Good morning. Turn with me, if you would, to
Acts chapter 8. Excuse me. Acts chapter 8. Rex, you know. It is. It's a burden that. No man can shoulder, there's
a saying in our household that we like to say all the time.
Gavin and I were just talking about it. We say in our house,
I tell Gavin a lot, I tell Rosalie a lot, I say, you got this. Not this. And we talked about
that. We talked about no, no, no. Not when it comes to things of
God. We don't got this at all. Any more than a farmer can hope
to plant a seed. And certainly we all have a responsibility
to do what God has called us to do, correct? We do. But all
the farmer could do is plant the seed. If that seed's going
to grow, it's 100%, 100% of God. And then you carry that forward. And really, even though we say
we got this on the smallest thing you can imagine during our day,
and we tell each other we got this, because we're prepared
and we're strong, and actually, even the smallest thing we do
day by day, we don't got. It's all of God. It's all of
God. We're to pray without ceasing for all things. And however they happen, whatever
the outcome is of that thing, that we have in mind, whatever
that trial is that you have in your mind right now, whatever
that trial is that I have in my mind right now, whatever that
is, whatever the outcome is, that outcome is absolutely good.
My interpretation of the outcome is relevant. What happens is
good because God is good. It's his character to be good.
And his character never changes, right? It's his character to
be good. His character never changes. Therefore, the outcome
is good. And we have comfort in that. And that's actually
what we're gonna talk about here in Acts chapter eight today.
We're gonna talk about God's absolute sovereignty and God's
absolute goodness and how those go hand in hand, never ever separate,
part of his character, never ever changing. God's absolute
sovereignty, which puts this man in the dust where he should
be and his absolute goodness, which lifts this man up in Christ
with the saints. and it's only right and fitting
in Christ because of God's absolute sovereignty and his absolute
goodness. And we're going to look at that in Acts chapter
8. I got ahead of myself a little bit. Greetings from my pastor,
Frank, and from Janet, and from our congregation at Hurricane
Road. Everyone says hello. Every time I come here, it does.
Rex, thank you. It feels like coming home. I
don't realize how long it's been because you all are constantly
on my mind, constantly in my prayer, so I never feel separate.
until I come here, and then I realize, well, it's been a while, but
you're always in our prayers and in our minds, and our hearts
are melded together. Acts chapter eight, we're gonna read verses nine
through 25, and we're gonna focus at the end of verse 21, where
Paul says to Simon, for thy heart is not right in the sight of
God. for thy heart is not right in
the sight of God. So we'll start by reading here
in Acts chapter eight, starting in verse nine. But there was
a certain man called Simon, who before time in the same city
used sorcery and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out
that himself was some great one, to whom they all gave heed, from
the least to the greatest, saying, this man is the great power of
God. And to him they had regard because
that of that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries.
But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning
the kingdom of God in the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized,
both men and women. Then Simon himself believed also. And when he was baptized, he
continued with Philip and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs
which were done. Now, when the apostles, which
were at Jerusalem, heard that Samaria had received the word
of God, they sent unto them Peter and John. who, when they were
come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost,
for as yet he was fallen upon none of them, only they were
baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then laid they their hands
on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. And when Simon saw
that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost
was given, he offered them money, saying, Give me also this power,
that on whomsoever I lay hands he may receive the Holy Ghost.
But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because
thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with
money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter, for thy
heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent, therefore, of
this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of
thine heart may be forgiven thee. For I perceive that thou art
in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity. Then
answered Simon and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me. that none
of these things which ye have spoken come upon me. And they,
when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, returned
to Jerusalem and preached the gospel in many villages of the
Samaritans. For thy heart is not right in
the sight of God. What right? Three questions that we'll focus
on today. What right does God have to declare
what is right in his sight, what heart is right in his sight,
and what is not. What right does God have to say
that? Another way of saying that is
what right does God have to require anything? What right does God
have? And then we'll look at what does
God require? If God has a right to require
and to declare what is right and what is not right, what does
God require? And then thirdly, how can these
requirements be met? Better phrased, what's the remedy?
