What is the Point of It All?

Q: What does the Bible say about God's electing love?

The Bible teaches that God's electing love is His sovereign choice to save certain individuals, grounded in His grace rather than in their merit (Romans 9:10-16). God's electing love is a foundational doctrine in scripture, emphasizing that salvation is not based on human merit but on God's sovereign choice. This is evident in passages such as Romans 9:10-16, where Paul highlights God's decision to choose Jacob over Esau, stating, 'The elder shall serve the younger.' This choice illustrates that God's mercy is not contingent upon human actions or desires but flows from His purpose and grace. Throughout Scripture, God's electing love is depicted in His selection of Israel to be His people, showcasing a distinct relationship marked by divine grace and mercy. Just as God chose Abraham, not for any inherent worth but solely for His purpose, so too does He choose individuals to receive salvation through faith in Christ, ensuring that no one can boast in their own works.

Q: Why is the crucifixion of Christ important for Christians?

The crucifixion of Christ is vital for Christians as it represents the fulfillment of God's plan for salvation, providing atonement for sin through His sacrificial death (1 Peter 2:24). The crucifixion of Christ is central to the Christian faith as it fulfills the prophecies and demands of God's justice. In 1 Peter 2:24, we read that 'He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree,' highlighting that the crucifixion was not merely an act of violence but the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. It demonstrates the gravity of sin and the necessity of a perfect substitute to bear the weight of God’s wrath. Additionally, Christ’s death serves as the foundation for understanding grace and mercy; through His suffering, believers are granted forgiveness and a new standing before God. Thus, the crucifixion is not just an event in history, but it is the pivotal moment that makes redemption, reconciliation, and eternal life possible for those who believe in Him.

Q: How do we know that the resurrection of Christ is true?

The resurrection of Christ is affirmed through multiple eyewitness accounts and fulfilled prophecies that demonstrate His victory over sin and death (1 Corinthians 15:6). The truth of Christ’s resurrection is supported by numerous eyewitness accounts documented in the New Testament, as highlighted in 1 Corinthians 15:6, where Paul states that Jesus appeared to over five hundred people at one time. This collective witnessing provides a compelling foundation for believing in the resurrection as a historical event. Furthermore, the resurrection fulfills the Old Testament prophecies, reinforcing God's sovereign plan for redemption. It serves as the ultimate validation of Christ's identity as the Son of God and as the perfect sacrifice for sin. The resurrection is not only pivotal for the early church but is fundamental to the Christian faith, as it assures believers of their own resurrection and eternal life through faith in Him (Romans 6:5).

All right, if you all would open your Bibles with me to Psalm 146. We'll begin our service reading Psalm 146. Praise ye the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul. While I live will I praise the Lord. I'll sing praises unto my God while I have any being. Put not your trust in princes, nor in the Son of Man, in whom there is no help.

His breath goeth forth. He returneth to his earth. In that very day his thoughts perish. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God, which made heaven and earth The sea and all that therein is, which keepeth truth forever, which executes judgment for the oppressed, which gives food to the hungry.

The Lord looseth the prisoners. The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind. The Lord raises them that are bowed down. The Lord loveth the righteous. The Lord preserveth the strangers. He relieveth the fatherless and widow, but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down. The Lord shall reign forever, even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the Lord. All right, let's all stand as Chris leads us in singing our call to worship.

I was lost and could not see what my sin had done to me. But the Spirit made me known. Christ could pay the debt I owe. ♪ Everything I'll ever need ♪ Is in Christ who died for me ♪ When I lean upon his breast ♪ When I learn in him to rest ♪ Oh what joy then fills my heart ♪ Christ and I shall never part ♪ Everything I ever need ♪ Is in Christ who died for me Righteousness and peace divine. Christ turned for me into mine.

To my Savior I will cling. All his praises I will sing. Everything I'll ever need is in Christ. for me. When I on my deathbed lie, when I leave here with a sigh, On my Savior I'll depend. By His grace I will ascend. Christ for me a place prepared. None with Him can I compare. All right, you can be seated now. And if you would, take your hymnal and turn it to page 349.

