Morning, everybody. If you'd like to turn over to 1 John chapter 2. 1 John chapter 2. I think I've expressed to you before one of my favorite passages of scripture. It's two verses. It's Isaiah 40 verses one and two, and I'd say a lot of you here can probably quote that.

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, past tense, received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins. And I'll tell you why I like those verses of scripture so much.

It reminds me of this, that for a sinner, for somebody who doesn't have anything before God, has no merit whatsoever, there's absolutely no bad news in this book. Every word of this book is comfort to the sinner. It is peace. It is justification accomplished. It is, it is finished. There's no bad news. There's no frightening events in the gospel for the sinner. It's all peace. It's all comfort. And these two verses in first John, we're going to look at here in just a second. I got that same sensation reading this.

When you read through this, John is going to deal under the inspiration of the Holy spirit with really three things he's going to deal with. growth and grace and spiritual maturity. He's going to deal with what is a believer? What does that look like? And more than anything else, what he does here is he gives five blessings. He outlines five blessings here that are for every believer. If you're a believer, if your hope is in Christ, you have all five of the blessings he relays right here. Now let's read it. Let's see if we can pick them out. It's first John two and look at verse 12.

John says, I write unto you little children because your sins are forgiven you for his namesake. I write unto you fathers because you have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto young men because you have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you little children because you have known the father. I have written unto you, fathers, because you have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because you're strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and you have overcome the wicked one. Little children, strong young men, and wise fathers.

Now what is John saying here? Is he saying This is a hierarchy of spiritual maturity and growth and grace, little children and strong young men and wise fathers. And the answer is, in a sense, yes, and in a sense, no. In a sense, no. He's speaking to every believer, and he says, you're all three. You're a little child dependent. You're a strong young man. You're a wise father. Christ has made you wise.

You're all three. And every blessing that's been outlined here Your sins are forgiven you for his namesake. You have known him that is from the beginning. All these blessings that you have in Christ, they belong to every member of the elect, every one of God's people. And in another real sense, it's very true.

The scripture does speak of growth in grace and in spiritual maturity. This is what Peter said in second Peter 3, 18, he said, but grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ. And the question I have is this, what does that look like? What does it look like to grow in grace? And I want to take all this from the scripture. So, you know, I'm telling you the truth.

Here's the first one. We grow in love for the person of Christ and his graciousness. Listen to what Paul said, the Philippians in Philippians 1, 9, he said, and this, I pray that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge in all judgment. We love Him and we love His grace, and that's not us. That is Christ in us. He causes us to, but it abounds, it grows over time. Let me give you this example. Prodigal son, everybody knows that story, right?

A young man left his father's house. He said, give me my inheritance. I want it early. The father gives it to him and he goes to a far country. He spends it on riotous living. There's a famine in the land. He joins himself to a member of that country. He can't feed himself. And he said, My father's got food to spare. I'm going to go to him. I'm just going to try to be a servant in my father's house. He'll never take me back as a son, but maybe he'll make me a servant.

And he goes on back, and the father sees him afar off. And he has compassion on him. And he runs up, and he hugs, and he kisses him. The son tries to get out his speech. Father, I have sins against heaven and in your sight. And he won't let him get it out. He says, come here. Get the best robe and put it on him. and put a ring on his finger and put shoes on his feet and slay that fatted calf. My son is alive. He's dead, but now he's alive. He's gone. Now he's back. Do all that for him. It was nothing but love and nothing but a warm reception.

And I used to think that that was an illustration of a one-time event in every believer's life, and it's not. That is our perpetual experience. Always wandering. Always taking our eyes off Christ. Always being interested in the glitz and the glamour of this world. Always straying. Always going off to some sort of riotous living. Something contrary to him. And what happens every single time? He draws us back. And it's always a warm reception.

What's my experience of myself? Sinfulness, unfaithfulness, and wandering. That's my constant experience. What's always my experience of him? Always faithful. Unto me he always abideth faithful, because he cannot deny himself. Just every single time he draws me back, and he draws me back. The reception is always the same.