What's the remedy? So first, what right does God
have to declare what is right and what is wrong? What right
does God have to require anything? Well, it's because, as I mentioned
earlier, it's because God is equally, always, absolutely sovereign
and also absolutely good. Both at the same time, always. That's his character. It does
not change. It's not prompted by my actions one way or another. It's not prompted by anything.
It's prompted by himself. God's sovereignty and God's goodness
comes from himself because that's who he is. That's his character.
What do we mean by each? We contrast to an earthly king,
and my dad was fond of saying, a phrase you're all probably
familiar with, absolute power breeds absolute corruption, right? And 100% of the time, we see
that in any earthly example that we can possibly think about.
We think about an earthly king, and oh, the more power they get,
the more corrupt it is, the more corrupt that kingdom is. Even if we could imagine, even
if we had an example in our mind of somebody here on earth who
had that kind of unchecked power and used it for kindness, even
if we had that example, and I can't think of a single one outside
of Christ, even if we did, he's greater, right? The Lord uses
these earthly examples for us of an earthly kingdom so that
we can see through a glass darkly. But the reality of it is he's
greater. He is more infinitely sovereign than we can comprehend. And he is more infinitely absolutely
good than we can possibly comprehend. He's both sovereign and he's
good. Absolute sovereignty. Turn with
me, if you would, to Isaiah chapter 40. Isaiah chapter 40. Isaiah chapter 40 and we'll read
verses 12 through 18. Listen to God's sovereignty here.
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand. That's
that little bit in your palm right there. When I hold up my
palm, that's that little bit. You can't even see who's measured
the waters in the hollow of his hand, meted out heaven with the
span, comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed
the mountains and scales and the hills and a balance. Who
hath directed the spirit of the Lord, or being his counselor,
hath taught him? With whom took he counsel, and
who instructed him? Who taught him in the path of
judgment, and taught him knowledge, and showed to him the way of
understanding? Behold, be amazed, the nations are as a drop of
a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance.
Behold, he taketh up the aisles as a very little thing. Lebanon
is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient
for a burnt offering. All nations before him are as nothing. They
are counted to him less than nothing in vanity. To whom then
will you liken God? Earlier, we were talking about
comparing him to an earthly king. If we can just use that earthly
example sparingly just to see through a glass darkly, because
in reality, to whom then will you liken God? What likeness
will you compare unto him? Absolute, absolute sovereignty. To whom can we compare God? Now,
we started there. You'll notice in verse 12, absolute
sovereignty. Go up one verse to verse 11,
and we see absolute goodness. Always together. Look here in
verse 11. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd, the same God
who is absolutely sovereign, the same God who created the
mountains and holds the waters in the palm of his hand, who
holds the aisles and considers them a little thing, the same
God that we can't compare any earthly image to, this same God
shall feed his flock like a shepherd. He shall gather the lambs with
his arm, carry them in his bosom, shall gently lead those that
are with young. He's tender and he's good. absolutely sovereign,
absolutely good. Turn also to Psalm chapter 33. What right does God have to declare
goodness? Peter told Simon, thy heart is
not right with the sight of God, or in the sight of God. What
right does God have to declare what's right? Psalm chapter 33.
Read with me verses 6 through 11. By the word of the Lord were
the heavens made, all the host of them by the breath of his
mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as a heap.
He layeth up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord.
Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For
he spake, and it was done. He commanded, and it stood fast.
The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to naught. He
maketh the devices of the people to none effect. The counsel of
the Lord standeth forever. The thoughts of his heart to
all generations. That's his power. And again,
we started there in verse six. Look right before that in verses
four and five. We've seen his absolute sovereignty.
Look with me in verses four and five and we see his absolute
goodness. For the word of the Lord is right. All his works
are done in truth. He loveth righteousness and judgment.
