Good evening, Brother Jimmy.
That's beautiful. If you turn in your Bibles to
Luke chapter 15. Luke chapter 15. Again, reading in verse one. Then drew near unto him all publicans
and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes
murmured, saying, this man receiveth sinners and eateth with them. And he spake this parable unto
them. John 6, 43, Jesus therefore answered and said unto them,
murmur not amongst yourselves. No man can come to me except
the Father which has sent me. Draw him, and I will raise him
up in the last day. Here standing before these sinners,
publicans, Pharisees, and scribes is Jesus Christ. in the flesh,
the Son of God, the Messiah, the Word in the flesh, born of
the seed of David according to the flesh, dwelling among us, preaching himself, the gospel
of God, God in the flesh, Christ Jesus. sin of the Father, sent
to seek and save those which were lost, to redeem His elect,
the creator of all things, life, the light, speaking to these
publicans and sinners. John 1, 14, And the Word was
made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the
glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace
and truth. And then there was these scribes
and Pharisees. Murmuring. And that sounds familiar, doesn't
it? They've been doing that for a long time. Still are. And so do some of we. And as before, when they would
try to slander we would hear truth. They said, this man receives
sinners and he eateth with them. I can't think of any better title
for this message. 2 Corinthians 5, to wit, God was
in Christ. reconciling the world unto himself,
not imputing their trespasses unto them, and hath committed
unto us the word of reconciliation. Oh, what grace, what mercy, and
what love God has shown to his elect in the beginning. God the
Father chose us, put us in Christ as our surety. predestined us
to the adoption of children, to be conformed to the image
of his son. Christ redeemed us with his own blood, put away
our sins, in Hebrews 12 too, looking unto Jesus, the author
and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before
him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at
the right hand of the throne of God. This is the Christ crucified
standing there. Our substitute made sin for us
who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of
God in him. He died and was buried, rose again the third day according
to the scriptures for the justification and the just. He became the just.
He is the just and the justifier of the ungodly. And by the fall
of Adam, we were spiritually dead, dead in our trespasses
and sins, sinners. He came to seek and save. As
sheep, we are lost, led astray. Christ came to seek and save
those that are lost and make alive through his Holy Spirit,
his righteousness imputed to us. We were with him from eternity. He has made us one in the Father
in him. There is no greater love, our
hope of glory, fulfilling the covenant of grace, doing his
father's will here. is God revealing Himself in Christ
Jesus. I just can't fathom that enough,
standing there. Come to the feast, come to the
Father through His Son, Jesus Christ. And He spake this parable
unto them, saying, What man of you having a hundred
sheep, if he lose one of them, does not leave the ninety and
nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until
he find it. And when he hath found it, he
layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth
together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, rejoice with
me, for I have found my sheep, which was lost. I say unto you
that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth
more than over ninety and nine just persons which need no repentance."
Christ portrayed as our great shepherd. He laid down his life
for his sheep. He's our surety. Joyfully assumed
total responsibility for all of God's elect in the beginning. And he swore he would lose not
one. He is able and willing. He cannot
and will not fail. He is able to save to the uttermost.
He alone, by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of
yourselves, it's a gift of God. Saved by his grace, we are safe
and secure in him. He alone provides for our every
need. By his stripes we're healed.
The lamb slain before the foundation of the world, and he brings us
the glory. We as sheep wander far off. We
don't seek after him. He comes where we are. God draws
you. Here we see ourselves as helpless,
weak, lost sheep, being sought by that great shepherd. And when
he finds us, he picks us up and he puts us on his shoulder. He bears us. Look, look over center, on his
shoulders. See how far your feet are off
the ground? He's carrying you. It carries you home to the Father,
home to the throne of grace. How far? All the way. All the way. From the beginning,
before you were even born in the flesh, now, to that day of
judgment, when He comes again, to gather all in Him, And for all eternity, safe, secure, he found them. The 99 that were left in
the wilderness, we've heard about those before. He left them to
themselves. They didn't need a shepherd,
so they thought. They were not of his sheep. They
were not lost. They didn't need a substitute.
