Happy Mother's Day to all the
moms out there. Today we'll be in Hebrews chapter
2. Hebrews chapter 2. The name of the message is So
Great Salvation. So Great Salvation. Hebrews 2, verses 1-5 we'll read,
and our text will be in verse 3. Hebrews 2, so great salvation. Therefore we ought to give the
more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at
any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels
was steadfast, in every transgression and disobedience received a just
recompense of reward, how shall we escape? If we neglect, so great salvation,
which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed
unto us by them that heard Him, God also bearing them witness,
both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and
gifts of the Holy Ghost according to His own will. For unto which
of the angels hath He not put in subjection the world to come,
wherever we speak. Today we'll look at the words
in verse 3, Proclaim so great salvation. So great salvation. And we have before us in this
text a very solemn question. How shall we escape if we neglect
so great salvation? How shall one to escape the wrath
and justice of God, which we as sinners justly deserve, how is it possible for one to
escape God's wrath and justice if we neglect this great salvation? How? How shall we escape if we neglect
so great salvation? Shall we escape by our strength
in the intellect? No. Shall we escape by our supposed
good works? And our supposed good deeds?
No. Scripture declares there's none
righteous. So the question comes before us again. How shall we
escape if we neglect so great salvation? This is a question
for every one of us. Shall we escape with friends
or families as our refuge? No. The only refuge found for sinners
is in Christ. Shall we hide ourselves from
God? No. No. There's nowhere that a person
can hide from God's eye. How shall we escape if we neglect
so great salvation? The answer is it's impossible
if one neglects this wonderful, free grace in Christ. Man is dead in trespasses and
sins. Unable to save himself. But there
is one escape. One refuge for the sinner. It's not in ourselves. It's not in Mary. It's not in
Mohammed. It's not in Buddha. It's not
a false refuge of praying a prayer or walking an aisle. How shall we escape wrath and justice of God? Only
in Christ. Only in Christ. This so great
salvation spoken of in our text, this so great salvation is only
in Christ. Nowhere else. Nowhere else. And some of you sitting here
today may be neglecting this great salvation in Christ. Oh, that the Holy Spirit would
draw you. Oh, that He'd show you your need
for Christ. Oh, that you'd flee to Him. That
He'd make your will He'd make you with Him. And think on this
elect of God. Think on this, you who are redeemed
by the precious blood of Christ. Think on this. Think of all the
people you've known throughout your life, from when you were
little till now. All those people. Think of how many of them heard
the gospel preached, and how many of them didn't. And think of how many who heard
it and it fell upon deaf ears. Oh, I ask you, is this salvation
not great? Brother John and I were talking
about how he oftentimes thinks of all who drive by here. Well,
we're here in service. People who drive by, right? They have no care or interest
in the Gospel. But here you are, elect of God.
Here you are, you who are redeemed by the Lord, and you love the
Gospel. I ask you, is this not salvation?
Not so great. Is it not a great salvation? You're here listening. You who
love Christ are here sitting, listening, and loving, and rejoicing
in the Gospel. Who makes us to differ? Who makes
us to differ? We who believe. Brother Henry
Mahan said this, I love this statement. Why is it that you
and I are not sitting here in this place today indifferent
to the Word of God? Hardened to the Gospel. Why are
we not at this very hour hearing the Word preached with the outward
ear, which at one time we did, right? But rejecting it in our
hearts. Why is it that we love the Word
preached? Why is it that we love the Gospel? That we rejoice in the altogether
lovely Redeemer and find a peace in the heart that passes knowledge. Have we made ourselves to differ?
Well, religion says that, right? Isaac Watts said this, God forbid,
"'Twas the same love that spread the feast that sweetly forced
us in, else we had still refused to taste and perished in our
sins." That sums it up, doesn't it? Who made us to differ? Why
do we love the Gospel? Why are we here rejoicing in
Christ? Because God has made us to differ. He gets all the
glory. He gets all the honor. So I ask
you, elect of God, who made you to differ? Who made you to differ? God in Christ, praise His mighty
name. We looked at it all this morning,
and the praise is all to the praise of the glory of His grace. And look at verse 1 of our text
here in Hebrews 2. It says, Therefore we ought to
give the more earnest heed to take to the things which we have
heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. We are to give
heed and attention to the preaching of God's Word. Because it points us to the One
who this great salvation is in. It points us to Christ. And notice
the exhortation in verse 1, Therefore we ought to give the more earnest
heed to the things which we have heard. It's opposed to neglecting
it in verse 3. Where to take heed? And in verse 3 it says, how shall
we escape if we neglect so great salvation? Notice the therefore in verse
1, it connects back to chapter 1 where Paul is contrasting the
superiority of Christ over Christ the Son over angels. Salvation is only in Him. Christ's message is paramount,
supreme, and claims our attention, which verse 1 talks about. Therefore,
we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have
heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. To give heed is to listen and
apply our minds and to consider, to consider, as opposed to neglecting,
verse 3. And this salvation in Christ
is for bankrupt sinners. It's for the sick. It's not for
the righteous or those who think they're righteous. It's for bankrupt, desperate
sinners who cannot save themselves or help themselves. And this wonderful salvation
cannot be believed unless it's understood, unless it's revealed.
