Well, I'm aware that... of necessity
the tone of some of the messages can seem negative or seem a bit
as if aren't we the poor persecuted ones uh... so a bit of a negative
tone in some of the messages that we've seen illustrated by
the opposition that was experienced by the people going back to jerusalem
in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah to rebuild the temple and rebuild
the walls of jerusalem and they faced extreme opposition And
it's an illustration of what we do experience as the people
of God, as believers in this world. Opposition. Jesus himself
said, in this world, you shall have tribulation, you will have
trouble. The world opposes the religious
world. Even the world that calls itself
evangelical Christian in large measure, opposes the true gospel. It's a fact to be aware of. God
hasn't promised anything other than tribulation and minority
status. He never ever told his people,
it will be great, you'll feel as though you're in the majority
and there'll be thousands and thousands there. Never ever told
his people that. He always spoke of his people
as little flock. of that little flock. He always
spoke about there being a narrow way that leads to life, and a
broad, wide way that leads to destruction. No, this is the
way he told us it would be. But what's the cause of the hatred
of the true gospel? What is the cause of it? Why
was Jesus so hated by the world and by religion? Why was somebody
who was so good so hated by the world? Why was that? It's because
of the hatred of the arrogant heart of man of God's sovereignty. Man hates the sovereignty of
God. We will not have this man to
rule over us, they said of Jesus. and the world shakes its fist
in the face of God. And God talks about it in the
second Psalm. In Psalm 2 God says, why do the
heathen rage and imagine a vain thing against the Lord and against
his anointed? Because they do, the world hates,
hates the gospel of God's grace. When Christ came doing nothing
but good, the Pharisees and the scribes hated him. He said to
them, What have I done to cause this and yet you all go about
to kill me and they said you must be mad we're not talking
about killing you while all the time they were plotting his death. Hatred of the true gospel is
hatred of the sovereignty of God. They cry out, as in Psalm
2, let us break their bands asunder. Let's throw off the constraint
of this God who is sovereign. We don't like it this way. We're
not going to have this as the truth of God. Let's cast away
their cords from us. Do you know, you must always
bear in mind there are only two kinds of religion. You know,
there's an idea that, oh, basically we're all in the same boat. There's
only two kinds of religion. All the religion in the world,
I don't care what label you put on it, comes down to one of two
things. It's either man-centered, which
says this, what you need to do to be in favor with God. That's
man-centered. Any religion that says, you are
under an obligation to do this, or that, or the other, is man-centered. It gives some value to the things
that we do in the flesh, man-centered, and what's in that pot of religion,
you name it. All sorts. Islam, yes, what you
do affects how you stand with God. Roman Catholicism, yes,
Buddhism, yes, Hinduism, yes, all of them are man-centered,
even evangelical Christianity in large part, because they all
say there's something you must do. They even stand and they
say God has done all that he can, now it's up to you. He's
done four-fifths of it, now it's up to you to do the next bit,
and if you don't, then be it on your own head. Man-centered.
And then there's the truth of Scripture, which is God-centered.
Because in it, God tells us what He has done in Christ to make
His people the righteousness of God in Him. Now, to get back
to this story of Nehemiah, there'd been lots of opposition. We saw
it last week in around Nehemiah chapter 4, and it goes on. Sanballat
and Tobiah, these were the Samaritan opposers, the heathen people
surrounding Jerusalem they opposed Jerusalem and they opposed everything
to do with it and in the face of great opposition remember
Nehemiah said we prayed to our God and we set a watch and they
set guard and they kept guard because of the fear of attack
that was coming upon them at all time but nevertheless Temple
worship had already been re-established for about a hundred years since
they came back, and now the walls are finished. They've joined
up all the holes in the walls, they've rebuilt the walls, and
Jerusalem is now secure again. And in chapter 8, Ezra, who was,
if you remember from Ezra chapter 7, which is the book of Ezra
written by Ezra but nevertheless the first six chapters he's talking
about others but then he introduces himself in chapter seven and
he calls himself a ready scribe, a skillful scribe, a knowledgeable
scribe, a student of the scriptures, he'd studied the scriptures,
he was absolutely immersed and versed in the Scriptures. The
more you read the Scriptures, the more, when you look at one
verse, another verse of Scripture comes to mind to illustrate it.
The best commentary on the Scriptures is the Scriptures. The best way
to study the Scriptures is to know the Scriptures. Because
as you study one obscure piece, then others will come to mind
that illustrate it and enlighten it. And Ezra was such a scribe.
