chills. I'll tell you what, this gives
me chills every time I think about this. The very one who
gave the law at Sinai fulfilled the law. God incarnate in the
flesh fulfilled the law for his people. Doing that which is impossible
for us to do. How can we not but praise Him?
How can we not but give Him all the glory? How can we not but
declare salvations of the Lord? Because it is. It's all of Him. Where is boasting then? Look
at verse 27. Where is boasting then? There is no such thing
as a proud Christian. Now we can be proud in our flesh, right?
But we boast in Christ. I remember when I was in religion,
I boasted about myself all the time, things I supposedly did,
which were nothing but filthy rags in the eyes of the Lord.
But I thought I was something. And then when I read the scriptures
and the Lord opened up the scriptures and showed me the truth and revealed
himself to me, I found out I was nothing. And he's everything.
He's everything. So where's boasting then? It's
excluded. The only one we can boast in
is Christ. Look what he's done. Look what
the Lord's done. By what law? Of works, nay, by
the law of faith. Rested and trusted and reposing
in our wonderful Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the
object of God-given faith. He's the one object of God-given
faith. A passage we're all familiar with says this, for by grace
are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it's
a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. his
workmanship, his workmanship. Remember, we're being stones
made ready. Remember, we're being stones made ready. And one day
we're going to be placed in the heavenly temple, beloved. One
day we will be. We are his workmanship created
in Christ Jesus. He's the author of our salvation,
and he's the finisher of our salvation. Created in Christ
Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that
we should walk in them. Those good works are simply fruit
of regeneration. And I'll tell you what, we do
not even know when we do them. Remember the folks, the Lord
said, when you did it unto the least of my people, you did it
unto me. We don't even know when we do these works. Because the
Lord's people were saying, when did we do these things, Lord?
When did we do these things? Oh, my. Oh my, salvation is all
of grace. Turn, if you would, to Galatians
chapter 1. Now in Galatia, the saints there,
the Gentile saints there, they'd been dealing with people coming
in and saying, you must be circumcised to be saved. And look what Paul
writes to them in Galatians chapter 1. And we see here, we're called
by His grace. So we're saved by His grace.
We're saved by His grace. We're called by His grace. We're
justified by His grace. We're chosen by His grace. Christ
and now we're see here that we're called by the grace of God Galatians
chapter 1 but I certify you verse 11 but I certify you brethren
that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man it's not
man-made gospel You know how you know a man made gospel? Man
gets all the glory. True gospel, God gets all the
glory. For I neither received it of
man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus
Christ. The gospels revealed to we who
are God's people. Paul writes, for you have heard
of my conversations in times past in the Jewish religion,
how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God and and wasted
it. Paul was a persecutor of the
true church before the Lord saved him. And then he says, and profited
in the Jewish religion above many my equals in my own nation,
being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers. Look at this, so look at verse
15. Oh my, but don't don't don't let these little words but get
by. In Ephesians chapter 2 there's a but God who's rich in mercy.
Don't let these little words get by you. These are wonderful.
Look at this. But when it pleased God. Do you
know that when it pleased God, He saved you? When it pleased
God, He saved me. Isn't that amazing? When it pleased
Him. It's wonderful. Not a second too early and not
a second too late. When it pleased Him. But when
it pleased God who separated me from my mother's womb, And
look at this, and called me by his grace. We're called by his
grace, beloved. Every single believer is called
by the grace of God. And what does the Holy Spirit
do when he calls us? Look at this, to reveal his son
in me, that I might preach among of the heathen. Immediately I
conferred not with flesh and blood, neither when I up to Jerusalem
to them which were apostles before me, but I went into Arabia and
returned again unto Damascus. So from election to redemption
to glorification is all of grace. Salvation's all of grace. All
of it. And you know what we are? Now,
I don't feel this way, but you know what we are? We're trophies
of God's grace. I was talking to a dear brother
in the hospital this week, and he told me that he didn't feel
like he was worth anything. And I said, brother, you're a
trophy of the grace, and he's loved you with an everlasting
love, and you mean so much to him. I'm in awe of that, aren't
you? Aren't you in awe of that? It's almost too good to be true,
isn't it? But it's true. We who are sinners
are trophies of the grace of God. The next point I'd like
us to consider is salvation is through the Lord Jesus Christ
in Him alone. Let's go back to Acts chapter
15 verse 11. Oh my, God's people are jewels
in His eyes. We're His bride. And salvation
is all through Christ and Him alone. Look at what Acts 15.11
says, but we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
we shall be saved even as they. So we see here a contrast that
salvation is not through circumcision, as the false teachers were proclaiming,
or by any works of the law. There's nothing that you and
I can do to save ourselves, nothing. There's nothing that anyone in
this world can do to save themselves if you're trying. Stop. Trust
Christ and Christ alone. Salvation, beloved, is all of
grace. And it is in and through the
Lord Jesus Christ and Him alone. And when He died on Calvary's
cross, He died as the great substitute of His people. taking our place
before God. And that wrath which was due
us fell upon Him, the sinless One. And He bore it all, beloved,
and He purchased us with His own precious blood. Salvation
is by Christ, as Jehovah the Father appointed Him to be His
salvation. He sent Him. Jehovah sent His
Son, the Word of God, to save sinners. And every believer says,
of whom I'm chief. We say that with Paul, don't
we? I'm chief. I don't deserve this mercy. I
don't deserve this grace. But we've been pardoned. And
Christ has purchased us with His precious, precious blood.
