We'll be looking at Isaiah chapter
40. Isaiah chapter 40, we'll be looking
at two verses. And I'll read it in the context
of it here. We'll read Isaiah 40, verse 1. Verse 1 to 5. Actually, no, we'll
go a little further than that. We'll read verses 1-8. Comfort
ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem,
and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned. For she hath received of the
Lord's hand double for all her sins. The voice of him that crieth
in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight
in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked
shall be made straight, and the rough places plain, and the glory
of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. The voice said, cry,
and he said, what shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the
goodliness thereof is the flower of the field. The grass withereth,
the flower faded, because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon
it, surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower
faded, but the word of our God shall stand forever, forever. The name of the message tonight
is The Fourfold Message of Grace. The Fourfold Message of Grace.
We'll be looking at verses 1 and 2. Scripture declares, Comfort
ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem,
and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished. her warfare is accomplished,
that her iniquity is pardoned. For she hath received of the
Lord's hand double for all her sins." Now, God's people are
commanded to comfort the Lord's people. Now, I in myself can't
comfort you. But the preacher, by the preaching
and the proclamation of the Gospel, the Holy Spirit takes that and
uses it to comfort the saints. I myself am a sheep. I need to
be comforted as well. And I'm comforted when I sit
and listen to a faithful man preach the Gospel, or when I'm
studying Scripture and the Holy Spirit comforts you. And so God's
preachers here, though, are commanded to, Comfort ye, comfort ye my
people, saith your God. My people. Notice here, too. Number one, first of all, it
says, Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Now
let us have that sink in. God says, my people. My people. So this comforting
is not for the world. This comforting is for God's
people. And think of that. Think of that,
you who are saved, you who are redeemed. You are one of those,
my people. My people. God's people. God's people. One of God's people, and we looked
at who God was this morning. You are one of the sovereign,
almighty king's people. And you didn't even know it before
the Lord saved you. I didn't know it. Now I know
it. It's being revealed. Now I rejoice. My people, not everyone, my people
says the Lord. And we know, we know that scripture
says that the Lord came to save his people from their sins, and
he himself, the Lord himself. I ran into some guys this week,
and I was talking to them, and they proclaimed to me that Christ
died for everyone. And I said, well, and here's
a good way to use scripture to combat that. They said, well,
Christ died for everyone. I said, okay, you're saying that
And I quoted Ephesians 1, 4, where it says, chosen in him
before the foundation of the world. And they claimed that
that was everyone. I said, OK. Scripture declares that at the
end, God shall separate the goats from the sheep. That's scriptural,
right? And they agreed. I said, so Scripture declares
there's two people there, goats and sheep. And I said, in John
10, the Lord Jesus Christ said, I lay down my life for the sheep. That is who the my people are.
That is the one spoken of here, right here. My people, the sheep
of God, the elect of God, the undeserving ones, the sought
out ones, the redeemed ones. Comfort ye, comfort ye my people,
saith your God. Now it says, saith your God.
In order for the preacher to preach Right? Preach the gospel of God's free
grace, he himself has to be saved. You see, I'm comforted by the
preaching of the gospel as well. My God says to me, comfort my
people, his people, his sheep, by the preaching of the gospel.
So I proclaim the gospel and the Holy Spirit takes it and
comforts your hearts with it, just as he does with mine when
I hear faithful men preach. It's incredible. This is why,
again, this is why, again, it's absolutely vital that we have
men who preach Christ and Him crucified, and that's it, in
the pulpit. This is why it's vital. This
is what the sinner needs. This is what the sheep of God
needs. So think of this, you who are
God's people. You're God. You're God. It brings great comfort, great
comfort to God's people. God commands his gospel preachers
to comfort you by the preaching of the gospel. And think of who's saying this.
