The doxology in our hymn book
says, Praise God from whom all blessings flow. That's exactly
what Paul says in verse 3 of chapter 1. Blessed be the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, that is God, hath
blessed us with all. All spiritual blessings. There's a great movement in our
day. I wish it wasn't so, but it is. A religious movement that tells
sinners, whose greatest need is God's mercy, God's grace,
God's great salvation. If you're here this morning and
you don't know Him, your greatest need is His mercy and grace,
that you might know Him, that is, Jesus Christ, that God might
open your eyes, that you might behold the Lamb of God. Your
need is not a bigger house or a bigger car or material possessions,
but that movement that I referred to, that's what it tells sinners. God wants everybody rich and
God wants everybody healthy and wealthy. And multitudes follow
that delusion. Paul says God has blessed us
with all spiritual blessings. Certainly he'll supply the needs
of all of his people, material as well as spiritual, but the
greatest need, Paul says God has blessed us with all spiritual
blessings, all. Oh, I like that word. In heavenly
places in Christ. And then he begins to name them.
Paul seems to take up a musical instrument and hits a chord,
Christ, and he's gone. He begins to play a sweet symphony
of God's amazing grace in the Lord Jesus Christ. Look what
he says at verse 4. According as he has chosen us
in him. My soul. Can it be? Can it be? That someone from
the hills of West Virginia, living in a place called Summerlee,
West Virginia, have you ever heard of that? No, you haven't.
to parents whose father was a coal miner. You never heard of him
either. Oh, but had a son, one rebel,
my mother would probably enlighten you as to who her meanest son
of the five were when she comes down in August, and I won't be
able to deny it. But God chose this sinner this
rebel as an object of his mercy and love before the world was
ever created. Isn't that amazing? That's amazing. Before he ever said, let there
be light, before he ever set the stars in their place, before
he created the heavens of the earth, He loved this sinner with
an everlasting love. According as He has chosen us
in Him, that is Christ, before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy, not because we were, that we should be holy,
and without blame before Him. In love having predestinated
us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, John
said, Behold, what manner, what kind of love is this, that we
should be called the sons of God? Having predestinated us
unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according
to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of
His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted into beloved." Accepted
into beloved. Chosen in Him. Called in Him. Accepted by God into beloved. Child of God, isn't that comforting? Isn't that Even though in the
world you have tribulation, doesn't that speak peace to your heart? I'm accepted in to be loved. My standing before God is not
dependent upon what I do or what I don't do. I want to love God
with all my heart. But I don't. I want to be fully surrendered
to Him. everything, but I don't. I want to love you as he commanded,
as I love myself, but I don't. More often I cry out, O wretched
man that I am, than perhaps any other prayer. All that being true doesn't affect
My standing before God, one I owe to. Now people hear that. And they say, oh, how dare you
preach that? How dare you say that our life
does not affect, how we live does not affect my standing before
God? That gives people a license to
sin. Hot wash. Have you ever met anyone
that needed a license to sin? Had you? Louis, do you need a
license to sin? No. But my acceptance before
God rests here in the Beloved. In the Beloved. Verse 7, in whom,
that is the Beloved, Christ, in whom we have redemption through
his blood, The forgiveness of sins according to the riches
of His grace. The forgiveness of sins. Real forgiveness. Not imaginary. Not hoped so. Not perhaps, perchance. But real, genuine forgiveness. Notice what it says, not according
to anything but the riches of His grace. Forgiven. Forgiven of all sin. All transgression. Forgiven eternally. Forgiven forever. Based on, because
of the redemption through His blood. The redemption that's
in Christ Jesus. That's where the text begins,
does it not? In whom? In whom? And of course, it's the Lord
Jesus Christ. The most special thing about
our most holy faith, the most precious thing about
Christianity, It's Christ himself, is it not? Is it not? It's Jesus Christ himself. Yes, we rejoice in that eternal
redemption that he obtained. He obtained for us. But we rejoice
more in that one who obtained it. in Christ himself. Look, if you will, just for a
moment, to Hebrews chapter 9. This is exactly what we're told
in Hebrews chapter 9. After speaking of those sacrifices,
animal sacrifices, under the law, that could never take away
sin, that never were intended to take away sin, Paul turns
our attention to verse 11 and says, but Christ, But Christ, Hebrews 9 and 11, oh, now, now there's hope. But Christ being come, oh, yes,
he came in the fullness of time to do thy will, O God. But Christ
being come, being made like unto his brethren, a high priest of
good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle,
not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building,
neither by the blood of goats and calves, another blessed interjection,
but, another blessed intervention of grace, but Christ came, but
by his own blood, That's what our text says, doesn't it? That
was the price of our redemption. That's what forgiveness comes
from, redemption. But by His own blood, can you
see in a moment, we'll take the bread and we'll drink the wine
representing His body and His blood, and as we do so, Remember
Him, who by His own blood entered in, once, into the holy place,
the very presence of God, and in doing so, look what He accomplished. Verse 12, are you reading it?