He obtained eternal salvation for us, the Scripture declares.
And it is in Him, and through Him, and in no other. Salvation
is by the grace of Christ. It was His great love for His
people, for His bride, His great love for His bride, that moved
Him to engage in this covenant work. before the world began. He's the Lamb slain from the
foundation of the world, and He laid down His life. He was
God incarnate in the flesh, fully God and yet fully man, and He
laid down His life for us. My, and salvation is only in
and through Him. The third point I'd like us to
consider is salvation is certain for those whom God has foreknown.
It's certain for those whom God has foreknown. Look what it says
again in Acts 15 11. But we believe that through the
grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved. Look at those
words, we shall be saved. There's no uncertainties, is
there? Yeah, amen, shall. There's no uncertainties there.
There's no uncertainties there. We shall. Another little hinge
word that's so important, shall. Notice verse 18 of this chapter.
No one under God are all his works from the beginning of the
world. That's why we shall be saved. God knows his people. All the things which God does
in the church, were foreknown and predetermined by Him from
the beginning of the world. And all of those given to the
Lord Jesus Christ in the covenant of grace, all those for whom
the Lord Jesus Christ was made charity, mediator, Savior, must
and shall be saved. And you know what? Not only shall
they be saved, but they're going to be kept. And that's good news
for we who can't keep ourselves, isn't it? That's wonderful. And
this is as certain as the sun setting if the Lord wills the
next day. It's wonderful. The blood sacrifice
of the Lord Jesus Christ guarantees the salvation of His people,
guarantees the salvation of His people, and they will be saved.
there be saved by the grace of God alone through Christ alone
by God-given faith alone and you know what all that is to
the glory of God alone he gets it all he gets all the glory
all the honor and all the praise let's look at our text again
we see the last point I'd like us to see here is that God saves
all whom he saves by the same means now this is important when
people come along and a checklist with you tell you got to do this
or you got to do that we see right here that God's people
are all saved by the same means look at this but we believe that
through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved
even as they now there again note the text we shall be saved
oh that's honey for my soul is it for yours oh even as they
so the lost sheep out there They have not yet been regenerated.
They shall be saved, even as we." I remember a long time ago
when I was in religion, and you guys have heard me say this,
I'm going to mention it again because it's worth repeating.
I remember a long time ago when I was in religion, someone telling
me that the Jews were saved by offering the sacrifices and the
Gentiles were saved by Christ. Now, when I was in that religious
group, I believed that. I believed that, because that's
all I'd ever been taught. And unfortunately, I wasn't being
a Berean. But when the Lord saved me, and then I heard someone
say that, I said, that's wrong. And I wasn't very long, and the
Lord had saved me. And when I heard that, I realized
that it shows an other lack of knowledge of the scriptures to
say that. Because salvation's of the Lord, from beginning to
end. Salvation's only found in Christ, and Christ alone. And
we learned in our study in the book of Colossians that the Old
Testament sacrifices were pictures and shadows of things to come,
pointing to the One who would be the substance of them. Let's
turn if you would to Colossians chapter 2. Christ is the substance
of all those shadows and all those pictures. Paul was battling
false teachers which had crept into Colossus and he brings forth
that Christ is the fulfillment of all these pictures and types
and shadows. Colossians chapter 2 verses 16
to 23. Let no man therefore judge you
in meat or in drink or in respect of a holy day or of a new moon
or of the Sabbath days, look at this, which are a shadow of
things to come, but the body is of Christ. So if I was walking
up along the side of the building here and you were out in the
front porch there, you would see my shadow come up first if
the sun was in the right place. You would see my shadow before
you saw me. And then I come around the corner.
