All right, you may be seated. How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation? And the answer to that question
is just this, we shall not escape. if we neglect so great salvation. Is a great salvation to you? If it is not presently, it must
be because you're drifting. And drifting is fatal. In salvation, we always are to
see it as great salvation. There's always to be a behold
in salvation. Look at this salvation. Behold
what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we
should be called the sons of God. I'm a son of God. I'm a joint heir with Jesus Christ. And it only gets better because
it does not yet appear what we shall be. But we know that when
he shall appear, we shall be like him for we shall see him
as he is. He's coming back again. Always a behold. Is it there
today? Or are you one of those ho-hum
people? Is there a thrill in your soul?
Is there a contemplation every moment of your life? Even when
those bad things creep in on you, oh, what a wonder that Jesus
found me. Out in the darkness, no light
could I see, but his great arm under, and wonder of wonders,
he saved even me. Alas! And did my Savior bleed
great salvation? And did my Sovereign die? Would He devote that sacred head
for such a worm as I? I stand amazed in the presence
of Jesus the Nazarene and wonder that He could love me, a sinner
condemned unclean. Oh, how marvelous. Oh, how wonderful
is the Savior's love to me. It ought to be a very ordinary
thing when we're singing amazing grace for both your hands to
go up. How sweet the sound. How sweet the sound that saved
a wretch like me. Oh, I once was lost. So great
salvation, that's what I'm talking about. Not ho-hum salvation,
but so great salvation. I'm excited about it. I'm moved
by it. My sin. My sin. Oh, the bliss. of this glorious
thought. My sin, not in part but the whole,
is nailed to His cross and I bear it no more. It is well, it is
well with my soul. And when I think that God His
Son not sparing sent Him to die, why, I scarce can take it in,
that on the cross, my burden gladly bearing, He bled and died
to take away my sin. So great salvation. Who are the
drifters? And I give, especially today,
a word of warning to those of you who are simply church goers. You have a form of godliness.
Some of you hit and miss. It's not a big deal to miss church.
It's not a big deal not to be in God's house. It is not a big
deal because you see, because you see you're a drifter. That's
the way they drift. That's the way people drift.
They're professors and confessors, and they've been baptized, and
they're church growers, but they're dropouts. Some of you here are
probably Christmas and Easter people. You attend to the gospel when
it's convenient, and you think, you think you are a Christian,
but you are a drifter who has neglected the greatest message
in all of the universe. And you neglect it. It's not
number one in your life. Let me tell you this. I think
some of you probably know this and I take no pride in myself
because I know it is the spirit of God. But because of this gospel,
I was thrown out of the Baptist church basically. All I said
was Christ ought to be first, always, all the time. That's all I said. He should have the preeminence.
What was that song I remember years ago, Always on My Mind?
He's always on my mind. Even in my worst moments, he's
always on my mind. Drifters. Are you constantly engaged in
this? In this, God forbid, that I should
glory save in the cross. I will not boast, I will not
brag. I'm humbled by this, that God
so loved me. that this is marvelous salvation. Oh, how marvelous, the songwriter
said. Oh, how wonderful is the Savior's
love to me. Are you there? If you're not
there, I was thinking about it this morning on the way over. I was thinking, could it be that
a whole lot of church people are gonna go to hell? because the gospel is not number
one. It's not always on our mind.
You see, we've been traveling this blood trail, and it is absolutely,
after 50 years of preaching, it is absolutely awesome to me. It gets richer and fuller and
deeper and more amazing to me. This great salvation. You ever think about it, how
great it is, that when you were nothing, before you were formed
in your mother's belly, God was already thinking about you, purposing
for you, predetermining to bless you, and to bring you to Himself,
and to keep you, and persevere you, and work in you both the
will and to do of His good pleasure. and whom he foreloved, he predestinated,
and all of them he glorified." You're heaven bound. This is
great stuff. Does this sustain your attention? This salvation accomplished by
Christ. You say, well, pastor, you know,
we're not perfect people. I'm not talking about being perfect
people. I know what we are here. We're a bunch of sleazebags.
