Well, I want to turn your attention
this morning to Psalm 68, Psalm 68, and particularly verse 18,
and I've entitled this message, Gifts for Rebellious Men, Gifts
for Rebellious Men. I've told you several times,
but it doesn't hurt to keep reinforcing it, the purpose of the scriptures
is not to tell mankind in general how to live, though it does declare
the law of God and it declares that for which all men will be
responsible and will be convicted and be responsible outside of
Christ if they are outside of him. But the purpose of Scripture
is for God to declare salvation. It's a declaration of salvation. It's not an offer of possibilities. It's not the free offer of the
Gospel. Yes, in the sense that His people
hear it and are made willing in the day of His power to believe
it, but the Scriptures are a declaration of what God is determined to
do in salvation. It's a declaration of His holiness.
that he's of purer eyes than to behold iniquity, that he dwells
in unapproachable light. It's a declaration of what sin
is. and how God views sin, and how
God hates sin, and how it's vile and polluting in his nostrils,
and how we are altogether vile and filthy in our sin, as is
the whole human race. It's a declaration of the judgment
of God against sin. It's a declaration that judgment
must come because justice, God is a God of justice, it must
be established. It's a declaration of the penalty
for sin, the soul that sins it shall die. And it begs the question
which the scriptures themselves cry out, how can a man be just
with God? And the scriptures answer that
question. And they reveal it in the account of history, of
the world from the beginning, his dealings with Israel as that
nation of his choice. It reveals how can a man be just
with God in type and pattern, in the Passover, in the tabernacle,
in the temple. in the Levitical law, in the
priests, in the sacrifices, throughout the prophets, it reveals how
can a man be just with God. In the poetry books like the
Psalms, and Song of Solomon, and Ecclesiastes, the poetry
books, God's word unfolds God's purpose, which is to make just
a people, the people of His choice. How can a man be just with God?
God makes His people just with God. And the Scriptures declare
it. How much did David understand of what he was inspired to write? You know, David wrote most of
these psalms. How much of what he wrote did
he understand? I'm sure he understood lots,
but I'm sure as a man in the flesh there was still plenty
that was hidden and in type and shadow to him turn over to first
peter or if you can't get there doesn't matter i'll read it out
to you but first peter chapter one verse ten speaking of salvation
god's salvation verse ten of which salvation the prophets,
and David's counted as one of the prophets in the sense that
he penned scripture, of which salvation the prophets have inquired
and searched diligently who prophesied of the grace that should come
unto you searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of
Christ which was in them did signify. They were holy men,
born, separated men, born along by the Holy Spirit to write that
which God the Holy Spirit inspired. And they were searching what,
or what manner of time, The Spirit of Christ was signifying when
these things would happen. When it testified beforehand
the sufferings of Christ. They knew that they were writing
about these things. They knew that there was symbology
in those things of the temple and many other ways. But when
is it going to be fulfilled? They didn't know. They didn't
know when and how in detail. And the glory that should follow.
Unto whom it was revealed that not unto themselves alone, but
unto us. they did minister these things.
We have their testimony here in Scriptures completed, which
are now reported unto you by them, that they have preached
the gospel unto you, with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven,
which things the angels desire to look into." Probably when
David was writing these things, he had a really good appreciation
of the salvation that was to come, but how much he fully understood
that which now we can see because Christ has come. Jesus was born
in Nazareth. He was raised and grew as a man
under the law, made of a woman under the law to redeem those
who are under the law. We know that when the fullness
of time was come, he went to the cross. When the weeks were
fulfilled, the weeks of Daniel were fulfilled, he went to the
cross. We can see it now. We can see it. Turn to Hebrews.
