Hebrews chapter 7, chapter 7. Last week's message was from Hebrews chapter 4 and
the title of it was Jesus Christ, no imaginary Savior. Not to his
people, he is. Our text was from verse 14 of
that chapter, Hebrews 4, seeing then that we have a great high
priest that is passed into the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God,
let us hold fast. Brethren, stand fast. Our profession. Don't throw in the towel. Don't
give up. And in my introduction to that
message, I read these verses that we read together a moment
ago from Hebrews chapter 7. Paul is continuing the same thought,
the same subject. Jesus Christ, our great high
priest, now in heaven, doing what? Interceding for his people. Let's read verses 24 and 25 again. Here in Hebrews 7, but this man,
because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood, like
himself, unchanging. Wherefore, wherefore, because
he does, he is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto
God by him. I am so glad that God saves old
sinners, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. Glancing over my notes from last
week, I saw this statement that I jotted down. Jesus Christ is
a real savior with real grace that brings real salvation to
real sinners. I hope God implants that in your
heart and in your minds, because that's good news. That's good
news. That's the best news I ever heard
in my life. And that's a good definition of the gospel, isn't
it? That's a good definition of the
gospel of God's grace. Larry, you may be thinking, I
thought gospel meant good news or glad tidings. Yes, it does. And it's just because Jesus Christ
is able to say to the uttermost, that's what makes it good news.
Huh? If he's only trying to save somebody,
I don't find any good news in that, do you, Billy? None whatsoever. If he's just giving everybody
a chance and waiting for them to take the first step, don't
call that gospel, because there's no good news in it. But as we
read here in Hebrews 7 and 25, by the way, this is our text,
he is able also to save them, no matter who they may be, No
matter how many of them they may be, he's able to save them
to the uttermost. I like that word, don't you?
Uttermost. Uttermost. I mean, you can't
get beyond uttermost. My sin may reign all, but his
grace reigns uttermost, above and beyond all my sin. And that statement again, I say,
caught my attention. And I thought they would be a
good outline for today's message. Jesus Christ is a real Savior
with real grace that brings a real salvation for real sinners. And I'm going to start with the
first clause there. Jesus Christ, a real Savior. A real Savior, that's the title.
A real Savior for real sinners. That's the place to start. Start
any place else and you'll go wrong. Absolutely. Start any
place else, especially with man. That's what's wrong with, that's
the whole basis of call it what you will, Arminian theology or
free will theology. It starts in the wrong place.
It starts with man. It starts with man. It can only
go wrong. Oh, but the message of God's
grace, it starts with him in the beginning. God. And what's
true in creation is true in providence and salvation. It begins with
God. The Lord Jesus Christ. That's
the foundation for everything. Because without this foundation
to build on, a real Savior, there won't be a building. There's
no building without a foundation. This is exactly what Paul told
the church at Corinth. Those people that were puffed
up. puffed up. And they're not, they don't have
a monopoly on that. Pride is a wicked weed that will
grow anywhere and oh how it tries to flourish in pulpits with this
man that's trying to preach to you right now. Oh that wicked
weed pride. But Paul told him, those who
were trying or thinking of other foundations, I want to build
my hope, my foundation upon Paul. No, another said, Cephas, oh,
I like Apollos. What an orator Apollos is. If he's not preaching, I'm not
even going to go. And Paul said, listen, listen, you puffed up. Let me remind you of something.
Other foundation can no man lay. other than that which is already
laid, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the foundation
that God Almighty laid. That's exactly what he said in
Isaiah chapter 28. Perhaps you thought of this verse,
verse 16 of Isaiah 28. Therefore, thus saith the Lord
God. Now that should get our attention.
This is not what Baptists say, this is what God said. Behold,
God says, I lay in Zion, I'm laying this in Zion, for a foundation,
a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation. A sure foundation, that's what
I need. And he that believeth shall not
make haste. And many times in the Gospels
our Lord referred to that verse himself. Paul wrote about it,
referred to it, in Romans chapter 9. Paul was speaking of that
when he wrote, Behold, as it is written, Behold, I lay in
Zion a stumbling stone and a rock of offense, and whosoever believeth
on him shall not be ashamed. Peter, likewise. In 1 Peter 2
and 6, wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, what we just
read from Isaiah 28, it is contained in the scripture, behold, I lay
in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he that
believeth shall not be confounded. Isaiah says he shall not make
haste. Paul said he shall not be ashamed.
