The Just God that Saves

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

The Bible affirms that God is sovereign over all things, decreeing and orchestrating events according to His will without exception. The sovereignty of God is a fundamental doctrine in Scripture, emphasizing His absolute authority over creation. In Isaiah 45:21, God declares Himself as the only true God, differentiating His sovereignty from all false gods. He states, 'There is no God beside me,' showcasing His supremacy and control over all events. Throughout the Bible, such as in Isaiah 46:9-10, God recounts His ability to declare the end from the beginning, ensuring that His purposes will always stand. This sovereignty extends to salvation, where He alone determines who will be saved, emphasizing that man has no ability to influence God's sovereign decisions. Thus, understanding God's sovereignty brings comfort and assurance of His ultimate plan and authority in every situation.

Q: How do we know that God saves us through Christ?

Scripture assures us that God is both just and a Savior, providing salvation through Jesus Christ, who perfectly fulfills God's requirements. The assurance of salvation in Christ is rooted in God's dual identity as both just and a Savior. Isaiah 45:21 mentions that God describes Himself in these two terms, signifying His holiness and ability to save sinners. The blood of Christ serves as the perfect atonement that satisfies God's justice, allowing Him to justify the ungodly. This divine act is not based on human merit but solely on God's sovereign choice and the redemptive work of Jesus, who obeyed the law perfectly and took upon Himself the sin of many. Ultimately, through faith in Him, believers receive righteousness and strength, confirming that salvation is a gift from God, entirely dependent on His grace.

Q: Why is understanding God's justice important for Christians?

Understanding God's justice is crucial for Christians as it reveals His holiness and the seriousness of sin, affirming the need for a Savior. God's justice is a central theme in Christian theology, as it underscores His holiness and the nature of His relationship to sin. Isaiah 45:21 states that God is a just God; this means He cannot overlook sin but must administer justice. Every transgression requires punishment, and this reality highlights human inability to achieve righteousness on their own. For Christians, grasping the significance of God's justice leads to a deeper appreciation for the gift of grace found in Christ. It reveals the cost of salvation—that Christ, being fully God and fully man, bore the penalty of sin to satisfy God's justice while extending mercy to sinners. Therefore, understanding His justice is vital for recognizing the profound significance of grace, love, and the gospel.

Q: How does God's sovereignty affect the salvation of believers?

God's sovereignty ensures that all those He intends to save will be saved, showcasing His complete control over salvation. The doctrine of God's sovereignty profoundly impacts the understanding of salvation for believers. Scripture asserts that salvation is a work of God from beginning to end, emphasizing that no one comes to Christ unless the Father draws him (John 6:44). This reflects the truth that salvation is not a matter of human effort or decision but rather a result of God's eternal decree. Isaiah 45:24 proclaims that in the Lord, all the seed of Israel shall be justified, confirming that God's plan encompasses a specific group whom He has chosen to save. Therefore, believers can find solace in the truth that their salvation is secure, wholly resting on God's sovereignty and grace rather than their own actions or decisions.

Thank you. I think, Terrence, on that one, if you look at how tedious and tasteless the hours. I think that's 8-8-8-8 on the meter. That's just what I remember. I know. That was not in most of the Back of that one, I know. Before we begin the message, we'll go to God in prayer again. I ask your prayers again for me. I long to preach the gospel. I long to make it clear and make it plain. But again, there, come to this every time. You come to it every time. 17 years I've come to this, and it's the same every time. I have a message, but I have no power to give it. I have no strength in myself, no ability in my mind, and the more I do it, the less I find that I have the ability to do it. I imagine when I first started preaching, I thought maybe I had something.

The Lord took that away real quick. And I'm dependent on Him. I pray that you would pray for me, that he would give me the words for you, and that he would make them effectual to you. Went to Danville last night. They send their love and appreciation, and we had a good service last night, and I think the Lord blessed the service.