The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. He's absolutely
powerful in all things. He's absolutely in control of
all things. The Lord built the earth and it's his to do as he
pleases. That's his right. It's all his. That's his right to declare as
he will. Also, the Lord is absolutely
good in all things. The Lord is absolutely tender
to his children. He absolutely provides for his sheep. What
does he please? Psalm says he pleases righteousness
and truth, righteousness and judgment. He pleases good. That's
his character. He's absolutely sovereign. He's
absolutely good. It's his to declare what is right
and what isn't right. Peter said to Simon, your heart
is not right in the sight of God. And that's how we are born. Born in sin, denying God's right,
denying God's sovereignty, what's right there in the scriptures,
not just denying, but absolutely hating. And that's shown very
clearly in Adam, and it's shown very clearly in the words that
we speak from our birth. Rebelling against the abuse of
power, the abuse of power, rebelling against that abuse of power isn't
wrong, that's what our country was founded on. Rebelling against
the abuse of power, and now we're in an election year, and we're
gonna hear a lot about that. Rebelling against the abuse of
power and our rights, our rights, But this is not our relationship
with God, right? That's not our relationship with
God. Psalm 50 says, thou thoughtest that I was altogether such a
one as thyself. That's not our relationship with
God. He is sovereign. He is sovereign. Unlike that
earthly power, which is always corrupt, God's authority is altogether
just, it's altogether right. His will and his character is
altogether lovely, it's altogether good, and we're born hating him
for that. His sovereignty and his goodness.
We are the problem. We are the problem. Sin is the
problem. My nature is the problem. My standing before God is the
problem. My birth into death, my birth
into this world and into death is not an unjustness on God's
part. It's perfectly just and sovereign and good, I'm the problem. My sin is the problem. It's his
right, whether we acknowledge it or not. John the Baptist said,
think not to say within yourselves, we have Abraham to our father,
for I say unto you, God is able of these stones to raise up children
unto Abraham. We're born thinking God needs
me to worship him. God doesn't need me to worship
him. Psalm 50 says, for every beast of the forest is mine,
the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains
and the wild beasts of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I
would not tell thee, for the world is mine and the fullness
thereof. God doesn't need our acknowledgement.
God doesn't need our praise. Even my bowing to his sovereignty
and his goodness doesn't make it real. That doesn't effectuate
his sovereignty and his goodness. That doesn't make it real. It
is real. Yet each of us are born with
that nature of our father Adam, denying his right and bucking
against his sovereignty and bucking against his goodness from the
moment that we can move our lips. We're evidence. of Adam's fallen
nature, everything I do. So I think I heard Clay Curtis
one time say, the fellow said, well, I don't believe that. And
he said, well, there's your proof. I mean, that's evidence of your nature,
right? Evidence of your nature is just like Paul, if you're
back in Acts 8, look across the page there in Acts chapter 9,
just as Paul did in Acts chapter 9, he kicked against the pricks,
right? Acts chapter 9, there in verse 5. Paul said, who art
thou, Lord? And Lord said, I am Jesus, whom
thou persecutest. It is hard for thee to kick against
the pricks. That's an example of what they used to use with
oxen on a long stick, a little tack at the end, just tap them
on their legs to get their attention and get them moving in the direction
they need to know. But do you know what an oxen does? An oxen
will kick on that and injure himself. kick against that nail,
rather than taking the direction, rather than listening, rather
than believing, rather than taking the direction, that beast will
kick against that prick and hurt his leg, injure himself doing
that. Exactly what Christ tenderly
said to Saul, why kick against the pricks? Why do we do that?
I'll tell you why we do that, because our nature is that of
a beast, that's why. We absolutely have a will, it's
just not free. It's not free to do anything
but kick against those pricks, that's our nature. Just as true
as it is that God's nature is absolutely sovereign and his
nature is absolutely good, it is equally true, my nature is
absolutely sinful and will kick against the pricks no better
than a beast all the time. We kick against those pricks,
injuring ourselves. Paul said to Simon, thy heart
is not right, in the sight of God. Sorry, Peter said to Simon, the
heart's not right in the sight of God. Who is God to judge? He is absolutely sovereign and
he is absolutely good. Therefore, it's his right to
judge. What then, number two, what then
does God require? If he says that Simon's heart
is not right in the sight of God, then what then does God
require? God requires an eternally clean
heart that has never sinned. Deuteronomy 6 says, Hear, O Israel,
the Lord our God is one Lord. Thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all thine heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy
might. Mark 12 says, one of the scribes
came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that he
had answered them well, asked him, which is the first commandment
of all? Jesus answered him, the first of all commandments is,
hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord. Thou shalt love
the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with
all thy mind, with all thy strength. This is the first commandment.