Peter said he shall not be confounded. Basically, it all means the same
thing. He who rests on Jesus Christ
shall not have the shame of disappointment. He'll never have to flee in panic
in search of another foundation. I'm sure I told you the story
about my granddaughter Harley when she was just a little squirt
and she was visiting us and she was doing something that Pawpaw
told her for the third time, don't do it. She went to do it
anyway. And I stood up and started walking
toward her and she said, now, Paul, Paul, Paul, Paul, let's
just all calm down. Let's just all calm down. With
such a foundation that we're resting on, this foundation that
God has laid in not man, there's no need to panic. Make haste. Make haste. We make mistakes
when we get in a hurry, don't we? We get in a hurry, we make
mistakes. We get rushed, we get flustered.
We get anxious, we might call it in our day, we get discombobulated. The opposite of being calm. Martha
was making haste, wasn't she? But I like Mary's example so
much better, don't you? And she had a sister called Mary,
Martha did, which sat at Jesus' feet and heard his word. She
wasn't making haste. What a picture of contentment.
What a picture of calmness. Oh, but Martha, a picture of
the very opposite, making haste, being confounded, being shamed.
Martha was cumbered about much serving and came to him and said,
Lord, don't you even care that my sister here, that lazy sister
of mine sitting at your feet, has left me alone to do all this?
This took me by surprise. She was discombobulated. She
was making haste. And I imagine that our Lord's
words to her were the very opposite of what she expected to hear
from him. She thought what he would rebuke Mary and say, get
out there in the kitchen and help your sister. And he said,
oh, Martha, Martha. You're anxious, careful, troubled. You're making haste. Making haste,
getting worried about so many things. Martha, in your haste,
in your confusion, You've forgotten this. You've forgotten this. You're out there preparing bread
when the bread of life is making a visit to your home. Mary, Martha
rather, thou art careful and troubled about many things, but
one thing is needful, O my soul, that God would impress on me
the every day when I first opened my eyes. Mary, today you need
to remember this foremost before you take a step, before you get
out of bed. There's one thing needful, one thing needful, one
thing needful. It's the Lord Jesus Christ. Begin
your day by seeking Him, by looking to Him, thanking Him, worshiping
Him. One thing's needful. And Mary
has chosen that good part that shall not be taken away from
her. Another example of being confused,
ashamed, making haste in a hurry. Remember the children of Israel
at the Red Sea? Moses had brought them out. Man,
they left Egypt. They'd been in bondage all those
years. They had felt the whip of the
taskmasters, and they were coming out. Let my people go. Pharaoh said, I don't know your
God, and I won't let the people go. But he did. He had a change
of heart, didn't he? And here he comes, oh, with his
mighty armies, his captains, his horses, his chariots, And
the children of Israel are at the Red Sea. They look behind
them and say, oh my soul, let's make haste. Can you imagine? Some commentators say there was
a million to three million people. Can you imagine? And every one
of them turned and pointed at Moses and said, this is your
fault. We knew better. We should have known better than
to listen to you. This is in Exodus chapter 14. We'd have
been better off, wasn't there enough graves in Egypt to put
us in? Why'd you bring us out here? Oh, what are we gonna do? Making haste. Moses said, here's
a picture I like much better. Moses said to the people, fear
ye not, stand still. Martha, like Mary sitting at
the Lord's feet, stand still, just stand still. Be quiet. Be quiet. Quit making haste. Quit pulling out your hair. Quit
biting your fingernails. Is God on the throne or not?
Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. Oh yeah. which he will show to you today
for the Egyptians whom you see right now that's causing you
so much concern, so much turmoil, so much trouble of mind. Those that you see today, you're
going to see them again no more forever. The Lord's going to
fight for you, and you're going to just shut up and watch it. Be still and hold your peace. That's a good picture. That is the hymn we closed our
service with last Sunday, The Solid Rock. Oh, page 272. It expresses this truth very
well, doesn't it? About the foundation that we're
built upon, that we trust on. There's some good theology in
those old hymns, aren't there? Can't say that about so many
that are written today. Let's all go down to the river.