They were content in their own self-righteousness. They were lost and in need of
Christ's righteousness. They thought they had no sin. Therefore, they saw no need of
repentance. You were brought by Christ to
the throne of grace, begging for mercy. carried on his shoulders
your salvation. All belong to God. It's all God's
creation. We're all God's creation. We're
all his creatures. But not all are his sheep. Not all are his elect. God knows
his sheep. And they will hear his voice.
And there is joy in heaven over one that is found and brought
to repentance. Christ is exalted. Christ is
magnified. God gets his glory. And he loves
his son. And he spake this parable unto
them, saying, The disciples ask him, Lord, in Matthew 13, 10, Why speakest thou of them in
parables? And he answered and said unto
them, because it is given to you to know the mysteries of
the kingdom. It's a mystery. God has to reveal
that. But unto them it is not given.
It is all of God's grace in Christ Jesus, in his redeeming blood.
Only God can reveal, and he does it to those he chooses. And down to verse eight. Either
what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece,
does not light a candle and sweep the house, and seek diligently
till she find it. And when she had found it, she
calleth her friends and her neighbors together saying, rejoice with
me, for I have found the peace which I had lost. Likewise, I
say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of
God over one sinner that repents. repentance and remission of sin.
The Holy Spirit, God's work of regeneration. We are like that
lifeless piece of silver. We have no abilities. What did
you do? What did you do in your salvation?
What did you do? We did nothing. We are content
just to lay there in that dust and that filth of our sins and
our self-righteousness. God lights the candle. The light of the gospel of Jesus
Christ. The light, the true light, which
lighteth every man that cometh into the world. Holy Spirit convicting you, convincing
you of your sins, that you have sinned, you stand guilty before
a thrice holy sovereign God. Showing you, God, the father
in the face of Jesus Christ, his son, God sweeps the house
diligently, seeking till he finds you. Sprinkles your conscience
with the blood of Jesus Christ. making you alive, it was spiritually
dead. Applying his blood to you, you're
made alive in him. Sanctified, justified by God's
grace, Christ redeeming blood. Faith given of God, receiving
Christ's righteousness imputed unto you. Because he died, we
died with him. Because he lives, our life is
hid in him. He has made us one with the Father
by His finish, by He finishing the works that God gave Him,
the Father. On Calvary's cross, Christ in you revealed. He has
made Himself known to you. We are in Christ, born of His Spirit, faith to
faith. He teaches us. He seals us. seals us with that sonship. He has predestinated us, made
us the sons of God, conformed us to the image of Christ, the
adoption of children, partakers of that denied divine nature.
Repent, oh sinner. God has shown mercy unto you,
even when we are enemies and sinners. God has shown his grace
to you in Christ the Son. The other 99 pieces of silver?
Luke 13, 34. Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which
killest the prophets, stone us. May that are sent unto thee. How often would I have gathered
thy children together as a hen for nurture. As a hen, she brew over, take
her brood under her wings, and yet you would not. Behold, your
house is left unto you desolate, and verily I say unto you, you
shall not see me until the time come when you shall say, blessed
is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Again, we are helpless. We have
no work to do. Christ did it all. We as a piece
of silver just lay there. It is all of God's grace. He
gives the ability and the desire. He has made you a new creature
by his spirit. Christ revealed in you, born
again of his spirit. You see a need for a substitute,
a savior, Christ's righteousness. You're brought to repentance.