Capable in our flesh of doing about anything. Half beast and
half devil. In our flesh dwells no good thing.
So I'm not talking about you being perfect. I'm talking about
this. Is he always on your mind? That's
what I'm talking about. I'm asking you this. Do you love
the gospel? Do you think about it? Do you
meditate on it? Do you marvel at it? Do you feel
continual gratitude for it? Do you commend it to others as
valuable? Do you speak to those around
you about what's most exciting? Picture of Miss Pam, a picture
of my children, a picture of my grandkids. You don't have
to force me to show you a picture of them. Just get around me. That's the way it ought to be
with Christ. Let me tell you about my Savior. Let me tell
you about my Redeemer. Let me tell you about so great
salvation. Once I was lost, but now I'm
found. Once I was blind, but now I see. Do you weave it into all the
lesser things of your life? I'm gonna go get a car tomorrow.
I've been thinking about my car. I'm gonna buy a car tomorrow.
Do you think about this? Jesus has so blessed me. He gave me enough sense and gave
me a good job to buy my car, to lease a car, to get a car,
enough sense to drive a car. I mean, whether you eat or drink
or whatever you do, do you do it to the glory of God because
you've been saved? Set your hope on it every day. There's something about getting
older that makes you look forward to that great day when you'll
be changed in a moment in a twinkling of an eye, that you have a good
hope. I think to many of us older folks,
we begin to see this world as a dead thing, as a carcass. We used to sing when I was a
kid, this world is not my home, I'm just a passing through. Uh-oh,
I got to sing in there, I love it. My treasures are laid up somewhere
beyond the blue. You remember singing that? This is not a casual thing with
me. This is not like, don't neglect your vitamins, eat your spinach. It's not like that with me. Drink
five glasses of water a day. Don't neglect so great salvation. Every day raise your hand, thank
God. Every morning, this is a day the Lord's made. I'll rejoice
and be glad in it. Not another day, another dollar. Don't neglect so great salvation.
And I truly believe this, those who have been born of the Spirit
of God, do not neglect so great salvation because they can't.
Because he who hath begun a good work in you will perform it. Here's what the apostle Paul
says, this is so great salvation. It's great salvation. Don't neglect
it. Being loved of God. Think about
that. Why would he love you to begin
with? And Job's question is so great.
What is man or woman? Why would God even think about
you? What is man that thou should
be mindful of him? Why would God even have a thought
toward you, you or I? We haven't earned it, earned
it. We don't deserve God thinking about us. We certainly don't
deserve God loving us. Think of the times that you have
spit in his face, neglected him. So great salvation. Contemplate that great love.
That love is so mighty. Don't neglect being forgiven,
thinking about being forgiven and accepted. You're accepted? You ought to think about that
a lot. I'm accepted. Wow. I'm accepted in the beloved. And that acceptance had nothing
to do with the best about me or the worst about me. I'm accepted
in Jesus Christ. That's great salvation. Not his death on the cross. I saw one hanging on a tree in
agony and blood. He fixed his languid eyes on
me as near his cross I stood. Oh, can it be, upon a tree, the
Savior died for me? My soul is thrilled. My heart
is filled to think he died for me. This is great salvation. You should have gone to hell
and so should I. But he's removed all of the wrath. Think about what you've thought
about today. Don't think about it too long. or the things you've done, or
the things you've wanted to do, already this day enough to damn
you and I to the lowest hell, and yet there is no condemnation
to those that are in Christ Jesus. You ought to think about that. Think about all the promises
he's made to you, and that he keeps his promises. I'll never
leave you nor forsake you. A mother may forsake her suckling
child, but I'll never leave you. You may relapse, but I'll never
leave you. You may mess up, but I'll never
leave you nor forsake you. A mother may, but not God. Great
salvation because it was God's plan, God's purpose, and God
first spoke it. That's what makes it great. You
know, most of the rebellion that I see in the church today is
just outright hellish religious rebellion. You know why people
hate election? Because it gives God all the
glory. People scared of predestination? Don't be afraid of that. You'd
have never made it had God not predestinated you. That's a wonderful
thing. That's a, you mean, you mean,
yeah. God's got your back. In fact,
he's moving you right along. God's plan and purpose for you.