Substance, right? So all those types and pictures
in the Old Testament were shadows. Shadows of Christ. But Christ
is the substance, look at 17, which are a shadow of things
to come, but the body is of Christ. Let no man beguile you of your
reward in a voluntary humility and worshiping of angels. The
false teachers had said that there was multiple mediators
between God and they were angels and they said Christ is but one
of those angels. That's why that's in there. Intruding
into those things which he hath not seen vainly puffed up by
his fleshy mind and not holding the head from which all the body
by joints and bands having nourishment ministered and knit together
increases with the increase of God. If ye be dead with Christ
from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the
world, are ye subject to ordinances? Touch not, taste not, handle
not, which are all to perish with the using. Stand fast in
the liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free, beloved.
Be not again entangled with the yoke of bondage. which are all to perish with
the years, and after the commandments and doctrines of men, which things
have indeed a show of wisdom in will-worship." Look at that.
Will-worship was a problem back then, just like it is today.
Men worship their wills. You just tell them that salvation
is all of the Lord, and they say, not in my will? And I say,
well, I was made willing in the day of God's power. My will won't
get me into anything but trouble. Is it so for you? It's true,
isn't it? Which indeed have a show of wisdom
and will worship and humility and neglecting of the body, not
in any honor to the satisfying of the flesh. So we see there
that all those things in verse 17 were a shadow of things to
come. But Christ is the body. Christ is the fulfillment of
all those shadows. He's the substance. He's the
substance. And Paul proclaimed the same
message to the elders at Jerusalem as he proclaimed in his epistles.
The same gospel that he preached to the Colossian believers is
the same gospel that he spoke to the council at Jerusalem.
Same gospel. He proclaimed salvation is by
Christ alone, in Christ alone, through Christ alone, and that
there's no other way to be saved except in Christ. And there is
not one method of salvation for the Jews and another for the
Gentiles. That's a lie. And I found that out fast after
the Lord showed me the truth. There's not one salvation for
the Jews by following the ordinances and then salvation for the Gentiles
in Christ. No, we are saved in Christ and
Christ alone. Here's a question for you. People
nowadays often talk about rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. Big
thing, right? Huge things. People send money over there
and all that. I remember someone one time talking to me about
this, and this knocked my socks off. This is shortly after the
Lord had saved me. And I used to, you know, watch
the papers for all these events that went on and all that stuff.
And he said to me, why would God need that temple to be rebuilt? And I said, well, for the sacrifices,
because I still had dispensational grave clothes on, right? You
know what he said to me? He said, every one of them sacrifices
would be an abomination to God. He said, because Christ is the
final sacrifice. Oh my, that just, that refuge
of lies just went right into a pit. There's no need for that
to be done again. Now, do I pray for a revival
amongst the Israel nation? Absolutely. I pray that for all
around the world, don't we? That the Lord would have a mighty
revival if it be His will. I don't know anybody who wouldn't
want that. But there's no need for that temple to be rebuilt
because those sacrifices would be an abomination to our great
God and King. Christ is the final sacrifice. In the redeemed of the Lord,
look at our text here, it says, we shall be saved even as they. There's only one way of salvation
for Jews and Gentiles, and that's in and through the Lord Jesus
Christ. There's no other way. We are
one in Christ, one in Christ. The redeemed of the Lord are
saved by the pure, free, and sovereign grace of God in Christ,
plus nothing. Nothing. And are we not 100%
dependent upon our great God, our Savior, for our salvation?
I mean 100% too. You know, religion, they talk
about, I don't even think they think it's 99.9, I think they
think it's more like 89.0, you know, by 11% or something. Because there's always something
men's gotta do. My salvation, and I know if you're a believer,
your salvation, is 100% dependent upon Christ and Christ alone,
period. That's who I rest my eternal
soul on. Is it so for you? If it's not, I pray God will
make it so. And if it is so, let us rejoice. Let us rejoice
that salvation is all of the Lord, all in Christ. Can you
keep the law of God perfectly? Can I keep the law of God perfectly?
Absolutely not. I can't even keep one jot of
it. But Christ did this for his people. He kept the law perfectly. And the only way of salvation
is the Lord Jesus Christ. who sacrifice atone for the sins
of all the elect, of all the ages. Isn't that amazing? That's
incredible. A number that we can't even number.