There's a man there walking on the water. I'm biting my tongue. Oh no,
I like this so much better. When darkness veils his lovely
face. And it does. Often it does. What do I do then? Go out in
the kitchen and rattle pots and pans? Blame somebody? No, when
darkness veils his lovely face, I rest on his unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale, my anchor holds within the veil. His oath, His covenant, His blood,
support me in the whelming flood. When all around me, when all
around my soul gives way, He is still all my hope and all
my stay. If he's the foundation that God
Almighty has laid, and I'm on him, on Christ the solid rock
I stand, I will never, there's not a wave big enough, there's
not a storm strong enough, there's not a wind fierce enough that
can blow me off the foundation of Jesus Christ. It'll never
happen. It will never happen. On Christ
the solid rock I stand, all of the ground is sinking sand. Someone said they quoted that
hymn. On Christ the solid rock I stand,
and they went on to say, all other rocks are sham rocks. Every other foundation is a sham. It's fake. It's not the foundation
that God's laid. Every other hope, every profession,
every religious experience not built on Jesus Christ is a sham. It's not the real thing. It's
not the real thing. Without a real Savior, there
can be no real grace. And without real grace, there
can be no real salvation. And without Christ, without grace,
without salvation, there's no real hope for sinners, is there? There's no hope. There's no hope. John 1 and 17. The law was given
by Moses. And by the deeds of the law,
no flesh will be justified in the sight of God, because by
the law is the knowledge of sin. The law was given to shut our
mouths and prove our guilt before a holy God. The law was never
intended to save anybody. It wasn't God's purpose. The
law was used in the hands of God's Holy Spirit to show us
our need of a Savior and to bring us to Christ. Yes, the law was
given by Moses, but, but, blessed interjection, but grace. Oh, that's what I need. Grace
and truth came by Jesus Christ. Nobody else. No other way. Never, never. But not as the
offense in Romans 5, so also is the free gift. For if through
the offense of one many be dead, I didn't stomp my toe when I
fell in Adam, I died. Much more, the grace of God and
the gift of grace which is by one man, Jesus Christ had abounded
unto many. Our Lord told the religious elite
in his day, have you never read in the scriptures? And they had,
they had many times. but they had blinders on. He
said, did you never read in the scriptures the stone which the
builders rejected? The same has become the headstone
of the corner. This is from Psalm 118. This
is the Lord's doing, and it's marvelous in our eyes. Remember
what our Lord said to Peter when Peter confessed that Christ was
his one and only foundation, his only hope. Peter, upon this
rock I will build my church. So what? So the gates of hell
shall not prevail against it. Christ is that rock upon which
his church is built. And I'm not talking about this
building. This building is not his church. His church are the people who
gather in this building to worship God. Oh, what a foundation, a
sure foundation, precious to all those that put their trust
in Him, whether they're Jews or Gentiles. Old Testament saints,
New Testament saints, saints above, already in heaven, and
saints below, still on earth. They're all on the same foundation.