So just pray for that congregation as they still struggle looking for a pastor. Pray the Lord would send them one that would fit their need in that place. Pray for other churches that don't have pastors. There are many. There are many. Pray for those that are sick, those who have needs. And pray for the spiritual needs. If you haven't seen someone, most likely it's a spiritual condition. It may be physical, Pray for the physical condition, but...

I know this, if God doesn't keep us, we won't be kept. No matter what you do, you can't. You won't keep yourself. You think you can. We're talking about lying to ourselves. We have the illusion of strength. But in truth, I cannot keep myself. I am dependent upon Him to keep me. in the faith. Yes, dear.

I heard this yesterday that Frank is suffering from the effects of his treatment. I've not been able to talk to him, but that's all I know at this point. So pray for Frank Tate. Dear friend of ours and mine, I pray for him. I think about him often. But I was sad to hear that he was having difficulties, and I only heard that last night. So pray for Frank if you would, please.

Let's go to God in prayer. Our most gracious Heavenly Father, we come before you seeking grace and mercy in our time of need. We need help. We need mercy. And Father, we come seeking these things only in the name of our Lord, only in the name of Jesus, Thy Son, only according to His merits and His blood and His righteousness. We pray, Father, this night that You would answer our prayers and that it redound to Your glory. We pray, Father, that You would give us the ability to worship, that You would give us the ability within our hearts and minds to praise Thee, to magnify Thee, to exalt Thee, We do this through the preaching of the gospel that you have given us, the word that you have given us. In this word tonight, I pray that you would lift up your own name, magnify your own self, and show forth the salvation of Jesus Christ. Father, tonight I need you, these need you.

We pray that you would be with us and send your spirit to us. I pray for those who are sick, physically sick, and those who are spiritually sick. I pray for those in our families who are spiritually dead, that you would give them life, that you would draw them. And I pray, Father, for your churches. I pray for your pastors.

The things that we're asking for ourselves, we also beseech you to give it to them. Give them pastors, give them the spirit of unity, a spirit of love for one another. As we have here, I pray that you would give it to other places. And please forgive us our sins. We ask these things in Jesus' name and for His sake. Amen. Now if you take your Bibles and turn with me again to Isaiah, chapter 45. Isaiah chapter 45. The text will be found in verse 21, but we're going to take on verse 21 through the remainder of this chapter of the Lord willing. Entitled this message, A Just God That Saves. A Just God That Saves.

In this portion of scripture, God here is going to distinguish himself from every false god. Matter of fact, he does this throughout the book of Isaiah, but specifically in this chapter and the next chapter, He distinguishes Himself from every false God. And this is a constant theme in this chapter. He says it no less than five times.

There is no God beside Me. It's kind of funny, the language here is as though God looked to the right and looked to the left and He says, Nope, there's no one else here but Me. I'm the only God. There is no other God but Me. So here he declares it, he proves it. In verse 20 he said, Assemble yourselves and come near. Draw near together you that are escaped the nations. He's calling men here to see the distinction. And I want you to know right from the beginning the distinction is sovereignty. Sovereignty is one of the distinguishing characteristics of God that no other God possesses. Sovereignty. In this chapter he calls a man Cyrus by name 200 years before his birth.

And then tells what He would do for the nation of Israel. That He would open the gates for Him. He would open up hidden treasures for Him for this purpose. That He should deliver Israel. And notice God said this. He's not even going to ask anything for it. Unheard of. unheard of for a king to do something and not demand some kind of favor. And God said 200 years before it happened, He's not even going to ask you for anything. He's going to do it because I command it.

This is the God who created all things, who swears to raise up one. This is His purpose. Just like I raised up Cyrus, I'm going to raise up one that's better than Cyrus and going to save my people in a better way. Cyrus physically saved the nation of Israel, but there's coming another Savior. In verse 13, He speaks of Christ. In verse 13, I have raised up him up in righteousness, and I will direct his ways, and he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, saith the Lord of hosts." Who else is that but Christ? Cyrus was not a righteous man.

