At this time of the year, all
minds are rightly and joyfully focused upon the fact of the
incarnation of the Son of God and the virgin birth of our Lord
Jesus Christ. Hark, the herald angels sing,
glory to the newborn King. Joy to the world, the Lord has
come. Let earth receive her King. I'm
thankful that at least once every year, every man, woman, and child
in the civilized world is compelled to face the fact that God once
came on this earth in human flesh, that God assumed our nature,
became one of us to accomplish redemption for his people. God
was manifest in the flesh. The word was made flesh and dwelt
among us. And I'm delighted that at this
season of the year, men, women, and children, for the most part,
well, the most part, every now and then, you run around and
find some cranks. But for the most part, they're
filled with cheer and they're busying themselves with buying
gifts and sending cards and doing things to make other people happy.
There can't be too much wrong with that. I'd like to see more
of it all the time, but I'm glad at least now, this season of
the year, we see such. I've got to say this because
I know there are multitudes all over the country, and I've been
among them, who somehow think there's something heathen, idolatrous,
pagan about observing Christmas. And they say, well, it's Christ
mass. If you think we're observing
a mass when we get together at my place over there in a few
couple of weeks and have dinner with family and open presents
and give things, you need to come talk to me. No, got nothing
to do with that. Well, what about where Jeremiah
and Ezekiel warn us about folks cutting down or decking green
trees in the high mountains? We're not burning children to
bail either. No, and we pay no attention to December 25th. I
know our Lord Jesus, no possibility that was the date of his incarnation. I'm fully aware of that. But
there can't be anything wrong with celebrating the fact that
Christ came into this world. Can't be anything wrong with
the fact that in this wonderful season of the year, our Lord
Jesus Christ is remembered particularly by us. who are born of God. How thankful we ought to be for
anything that causes us to think of and remember that when the
fullness of time was come, God sent forth his son, made of a
woman, made under the law to redeem them that were under the
law that we might receive the adoption of sons. It was by his
life of obedience living on this earth, in human flesh, that our
Lord Jesus brought in everlasting righteousness for us. By his
life of obedience, that he fulfilled the will of God for us. By his
life of obedience, our Lord Jesus wove that robe of perfect righteousness
with which he clothes us in free justification. Don't ever think
lightly of the life of our Redeemer. His life on this earth was as
necessary for our everlasting salvation as his death at Calvary. But having said that, let me
tell you something that might be a little surprising to you.
Nowhere in this book, nowhere in this book are we told to remember
his birth. Nowhere in this book are we given
a recommendation to remember his life. But rather, in this
book, we're told plainly to remember and to celebrate that which almost
everyone ignores and suggests cannot possibly mean what the
Scriptures teach. In this book, we're taught to
celebrate and to remember our Savior's death. Without his death,
his life is meaningless. Without his death, his incarnation
means nothing. Without his death, that which
he did on this earth is utterly meaningless, totally insignificant. But we're taught to remember
his death because his death is that by which our redemption
was accomplished. And there could be no redemption
without his sacrifice at Calvary in our room instead, in baptism. We show forth the Savior's death,
the fulfilling of all righteousness by his obedience unto death.