God must reveal it to us. He must regenerate us. And we
believe. Otherwise, it's veiled. Again, that God would give you
eyes to see and ears to hear. This is our hope and prayer.
An understanding of who Christ is. He's a mighty Savior. He's
a mighty Savior. and what we are, great sinners
in desperate need of Him. So again, our text says, How
shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation, which at
the first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed
unto us by them that heard Him? We're going to look at some points
of the greatness of the salvation that's in Christ and Him alone.
One commentator wrote this, The essence of the gospel is that
God has provided a way of escape from the wrath and justice of
God through the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the only place. And God
has provided this for sinners. So let's look today at why this
salvation is great. Just a few points of why this
salvation is great. Have you ever heard people say,
and I said this when I was in religion, when I was lost as
a white goose in a snow storm, I didn't know Christ, I didn't
know anything about Him. Have you ever heard people say
this? I'm just going to barely make it to heaven hanging on.
I'm just going to barely make it. By the skin of my teeth,
they say that or they say something. And they go on to say that they're
going to live in a meager shack in heaven, because I'm just going
to barely make it there. I used to say that to my shame. First off, those who say that
are relying upon their own works to get to heaven. They're relying upon their own
works to get to heaven, which is a refuge of lies. And they
know nothing of Christ or the Bible or nothing of His salvation.
Because this salvation in Christ is a great salvation. It's a
great salvation. It's a great salvation. It's a marvelous salvation. It's
a wondrous salvation. You can't plumb the depths of
it, nor the height of it. It's a wonderful salvation. And
it's only in Jesus Christ our Lord. The God-man mediator. God incarnate in the flesh. Who
came to redeem His people from their sins. And He did it. He
did it. It's a wonderful salvation. And
all who are saved, all who are saved know that this is a great
salvation. We know it, don't we? We know
it. All who are in heaven and all
who will be there know it's a great salvation. All they know. Praise His name. We know. Look at verse 10 just a little
further down in our chapter. Hebrews 2.10. Or read verse 9 too. But we see
Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the
suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that He, by
the grace of God, should taste death for every man. For it became
Him for whom are all things, and by whom are all things in
bringing many sons into glory. He brings us to glory. To make
the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferance. Oh,
this salvation is a great salvation because Christ is a great Savior.
He is a great Savior. And this wondrous salvation which
is announced and revealed in Botany and the Gospel is incredibly
great. It's a great salvation. Look
at verse 2. For if the word spoken by angels
was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received just
recompense of the reward, how shall we escape if we neglect
so great salvation, which at first began to be spoken by the
Lord? He proclaimed that salvation
was in Him and was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him. Oh, what a wonderful salvation.
What a great salvation. And salvation, In the Greek,
it's defined as deliverance. Preservation, safety, and salvation. It implies to be rescued. That you're in great peril, in
danger. And God's people in Christ are
saved from the penalty, the power, and the guilt of sin. Not the
presence, but one day that will happen. One day that will happen. So what are we being delivered?
