Mr. Deuton was about as well
known for his letter writing as he was for his preaching.
God gifted him with a heart that could identify with the sufferings
of his people. He had been there and therefore
he could write to others and comfort them with the same grace
that he himself was comforted. In one of his letters to a friend,
he said this, I may express all my complaints in one short sentence. And it was this, I am a poor
creature, a poor creature. And I can express all my hopes
and comforts just as briefly by saying this, I have a rich
and gracious savior. I have a rich and gracious Savior. I am a great sinner, but I have
a great Savior. Full as I am in myself of inconsistencies
and conflicts, I have in Him a measure of peace. He found
me in a waste, howling wilderness, and He redeemed me from the house
of misery and bondage. And though I have been ungrateful
and perverse, He has not yet forsaken me. And he never will. He never will. He is able to
hold even me up, to pity, support, and supply me to the end of my
life. How suitable a Savior. He has
made all things to those who have nothing, and is engaged
to help those who can do nothing. Does that describe you? Does
that describe you? Jesus Christ is such a Savior
as you need, exactly as you need. I have nothing, but I have all
things in Christ. I can do nothing, but by His
grace I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.
And Mr. Newton closed his letter with
this text of Scripture, which is our text this morning. Hebrews
7 and verse 25. Just this one verse. Wherefore,
Speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ, wherefore He is able also to
save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing
He ever liveth to make intercession for them. Salvation to the uttermost. How do you like the sound of
that? Does that find an echo in your heart? Does that not
find a response? Does that not answer your deepest
need to have a Savior who is able to save you to the uttermost? First, let's consider the fact
of it, the truth of it. Remember that program that was
on TV years ago? Was it Dragnet? One of the detectives
would always say when he was interviewing someone, Just the
facts, please. Just give us the facts. Well,
here's a blessed fact. Here's an everlasting truth.
Christ is able to save to the uttermost every sinner that comes
unto God by Him. And then we'll consider the proof
of it. What I mean by that, we'll call
some witnesses to the stand and ask them, is this so? Because
some have experienced the truth of this verse. They've been saved
by the grace of God. Peter puts it this way, if so
be you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. First the blessed
fact of it. It's true. He is able to save
to the uttermost. If you would take a dictionary
and look up that word, uttermost, it would include this in its
definition. It means the greatest or to the
highest possible degree. It means fully. It means forever,
everlasting. That sounds like God's salvation
to me, doesn't it you? In Isaiah chapter 45, this is
exactly what we read. Isaiah 45 and verse 17. Listen
to this. But Israel, this is God speaking,
but Israel shall be saved. No question about it. No doubt
about it. Israel shall be saved. All God's
true Israel. All those chosen by the Father. All those redeemed by the Son,
all those for whom He shed His own precious blood to bring them
to God, shall be brought to God in time and in eternity. They will hear the voice of the
Great Shepherd. He's not referred to as the Great
Shepherd for no reason at all. He deserves the title. He demonstrates
His greatness every time. As we read a moment ago in John
11, He raises a sinner from the darkness and depth of his depravity
and sin and raises him up to walk in newness of life. And
that sheep that the Great Shepherd calls to life, He'll keep by
His grace and bring him all the way to glory. Oh, surely He's
able to save to the uttermost. Israel shall be saved. Now, there's no buts there. There's
no maybes there. There's not a question mark at
the end of that verse. This is the blessed, blessed
fact. All God's people shall be saved in the Lord with an
everlasting salvation. There's no other kind. No other
kind with an everlasting salvation and ye shall not be ashamed nor
confounded world without end. And then again listen to the
words of the Great Shepherd himself. Very familiar but so full of
comfort in John's Gospel chapter 10. Again the Great Shepherd
speaks. and he speaks as never a man
spoke. Who else could speak these words
and say, my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow
me and I give them eternal life. Eternal life. I hear people talk
about life, eternal life that someone might forfeit. Eternal
life that you might lose after all. necessary to be born again and
again and again and again. Oh not so. Listen again. I give
them eternal life. Eternal life is exactly that.
That means it'll never end. There'll never be an end to it.