Do you have your Bible? I hope you bring your Bible.
Having obtained eternal redemption for us. He obtained it. That's what it says. He obtained
eternal redemption for us and we rejoice in that one who obtained
it by his own blood. As he told John in Revelation,
he appeared to John on the Isle of Patmos and he says, I'm Alpha
and Omega. I'm the beginning and the ending.
I'm the first and I'm the last. He's all in God's great salvation. Trace salvation back to eternity
past. Salvation didn't begin in time
when I believed. Oh no, it began when God purposed
it as we read in Ephesians 1, before the world began. But trace
salvation back to eternity past and you'll find Christ. Look
back. And you'll find Christ, that's
what Paul says in verse 4, doesn't he? According as he has chosen
us in him. Follow the river of life. Follow
the river of the water of life forward to eternity to come. Where there is a multitude surrounding
the throne. A multitude. of redeemed sinners. And among that multitude of redeemed
sinners that have been so thoroughly washed by the blood, they stand
before the throne of God without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. And from that throne, John said,
issued, gushed forth, flowed the water of the river of life. And on that throne of God sits
the Lamb. Eternity past in Christ, eternity
to come gathered in Christ. Look what Paul says in verse
7 of chapter 2. He tells us that very thing.
That in the ages to come, he, that is God, might show the exceeding
riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Jesus Christ. Paul, writing to the church at
Rome, believers in Rome, about God's mercy, God's grace on Jew
and Gentile, on all manner of men, every nationality and tongue
and kindred. Paul just seems to be so overwhelmed
by the thought of God's mercy and grace He exclaims with the
heart full of joy, of Him, and through Him, and back to Him
are all things to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. No redemption, John, without
this Redeemer. And no forgiveness, our text
tells us, without the shedding of His precious blood. Justice
demands payment. I said it in the reading. And
it will bear repeating. This generation, this religious
generation is not aware of it. They've been sold a bill of goods. There is no such thing as mercy
at the expense of justice. God said, the soul that sinneth,
it shall die. Period. Period. No exceptions. The soul that sinneth, it shall
die. And Christ died in the room instead
of His people. And only those who are in Christ
have the blessed assurance, the blessed hope, the blessed mercy
that they're accepted before that holy God. Everyone else? No hope. If they entertain a
hope, it's a false hope. It's a false hope. Three things,
and I'm pretty sure we won't get to perhaps one. But looking
at Ephesians 1 and 7, Paul tells us what we have. Redemption
and forgiveness. He tells us why we have it. Why
we have it. And then he tells us Who did
it? Who's responsible? First of all,
what we have. Look at it. In whom we have redemption
through His blood. We have now. Now, every child
of God, every believer, every sinner who has ever looked to
Christ, Every rebel that has been brought back to the Father's
house, Paul says, I want you to know this, that now you have
redemption and forgiveness flowing from that redemption. The forgiveness
of sins must follow redemption. The forgiveness of sins must
follow redemption. The judge of all the earth must
do right. And that God, who made His Son
to be sin, must, if He's just, if He's God, and does what's
right, of course He does. And if He made Christ to be sin,
then he must make all those for whom Christ died to be the righteousness
of God in him. And that's exactly what the Scriptures
teach throughout. The Scriptures know nothing about
our universal redemption. And what I mean by that is that
Christ died for everybody. Well, then if He did, if Christ
died for all men, if He bore in His own body on the tree all
the sins of all men, and if God is just, all men must be saved. Must be saved. And they're not. No. He loved His sheep, He said,
and laid down His life for the sheep. Paul said Christ loved
the church and gave Himself for it in chapter 5 of this same
epistle. But to every sinner that comes
to Christ, Paul says, know this, you have the forgiveness of sins. In our bulletin, just above the
readings, there's a quote by Mr. Fortner. I think I took this
from his Christ in all the Scriptures book. I read it and I thought,