Chapter 11, again, don't worry if you can't get there quickly,
I'll read it out to you. Hebrews 11, verse 39, and all these,
this is the gallery of faith, the patriarchs, you know, by
faith, Abel did this, by faith, Noah built an, by faith, Abraham,
by faith, all these, having obtained a good report through faith,
Abraham believed God. and it was accounted to him for
righteousness. They received not the promise. They didn't
receive the physical fulfillment of it. They saw it. They saw
it was coming. Abraham, said Jesus, rejoiced
to see my day and was glad. Abraham looked forward to the
coming of Christ, but he didn't, in the flesh, experience the
fact that Christ has come, whereas we do. We look back and we know
it's a fact of history. Christ was born. Christ was crucified. He went down into the sepulcher.
He was raised from the dead. He was seen of 500 at one time. He ascended into glory. He sits at the right hand of
the Father. John the Apostle was taken up into heaven and
has seen Him in His glorified state with that glory for which
He prayed to His Father in John 17 restored to Him. All of these
things are accomplished. God, having provided some better
thing for us that they without us should not be made perfect.
Oh, they're made perfect. by their faith in what they had
faith in. It was the faith of Jesus Christ that has saved them.
But we've got something better. In that, we've seen the fulfillment
of it. We know that it is recorded in
history that Christ cried on the cross, it is finished. We
know that it is a fact that the veil of the temple was torn from
top to bottom, that axis is there. We know that Christ came and
made an end of sacrifice. We know, it's a historical fact,
those lands that are in the news all the time in our day. It's
established, it's done. All of these things are established,
but they're here in picture and in poetry, in the Old Testament
scriptures. Look at Psalm 68 with me. It's
a song of salvation accomplished for sinners, as are all. This
is the key to this. I don't understand the Psalms.
Tell you, this is what they are. They're songs of salvation accomplished
for sinners. It's a song of triumph. Let God
arise, let his enemies be scattered, verse one. It's a song of rejoicing,
verse three. But let the righteous be glad.
Let them rejoice before those made righteous by Christ and
his redemption. Those made righteous, that we
might be made the righteousness of God in him. Let those made
righteous be glad. Let them rejoice. It's a song
of rejoicing for salvation. It's a song of praise, verse
four, sing unto God, sing praises to his name, extol him that rideth
upon the heavens by his name Yah, and rejoice before him.
It's a psalm of the compassion of God. Our God is a God of mercy
and of compassion. Verse five, he's a father of
the fatherless, a judge of the widows. God is in his holy habitation. He's a God of care, verse six,
because he sets the solitary in families to care for them.
and brings out those which are bound with chains. But the rebellious
dwell in a dry land. The rebellious who stay in their
rebellion dwell in a dry land. He's a God of provision. Verse
nine, thou God did send a plentiful rain whereby thou didst confirm
thine inheritance when it was weary. It's a psalm of victory
Verse 12. Verse 12. Kings of armies did
flee apace, and she that tarried at home divided the spoil. A
psalm of victory. It's a psalm of accomplishment.
Verse 18. Thou hast ascended on high. The work is finished. Thou hast
ascended on high. Thou hast led captivity captive.
Thou hast received gifts for men, yea, for the rebellious
also, that the Lord God might dwell among them. So I just want
to break it down, clause by clause, this verse 18. Thou hast ascended
on high. Thou hast ascended on high. It's
singing the completion of salvation to God's elect. Thou hast ascended
on high. Who is it? the Thou that he's
talking about here. Look at verse 19. Blessed be
the Lord who daily loatheth us with benefits, even the God of
our salvation. That is the Thou of verse 18. He is the Thou of verse 18, the
Lord. This is the Thou of verse 18,
the Lord God manifested, made known to his people. in the flesh. No man has seen God at any time.