At the Lord's table, we remember our Savior's death, remembering
his body and blood sacrificed under the wrath of God in our
room and in our stead. All these things we are taught
to remember concerning our Redeemer. And with that in mind, turn with
me again to 1 John chapter 3. 1 John chapter 3, verse 16. John 3 16 hereby perceive we the love of
God because he laid down his life for us he laid down his
life for us that's my text and that's my subject he laid down
his his life for us. Old Dr. N.B. Magruder used to
come to the pulpit. I don't guess more than two or
three of you here ever met Brother Magruder. Larry knew him. Brilliant,
brilliant fellow. Started the church in Louisville
where Brother Fred Evans is pastor now. He'd come to the pulpit
with a large sheet of legal paper. He had a legal mind. And he'd
have his notes. And you know what he'd have on
his notes? One statement. He'd have a legal pad. You'd
think, man, we're going to be here all night. He had a legal
pad. One statement. That was all the notes he had
because he wanted you to get one thing, just one thing, just
one thing. Oh, I want you to get one thing
now, roll it over for the next few minutes, and carry it home
with you. He laid down His life for us. He laid down His life for us. What majestic simplicity. Seven
simple one-syllable words, and yet in those seven words, The
most profound wonder of history is declared. And the greatest
mystery of heaven is revealed. He laid down his life for us. Sublime ideas are easily stated
in simple words. Sublime ideas. are easily stated
in simple words. It takes big words to express
little thoughts. You ought to let that sink in
too. Papists have nothing to say,
so they say it in Latin. Religious philosophers have little
to say, so they have to say it with great swelling words of
man's wisdom. God's servants have something
to say, something wonderfully important, something marvelously
profound, something that if God writes it on your heart will
change your life forever. So they say it with determined
simplicity. He laid down his life for us. I look at you men and women and
realize my responsibility as best I can realize it to speak
to you for God and to make your sons and daughters and you understand
what I'm saying. For that reason, I use determined
simplicity. Now, for me, simplicity is an
easy thing. But simplicity is the way the gospel must be preached,
with clarity, so that we cannot be misunderstood. If I use a
word that one of you has to go home and get a dictionary and
look it up, if I find out about it, I'm embarrassed. I don't
want you to have to wonder what I've said when I get done preaching.
I want deliberately to use words and language that you all understand
and cannot misunderstand. He laid down his life for us. The Apostle Paul wrote to the
Corinthians and expressed great concern, lest Satan, who deceived
Adam, who deceived our mother Eve, should beguile you, corrupt
you from the simplicity that's in Christ Jesus. how plain, how
clear, how simple God's truth is. You ever consider that? Now,
what men say about God's truth is another story. I recall some
years ago, I read about a fellow in England. He had written a
copy of, published a copy of Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress with
explanatory notes. And he was visiting one of the
old ladies in the congregation and noticed that she had a copy
of it on there and started leaving. He asked her, said, sister, said,
how do you like my book? She said, well, the part that
Bunyan wrote I don't have any trouble with, but your notes,
I don't know what you were saying. And often that's the way it is
when we start to explain away what God has said in his word.
The word of God speaks with simplicity, with simplicity. Listen to how
simple the scriptures are. died for the ungodly. Christ came into the world to
save sinners, not the righteous. The righteous need not a physician,
but they that are sick. Our Lord Jesus came to save sinners. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou shalt be saved. By the grace of God are you saved
through faith. He that believeth on the Son
of God hath everlasting life. He that believeth not the Son
of God hath not life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.
The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord. He laid down his life for us. The gospel of God, the truth
of God is presented with such glaring simplicity that men and
women are confronted with the truth of God and they cannot,
cannot, cannot, dis not, deny what they read or what they've
heard. They simply either bow to it or rebel against it. No
other options. Now let's look at this wonderful
declaration of mercy and let me show you four things I believe
will help you. and be a benefit to you. Number
one, number one. Did he lay down his life for
us? Then how great God our Savior
must be. Read all you can about religious
history. all you can about what men have
done in religious history, and you will find that there have
been thousands upon thousands upon thousands who have been
sacrificed to gods of one kind or another. Go down to Mexico,
every time we take somebody new down there, go visit the ruins
over in Chichen Itza and see where they take young virgins
and rip their hearts out while they're still alive and throw
them off of their high altar, sacrificing them to their God. But nowhere in history will you
ever find any man who dreamed of a God who gave himself for
a man. Nowhere in history. That's only
in the book of God. Here is God. gives himself for
man. Now it would do you no good for
me to tell you that he laid down his life for us if I simply said
to you God laid down his life for us. Now that's true. God was in the world reconciling
the world unto himself. That's true. God redeemed the
church with his blood. The scriptures plainly state
those things. But to simply declare that and say no more gives you
no confidence, no reason for joy, no reason for hope, because
you understand that God can't die. God can't lie. God can't die. God can't change. God can't lay down his life.