In Psalms, who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Who shall
stand in his holy place? This is who. He that hath clean
hands and a pure heart, who hath not lifted up his soul into vanity
nor sworn deceitfully, he shall receive the blessing from the
Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. The heart right in the sight
of God. I worked in a nursing home when
I was, I think I started when I was maybe 19. And I worked
as a nurse assistant. And during break time, I'd listen
to all the older employees talk. Because when I was that age,
I thought anyone over 30 was old. So I was listening to all
these people talk. And one lady who lived a lifetime
of late nights, and now she wasn't going out to the bar anymore.
And somebody else was asking her, why aren't you going out
anymore? She said, oh, my husband got his heart right with God. That phrase stuck with me. 31 years later, that phrase is
still in my head, hearing her say, or he's getting his heart
right. That's what she said. It didn't
sit right with me then. He's getting his heart right
with God. We cannot. If that's in your
mind and that's in your heart, and let me tell you, I know it
is, because the old man's still there. No matter who you are,
there's something in there still telling you, I can get right
with God. Absolutely not. Sinner, hear me. Friend, hear
me. Don't hear me. Hear the scriptures.
You cannot get your heart right with God. Christ has. Christ
is right with God. Christ, and only Christ, Christ
is right with God. You hear these verses and you
hear a burden on yourself, if you hear a burden that says,
he that hath clean hands and a pure heart and hath not lifted
up his soul into vanity, that's not me, I better start
now. If you're feeling that, see Christ instead, turn from
that, that's repentance, right? Turn from that and turn to Christ,
turn to Christ. Who is accepted before Christ? The Lord said under Samuel, Look
not on his countenance or on the height of his stature, because
I have refused him. For the Lord seeth not as man seeth. Man looketh
on the outward appearance. That was that lady's husband.
He was getting his heart right with God, and he wasn't going
to the bar anymore. And everybody in that room agreed and saw the
outward appearance. Because that's what we do. Because
that's what we do left to ourselves. We look on the outward appearance,
but the Lord looketh on the heart. The Lord should, again, Psalms
130, if the Lord should mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall
stand? Indeed, who shall stand? That's
where we are. Left to ourselves. Again, this is our sinful nature
is to hate God. We show that hatred, that impure
heart, either by just ignoring this whole thing, right? It's
not affecting me. That's evidence. It's not affecting
me. Of course it's not affecting
you. Your heart is dead. I don't care. Neither did I. I hear you.
I didn't care either because my heart was dead. How could
it? We show that hatred by either
acknowledging his sovereign rule or by working to build some sort
of foothold that would give us a right to stand before him.
Proverbs 16 says, there's a way that seemeth right unto man.
but the end thereof are the ways of death. Back in our text there in Acts
chapter eight, if you look back in verse 10, all of Samaria,
it says, to whom they all gave heed from the least to the greatest,
saying, this man is the great power of God. They all gave heed. There is a way that seemeth right
unto man. Because what this Simon the Magician,
Simon the Sorcerer, Simon Magnus, what he was doing was impressive
to the eye. Couldn't be explained to the
eye. So they said, this is a man of God. There's a way that seemeth
right unto man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Denying
God to his face, as Lucifer did, or working to establish our own
righteousness, or denying his sovereignty altogether, it all
leads to the same end, death. How can these requirements be
met? Or better read, what is the remedy? Who can stand? And I'll say,
outside of Christ, there's absolutely no remedy, absolutely no remedy.
God requires, we talk about this heart, this pure heart, clean
hands, loving God with all your heart, all your mind, all your
strength, all your soul, all your mind, this requirement. of us before God, all of the
requirements of us before God are requirements we absolutely
cannot meet, absolutely cannot meet. Does that make God an evil
tyrant? I've heard that accusation before.
Oh, I hesitate to even say, but almost as if God is dangling
a carrot out in front, evil, absolute pure evil. The requirements
were never, excuse me, were never given We're never given for us
to fulfill as our standing of righteousness. God requires that
we can never produce as evidence of who we are. When we can't
produce it, then that is evidence to us of exactly who we are.