There shall be showers of blessings. Three, four, nine. There shall be showers of blessings. This is the promise of love. There shall be seasons refreshing, sent from the Savior above. Showers of blessings, showers of blessings we need. Mercy drops round us are falling, but for the showers we plead. There shall be showers of blessing, precious reviving again. Over the hills and the valleys, sound of abundance of rain, showers of blessings, showers of blessings we need. Mercy drops round us are falling, but for the showers we plead.

There shall be showers of blessing, send them upon us, O Lord. Grant to us now the refreshing. Come and now honor thy word. Showers of blessings, showers of blessings we need. Mercy drops round us are falling, but for the showers we plead. There shall be showers of blessing, O that today they might fall.

Now as to God we're confessing, now as on Jesus we call. ♪ Showers of blessings ♪ Showers of blessings we need ♪ Mercy drops round us are falling ♪ But for the showers we plead Let's open our Bibles now to the book of Acts. Acts chapter 13. Begin our reading in verse 14. When I finish reading the passage, Dan, would you come and lead us in prayer, please, sir? Acts 13. Begin reading in verse 14.

But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisitta. Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down. And after the reading of the law and the prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them saying, amen, and brethren, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say on. Then Paul stood up and beckoning with his hand said, men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience. The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers. and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt. And with a high arm, brought he them out of it.

And about the time of 40 years, suffered he their manners in the wilderness. And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he divided their land to them by lot. And after that, he gave unto them judges about the space of 450 years until Samuel the prophet. And afterward, they desired a king. And God gave unto them Saul, the son of Sis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of 40 years.

And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king. To whom also he gave testimony and said, I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfill all my will. Of this man's seed hath God, according to his promise, raised unto Israel a Savior, Jesus.

When John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel, and as John fulfilled his course, he said, whom think ye that I am? I'm not he, but behold, there cometh one after me whose shoes of his feet I'm not worthy to lose. Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, And whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sin.

For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him. Though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain. And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, They took him down from the tree and laid him in a sepulcher. But God raised him from the dead. And he was seen many days of them, which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people.

And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us, their children. In that he hath raised up Jesus again, As it is also written in the second Psalm, thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee.

And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David. Wherefore he sayeth also in another Psalm, thou shalt not suffer, thine holy one to see corruption. For David, after he served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep and was laid under his father's, and he did see corruption. But he whom God raised again saw no corruption.

Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins. And by him, all that believe are justified from all things, from which he could not be justified by the law of Moses. Beware, therefore, lest that come upon you which was spoken of in the prophets. Behold, ye despisers, and wonder and perish, for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you. And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath.

We'll end our reading there. All right. Dan, if you would come lead us in prayer. Let's pray. Our heavenly, holy, magnificent Father, we're so thankful that through our Lord Jesus Christ, we can come to thee, crying, Abba, Father, that our sin might be put away, that we are fully justified, that you raised him up because that sin is no more, and that we have been made the very righteousness of God in him. in our Lord Jesus Christ. Father, we thank you for your will in providing the double cure through Christ our Lord. Father, we're thankful that you've brought us here this morning. We pray, Lord, that you would send your spirit to be among us, that you would leave us not alone, that this man that you've given us to stand up this morning, to declare salvation in our Lord Jesus Christ, that you might give him a word from thee, that you might give us hearing ears, Lord, and receiving hearts, that you might feed your sheep.

Father, we We need to be taught. Father, teach us. Cause us to put aside thoughts of our own self-righteousness and fall at the feet of our Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, have mercy. Father, we pray for friends and family that don't know thee, Lord, have mercy on their souls. We pray, Lord, especially for the children of this congregation. You've given us a great blessing in this world to have children.

We pray, Lord, that you would guide them, protect them, hedge them about, but most of all, Lord, that you would have mercy on their souls and you would cause them to fall at the feet of Christ, begging for mercy. We know all that come to him, he will in no wise cast out. May we all come to Christ, not in ourselves, but in Christ. Father, we're thankful for all that you've given us.

Pray that you would forgive us our murmurings when we complain about your will. Pray for those who are going through difficult trials, knowing that they will accomplish your wills. Pray, Lord, that it be your will to restore them, to revive them. Father, we pray that we'd be able to be of service to your people. When one of us hurts, Lord, we all hurt. We pray that you would Give us the opportunity and the hearts to serve your people in love.