oh, this is good. I'll use this. It says grace
does not proclaim a redemption that offers pardon, but a redemption
that demands pardon. Justice satisfied means pardon
granted. That's why Paul so closely associates
the forgiveness of sins with redemption. He says that's really
what redemption is. The forgiveness of sins. Do you
remember what God said to Moses? in Exodus, when I see the blood,
isn't that glorious? Child of God. I see, as I told
you recently, when this day is over, when I lie down tonight
in bed, and my mind and thoughts look back over the events of
this day, including what I'm doing right now, I'll see enough
sin mixed with it, that deserves hell. Oh, but by God's grace,
I'll also remember this. It's not me, but Him. My acceptance
is in the Beloved. My redemption is by Him, my Redeemer. My forgiveness is based upon
that glorious redemption that He obtained for me. And I'll
fall off asleep in the arms of that One who loved me and gave
Himself for me. Oh, sweet, sweet sleep of a child
of God. Remembering this, when I see
the blood, and God does, He does. He sees the blood. Always with
complete satisfaction. With complete satisfaction. He
proved it. He proved that He was completely
satisfied with the sacrifice of His Son. Completely. For eternity. The blood of Jesus
Christ spoke and speaks continual, everlasting, refreshing satisfaction
to the justice of God Almighty. Just as sure, just as certain,
just as sufficient as if He died today. That glorious proclamation
of the captain of our salvation, when he said, it is finished,
still echoes through the halls of eternity, and it always will. And God proved his satisfaction
with it when he raised him from the dead. Though he were God,
Paul said in Philippians 2, and thought it not robbery to be
equal with God, yet he humbled himself. and became obedient
to death, even to death of the cross. Therefore, God had highly
exalted him and given him a name above every name. God proved
his satisfaction. that at the name of Jesus, every
knee should bow and every tongue confess that he is Christ to
the glory of God the Father. That's not all God said to Moses
in Exodus 12. He says, when I see the blood,
he doesn't stop there, does he? You know the rest of the verse,
don't you, child of God? He says, I will pass over you.
Mike, God says, when I see the blood, not when I see Mike's
sins, not when I see Mike's failings, no, but when I see the blood,
when I see the blood applied to Mike, when I see the blood
that's applied to every redeemed soul, when I see the blood, I
will pass over you. It wasn't the bolts on the inside
of those houses that night on which the blood was applied,
but the blood on the outside that kept them perfectly safe.
Perfectly safe. I don't doubt they heard the
screams coming from every house where the blood was not applied
and where God in justice struck down the firstborn They heard
the terrible screams that God said will be throughout the land
of Egypt. And I don't know whether they
realized it or not. And their realization of it didn't
really affect the fact. But they were perfectly safe.
Perfectly safe. Death was all around them. God
was striking people down left and right in divine justice.
But they were perfectly safe. They were perfectly secure. Nothing
could harm them. Nothing could touch them. Why?
God says, when I see the blood, I will pass over you. When God judges this world in
absolute righteousness, there will be people spared. There
are people who will be perfectly safe, perfectly secure. Why? Because God sees the blood,
the glorious blood of His blessed Son. Moses, at God's command, told
the children of Israel that night, for the Lord will pass through
to smite the Egyptians. And when he seeth the blood upon
the lintel and the two-side post, the Lord will pass over the door
and will not suffer, will not allow the destroyer to come in
unto your houses to smite you. There is no condemnation. Never
will be. There is now no condemnation
to those who are in Christ Jesus. Oh, the forgiveness of sins.
Complete forgiveness. Everlasting forgiveness. Pronounced
by God Himself. Turn, if you will, to Isaiah
chapter 43. I want you to look at this with me. Isaiah chapter 43. This is God Himself speaking
the words. Isaiah 43 verse 25. This is the God with whom we
have to do. This is the God who says, I do
all my pleasure. This is the God that has His
way in the whirlwind and the clouds are the dust of His feet.