What are we being delivered from? The wrath and justice of God,
which was satisfied in Christ. Turn, if you would, to Ephesians
chapter 1, and our first point is this. This salvation is great
because of the One who gives it and planned it. Gives it and
planned it. God in eternity chose to save
a people. And we know that it was done
all according to the good pleasure of His will, in the praise of
the glory of His grace. Long ago, before the day star
knew its place, before God had spoken existence out of nothing,
before there was ever angels, Before the universe was, God
chose a people in Christ. Long ago, before a solitary song
had served the silence in which God reigned supreme, He had entered into a solemn
council with Himself, with His Son and with His Spirit. And
had in that council decreed, determined, purposed and predestinated
the salvation of his people. Look at Ephesians 1, verses 3-6. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in the heavenly places in Christ. You see, outside of
Christ, there's no spiritual blessings at all. Nothing. Condemnation
and wrath. But in Christ, all spiritual
blessings, according as He has chosen us in Him before the foundation
of the world. Now folks, read that and don't
believe it. We believe it because that's what it proclaims. Before
the foundation of the world. That we should be holy and without
blame before Him in love. Heaven predestinated us into
the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself according to
the good pleasure of His blood. because it pleased Him. It pleased Him to save His people. To the praise, and here is the
ultimate end of all the salvation in Christ, of God choosing, of
God redeeming, of God drawing, is this, to the praise of the
glory of His grace. He gets all the praise. It's
all to the praise of the glory of His grace. Wherein He hath
made us, He made us accepted in the beloved. See, it's not
about walking in an aisle. It's not about praying a prayer.
He makes us accepted. He, therefore, is the Alpha and
the Omega, the beginning and the end, the author and the finisher
of our faith. He gets all the glory. And it's
all to the praise and the glory of His grace. What a mighty Savior. What a great salvation. What
a great salvation. And this salvation is great because
it is God who has chosen the people unto Himself. And it is
God who has planned and purposed all this. It is God who gives this salvation
to whomever He pleases. Turn, if you would, to John 17.
John 17. And this ties right in with Ephesians
1.4 which says, "...according that He has chosen us in Him
before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy
and without blame before Him in love." John 17, verses 1-3. Look at these marvelous verses. God gives His salvation to whomever
He pleases, to whom He has chosen in Christ before the foundation
of the world. Look at John 17, 1 and 2. These words spake Jesus
and lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour has
come. Glorify Thy Son that Thy Son
also may glorify Thee. Look at this in verse 2. As Thou
has given Him power over all flesh, He is King. He has all
power. This is the one who saves his
people. This is the one who keeps his
people. This is the one who will glorify his people. He has all
power. All power. See, do you see how
this ties into how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?
How will we escape if we neglect Christ? He has all power. All majesty. as Thou hast given
Him power over all flesh, all, not some, all, that He should
give eternal life to as many as Thou hast given Him. And in
verse 3 he says, And this is life eternal, that they might
know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast
sent. I ask you again, elect of God, you who are redeemed
by the blood of the Lamb, is this not so great salvation? Oh, what a mighty God. What a
mighty Savior. And the second point is, this
salvation is great because of the one who purchased it. The
one who purchased this salvation. Turn, if you would, just one
chapter over from our text in Hebrews chapter 1. The Lord Jesus
Christ has by Himself purged our sins. Purged them. By Himself. He paid it all. He accomplished
the salvation. We sing, Jesus paid it all, right?
We don't say Jesus paid some of it. We sing, He paid it all. And this salvation is great because
of the One who purchased it. The God-man mediator, God in
the flesh, died on the cross for His people. Look at Hebrews
1. We looked at these verses in
our Wednesday night study in Colossians, and they sum up the
fact that Christ paid it all. Look at this. God, who at sundry
times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers
by the prophet, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his
Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he
made the worlds. Do you know that Christ is the
express image of God? He is God incarnated in the flesh.
Look what our text says in verse 3. Who being the brightness of
His glory, in the express image of His person, and upholding
all things by the word of His power. Remember John 17? He's
given power over all flesh. When He had by Himself, when
He had by Himself when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on
the right hand of the majesty on high. It is finished. I ask you, is this salvation
not a great salvation? It is because of the one who
purchased it. God incarnated in the flesh. Oh, what a great Savior. What a great Savior. Christ Jesus
paid it all in the room and place of His people. And God is satisfied. He's satisfied. The next point
is, this salvation is great because God is the one who applies it. You must be born again. Turn,
if you would, to John chapter 3. You must be born again. The great king, immortal, invisible,
the divine person called the Holy Spirit of God. It is He
that regenerates the soul or else it would lie dead forever.
You must be born again. Salvation is great because God
is the one who applies it. Look at John chapter 3 verses
1 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the
Jews. The same came to Jesus by night
and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher
come from God, for no man can do these miracles that thou doest
except God be with him. Look at our Master's reply. Jesus
answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except
a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How
can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second
time into his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily,
I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit,
he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of
the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is
spirit. Marvel not that I say unto thee, Ye must be born again. You must be. The wind bloweth
where it listeth. And thou hearest the sound thereof,
but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth.