God himself is saying, you're God. God himself is saying, you're
my people. As I said many times, Gospel
preachers have a message to proclaim, and it's only one message. And
it's found in 1 Corinthians 2, verses 1 and 2. If you want to
turn there, you can, and I'll read it right now. And I, brethren,
when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech. Now
Paul, he could have went toe-to-toe with almost anyone. He was so
well trained and taught. He was taught in logic, but he
counted it all as just dumb. He counted all that learning
he had, all that seminary training that he had in the religious
schools as just dumb. Nothing. So he says, I didn't
come to you with excellency of speech. He spoke plainly, beloved. He spoke plainly, or of wisdom,
declaring unto you the testimony of God, for I am determined not
to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
Paul knew that which was most important, and that is to preach
Christ. And in preaching Christ, God's people were comforted.
God's people were comforted. Only the Gospel of God's free
grace in Christ brings comfort to God's people. who are sinners
saved by the grace and mercy of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
No amount of money, no amount of riches in this world, we saw
that this morning, can redeem one soul. No price offered up
by the sinner can pay the price for even one of our sins. You could offer up a whole lifetime
of service and it won't pay for one sin. Not one. So sinners, the ones called my
people, saved by grace, find no comfort in their works, find
no comfort in their possessions, find no comfort in the fleeting
things of this world. God's people find comfort only
in Christ. Only in Christ. So how do God's people find comfort? Also in our text it says, look
in verse 2, "...speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her,
that her warfare is accomplished." It's finished. The believer, as I've said many
times, lays down their arms, surrenders. Take side with God against ourselves. Look at this. We looked at this
this morning as well. That her iniquity is what? Pardoned. Pardoned. For she has received of the Lord's
hand double for all her sins. Now in response to the command of God's preachers to comfort
God's elect, It is the gospel preacher's joy to constantly
deliver a four-fold message of grace to all who trust Christ. And I hope and pray that this
message will be a blessing to God's sheep, to God's people,
and that the Holy Spirit will comfort your hearts by the preaching
of His Word. And if He's pleased to use it
to draw lost sinners to Him, lost sheep, lost my people, Oh, we'll give Him all the glory.
And as I said before, how can we who proclaim the Bible, who
proclaim comfort to God's people, how can we proclaim comfort to
you if we're not being comforted ourselves? We preach what we know. We preach
about a Savior who's mighty to redeem because He's redeemed
muscle. We preach a God who's the God
of all comfort, because He's comforted me. We preach of a God who's a wonderful, merciful redeemer,
because He's redeemed me from all my sins. We preach a full
forgiveness of all our sins, because Christ has forgiven me
for all my sins. And every gospel preacher can
say this. He's forgiven us all our trespasses and sins, just
as He's done for every one of His sheep. And we preach Christ
and Him crucified and God's people are comforted. Comforted. We are commanded to comfort God's
people, we who have been comforted ourselves by the very Savior
we preach, the Lord Jesus Christ. We are commanded to preach the
very Gospel by which we've been comforted ourselves. Salvation is only in the Lord
Jesus Christ. He has been crucified for our
sins. He has risen again for our justification. And He is
seated at the right hand of God advocating for His people right
now. Turn, if you would, to Colossians chapter 2. We looked at this. We looked at Wednesday night
how all that a sinner needs is found in Christ. All that a sinner
needs is found in Christ. Now, religion or religionists,
again, will tell you to do things, right? And in Colossians, Paul's
battling different false teachings in Colossus. One that has brought
in the traditions of man. One that has brought in the rudiments
of the world. One that has brought in ceremonies. The Gnostics. So he's got a four-pronged attack
that he's basically defending against. Or counterattacking,
basically. And all of those All those errors
that are coming against the Colossian believers, every one of them
add to the finished work of Christ. Every one of them. Every one
of them say you have to do this, it's Christ plus you have to
do something else to be saved. Look at what Paul masterfully
writes back by inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God. Look
at Colossians chapter 2, verses 9 and 10. Look at this. All that a sinner needs is in
Christ. They don't need anything else. Look at this. For in Him
dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. So Christ
is the God-man. And in Him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily. But look at what Paul pens to
the Colossian believers. And think of this in light of
all those attacks from those who are saying, but you've got
to keep ceremonies, but you've got to do this, and you've got
to do that. And look what Paul, and we know it's by inspiration
of the Holy Spirit of God, and this is incredible. He writes,
"...and ye are." Be the Colossian believers. He writes to them.