The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He
has made Him known. He has manifested Him. He has
made Him known, Philip. I remind you again, show us the
Father. Philip, have I been so long with you and you have not
seen me? He that has seen me has seen the Father. I am in
the Father and the Father in me. He came in the flesh, the
Lord God, our salvation. He came in the flesh. He is the
Word. He is the Word who was in the
beginning with God. He who was in the beginning and
is God as John 1 verse 1 tells us. This is He, our Lord Jesus
Christ, the second person of the glorious Trinity. He is the
One, think about this, think about this, He is the One. Who
was it that spoke to Adam in the garden before the fall? Who
was it that spoke with Adam in that intimate fellowship of spiritual
union? It was the Word. It was our Lord
Jesus Christ, the manifestation of God to mankind. He spoke with
Adam in the garden. He is the one who appeared to
Abraham in the door of his tent when he was on his way with those
angels to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. He is the one who appeared to
Gideon and spoke with him. He is the one who spoke to Samson's
parents. And you know Samson's parents,
Manoah, and I can't remember the wife's name, but they thought,
they cried out, woe is me, we're going to die, for we have seen
God. When they saw this one, the word,
who came? The Lord God, who came? He is
the one who spoke to the boy Samuel in the temple. And who
else is he? He's the creator of all things,
for by Him were all things made, by Him and for Him, for His glory
were all things made. He has made creation for Himself,
for His own glory, and without Him was not anything made that
was made. It is He who became flesh to
redeem His people from the curse. Cursed is everyone that hangs
on a tree, but Christ has come. The Lord God, our Savior, has
come to redeem those who are under the curse, to redeem us
from the curse of the Lord. He's ascended on high. he that
came down he that made himself of no reputation he that was
made for a season a little while lower than the angels or a little
lower than the he who came down to that humble state let this
mind be in you which was in Christ who being in the form of God
thought it not robbery to be equal with God he was equal with
God but yet he laid aside that glory that glory which he prayed
in John 17 the father would restore to him because now all things
were accomplished he would go to the cross he would rise from
the dead restore to me the glory which I had with you from the
beginning he's God why is he God that proves it that proves
it to those who will come on your doorstep and tell you that
Jesus is somebody special but he's not God because God says
this my glory will I not share with another And if God says
he won't share his glory with another, he means he will not
share his glory with another. And Christ prayed, restore to
me the glory that I had with you before the beginning. Christ
is God, come in the flesh, creator of all things. He who was made
low, clothed in flesh for the suffering of death, that he might
destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil,
has ascended on high. He's gone back to glory. The
work is accomplished. He who has made low has ascended
on high. Are we talking about cold doctrine
here? You know, you could go and have
a scripture exam, couldn't you? RE, you can do pretty well at
RE. Is it just cold doctrine? Is it just bald, naked facts
that you know? To the merely religious it may
well be, but to the child of God, this is felt doctrine. Do you feel the power of the
fact in your soul? that my Lord Jesus Christ, God
my Savior, has ascended on high. He who rules the universe. What happens to all of those
trials and worries and concerns and anxieties of life when you
know this that God our Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ, has ascended
on high. Does that not move you? Does
that not stir your soul? To know that I have an interest
in that. To know this, that though it's
appointed to man to die once and then the judgment, that in
him, because he has ascended on high, I will be there with
him. He's gone there as the guarantor, as the first fruits. This is
something that you experience in your soul. And you know, if
I can give an example, it's like music. I'm sure Sam could teach
somebody all the notes of a complicated piece of music and to quote that
famous comedy line of Morecambe and Wise, they could even get
all the notes right and in the right order, because that's what
he said, he got them right but they weren't in the right order.
You could do all of that, you can have it all mechanically
so you're playing it like a metronome, like a mechanical piece of machinery. But you know, there's a difference
between that and the soul and the feeling being in it. I've
been to concerts where a particular piece of music has been played
and it's just been a damp squib. It's been hopeless. And I go
to another concert with a different conductor and wow, he brings
it alive. They bring it alive, it makes
the hairs on the back of your neck tingle when you think about
it. This is what I'm saying. The difference between cold head
knowledge doctrine and that which warms your heart and warms your
soul. This is experienced in the soul.
All the account of Christ's coming as a man. God coming to save
his people, going out for his people. His life, his growing,
his ministry, his death. He's going to the cross. Willingly,
not my will but thine be done, making the will of the father
his. The man in the flesh shrunk back from it, for it was such
a bitter cup to drink. Nevertheless, not my will but
thine. He went down into the grave.