God's immutable. God's spirit. God is life. He
can't die. if I were to tell you that he,
the man, Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth, laid down his life for us, that
too is meaningless until you understand who this man is, who
this God is. This one who laid down his life
for us is God in the flesh. This one who laid down his life
for us is God incarnate. He is the Word made flesh dwelling
among us. He is God-man, the God who became
a man, the man who is God. That gives indescribable, infinite
merit to everything He does. A mere man could not fulfill
God's righteous law on behalf of all his people. A mere man
could not satisfy the justice of God were all men together
to be cast into hell. Man could not satisfy God's law
and God's justice, but here is a man. who is God in the flesh
of infinite worth so that whatever he does, whatever he is, is of
infinite value to the thrice holy God for he is God. Understand that? The Word was
made flesh. He who came here over 2,000 years
ago and lived on this earth for 33 and a half years as a man
is himself God. That one who was formed in the
virgin's womb is God. He is the woman's seed. You're not woman's seed. I'm
not woman's seed. We are all the product of a man's
seed. We are all the seed of our father
Adam and the seed of our fathers preceding him right up to our
present early father. But He is a woman seed. A woman seed? A woman seed? How can that be? He is conceived
in the womb of the Virgin by God the Holy Spirit without the
aid of a man and is called that holy thing. So that our Savior
said in Hebrews 10, a body has now prepared me. He is that holy
thing prepared in the virgin's womb whereby God determined from
everlasting to crush the serpent's head in redeeming our souls.
And the scriptures fulfilled in his virgin birth and his incarnation
in his world. Turn to Isaiah chapter 9. Isaiah
chapter 9. Back up to chapter 7, verse 14. Therefore the Lord himself shall
give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive. Now, you will run across some
liberal folks who think they're smarter than God and think we're
kind of archaic and don't understand ABC from B, C, and D. But the fact is, they'll say,
this word virgin, might have been translated young maiden.
And you know they're right. It might have been. It might
have been. But there is a word that's used
in the scriptures translated young maiden. And God didn't
inspire Isaiah to write young maiden. He inspired Isaiah to
write a virgin shall conceive. Now there's nothing remarkable
about Mary being a virgin. These days there might be, but
it wasn't in her day. Nothing remarkable about that
at all. It's just a foregone conclusion that a young lady
who is not married should be a virgin. But this woman Mary,
she was no more holy than any other. She was just described
as a virgin to make us understand that she had never known a man
and our Savior is born of one who is a virgin. The woman sees. virgin shall conceive and bear
a son and call his name Emmanuel God with us now look at chapter
9 for unto us a child is born and unto us a son is given now
why do you reckon he said that it's not just take up space he's
not just saying the same thing two different ways he's telling
us two different things a child was born Mary's child was born. Mary's child came out of her
womb, born just like any other baby boy is born. Unto us a son
is given. As a man, he was born in this
world. As a man, he was born like any
other child. But he who is God the son could
not be born. He's given to us through the
virgin's womb in the humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ. Look
at John chapter one, John's gospel chapter one. Listen to who this
is who came in this world in our flesh. In the beginning was the word
and the word was with God and the word was God. The same was
in the beginning with God. Who is this? This one who is
the word. He's our mediator. He's our surety. He is that one whom God Almighty,
the triune Jehovah, has sent forth to be the revelation of
God. He is the Word by whom God communicates Himself to men.
Who is He? He's God. All things were made
by Him. And without Him was not anything
made that was made. Look at verse 14. And the Word
was made flesh and dwelt among us. And we beheld his glory,
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace
and truth." Jesus Christ is God in human flesh. The angel told
Joseph, said, when Mary's son comes, call his name Jesus. Call him Joshua. Call him Jehovah saves because
he shall save his people from their sin. Oh how great he is
who laid down his life for us. He has a people who were his
people before he came into this world. He came here to save His
people from their sins. And you can be certain of this,
whatever He came to do, He has done, for He's God. Failure is
not a possibility with Him. When people want to fuss and
debate and argue about for whom did Christ die, whether he tried
to save everybody, whether he wanted to save everybody. That's
nonsense. The question's redundant if you
just find out who he is. Just find out who he is because
any denial, now listen to me, any denial of the efficacy of
his work is a denial of who he is. If he's God, he can't fail. If he's God, he can't want what
he doesn't have. If he's God, he cannot desire
what he does not have. If he's God, he cannot try to
do what he does not do. He shall not fail. He is God in human flesh. All right. Here's the third thing.