And it's not something that's in the future that, oh, you're
going to be. He writes to them, look at this, "...and ye are
presently." Complain in Him. The sinner who trusts Christ
is complaining in Him. And ye are complete in Him, which
is the head of all principality and power. And that basically
means that He is absolutely sovereign. He's in control over everything. The believer is complete in Christ.
There's nothing else that needs to be done. It is finished. You can't add anything to...
Can you add anything to perfection? If something is perfect, if something
is finished, can you add anything to it? You can't. It's perfect. Think of this. If something's complete, can
you add anything to it? And ye are complete in him. You're
complete in him. That takes us right out of the
equation for works, doesn't it? The believer's complete in Christ.
It's incredible. What a merciful God we have.
What a merciful God. You can't add anything to that
which is perfect. And the Lord Jesus Christ is
the perfect Savior. He is the perfect Redeemer for
His people. He is the all-sufficient Savior.
Turn, if you would, to Hebrews chapter 5. Hebrews chapter 5. We know that we who are saved
are still sinners, right? But we've also looked at many
times that in the eyes of God, He sees us in Christ. Complete. Complete. Complete in Him. Look at this in Hebrews chapter
5, starting in verse 5. So also Christ glorified not
Himself to be made an high priest, but He said unto them, Thou art
my Son, today have I begotten thee. As he saith also in another
place, Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek,
who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers
and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that
was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared.
Though he were a son, yet learned he obedience by the things which
he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal
salvation, unto all them that obey him, called of God in high
priest after the order of Melchizedek." Verse 9 says, "...and being made
perfect." Being made perfect. He is perfect. Christ is absolutely
perfect. He is the perfect Lamb of God. He is the perfect Savior of sinners. He is the perfect Redeemer of
His people. He's perfect. And He saves imperfect
people. My, oh my. What a Redeemer. What a Savior. We cannot save
ourselves. We lack the ability to save ourselves. Or we even lack the ability to
redeem ourselves. But the believer in Christ has
been shown this. And it's been revealed to us
that Christ is the perfect Savior. The all-sufficient Savior for
my sins. He bore all my sins. Oh my. And this brings great comfort
to God's people. To know that they are looking
and resting and trusting in He who can save us from our sins.
And He who is perfect in every way. Perfect. Remember what John said? Behold
the Lamb of God. Remember what we looked at this
morning in Exodus? Without spot and blemish, that
Lamb had to be perfect. He's perfect, beloved. If you've
rested and trusted in Christ, you're resting and trusting in
a perfect Savior, in a perfect Redeemer. My, my. What comfort this brings God's
people. As we know that our salvation
is not dependent upon us at all. And praise be to God it's not,
or we would perish in our sins. Because we cannot make ourselves
righteous. But the comfort for the believer
is that again, they are looking, resting, trusting, reposing in
Christ Jesus and Him alone. So let us look again at our text.
Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably
to Jerusalem, and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished,
and that her iniquity is pardoned, for she has received of the Lord's
hand double for all her sins." Our verse here speaks of Jerusalem.
John Gale comments, that she who is called Jerusalem, by Jerusalem
is meant the Gospel Church, all the elect of all the ages, the
true members of the Gospel Church, the elect of God. Turn, if you
would, to Hebrews chapter 12. She's spoken of over in the New
Testament, in Hebrews chapter 12, verses 22 to 24. God's people is the church, the
elect of God, those given to Christ before the foundation
of the world by the Father. Hebrews chapter 12, verses 22
to 24. And think of this. In our text
it says, her warfare is accomplished. Her iniquity is pardoned. She
has received of the Lord's hand double for all her sin. Look
at this. But ye are coming to Mount Zion,
and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem,
and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly
and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven,
and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men
made perfect, only in Christ. And to Jesus, the mediator of
the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh
better things than that of Abel. The heavenly Jerusalem. Look
at verse 22. The heavenly Jerusalem. Now how does the church receive
the Lord's hand double for all her sins? Only through the perfect,
spotless Lamb of God. The One who is fully God and
fully man. The One who died upon the cross
in the place of His people. The One spoken of in our text
as Jerusalem. This is who Christ died for. The One spoken of as Jerusalem,
which are God's elect. And they were redeemed by the
perfect Redeemer, the perfect Substitute, the perfect Savior,
the Lord Jesus Christ. Cry unto her. What is the Gospel
preachers to cry unto Jerusalem? Cry unto her that her warfare
is accomplished. And her iniquity is pardon, for
she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins."