So is every one that is born of the Spirit." The Holy Spirit
draws us to Christ. Oh, we would never come at all.
Oh, we would never come at all. It is He that imparts power to
the word preached. You see, He gets all the glory. Unless the Holy Spirit empowers
the words of the preacher to apply it to the hearts of the
listeners, they're just words. Oh, when the Holy Spirit of God
is moving. Oh, and he imparts power to the
word preached. And it can reach further than
the ear. That's why I say, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit
of God can save you without you moving a muscle. It's a heart
work. And it's God who applies this
stuff. God the Holy Spirit. It is He who breaks the heart.
It is He who gives us a new heart. Think of this. He from first
to last is the great worker of salvation in us. I got this from
one commentator. I thought this was marvelous.
Talking about the Holy Spirit of God. He from first to last
is the great worker of salvation in us, just as Christ was the
author of salvation for us. Oh, it's marvelous. It's marvelous. This salvation in Christ is great,
as it is God the Holy Spirit who applies it. Turn, if you would, to Ephesians
chapter 2. How shall we escape if we neglect
so great salvation? The next point is, this salvation
is great because we are great sinners. But Christ is a great
Savior. Oh, He's a great Savior. We are
great sinners to our shame, but oh, the Lord Jesus Christ, He
is a great Savior. Look at Ephesians 2. And I know
we've looked at this many times, this portion, but think of this
in light of how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation.
Ephesians 2. And you hath equipped who were
dead in trespasses and sins. That was our state when we came
into this world. That's the state of all who have
not been regenerated by the Holy Spirit. Dead in trespasses and
sins. Wherein in times past you walked
according to the course of this world, according to the prince
of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the
children of disobedience. among whom also we had our conversations
in times past, in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires
of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature the children
of wrath, even as others. Before the Lord saves one of
His sheep, you cannot tell the difference between them and a
goat." You can't tell. See, this is why the Gospel is
preached to all. This is why the Gospel is proclaimed
to all. And God does the saving. He knows who His sheep are. He'll
call them by name. Look at verse 4, though. But
God. In every believer's life, there's
a but God. There's a time. But God. See,
left to ourselves. Now, this is where people go
off the rails sometimes, too. They say, well, you guys believe
in election. And yes, we do. And they say, well, you believe
that God ordained some to hell and some to heaven. All God has
to do for a person to go to hell is leave them alone. Leave them alone. Because look
at our state. Dead in trespasses and sins.
And then verse 4, but God, but God, if you go to hell, it's
all you. But if you go to heaven, It's
all God. It's all His doing. From A to
Z. From Alpha to Beta. It's all
His doing. But God, who is rich in mercy,
He just doesn't have a little mercy. He's rich in mercy. Rich in mercy. For His great
love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins. Had no care for God. Had no care
for the Gospel. He had no care for God's people. "...hath quickened us." Born
again. We looked at that in John 3. Born again with Christ. "...By grace you are saved, and
hath raised us up together, and hath made us sit together in
heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might
show..." Remember, we looked at it in Sunday School, "...to
the praise and the glory of His grace." that in the ages to come He might
show the exceeding riches of His grace and kindness toward
us through Christ Jesus. The believer is a trophy of the
grace of God. And then it says this, for by
grace, for by grace are you saved. We're not saved by works. We're
not saved by merit. For by grace are you saved. Through
faith, you must believe in Christ. If you don't believe in Christ,
you're heading straight to hell. There's a thing out there
where people believe in justification by death. You ever notice that?
Anyone who dies, they never go to hell? Well, our scripture says here.
For by grace are you saved through faith. We're saved by grace through
faith. We have faith in Christ and not
of yourselves. It's a gift of God. It's a gift
of God. It's a gift of God. Is it not
a great salvation, beloved? Is it not a wondrous salvation?
You who are saved, you who are redeemed, is it not great? It's a gift. It's a gift of God. We don't deserve it. It's a gift.
freely given, freely bestowed upon his people, freely. If we got what we would deserve,
we'd be in hell. Oh, God's mercy. But 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. Who
gets the glory? That's why I always say, measure
a man's preaching by who gets the glory. Oh, God gets it all. He gets it all, beloved. Oh,
turn if you would to Luke chapter 15. And aren't you thankful that
God saves sinners? Because I'm a sinner. I'm a sinner,
and I desperately need Christ. I need Him more now than I've
ever needed Him before. And you know the Lord Jesus Christ,
who is the Savior of sinners, He ate with them, and the religious
crowd went crazy. Oh, they hated them. But praise be to God, the Scripture
says, this man receiveth sinners. Look at Luke 15, verses 1 and
2. Then drew near unto him all the
publicans and sinners. Well, we're sinners, we who have
believed, right? All the Lord's revealed to us
what we are. Then drew near unto him all the
publicans and sinners, for to hear him. And the Pharisees,
here's the religious crowd, Here's the ones with their little checklist.