And then to whom he will, in love, he gives ears to hear and
he gives a heart to believe. And he gently calls to find all
of those requirements, right? He calls his children to find
all of those requirements, all of the requirements met in one
place, in the sacrifice of Christ, in the work of Christ, in the
person and character of Christ, to find it in Christ and only
in Christ. Turn over to Acts chapter 13.
Acts chapter 13, and look here in
verse 38. None of the requirements from
the law of Moses on, none of the requirements were ever given
to us as a standard of righteousness for us to fulfill. Look here
in Acts chapter 13, verse 38. Be it known unto you, therefore,
men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you
for the forgiveness of sins. And by him, all that believe
are justified from all things. from which you could never be
justified by the law of Moses. All these requirements from the
law of Moses on don't point to justification. They point us
to Christ. They point us to who we are.
So that when life is given, when the heart is given, when eyes
are given, when ears are given, this is all given from Christ,
when that heart is given, it turns to Christ. It doesn't turn
back to the law, like a dog back to his vomit. We don't turn back
to the law, we turn to Christ for fulfillment, to Christ for
fulfillment. And in Christ, listen to these
same verses. So I read through those four or five verses first
to set the standard that obviously we cannot live up to. A pure
heart and clean hands, loving God with all your mind, all your
heart, all your strength, all your soul. standards that we
cannot meet. Now listen to these same verses
again. This is our standing. This is what we have done in
Christ. This is a description of every
believer, every child of God in Christ. This is describing
you. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord. Thou shalt
love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, with all thy soul,
with all thy might. That's a description of a child
of God. You say, oh, I haven't done that. I know. Yes, you have,
in Christ, because Christ has, because Christ has. As Scott
Richardson used to say, and that's not pasted on either. That's
not a pasted on righteousness. That's not pasted on works. Mm-mm,
no, no. God sees things as they are,
as they really are. And before him, this is a description
of a child of God. God sees things as they are.
God sees the heart. I don't. I don't see that in me, and that's
as it should be. But this is how God describes his children.
One of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together,
perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, which is
the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, the first
of all the commandments is, hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is
one Lord. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart,
with all thy soul, with all thy mind, with all thy strength.
This is the first commandment. Who hath ascended into the hill
of the Lord, who shall stand in his holy place? Again, this
is a description of every child of God in Christ. He that hath
clean hands, he that hath a pure heart. It's almost hard to stay in here
and say that because you all know that's not me, but it is in Christ. This is me and child of God,
this is you. He that hath clean hands and a pure heart, and hath
not lifted up his soul into vanity, nor sworn deceitfully, he shall
receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from
the God of his salvation. Thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities,
O Lord, who shall stand no one. Those in Christ, because of Christ,
because of his work, because of his person, because of his
character, because of his sacrifice, those in Christ stand in Christ,
free from sin, free from iniquity. As David said, who shall stand
outside of Christ? There's absolutely no remedy. Outside of the Lord Jesus Christ,
our hope is no different than Simon the sorcerer's, that hope
that leads to death. How can it ever be, how can it
ever be that I should have an eternally clean heart? One that has never sinned. How
is it, how is it that I can be clean? How is it that I can be
clean? Listen to a few verses again,
then I'm gonna, we'll turn to Hebrews here in just a minute,
but listen to a few verses first. Psalm 51 says, David says the
same thing that we're sitting here saying right now. Created
me a clean heart, oh God. Renew a right spirit within me.
John 13. Peter saith unto him, thou shalt
never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, if I wash
thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto them,
Lord, not only my feet, but also my hands and my head. Jesus saith
unto him, he that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but
is clean every whit, as ye are clean. He said to Peter, ye are
clean. He says to his children, ye are
clean. before me in Christ, in Christ,
washed in Christ's blood because of Christ's sacrifice. The just
for the unjust. And Colossians says, to whom
God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this
mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of
glory, whom we preach, warning every man and teaching every
man in all wisdom that we may present every man Perfect in
Christ Jesus. Perfect. How could I possibly
have a clean heart? How could I be given a clean
heart? Only Christ is able. Only Christ
has the sovereign right. Only Christ has the sovereign
goodness to do so. As a function of me? No, as a
function of his own goodness. The goodness that stems from
himself. No payment back. We can't even understand, we
can't even begin to understand that concept of giving something
and getting nothing. Even when we do that, even when
we do, even when we do something just intrinsically nice for someone,
for no good reason whatsoever, I'm really doing it for that
feeling I get afterwards. That warm feeling of, look at
me, right? So I am getting something in
return no matter what. I can't, I can't, it's beyond me to imagine
or to do just giving out of the goodness of myself because the
goodness of myself doesn't exist. But that's what Christ did. He
did out of the sovereign goodness of himself. That was the trigger.