So let us look at the fourfold message of grace, and we'll also
see how it's possible that God's people can be comforted by these
words in Isaiah. The first one is a perfect atonement.
A perfect atonement. When the Lord Jesus Christ died
on Calvary's cross, He took the sins of all the elect of all
the ages. And they were placed upon Him.
They were imputed to Him. Remember, He's absolutely sinless.
Not a sin in thought, word, or deed. Perfect, spotless. And the sins of all the elect,
of all the ages, a number that no man can number, are imputed
to Him. are laid upon him. And what does
he do? He pays all that God demands. All the sins of his people laid
upon him. All the elect who have ever lived,
all the elect who are now living, and all the elect who will come. For the transgression of my people
was he stricken. For he hath made him to be sin
for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness
of God in him. He's sinless. He's perfect. But for the transgression of
my people was he stricken. And our text says, Comfort ye,
comfort ye my people. And Isaiah says, For the transgression
of my people was he stricken. And ye know that he was manifest
to take away our sins. The whole reason for Him coming
here was to die on Calvary's cross. To take away our sins. He was manifest. God became a
man. Yet fully God. And fully man. He was manifest to take away
our sins. And in Him is no sin. 1 John
3, 5. The Lord Jesus Christ, by himself,
by himself, put away the sins of his people. What comfort this
brings to God's people. He put away the sins of his people.
He took our sins upon himself, and beloved, he completely paid
everything that God demanded for my sin, and for your sin,
and for all the sin of all the elect. Completely. A perfect atonement. And only a perfect redeemer could
do this. Only a perfect substitute could
do this. Only a perfect man could do this. He shall see the travail of his
soul. God shall look upon the travail
of his soul. He shall see the travail of his
soul and shall be satisfied. Remember this morning? Substitution
and satisfaction. By his knowledge shall my righteous
servant justify many. Why? For he shall bear their
iniquities. A perfect atonement, beloved. Oh, what comfort this brings
God's people. Now, is it any wonder why the
child of God sings hallelujah or says praise his mighty name? Redemption is accomplished. The elect of God are redeemed
by the precious blood of Christ. Neither by the blood of goats
and calves, but by His own blood He entered once into the holy
place." I love this. Having obtained. Who obtained it? Christ Jesus
our Lord. And this is found in Hebrews
9.12. Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His
own blood. He entered in once into the holy
place having obtained. Why is our warfare accomplished?
Because He obtained eternal redemption for us. Oh, what comfort that brings
my soul to know that my great King, my perfect Savior, my perfect
substitute obtained eternal redemption for me and for you. My. The second point we will look
at in the fourfold message of grace and how God's people can
be comforted by these words in Isaiah. Again, we'll read them. Comfort ye, comfort ye my people,
saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem.
and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity
is pardoned, for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for
all her sins." So we've seen a perfect atonement. The next
point is perfect forgiveness. Perfect. Perfect forgiveness. Our text in Isaiah proclaims
the preacher is to comfort the believer in Christ by proclaiming
that her iniquity is pardoned. Perfect forgiveness. It's pardoned. The sinner is perfectly pardoned. All their sins are forgiven by
the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. 1 John 2.12 says this,
I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven. Oh, may we let that sink in. I write unto you, little children,
because your sins are forgiven. You, for His name's sake. God has mercy on sinners because
of Christ. We're forgiven, beloved, for
His name's sake. For Christ's sake, Ephesians
says. Blessed are they whose iniquities
are forgiven and whose sins are covered. What are they covered
by? Oh, they're covered under the
blood of the Lamb. Covered. Perfect forgiveness,
beloved. Those who are forgiven are blessed
as their sins are covered by the precious blood of the Lord
Jesus Christ. And they have a perfect forgiveness.