God have mercy on me, a helpless, vile sinner, and there is joy. All neighbors and friends are
called to rejoice with him. The angels of God look and praise
God, for I have found that one that was lost, still carried
on Christ's shoulders. God's irresistible, all-sufficient
grace, he sends message And he sends his messengers and preachers
to preach his gospel. The other 99 pieces of silver,
they were left alone. They were not lost. They didn't
need to be found. And he spake this parable. Verse
11. And he said, a certain man had
two sons. And the younger of them said
to the father, Father, Give me the portion of goods that follow
to me." And he divided unto him, them his living. A certain man had two sons, and
the younger of them wanted God to give him what he thought was
owed to him. Disrespectful, unthankful, rebellious,
proud. And yet the father, the father divided his living
unto them. And not many days after the younger
son gathered all together and took his journey into a far country,
and there wasted his substance with righteous living, he wandered far away from the
father, as far away as he could get. tried to hide from an all-knowing,
all-seeing, all-powerful God. Everything man touches he corrupts
and wastes. And when he had spent all, there
arose a mighty famine in the land. And he began to be in want. Before God raises you a sinner
up, He's going to bring you down. He's going to bring you down
low. Strip you of all your confidence
and pride of the flesh. God uses His creation for His
glory and for the saving of His elect. He calls that mighty family. He starves you spiritually, makes
you hunger for righteousness. Romans 8, 28, and we all know
that all things work together for the good of them that love
God, to them who are called according to his purpose. For whom he did
foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image
of his son. that he might be the firstborn
among many brothers. Moreover, whom he did predestinate,
them he also called. And whom he called, them he also
justified. And whom he justified, them he
also glorified. Verse 15. And he went and joined
himself to a citizen of that country. And he sent him into the fields
to feed swine. And he would have fain have filled
his belly with the husk the swine did eat. But no man gave unto
him. False preachers, false teachers. Pharisees, self-righteous works
religion. It's damning. He found no nourishment
for his soul. No one could give it to him.
No one could give him any bread. God gives the bread of life.
Christ Jesus is the bread of life. The manna from heaven. And he would have fain eat of
that false teaching. But God, Ephesians 2 verse 4. Who is rich in mercy for his
great love, or which he had loved us, even when we were dead in
sins, hath quickened us together with Christ. By grace ye are
saved, and hath raised us up together, and made us sit in
heavenly places in Christ Jesus, our high priest. That in the
ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace,
in his kindness towards us through Christ Jesus. Matthew 7, 15. Beware of false prophets which
come in to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening
wolves. You shall know them by their
fruits. And also in 2 Timothy 3, verse 1. This know also that in the last
days, perilous times shall come, for man shall be lovers of their
own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient
to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers,
false accusers, incontent, fierce, despisers
of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, Lovers of
pleasure more than lovers of God. Having a form of godliness
but denying the power from such turn away. God won't accept your works.
He won't accept your filthy rags of righteousness. 17. And when he came to himself,
he said, how many hired servants of my father's have bread enough
to spare, but I perish with hunger. Unbelief. Unbelief is insanity. And when he came to himself,
Christ found him, put him on his shoulders. The Holy Spirit
of God regenerated him. He's given a new, he's made a
new creature by God's irresistible grace. He has a new heart. He has had his conscience sprinkled
with the blood of Christ. He has been brought to repentance.
He has been made to see God in the face of Christ Jesus. He
has been made to see how needful he is of the righteousness of
Christ. And he rose and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way
off, his father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on
his neck and he kissed him. God draws you to Christ. He imputes
Christ's righteousness unto you. He justifies you. He gives you
the gift of faith to believe on Him. He delights in mercy. Turn to John 14. We start reading in verse 1. Let
not your heart be troubled. Ye believe in God, believe also
in me. In my Father's house are many
mansions. If it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and
receive you into myself, that where I am, there you may be
also. And whether I go, ye know, in
the way ye know." Then Thomas said unto him, We know not whither thou goest.
And how can we know the way? And Jesus said unto him, I am
the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father
but by me. And if he had known me, he should
have known my father also. And from henceforth ye know him,
and have seen him. I and the Father are one. Verse 20. And he arose and came to his
father. But when he was yet a great way
off, his father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on
his neck and kissed him. And the son said unto him, father,
I have sinned against heaven and
in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
But the father said unto his servants, bring forth the best
robe and put it on him. and put a ring on his hand and
shoes on his feet. The father, here's your cry, because we have
that intercessor, that mediator, that high priest, Christ Jesus.
We are in him. God put us there. The father
loves his son. He said, put on the robes. Put on the robes of Christ's
righteousness upon him. that sinner that's been carried
on his shoulders to him. Put that seal of the Holy Spirit
on his finger, the seal of sonship, and put on his feet the shoes,
the preparation of the gospel of God. Your paths are ordained
of God. Verse 23, bring hither the fatted
calf and kill it, and let us eat and be merry. Christ crucified. Feast on him. When I see the
blood, I will pass over you. Feast on his flesh, drink of
his blood, not literally, spiritually. Your bone of my bone and flesh
of my flesh. He has made us one with the Father
in Him, with His atoning blood. He put away our sins, the just
and the justifier, His doing and dying. He was made the just
and the justifier. He was made sin for us who knew
no sin, that we may be made the righteousness of God in Him.