Here's the ring on your finger, the covenant. This salvation has nothing to do with you. It has everything to do with the covenant I made with my father, to be your surety. Take the best robe, put it on. You have my righteousness. It's not going anywhere. I put away your sin. I live perfectly. You lived in me. It's yours. It's unchangeable. Shoes on my feet, look to Christ all over again. Slay the fatted calf, that's your salvation. Your salvation is found in a slaughter. That's it. And you have that experience over and over and over again.

Me wandering, me unfaithful, him abided faithful always to me. What does it make you do? You can't help but love him. More and more love him, love his grace. The graciousness of his grace. Not only do I need grace, I love to be saved by grace. It gets sweeter every day.

Salvation not dependent on anything I've done or ever will do. Say it couldn't possibly be that good. It absolutely is. For the sinner, it is that good. Free unmerited favor with God simply based on what Christ already has done and accomplished. That means we can't mess it up.

That's great, that's how great grace is. And the more you experience that grace, that grace, that grace, you just grow in love for that one who is, in fact, gracious. We're growing gifts of grace. Paul talked about that in Romans 12. He says, having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us. You know, he lists a whole bunch of them there in Romans 12. You should go back and read it. It talks about exhorteth and giveth, Him who teacheth and is ministering."

All these different gifts. You know if you're a believer the Lord has given you a gift of some sort. Gifts differing. We all have different gifts and it's God given and it develops over time. But you have a gift and some are public gifts. Some that are on display quite a bit. Some are more subdued gifts. But here's the most important part.

No one gift being more important than the other. because it's for the edification of the body. Whatever gift you have, it's for me. It's for the rest of the body. If you have the gift of utterance, it's to preach to the rest of the body. If you have the gift of exhortation, it's to be comforting and kind to the rest of the body. And you know what? Not one is more important than the other. We need all. We need both. And we grow on those gifts of grace. And finally this, and this list isn't exhaustive. We only have so much time. We grow in dependence on Christ. and His grace.

Now, if you want to look at this as a hierarchy of spiritual maturity and growth in grace, it's actually the opposite of what you think. What do we naturally think? Well, the most immature member would be the little child, right? Then you grow a little bit, you become a strong young man, and then, you know, eventually you work your way up and you're a wise father. It's actually the opposite. You take a wise father, a man who the Lord truly has given true God-given wisdom to. He said, if this is a hierarchy, where do you sit in all of it?

I guarantee this is exactly what the wise men will say. I'm a little child. You know what a little child is? He's dependent. He can't provide for himself. He can't do anything for himself. He can't carry himself, an infant, a nothing. Everything has to be done for them.

That's true spiritual maturity. That's true growth and grace. It's a growth down. More dependent on Christ. Let me show you that from the scripture. Turn over here to Luke 18. Luke 18 and look at verse 15. Luke 18, 15 says, and they brought on him also infants. It's the same word, little children, that he would touch them.

And when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them unto him and said, suffer little children to come unto me and forbid them not for such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter in.

What's a believer? What do they look like? They're little children. They're dependent little children. Look at this illustration that the Lord gave his disciples. They said, no, don't bring kids over here. This is not, he says, no, suffer little children. And he made all his disciples watch as those parents brought those infants and they carried them in. They got this beautiful illustration. That's you.

You can't come to me. There's nothing you can do. You can't provide for yourself. You are completely and utterly dependent on me. And this is the kingdom of God. And this is how it must be received. As nothing and with nothing, I have to do everything. Dependence, childlike faith. That is the hallmark. That is a believer. completely and utterly dependent on the Lord Jesus Christ for everything. You can't take it too far. So there's this, let's just list a few things here.

Dependent on the Father to love me and choose me before the world began. Listen to this, 1 John 4, 10, it says, here in his love, not that we love God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. Don't ever think for a second, that our salvation had anything to do with us conjuring some love for God and Him responding to that. Not that we loved God, no, not naturally, but that He loved us. Dependent on Him to love me, that before the foundations of the world were ever built and to choose me in Christ unto salvation and make Christ my propitiation. Dependent on Christ for that propitiation. You know what that means? A guilt removing sacrifice. I can't do anything about my sin. I can't take it away. I can't stop it. I must have a guilt removing sacrifice. And the only way a guilt can be removed is if the sin is removed.