In all ages, at all times, in all places, Christ is the precious
cornerstone. He's that pearl of great price,
precious to his father who loves him and delights in him and has
chosen him and laid the foundation of his church on the Lord Jesus
Christ. And oh, how precious is he to
every believer. Peter wrote again in 1 Peter
2, unto you that believe, he's precious. He's precious. Why
all these empty pews? Because to most people, he's
not precious. than most people, they could
care less. They're more concerned about the Super Bowl today than
they are worshiping God Almighty, and a lot of them profess to
know him. Something wrong with that picture, something bad wrong
with that picture. Oh, but to those who believe,
who have built their hope upon this foundation, this solid rock,
oh, Jesus Christ is precious. He's the most precious thing
in their life, the most precious relationship. is the Lord Jesus
Christ. I love that woman. I hope I don't
embarrass her. But I do. Wouldn't have married
her if I didn't. She's precious to me. She's precious. I thank
God for the relationship I have with her. Oh, but there's one,
that relationship. Oh, it grows into almost insignificance
compared to my relationship to the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, I
may leave this world, or she may leave this world, and that
union will be broken, be torn asunder by death. But all but
this, this union I have with the Son of God, nothing, nothing
can put it asunder. Nothing can separate me from
the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. This is the message that
Peter preached to the Sanhedrin. That stone that ye refused, that
you said it not, that you said had no place in your building,
is made the head of this corner. Neither is there salvation in
any other, for there is none other name under heaven given
among men whereby we must be saved. We've all heard the story. The traveling salesman. He gets
lost. I mean, he's lost. He pulls up
to a country store. There's two old gentlemen sitting
there in their bib overhauls, chewing tobacco and sharing a
spit tune. And the salesman rolls down his window and says, fellas,
I'm lost. Can you tell me how to get to dust and dust? And
they said, you can't get there from here. Anybody that begins anywhere
else seeking salvation that doesn't begin with Jesus Christ, they'll
never get They'll never be saved. Yesterday, while I was studying,
Robin said, there's someone coming at the door. And I thought, well,
why doesn't she answer it? Then I found out why. They knocked
on the door, and in answer, it was a couple of Jehovah's Witnesses. And you could tell this fellow
had memorized his whatever you want to call it. And I said,
partner, I don't mean to be rude, but I'm very busy. Would you
just cut to the chase? He said, oh yeah, and he opened
the statue and I saw Watchtower. I said, I'm not interested. Have
a good day, probably shouldn't say that much, but I am not interested. Jehovah's Witnesses, not hardly,
not hardly, they're telling lies on God. They're telling lies
on God. And in any religion, I don't
care how pretty it is, how much it's dressed up, how polite,
how nice, how to get along. I mean, if they
lay a foundation on anything for a sinner's acceptance before
God Almighty, besides Jesus Christ, they're telling lies on God. That's exactly so. Exactly so. Oh, Jesus Christ is that rock
upon which God Almighty has built His church. I've had people also
tell me, and I know you've experienced this, well, you know, invite
them to church and they'll say, well, you know, I don't need
to worship God. I don't need to be in a building
to worship God. You know, I worship God in my
own way. Well, what's that? Well, I worship
God while I'm fishing. I worship God while I'm out chasing
a deer. I find God in nature. A believer
finds God. A believer sees God everywhere,
doesn't he? A believer does. Believers does. Oh, so you find God in nature,
really? You can hug every tree in the
forest and kiss every toad you come across. You can stand out
there and stare at the biggest mountain you can see. You will
not find the answer to how I could be just with God if you stand
there until moss grows over your eyelids. It ain't gonna happen.
It ain't gonna happen. This is what happens when men
think they find God in nature. What does Paul tell us in Romans
1, professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. who
changed the truth of God into a lie and worshiped and served
the creature, the creation, rather than the creator. Man, we see
that right before our very eyes, don't we? Oh, but the real Savior,
Jesus Christ, he says this to every needy sinner. We may not
get past this first division, but that'll be okay. This is
the most important part, a real Savior. This is what he says
to every needy sinner. Look unto me. Look unto me. The devil will say, no, look
like he whispered to Eve. Has God really said that? Look to the altar. Look to the
preacher. Look to the decision card. Look to the water. Look to the
scripture. Look to the doctrine. And Jesus Christ said, Look unto me. Look unto me. You want to be saved? Look unto
me. You can't be saved by looking to anything or anyone else. Look
unto me, and be ye saved all the ends of the earth, for I
am God, and there is none else, a just God and a Savior. One old brother expressed it
like this in a hymn he wrote, On Christ's salvation rest secure,
The rock of ages must endure. Nor can that faith be overthrown
which rests upon the living stone. No other hope shall intervene.
To Him we look, on Him we lean. Other foundations we disown and
build on Christ, the living stone. Only a real Savior, and here's
the second thought, can give real grace. Real grace. Grace that saves. that only comes
from Christ, as we've already read. Real grace, that means
unmerited. Billy Cobb, there's nothing you
ever did, nothing you've ever done or ever will do that merits
God's grace. It's never happened, has it?