Hmm. present every man perfect in
Christ Jesus. How could I possibly have a clean
heart? Turn with me, if you would, to Hebrews 2. We're gonna stay
here in Hebrews 2 a little bit, take a few verses at a time. Hebrews 2, let's start in verse
10. For it became him, it was natural,
it was his nature. It became him, it was fitting
for whom all things and by whom are all things in bringing many
sons under glory to make the captain of their salvation perfect
through suffering. It became God the Father. It
was natural, it was right, it was fitting for God the Father
to be satisfied with Christ's sacrifice. It's right for God
the Father to be satisfied with Christ's holy sacrifice. It's
consistent with his nature. It fits, it satisfies his nature.
His goodness, his love, his grace, his mercy, and also his justice. None of those can be compromised,
not one little bit, nor should they be, because they're all
good. All aspects of God are good and right and proper. Why
should his sovereignty be compromised to save me? It shouldn't be,
it can't be, it must not be, or that would change his character.
It wouldn't be consistent with his character. His sovereignty,
his mercy, His love, His goodness, and His absolute, holy, holy
justice, not compromised a bit in accepting Christ's sacrifice
for this sinner and for any sinner. that comes to the throne of mercy
asking for forgiveness. Every sinner that has ever come
to a sovereign throne asking for mercy in Christ has absolutely
and always will be accepted every time on the authority of this
book, every time. Without any, how can mercy and
truth kiss each other? How can God be just and justifier?
Only right there in Christ. where it's right for a sinner
to be accepted in Christ's sacrifice. It's right. It became God the
Father to be satisfied by Christ's sacrifice. Only Christ can call
God Father and call sinners brethren. Call God the Father Father and
call me brethren only in Christ. It's only through Christ that
it's fitting for for sinners to call God Father. It's fitting
that we do, and we should. We call God our Father through
Christ. Can you imagine? Holy. One time
I heard a person define the word holy. One aspect of holy means
other or separate, not me. Holy, other, separate. How can
I call God the Father who is holy, who is separate, who is
other, how can I call him father? As if we have that kind of relationship
that only these two can call me dad. How can nobody else,
just those two, can call me dad? It's not proper for anybody else
to. How can I call God the Father who is holy and other How can
I call him father? Only through Christ. It's fitting
that sinners call God the father, father. It's not presumptuous,
it's fitting. Verses here still in Hebrews
2, look at verse 11. For both he that sanctifieth
and they who are sanctified are all of one, for which cause he
is not ashamed to call them brethren. saying, I will declare thy name
among my brethren in the midst of the church while I sing praise
unto thee. And again, I will put my trust in him. And again,
behold, I and the children which God hath given me. I and the
children, Christ says. He makes us one because of his
sacrifice. Again, the just for the unjust,
the holy one for sinners, for absolute sinners. Children of
Adam, becoming children of God in Christ. He calls us brethren. How can Christ give me a clean
heart, a new heart? How can a holy God represent
sinners and remain holy? It's still here in Hebrews 2,
look at verse 14. For as much then as the children
are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself, likewise, this
is Christ, Likewise took part of the same, the same flesh and
blood as me, that through death he might destroy him that had
the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver them who through
fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage,
that bondage that we've been subject to in all the curse of
the bondage, right? Separation from God, spiritual
death, physical death, all the bondage that we were subject to Christ
has delivered from, delivered them who through fear of death
were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For truly, for verily,
truly, he took not on him the nature of angels, but he took
on him the seed of Abraham, the nature of man. He took on him
the seed of Abraham. Wherefore, in all things, it
behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, just like
us, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest and
things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins
of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted,
he is able to succor them who are tempted." Our great high
priest in Christ. Just as much God as if he was
never man. Just as much man as if he were never God. The Bible
never, never calls us to understand these things. The Bible calls
us to believe them and to bow to them. Thankfully, not as those
in bondage, not whipped into bowing. Bowing thankfully, because
he is absolutely sovereign and because he is absolutely good.