I am dependent on him to have borne my sins in his body on the tree and satisfied the perfect justice of God to where I have no sin and I am truly not guilty in his sight. I'm dependent on him for that. dependent on Christ for my righteousness, not just as simply that he makes me righteous, which he does, but that he is my righteousness. And this is the name wherewith she shall be called the Lord, our righteousness.

I have to have walked the path that he walked. I have to be in him. I am dependent on that for my holiness, both he that is sanctified, And they who are sanctified are all of one for the which cause he is not ashamed to call us brethren. What is my holiness? It's Christ. I'm completely and utterly dependent on him for that dependent on him to be my friend, the friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

So then I'm lonely and I am alone and everyone else has turned their back on me. I have a friend who's looking out for me. I need him to be my protector. I am dependent on him so that I walk through this valley of the shadow of death. I truly will fear no evil because he's protecting me. I am completely and utterly dependent on him in every way, shape, and form. That's a believer. Just simply looking to Christ.

And if that is you, if it sits the same way with you, I want you to understand that every blessing we have here that John relays, they all belong to you. Now you can follow along in 1 John if you'd like, but I'm going to give you all these, hopefully in a very clear outline. This is the first blessing that John talks about. It's in verse 12 of your text. He says, I write unto you little children, and here's the first blessing.

If you're a believer, you have this blessing because your sins are forgiving you for his name's sake. Now let that wash over you for just a moment. If you're this dependent creature, completely and utterly dependent on Christ for everything in your salvation, this is the case for you right now, your sins, are presently, right now, forgiven you for no reason in you whatsoever, but for the name of Jesus Christ. That's the case. That's the truth right now. Let's break that down for a second. Number one, your sins, your sins are forgiven you.

Not the sins that the devil made me do. Not the sins that are not really my fault because God is sovereign and who can resist his will. Not those sins that are understandable considering the circumstances I was at at the time. your sins. Have I ever owned my sins as my sins?

If my sins are not all my fault, that means there is someone else to blame. If my sins are not all my fault, that means I don't really need mercy. What I need is justice. If my sin is not all my fault, then I am not a candidate for forgiveness, and I am not a candidate for mercy. But if they're your sins that you committed, that are your fault, I can't blame the sovereignty of God. I can't blame Adam. I can't blame my circumstances. They are my sins that I have committed and they are all my fault.

Your sins, listen to this, are forgiven. Presently forgiven. How can sins be forgiven? How can a just God forgive sin? There has to be nothing there for him to forgive. You know what that means? It means right now, if you presently have been forgiven, your sins are forgiven. You have no sin. The blood of the Lord Jesus Christ has taken away your sin. Sins of commission, sins of omission, the sins you know about, the sins you don't know about, those sins that separated you from your God, those sins that demanded that the wrath of God fall on you because you committed the sins. They're gone. Your sins are forgiven you, taken away, never to be mentioned again.

And listen for this reason, though. Love this reason. For his namesake. In John here, he says, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Does that mean the Lord responds to us when we confess our sins? He then responds to that with forgiveness? No, not at all. Confession of sin is the result of God, for Christ's sake, freely forgiving you of your sins and cleansing you from all unrighteousness. And what do you do? By His grace, you confess your sin. That's it. For His name's sake, for Christ's sake, for His shed blood's sake, but also this, for His reputation's sake. Let me show you something. Turn over to Deuteronomy, I think it's nine. Deuteronomy chapter 9.

So where we're picking up in this story, Lord had brought Moses up to Mount Sinai to receive the law. And as he's up there receiving the law, Lord says, go back down to the people, see what they've done. And this very short amount of time that Moses had been gone after everything they'd seen, remember what had happened.