We ask that the word would continue from this place for many, many years to come. That you would use this pulpit to call your sheep into your fold. And Father, we pray so many things according to thy will. Thy will be done. We need your mercy, Lord. Have mercy on us. We ask. These things. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. For our good and for his sake, Amen. If you would now keep your Bibles open there at Acts 13. I've titled the message this morning. What is the point of it all? If you're like me, sometimes you wonder, what is the point? What is going on here? What is the point? I hope to be able to show you from the scriptures this morning, what is the point of it all? Now, our text begins in verse 14 of Acts 13.

But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down. And after the reading of the law and the prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on. Now they said, if you've got a word of exhortation, say on.

We'd like to hear it. And that word exhortation means consolation. It means encouragement. And it also means a stirring address. Now what is it that, what kind of message can we preach? What kind of message could we use to say on that will console God's people, that will encourage God's people, and will stir their hearts, stir their hearts? It's the message of Christ. It's the only message we have, the message of Christ and Him crucified.

In preaching this message, Christ and Him crucified, Paul chose to use something Much like our Lord did when he preached, he used something that all the people are going to be familiar with, the history of Israel. The point of the history of Israel was always leading to one point, to one person, the Lord Jesus Christ, the one who came to save his people from their sins. That's the point of the whole history of Israel. It's Christ. Christ come to save his people from their sin.

And that's true of the history of the whole world. Every event that's happened ever in God's creation all leads to one point, to one person, the Lord Jesus Christ, that we might see him and believe on him. So first, in Paul's message here, I see God's electing love. That has to be part of the history of every believer, God's electing love.

Verse 16, then Paul stood up and, beckoning with his hand, said, ye men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience. The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers. God chose the nation of Israel to be his people on earth, to be a picture of spiritual Israel, his people, the people that he saved.

This was the only nation on earth that God ever dealt with in mercy and grace, the nation Israel. Only Israel had the prophets. Only Israel had the priesthood. Only Israel had the sacrifices. Only Israel, God gave them to Israel, and he passed by every other nation. He just left them alone to do what they want, which is always idolatry and going away from God. God chose Israel and passed everybody else by.

My friends, that's divine election. That's exactly what it is. And it's God's electing love. You know, we talk about divine election, God's election of a people. You always have to talk about it in these terms. It's electing love because God never chose anybody that deserved it. God never chose anybody that loved him first. It's always because he loved them and set his affection upon them and chose them unto salvation. And if a sinner's gonna be saved, it has to begin with God's electing love, doesn't it? The whole nation of Israel started out with one man. You know who that man was? He was an idolater named Abram. Abram wasn't seeking God. Abram wasn't interested in God. Abram wasn't interested in the blood. He wasn't interested in a substitute. He was happy as he could be in his idolatry, living in his father's house. And God chose him unto salvation, and he became the father of the faithful.

And when God chose to save you and me, that's who he chose to save, an idolater. Before God found any one of us, even those of us sitting in these chairs right here, he chose an idolater, didn't he? Because in one form or fashion, we're all born idolaters. And you can put it under whatever different heading you want, But the idol we're worshiping is ourselves. It's ourselves. I remember Joe Terrell saying one time, the first thing we got to teach our children is they're not God. That's an awful good lesson to learn. We're not God. We're worshiping ourselves. But God chose to save us anyway. That's electing love, isn't it? And when God chose a people, he chose a nation to make his nation, to give us a picture of redemption, to give us All these types and pictures of Christ.

God didn't use the nation of giants, had so much physical strength like the Philistines. No, they're too strong in themselves for God to use. God didn't choose great architects and great builders like the Egyptians or the Babylonians. They're too smart in themselves for God to use.

God chosen nothing. Just a man nobody would have ever heard of if God hadn't chosen him. and called him out of his father's house. God's gonna make a nation of this man, but he chose a man who's too old to have any children. And his wife's too old to have any children. It's impossible, it's physically impossible for them to produce a nation to come from them. That's who God chose to make a great nation out of. They're gonna have children, but it's gonna be by the power of God, isn't it? Not by the power of the flesh.

And he did it this way. to Abraham's 100, Sarah's 90, and lo and behold, she has a son. God did it that way so everyone would see this has to be by the power of God. And so we'd see his glory in it. Look at 1 Corinthians 1. And the same thing's true of you and me. If God chose to save us and give us life, he did it so we'd see his glory. This has to be by the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1, verse 26.