He was a scholar in the Scriptures. And he was asked by the people,
Jerusalem's finished, he was asked by the people to open the
book of the law of Moses. They built him a pulpit of wood,
it says, verse 4 of chapter 8. He stood on upon a pulpit of
wood which they had made for the purpose that he might be
up there to be able to project his voice distinctly and clearly
and give the sense so that not only did he preach what the words
said, but he explained what the words meant. That's preaching
the word of God, pronouncing it, proclaiming it. It's not
a discussion. It's not a debate. It's not theater. It's public proclamation of the
truth that God has declared, giving the sense, as it says.
They gave the sense. It's causing the people to understand
the reading. This is what we try to do in
the Bible classes, read the scripture in what many regard as obscure
language, this language of the 16 and 1700s, but nevertheless,
the best translation that we've got in the English language even
today in terms of accuracy to what the original words actually
meant, and we try to give the sense. That's what we try and
do. That's the purpose of it. So you read it with understanding.
They gave the sense. And he opened the books of Moses. They gave him that scroll of
the book of Moses, the five books of Moses, which is full of the
story of creation, the story of the exodus from Egypt, the
instructions regarding animal sacrifices, which gets very,
very gory. You know, it's like a scene from
an abattoir. There's entrails, and blood,
and animals being slaughtered, and it's full of all of that
sort of thing. And then we've got Numbers, and
then we've got Deuteronomy. And do you know what Jesus said
about those books? I know you know what he said
about those books. He said, these are they which speak of me. What's the message of Genesis,
Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, and the other books of the Old
Testament? The Lord Jesus Christ. Because in picture, he is presented
there. To those disciples on the Emmaus
Road, let me remind you. As he walked along with them,
and beginning at Moses, he said, why are you so dull as to not
understand the scriptures? And beginning at Moses and the
prophets, he expounded to them, in all the scriptures, the things
concerning himself. Because that's this message.
That's this book. Its message is the things concerning
Christ. What about the things concerning
Christ? how God is just and justifier, how God has remained just and
yet justified his people for his own glory, for his own sake.
Jesus said of Moses, that he rejoiced when talking to the
Jews who were so opposing him and saying that they were the
children of Abraham and they were in the line of Moses and
they were so proud of their background and their heritage and he said
Moses rejoiced to see my day and he saw it and was glad. In
those books of Moses is the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now
what I want to consider with you this morning is the joy the
rejoicing, the mirth that there is in understanding the words
of the gospel. Look at verse 12 of chapter 8. And all the people went their
way to eat and to drink and to send portions, that means to
take care of the poor who didn't have enough, and to make great
mirth. Great mirth. Why? Because they
had understood the words that were declared unto them. They'd
understood the preaching and it gave them great gladness and
joy. The title of this message is
Joy in Understanding the Gospel. I want to consider that with
you this morning. Psalm 89 says this in verses 15 and 16. It
says, blessed is the people that know the joyful sound. Do you
know that? Do you know that? Have you ever
had that thrill of hearing the gospel? Blessed is the people
that know the joyful sound. You don't get that joyful sound
by science, or philosophy, or man's literature, or anything
of the sort. It comes by the revelation of
the Holy Spirit in the heart. Blessed is the people that know
the joyful sound. They shall walk O Lord, in the
light of Thy countenance, in Thy name shall they rejoice all
the day, and in Thy righteousness, God's righteousness, shall they
be exalted. If you look back at verse 9 of
chapter 8, We read this, and Nehemiah, which is the Tarshatha,
which is the governor, and Ezra the priest, the scribe, and the
Levites that taught the people said to the people, this day,
the day on which Ezra had preached, and they'd given the sense and
given the understanding, and what sense? They'd given the
sense of the gospel of God's grace. This day is holy unto
the Lord your God. Mourn not nor weep, for all the
people wept. when they heard the words of
the law. All the people wept. This is the first reaction. When
they heard the words of the law, when they heard God's declaration
of his purposes, all the people wept. There's an understanding,
there's an understanding which leads to repentance. When the
law was expounded, they knew their just condemnation as the
sons of Adam. Do you know that this morning?