The Lord had delivered them out of Egypt. He had parted the Red Sea. He had vanquished the Egyptian army. He'd had the, cloudy pillar, follow them all day and all night. All these things, these seen, all these things they'd heard, Moses leaves for just a short amount of time. You know what they did? They built a golden calf. They said, Israel, this is your God right here. In a very short amount of time, they went to idolatry.

And here's what the Lord said about it. Verse 14 of Deuteronomy 9. He's speaking to Moses. He said, let me alone that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven. and I will make of thee a nation mightier and greater than they." Moses said, I'll just wipe them out. I've had enough. Let's just get rid of them. Don't worry, Moses. You'll be fine. I'll get you a greater people, a mightier people. I'll just wipe them all out. I've had enough of these folks. Listen to Moses intercession. Look at verse 26, the same chapter.

I prayed therefore unto the Lord and said, O Lord God, Destroy not thy people and thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed through thy greatness, which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand. Remember thy servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, which is to say, remember your covenant. Look not unto the stubbornness of this people, nor to their wickedness, nor to their sin, lest the land whence thou brought us out say, because the Lord was not able to bring them in the land which he promised them. And because he hated them, he hath brought them out to slay them in the wilderness."

I don't know what to say about this other than Moses is using persuasion. It's exactly what he's doing. He is using persuasion with the Lord and saying, Lord, here's the reason you shouldn't wipe them out. Here's the reason you shouldn't just be done with them and start over with something new.

For this one reason, all your enemies out there, Egypt, everybody saw what you did. They saw your great power delivering these people out of their hand. And now if you let them die out here in this desert, if you just kill them off, what they're gonna say is you weren't able. You promised them, you entered into a covenant with them, you said you would deliver them in the land of milk and hugging, but what they're gonna say is you couldn't do it, you didn't have the power. You know what the Lord did? He stayed his hand. He suffered those people all over again.

Why? For his namesake, for his reputation sake. Now you think about this. I love thinking about this. Jesus Christ is going to get all the glory and the salvation of everybody he saved, every single bit of it. And he is absolutely worthy of that glory because he does every single bit of it. He says, I'm going to do this for my reputation sake.

If you're a dependent creature, dependent on Christ, understand this, your salvation is not in your hands in any way, shape or form. You cannot gain it and you cannot lose it. It is in his hands. And since he promised and he purposed and he sacrificed his only begotten son and his reputation is at stake, his great glory is at stake, he will not sacrifice his glory and his reputation.

Therefore you must be saved. For His name's sake, your sins are presently forgiven, not for any reason in you. For His sake, for His name's sake and His great reputation's sake. Now here's the next blessing. It's in verse 13 of your text. If you don't want to look at it in your text, I'll read it to you. It says this.

It says, you have known Him that is from the beginning. To every member of the elect, every dependent creature, dependent on Christ, you have this blessing. You have known him who is from the beginning. Who is from the beginning? All three persons of the Godhead are from the beginning. And he's talking about that later on when he says, little children, I write unto you that because you know the Father, he's speaking of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the triune God. They are the eternal God from beginning.

But here's the thing, I believe that John is particularly talking about the person of Jesus Christ here. In Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. When we get to glory the only thing we will ever know of God, the only person we will ever know of the Father is Jesus Christ. All we will ever know of of God the Holy Spirit is Jesus Christ. In him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.

But this is how John opens the book of 1 John. This is the very first verse. He said, that which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the word of life, for the life was manifested. Who was manifested? Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was manifest in the flesh. He is God manifest in the flesh.

And this is the blessing here. He says, you have known him. That is from the beginning. You share an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, but that's not really the blessing either. The blessing is this is what Paul said in Galatians 4, 9, but now after that, you have known God or rather are known of God. Let this wash over you for a second, this blessing believer. Jesus Christ, in whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells, God incarnate, the control of the universe, creator of all things, the savior.

He knows you. And that's not just name dropping. That's why I know who he is or whatever. No, no, no. He knows you as his child, as his bride, as his friend, as his little brother. He knows you lovingly and in saving concern. You have God for you. Think about this for a second.