We fear death. Through fear of death, all our
lifetimes subject to bondage. But I think it was J.C. Philpott wrote that our Lord
Jesus Christ has gone down into that coffin and lain in it before
us, for us, on our behalf. He's perfumed that state, that
situation. He lay in the grave and was resurrected
from the dead. He had power to lay down his
life and to take it again. And being resurrected from the
dead, he then ascended to eternal glory. the firstfruits, the guarantor
for his people. And I and all his people are
in union with him, because in him all his people are made the
righteousness of God in him." Cold doctrine or heartwarming,
soul-warming truth? To know salvation is accomplished. Thou hast ascended on high. And
then secondly, led captivity captive. led captivity captive. The picture is of Roman emperors
who would conquer and they would bring the rulers and the servants
of them, of the people that they conquered, back into Rome in
chains. And this would be the symbol
of how great was the victory. Here is the one that caused us
such trouble and look at them now. They're in chains. They're
in chains. Colossians 2, Paul writes to
the Colossians, verse 15, having spoiled, speaking of Christ and
what he accomplished on the cross, having spoiled principalities
and powers, satanic powers. He made a show of them openly.
He dragged them through the streets in shame to show everybody that
he'd defeated them, triumphing over them in it. He was victorious. Lift up your heads, says Psalm
24, verse 7. Lift up your heads, O ye gates,
and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of glory
shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The
Lord, strong and mighty. He's conquered his foes. He's
conquered all those that would oppress his people. The Lord,
strong and mighty. The Lord, mighty in battle. Lift
up your heads, O ye gates. The King of glory shall come
in. What is the captivity that he has overcome? In verse seven
of our psalm, O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people,
when thou didst march through the wilderness, and you know,
you're almost expecting a kind of, then this happened, but there
isn't, there's one of these see-lars, which is stop. Think. Meditate. The God of the universe,
the creator, went forth, came to save his people. He went forth
before thy people. He marched through the wilderness
of sin for his people. Think of it. That's profound. Will you ever plumb the depths
of that this side of eternity? In eternity it will be the theme
God went forth before thy people. When he went forth before his
people, what was the captivity that he's overcome? Who are the
tyrants that imprison and hold captive those people that he
loves with an everlasting love. He has loved his people with
an everlasting love from all eternity, but they're held captive
under the rule and domination of tyrants until Christ comes
and conquers and leads captivity captive. There are three, the
law of God. In the flesh I am in bondage
to God's holy law. It's absolutely strict. It's
good, it's right, it's true, it's God's law, but it's absolutely
strict. It's absolutely unyielding in
its justice. It cannot allow one solitary
deviation from its requirements. It's impossible by the works
of the law to work liberty from the law. You cannot free yourself
from it, because you cannot, for it's weak through the flesh.
The flesh is weak. There are two covenants, says
Paul to the Galatians, verse 24, chapter 4, verse 24. One
from Mount Sinai, which is the law, which God gave when he gave
the law to Moses, and he says, which gendereth to bondage, to
imprisonment. The law of God given genders
to bondage. The flesh is in bondage to the
law of God. When God sent forth his son made
of a woman at the right time, made under the law, subject to
the law. All flesh is subject to the law
of God. All flesh is responsible for
its deeds as judged by the law of God. And that law genders
to bondage. Romans 4.15, the law worketh
wrath. The law, those that preach law
in our day, there are so many of them in the name of the gospel
of Christ that preach law in our day. They preach liberty,
they preach religious freedom by preaching law. The law is
the believer's rule of life. The law doesn't lead to liberty. The law works wrath. It genders
to bondage. It works wrath. Verse 20 of chapter
3 of Romans, by the law is the knowledge of sin. not liberty
from sin. Not pleasing God from sin, the
law is the knowledge of sin. And people in the flesh, the
people of God in the flesh, when he brings them to know something
of their true state, they're like it says in Psalm 79 verse
11, let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee. It's like Israel
was described in Egypt, sighing and groaning under the bondage
to which they were subject. And the people of God, when he
brings them under a consciousness, of their debt to the law, there's
a sighing, there's a groaning to be released from bondage.