I'm going to raise up one like this, but he's going to be righteous. He's going to deliver my people. And this same one he mentions again, we're going to see this in Verse 24, Surely shall one say in the Lord, I have righteousness, even to him shall men come.

He's testifying of Christ. That His salvation, and we know this, that's what Christ came to do. He came to save His people from their sins. And what God here is declaring is His sovereignty in this. This was going to take place. Because God decreed it to take place. And so now in our text, we see that God calls men here. He said, assemble yourselves. The sovereign God calls. He said, assemble yourselves and draw near together. You that are escaped the nations.

And what he's talking about here is he is calling everyone who professes to serve him. Everyone who professes to have escaped the corruption of the nations. He calls every religious man, everyone who professes to believe in God, God calls you now to his bar and he says assemble. Come near, everyone. And I want you to know this, this includes those who truly believe in God as well as those who don't. He's calling everyone.

You that profess to believe in me, you that have professed to escape the corruption of this world, you come and make sure. Assemble yourselves together. This is what Peter said, look, this is how Peter put it, it's the same thing. Go to 2 Peter. 2 Peter speaks, Peter speaks in these, verse, chapter 1. In chapter 1 and verse 4.

He's talking about true believers in this sense. He says, whereby are given unto us great, exceeding great and precious promises that by these, by these promises of God, you might be partakers of the divine nature. Listen, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And He's talking about true believers, you that have the promises of God, you that have been given a new nature. What does He say about you? You've escaped the corruption of the world through Jesus Christ. He's given you His righteousness.

He's redeemed you. You've escaped. You've escaped. But notice this in chapter 2. He uses this same phrase for the lost. Look at this. Chapter 2 and verse 20 of 2 Peter, it says, If after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are entangled again therein and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

He's saying these that have outwardly escaped, they seemingly escaped the corruption of the world. Listen, through knowledge. not through a new nature, not through a divine revelation, but they escaped only outwardly. And what happens to those kind of people? What happens to mere professors of faith? They'll be entangled again in the yoke of bondage. They'll go away. And what's their state?

It's worse than the first. It's worse than the first. And so then this evening behold everyone who professes to believe in God, everyone who professes to be called to Christ, you that have escaped the nation, you that have escaped corruption or professed to have escaped it, come near, come near. And here our God is going to make a grave distinction, a distinction between Himself and every false god. The Lord says, Now come near, and let us reason together, that though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as wool.

In other words, when God calls you to see Himself, if your God is not God, listen, your God must be forsaken. If your God is not as God describes Himself here, your God is not God. Your God then must be abandoned. If you are to be saved, he must be abandoned.

And you must worship the only true and living God. Here God declares the difference between false gods and himself. Look at this. He says, assemble yourselves together, you that have escaped the nations, you that have no knowledge, that set up wood, for their graven images and pray to a God that cannot save." Well, there's one God. There's one God. This describes, listen to me, every false god. It doesn't matter what name you put on it.

If your God cannot save you, your God is not God. Now look what He says of Himself. He says, "...tell ye and bring near, Yea, let them take counsel together who hath declared this from ancient time, who hath told it from that time. Have not I the Lord? There is no God beside me. Now listen to how he describes himself. A just God and a Savior. See the distinction between a true God and a false God is this matter of sovereignty. God says, I save. And every God that cannot save is not God.

And so tonight, I want us to see, we're gonna first of all see a description of the lost, their religion, and their God. God describes in this chapter the lost. Then he describes their religion, and then he describes their God. Secondly, I want us to see then the revelation of the true God.

And there are two characteristics God gives himself, a just God and a Savior. And then lastly, we're going to see that salvation. He gives us a description of that salvation. How does a just God save? So first of all, a description of the lost, their religion, and their God. First of all, look at this. They have no knowledge. That's what God says about us by nature. Every man by nature. Listen, we have no knowledge of God. None of us are born with it. None of us have it by nature. Now, man by nature is very religious. He's moral. He can be zealous.