I give them eternal life. And they shall what? Never perish. Oh boy, what if they do like
Peter and deny that they ever knew you? They'll never perish.
What if they do like David and sin against God? But they'll
never perish. What if they wander away and
fall into sin like the prodigal? They'll never perish. They're
my sheep and I'll keep them. Peter, I've prayed for you that
your faith fail not. And you know, children of God,
Peter's faith never failed. Once God grants us the gift of
faith, we have it. It'll never be forfeited. And
the gifts and the calling of God are without repentance. That is, God will not repent
of it. God will not take back once He
gives them to us. Peter, I prayed for you that
your faith fail not. And oh, what a demonstration
of the grace, the keeping grace and power of God that even in
the very moment that Peter was calling down curses from heaven
upon his own head to try to prove to those around him that he could
not be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Even then, in his heart, he was
yet believing that Jesus was the Christ because the great
high priest, our intercessor, was praying for him. And they
shall never perish, neither shall any man. and plucked them out
of my hand." Oh, I like that. He says, my sheep are in my hand. Can you picture them there? In
the hand of omnipotence, in the hand of his sovereign majesty,
in the hand of reigning, conquering grace, in the hand of the great
and faithful shepherd, God put them in the hands of Christ in
that everlasting covenant of grace before he ever created
the world. And Christ goes on to say, no
man can pluck them out of my hand, but my Father which gave
them me is greater than all, and they're in God's hands too.
The shepherd's hands and God's hands. Now who is able to pluck
them out? No wonder we read here in our
text of salvation to the very uttermost. He is able. I like that, don't you? The Lord
Jesus Christ, this same Jesus, in Acts 1, that the disciples
saw a sin back to heaven and sat down at the right hand of
the Majesty only on high. This same Jesus, only He can. Who else can save a sinner? Who
else can give a sinner life? Ezekiel, can these bones live? And religion tells us, yes, it's
easy. It's easy. But Jesus Christ,
who is himself the truth, says that's not so. It's not easy. It's impossible unless, unless,
as we read again in John 11, he goes to where that dead sinner
is. In John's Gospel 5 he said the
hour is coming and now is. The dead shall hear the voice
of the Son of God, and they that were dead shall live. When he speaks to them, as he
did Lazarus, with that mighty voice, with that very word, there
goes life. Life is breathed into that sinner,
and he raises to follow Christ all the days of his life. Yes, he's able, because he's
the mighty God. The mighty God is able to save. He's mighty to save. God Himself
said, hundreds of years before Christ came into this world,
being sent of the Father, He said concerning His righteous
servant, He spoke these words concerning Jesus Christ. God
says, are you listening? God says concerning our Redeemer,
our mighty God and Savior, God says concerning Him, He shall
not fail. He shall not fail. I come to
save my people from all their sins, and He shall not fail. I come to do Thy will, O my God,
and He shall not fail. Oh, he's able to save them to
the uttermost. He's able to do whatever God
requires to be done in order to bring many sons to glory. In Daniel, you have the story
of how those who were jealous of Daniel in the days of Darius
the king had him cast into the lion's den. and the king because
he was fond of Daniel but he couldn't break his own law. It
had to be carried out but he didn't sleep all that night wondering
about Daniel in that den of lions. I heard one preacher many years
ago preaching from that and he said I don't have any evidence
to support this, but I kind of suspect that Daniel might just
have laid his head back on one of those big manes on one of
those lands and just slept like a log. You know why? Because
he was in the hands of the Great Shepherd. And we read in Daniel
chapter 6, the king comes to the den and he cries with a lamentable
voice unto Daniel the king and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant
of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually,
able to deliver thee from the lions? Is he able? Is your God able to do that? Are you there, Daniel? Are you
still among the living? Has your God been able to keep
you amongst those lions?" And Daniel responds, as the old king
lived forever, everything's well. And then we read, the king was
exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel
up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of
the den, and no matter what hurt was found upon him, because he
believed in his God, oh God grant me faith as I journey through
this world to believe that Jesus Christ is able to save a sinner
just like me. Just like me. I sang a moment
ago and it's true. We sang it together. Prone to
wonder, prone to wonder. Lord I feel it, prone to leave
the God I love. Oh, wretched man that I am, who
shall deliver me? God is able. God is able to deliver
you. Grant me faith to believe that