The apostle Paul. and speaking of God's so great
salvation, would often in his writings through the Holy Spirit
break out in praise like in Ephesians 1. He just got to the third verse
and he was out of his mind. Surprising to me how many folks
make a profession and get over it, how quick they get over it.
I don't know whatever happened to me as an eight year old boy,
I have never gotten over it. It has stalked me every day of
my life. I can remember just so many times
sitting in a place of worship and begging God's spirit to fall
on the preacher where I could get a crumb of gospel truth,
where I could hear of God's love. Just a little guy crying out,
sir, I would see Jesus. The apostle Paul said, blessed
be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed
us with all spiritual blessings, hath, past tense. Do you know
that you have been blessed with blessings you have not received?
But they're on their way. They are on their way. And all of these blessings you
were blessed with, you were blessed in heavenly places before the
foundation of the world. God has a plan for you. How great is this salvation?
You didn't get saved by luck. You're messing up. Let's say
you're messing up right now, but in your heart as I'm preaching,
you're saying things to yourself like, oh God, how could you love
me? And yet I feel like you do. You
know, I've done the most terrible things even this week. You know,
the last 30 days, the last 60 days I've messed up. I've been
put out of the center. I've done this, I've done that. And yet in my heart there rings
a melody as this preacher is preaching. God's great salvation. Because
it's God's salvation, that's what makes it great. You remove
God and it's not so hot. What if God put this on you?
You must never smoke, you must never drink, you must never get
drunk, you must never use drugs, you must never lust, you must
never, you must never, uh-oh, too late. And how dead and how cold our
church service is without the sweet name of Jesus Christ being
lifted up! I thought about that passage
in 2 Corinthians that says, The God who commanded light to
shine out of darkness has shined into our hearts to give the light
of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Here's great salvation. Don't
take your eyes off Jesus. Look at that one who sits on
the throne with five wounds and get a little bit ahead of what's
going to happen when you get to heaven and starting to praise
him. Worthy is the lamb that was slain
to receive glory and honor and praise both now and forever. This is great salvation. Now
that was sermon number one. Here is sermon number two. When
you think about this so great salvation, Greg has read to us
from John 19, verses 28 and 36. And as we return to the blood
trail and think of this so great salvation, I want these words
to ring in your ears. And Jesus said, I thirst. So what's big about that? Maybe
we'll talk about that a little later on as we stay on this blood
trail. But what follows is absolutely
tremendous. Jesus said, I thirst that the
scripture might be fulfilled. He said all of these things that
the scripture might be fulfilled. What scripture? Old Testament
Scripture. Surely by now, having heard the
previous messages, you have to admit this God of the Bible and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, this eternal God, had and has
an eternal plan and purpose. and has, in the Old Testament,
given us manifold revelation in the Scripture, wrapped up
in the redeeming blood of Jesus Christ. Surely you can see the
trail. Surely you can see that there's
a scarlet thread that runs from Genesis to Revelation, right
up to the very throne room of Jesus Christ. He is called the Word of God
incarnate in John 1. So would not the Word of God
incarnate be the sum and summation of the written Word of God? It
would indeed. And that's why I'm always saying
to you, this is a hymn book. This is a hymn book. Watch it,
lest you drift. away from the hymn book, the
theme of the scriptures. There's a story told in here.
It's called the gospel. It's here from cover to cover.
You say, well, Clark preaches the same thing? I know. I know it. And to be quite frank
with you, I feel like if I go on another 50 years, you're gonna
be hearing the same thing. All that's written in this book
is about him. Everything written in the book
is about him. Even when there is no explicit prediction, it's
all about Him. Even when you get into the genealogies
that get so boring, and I know some of you are reading through
the Bible in one year, and I also know that some of you have skipped
the genealogies. But the truth is, those genealogies
all are about Him. They have some connection to
Him. You see, if so-and-so hadn't married so-and-so, and so-and-so
hadn't begotten so-and-so, then Jesus would not have been begotten
of the Holy Spirit, right? The lineage of Christ, even the
harlots that are involved in that genealogy, And the adulterers
and the murderers that are in the genealogy of Jesus Christ.
