Listen carefully to this alarming,
comforting declaration of God the Holy Ghost in Romans 6, 23. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal
life through Jesus Christ Our Lord. A wage is something you earn. Something you deserve. Something
you buried. Something that is justly given
to you. The wages of sin is death. That's something you deserve.
You fully earned it. If you get it, you'll get it
because it is justly yours. A gift is something that's free. It's unconditional. It's given
without qualification or relationship, a real gift. The gift of God
is eternal life. And this gift of God, this eternal
life, is given to sinners, wrought in sinners, heaped upon sinners
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Now as God the Holy Spirit will
enable me, I want to talk to you for a little while about
the gift of God. The wages of sin is death, but
the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Now listen carefully as I make
five statements that simply cannot be refuted, and I cannot imagine
why anyone would wish to refute them who believes God. Five statements
that go to the heart of Paul's doctrine in this sixth chapter
of Romans. Number one, if you will be turning
back to Proverbs chapter one. Proverbs chapter one. Now listen, if you continue in your sin,
if you continue in your rebellion and unbelief, if you continue
to reject Christ as your Lord and Savior, you will die in your
sins, and that's a condition you fully deserve. If you die in your sins, your
eternal death, your everlasting damnation, your everlasting portion
in hell, what the scriptures call the second death, will be
a condition you fully deserve. Death and hell will be your proper
wages, your own responsibility. But if you're saved, taken to
heaven, and live forever in God's glory and holiness, that will
be the result of God's work and God's grace alone. Look here
in Proverbs 1, verse 22. Listen to God. Listen to God. Are you there? Can you hear me? This is not Don Fortner talking
to you now. I'm reading to you. what God
says to you. How long, ye simple ones, will
you love simplicity? And the scorners delight in their
scorning, and fools hate knowledge. What a declaration of lost sinners. Simple, scorners, fools. who hate knowledge. Simple scorners,
fools who hate knowledge. Well, Brother Don, that's not
very respectable. Far more respectable than you can imagine. Simple scorners, fools who hate
knowledge. Respectable because it's true. That's the condition of every
person who lives in rebellion to God and refuses to believe
on the Son of God. God says, turn you at my reproof. Behold, I will pour out my Spirit
unto you. I will make known my words to
you, to you simple ones, you scorners, you fools who hate
knowledge. If you will hear me, If you'll
turn at my reproof, I will pour out my Spirit unto you. I'll
make known my words to you. Verse 24, because I have called
and ye refused, because I stretched out my hand and no man regarded,
but ye have said it not all by counsel and would none of my
reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity. I will mock when
your fear cometh, when your fear cometh as desolation, and your
destruction cometh as a whirlwind, when distress and anguish cometh
upon you. I'm going to laugh at you, I'll
mock you just like you laugh at me and mock me. Then shall
they call upon me, but I will not answer. They shall seek me
early, but they shall not find me, just like Esau saw the place
of repentance and found it not. How come? Why is that? Why would
God deal with folks that way? For that they hated knowledge
and did not choose the fear of the Lord. They hated knowledge
and did not choose the fear of the Lord. Men loved to think
of their free will and the might of their will and the power of
their will and the right of their will. This is how God describes
your exercise of your will. They hate knowledge and refuse
to choose the fear of the Lord. They would none of my counsel. They will not, they will not,
they will not my counsel. They despise all my reproof. Therefore, therefore, that is
because you simple ones, you scorners, you fools who hate
knowledge, who disregard God stretching out His hand to you,
who stop your ears against God's reproof, who refuse to choose
the fear of the Lord, who hate knowledge, who will not have
God's counsel, who despise God's reproof. Therefore, therefore
shall they eat the fruit of their own way. and be filled with their
own devices. Oh, my soul. When you go to hell, when you go to hell, you will
eat the fruit of your chosen way. You will be filled with
your own devices. For the turning away of the simple
shall slay them. and the prosperity of fools shall
destroy them. That is to say you willfully,
deliberately choose to follow the path of the simple and seek
the prosperity of fools, and that's the reason you won't believe
on the Son of God. But whoso hearkeneth unto me
shall dwell safely. and shall be quiet from the fear
of evil. The Lord God has fixed it so
that those who perish in their sins, those who die in rebellion
and unbelief are all together without excuse. There is no excuse
for your rebellion now. There will be no excuse for your
unbelief tomorrow. And there will be no excuse for
your rebellion and unbelief in everlasting damnation. None at
all. No one goes to hell by accident. No one goes to hell by accident. Unbelief is not a passive thing. Unbelief is not a passive thing.