For you see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. And God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty and base things of the world. And things which are despised hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not to bring to naught the things that are, that no flesh should glory in his presence.

God chose the lowest of the low, but of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God has made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, that according as it is written, he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. God in his electing love chose his idolater, Abram, a nothing, and he made a promise to that man. He chose him unto salvation, and he made a promise.

I'm going to give you this land, this land which you and Sarah are living on and wandering all over. I'm going to give this land to your descendants. Now, not to you, but to your descendants. And I'm going to give you a son. And the savior of sinners is going to come through that son. I'm going to do that by my power, because I chose you to use this with. That's God's covenant with Abraham. I'm going to give this land to your descendants, and I'm going to send the Savior through your son.

And that Savior came in the line of Isaac, didn't he? That's God's electing love. We wouldn't have ever, of all the people on earth at that time, if we were going to choose a man to make the fountainhead of this nation, it wouldn't have been Abraham, would it? But God chose Abraham. so that we'd see his power and glory in doing it. That's his electing love.

Then second, Paul tells us about the redeeming power of God to do what he promised to do. Verse 17, the God of this people of Israel chose our fathers and exalted the people when they dwelt to strangers in the land of Egypt and with a high arm brought he them out of it. You know, God did exactly what he promised to do. when he promised to do it. He told Abraham one time, he said, your descendants are going to go down into Egypt, they're going to be treated badly, and 400 years later, I'm going to bring them out. That's exactly what he did. Exactly. You know, we need to remember this.

Wait on the Lord. Wait on the Lord. Let's not use a shoehorn and try to ram our will into the matter, you know. Wait on the Lord. Trust me, I'm the most impatient person in this room. So what I'm saying, I'm saying to myself, wait on the Lord. His timing is always best. You reckon Israel had a hard time waiting on the Lord for 400 years while they were slaves? But when God brought them out, it was the best time, wasn't it? It was the best time. And you want to see a real show of power and authority. Paul says here that with a high arm brought he them out of it. Here's the power of God.

God made it so that Pharaoh, who spent however long it was saying, I will not let your people go, telling Moses, get out of my sight. Don't ever come see me again. I will not let your people go. God made it so that Pharaoh thrust Israel. out of Egypt. He made it so the people that never wanted Israel to leave because they wanted their free slave labor, thrust them out. They said, don't wait to pack anything. Just take all my gold and my jewels and my fancy clothes. Take them and get out of here.

Israel spoiled Egypt. I mean, they took all the riches of Egypt directly with them out into the wilderness because The Egyptians just gave it to them. They didn't do it with a mighty army that took it by force. God made it so they willingly gave Israel so much riches and they took it out of that.

Now that's power, isn't it? That's power. And then God changed Pharaoh's mind so that he chased Israel to the Red Sea and he destroyed Pharaoh and the mightiest army in the world at the Red Sea. And not because he gave Israel a bunch of swords and a bunch of spears and a bunch of bows and arrows and enabled them to fight and destroy Pharaoh's army. God destroyed the mightiest army on the face of the earth with a wall of water.

Now that's power. And God did it that way to give us a redemption, a picture of redemption through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. He gave us that picture. And it's that power, that's just a picture of the power of God. But the Lord Jesus Christ came with that power.

That power to redeem guilty sinners. With his high, mighty arm, he delivered guilty sinners from the prison house of sin. He delivered them from the wrath and justice of God against their sin, and he did it through the law. Not by going around the law, but by going through the law. keeping that law and obeying it for his people to make them righteous, to make them sinless by his obedience for them, and to shed his blood. There is such power in the blood of Christ. It makes guilty sinners completely sinless.

Like Dan prayed, the righteousness of God in him. If you're going to make a guilty sinner white as snow, that's going to take power, isn't it? And it thrills me to hear about the redeeming power of God. Because here's the third point that Paul shows us here. It's the total depravity of man. And I want to make this crystal clear. We're talking about the total depravity of man. We're talking about the total depravity of everybody here this morning. All we can do by nature is sin. Everything we do is sin.