The God whose hand none can stay or resist His will. He says,
I, verse 25, I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions.
Well, if God himself does it, then it's done. If God says,
I blot them out, then they're blotted out. For mine own sake,
for my own glory, for my own blessed name, and will not remember
thy sins. God helped me to remember that
when I look back over this day tonight. He's blotted out my
sins and He says, I remember them no more. No wonder Paul
said, who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect?
It is God that justifieth. Who is He that condemneth? It
is Christ that died. Yea, rather, is risen again,
who said it at the right hand of God, making intercession for
us. I'm forgiven as long as God is
satisfied with the sacrifice of His sons. And notice our text
says, the forgiveness of sins. Plural. All thy sins. Look, if
you will, in Psalm 103 again, where we read them earlier. It's worth looking at again.
Sins in the plural. But look what the psalmist says.
In verse 3, who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth
all thy diseases, who redeemeth thy life from destruction, who
crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercies. Turn, if
you will, to Jeremiah chapter 50. You know this verse. Jeremiah chapter 50, verse 20. In those days and in that time,
saith the Lord. Not saith the preacher or the
priest. What's that worth? In those days
and in that time, saith the Lord, the iniquities of Israel God's
true Israel, God's church, Christ's bride, shall be sought for, shall
be sought for, and there shall be none. Oh, the blood of Jesus
Christ, God's Son, cleanseth us from all sin, and there shall
be none. And the sins of Judah, and they
shall not be found. they shall not be found. How
can you find what doesn't exist? For I will pardon them whom I
reserve. Every sin of my past, present,
and future is forgiven, blotted out, gone. Oh my soul, with wonder
of you, for future sins There's part in two. He didn't shed His
blood in vain. He didn't shed it for a hope
so. He didn't shed it for a maybe. No, He obtained eternal redemption
for us. He bore all the sins of all of
His people so affectionately and completely away that they
cannot be found. God says, I remember them no
more. The forgiveness of sins. Do you
want that? Do you want that? Anybody here
that wants that? Well, I don't want to go to hell.
Of course you don't. But do you want forgiveness of
sin? I want to go to heaven. Well, sure you do. But what about
your sins? That's the issue. He saves from
sins. Do you want that? Do you want
the sweet, comforting assurance that your sins are all gone. Oh, the bliss, the hymn writer
put it very well, didn't he? The bliss of this glorious thought. My sins, not in part, but the
whole. Isn't that a glorious thought?
A glorious truth. Our nail to His cross, and I
bear them no more. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord,
O my soul. Is there anything more important
than the forgiveness of sins? Anything with greater eternal
consequences? Without forgiveness, no reconciliation,
no peace with God, no heaven, no hope. He told the religious
leaders, therefore, your sin remaineth in John 9. Your sin
remaineth. Do you want this forgiveness?
Do you want this forgiveness? Joseph Hart, in his famous old
hymn, asked this question. Think about it. What comfort
can a Savior bring to those who never felt their woe? A sinner
is a sacred thing. The Holy Ghost had made him so. The Holy Spirit must do it. Hear
me. Listen, listen, listen. Are you
listening? Are you listening? You here this morning that don't
know Christ. Now, you may entertain some delusion
that God's obligated to save you, that he's trying to do all
that he can, and it's up to you, and you'll live your life as
a rebel. You will do your thing. And before you die, you'll give
Jesus a chance to save you. That's a lie. That's a delusion. If you believe that and continue
to believe that, you'll open your eyes in hell. You're in
His hand. You're in His hand. We all are.