Do you know your just condemnation? Do you know what you really are
before God? Do you know God sees into the
very depths and every corner of your heart and mind? Do you
know what you are before God as the sons of Adam? I'm talking
men and women here, I'm not just talking about the male of the
species. All of us condemned. What did we read in Romans 3
earlier? All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
All are condemned. There is not one of us who will
stand in that day in our own strength, in our own flesh, because
in our flesh we're all corrupt, we're all vile, we're all just
as Gadsby keeps writing in his hymns, we're just worms in the
sight of God. We're just worms against his
justice. The charge sheet is clear and
shocking in the law of God. The law of God, by the law, says
Romans, is the knowledge of sin. By the law is the knowledge of
sin. The charge sheet is clear and shocking. As we've been seeing
in Romans 1 to 3, all the world becomes guilty before God. Every mouth is stopped. There's
no excuse. We know the mortality of the
body. I don't need any philosophical
argument with you to prove the mortality of the body. We see
it all around us, all the time, every day. They say we're all
living longer, but men and women still die at all sorts of ages
through their lives, in accidents, in disease, in all sorts of situations. We know the mortality of the
body. We know that it is appointed to man to die once, the body
to die once. And we also know the immortality
of the soul we know the mortality of the body that it must die
we know the immortality of the soul that I have a soul that
will never die and we must all stand before the judgment seat
of Christ we must all stand there it's appointed to man to die
once and then not oblivion not annihilation and then judgment
and there's a fearing of death and of certain judgment when
we know our position Listen to the words of Revelation, chapter
20, verses 12 to 15. I'll summarize them here, but
you can read them in full later. The Apostle John says this in
the vision that God gave him, and I saw the dead, small and
great. irrespective of their standing,
their status. Small and great. Nobody was rich
enough to escape. Nobody was powerful enough to
escape. I saw the dead, small and great,
stand before God. And the books were opened. What's
the books? The record of God. In the court, you know when they
take the, if you watch at the law courts in London, some cases
that are presented before the law courts, the books that have
to go in there, the records of what the case is about, run to
volumes and volumes and volumes, thousands and thousands of pages
of evidence The books were opened, God's books were opened, and
every man was judged according to their works. And whosoever
was not found written in the book of life, the implication
is clear, were all found guilty on the basis of what was written
in the books. And this is what it says. This is what it says. All who were not found written
in the book of life were cast into the lake of fire. What that
literally means, I don't know, but I think the scripture is
trying to tell us that it is a dreadful situation. No wonder
then, no wonder then that Hebrews 10, 27 says this about those
without hope in this world, that there is a certain fearful looking
for judgment and fiery indignation. when the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah
chapter 6 went into the temple and had a vision of God in Christ
because we know that from John 12 we know that the one he saw
high and lifted up on his throne in the temple in Jerusalem with
his train filling the temple and the pillars shaking we know
that that was Christ because God is manifested in Christ and
when he saw God in his holiness and purity you might think something
is clean You might think something is white because you're not looking
at it against a white background, but when you put it against fresh,
fresh snow, you see how dirty it really is. And Isaiah looked,
thinking he was a religious man, and when he saw what he saw,
he cried out, woe is me, I am undone, for I am a man of unclean
lips, I'm a sinner. justly condemned before the justice
of God. And I live amongst a people of
unclean lips. We're all as bad as one another.
There is none righteous, no not one. Here is an eternity-bound
sinner, stripped bare of any pretense to the righteousness
that God must see to be accepted with him. And knowing that God
is completely just, We know what we really are. Let God be true
and every man a liar. Whatever man's opinion is, is
irrelevant. Let God be true. God is true. And God says all
have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. And that brings
sorrow. A knowledge of that brings sorrow.