And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth
sinners, and eateth with them. Praise God that that verse, that
little saying, that little statement right there is in Scripture.
This man receiveth sinners. I ask you, are you a sinner? Most folks don't think they're
sinners. God's people know we're sinners. I'm a sinner saved by
the grace of God plus nothing. And this man, Christ, receiveth
sinners. Receiveth sinners. The vilest,
blackest sinner who comes to Christ is made clean in the precious
blood of Christ. Washed. All their sins forgiven. Past, present, and future. Oh,
and it's only in Christ Let us sound this in the streets, eh?
It's a great salvation. Let us sound this in our homes.
It's a great salvation. Let us sound this in our lives.
It's a great salvation. And it's all in Christ, who is
a great Savior. It's all in Him. This man, beloved,
this man receiveth sinners. Let us sound it out. Christ Jesus
receiveth sinners. And our prayer is that if you're
here and Christ is not your Savior, oh, that God would show your
need for Him. That's all He's done for us,
showing us our need, giving us grace to believe, faith to believe,
and we flee to Christ, regenerated by the Holy Spirit of God, and
we can't take any credit for any of it. And we don't want
to. Oh, God, we pray that God would
make you willing. Oh, that He'd make you willing.
So we're great sinners, but He is a great Savior. Ask again,
beloved of God, is this not so great salvation? Is this not
so great salvation? Freely bestowed upon those who
believe. This salvation is great because
our Savior is great. The next point is this salvation
is great because it springs from the mercy and grace of God which
is towards His people. Turn, if you would, to Psalm
130, verse 7. And I ask this, beloved of God,
do you not see in Christ so much mercy More mercy than you can
even fathom. So much mercy. So much grace. More grace than we could ever
dream of. It's all in Christ. It's matchless. Matchless mercy. Matchless grace. And it's all
in Christ in Him alone. Look at Psalm 130, verse 7. Let
Israel hope in the Lord. That's where we hope. We who
believe, we do not hope in ourselves, we hope in the Lord. He is our
refuge and our strength. There was a time when we did
hope in ourselves. No longer. Oh, now we hope in
the Lord. We hope in Him. One day we who
believe will see Him. Oh, we hope in the Lord. For with the Lord there is mercy.
Where is that mercy? And with Him is plenteous redemption. Where is that? In Christ. It's
in Christ. It springs from the mercy and
grace of God, which is great towards His people, and therefore
the salvation is great because it springs from the grace of
God in Christ. God's mercy and grace are manifested
in the salvation of His people. His mercy and grace, because
what, as I said earlier, what do we deserve? Condemnation,
right? But what to His people? His mercy
and grace is manifest in the salvation of His people, in and
through the Lord Jesus Christ. With the Lord there is mercy,
and with Him there is plenteous redemption. Turn, if you would,
to Genesis 6, verse 8. Who made Noah to differ from
all the others who perished? Scripture declares that Noah
found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Did you know that every
one of God's elect find grace in the eyes of the Lord? Oh, it's wonderful, isn't it?
What a great salvation. It just fills us with joy. Oh,
it's wonderful. If you're saved, and all the
elect of all the ages, all who are saved now, all who are in
heaven and glory, all who are saved now on this earth, and
all who will be saved, are all saved because they found grace
in the eyes of the Lord. Look at Genesis chapter 6 verse
8. The scripture declares this. But Noah found grace in the eyes
of the Lord. Who made you to differ? And what
do you have that you didn't receive? Oh, what a great salvation. What
a wonderful salvation. What a great Savior. And we are
saved. We who are redeemed. We who have
trusted Christ. have found grace in the eyes
of the Lord, in the eyes of Almighty God. Do you see how it takes works
right out of the equation? Works-based salvation is nothing
but a refuge of lies. Noah was a sinner just like you
and I. But he found grace in the eyes
of the Lord. Oh, what mercy. What mercy. God has poured out upon sinners
in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. What mercy. We don't
deserve it, do we? Not at all. For with the Lord there is mercy.