We all are. And it's not up to you. It's
not your will, it's His will. It's up to Him. Well, if He leaves
you alone, if He does for you what you want Him to do, you
say, don't bother me. I don't want mercy, I don't want
grace, I don't want to live for Christ, I'm not going to bow
to God's Son. If God leaves you there, if He
does for you what you by your everyday living in this world
tell Him to do by your rebellious, continual sin and rejection of
His Son, if God leaves you to yourself, you're bound to perish. There's
no other alternative. Do you hear that? Do you hear
that? Oh God, wake you up. Make you feel your woe. Because if he doesn't, you'll
never come to him. You never will. I spent time
with, over the last couple of weeks, with people I love dearly,
dearly. Children, my own children. Brothers,
four of them. Sisters. Four of them. And we're
getting older just as fast as time flies. I told my oldest
brother, Jim, in a few days we'll be gone. We'll be gone. Just
like dust. Gone. And they've never felt
their woe. They've never realized their
condition. They've never sought mercy. Oh, but to you, to we who have,
to we who have, As the psalmist said, oh, bless the Lord, oh,
my soul. Turn it, if you will, to Luke
7. I'll wrap this up. In Luke chapter 7, this is one
of my favorite portions of God's Word. Luke chapter 7, here's
real forgiveness. Here's an example. of real forgiveness. Luke chapter 7 verse 36, and
one of the Pharisees desired that he would eat with him, that
is Jesus. Oh my, I'm just sure this Pharisee
thought, what condescension on my part. I'm really stooping
down to invite the Son of God into my house. I'm inviting this
Jesus of Nazareth to my house. Oh, I hope he appreciates it.
I hope he realizes what a great honor it is for him to come to
my house. And he went, wonder of wonders,
he went into the Pharisee's house, not for Simon's sake. Simon didn't
need him, didn't need his mercy, didn't need his grace, didn't
need his righteousness. He had his own. But he went, verse 37,
for this woman, this woman. And behold, Behold. Why does she merit a behold? What's so special about this
woman in the city? This. Which was a sinner and
she knew it. That makes her special. That
makes her a special distinguishing object of God's grace. She was
a sinner and she knew it. And you're thinking, well, Larry,
everybody's a sinner. Ask them. Ask them. Ask them if they're sinners.
Ask your husband, ask your wife, ask your children, ask your neighbors,
ask most people that are in churches this morning. Ask them if they're
sinners and listen to their answers. But this woman, she knew she
was a sinner. Her need of forgiveness, so unlike
Simon, He had no need. Verse 39, he says, if this man
were a prophet, he would have known who and what manner of
woman this is that touches him, for she is a sinner. She's not
like me. I'm a Pharisee. I touch not,
and taste not, and go not, and wear not. Not like her. But this woman would not object
to Simon's thoughts about her. He would get no arguments from
her that she was a sinner. She knew it. And she knew she
was a debtor to mercy alone. And she knew, as our Lord said
in His parable to Simon, she knew that she owed a debt to
God's justice and law and holiness. A debt she knew she couldn't
pay. She had nothing to pay. Nothing
to pay. Oh, what a blessed place to be
in. Look what our Lord says in verse 47. Child of God, put yourself
here. Put yourself here. Get in the
shoes of this woman. Child of God, these words are
to you. Wherefore I say unto thee, her
sins, which are many, are forgiven. For she loved much to whom little
is forgiven, the same loveth little. And he said unto her,
Thy sins are forgiven. Oh, Holy Spirit of God, help
me to remember that when I lie down tonight. Bring that back
to my remembrance when a sudden temptation overtakes me and I
yield to it. Help me to remember when I sin
that I have an advocate with the Father. Jesus Christ is right.
When I'm about to slip out of this world into eternity, help me to be looking to that
one who said, Thy sins are forgiven. They're all forgiven. Simon sits
there in his self-righteousness having no need. He's religious,
always so religious, and he's so lost, he's so blind. He sits
there in the very presence, Louis, of the Son of God, and he says,
I don't need anything he has. Anybody like that here this morning?
Don't need him. But this woman, verse 50, Jesus
said unto the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee, go in peace.
She leaves the house of that Pharisee, clothed in the perfect
righteousness of God, accepted in to be loved. And now she sees
the king in his beauty. I imagine she left that house
singing something like this, I'm only a sinner, Saved by grace. Only a sinner saved by grace. This is my story, John. To God be the glory. I'm only
a sinner saved by grace. Turn with me to 1 Peter 1 and
we'll close. Perhaps we'll come back another
time and consider the other two points. But they all center in
Christ. Look at 1 Peter 1, verse 18. 1 Peter 1, verse 18. For as much as you know that
ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from
your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers,
aren't you glad He didn't leave you there? but with the precious
blood of Christ, as of a land without blemish and without spot. Oh, precious is the flow that
makes me white as snow, who verily was foreordained before
the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last
times for you, who by him do believe in God, that raised him
up from the dead and gave him glory, that your faith and hope
might be in God. Amen.