Jesus Christ will save me to the uttermost. The Lord Jesus
Christ is a mighty, all-sufficient, able Savior for sinners. We read of this over and over
again in scriptures. He's able to do all that he promised
to do, Romans 4 and 21. And being fully persuaded, that
what he had promised he was able also to perform. It would be
very little comfort to a child of God if he couldn't, if we
couldn't rely upon his word. He's able, Paul said, as he said
in Nero's present waiting to be beheaded, writing to Timothy,
he said, he's able to keep what I've committed unto him. For
the which cause I also suffer these things. Nevertheless, nevertheless
I'm not ashamed For I know whom I have believed and am persuaded
that he is able, he is able, oh I like that, he's able to
keep that which I've committed unto him against that day. He's able to keep us from falling. Oh yes, fall we will seven times
in the day but the Lord will lift us up. Now unto him that
is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless and to present you faultless,
Jude 24, able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless
before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy to the only
wise God our Savior. Be glory and majesty, dominion
and power, both now and forever. Amen. And he's able to raise
his own from the dead. Philippians chapter 3 verse 21
for our conversation is in heaven for whence also we look for the
Savior the Lord Jesus Christ who shall change our vile body
that it might be fashioned like unto his glorious body according
to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things
unto himself and our text again He's able to save to the uttermost
all that come unto God by Him. The extent to which uttermost
reaches as far as necessary. No sinner can be too loud to
be pardoned through the blood of Jesus Christ. No man can be
too depraved to be called by the Spirit of God. It reaches
only desperate cases. God's grace does this. Paul tells us in Romans 5, it
rains over sin. It abounds over sin. Grace, as Bobby sings to us sometimes,
reaches deeper than the stain has gone. Oh, that's the kind
of grace this sinner needs. Grace that can do that. until
omnipotence can be conquered, until infinite wisdom can be
baffled, until the merit of the blood of Jesus Christ shall fail,
that is, cease to satisfy God, until that happens. And those
are impossible There's hope for the vilest offender, and that
includes me. He is able to save to the uttermost. That's the blessed fact of it.
And now the sweet experience of it. The proof that Christ
is able to do that very thing. Turn, if you will, to Revelation
chapter 7. Revelation chapter 7. Here's
a multitude of witnesses. A multitude that no man can number. And every one of them tell us
plainly, plainly, that Jesus Christ is able to save to the
uttermost in their song of praise as they stand before the Lamb.
Here in Revelation 7 verse 9. After this I beheld and lo a
great multitude which no man can number of all nations and
kindreds and people and tongues stood before the Lamb, before
the throne and before the Lamb clothed with white robes and
palms in their hands. Now in chapter 6 we read of those
who saw the Lord Jesus coming in power and great glory and
prayed that the rocks and the mountains would fall on them
and hide them from the face of him that sits upon the throne.
We don't want to face him. We don't want to stand before
him. We don't have a mediator. We don't have anyone to stand
between the Holy God and our guilty souls. We would rather
perish in these rocks than to face Him. And yet, here's a multitude,
an innumerable multitude that stand in the very presence of
God, in the full glow of God's presence and glory and grace,
and they have no fear. You know why? They got a mediator. They're in the Beloved. They're
accepted in Christ. They're as accepted by God Almighty
as He accepts His own Son. Christ rather said, God loves
them as He loved Christ. Oh, how about that? In verse
13, the elder asked John, Who are these? What are these which
are arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from? Who
are these favored ones? What did they do to deserve this? Nothing. Nothing. Christ did
it all. Christ did it all. Salvation
is of the Lord. He purposed salvation. He provided
the Savior. He performs salvation, and He'll
perfect salvation. God does it all. And not one
of those that stand before the throne, waving that palm leaf
of victory, and clothed in the white perfect robe of Christ's
righteousness, not one of them have a problem with that. Not
one of them have an issue with that. They are so thankful. They
will be eternally thankful that salvation from beginning to end
is all of the Lord because they know. If it wasn't, they wouldn't
be there. They wouldn't be there. And child
of God, it's salvation in every consideration of it, in every
facet of it. If it's not all the Lord's doing,
then you and I don't have a hope of ever going there. Oh, but,
but, if we stand before God Almighty, wrapped like they are, in the
pure, perfect, spotless, without blemish, robe of His righteousness,
then we must be accepted by God. God will do so for Christ's sake. Look again in Revelation chapter