But listen, this outward manifestation of religion is no evidence that your God is God. So many around us make some profession of faith in God or Christ, yet they Their God is not anyway as God is described in Scripture. Why? Because they have no knowledge of Him. They have no understanding of Him. The lost religionist is totally, absolutely ignorant of all spiritual knowledge, which is evident when you ask them. Ask them about God.

Tell them to describe their God to you. And when they start to speak, you can understand. Why? Because that's how I was. When somebody asked me about God and I didn't know Him, all I did was regurgitate what somebody else told me. And so what do men say? Well, I think God is like that. Isn't this how they speak? I think God is like this. Well, no, I feel. You feel? What does it matter what you think or you feel? You don't know your God if you have to say, I think or I feel. You really don't know who your God is. They're exposed. Their ignorance are exposed. Another way their ignorance is exposed is this.

Remember when Paul said this in Romans 10, he said, about the Jews. He said, I bear them record. They have a zeal for God. Now, listen, nobody has a better zeal for God than these men. They're moral. They're religious. They they strive more than anybody else to obey the law. I bear them record. But they're ignorant. Of the righteousness of God. Now, what what's the marker? They go about to establish their own righteousness. They go about to establish their own righteousness.

Now, men may have a natural understanding of God. They may have some knowledge. Every man has some knowledge of God in creation. Yet because of their nature being so depraved, they cannot, by their wisdom, know Him. Now some may have spiritual knowledge, like they may even profess the doctrines of grace.

But I know this, unless God Himself reveals Himself to you, you'll never know God. You will never know God, and you will be ignorant of God all your life, except God reveals Himself to you. This is what Paul says in 1 Corinthians, look at that, 1 Corinthians chapter 2, He's talking about we speak, verse 7, we speak the wisdom of God and the mystery, even the hidden wisdom of God, which God ordained before the world to our glory, which none of the princes of the world knew.

The best religionists, none of them knew it. For had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But it is written, I have not seen nor heard neither enter into the heart of man the things which God prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them to us by His Spirit.

The only way is by revelation. I was flipping through and there was an article by a preacher, a pastor of some sort, and he was talking about his Sunday school class he had taught for years and years and years. And he said, you know, I taught them, Caught them to memorize the scriptures. And years later, I wanted to see where some of these people went. They just all left. They never came back when they were older. And he figured out that they were all now atheists. They all just didn't believe anything. They called the Bible a myth.

And so he said, well, I need to change my approach. And now then, what he's got is he's trying to teach his Sunday school apologetics. What they're doing is trying to teach them to defend the Bible by historical evidence. In other words, he's trying to use academic means to convey spiritual things. You know what? He's got the same result. Why?

Because a man is ignorant of God until what? God reveals it. See, we were born blind. I illustrate this, if you take a blind man, man born blind, and you describe a rose to him, you describe a rose, you tell him the color, you tell him what it looks like, you try to dig into the very breadth of its beauty, and you tell him that, all he can do is regurgitate what you said. He doesn't know it for himself. Until when?

Until he has sight. Then he sees it for himself. That's the way the scriptures are. That's the way it is about God. We don't know God until God reveals himself to us. And so the lost, they're ignorant about themselves. You see, the lost still believe he has something to offer God. Just ask him, they'll tell you. They believe that they have some life left in them, some goodness. But we who are born of the Spirit, we know different, don't we?

We know this, there is none righteous, no, not one. We know that there's none that understand it. There's none that seeketh after God. We know that by experience, by revelation. They're ignorant of and know nothing of God. Again, in Romans chapter 1, Paul describes, he says, Man by nature can know things about God if he just looks at creation. But what he cannot do is take what he knows about God and apply it to his God. Isn't this true? He knows many things about God, but every attribute he knows in creation, he never applies to his God. He never applies it.

Sovereignty. You can see that in creation. You can see His majesty. You can see His deity. You can see His strength. You can see His omnipotence. You can see His omniscience, His wisdom, His patience. You can see all of these things, and yet when they make a God, He's nothing like that.