He has died and, yes, risen again. He has freed us from the judgment,
the curse of the law, our substitute, the propitiation, sin taking
away sacrifice. He alone pleased God with his
perfect righteousness, his perfect sacrifice, and his blood flows
continually. He alone has made you worthy
to sit at the Father's table and feast on Christ Jesus. He alone has made peace with
God, this God-man. This man receiveth sinners, and
he eateth with them. Be merry. Verse 24, For this my son was
dead, and is alive again, he was lost
in his family. And they began to be married.
Oh, what joy. God loves his providence. He
loves his purpose. He loves his son. He loves his
elect and them. And then there was the elder
son. Verse 25. Now his elder son was in the
field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music
and dancing. He was out in the field working, trying to please the Father with
his works. God's not pleased with the works
of the wicked. Proverbs 21.4. and high look
and a proud heart, and the plighting of the wicked is sin. Verse 26, and he called one of
the servants, this elder son, and asked what these things meant. And he said unto him, Thy brother
is come, and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because
he hath received him safe and sound." Christ crucified. The sinner
saved by God's free, irresistible grace in Christ Jesus. And he was angry, this elder
son, and would not go in. Therefore came his father out
and entreated him. Luke 24, 47. And that repentance and remission
of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning
at Jerusalem, God sends his word. He sent his own son. The gospel
was preached to them the same as it is to us. God is good. He only does good. He entreated him. The servant
told him of the fatted calf. Verse 29, and he answering said
to his father, lo these many years do I serve
thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment. And
yet thou never gavest me a kid that I might make merry with
my friends. But as soon as this thy son was
come, which hath devoured thou living with harlots, thou wast
killed for him a fatty calf. And he said unto him, Son, thou
art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. God is good. God is good to His
creation. He only does good. Turn with
your will to Matthew 5. Starting in verse 43. You have
heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor
and hate thy enemy. But I say unto you, love your
enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate
you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute
you, that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven.
For he maketh the sun to rise on the evil and on the good,
and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if we
love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the
publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren
only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the publicans say?
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven
is perfect. Also in John 3.16. For God so loved the world that
he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his son
into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through
him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not
condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already, because
he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world,
and men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds
were evil. For everyone that doeth evil
hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds
should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh
to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they
were wrought in God. So we have two sons here. We have a sinner. We have a Pharisee. Two who have sinned against the
Father. Two have come short of the glory
of God. As Brother Mark mentioned before,
who makes you to differ? 1 Corinthians 4, 7, For whom
maketh thee to differ from another? And what hast thou that thou
didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive it,
what is our glory as if thou hast not received it? Turn to
Romans 9. Verse 11. For the children, being
not yet born, neither have done any good or evil, that the purpose
of God according to election might stand not of works, but
of him that calleth. It was said unto her, the elder
shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have
I loved, but Esau have I hated. What shall we say then? Is there
unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For he saith to Moses,
I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion
on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that
willeth, nor of him that runneth, but God that showeth mercy. For the scripture saith unto
Pharaoh, even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I
might show my power in thee, and that my name might be declared
throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy, on whom
he will have mercy, and whom he will, he hearteth. For who maketh thee to differ
from another? And what is thou that thou hast
not received? Sinners and Pharisees, the law
made sin more sinful. Both guilty, both under the curse
of the law, both under God's judgment upon them, Both born
with that same God-hating nature of Adam, our first representative. Let's turn over to Romans 3.9. What then? Are we better than
they? No and no wise. For we have before
proved, both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin. As it is written, there is none
righteous, no, not one. There is none that understandeth,
there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of
the way. They are together become unprofitable. There is none that doeth good,
no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulcher. In their tongues they have used
deceit. The poison of asp is under their
lips. Whose mouth is full of cursing
and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed
blood. Destruction and misery are in their ways. And the way
of peace have they not known. There is no fear of God before
their eyes. Now we know that what things
soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law,
that every mouth may be stopped. and all the world may become
guilty before God. Therefore, by the deeds of the
law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight. For by
the law is the knowledge of sin." It's all of grace. It's all of
God's grace, the redemption of Christ Jesus. Freedom. But now the righteousness of
God without the law was manifest, being witnessed by the law and
the prophets. Even the righteousness of God,
which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that
believe, for there is no difference. For all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God sent
forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood to declare
His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through
the forbearance of God, to declare, I say at this time, his righteousness,
that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth
in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It's
excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. Gospel of God. One was in Christ Jesus, put
there before the world was by the free and sovereign grace
of God. Purpose unto salvation, elected,
predestinated, sanctified, justified, made righteous, puted righteousness
of Christ, made holy, put in Christ Jesus. In Christ, when He alone came
in the flesh, suffered, died, rose again the third day according
to the scripture, we were in Him. God has borne us again, borne
us of His Spirit, made us a new creature in Christ Jesus. One
was dead, but is now made alive. One was lost, But now one has
been found. One has made the Son of God in
Christ Jesus alone. And one is left alone. Just where he wanted to be. Let's
turn and read Matthew 7. Verse 20. Wherefore, by their fruits ye
shall know them. Not every one that saith unto
me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he
doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to
me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name?