7. The elder answers the question.
John says, Sir, thou knowest, verse 14, and he said to me,
he said to me, These are they which came out of a great tribulation.
They came out. I declare there's been some times
I wondered I'm not going to come out of this. This one's going to get me. This
one's going to drown me. But I come out. I come out. And have washed their robes and
made them white. white in the blood of the lamb. Therefore, that's the reason
are they before the throne of God and serve him day and night
in his temple and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among
them. Imagine that. Imagine that. And they shall hunger no more,
neither thirst any more, neither shall the sun light on them nor
any heat. For the lamb, the lamb slain
on their behalf which in the midst of the throne shall feed
them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters, and
God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." Turn back if
you will to Hebrews, back in Hebrews chapter 9. As I've told you before, you hear in our day about Redemption
that was only possible. Redemption that is only effectual
if the sinner adds his faith to it. That's the talk of blind
religion. The Word of God knows nothing
like that. Never speaks in that fashion. It always speaks of
redemption as something obtained, something accomplished, something
done, over, finished. Here in Hebrews chapter 9 verse
12, Neither by the blood of goats
and calves, but by his own blood, that is Christ's own blood. He entered in once into the holy
place, having obtained, past tense. It's a done deal. Oh, don't you like that? Having
obtained eternal redemption for us. I suppose that's why after
obtaining our eternal redemption, by bearing all of our sins in
his body, after being made sin and putting an end to transgression
and bringing in an everlasting righteousness, that's why he
cried from the cross as the mighty victor that he is. It is finished
because he got the job done. Glory to his name. Verse 13,
for if the blood of bulls and goats, those things that only
represented the blood of Christ, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling
the unclean, sanctify it to the purifying of the flesh. How much
more, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through
the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your
conscience, from dead works to serve the living God. Oh, God's Word speaks of a real
redemption, a real ransom that brings a real deliverance by
a real Savior. Christ accomplished the redemption
of his people and that is why the justice of God Once it's
satisfied, once God's justice is satisfied, it demands, it
demands those for whom it was offered must go free. The blood shed demands the pardon
of all those for whom it was shed. God's faithful and just. He's not going to demand payment
twice. He's not going to exact it from
the hands of our Savior and then turn around and exact it from
us. Oh no, payment God cannot twice
demand. Atonement, once made, demands
deliverance. As Moses delivered God's message
to Pharaoh, let my people go. And atonement provided Atonement
made, redemption obtained, demands that God's people must be let
go. Justice has no claim on me anymore. It's been satisfied. That's exactly
what our Lord said in John 18. I love that passage, don't you? When that mob come to take him
in the garden. We read that Jesus, knowing all
things that should come upon him, turned and ran away. No,
no, no. He stepped forward. Who do you
want? Jesus of Nazareth. You found him. You found him. Take me. Take me. I don't resist. Take me. He's led as a lamb to
the slaughter. Take me. But if you do, these
must go their way. Glory to his name. Hebrews chapter
1. When He had by Himself, Jesus
Christ again, when He had by Himself purged our sins, He sat
down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. Hallelujah,
it's done. The great transaction's done. It is finished. Again, Revelation. Revelation chapter 5. Listen
to what they sing concerning that redemption obtained. Revelation chapter 5 and verse
9. And they sung a new song saying,
thou art worthy. You're worthy. You've earned
this. You've merited this. You deserve
this. You're worthy to take the book
and to open the seals thereof for you were slain and has redeemed
Past tense. When you were slain, you redeemed
us to God by the own blood out of every kindred and tongue and
people and nation. Give me a redemption. Oh, tell
me about a redemption that actually does redeem. doesn't offer to