That's what Paul said. Because they knew God, they glorified Him not as God. They changed the glory of God into a corruptible thing. You see, when men that are ignorant What they do with the knowledge of God is that they make a God like themselves. God said, Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such in one as Thyself. And so they're ignorant of God. They're ignorant of sin.

Sin is a mistake. Sin is an accident. Sin is low in their estimation. It's not really that bad. They're ignorant. But we are born again. We understand this sin is not just a mistake. It's treason. And sin deserves eternal damnation. Every sin, not just not just all your sins, every sin deserves damnation.

They're ignorant about righteousness. They believe they can have it. They believe they can obtain it. And they are ignorant that salvation, they believe salvation is somehow in their grasp. That somehow they can obtain it by some measure of work, by some obedience to the law, by some measure of sincerity. God must give them salvation. That's ignorance. They don't know who God is. See, such ignorance of the natural man leads them to form a God, and that God is exactly as our Lord describes it, a God that cannot say the God of false religion.

And we live in such a civil age that we no longer see many. Well, for the most part, we don't see people bowing down to wood and graven images. We don't see that in our our day. Catholics still do. But most of them even acknowledge it's just a symbol. So we're in a more civilized area. We don't bow down to wood and stone. But I tell you that those in most so-called churches, that they do not bow to statues and crosses, but they have whittled a god in their minds.

They've made a god. And they ignorantly worship Him that does not exist, a God made up of their feelings, a God made up of their opinions and traditions, a God made up by mommy and daddy and grandpa and grandma. Most people worship a God that their parents worshipped. They love their parents, they want to honor their parents, and then they just adopt their God without even questioning it. Questioning to see if he's the true God. But, listen, it doesn't matter what name they give their God. They all have this in common. They cannot save. This is a common attribute to every false god. He cannot save. Go to 2 Timothy, look in chapter 5. Paul describes these people. In 2 Timothy, chapter 5. Chapter 3, I'm sorry, 2 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 5. Look what Paul says. He's talking about people in the church.

And he describes these people, he said, lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of that which is good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God.

And listen, that ain't outside the church. That's in it. Now notice what he says. Having a form of godliness. See, these people aren't heady, proud on the outside. All this stuff is in them. And yet they have this persona of piety. But notice this, they have a form of God. Not real godliness, just a form. They're pretending. And what distinguishes them from the true religious, true believers? Listen to this.

But denying the power thereof. Denying the power thereof. These have an outward form of godliness, but their God lacks power. He lacks power to save. They deny that salvation is completely of God. Why? Because their God can't save. This is exactly what is wrong with all free will works religion. These people have a form of godliness, but the problem is their God. He cannot save.

These people say that God, These people say God wants to save, but he can't unless you allow him. They say God has a wonderful plan for your life, but you must allow him to have his way. They say Christ died on the cross for the sins of Adam's race, but his blood has no power unless you release it.

What are they doing? They have a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof. Why? Because their God is not God. Their God cannot save. And all who worship such a God should repent. Anyone who worships a God like that, he might as well get a stick, carve it out, and bow down to it. Because his God is just as worthless as a stick. What good is a God that cannot save? Arthur Pink wrote this a long time ago. He said, the God of this generation is helpless, effeminate.

A being who commands the respect of no really thoughtful man. He no more resembles the supreme sovereign of holy writ than does a dim flickering candle resemble the noonday sun. There's no resemblance. There's no resemblance. The God of this age is nothing more than a figment of man's human imagination. The heathen outside of the pale of Christendom form a God of wood and stone while millions of heathen inside Christendom manufacture a God of their own carnal making. A God that cannot save is not God.

Now listen to what God says to everyone who worships such a God. He said, Behold, you are of nothing and your work is of naught. An abomination is he that chooses you. Anybody who worships a God like that is worshiping, as God said, an abomination. An abomination. So now we see that those outside of Christ, those who do not have the revelation of God, they know nothing. And what's the result of this?