That was all planned. It's all about Him. Somebody's
coming. Somebody's coming. That's what
the Old Testament says. Somebody's coming. The great
God is going to condescend. The great God is going to invade
history. He's coming into the world. The meaning of all the scriptures
is unlocked by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
You can't understand this Bible outside of that. It's the key
to scripture. So he says that the scripture
might be fulfilled, and a couple weeks ago, The Spirit of God
just buried that deep in my soul. I kept thinking about it and
thinking about it, that the scripture might be fulfilled. Have you
ever thought of this great salvation plan from the standpoint of how
he fulfilled scripture? How Jesus Christ fulfilled scripture? Have you ever considered the
mathematical probability of Christ fulfilling all 300 plus of the
prophetic prophecies concerning himself in the Old Testament. I was reading this week, according
to 60 university students in 12 different classes, trying
to figure out what the chances were of 8 of the 300 being fulfilled,
they concluded that if you took a number with 157 zeros behind
it, trillions of silver dollars and
laid them on the face of Texas, they would cover Texas at two
feet in depth. And if you were to mark one of
them, blindfold a man and tell him to travel as far as he could
and find the one silver dollar that was marked, then you'd be
getting close to what the chances were. of Jesus Christ fulfilling
the prophecies exactly in the Old Testament concerning himself. You say, well, what does that
have to do with anything? I'm saying this, he fulfilled
every one of them. And it's great. You know, I've already told you
that Micah predicted the birth of the Messiah. And he predicted
the birth of the Messiah in the exact city in which Christ was
to be born, in Bethlehem, right? We talked about that one Sunday.
And do you remember I said, the parents didn't even live in that
city. They had left their hometown to travel to Bethlehem to pay
taxes. And remember I said, what is
the chances of one of you ladies who are nine months pregnant,
getting on a donkey and traveling 12 miles to Bethlehem to pay
your taxes? And yet 700 years, Before Christ came into the world,
Micah predicted exactly the city the Messiah would be born in.
And what's the chances of predicting the manner of death that a new
unknown religious leader would experience? 1,000 years from
now. What's the chances of you predicting
1,000 years from now this new guy is going to show up, he's
going to be about 33 years old, and they're going to kill him? He's going to be killed. He's
not going to be that popular. He's going to be killed. And
you predict that 1000 years before it happens. And not only that,
but you predict the manner in which he's going to die on a
cross. And it hasn't ever happened as
yet. That kind of penalty being crucified. And yet this is what David did
1000 BC. He predicted that Christ was
going to die and die on a cross. Again, what is the likelihood
of predicting the specific date of the appearance of some great
future leader, hundreds of years in advance? And yet, this is
what Daniel did, 530 years before Christ came. Think about it. How does someone arrange to be
born in a specific family? I mean, you know what? You say,
well, Pastor, I don't see the depth. That's because you're
not as dumb as I am. I mean, I really see depth in
this. I'm really amazed of this prediction about Christ being
born in Bethlehem. I say God had to be behind that.
I mean, you can predict whatever you want to predict, but it coming
to pass is another matter. It must take a power, a planner,
an architect, an author, a finisher, a completer to do these kinds
of things. And then what about those two
other thieves that were on either side of him? And those Roman soldiers gambling
for his clothes. in John 16, 19, and yet in Psalm
22, 18, it says that was to happen. That they were to cast lots for
his clothes. All of this arranged by someone
in advance. How does someone arrange to have
the executioners carry out the regular practice of breaking
the legs of the two victims on either side, but not the legs
of Christ? Because God said there won't
be a bone broken. God arranged that. You'd think
those two old rough Roman soldiers would have broke his legs anyway.
That the scripture might be fulfilled. And now I wanna close with this,
just a couple of passages. And I'm talking about great salvation. You don't have to go to, you
don't have to go very far to begin to see, wow, this thing's
bigger than me. This salvation is awesome, it's
great, it's marvelous, it's wonderful, it's tremendous. Listen to this,
Acts 13, 29. the apostle preaching, and when
they had fulfilled all that was written of him. And when they
had fulfilled all that was written of him. What did Greg read? It is finished. Okay, it's finished. You ever
thought about his knowledge of what was
Going to happen? He set his face like a flint.