or attempt to but actually washes all my sins away and that will
present me before God like my Redeemer, like my bridegroom
so his bride shall be without fault, without blemish, without
spot before the throne of God. Jeremiah chapter 50 verse 20 in those days. And in that time,
saith the Lord, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for,
and there shall be none. And the sins of Judah, and they
shall not be found. God says, for I will pardon them
whom I reserve. Jesus Christ did not die in vain. Isaiah chapter 53. Yet It pleased the Lord to bruise
him. That is, God bruised his son. He hath put him to grief. When thou shalt make his soul
an offering for sin, he shall see his seed. Except a corn of
wheat fall into the ground and die, Christ said, it abideth
for long. But if it die, it bringeth forth
much fruit. Much fruit. He shall prolong
his days. He shall see his seed. and the
pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of
the travail of his soul, and he shall be satisfied. My soul,
there's no way that that could be true if Jesus Christ saw one
for whom he shed his blood. one for whom he was made sin,
perishing in hell under the wrath of God. How in the world would
he ever be satisfied if that would ever be the case? But it'll
never happen. He shall see it through the veil
of his soul, and he shall be satisfied. By his knowledge shall
my righteous servant justify many, for he shall bear their
iniquities. Let's call two or three to the
stand. two or three out of that multitude that no man can number
and ask them, ask them, is Jesus Christ able to save to the uttermost
all that come unto God by him? There stands one, he seems to
be wanting to out shout all the rest, to give glory to God more
than all the rest. Ask him, is God able to save
to the uttermost? Is Christ able to deliver you
And he would tell you, oh yes he would. Oh yes, I experienced
it. I tasted it. Well, who are you?
I'm Bartimaeus. I'm Bartimaeus. I was just a
poor blind beggar. Every day, all I had to look
forward to, my day consisted in just going to the gate of
Jericho And when I heard, because I couldn't see, but when I heard
someone passing by, just cry out, would you help a poor blind
beggar? Sat there in my rags day after
day. But one day, one day, I heard
a greater noise than usual. I heard a multitude of people. And I asked, what's the meaning
of this? What's happening? And I was told
that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. He who is the Savior of sinners
is passing by. He who alone can help me is passing
by. I'm sitting in darkness, and
the light of the world at that moment is passing by. What did
you do, Barnabas? Oh, I began to cry. I begin to
shout, or at the top of my voice, I cry out, Jesus, thou son of
David, have mercy on me. Oh, Barnabas, he's on his way
to Jerusalem. He's on his way to lay down his
life for his people. He doesn't have time to listen
to you. He doesn't have time for you. He's got more important
things to hear than the cry of one blind beggar. Oh, but what
a wondrous, wondrous thing we read. Mark chapter 10, at the
cry of that one poor blind beggar, Jesus Christ stood still. Wow! Glory to his name. He always hears the cry of every
needy sinner that asks for his mercy. He always stops. Oh, the cry of a needy sinner
always brings the attention of the Lord Jesus Christ. And blind
Barnabas was made to see. Man, Barnabas, is he able to
save to the uttermost? Are you sure you just didn't
imagine all that? And he would say, imagine it.
Imagine it. Man, I was once blind and now
I'm seeing. No, I didn't imagine it. Well,
let's call another one to the witness stand. We read of her
also in Mark's Gospel. We're told of this woman that
she had an issue of blood 12 long years. 12 long years. And she had gone to a physician
at the physician, at the physician. And she only got worse. Nobody
could help her. Nobody could help her. The only
thing they relieved her of was her bank account. She only got
worse. And Jesus of Nazareth, she heard
where he was. Oh, can you picture this poor
woman? She makes her way through that crowd. She says, oh, I've
got to get to him. I'm diseased. Oh, but he's the
fountain of living waters. Oh, if I can just get close enough,
if I have to crawl and just get to where I can just touch the
hem of his garment, I'll be made whole. And that's exactly what
she did. She was full of disease. Oh,
but look at him. He's full of grace and truth.