Our second thing. Did he lay down his life for
us? Then how great How horribly great, how very evil are our
sins. Indescribably evil. Evil beyond imagination. Our sins. So horrid so evil that all the
blood of sacrifices slain and offered upon the altar of God
throughout the ages of the Old Testament did not put away one
sin, not one sin. So great, so evil is sin that
all the works of religious men in the utmost devotion cannot
make atonement for one sin. So evil, so vile is our sin that
no ceremony, no sacrifice that we offer to God can atone for
one sin. I've told you this many times.
It'll bear repetition many more times. One of the last time my dad visited
with us, but I'll take that back is a few years for the last time
he visited with us. We still live in Oberlin Junction
City. He got to talking about religious
stuff and with tears in his eyes, he said to me as he started to
leave, he said, son, one of these days, I hope I can do something
to make up to God for all I've done. And I looked at him with tears
in my eyes. And he never learned it. I said,
Dad, I keep praying for you. that you'll quit trying to make
up to God, you can't do it. You can't do it. You making up
to God is gratifying to the flesh, pleasing to the flesh, but does
nothing for your soul. You mean there's no way man can
make atonement? No way man can redeem himself?
What fools you are to imagine so. What fools they are who imagine
so. What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Oh, how vile sin must be. It cannot be pardoned but by
blood atonement. It cannot be forgiven but by
the precious blood of Christ. It cannot be put away but by
Emmanuel's blood. It cannot be forgiven by God,
forgotten by God, laid aside by God, except by the sacrifice
of His Son. But no other way. God in justice
cannot forgive sin except by blood atonement, the blood atonement
of His Son. and God will not do that which
he cannot do in justice. That means this. If Christ paid
my debt at Calvary, and he did, then it's right for God to forgive
my sin. If he punished his son in my
stead, and he did, then it's right for God never to punish
me. If he poured out his wrath on
his son in my stead, and he did, it is right for God never to
be angry with me. Oh, great is my sin, but greater
is my redeemer. And where sin abounded, grace
did much more abound. And now, since God has transferred
my sin and my guilt to His Son, God Almighty in justice pours
out nothing but mercy upon me. Mercy bestowed on the grounds
of absolute justice. Somebody said, well, You can't
have justice and mercy both. I reckon that's so. No, we're
accepting Christ. Free mercy, free grace, absolute
justice, so that God Almighty, having made his son sin, makes
us to be the very righteousness of God in him. This knowledge
of sin, this great great evil that we are and that is in us
comes by the convicting work of God, the Holy Spirit. There
is a legal conviction that that creates fear. You hear the law
and you're terrified by the judgment of God and you're scared to death
to go into hell. But that's not the conviction
that brings faith and repentance. There is even a conviction that
that arises from a sense of God's majesty. Peter saw our Lord Jesus
performing a great miracle. He caught all those fish in the
net at the Lord's command. Peter said, Oh, depart from me,
Lord, for I'm a sinful man. He was just overwhelmed by the
Lord's majesty. But that's not the conviction
that produces faith in Christ. There is a conviction wrought
in the heart by God, the Holy Spirit, by the revelation of
Christ crucified in you, by which God, the Holy Spirit, convinces
sinners of sin, your sin, and of righteousness, perfect righteousness
in the substitute, and judgment, judgment finished by Christ the
Lord. Look up here a minute. Look up
here a minute. Look here. You're looking at a man, vile beyond imagination, who is completely convinced that
he is perfectly righteous before God. I'm Alan Kibbe, I'm perfectly
righteous before God. Perfectly righteous. Perfectly
righteous. Who has no dread of meeting God
in judgment. That's not possible. Yes, it
is. Oh, yes it is. No dread, but
I know the Lord put away our sins before we were saved, but
what about those after we were saved? They were all future when
he put them away. Our sins he put away, and he
will not charge us with sin. No reason to, because he declares
that he hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob. nor sin in Israel. He declares, I know whom I pardon. And he says, when sin and iniquities
look for in Judah and in Israel, it shall not be found. Oh, how
great our God and Savior must be. How great our sin must be. Thirdly, did he lay down his
life for us? Then how great how infinitely
great, how indescribably great his love for us must be. I think about God's election.