Secondly, first of all the law, secondly the captives that are
lead captive Death. He led death captive. We were
seeing a couple of weeks ago, Hebrews 2, 14 and 15, about him
partaking of the children's flesh, that through death, as a man,
he might release those who all their lifetime, through fear
of death, were subject to bondage, by destroying him that had the
power of death, that is the devil, subject to bondage. 2 Timothy
1, verse 10 says this, This is what our Savior, Jesus Christ,
has accomplished. He has abolished death, where
death was such a tyrant over us, and by its fear keeping us
in bondage, our Savior, Jesus Christ, has abolished death,
and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,
so that death for those in Christ is described in the New Testament
as falling asleep. When Stephen was stoned to death,
the first martyr. And those bricks and rocks were
showering upon him and beating his flesh to death. Beating his
flesh to death, he looked up into heaven and asked that Christ
would receive his spirit into his hands, and it's described
in Acts 7 verse 60 as him falling asleep, as Paul writes to the
Thessalonians. He talks about them being concerned
about believers who've died before. He says, those that have fallen
asleep. It's not teaching soul sleep,
for we know that Jesus said to the thief on the cross, this
day you shall be with me in paradise. To be absent from the body is
to be present with the Lord. But nevertheless, from the point
of view of a believer, it's as if the flesh is asleep in the
ground, awaiting that day of resurrection. As I said already,
Christ has perfumed that cold bed of death for his people by
lying in it for them. And so, 1 Corinthians 15, verses
55 to 57, O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and
the strength of sin is the law, but thanks be to God which giveth
us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. He's led captivity
captive. Thirdly, sin itself. Romans 6.14
says this, to believers, he says, sin shall not have dominion over
you, for you are not under law, but under grace. And the implication
is that those who are not believers those who are responsible for
their own sins, us in our natural fleshly state are all under sin's
dominion. We think lightly of it. We don't
think of it as the word of God portrays it. We don't see it
as polluting and as corrupting as it really is. We think, like
John Bunyan is reported to have written, he says, I thought I
pleased God as well as any man in England ever did. And don't
we all, in our natural state, think that we're no worse than
anybody else? But believers, true believers, constantly know
and sense the foulness of sin. The more we know of grace and
of salvation in the new man, the more we know of the base
state of sin that we have in the flesh. So that Ephesians
4.24 says about the new man which after God is created in righteousness
and true holiness there's a new man if you're a believer there's
a new man inside which is created after God is created in righteousness
and true holiness but that new man and that person which is
that combination of that new man and that old flesh more and
more is conscious of our base state of sin in the flesh so
as I've told you many times but I'll give you the references
this time as Paul wrote in his epistles The first thing we read,
historically, 1 Corinthians 15 verse 9, he wrote that he was
not meet to be called an apostle. Yes, he knew he was qualified
to be an apostle, but looking at him in his flesh, and knowing
what his flesh was really like, his judgment of himself was that
he was not meet to be called an apostle. And then, sometime
later, writing to the Ephesians, he said this, Ephesians 3 verse
8, that he considered himself to be less than the least of
all the saints. And so it's right that we all
should think, for let each one of us esteem the other more highly
than himself. And then 1 Timothy chapter 1
verse 15, towards the end of his life, He talks about sinners,
of whom I am chief. You see, the more he knew of
the grace of God in the gospel, the older he got, he went from
not thinking himself fit to be an apostle, to being less than
the least of all the saints, to regarding himself in the flesh
as the chief of all sinners. But Christ has dragged as his
captives the law, and death and sin. All those things that hold
his people captive. And he's triumphed over them
in his death on the cross. Do you know that doctrine in
your head? You say, yes, I know that doctrine. Yes, I can say
you objectively the scriptures teach that Christ came and died
as a vicarious substitute for his people and he's the surety
and yes, I know all that. But do you feel the liberty of
it in your soul? Do you feel in your soul the
liberty that comes from knowing that those things that hold you
captive before eternity, the law and death and sin, that he's
dragged them away, he's conquered them. Do you know the liberty
that comes from knowing he's ascended on high and all those
things that would hold us captive, he's triumphed over them. Then thirdly, Thirdly, thou hast
received gifts for men. Thou hast received gifts. He,
our Lord Jesus Christ, our glorious God, our Saviour, has received
gifts for men. Which men has he received gifts
for? Has he received gifts for all
men? If he has, you know, all men that have ever lived, if
he has received gifts for all men, then he's totally trustworthy
as a custodian of these gifts. All would receive all of these
gifts that he has for them. You know, he's not going to hold
anything back. He's eternal God. All would receive all of the
gifts entrusted to him, all of the gifts of salvation. If he's
received those gifts for all men without exception, all would
receive them. But evidently they don't. Evidently
they don't. Most people die in their sins
without any hope. And these gifts are only gifts.