Oh my. And now we who believe on Christ have had this revealed
to us. We've had it revealed to us that we cannot keep the
law. It condemns us and it makes us flee to Christ. And the law
says, do this or die. We've been seeing that in our
study, brother. Do this or die. Well, we can't keep the law.
So the sentence comes down. The soul that sins, it must die. Galatians 3.10 says, For as many
as are of the works of the law are under the curse, for it is
written, Cursed is everyone that continueth not in the things
which are written in the book of the law to do them. But here
is good news. Christ hath redeemed us from
the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. For it is written,
Cursed is everyone that hangeth on the tree. Perfect substitution,
perfect forgiveness, The law demands perfection, and the law
must be fulfilled, and Christ, the sinner's substitute, has
done this as our representative. He lived the perfect life in
obedience to the law as our law. The law, He lived it, He lived
His life in our place as our representative. He lived before God as our representative. He perfectly fulfilled the law
of God for His people. Turn, if you would, to Romans
3. Romans 3, starting in verse 19. What comfort this brings to God's
people. A perfect forgiveness. A forgiveness
that I can't mess up because it's in Christ. My, it comforts God's people. My. Romans 3, verses 19 to 22. Now we know that whatsoever things,
what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under
the law. Now every single human being comes into this world under
the law. That every mouth may be stopped, and all the world
may become guilty before God. All the world, beloved. Look
at this. Therefore, by the deeds of the
law, there shall no flesh be justified in His sight. For by
the law is the knowledge of sin. It reveals to us what we are.
It reveals to us our desperate state before a holy and righteous
God and before His holy and righteous law. But now the righteousness of
God without the law is manifested. being witnessed by the Law and
the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of
Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe, for there
is no difference." Oh, what comfort this brings God's people. Even
the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto
all and upon all them that believe, for there is no difference. And
then Romans 5.19 says this, I'll read this, For by one man's disobedience
many were made sinners. So when Adam fell, we all fell
with him. But listen to this good news.
So by the obedience of one, he fulfilled the law in the sinner's
place, in the place of my people. He fulfilled it for us, for we
who believe. For as by one man's disobedience
many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many
be made righteous. Oh my. God's people are clothed
in the perfect, spotless righteousness of God. The Lord Jesus Christ,
the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ has been imputed
to them. And this leads us into our third point. Look at our
text again. Comfort ye, comfort ye my people,
saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem,
and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished. that her iniquity
is pardoned. For she hath received of the
Lord's hand double for all her sins." The next point is a perfect
imputation and a perfect righteousness. Perfect imputation and perfect
righteousness. The Lord Jesus Christ has given
us life, light, and understanding by the Gospel. There was a time
when we who believed didn't see, didn't see Christ, didn't see
the things of God. We had no clue. And as I said,
now what we see is being revealed to us. So now we've learned,
we've been taught of God by revelation of the Holy Spirit through the
preaching of the Gospel. We grow in the grace and knowledge
and truth of the Lord Jesus Christ. And it enables us to see that
we have received by imputation the righteousness of Christ.
The righteousness of Christ. For I am not ashamed of the gospel
of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone
that believeth, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For therein
is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith. As it is
written, the just shall live by faith. Abraham believed God
and what? It was counted unto him for righteousness.
Turn, if you would, to Romans chapter 4. Abraham believed God
and it was counted to him for righteousness. Romans 4, verses 3-8. For what saith the scripture,
Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace,
but of debt. But to him that worketh not,
but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted
for righteousness. Even as David also described
the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness.