They worship a God of nothing. A God that cannot save without your help. Well, now I want to describe the true and living God. I want to describe The grace and the power of the true and living God, listen, as He reveals Himself. This is not my thought of God. This is not my opinion of God. This is what the true God says about Himself. And anybody who does not worship this God, worships a false God.

That's why God's calling them near. He's calling you, come here to the bar and measure your God. and see if he stacks up to me. In verse 21, this is where he begins, he says this, Tell ye, come here, he says, come, you that worship a God that cannot save, come here and bring them near.

Let them take counsel together. He's not afraid of them getting together. He's not. Don't be afraid of this religious world. They all get together all they want to. God said let them. Let them get together. And this is the question. Listen to this. He said, tell me, as you gather together, who declared this from ancient time? Who had told it from that time? And God says, this is a rhetorical question.

I, the Lord. He gives him the answer. I, the Lord. There is no God beside me, a just God and a savior. There is none beside. God now describes himself. Take the God of the Greeks, the God of the Romans, the God of the Catholics, and ask them this question. Is your God sovereign? That's what God's asking.

He's saying, who in the world told you what was going to happen from the beginning? He said, I did. I'm the only one. Who among you from all eternity declared all things that were, all things that are, and all things that shall be. Not one of the gods of men is able to do this. Only the supreme sovereign God is able. Why? Because He alone is sovereign. He alone decrees everything.

Look at what He says in Isaiah 14. Flip over there. A few pages, Isaiah 14. Look at verse 24. God says, He says, The Lord of hosts has sworn, The Lord of hosts has sworn, saying, Surely, as I have thought, so shall it come to pass, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand.

Whatever the Lord purposes comes to pass. Is that your God? Because that's the Lord. Behold, our God is one who wills and decrees all things from the beginning. And by His power, He accomplishes everything He determines to do. You know what's happening right now? Exactly everything that God has decreed to happen.

There is nothing that takes place without his sovereign decree. Yet the God of this generation is wringing his hand. He doesn't know. He doesn't have a clue what's taking place. The devil is doing all these bad things, and he doesn't have any power to stop him. Listen, that's not God. I don't know who that is, but that's not God.

Flip over a page to Isaiah 46, and look what God says. Remember Isaiah 46 in verse 9. He said, Remember the former things of old, for I am God and there is none else. I am God and there is none like me. Here it is, declaring the end from the beginning. From ancient times of things not yet done, I declare what's not yet been done. You know what I say? He said, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.

You see, our God is sovereign because our God is the Lord. You see, modern Christendom has to make Christ their Lord. You ever heard that? Make Christ your Lord. Well, your God, you've got to. My God's already your Lord. He's already your God. He's already your Sovereign. He's the Lord and there is no other God beside Him. He rules over all things, executing His will.

And our Lord Jesus Christ showed us that when He came into this world, didn't He? When He stood on the bow of that boat and the wind and waves, when He said, Peace, be still. What else could it do? When he called Lazarus from the dead, he said, Lazarus, come forth. What else could he do? When he came to your dead soul and he called you by name, what else could you do? You could do nothing but come. And we did. We did. And I'll tell you this. He gave me such a heart that I didn't want to do anything else. I wanted to come.

And so everything belongs to God, even the wickedness of man. Now this is something that religion won't take. You know, I told you that story about 9-11 when that thing happened and every preacher on television was just beside themselves. They couldn't figure out, Satan must have done this. And Milton Howard preached that message, I just loved it. He said, I'm the Lord, there's none else. I kill and I make alive. You know who did that? God did. You know who killed all those people? God did.

Psalm 76, he says, The wrath of man shall praise thee. And what about the rest? He restrains it. Whatever praises Him is what does. And the wrath of man, the hatred of man, the wickedness of man, God uses for His own glory. Any God that's not like that is not God. Our God is the Lord. Our God is in the heavens. What does He do? What does God do? Whatsoever He pleases. Whatsoever He pleases. Is that your God?