They're only gifts for those who feel the need of these gifts. You know like they come unto
me, you see, the gospel has clear, open, Unconditional offers. It says, come unto me all. No it doesn't. Carry on. It says,
come unto me all you that labour under heavy laden. Now that narrows
it down a bit, doesn't it? Where are their sinners labouring
and heavy laden under a burden of guilt of knowing where they
stand in respect of eternity? Now Christ says, come unto me
if you're amongst them. And he makes his people willing
in the day of his power. These gifts are for those that
feel their need of these gifts. What is it the hymn says? All
the fitness he requireth is to feel your need of him. And this
he gives you. This he gives you. I can't remember
how the verse finishes, but never mind. You imagine giving a gift. It's bank bonus season in the
city, I understand. I heard on the news the other
day. And you imagine one of the traders in one of the big banks
who's been trading billions of pounds and he's, although the
newspapers make a big fuss about it, he's entitled to a bonus
of a million pounds in one go. In one go. And you say, I'm going
to be generous to him and give him a gift of fifty pence. I
think he'd tell you what you could do with your gift. He wouldn't
be interested in it. It's of no consequence to him.
If he's got his million pounds, he has no need of your gift of
fifty pence. But the beggar, on the street
corner, who has absolutely nothing, now you offer that one fifty
pence, oh, that's a fortune to them. That's a fortune. Like
Jesus said of those giving gifts in the temple, there were those
coming and making such a show of all the amount that they were
giving. And he said, look at this poor widow who's got nothing.
She's given more than all of them put together. She just gives
her might, the widow's might, just that little, the one little
thing she had left. Of all she had, she's given everything.
They didn't. They didn't at all. There's a
need, there's a need. John 1 16 says this, of his fullness
have all we received and grace for grace. Ephesians 4 7 and
8, unto every one of us is given grace. Everyone that Christ has
died for, everyone that he's redeemed, unto us he's given
grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. He's given
gifts for men, gifts for men. Glorious. What gifts has he given? He's given gifts of grace. For
it's this grace in the beginning. He's given gifts for men. The
grace of God that he's given in the beginning of his fullness
have we all received grace for grace. And by grace, We're saved
through faith, and that not of yourself, it is the gift of God. What other gift has he given?
He's given grace, he's given faith. Do you have grace and
faith? Do you have a knowledge of the
grace of God in your heart? Do you have that gift of faith
that only comes because God on high has condescended to give
you that gift of faith? Saved by grace, through faith.
It is not of yourselves, it's the gift of God. He's given you
repentance from sin. When most see nothing about their
sins, He's granted repentance to His people. Acts 11 verse
18, God has granted repentance to the Gentiles, they said, the
apostles as they went and ministered. He's given us a hope. He's given
us a good hope through grace, which is an anchor of the soul.