Verse 18 says, in about the time of 40 years, suffered he their manors in the wilderness. Now why was Israel in the wilderness for 40 years? You know, it should just take one or two weeks to go from Egypt to Canaan. Three weeks, maybe, if you're going slow because of old people and animals or whatever. You know, two to three weeks is all it should have taken them to get to the promised land. What were they doing wandering around out there for 40 years?

Total depravity. It's the sin of unbelief. The writer to the Hebrews said they could not enter in because of unbelief. And everybody over 20 years of age died in the wilderness. They died there during those 40 years. And that's a picture of our nature.

We are born totally depraved, where the only thing we can do is sin. We can't not sin. We drink iniquity like water. Everything that we do is an offense to the holy God. So there's no hope of salvation in ourselves. We are just as sinful as those children of Israel. I mean, the children of Israel are held up to us in the Old Testament.

They're called a stiff-necked people. They're called a rebellious people. They're just really never spoken of in glowing terms, are they? That's us. Everything we do is sinful. Now, I admire y'all. I mean, y'all are admirable to me, and I appreciate you so much, and I think every last one of you, you've got to be better than me. And I think that because I know my thoughts and my heart, and I don't know yours. But to God, by nature, he can't talk about one of us in glowing terms at all. Because everything we do, everything we think, everything we want to do, everything that we are, is opposed to God.

We just, everything about us is sinful. And the greatest evidence of our sin nature is this, unbelief. By nature, we cannot trust Christ. Even if you have some desire to trust Christ, you cannot make yourself do it, can you? You can't do it because we are totally depraved. We are totally sinful. We can't trust Christ. We cannot do it unless God comes in power and causes us to be born again with a nature that does trust him, that can't do anything but trust him. And that brings me to the fourth point.

God sovereignly gives gifts to his people. Verse 19 says, and when he had destroyed, not when they had destroyed, when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He divided their land to them by lot. Now God sovereignly gave that land to his people.

And this is a picture. Salvation is not by man's will. Salvation is not by man's choice or man's power. Salvation is the choice of God and is accomplished by the power of God. And he gives us this picture. Israel, when they went into the promised land, they didn't conquer by their own might one square inch of that land. Not a single square inch. Paul said when he, when God had destroyed seven nations, God destroyed those nations and just miraculously gave it to Israel. And he divided that land by lot to the different tribes. All Israel had to do is walk in.

One day, they came to the first great walled city, Jericho. They didn't go, you know, build a big ramming thing and try to ram the gate and, you know, come in and, you know, lob balls of fire or rocks or whatever over the wall. All they did was march around Jericho blowing trumpets. And then one day, all the walls of that great city The walls, they tell me, were wide enough for two chariots to go side by side around that wall. I mean, it was a thick, big, tall wall. And all the walls just fell down flat.

And Israel walked in and took it. One day, they're coming up to a city, great city, a lot of people, I'm sure lots of weapons and soldiers and so forth. And they thought, now how are we going to conquer this people? They didn't. God sent hornets in. and drove the people out. And you know when he did it? Right at dinner time. It was right at the time of the harvest, right at dinner time. And he just drove the people out with hornets. And all Israel had to do is walk in and it was dinner time. Dinner was already cooked. They just had to spoon it out for themselves.

And the next day they go out and harvest plants and crops that they didn't plant, that they didn't water, that they didn't weed. God gave it to them freely. Sometimes the people heard the sound of an army that wasn't there and ran away screaming in just fear. Sometimes they got so scared they killed one another. And Israel just walked in and they took it. That's the power of God.

And it's by that power that his people receive spiritual gifts. If you receive salvation from God, He gave it to you freely by His power. Not because we earned it, because Christ earned it for us and God gave it to us freely. Is God giving you faith in Christ? That's a gift of God. Did He give you faith in Christ? He gave it to you as a free gift. Not because you're so smart enough to figure this thing out and figure you better trust Christ. It's because God gave you the gift of faith.

Do you have the gift of prayer or reading or the gift of being faithful, the gift to give an offering? Whatever all these different gifts are, God gives them to His people as it pleases Him. Whatever it is we have, God's given it to us freely as a gift of His free grace.