I'm glad you're shaking your head no, because none of us have. No, grace is unmerited. That means you can't earn it,
you can't earn it. There's nothing you can do to
earn it. It's unearned. It's unsought. Initially, it's
unsought. We seek Him, yes, but we seek
Him because He seeks us. Grace is for the un-people. Brother Darwin had an article
about that, didn't he? The un-people, ungodly, unholy,
undone, unable, unable. Can real grace save such wretches
as that? Does God's grace that we just
heard Brother Dave sing, does it really save old, hardened,
fallen sinners? Does real grace do that? Yes,
it can. Yes, it can. Because while real
grace is unmerited and unsought and undeserved, it's also undefeated. Glory to his name. Do you think
that son of yours or that daughter or that grandson or that granddaughter
or whoever may be coming to your mind right now, do you think
they were hardened? You think they were as lost,
any more lost than Saul of Tarsus was that day on the Damascus
road? He hated Jesus Christ. He hated the name Jesus. He was
convinced that he's an imposter. He's trying to destroy the tradition
and religion of my fathers. And he said, I'm going to erase
that name off the face of the earth. I will kill, do whatever
I have to do. If I hear that name on the lips
of anybody, men, women, it doesn't make any difference to me. And
what happened to Saul? What happened to Saul of Tarsus?
Jesus Christ, the mighty God, he that's able to save to the
uttermost, that day on the Damascus road said to Saul of Tarsus,
come down sinner, and down he came. And if Jesus Christ is
the same yesterday and the day and forever, he's got the same
power, he's mighty to save. Whether it's my wayward son or
daughter or grandchildren or yours, God Almighty can bring
them down. Oh, I pray that he does. I remember
hearing Brother Moose Parks one time. Oh, how he prayed for his
son, his daughter. The more he prayed, the more
unconcerned they became. And he said one time, he got
a call, I think it was in the wee hours, But the wee hours,
and it was his son, D. He said, oh, daddy, daddy. Obviously crying. Daddy, I'm
lost. I'm lost. Moose said that's the
best thing he'd ever heard in his life. God done got his son
lost. Thank God. that where sin abounded,
grace doth much more abound. Does grace really reign? Are
the words of that old hymn really true? Is his grace greater than
all my sin? Can his grace really pardon and
cleanse within? Is this true, where sin abounded,
his grace doth much more abound? Is the real grace that is in
Jesus Christ such grace to me? I mean, oh, God forbid that I'm
just standing outside looking in, huh? Have I tasted myself
of His grace? He's precious to you, Peter wrote,
to you that have tasted the Lord is gracious. I could describe
to you, try to describe to you the enchiladas that my wife makes. Bobby, I'll tell you what, they're
better than the Mexican place that we go to. They're much better.
And I can kick back in my easy chair and eat them, you know.
But I could try to describe to you how good they are. But you
really wouldn't get it, would you? Unless I put one in front
of you and you took a bite. You experienced it. You tasted
it. Oh, yes. God's grace reigns. God's grace saves. God's grace
is abundant. Oh, but have I tasted it for
myself or have I just learned some words? Oh, no. I want to
taste His grace. Is this true of me? Concerning
those who are built upon this foundation, we read that sin
shall not have dominion over you. And there is a theology
today that tells people, but that's not true in so many words. You can make a decision for Jesus
and then go out and just live like hell, like you've always
done, but you're still a Christian. Oh my soul, what a lie. You're
just a carnal Christian. You're going to lose a little
reward. Oh God, have mercy upon such folks. Is it true? that if any man be in Christ,
he's a new creature, a new creation. He has something in him that's
not of this world that only can be explained by an operation
of God Almighty. Is that true of me? That's real
grace. Old Spurgeon said, take heed
above everything of a waxen profession that will not stand the sun.
Take care of a life that needs to have two faces to carry it
about. Be one thing or else the other.