Look at this. Without works. Without works. Not by any of
our doing. Now he wrought out by his work
our righteousness. But God imputes righteousness
without works, the scriptures declare. Saying, blessed are
they whose iniquities are what? Forgiven. Comfort ye my people,
saith the Lord. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem
and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity
is pardoned. My goodness, it says here, blessed are they whose
iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered. covered by
the precious blood of Christ. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord will not impute sin. Clothed in the righteousness
of Christ. Now, righteousness is not imputed
to us upon the basis of our faith, but upon the basis of Christ's
faithfulness as our representative. This imputed righteousness is
received by faith. Righteousness is imputed to us
without works. Note verses 6 to 8 in Romans
chapter 4 again. Even as David also described
it, the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputed righteousness
without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are
forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord will not impute sin. This imputation of righteousness
of Christ to the believer is an unconditional and irrevocable
imputation. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord will not impute sin. Blessed. If you're saved, you're
blessed. Oh, you're blessed. The fourth and last point we
will look at in the fourfold message of grace and how God's
people can be comforted by these words in Isaiah is a perfect
liberty. A perfect liberty. God's people
have perfect liberty. Perfect liberty. Turn, if you would, to Romans
chapter 8, verses 1 to 4. Now, we don't have a license
to go out and sin, do we? No, the love of Christ constrains
us, doesn't it? It constrains us. But let us
think on this. Since the justice of God has
been satisfied, since the law of God has been honored, since
the wrath of God has been appeased, and since the righteousness of
Christ has been imputed to us, God's elect are completely freed
from all possibility of condemnation. That comforts my soul. That comforts my soul more than
I can ever... I don't have any words for that. I can't tell you what that means
to me. To know that I am freed from all the possibility
of condemnation in Christ. But the Scriptures declare it.
Look at Romans chapter 8, verses 1 to 4. Now I know, I know who
I was. I know what I am. And I read
these verses. And they comfort my soul, beloved.
Look at this. There is therefore now no condemnation. I could just stop right there.
No condemnation. To who? To them which are in
Christ Jesus. Remember Paul said we're complete
in Christ? There is therefore now no condemnation to them which
are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after
the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of
life in Christ Jesus hath made me free, free from the law of
sin and death. For what the law could not do,
in that it was weak through the flesh, it could never justify
us. God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh,
and for sin, condemns sin in the flesh. that the righteousness
of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the
flesh, but after the spirit. Oh, what comforting words from
our soul. Think of this too, where there
is no debt, there is no liability, as Christ Jesus our Lord paid
all that was demanded for the sins of his people. Everything
that God demanded. Christ paid it. There's nothing
left to be paid. So, as a result of that, there
is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.
Oh my. Philemon says this. Paul wrote
this to Philemon. Speaking of Onesimus. Philemon 1.18. If he hath wronged thee, or oweth
thee aught, put that on mine account. That's
what Christ did for his people. If he hath wronged thee, or oweth
thee aught, put that on mine account. Paul said this signifying
that he would be answerable for all Onesimus had done, and make
good all debts and damages. which had been done to fire him.
Is that not what our King did for us? Put that on my account. My goodness. If Onesimus has
wronged you by idling away time, or spoiling his work, or corrupting
fellow servants, or if he owes you anything by robbing you and
wasting your goods, charge it to me, Paul says. I will stand good for all his
deaths and damages. What a Redeemer we have in Christ. And Philemon would surely see
in the statement, and if you want to look at that verse, it's
in Philemon 1.18. Philemon would surely see in
the statement, the grace and mercy of Christ to whom our great
debt of sin was imputed and who paid in full all that we owed. Charge that to my accounts. Christ hath redeemed us from
the curse of the law. Christ has redeemed us from the
curse of law, being made a curse for us, for it is written, cursed
is everyone that hangeth on a tree, that the blessing of Abraham
might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ, that we might receive
the promise of the Spirit through faith. What a perfect Redeemer. What a perfect Savior. This comforts my soul. I hope
it does yours. I hope it does yours. Where there
is no sin, there is no curse. Christ was made a curse for us,
dying as our substitute before God's holy law and holy justice. And where there is no guilt,
there is no fear. And where there is no fear, there
is perfect liberty. Oh, I hope and pray that this
message will be comforting to God's people, and may He use
it for His glory and honor. Gracious Heavenly Father, oh, the marvel that You call
Your people My people, that You tell Your Gospel preachers to
comfort Comfort your people with words that we have been comforted
ourselves by. Lord, we thank you for your mercy. We thank you for your grace.
We thank you for your son, where all that is found. Oh, Lord Jesus,
we praise your mighty name. We give you the glory in Jesus'
name. Amen.