Now all this, remember, is leading up to one point, the one person, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now Paul starts telling us about the person of Christ. Verse 20 says, and after that he gave unto them judges about the space of 450 years, until Samuel the prophet. And afterward they desired a king, and God gave unto them Saul, the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of 40 years. And you know, you all know the story here. The people said they wanted a king, They said they wanted Saul. They wanted Saul. He's head and shoulders above everybody else. He's tall. He's handsome. He's strong. That's who they wanted as king.

It says here, God gave unto them Saul, the son of Sis. And this reminds me of, I've said it so often and what I fear for myself so much, I'm always afraid God's going to give me what I want. They wanted Saul. God gave it to him and look what happened.

But then, When he had removed him, verse 22, he raised up unto them David to be their king. To whom also he gave testimony and said, I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfill all my will. Of this man's seed hath God, according to his promise, raised unto Israel a Savior, Jesus. Now again, God did exactly what he promised to do. He sent His Son in the flesh as the seed of David. David, who descended from Isaac. God sent His Son in the flesh.

I talked about this already in the lesson this morning. The Lord Jesus Christ is the God-man. He's as much God as if He were not man. And as much man as if He were not God. Now we, I would imagine nearly every message, this is something that I mention and many of the preachers we listen to mention, Christ the God-man. Now don't become so familiar with this term that you start taking it for granted.

If we understand anything about the person of Christ, that he is both God and man, two natures in one body, if you have any understanding of that at all, it's because God has revealed a great mystery to you. Great mystery. The Apostle Paul, who's smarter than all of us put together, said, great is the mystery of godliness, that God was manifest in the flesh. What a mystery, that God actually became a man. I mean, I cannot understand that, can you? The word, John said, was made flesh and dwelt among us. Now, while we can't exactly understand how that can be. I believe it with every fiber of my being. I believe that.

Because salvation, the salvation of sinful men and women who descended from Adam can only be found in the Lord Jesus Christ, the God-man. He must be God. He must have the nature of God to be holy, to be righteous. He's got to have the nature of God to do for his people what we cannot do for ourselves. He's got to do everything that God requires of his people. He's got to be man to be perfect, or God to be perfect, but he's got to be a man to be our representative. If he's going to represent you and me, he's got to have our nature. He's got to have the nature of flesh.

If he's going to be our substitute, he's got to have our nature. That's why all those sacrifices of animals couldn't put away sin because they don't have the nature of the sinner. It's the nature of an animal. So God came in the flesh with the nature of the flesh so he could be the savior of sinners.

Now that's the wisdom of God. I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene. I stand amazed. This is the wisdom of God. This is the only way that God can be just and justify sinners like you and me. It's the only way that God can make it right for him to accept us into his presence. It's the doing and dying of Jesus Christ, the God-man.

Now that's who he is. Now what should you and I do when we hear of him? We should trust him. We should believe him just as fast as we can. We should run to him and bow down to him. And I tell you how fast you can run to him. Right where you sit. Without moving a muscle. Run to Christ. Believe on him. Cast your soul upon him.

That's what Paul says in verse 24. When John had first preached before his coming, the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. And as John fulfilled his course, he said, whom think ye that I am? I'm not he. But behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoes of his feet I'm not worthy to lose.

You run to him and you believe on him. He is so great. This is what our lesson was about this morning. He is so great. He's so high, lifted up high above us. King of kings, Lord of lords, the mighty savior. Run to him and bow to him. I'm not worthy to be at his feet, untying his shoes. I'm not either, and you're not either. But I tell you, the place where mercy is found, at his feet. Now run to him, because you believe that he is able to save even a sinner like you. And the sixth thing Paul tells us, here's how he did it. Here's how he saved sinners. It's through Christ crucified, verse 26.

And men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent. For they that dwell at Jerusalem and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him, and though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain. And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, They took him down from the tree and laid him in a sepulcher.

Now here's a mystery. God in human flesh died. Now that's a mystery. He died. He died to fulfill the scriptures. When Paul says here they fulfilled all that was written of him, that was the Old Testament scriptures that were prophecies of everything that would happen in the crucifixion of Christ. Those men did everything that they did.

It's like they were following the Old Testament Scriptures like a script in the play. First we do this, then we do this, then we say this, then we say this, and then this person says this, and we'll do this. It's the script of a play. So just like they took the Old Testament Scriptures, what are we supposed to do next?