With Him there is plenteous redemption. This salvation is great because
it shows the infinite power of God. in the fact that Christ
has done it all. Turn, if you would, to Philemon.
Philemon. A little book, but wonderful words. This salvation is great because
it shows the infinite power of God in the fact that Christ has
done it all. There is no merit in us. There's
no works we could do to justify ourselves before God. The Lord Jesus Christ did it
all in the salvation of His people. And I ask you this, is not the
infinite power of God on display when the Lord Jesus Christ, who
is God in the flesh, redeemed the people that no man can number
on the cross? Is it not the infinite power
of God on display when Christ dies in the room of sinners? He paid everything that was demanded
for the sins of the elect. He paid everything God demanded
for every single one of my sins. And if you believe, for every
single one of your sins. Paid in full. Paid in full. Look at Philemon
15-19. For perhaps he therefore departed
for a season, that thou shouldest receive him forever. Paul's talking
about Onesimus who fled from Philemon. And the Lord saved
him under Paul's preaching. And now Paul's sending him back.
Look at this. Not now as a servant, but above
a servant, a brother beloved, especially to me. But how much
more to thee, both in the flesh and in the Lord. If thou count
me therefore a partner, receive him as myself." Okay now, we
have wronged God, haven't we? We've broken His law. We have. Every one of us. But the Lord Jesus Christ died
in the room instead of sinners, right? In the room instead of
his elect. Now think of that as we read
this verse in 18. If he hath wronged thee, or wroth
thee aught, put that on mine account. Put that on mine account. He who knew no sin became sin
for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. Our sins were placed upon Christ,
and He bore them. He paid everything God meant,
put that on my account. The sinless sacrifice, the sinless
Lamb of God dying in the place of sinners. If he hath wronged thee, Oh,
what a debt we owe. Put that on my account. It's
finished. Is this not a great salvation,
beloved? Is this not a great salvation? Is this not a great
Savior? I, Paul, have written it with
my own hand. I will repay it. Albeit I do
not say to thee how, thou wast me even thine own self beside."
Every one of God's elect owe their salvation to Christ. Everyone. Oh, this is not a great Savior. Iethron thee, or oeth thee, put
that on mine account. And this is what Christ has done
for His people. The perfect sinless one dies
in the room and place of guilty sinners. How shall we escape if we neglect
so great salvation? Which at the first began to be
spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him,
Oh, what a great salvation. What a great salvation. Planned
and purposed by our great God. What great condescension. God
Himself became a man and died in the place of sinners. The
Lord Jesus Christ. And He extracted great, great
sufferings. came about by great sufferings,
because justice must be satisfied. And it was the Lord Jesus Christ
who bore the penalty for our sins. What a great salvation. Incomprehensible
for us, isn't it? Oh, what a great salvation. It's a great salvation as God
is the author of it. Christ is the finisher. God in
the flesh. And it's plenteous. And it's
full. And it's complete. It's a complete salvation from
all our sins. Turn, if you would, to Isaiah
chapter 45. This gospel, this salvation saves
great sinners Because it's found in the great
Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. And this salvation is great,
because it's a free gift from God. Acts says this, now remember
what we read, and I'll read this in Acts 4.12, if you want to
turn there you can, but keep your finger on Isaiah 45 though.
But think of this, how shall we escape if we neglect so great
salvation, right? And in Acts 4.12 says this, neither
is there salvation in any other. Only in Christ. Neither is there
salvation in any other. For there is none other name
under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Salvation's
only in Christ. And this salvation is great because
it's everlasting. Look at Isaiah 45, 17. This salvation
is everlasting, beloved. Everlasting. Because God's everlasting. But Israel shall be saved in
the Lord with an everlasting salvation. Oh, is this salvation
not great? It's an everlasting salvation.
Ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded, world without end. Oh, what a
great salvation. What a great salvation we have
in Christ. This man receiveth sinners. Praise
God he does. Oh, what a great salvation. I
ask you who are saved, is this salvation in Christ not wonderful?
Is it not wonderful? Is this salvation in Christ not
everlasting? It's everlasting. Oh, how shall we escape? How
shall anyone escape the neglect? So great salvation. Oh, may God make you willing
to flee to the one who receives sinners. And we proclaim the glad tidings
of this great salvation, this great salvation which is only
found in Christ. It's nowhere else. The Son of
God, the Lord Jesus Christ has died and He has risen. And God is satisfied. He's satisfied. He's seated now at the right
hand of the Father, interceding for us, for we who believe. And
what do we say? To God be the glory. He gets
it all.