Weeping and sorrow. But you know there are two kinds
of sorrow. Turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 7. 2 Corinthians chapter 7 and verse 10, 2nd Corinthians
chapter 7 and verse 10. As I said, there are two kinds
of sorrow. There's godly sorrow, the root
cause of which is the witness of God. the moving of God, the
testimony of God. Godly sorrow, that kind of sorrow,
the sorrow which I believe these people had when they wept, when
they understood the things that they heard in the law, they've
been given to know the meaning of how holy God was and how sinful
they were, and they all wept when they heard the words of
the law. This is godly sorrow, because godly sorrow works repentance,
says Paul, and it works repentance with an objective to salvation. 2nd Corinthians, chapter 7, verse
10. For godly sorrow worketh repentance
to salvation, not to be repented of. But there's another kind
of sorrow. Oh, you might fear death. You
might fear judgment. But if it's just a fear outside
of Christ, you're without hope in this world. And the sorrow
of the world worketh only death. It's godly sorrow which works
repentance to salvation. There's the sorrow of the world
which works death, but repentance is the gift of God. Just as faith
is the gift of God, so is repentance the gift of God, for God is the
sovereign over salvation. We read in Acts chapter 5 and
verse 31, Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a prince
and a savior, this is speaking of Christ, for to give repentance
to Israel. and forgiveness of sins. It's
the gift of God. Not all men have that true godly
repentance which leads to salvation, which leads to the forgiveness
of sins. Acts chapter 11 verse 18, they glorified God saying
they heard about Gentiles believing. Then hath God also to the Gentiles
granted, it's a gift, repentance unto life. God had given to some
Gentiles who believed the gospel, he'd given them repentance and
faith, which is also the gift of God. So in hearing the scriptures
preached, these people had been given repentance unto salvation. Have you been given that? As
you've heard the gospel preached, down many years perhaps, have
you been brought to repentance? Has godly sorrow overcome you
to see what your true position is? To know what you really are
in yourself? To know that as Paul said, that
I in my flesh dwells no good thing. These people had, and
they wept, and they were sorry, and were grieved. Look at verse
nine, they were mourning. He said unto all the people,
second half, this day is holy unto the Lord your God. Mourn
not, nor weep, for all the people wept. when they heard the words
of the law. They were grieved, they were
sorry, they knew what they really were. The book of the law had
been brought and it had been opened and expounded and they
knew what God was saying about them and their own righteousness
and their own religion. Perhaps they would have had cause
to feel proud because they'd re-established Jerusalem. They'd
set up the temple again. Aren't we proud of this? You
know, like man is proud of his man-made religion. How proud
are men and women of their temples, and of their traditions, and
of their architecture, and of all of these things. How proud.
But these people were stripped bare. In the moment of their
glory, of closing up the walls of Jerusalem, and being in a
position of security, when the law was opened to them, when
Ezra opened the books of Moses to them, they wept. They wept,
they were grieved in their hearts when they heard the words of
the Lord because they knew what they were really like. And it
was the gift of repentance from God. Repentance unto salvation. The gospel was declared to them
in those days in pictures and types before Christ came. I am sure, we don't know, but
I am so strongly persuaded that the true remnant of God knew
the gospel of grace throughout. And in these words of these Old
Testament books, they could see that which Christ expounded to
those disciples on the road to Emmaus concerning himself. They
didn't know exactly what Christ would be, but they knew God had
promised a Messiah who would be the salvation of his people,
Israel. They knew that. They knew that
that was the case. they understood that but it was
all in pictures before Christ came to fulfill all righteousness
but to us now we look back and we see that he has come and he
has fulfilled all righteousness and he has paid the price of
his people's sins. God as we saw in Romans 3 there
was forbearance under that old Testament covenant of temple
worship. There was the forbearance of
God, but it was that same propitiation in the blood of the Lord Jesus
Christ that covered their sins, too. And now, for us. To us,
the Gospel is explicit. And in hearing the Gospel, not
only is there sorrow leading to repentance and to salvation,
but there's understanding that leads to mirth. Verse 12, and
the end of it. Chapter 8, verse 12. and to make
great mirth because they had understood the words that were
declared unto them. Great mirth. Great mirth. In 1 Corinthians 15 and verse
22, we read, as you know, as in Adam, all die. All that are in Adam, which is
the whole human race, they die. And what do they die? The human
body death. Yes, we know that, but the second
death of judgment. As in Adam all die, even so in
Christ shall all that are in Christ be made alive. As in Adam
all die, even so in Christ shall all be made of life. Realizing
who it is that you are in determines sorrow or joy. In Adam, sorrow. Hopelessness, without hope in
this world. In Christ, joy. Think of the
flood and the judgment that came. Where did you need to be when
that judgment fell? Because there was no escape at
all. It was a universal flood right
across the whole world. That judgment came. God looked
down and saw the wickedness of man and to show that he is a
God of justice and of judgment, God judged the world and he flooded
the entire world and he drowned everything in which was the breath
of life. Only the sea-living creatures survived. He drowned
everything else in which was the breath of life. But some
survived. And you know who they were? Just
the eight that were in Noah's ark. God shut them in. And in
that ark, when the storm came on the outside, when the floods
came, the ark lifted them up. The ark kept them warm. The ark
kept them dry. The ark sustained them. Through
all of that justice falling on sin, the ark sustained them.