He says, that which was from the beginning, he who is from the beginning, Jesus Christ is from the beginning. He is eternal God. Before there was a beginning, the beginning which he created, he existed. He always has existed, and He always will exist. And He exists eternally, independent God. He's from the beginning. Remember that. Before there was anything, before He created anything, there was Him.

And He exists, independent, having absolutely no needs. He needs absolutely nothing from you, and He needs nothing from me, and He needs nothing from any man. And you think about this for a second. If I need something from you, and you know that, what can you do? You can manipulate me. You can get me to do things. You can get me to make concessions. You can make me to make compromises. If I need something from you and you know that you've got me right, I got to jump through the hoops. But if I need nothing from you, can you manipulate me? Not in any way, shape or form. That's God needs absolutely nothing from any man. He is from the beginning, independent God from the beginning, he decreed.

He decreed to his father voluntarily, I will be surety for them. Think about that for a second. You, believer you, he had you on his heart and on his mind when he went into that covenant of grace with his father. I will be surety for him individually, for her individually. I will be surety for them.

He made a decree before the foundations of the world were ever built from the beginning. And then he created from the beginning, He who is before the beginning created the beginning. And make no mistake, he who creates exercises sovereign rule over his creation. Now think about that in the context of who he is to you. Your husband. He's a good husband. No one can provide like him. No one can protect like him. No one loves like him.

I want good things for my wife. I can purpose good things for my wife. I don't have the power to make anything come to pass. He's purposed only good for you. The chiefest good. And he has the power to ensure that his will is absolutely done. He's full of goodwill for his bride. He's our friend. What a good friend. He's our elder brother.

Now I watched this the other day and I'm going to use it as an illustration because I chuckled when I saw the picture there. I don't know if anybody here is into cage fighting or UFC fighting, but we like to watch it in my house a little bit. And back in the early 2000s, there were two brothers who used to fight.

Name was Nate Diaz and Nick Diaz. They were both really, really good. And so they get pretty popular. And Nate Diaz goes on a TV show and the interviewer, he wants to kind of prod him a little bit so he can get a rise out of him. So he sits Nate down. He says, Nate, he goes, why'd you start fighting?

He said, did you, uh, You know, you get beat up in high school or something like that. You get picked on a lot. You know, you got a chip on your shoulder. You got something to prove. You think he's going to get a rise out of them. And Nate just laughed. And he leaned back in his chair. He goes, I never got picked on. He said, why? Because you're such a tough guy, Nate? What's going on here?

He goes, no. He goes, because I have an older brother. His older brother happened to be Nick Diaz, who I think was the middleweight champion at the time. And the interviewer just sat back in his chair and he said, yeah, I bet nobody did pick on you. Your older brother is so much greater. If God be for us, who can be against us? Nobody. You know him who was from the beginning. And more importantly, he knows you.

Now here's the third blessing. He says, you have overcome the wicked one. Now he says that to the young men, the strong young men. He says, you have overcome the wicked one. It'd be very easy for us to think, well, it's talking about a, you know, somebody who's real strong and he can resist the power of Satan and resist sin and things like that. Let me ask you who the Lord have saved. How much power do you have to resist the devil or sin? No, no, absolutely not. But yet he says, you have overcome, the wicked one. By what way, by what means have we overcome?

Turn to Revelations 12 for just a second. Revelation 12 and look at verse 10 when you get there. John speaks and he says, I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, now has come salvation and strength and the kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. You think about that name that it is for the wicked one, for Satan. He's the accuser of the brethren. That's what he does. Day and night, he stands there and he goes against the Lord's people and he says, on this date, on this time, he thought this, on this date and this time he said this.