If you make up your mind to serve Satan, do not pretend to serve
God. And if you serve God, serve him
with all your heart. Exactly. Oh, for grace to possess,
not merely to profess. Real salvation. Real salvation. That's the third thought. The
third thought. The text calls it uttermost salvation. Now, it may be best for me to
encourage you just to go home and get alone with God and think
about that. Uttermost salvation. See if you can get to the end
of it. You can't. Uttermost salvation. I love that
word. Salvation that can't be explained
except by a miracle of God's grace. Salvation that only the
great God and Savior can perform. Salvation that is so to the uttermost
that it will not only keep me from falling, oh, it'll go beyond
that. The uttermost says it will keep me from falling and do this,
present me faultless, not only without sin but without fault,
before the throne of God. Oh, that's uttermost salvation. Salvation, as old Newton said,
could only be explained this way. It's the result of amazing
grace. It doesn't take God's amazing
grace. work of God's miracle, working
grace to walk up an aisle, to repeat a sinner's prayer, to
get slapped on the back and tell me I did God a favor. That doesn't
take grace. It just takes some persuasion
of some lost preacher. Oh, but to know the living God,
to know whom I have believed, oh, that takes a miracle. That
takes a miracle that can only be performed by the God of all
grace, who is mighty to save. Oh, out of the depths, the psalmist
said, out of the depths have I cried unto thee. Oh, I was
at the bottom most, but his grace reached down to the uttermost. He reached down his hand for
me. I was lost and undone without God and his Son when he reached
down his hand for me. The Lord will give grace, yes,
and glory from the guttermost to the uttermost. Every one of
them in Zion appeareth before God. Last of all, a real Savior
with real grace that brings a real salvation is only for real sinners. Can't turn you loose until we
mention a few things about that. Real sinners. Brother Scott Richardson,
I don't know how often during a message that he was preaching,
he would just stop and look out. I think of in Danville at the
conferences, the place was just packed. And Scott would look
at it and say, oh, I wonder, is there a sinner in the house? Is there a sinner in the house?
If anybody thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Is anybody thirsty? Oh, God's real grace from a real
Savior is for real sinners. Our Lord said, They that behold
me not a physician, but they that are sick. He told the Pharisees,
go and learn what that means. I will have mercy and not sacrifice.
I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. I
cannot think of any way that expresses this better than from
the lines of old Joseph Hart's hymn. I quote it often. But what
comfort can a savior bring to those who never felt their woe?
A sinner is a sacred thing, the Holy Ghost had made him so. New
life from him we must receive before, for sin we rightly grieve. This faithful saying let us own,
well worthy it is to be believed, that Christ into this world came
down, that sinners might by him be saved. Sinners are high in
his esteem, and sinners highly value him. Real sinners, without
strength, without hope, that have nothing, can claim nothing,
and can do nothing, like that thief on the cross. Oh, if I
could find somebody like that, I've got good news. He couldn't
be baptized. He couldn't walk to the front
of the church. He couldn't repeat the sinner's prayer. All he could
do, and this he did by the grace of God, is look over to that
one hanging in the center, on that center cross, and say, Remember
me. Lord, remember me when thou comest
into the kingdom, thy kingdom, and that one who is able to say
to the uttermost all that come unto God by him, even while he
hung on the cross, answered that poor helpless dying sinner with
these matchless words of grace today. Today, oh my soul, today,
thou shalt be with me in paradise. And not long after that, after
the Lord Jesus Christ cried at his finish, he took that trophy
of his mighty saving grace and marched into heaven with him
and presented him to the Father as one that he had committed
into his son's hands and he had redeemed a trophy of his mighty
grace. and all the 10,000 times 10,000,
and thousands and thousands of angels and sinners already there
by virtue of the lamb slain before the foundation of the world joined
together in singing, worthy is the lamb that was slain to receive
power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory
and blessing. When I stand before the throne,
dressed in beauty not my own. When I see thee as thou art,
love thee with unsinning heart, then, Lord, shall I fully know,
but not to then, how much I owe. Then I shall know and appreciate
so much more than I can now that Jesus Christ is our great Savior,
with great grace that brings great salvation, that saved this
great sinner. Worthy is the Lamb. God bless
you. Thank you for your teaching.