Look at verse 5 of your text. He says, I am the Lord, there is none else, there is none God beside me. I girded thee, though thou hast not known me, that they may know from the rising of the sun, from the West that there is none beside me. I am the Lord and there is none else. I form the light, I create darkness, I make peace and create evil. I the Lord do all these things. You see what I'm talking about?

God describes himself as absolutely sovereign and any God that is not sovereign is not God. That's just so. If God's not sovereign in your salvation, people don't mind so much maybe some good providences here, whatever, maybe even bad providences. When it comes to salvation, men are adamant that God is not sovereign, that man is. You know why? Their God's not God.

Our God is in the heavens. He does whatever He pleases. Now then, God gives Himself two characteristics here. Two characteristics. He is a just God and a Savior. A just God. What does that mean? That means this, that God is absolutely, completely holy and without sin. That's what God declares about Himself. I am without sin. Though God decrees even the wickedness of man, He is not chargeable with it. He is totally above it, outside of it.

Holy! When I say that, I try to wrap my mind around, I've never seen anything holy. Have you? We've never we know this by faith. We know this in our souls that he is holy. But what is what is holy? I mean, it's higher than whatever I think it is. Whatever I think is holy is infinitely higher and purer than that. That's God. He's holy. Now, what does this mean to us? It means this, that God is just and cannot permit any sinner into his presence. He must and He will punish every sin. That's what it means when He says He's just.

Now we know this, that God delights in mercy. And we're going to get to that in just a minute when He says He's a Savior. But we know He delights in mercy. But we know this, and this is vitally important, that God never has mercy at the expense of His justice. We do it all the time, right? Somebody wrong us and we understand what it is to be evil, so we give them pass. We let it go.

But suppose a judge does that. A judge finds a man he's guilty. He's caught red-handed. He has all these witnesses against him. He's guilty. And the law demands his punishment. And the judge comes up and says, I'm going to show you mercy. Then the judge would be unjust. The judge would have broken the law to show mercy. When I say God is just, what I mean by this is He's going to have mercy, but never at the expense of His justice. So what does God require? He requires two things, righteousness and a payment. Righteousness, perfect, absolute righteousness and because we have sinned He also demands payment for every sin. He is a just God.

And we know this, the soul that sinneth, it shall surely, what? Duh. Duh. This word tells us that He is just. And we know this, that we are sinners. This is something everyone that knows God, God reveals to us. The first thing, isn't it? That we're sinners.

So how then can we be accepted of a just God? Well, because of the second part, he says, I am not only a just God, but I am a God that saves. Not make salvation possible. You got that? There's a distinction, isn't it? The God of this world makes salvation possible for man. That's not what God says about himself. He says, I am a just God and a God That saves. I'm a God that saves.

How then can these two meet? How can God be just and justify the ungodly? How can God be just and save me? That's a question that religion has tried to answer and fails every time. Why? Because their God is not God. They don't have a right understanding of God. But we know this, that our God is a just God and a Savior by one means only.

Substitution. This is the gospel means. Look back at your text. See this. I am a just God and a Savior. Now look what he says. In compassion, he says, look to me. Look away from your God. Look away from your puny, pathetic, effeminate God. And you look to me, the sovereign God, the just God, the God that saves and what be saved. When you look to me, you're going to be saved. That's a that's a great comfort, isn't it? It's kind of like that serpent in the wilderness when Moses lift up the serpent. They said, look, and everyone who looked what lived. He didn't say, go out there and kill the snakes. He didn't say, go out there and get some medicine for your bite. No, that was human reasoning, isn't it? Human reasoning, say, let's kill the snakes. Human reasoning said, let's get some medicine.

God said, don't use that. Use this. Look and live. Faith, believe me, trust in me. and you shall be saved. Listen, all the ends of the earth, I don't care who you are. That's wonderful, isn't it? All the ends of the earth. Why? For I am God and there is none else.