And during that portion of his existence of what he's doing, it's the only time he's not lying. He's a liar, but not then. All he's doing is stating exactly what we thought and exactly what we said and exactly what we did. He doesn't have to embellish anything, does he? Just sin, just sin, just sin. All he has to do is just bring up everything we've done in this flesh. It's the only time he's not lying. The accuser of the brethren, give him all the ammunition we need. Look at what happens, Revelation 12, 11. And they overcame him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto death. How do we overcome? By our power? By our might? Resisting the devil? Resisting temptation? Resisting Satan? No. One thing. Remember, folks, it's always one thing. One thing. One reason we overcome. The blood of Jesus Christ. The blood of the Lamb. That's it.

Imagine how frustrating that is for Satan. He's sitting there day and night. He did it. I watched him do it. The Lord opens the books and he says, nope. blotted out. His ledger is clean. History has literally been rewritten. Those sins are paid for sins. Propitiation has been made. But he did it. No, he didn't. It's gone. He's justified. That's got to be so frustrating for him.

But he says this, we overcame by the blood of the land. Just that one thing. And by the word of our testimony. What's your testimony? so simple. I overcame by the blood of the Lamb, that's my testimony. I've got one hope. Let's not muddy the waters. Let's not complicate the issue here. The Gospel is very, very simple.

What is my one hope of salvation? What is the one hope every believer has? I'm going to stand before God and He's going to say unto me, well done thou good and faithful servant. There is only one reason, there is only one hope I have, Jesus Christ died for me. and my ledger is clear, and my sins have been blotted out, and that gulf that existed between me and my God is no more."

That's our testimony. He says, you've overcome. And that testimony, folks, that is the very evidence that you have overcome. For faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Is that your testimony? How's the only way you overcome? The blood of the Lamb. That's it. faith, which means you have overcome. He died for you. He put away your sin. Now, the fourth blessing. He says this to the young men as well. He says, you are strong. I was thinking about that statement. I want to be.

I want to be strong in faith. God is faith. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm thankful for weak faith too. I'm thankful for any faith the Lord would give me, true saving faith. But I want strong faith, really for two reasons. One of them is incredibly selfish. Both of them are kind of selfish, but incredibly selfish.

I want that strong God-given faith because in faith there's no fear. If I can truly just sit and trust Christ and be patient and just look to Him, there's no reason for fear. You'll never be afraid again. Give me that strong faith. But here's the second reason I want this God-given strong faith.

Because He's worthy of it. He is worthy to be relied on strongly. There is nothing uncertain with Him. He deserves to be strongly trusted. Lord, give me the faith to believe on you the way you should be believed on. It's a very simple message in a very simple gospel. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners of whom I am chief. Sinners, it's done. It's finished. It's over. That's it.

I want strong faith, strong God-given faith. One strong zeal. How wicked, I don't know a better word for it than I guess just wicked, to have not a zeal for God. You consider the sacrifice of the father to sacrifice his only begotten son for us, the son to sacrifice himself on our behalf and be our surety and suffer the wrath of hell in our stead and not have zeal for God? That's disgusting. Lord, Make me strong in zeal, strong in seeking your glory in all things, seeking your face in all things.

Be strong in his word. I don't want to be twisted around with every wind of doctrine. I want to understand, be given God-given wisdom. I can understand. When I hear the truth, I know it's the truth. And when I'm hearing error, I know that's error. That's another voice. That's not my shepherd. I leave. Be strong in patience, in forgiveness, in love, in meekness, in every spiritual gift. I want to be strong in all those things. If we are strong in any of those things, because the Lord made us strong in those things.

But that's not what he's talking about. I'll tell you what he's talking about. Paul, he besought the Lord. He had a thorn in the flesh. He says, I besought the Lord three times to remove that thorn in the flesh. He said, he gave it to me so it wouldn't be exalted above measure, because he had those visions up in heaven. He said, I had those thorns in the flesh for a reason, so it wouldn't be exalted above measure. But I besought him three times to take them away. You know how the Lord responded to him? He said in 2 Corinthians 12, 9, and he said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. What's the chief strength the Lord gives all his people? Weakness. I'm completely dependent on him to keep me completely dependent on him.

This is a faithful saying worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came to this world to save sinners. And if I ever graduate past anything, past being a sinner, I have excluded myself. Blood of Christ does me no good. The righteousness of Christ does me no good.