That's a wonderful subject. He said, you've not chosen me,
but I've chosen you. And I rejoice in God's great
love wherewith he loved us and chose us in Christ Jesus before
the world was. I think about divine predestination,
and I'm amazed that God in love predestinated us unto the adoption
of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good
pleasure of his will. And I think about God's providence.
These are subjects I just I roll them over in my heart and mind
every day. I deliberately, deliberately
try to think of them and often when I neglect the deliberate
meditation, God graciously forces me to think of them. His eternal
election, His sovereign predestination, His good providence. That providence
by which God preserved us, and provided everything we needed
all the days of time from the time he said let there be light
and there was light. Everything, everything. I know you, we can't halfway
get into this. Everything, everything he's performed
for us. so that we are described as those
who are the preserved in Jesus Christ. Preserved through Adam's
fall, preserved through all the ages of time, preserved through
all the ins and outs and nooks and crannies of time and history
in all parts of the world, preserved unto our calling because of God's
love for His own. as he describes it himself, like
the love of Hosea for Gomer, that harlot wife of his. But
when I come to Calvary and see God's Son made sin, suffering
the wrath of God voluntarily, He willingly, voluntarily laid
down his life for us. Here is love. Before the court of heaven, he
was numbered with transgressors. Because he willingly took my
sins in his body on the tree. He willingly took my transgressions,
my iniquities, my infirmities, my diseases, my corruptions,
my guiltiness, my perversity and takes it as his own. He drinks
as it were into his holy soul all my pollution. to make me
the righteousness of God in him. Now, herein is the love of God
manifest. Hereby perceive we the love of
God, because he laid down his life for us. What wondrous grace. One more
thing. Did the Lord Jesus, the Lord
of glory, God the Son, lay down his life for us? Then how great our safety and our security in
him must be. Oh, did Christ die for me? How safe I am? Did Christ lay
down his life for me? How secure I must be. There is
therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus.
Listen to what the Apostle Paul did. He gets to thinking about this
glorious position of ours in Christ. No condemnation. And he raises some challenges,
bold, bold challenges. This is what it says. How shall
he not with him also freely give us all things? How is it possible
that God spared not his own son and then withhold from me anything?
And then he said, who shall lay anything to the charge of God's
elect? Bring it on. Bring it on. Who shall lay anything
to the charge of God's elect? It's God to justify it. And if
God declares you not guilty, you're not guilty. Let men say
what they will. Let men do what they will. You're
not guilty. Who is he that condemneth? Who's going to sentence us to
everlasting damnation? It's Christ that died. I believe that means that if
Christ died for me, I can't be condemned. Or it means the word
of God is meaningless, one of the two. Who's he that condemneth
it? It's Christ that died. Who shall
separate us from the love of God that's in Christ Jesus our
Lord? Nothing and nobody. In his life, I have perfect holiness. In his death, I have perfect
justification. in his resurrection I have perfect
salvation. Not even a devil or an angel
or God himself can ever charge me with sin or condemn my soul. Now I chose my words on purpose.
Not a devil, not an angel, not God himself. can charge me with
sin if Christ laid down his life for me. That's called safety,
security, salvation by grace. Under the blood of Jesus, safe
in the shepherd's fold. Under the blood of Jesus, safe
while the ages roll. Safe though the world may crumble,
safe though the stars grow dim, Under the blood of Jesus, I am
secure in Him. He laid down His life for us. Amen.