The place to be was in the ark. The place to be in the judgment
of God is in Christ. Here are some reasons for joy
when you understand something of what it means to be in Him. Remember, they heard the words
of the law, they knew they were sinners and they wept. Then they
heard the words of the law that there was salvation for sinners.
They heard, blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute
iniquity. David had already written that. They heard those words.
Blessed is the man whose sins are covered. They heard that.
And they knew that Messiah was coming to be their substitute,
to be their surety, to stand in their place. And if they were
in Him, if they were in Him, they were in the justice of God
absolutely accepted and righteous. Here are some things. Just for
us to consider, just in a few minutes, if you're in Christ,
you were chosen in him. You know the verse, you can turn
to these verses if you want, Ephesians chapter one and verse
four. According as he has chosen us
in him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and without blame before him in love. If you're in Him,
it's because you were chosen in Him before the beginning of
time. It's not because you chose to
be in Him. It's not because you chose to
accept that offer that was open to everybody. You come to the
knowledge that you're in Him because before time began. For
reasons of nothing other than the love and grace of God, He
put you in His Son. He counted you in that federal
head. As everyone of mankind is counted in the federal headship
of Adam, and when Adam fell, all fell, when Adam sinned, we
all sinned, so he put his people in the federal headship of Christ.
He chose us in him. Do you know that? Do you know
anything of that? If God has chosen you in Christ
before the foundation of the world, do you need to fear anything
concerning the judgment of God? Is that not the most solid reassuring,
comforting basis of looking at eternity. I'm chosen in Christ
before the foundation of the world. How do I know? The scriptures
tell me. God has from the beginning chosen
you to salvation through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the
truth. And then you're justified in him. Look at first Corinthians
chapter six. First Corinthians, chapter 6, and verse 11. He's talking about
sinful people, sinful practice, and he says, and such were some
of you who are now believers, but ye are washed. but ye are
sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus
and by the Spirit of our God. Justified in the name of the
Lord Jesus. What is it to be justified? it
is to be declared absolutely righteous before God. It's to
be declared the righteousness of God in him, because he made
him to be sin. We'll look at that one shortly.
It's to be counted absolutely just in him. Not just as if I
hadn't sinned, but in Christ you haven't sinned. That's the
truth. That's what the strength of the
gospel is. In Christ you have not sinned. When you stand before
the judgment seat of Christ, you stand there in Christ. You
haven't sinned. That you might receive the deeds
done in the body. When you stand before the judgment
seat of Christ in Christ, it's not the deeds of the old man
that you will be judged for, for they've already been judged
in Christ, when he made him who knew no sin to be sin for us.
on the cross of Calvary. You're judged as if you are Christ. You are judged like Him, because
you are in Him all that He is. That very next scripture, 2 Corinthians
5, 21, you are made the righteousness of God in Him. This is cause
for rejoicing. Think of this. How can a man be just with God? How can a man be accepted with
God? This is facing the big issues
of eternity. He made him who knew no sin to
be sin for us. For he loaded onto the Lord Jesus
Christ all the sins of all his people throughout all time. All
those whom he had chosen in Christ before the foundation of the
world and on the cross of Calvary The justice of God was satisfied
there in Him. The justice of God fell upon
Him. The wrath of God against sin
fell upon Him that it might not fall upon His people. And we
were judged in Him. And the sin of His people was
paid for in Him. We're sanctified and redeemed
in Him. Look at 1 Corinthians chapter
1 and verse 30. 1 Corinthians chapter 1 and verse
30, but of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto
us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.