I have excluded myself, but for a sinner, nothing but a sinner, saved. And the only possible way I will actually take my place rightfully as a sinner is if he makes me weak. He says, when you're weak, that's when my strength is perfected. When you're weak, when you're a sinner, that's when my grace is sufficient for you.

I tell you what, as long as I have any of my own righteousness, I want nothing to do with Christ's righteousness. As long as I have any merit, I don't need grace. No, grace is just free unmerited favor. No, no, no. I need payment. No. But when I'm nothing, and I'm weak, I can't even take a step toward God, I can't even believe apart from that which he would give me, that's when I'm strong because that's when his grace is sufficient for me.

And finally this is the last blessing. He says to the young men, the word of God abideth in you. What's the word of God? That's Christ. He is the word of God. This is Christ in you, the hope, of glory. Now, I love thinking about types and pictures of union with Christ. I love watching people get baptized for that reason. We see somebody get baptized and they stand up above that water. It is that constant reminder. God demands perfect righteousness. He demands a perfect life, and I've already lived it. In union with Christ, I've already lived it. That life is already solidified in the heavens.

I have to be punished. I have sinned. I must be punished. I have been in him. When he went down into that grave, I went down in him. When he went down to that cross, I went down with him. I've already been punished. He demands punishment. He sinned. I've been punished in Christ. When he was raised from the dead, I truly have been raised from the dead in him. I'm seated in the heavenlies with him right now. I love union with Christ, but this is the inverse. This is Christ in you. the hope of glory. If union with Christ is mysterious, how much more mysterious is this?

This is what he says in Galatians 2.20, Paul says this, he says, I am crucified with Christ.

Nevertheless, although I've been crucified, I live. That's because Christ lives. Yet, not I, but Christ liveth in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. What is this life I now live in the flesh? It's the life of a new man. If you're this dependent creature, completely and utterly dependent on Christ, For every portion of your salvation, understand this, there's a new man inside of you. It is actually Christ in you, the very spirit of Christ dwelling in you. And what is this new life?

It's a perfect life. It's a holy life. As he is, so are we in this world. It's a life of faith. Looking unto Christ, it's a repentant life. I don't think the way about God like I used to. It's a new life, and it's a new man, and I do it. I believe. I have my mind changed. I think a certain way, and yet not I. I don't have anything to do with it. It's Christ in me, the hope of glory.

There's a new man in you right now, and he's perfect. Understand, that new man in Christ Jesus that is in every individual believer, he needs nothing. He doesn't need to be spruced up. Doesn't need to be brought up to a different plane in any way. He's perfect. Is Christ perfect right now? He's perfect right now. You're perfect right now. You have the very spirit of God dwelling in you.

I don't feel that way. I don't feel like that at all. Why? Because I have this old sinful fleshly nature that's right there with him. That's what the scripture says in Romans 6, 14. He says, for sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law, but under grace. Well, I'll tell you what, it sure feels like sin has dominion over me at all times. Do you believe the gospel? If you do, sin doesn't have dominion over you. It has no dominion over that new man whatsoever.

That's why you believe. It has dominion over that old man. But understand this, that old man is going to die. He's going to be put down in that grave when this body gets put in that grave. That new man, he's unchanged. He's going into glory. And that shows you how much that old man drags us down. That new man needs nothing. He's perfect in Christ Jesus. He's going to come into glory, conform to the image of Jesus Christ, Christ in you. That old man drags us down, but we're going to put him away. And that's going to be the end of him.

All right. You who are dependent on Christ, let this wash over you for just a second. These are the blessings we talked about. Your sins are forgiven you for his namesakes right now. You have known him that is from the beginning. Jesus Christ knows you intimately. He's your God, he's your savior, he is your friend. You've overcome the wicked one.

You're overcome by the blood of the lamb. You're strong. You're weak right now? A weak sinner? That means you're strong. That's a good thing. And the word of God abideth in you. Christ actually abides in you. That's why you look to him. Hope that was a blessing to you this morning. It was to me.