And you know why it happened that way? To show us this was no accident. This wasn't something that happened on the spur of the moment. This is the eternal purpose of God. All those prophecies and all those Old Testament pictures and all those sacrifices are all pointing to this hour of ours when Christ was crucified. This is the point of it all. Christ died to fulfill the scriptures.

He died as a substitute. He died like Abraham and Isaac's ram. He died as a substitute for Isaac. He died like the Passover lamb, who died as the substitute, again, for a specific person, for the firstborn. For the firstborn in that home. The firstborn in that home lived because his substitute died.

Christ died, taking the punishment and the death that all of his people deserved. He died the death that we deserve. He suffered being separated from his father so that his people would live and never be separated from the father. Christ died so that his sinful people could receive mercy. Now mercy is God not giving us what we do deserve. Now the only way the holy and the just God can not give us what we deserve is if he gave Christ our substitute. everything that we deserve as he hung on Calvary's tree.

That's the point of it all. That's where all the Old Testament scriptures, all the pictures of Christ and all the prophecies, it was all written to show us God has always intended to save his people through the doing and the dying of the Lord Jesus Christ. He never intended to save his people by us personally keeping the law because we can't do it. Well, If we can't keep the law to earn our own righteousness, why did God give us the law? God gave us the law as a mirror that we could hold up in front of our faces to see how sinful we are and to show us how desperately we needed the Lord Jesus Christ to come. See, Christ is the point of it all. This is the whole point of the scriptures. And Paul says this message is sent to you. Now that ought to take our breath.

I've always lived in a place where I could just drive a few minutes and go hear the gospel preached. Brethren, let's not take that for granted. God didn't send this message to every person. He didn't send this message of grace and salvation in Christ to every town and every city in every bird, but he did to us.

God has sent this message to us. Oh, that we'd come anxious to hear it. Oh, that we'd be so thankful. God sent this message of salvation in Christ to us. He sent it to us. God sent this message to this place where you are right now. He didn't do that accidentally. He didn't send it here not knowing you'd be here this morning. God is sending this message to you right now.

Let's beg God to give us the faith to believe it, to believe the point of it all, to believe on Christ. That's the point of it all. Christ died as a sacrifice for sin. Here's the next thing. Christ, the successful sacrifice. Verse 30 says, but God raised him from the dead, and was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto this people.

Now, Jesus Christ never committed a sin. Even when he was made sin, he didn't commit a sin. He knew no sin. He was acquainted with no sin. Neither was any guile found in his mouth. He's the sinless sacrifice. And the people that put him to death should have known that. They couldn't find any charge against him to bring to Pilate.

It should have dawned on them. This man hath done nothing amiss. The only reason it dawned on the thief on the cross that said, we're getting what we deserve. This man has done nothing amiss. The only reason he knew that is the Holy Spirit taught him.

The Holy Spirit showed him that and he left these other men alone. electing love, that Christ, that Almighty God, would love that one thief. I mean, this thief is so bad. Sinful society said he's got to be put to death because he'd be turning our society into hell. They had to put him to death. That's who God loved. Not these pious Pharisees who got everything done outwardly right, you know. Like Paul said, outwardly, testing law, you know, I was blameless. That's not who God loved. God loved this sinful man, his electing love.

And Christ died because of sin, because of that thief's sin and all the sin of all of his people. The sin of all of God's elect was made to be his. He took it into his own body upon the tree and he died. The only reason for death ever is sin. Christ died because of sin. All of the sin of all of his people was made his. And when he gave up the ghost, all that sin was gone. Completely and utterly gone so that God who sees everything does not see it. Their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. Why? The blood washed it all away.

And the proof of it is Christ's resurrection. The only reason for death is sin. The only reason Christ could be raised from the dead is the sin that had been charged to him, that he took into his own body on the tree, was gone. His blood paid the price that satisfied justice for it. His blood cleansed his people from all of their sin.

That's why he rose from the dead. Even in death, now they took a dead body down from that cross. They took Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, they took a dead body and they wrapped it in the spices and the linen and all that stuff and they laid a dead body in that tomb. And in three days, that body should have started to stink because it was decaying. But it didn't because the sin that had been laid on him was gone. So even in death, his body never decayed.