He's given us his love, shed abroad in our hearts. And if
we don't have that love that he's given us, we're nothing.
But he's given us that gift of his love in our hearts, that
Christian grace. He's given us, and I could go
on and on, but for the sake of time, I'll sum it up with what
Peter says. He's given us all things pertaining to life and
godliness. 2 Peter 1 verses 3 and 4, His
divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto
life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called
us to glory and virtue, whereby are given unto us exceedingly
great and precious promises, that by these ye might be partakers
of the divine nature. This one who's ascended on high,
think of what he's bestowed upon you. What's your material state
today? Does it really matter? Paul said,
I've learned in whatever state I am, whether I've got plenty
or I'm in want, therewith to be content. Oh, that we would
be content with what he has deigned to give us. Oh, that we would
learn to live happy with what we've got. They're the happiest
people ever in the world, are the ones that have learned to
be happy with that which they have, and not to be constantly
striving for that which they do not have but would like. That's an important thing, but
think of all, above all of that, to know that you are a recipient
of the grace of God. To know that he has given his
people great and precious promises, that we might be partakers of
the divine nature. We who are sinners, partakers
of the divine nature. And who is it for then? And I
must hurry. Who is it for? Yea, for the rebellious
also. Oh, surely all these good things
are only for good folks, respectable folks, nice folks. We don't want
it being shared with nasty folks, do we? God only deals graciously
with those nice folks who are respectable and know how to behave
properly. No, no, for the rebellious also. His people, however good we think
we might be in the flesh, are all rebels against the rule of
God. Christ said he came to save not
the righteous, not those who think they're righteous, but
sinners to call to repentance. Not the pious, religious, holy
folk who think they're good enough already. No, they have no need
of a physician. Those who are well have no need
of a physician, but those who are sick, No, this is for the
rebellious. All we have sinned and fall short
of the glory of God. All of us by nature in this flesh
are rebels against God. But these gifts, this ascension
on high, This leading captivity captive, this gifts of salvation
for men, is for those who are by nature rebels against the
rule and law of God. Even for me, beyond any hope
of justifying myself, for it is not of him that wills, nor
of him that runs, but of God that shows mercy. or that we
would get that, that we would understand this is what God's
word says. Not of him that wills, not of
him that runs in any way to make himself righteous, but of God
that shows mercy. And then finally, that the Lord
God might dwell among them. Ascended on high, led captivity
captive, received gifts for men, for the rebellious also, that
the Lord God might dwell among them. Isaiah 57 verse 15. I'll just give you some scriptures
and we'll close. Thus saith the high and lofty one that inhabiteth
eternity, whose name is holy. God speaking to us. I dwell in
the high and holy place. with him also, he dwells there
in the high and holy, this is where also he dwells, with him
that is of a contrite and humble spirit. He dwells with the one
that's of a contrite and humble spirit, made that by his word
and by his gospel. Ephesians 3.17, that Christ may
dwell in your hearts by faith, that God, our God, may dwell
among them, among these rebels who are converted to his gospel.
Colossians 1.27, that there might be Christ in you, which is the
hope of glory. Do you have a hope of eternal
glory? Because Christ is in you. If it's a good hope of eternal
glory, Christ is in you. 2 Corinthians 6 verse 16. You are the temple of the living
God. As God has said, I will dwell
in them and walk in them and I will be their God and they
shall be my people. How many times in Jeremiah and
Ezekiel do we read this, that God comes and dwells with his
people? And here it is again. These gifts
are given. He's ascended on high. Captivity's
led captive. For the rebellious also. That
the Lord God might dwell with these rebellious ones. That he
might dwell with them. This is glorious. Galatians 2
verse 20. Paul writes this. I am crucified
with Christ. Nevertheless I live. Yet not
I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life which I now live in
the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me
and gave himself for me. This is salvation. So much accomplished
that God who cannot look upon sin is pleased to dwell with
redeemed sinners. Is that you this morning? Is
this cold doctrine? or is this a soul-warming delight
to know the truth of it?