From him flowed power and virtue and grace into her. We read there,
the moment she touched him, immediately she was healed. Oh, thank God,
there is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel's
veins, and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty
stains. One more. One more. There's another one dressed in
white, waving the palm leaf of victory and shouting, worthy
is the lamb. Who are you? We read of him also
in Mark's Gospel, Chapter 5, that poor lost demoniac. No man could tame him, we're
told. He had been often bound with chains and fetters, and
he just plucked him asunder. No man could bind him. And every
day, night and day rather, he was in the tombs crying and cutting
himself with stones. If that's not a picture of absolute
hopelessness, I don't know what is. Oh, but lo and behold, who
would have ever thought, who would have ever imagined, except
God himself, that he was one of God's chosen. That poor, pitiful
demoniac is one that God Almighty gave to his son. Gave to his
son before the world began. And when he sees the Lord Jesus
Christ, he bows before him. And Christ speaks in the majestic
power with authority and said, come out of the man, thou unclean
spirit. And then the next picture we
see of him, he's setting in clothed and in his right mind. They all
give glory to that one, Jesus Christ, from whom and by whom
they received all of God's grace. Salvation to the uttermost from
sin's penalty. Child of God, right now, right
now. And I don't know where now has
you. I don't know where right now finds you. You might be right
now, burdened. heavy-hearted, troubled, perplexed. Oh, but right now, none of those
things can touch this. Now, there is no condemnation
to those who are aware in Christ Jesus, in Christ Jesus. Like Henry's article in today's
bulletin about the ark, there's only one ark and Noah was in
it. The ark endured the storm. The
fury of the storm beat upon the ark, but those in the ark were
perfectly safe. The fury of God's wrath against
sin beat upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, therefore, I am safe. God made him to be sin for us
who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of
God in him. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. And we are being saved from sin's
very power. Sin shall not have dominion over
you. Romans 6 and 14. Why? Because you're not under
the law, but under grace. And God's grace reigns over sin. God's grace will not let me go. You're glad of that, aren't you?
I'm sure thankful for that. God's grace will not let me go. It was grace that taught my heart
to pray. It was grace that made my eyes
overflow. It is grace that kept me to this
day. And grace will not let me go. They'll never perish. And soon
we'll be saved from the very presence, the very existence
of sin. Turn, if you will, to Revelation
chapter 14. Revelation chapter 14. Here's a picture of the redeemed
before the throne of God. Saved from sin's penalty, saved
from sin's power, and saved from the very existence, the very
being of sin. Revelation chapter 14, verse
3. And they sung as it were a new
song before the throne. and before the four beasts and
the elders. And no man could learn that psalm
but the hundred and forty and four thousand which were redeemed
from the earth. These are they which were not
defiled with women for they are virgins. These are they which
follow the Lamb whether so ever he goeth. These were redeemed
from among men being the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb. and in their mouth was found
no guile for they are without fault they are without fault
before the throne of God I love that verse in Ezekiel it speaks
about the work of this Lord Jesus Christ and the outcome of it
is this and thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty
for it was perfect For it was perfect. It was perfect through my comeliness,
which I have put upon thee, saith the Lord God, with his spotless
garments on, as holy as God's own Son. God sees my Savior,
and then he sees me. What a glorious place to be.
The practical, shoe-leather benefit of all that is this. Jesus Christ
is able to save to the uttermost, then trust Him to do it. Fall
into His mighty arms and just rest right there. Just rest right
there. Remember, anyone ever, when you were perhaps
younger, asked you to prove that you trust them by just falling
into their arms, they would stand behind you and say, now just
fall. Just fall. I'll catch you. Carlos
is grinning. It must have happened to him.
Paul, I don't know that I ever did. I never trusted nobody that
much. Oh, but Jesus Christ says, come unto me all ye that labor
and heavy laden. Just fall into my arms. Just
fall into my arms. I won't drop you. I won't lose
you. I won't let you go. Oh, he that's
begun a good work in you, will perform it into the day of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Thank God for grace, salvation
to the uttermost. God bless you. Thank you for
you.