Oh no. If you go to hell, you will have
to go to hell, scratching and clawing your way there, fighting
to your last breath against the light God's given you, against
the gospel you've heard, against the preaching of the word. Men
and women don't go to hell because they're ignorant. Folks go to
hell because they're rebels. All right? Here's the second
statement. Eternal separation from God is
the result of deliberate effort on your part. Death. Hell. Eternal separation
from God is the result of deliberate effort on your part. I do not read in this book of anyone going to hell because
of Adam's sin and fall in the garden. We are born sinners as a result
of Adam's transgression and our fall and our sin in Adam. But
nobody goes to hell because of what Adam did in the garden.
Nobody. The soul that sinneth, it shall
die. If you go to hell, you'll go
to hell because of your own transgressions, because of your own rebellion,
because of your own sin, because you despise God's counsel. You hate God and you choose not
the fear of the Lord. If you go to hell, it's the result
of deliberate effort on your part. But if you go to heaven,
If you obtain God's salvation, if you inherit eternal life,
that's the result of deliberate effort on God's part, who has
saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our
works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was
given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. Here's the third
statement. eternal wrath and condemnation. Our text tells us is the just
wage of sin and guilt. It's a just wage. It's a just
wage. You work 40 hours a week on an
agreed amount of money, and when you get your check, you expect
that amount of money to indicate the agreement made. you get a
just wage. Your employer is not giving you
something that's gratuitous. He's not giving you something
that you didn't deserve. You've worked 40 hours exactly
as you said you would work and now you have earned a wage and
you take the money to the bank because you've earned it. Hell,
eternal wrath, eternal condemnation is what you have earned. Oh God, make those words burn
in your heart. Hell is what you've earned. Hell is what your sons and daughters
have earned. Hell is what I have earned. Hell is what every sinner who
perishes under the wrath of God has earned. But eternal life
and salvation is the free gift of God. It's the free gift of God. You can't do anything to earn
it. You can't do anything to merit it. In fact, the only way
you can ever have it, the only way you can ever have it is to
give up all thought of earning You can never receive God's salvation
as God's gift as long as you think you deserve it. Fourth, there's nothing, absolutely nothing
that keeps you out of heaven but your unwillingness to bow
to Christ and receive him as Lord and Savior. That's the only
thing. The only thing that keeps you
out of heaven, the only thing, the only thing. is your unwillingness
to bow to Christ and receive him as Lord and Savior. Listen
to our Savior. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou
that killest the prophets and stonest them which are sent unto
thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together,
even as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and ye would
not. will not come to me that you
might have life." Our Lord Jesus, on the great day of the feast
from folks who come to Jerusalem and they've been to Bible conference
and they've gone through religious ceremonies and religious customs
and sacrifices and all the stuff you're supposed to do at those
things, they still came up empty and went away empty and the Savior
said, if any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. thirsty? Are you thirsty? Take a drink. Drink of the water
of life from the fountain Christ Jesus the Lord. He that believeth
on me as the scripture has said out of his belly shall flow rivers
of living water. We read in the book of God about
the children of Israel who wandered in the wilderness for 40 years.
They went out to of Egypt like soldiers marching abreast, marching
through the Red Sea. And they went out conquering
the Egyptians because God conquered for them. But they went through
the wilderness for 40 years murmuring and griping and complaining,
murmuring and griping in unbelief. They didn't believe God could
prepare a table in the wilderness. So God fed them with quails and
then fed them with manna. Gave them so many quails they
just couldn't get the meat out of their teeth. They despised
it. They didn't believe God could
give them water in the desert. So God opened up streams in the
desert and gave them water out of the rock. But they didn't
believe God. They didn't believe God. They
didn't believe God. And of all those that came out
of Egypt, of all those that came out of Egypt, Adam, there were
millions of them. millions of them. Millions of
them. Millions of them. They all perished
in the wilderness except Joshua and Caleb. Every one of them. Every last
one of them. All the children of Israel above
20 years old who came out of Egypt perished in the wilderness
except Joshua and Caleb. because they refuse to believe
God. They refuse to believe God. And if you miss heaven, it will
be because you refuse to trust Christ. There's nothing that
will keep you out of heaven but your own will. But there is nothing
that will keep you out of hell except God's will. I realize all things are of God. I know that. I know that. Nothing
comes to pass in time that wasn't predestined from eternity. I'm
fully aware of that and I think you know I'm fully aware of that.