And in thy name have we not cast out devils? been in thy name,
done many wonderful works. And then I, then will I, profess
unto them, I never knew you. Depart from me, ye that work
iniquity. Oh Father, Father, look what
I've done for you. Look what I've done. That's what
he was telling me. I kept your commandments. The elder son stood before the
Father without. Without Christ's righteousness
imputed to him. Without God's saving grace. Without
God's gift of faith. Without a substitutionary death. Christ Jesus. Without the blessings
of Christ Jesus. The Godhead resides in him bodily.
Without the redeeming blood of Christ, without Christ who finished
the works that the Father gave Him, without rest in Christ, without
being justified of God by Christ redeeming and atoning blood,
without the Spirit of God, no propitiation, no electing grace, no Savior,
The elder's son stood before God, the Father, without Christ
Jesus. Stood alone. Christ wouldn't
hold him on his shoulders. He didn't bring him to the Father.
The Father didn't draw him. He stood alone before God. Holy and sovereign, just God.
Alone. In His own righteousness. Folks, that's hell. That's hell. Grace is free. Christ paid it
off. Hear Him today and harden not
your hearts. Verse 32, it was meat that we should make merry and
be glad for this thy brother was dead and is alive again and
was lost in his family. It's all of God's grace in Christ
Jesus. He is salvation. He is eternal
life. Hear ye Him, God delights in
mercy. See the joy and the glory of
God in Christ Jesus. Oh, what love and what mercy,
what grace God has given to us. Oh, what a Savior is Christ Jesus
our Lord. Our high priest, our intercessor,
our mediator. Come to the throne of grace,
Christ is the only way. This man, this God-man, receives
his sinners and he eats with them. Covenant of grace. God the Father,
God the Son, God the Holy Spirit made before the world was. And he will keep us to that day.
the work of redemption be made known fully and complete. He has made us to be without
sin in Him, the hope of glory, one with God the Father by Christ's
atoning blood for all eternity, justified. We have no sin in
Him. He bore all those sins and took
them away with His doing and dying, with His blood shed. Free
of sin. Christ has made us free of sin. We have peace. He has made peace
with God for us. What a sweet union. We've got to do it again. You've
got to hear it one more time. Zephaniah 3, we'll just go to
verse 17. The Lord thy God in the midst
of thee is mighty. He will save. He will rejoice over thee with
joy. He will rest in His love. He will joy over thee with singing. With joy over thee, we sing. Oh, what love, what grace, what
mercy. What a great God. Look at what
He's wrought for us in His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Our
Lord, our Savior. Come, O sinner, to the throne
of grace. Christ Jesus is the only way to the Father. That new and living way is God. Feast on Christ. He is life eternal. He is that bread of life. He
is our life. We have no life without Him.
Feast on Him. Believe on Him. Trust in Him.
He is salvation. Look to Christ Jesus alone. Because
this man, This God may receive the sinners and ease with them. Praise God. God give His glory. Amen.