And then he gives us a heart to love that, to love him. in that, right? To love him because
of his sovereignty and his goodness and to see those in him and to
come and bow. That new heart bows to that,
thankfully. Thankfully, not out of obligation.
And because Christ is really man, because he really is man,
we're able to come to him. And because Christ is really
God, he's able to satisfy God. And we started the service by
saying, you got this. And even those so-called little
things, there are no little things. Even the minutiae of the day,
the everyday things, bring those to God. Bring those to God in
prayer, right? Verse 18 there said, for in that
he himself hath suffered being tempted, he's able to succor
those, them that are tempted. He's able to soothe, right? You're
gonna tell me things in your lifetime, my kids, you're gonna
tell me things that I'm gonna try to understand and I just
don't. There's gonna be some things you go through that I
don't relate to. Never so, never so with Christ,
never so. Our burdens, our sins, we take them openly to his feet. We don't hide them. The worst
of the worst, the things that I wouldn't tell you, and please
don't tell me, take them openly raw to the feet of Christ, to
his throne. In that he himself has suffered
being tempted, he's able to succor them that are tempted. That sin
that's in the back of your mind, he knows that too. It was laid
on him and in him on the cross. He knows that too. And you can
take that to him for peace, for covering, for remission of sins, for a oneness with God our Father
through Christ our brother. He calls us brethren. We can
bring and should bring. It's fitting and it's right to
bring all of those to his feet. It's consistent with his character
of absolute sovereignty and absolute goodness. It's consistent. that that sacrifice is accepted
and that he, Christ, accepts sinners in him. Which is, that's
what coming to God in prayer is exactly what Peter said to
Simon this magician, right? Back in our text again in Acts. Acts chapter eight here in verse
22, Peter tells this Simon, Repent,
therefore, of this thy wickedness, and pray God, pray God, if perhaps
the thought of Einhart be forgiven thee. Take it before the Lord. If Peter himself were here this
morning, that message would be exactly the same, the same as
we've been saying, come to God. Sinner, come to God. If you've
never come to Christ, If you did 100 years ago, sinner, Jonathan,
come to God through Christ. To whom? Coming, right? Come
to God through Christ that you may be forgiven because only
Christ is worthy. Only Christ finished the work. Only Christ is accepted. Only Christ is holy. Only Christ,
the God-man, is infinitely sovereign and infinitely good. Only Christ.
It's fitting. It's only right that we should
come to Him. It's fitting. And it's fitting that we are
accepted by God the Father through Christ. It's only right. It's
only just. Sin was put away in Christ. It
won't be punished twice. It's only fitting that God accepts
sinners that come to Him in Christ. And sinner, He calls. His children
hear the call. Sinner, He commands. He commands. Come to Christ and believe. It's
fitting. And to those, Christ says this,
quote, from the scriptures, I said, from this book, from the authority
of this book, I say what Christ said, which is, all that the
Father giveth me shall come to me. Why? Because he gave them
a heart that will come. He gave them ears that will hear.
That's why. They will come to him. They will hear the call
because they've been given ears to hear. They will believe because
they've been given a heart, a new heart to believe. All that the
Father giveth me shall come to me. Him that cometh to me I will
in no wise cast out, never has and never will, never will cast
out. Because it's fitting, it's right, it's consistent with his
nature, it's consistent with God's goodness, it's consistent
with Christ's work because it's fitting and it's right with his
absolute goodness and his absolute sovereignty that he declare what
is good and make a remedy for what is good and that is Christ.
And we come thankfully to him. One more time, having the opportunity
to tell this old man, one more time, to quit. To quit. Old man, quit your works. And
for this new heart to hear, for these new ears again to hear,
come to Christ. Again, Jonathan, come to Christ.
To hear and to have the opportunity to declare that one more time.
And that in his infinite sovereignty and in his infinite goodness,
He promises sinners will never be turned away. Let's pray together.