How? Some might say, how? Because
he's God. He's the God-man, the Lord Jesus
Christ, who came to save his people from their sins, and he
accomplished it. He did it. And he did it all. He obtained eternal salvation
for us. And the believer in Christ is
accepted by God, accepted in the beloved, accepted in Christ.
We now have communion with God in and through the Lord Jesus
Christ. And it's all by his grace. And it's all by the work of Christ.
We are saved from our sins. We're saved from ourselves, beloved.
We're saved from all our sins. Saved from death. Death has no
more sting. Death's but a doorway for the
believer to go into glory. Saved from hell and damnation.
Saved from the wrath of God. What did the wrath of God do
when it fell on Sodom and Gomorrah? What did the wrath of God do
in the great flood? Oh my, everything was wiped out,
saved from the wrath of God. How? in and through the Lord
Jesus Christ, according to the mercy of God. So the salvation
of God's people, both Jews and Gentiles, all of grace. No one
is deserving of it, because we've all sinned and come short of
the glory of God. We are sinners and have sinned
in the sight of God. We cannot save ourselves. But
praise be God, the Lord Jesus Christ has saved his people from
their sins. Turn, if you would, to Revelation
chapter 1. I'm going to read Hebrews chapter 12, verses 2
and 3. It says this, looking unto Jesus,
that's who we look to. looking unto Jesus, the author
and the finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set
before him endured the cross. And that joy is the saving of
his people, redeeming his people, despising the shame, and is set
down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him
that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest
ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Oh, when you're weak and
heavy laden with trials and tribulations, which we often are, if you get
down, which we often do, If you get filled with anxiety, which
we often do, rest in Christ. Turn your mind to him. Look unto
the author and finisher of our faith. Look at this in Revelation
chapter one, verses four to eight. John to the seven churches which
are in Asia, grace be unto you and peace from him which is and
which was and which is to come. Look at that. and from the seven
spirits which are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ,
who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the
dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth, unto him that loved
us and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made
us kings and priests unto God and his Father. To him be glory
forever and ever. Amen. Behold, he cometh with
the clouds. He's coming again, beloved. He's
coming again. He's coming again. Behold, he
cometh with the clouds, and every eye shall see him. And they also
which pierced him. And all the kings of the earth
shall wail because of him. Even so, amen. I am the Alpha
and the Omega. That's our great God. The beginning
and the end, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and
which is to come, the Almighty. That's our Savior. That's our
Savior. And what is faith? Faith is looking to Christ, not
to how much faith I have or you have. Our faith is fickle, isn't
it? It's not faith that saves, but
it's Christ who saves. It's Christ. And our faith has
one object, and that is Christ. Faith is looking to Christ, not
to my prayers, not to my worship, not to my meditation. I had someone
tell me recently, they said, well, I don't pray enough. And
I said, just look to Christ. Don't look to yourself. Just
look to Christ. We look to ourselves. We let ourselves down every single
time, won't we? Faith is looking to Christ and
not the law. The law ruins, but never heals. It kills, but never
gives life. But Christ is life for the believer. Faith is looking to Christ and
not to his mother, nor his apostles, nor to a cross, because there's
only one mediator between God and man, and that's the man Christ
Jesus. Faith is looking to Christ and
not the brethren, neither the best nor the worst of them. Have
no confidence in our flesh. We ought to have no confidence
in our flesh at all. Don't look to me, I'll let you
down every time. Look to Christ. Look to Christ and Christ alone.
And don't have any confidence in our flesh. None. Faith is
looking to Christ, not my strength nor my weaknesses. All grace
or strength we have is given by God. That's why I pray often
for the believers that God give us grace and strength, because
that's what we need. I need that all the time. Pray that for me,
please. Pray that God give me grace and strength. Oh, pray
it. Please pray that for me. Faith is looking to Christ who
is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He's unchanging.
We change all the time. He's unchanging, beloved. He's
the changeless one. Faith is looking to Christ again
at all times and we never stop coming, do we? Brother Henry
Mahan said, we come to Christ and we keep coming. The rest
of our life is a life of coming to Christ and Christ alone, continuously,
looking to Him, leaning on Him, depending upon Him. And He is
the only one true Savior, the only Savior of sinners, and His
name is the Lord Jesus Christ. May God give you faith to believe
on Him, and may God give we who are His people faith and grace
and strength to trust and rest in Him each day.