Absolutely nothing comes to pass in time that wasn't predestined
by God from eternity who worketh all things after the counsel
of his own will. Yet God's purpose God's decree
of predestination is never spoken of in this book, not one time. Not one time as the cause of
judgment and condemnation. Not one time. Speak of vessels
of wrath and vessels of mercy. Vessels of wrath fitted for destruction
by their willful transgression and unbelief. Vessels of mercy
aforeprepared unto glory, exactly according to God's purpose, yes,
but the cause of judgment, the cause of condemnation is never
God's decree. The cause of judgment, the cause
of condemnation is your sin, your unbelief, your rebellion,
nothing else. You won't go to hell because
God will not save you, but because you will not be saved by God's
free grace through the merits of his dear son. You're not going
to stand at the bar of God in the day of judgment and say,
well, I wanted to be saved, but I wasn't predestined. I wanted
to be saved, but you didn't choose me. I wanted to be saved, but
I couldn't come. No, no, no, no, no. You will
stand at the bar of judgment, in the day of judgment, and you
will acknowledge that you have earned God's wrath forever in
hell. And all creation will say amen
as you perish under the wrath of God. This is what they deserve. Number five. Turn back to Psalm
51. Psalm 51. And learn this. Anyone who is saved by the grace
of God in Christ will justify God in his own condemnation.
Here is David's song of confession, of repentance, and of faith.
Written after Nathan the prophet had exposed his sin. When Nathan
the prophet had said to David, the sword will not depart from
your house. This baby is going to die to
show God's displeased with what you did. And your sons and daughters are
going to rebel against you the days of your life and they will
die violent deaths because of your sin. The sword will not
depart from your house. Your son is going to take your
wives and take your wives to himself publicly before all Israel
because what you've done displeased me and I must show my displeasure
with what you've done. Now hear what David says about
all that. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness,
according to the multitude of thy tender mercies. Blot out
my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me. My sin, what I am. is ever before
me. I confess everything I've done,
what I am, it's always right here in my face. It's ever before
me. Against thee and thee only have I sinned and
done this evil in thy sight, that thou mightest be justified
when thou speakest and be clear when thou judgest. Behold, I
was shapen in iniquity And in sin did my mother conceive me." If ever you come to know God's
grace, if ever you seek God's mercy, if ever you bow to Christ,
if ever you seek the mercy and grace of God in Christ Jesus,
you will take sides with God against yourself. And you will
set in judgment with God against your own sin, and you will justify
God in your own condemnation. Now look back at our text, and
I'll wrap this up. Romans 6, 23. The doctrine of God in this passage
is plain and clear. The wages of sin is death, but
the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
The wages of sin is death. The soul that sinneth, it shall
die. This is your condition by nature. You are spiritually dead, dead
in trespasses and in sins. and soon you will experience
the wrath of God forever. You deserve eternal condemnation
by birth, by choice, by nature, by practice. Sin is what you
are and sin is what you do. Justice cries out for your damnation. I can think of no reason why
you're not already in hell, except for the merciful forbearance
of God. Our Lord gave a parable in Luke
chapter 13 about a fig tree. He said to the gardener, he said,
this fig tree bears no fruit. Why cumbereth it the ground?
Cut it down. Let's use those ground for something
else. And he said, well, let me work on it a while. Let me
put some manure around this tree and let's give it another year.
If it doesn't bear any fruit, then cut it down. So it is with
you. God continues to uphold you with
life and breath in this world. And here you are, sitting under
the sound of the gospel of God's free grace, and you hear God.
You hear God speak. And God stretches out His hands.
And God calls. And you say, no, no. I won't
hear. There's an appointed day when
God's going to cut you down. And you won't be a bother to
this world anymore. And it's just right. It's just
right. More than that, you're already
under the sentence of condemnation. He that believeth not is condemned
already. At this very moment, at this
very moment, you're the object of that same wrath and anger
which is poured out upon the wicked in hell. Hell's mouth
is open wide to receive you. Satan's ready to seize you. and
those corrupt principles that fuel the fires of hell rage in
your heart and soul right now. The wages of sin is death. And the fact is you have no power,
no ability to lift that awful curse and condemnation off yourself. The wrath of the God is like
God himself, infinite, inflexible, and unchangeable. God's angry
with the wicked every day. There's no lack of power with
God to punish you. He's under no obligation to show
you mercy. God's wrath upon you is fierce
and terrible as it is just and holy. His wrath is infinite. It's everlasting. and it will
fall on you suddenly without warning. God help you then flee
to Christ. Flee to Christ. What choice do you have but to
seek his mercy? Like those lepers, we can stay
here and die or we can go yonder and maybe we can live. flee to
Christ, perhaps He will admit your plea, perhaps will hear
your prayer. But if you perish, perish, pray
and perish only at the throne of His grace. Second, but the
gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. But God,
Paul said. Oh how I thank God for those
two words, but God. But God, this is what God does
in saving sinners. He steps in the way. He steps in the way. He stops you in your mad rush
for hell. He puts Himself between you and
damnation. And He steps into your life. by his almighty grace. That's
your only hope. As for that infant described
by Ezekiel, aborted, cast off from his mother's womb,
laying in the open field, rotting in his own blood and pollution. He said, I pass behold thy time
was the time of love and I spread my skirt over thee and I said
to you live and you lived and you became mine and I made you
beautiful through my comeliness that I put on you. That's what God's done for me.