I have sworn by myself, the word has gone out of my mouth in righteousness, it shall not return to me, that every knee shall bow and every tongue shall swear. But here is the hope. Verse 24. Surely shall one say, In the Lord I have righteousness and strength. Now, who said that? There is only one person that ever said, I'm righteous. There's only one person that said, I have the power to save you.

And that's Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ. God, how can God be just and justify the ungodly? The answer is in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Here's how God saves. by the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. He says, in Him is righteousness and strength. That's what I need. I need righteousness. And I need atonement. I need strength to be able to stand before a holy and just God. And it's only found in this one man. And look what he says. He said, even to Him shall men come. Tonight, have you come to Jesus Christ? How do we come? We come by faith. We come by faith. This is when God reveals we're sinners. He reveals Himself.

He's the sovereign God. There's no other God but Him. There's no other hope for my soul, yet He's a just God. And He's a Savior. That's my hope. If He just said, I'm a just God, I'm finished. But He said, I'm a just God and a Savior. And this is how I'm going to do it. I'm going to send one. one. You know, there's only one way a man could be saved. There's only one way a man could come to God. Jesus said this, I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to God, but by me. Have you come to God by him?

Then, you know, this God is a just God and a savior, and I love this. You see, this was always his plan. This was always his sovereign plan to save me. You that are saved, don't you know that he purposed to save you? It wasn't accidentally you were saved. It was on purpose. He gave you to Christ from eternity, and then Christ came, and what did he do? He actually saved you. And you were saved before you ever knew it. Saved you. He redeemed you. He made your righteousness.

He ascended to God after He rose again from the dead and sat on the throne expecting His enemies to be made His footstool. What was I? I was His enemy. Now what am I? His footstool. I'll sit down. I would love to put my body underneath His feet. Why?

He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. And then by the power of the Holy Spirit, He revealed to us the true God. He revealed to us His nature. And by grace, we came to Him. Now you that come to Him, what is your hope of continuing? Man, we are surrounded by every temptation to draw us away. I mean, every little thing seeks to pull us away from Christ. What's my hope that I'm going to continue? Look at this in the last verse. In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified and shall glory. This is not questionable, is it? Is this a question? He's not asking a question, is he? He's making a statement. The just God and the Savior, the sovereign God is making a statement.

And he says this, in the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be saved. Now, any God who does not save everybody he intends to save is not God. That's the God of this world. He died for everybody, but he doesn't save everybody. Well, that God's not God. This is God. God says, in the Lord shall, in Christ shall all the seed of Israel be justified. That means be without sin. You that believe, you're without sin. Be justified. And you shall glory.

Glory in who? Who are we glorying? Can you glory in a God that cannot save? Can you glory in a God that needs your help? You can't. We glory in the sovereign God, we glory in the God who saves. I'm so thankful he saves. Because I need a Savior who completely saves me. I need a Savior who doesn't need my help. I need a just God and a Savior, and that's what I have in Christ. And that's what you have.

Let's stand and be dismissed in prayer. My gracious Father, I beg you to dismiss us with your own blessings and kindness. For in our hearts the truth of thy sovereignty and grace. Cause those who worship such a false and weak God of this world that they should abandon him and cling to you, sovereign and true and living God. May they come to you by Christ alone through faith in him. And we that have, I pray you'd keep us even as you promised. In Jesus' name, amen. Hey, she can get up and go. She don't have to bother me at all. I saw her in pain, just tell her to go. Yeah, just tell her to go. Don't wait on me.

The Just God that Saves

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about God's sovereignty?

How do we know that God saves us through Christ?

Why is understanding God's justice important for Christians?

How does God's sovereignty affect the salvation of believers?

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About Fred Evans

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The Just God that Saves

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about God's sovereignty?

How do we know that God saves us through Christ?

Why is understanding God's justice important for Christians?

How does God's sovereignty affect the salvation of believers?

Sermon Transcript

About Fred Evans

Comments

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