Of him, of the choice of God the Father, you are in Christ
Jesus. And being in him, oh what an
arc of comfort. Just think the rejoicing of the
hearts of those eight people that were in that ark when the
judgment of God fell. and how all around them there
were those who were perishing in the flood and they knew where
they were. They were safe in the ark. You
are in him, in Christ Jesus. He is made unto us of God, wisdom
and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. In him there
is peace with God. Romans chapter five and verse
10, Romans chapter five. And verse 10, for if when we
were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his son,
much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. Peace with God. We have peace
with God in him. How often does Paul in the epistle
start with peace from God and the peace of God? When we were
enemies, which you were, which you are by nature in your flesh,
the enemies of God. The carnal mind is enmity with
God. It's the sworn enemy of God. It's the carnal mind that cries,
we will not have this one to rule over us. But when you are
enemies, He has established peace in the blood of His cross. We
were reconciled to God by the death of His Son. It was the
death of His Son that has reconciled His people to Him. Because in
the death of His Son, the thing which alienates His people from
God, which is the sins of His people, were loaded onto His
Son and He paid the penalty of them there. You're dead to sin
in Him. Romans chapter 6 and verse 2. God forbid. How shall we that
are dead to sin live any longer therein? This is the declaration
of God in the Scriptures that in the Lord Jesus Christ you
are dead to sin in Him. How do you know you're dead to
sin? Well there's another verse in Galatians and the second chapter
and verse 20 or thereabouts. Verse 20, I am crucified with
Christ. This is what the scripture declares,
that when Christ died on the cross, his people died there
in him. I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless
I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me. I'm in him, but
he lives in me too. And the life which I now live
by the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved
me and gave himself for me. I'm dead to sin in him. How shall
we that are dead to sin live any longer therein? And then
in the same chapter, chapter six of Romans, in verse 11, likewise
reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but,
the corollary of that, alive unto God through Jesus Christ
our Lord. In Christ, not only are you dead
to sin, says the scripture, but you're alive to God. Oh, I just
want to know God, just like Just like Philip said, show us the
Father and that will do. This is what people want that
are thinking about eternity. Show me the true God. And Christ
said to Philip, Philip have I been so long with you and yet you
have not known me. He who has seen me has seen the Father.
You're alive to God in him, in the Lord Jesus Christ. You have
the assurance of faith in him. Turn to 1 John. John's first
epistle. And chapter two. And verse 5. But whoso keepeth his word, in
him verily is the love of God perfected. Hereby know we that
we are in him. In him. In him you have the assurance
of faith. In him. You know that you're
his. There's the witness of his spirit,
witnessing with your spirit that you are his child. You have the
assurance of faith in him. You turn over a couple of pages
to 1 John chapter 4. 1 John chapter 4 and verses 12
and 13. No man hath seen God at any time.
If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected
in us. Hereby know we that we dwell
in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
That's it. That's what I was just saying.
The witness of his Spirit, showing us that we are in him. If we
love one another, God dwells in us, and his love is perfected
in us. Hereby know we that we dwell
in him, and he in us, because he's given us of his Spirit.
It's all in Him. You have obtained an inheritance
of eternal riches in Him. Ephesians chapter 1. We've already
looked in Ephesians, but here's some more. Ephesians chapter
1 and verse 11. in whom also we have in him if
you are in him you have obtained an inheritance being predestinated
according to the purpose of him who works all things after the
counsel of his own will in him an eternal inheritance lay up
treasure in heaven where moth and rust doesn't corrupt in him
we have that treasure in heaven you're accepted in him Here's
another thing. This is why they rejoiced. Go
away and be glad. You are accepted in him. In Ephesians
1 and verse 6, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein
he hath made us accepted in the Beloved. Who's the Beloved? The
Lord Jesus Christ. And finally, though we could
go on and on, but you are complete in him. Colossians 2 and verse
10, Paul says it there. So clearly, you are complete
in him. What do I need to be right with
God? Everything in the Lord Jesus
Christ. You have it. You are complete. in him. Now,
I'm going to cut this short because I've said all that I need to
say. Think on these things. Go your way, as Nehemiah and
Ezra said to those people who were weeping because they'd heard
the law condemn them. But here's the gospel. They've
had the gospel preached to them as well. Go your way and rejoice
that your names are written in heaven if you know by faith and
belief of the truth and the witness of God's Spirit that these things
are yours. You know, they wept because they
heard that curse. Cursed is everyone who does not
continue in all things which are written in the book of the
law to do them. Galatians 3, verse 13. Well, just before that,
but then verse 13. That's cause for sorrow, cursed. But here is the cause for rejoicing. But Christ has redeemed us. brought
us back from the curse of the law. How? Having been made a
curse for us, he's established righteousness for his people.
So then, do you know those things are yours? If you do, praise
God, and go away and rejoice, and eat the fat and the sweet,
whatever that means. Be happy, because your names
are written in heaven. Rejoice over those things, but
if not, think on this. Think on this warning. Think
on this warning in the scripture, that warning to the Hebrews,
Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 3. How shall we escape if we neglect
so great salvation? Amen.