So I'm going to Jerusalem. The apostles tried to talk him
out of it. He said, on one occasion, he goes like this, I must needs
go through Samaria. I've got to go through Samaria.
I must go through Samaria. The disciples said, that's out
of your way. But Jesus had an appointment with an adulterous
woman at the well. That's why he had to go through
Samaria. He can say that about you and
me. You can say that about yourself. There were things he did that
he must do because he'd planned to do it and he did it and he
accomplished it with you in your own life. You're not an accident. That the scripture might be fulfilled. They took him down from the tree
and laid him in the supplicar. This last verse, 1 Corinthians
15 three. The Apostle Paul said, for I
delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how
that Christ died for our sins, that he died for our sins according
to the scripture. What scripture? Well, Genesis
3.15. He shall bruise or crush the
serpent's head. Oh, you might not have seen that
right away. But God said there's one coming
who's going to crush the serpent's head. He's going to get his heel
bruised, but he's going to crush Satan's head. The hints, the
shadows, the types begin right in the book of Genesis. The Passover
lamb, when I see the blood, I'll pass over you. Take a lamb, put
it up. 14 days, make sure it's a male lamb. Make sure it's without
spot or blemish. Then take that lamb and cut its
throat and let the blood flow. Strike it to the two sides of
the doorpost. And when I see the blood, I'll
pass over you. No hell for you, no death for
you. That's an index finger. The two turtle doves, two white
turtle doves. One is killed, the blood put
in the basin. The sins of the people confessed
over the dove. The other dove dipped in the
blood, and that white dove released, showing that he has removed sin
as far as the east is from the west. when the scripture had
fulfilled every passage, every chapter, every book of the Bible. That's why I reject the book
of Maccabees. Sorry with regard to those of
you who are of the Catholic faith, but I want to see blood. I want
to see a blood trail. I want to see a Savior. I want
to see a Redeemer. I want to see a fountain filled
with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins. This book moves perfectly
saying He's coming. He's coming. He's come. He's
dying. He's dying. He arose! He arose! He ascended! He ascended! He's coming back
again! He's coming back again! Don't drift. Stay with me here. Every Lord's day when I get in
this pulpit, I'm going to point you to Jesus Christ. He's going
to have the preeminence. He's going to get the glory.
I'm going to tell you the same message over and over. You say,
well, pastor, I really don't hear it. I don't want to hear
it. I really don't, I don't know what you're excited about. And
you know, I'm a very religious person. You are a drifter. You are a drifter. And I've come
to warn you, you won't escape if you drift. It's really not
important what's the middle verse of the Bible. It's really not
important what is the longest verse of the Bible. It's really
not important what is the shortest verse of the Bible. What is really
important is the he of the Bible, Jesus Christ our Lord. I would
urge you drifters to think about it. And maybe today you stopped
drifting. Maybe today you threw out the
anchor. We used to sing in the old church,
my anchor holds and grips the solid rock. That rock is Jesus. He's the only one. Throw out
your anchor. I'm excited right now. You know
why? Because my anchor holds. I'm
not drifting. I often have said this, if I
were to die and wake up in hell, I would sing, what can wash away
my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
They'd pitch me out of there. I mean, that isn't going to happen.
I've driven down stakes. I've set up my tent here at the
cross, at the cross where I first saw the light and the burden
of my heart rolled away. I'm going to stay there. Near
the cross, near the cross, be my glory ever in the cross of
Christ. Oh, for a thousand tongues to
sing my great Redeemer's praise. That's my desire. And you know,
I have this assurance too. You know what's happening in
heaven right now? The cherubims and the serapims are going like
this. Listen to that man preach. Listen
to him. Listen to him preach. Abraham is saying there's a ram
caught in the thicket. There's a substitute. In my heart there rings a melody.
Jesus is the sweetest name I know. And he's just the same as his
lovely name. Let's stand together and praise
our God.