That's what Paul tells us in verse 32. And we declare unto you these glad tidings. Here's our word of exhortation. Here's our word that should stir the hearts of God's people. We declare unto you glad tidings. How that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us and their children, and that he raised up Jesus again. As it's also written in the second Psalm, Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee.

And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David. Wherefore, he saith also another psalm, thou shalt not suffer thine holy one to seek corruption. For David, after he served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep. and was laid under his father's, and he saw corruption. His bodies returned to the dust.

But he whom God raised again saw no corruption. Oftentimes when the Lord talks about David in the Old Testament scriptures, sometimes he's talking about David, the shepherd boy, David the king. Sometimes he's talking about Christ. The body of the Lord Jesus saw no corruption because there was no sin left in him. Now David's body, our bodies, they'll all return to the dust.

But Christ didn't because he's the successful sacrifice who put away all of the sin of all of his people. If you're here this morning trusting Christ, you have no sin. When God looks at you, he sees no sin. That's how successful the sacrifice of Christ was. Now, what's the point of it all? The point of it all is Christ. It's Christ and Him crucified.

That's our word of exhortation. So how do we sum this up? How do we sum this word of exhortation up? You believe. You believe. Verse 38. Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins. Forgiveness of sins is found in this man. Now you believe him. And by him, all that believe are justified from all things from which it could not be justified by the law of Moses. Now you believe him.

Beware, therefore, lest that come upon you which is spoken of in the prophets. Behold, ye despisers, and wonder and perish. For I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you. And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath.

In every message we preach, our goal, first and foremost, is to exalt the Savior. Isn't it only right that we exalt him, that we praise him, praise his matchless name? But we also preach so that sinners will see the glory of Christ and believe on him. Every message I preach, I want you to leave here believing on, trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ.

And based on the authority of God's word that we just read, if you believe on Christ, you shall be saved. If you believe on Him, you'll be justified. All your sin will be taken away. And if you refuse to believe on Him, you'll be condemned. Unbelief is the sin Well, damn people, unbelief. It's not telling a lie. It's not taking the Lord's name in vain. It's not murdering somebody. It's not committing adultery. It's unbelief. But if you trust Christ, you'll be saved from even that.

That's our word of exhortation. That's our word that should stir the hearts of God's people. And if you're like these Gentiles, and you want to hear that word preached again, come back Wednesday. Come back next Sunday. Lord willing, If the earth still tarries, we'll preach this same message all over again. All right, I hope that'll be a blessing and encouragement to you. Let's bow together.

Our Father, how we thank you for the Lord Jesus Christ. How we thank you for your mercy and grace that gives your people faith to see him, to believe him, to rest all of our eternal soul on Christ and Christ alone. How thankful we are that you've given us eyes to see that everything you've ever done points us to the Lord Jesus Christ. And Father, I pray you'd reach your mighty hand of power and mercy and grace down upon us this morning and that you turn each one of us, turn us, Father, to Christ.

Turn us to see him, to believe him, to follow after him. Father, it's in Christ's name. for His glory, for the sake of His great and precious name, we pray. Amen. All right, Chris. All right, in closing, if you would, take your hymn book and turn it to 309, and let's be standing as we sing, please. 309, showers are beneath the cross of Jesus.

♪ Beneath the cross of Jesus ♪ ♪ I faint would take my stand ♪ ♪ The shadow of a mighty rock ♪ ♪ Within a weary land ♪ ♪ A home within the wilderness ♪ A rest upon the way From the burning of the noonday heat And the burden of the day Upon the cross of Jesus My eye at times can see the very dying form of one who suffers. there for me.

And from my smitten heart with tears, two wonders I confess. The wonders of his glorious love and my known worthlessness. I take across thy shadow for my abiding place. I ask no other sunshine than the sunshine of His face. Content to let the world go by, to know no gain, nor lost my sinful self, my only shame, my glory all the cross.

What is the Point of It All?

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What does the Bible say about God's electing love?

Why is the crucifixion of Christ important for Christians?

How do we know that the resurrection of Christ is true?

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What is the Point of It All?

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about God's electing love?

Why is the crucifixion of Christ important for Christians?

How do we know that the resurrection of Christ is true?

Sermon Transcript

About Frank Tate

Comments

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