That's what God does for sinners. He steps in the way. He interposes
himself in our lives. He stops us in our mad rush to
hell. But God, who is rich in mercy
for his great love wherewith he loved us, hath quickened you
together with Christ, by grace are you saved. You see, salvation
is entirely the gift of God. Eternal life is not a good idea,
a generous offer, or a gracious proposal from God. Eternal life
is the gift and operation of God Almighty. It's the work of
God in you. It's God who awakens the soul. It's God who stirs the heart. It's God who gives repentance.
It's God who works faith in you and God who will give you the
crown of glory at last. Our Lord Jesus says concerning
all his sheep, I give unto them eternal life. And that salvation
which God gives is eternal life. Eternal life. We tend to think
about eternal life only in terms of duration. And it certainly
includes that. It has neither beginning nor
end. We come to experience it in time, but it is life that
was ours with Christ before the world was dropped into our souls
in the experience of His grace, continuing on forever. But eternal
life has more to do with quality than with time and duration. Eternal life is a personal, experimental,
living knowledge of the living God. This is life eternal that
they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom
thou hast sent. It's not knowing a creed. It's
not knowing doctrine. It's not knowing facts. It's
not knowing figures. It's not knowing history. It's
knowing God in the person of his dear son. Eternal life is
a living union with Jesus Christ the Lord. I know that he is living. Whatever men may say, He walks
with me and talks with me a long life's narrow way. Lindsay, we live in Him and with
Him and He lives in us. That doesn't come by decision,
that doesn't come by choice, that doesn't come by an effort
on my part. He put Himself in us. Eternal life. is having the nature of Christ
put in you. Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Eternal life is a new creation. Being born again by almighty
grace, united to Christ by faith, adopted into the family of God,
we are made the king's sons. Eternal life is that which God freely bestows
upon sinners in Christ. Look at chapter 2 of Ephesians,
verse 8. By grace are you saved through
faith, and that not of yourselves. It's the gift of God, not of
works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship. Oh, I love that word. We are
His workmanship, His masterpieces, created in Christ Jesus unto
good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk
in them. That word workmanship, masterpieces. Masterpieces. Masterpiece. Rex, that's as good
as a fellow can do. That's His best work. That's
His best work. Look up here. Look here. This is God's best work. God's workmanship. He's given
me eternal life in union with His Son because He loved me. because He redeemed me, because
He's determined to glorify Himself in me. What did God give us when He
gave us eternal life in Christ? All that He is and all that He
has and all the bounty and infinite fullness, the indiminishing fullness
riches and grace in Christ Jesus. All of it is ours in Christ Jesus. He gave us this life in union
with Christ before the world was. He comes at the appointed
time of love and gives eternal life to His chosen when He calls
us by His grace in regeneration. He continually feeds us with
life, giving us life, preserving us in life throughout the days
of our lives on this earth. And then, when we drop these
robes of flesh, we enter into eternal life. We haven't yet begun to think
about what awaits us then. And then, on the resurrection
day, when these mortal bodies are swallowed up in immortality,
God gives us eternal life. How is that? Through Jesus Christ,
our Lord. Eternal life given to sinners
by God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Through his merits,
through his mediation, by his power. Would you have eternal
life? Would you have eternal life? Believe on the Son of God. Believe on the Son of God. He that believeth on the Son
of God hath everlasting life. Your faith in Christ obviously
won't make you live. If you can make yourself live,
you're not dead. No, no, no, no. Your faith in Christ is the
fruit and evidence of God's work in you. Believe on the Son of
God and you have everlasting life. Can you believe Him? Can you come to Christ? Can you
trust the Son of God? If right now you believe Him,
God's given you eternal life. You give God the praise and live
for Him. Amen.