Found In Him

Q: What does the Bible say about being found in Christ?

Being found in Christ means having righteousness through faith in Him, rather than relying on personal merit. In Philippians 3:9, the Apostle Paul expresses a desire to be 'found in Him, not having my own righteousness, but that which is through the faith of Christ.' This signifies a believer's complete reliance on Christ for acceptance before God. In contrast to the self-righteousness and works that Paul once trusted in, being found in Christ denotes the acceptance and righteousness that comes through faith alone, highlighting the core of sovereign grace theology, which holds that salvation is entirely a work of God's grace rather than human effort.

Q: How do we know sovereign grace is true?

Sovereign grace is validated through Scripture, which affirms God's unmerited favor and election of His people. The doctrine of sovereign grace rests upon biblical teachings found in verses like Ephesians 1:4, which states that believers were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. This emphasizes God's initiative and grace in salvation rather than human effort. Historical doctrinal foundations, such as the Five Points of Dordrecht (TULIP), support the truth of sovereign grace, demonstrating that salvation is a divine act of grace from start to finish. Through the Scriptures, we see God's unwavering commitment to His elect and His grace that not only calls but also empowers them to believe.

Q: Why is Christ my only hope?

Christ is the only hope for salvation because He is the fulfillment of God's righteousness and the only mediator between God and man. In the Reformed perspective, Christ is the believer's only hope because He alone meets the demands of God's law perfectly. As stated in Philippians 3:9, we are reminded that true righteousness is accounted through faith in Christ, not from our works. This is further supported by passages like Romans 5:19, which emphasizes that through one man's obedience, many shall be made righteous. Jesus alone is the mediator who reconciles us to God, making Him the sole source of our hope. Without Him, we are hopeless, akin to being 'without God and without hope' as expressed in Ephesians 2:12.

Q: What is the significance of grace in the Christian life?

Grace is essential in the Christian life because it is God's unmerited favor that enables believers to live righteously and assures their salvation. Grace plays a foundational role in the life of a believer. According to Romans 5:20, where sin abounded, grace did much more abound, showcasing grace as a powerful force that overcomes all sin. It is by grace that we are saved through faith, not of ourselves (Ephesians 2:8). This grace not only assures us of salvation but also empowers us to live in conformity to Christ's image. Hence, it is through grace that believers can have joy and confidence in their standing before God, knowing that their salvation is secure and not contingent upon their own efforts, but solely upon the completed work of Christ.

Philippians chapter 3. I was reading a commentary by
Brother Henry Mahan the other evening. It wasn't his commentary
on Philippians, it was another. But he made the statement that
he believed that the best way to encourage God's people, the
best way to uplift them, is to remind them over and over again
of the grace of God that we have in Christ Jesus. To be reminded
again and again of God's mercy. of all the blessed gifts we have
wrapped up in that one unspeakable gift of his dear son. Henry said he didn't believe
that Christians, pilgrims, could hear too much of that. So again
tonight, with that in mind, looking at Philippians chapter 3, we
want to consider just one verse as our text, and we'll come to
that in just a moment, but it'll be verse 9. And from that one
verse of Scripture, just these three words, and they're full
of grace, full of truth. I pray God and ask that you pray
that God will enable me to honor him in the preaching of it. The
three words are these, perhaps you've guessed, found in him. Found in him. That's a mouthful,
Lester. Found in Christ. And I want to
consider just two things from those three words. Found in him
as my only refuge. And found in him as my only hope. But before we get to that, notice
what Paul says in verses 7 and 8. Now, when he says, but what things,
he's referring back to what he mentioned in verses 4 through
6. The things that he once trusted
in. The things that he had worked
out himself. Man-made religion. Religion without Christ. Upholding the tradition of his
fathers. And Paul is referring to those
things that he once trusted in when he makes this statement.
But what things were gained to me? Those things that I once
thought recommended me to God. Those things that I sincerely
thought were acceptable and pleasing to God, those things that I thought
were gained to me, those I counted lost for Christ. And notice there
in verse 7, he speaks in the past tense. He counted those
things lost. But then in verse 8, He speaks
in the present tense as if to say, not only do I count all
things in my past before I knew Christ as lost, I count all things
right now. I count all things present. Not just some things, but all
things. Not just those things in my past,
but anything else. Yea, doubtless, and I count all
things but loss for this, for this. I cast them all out. Paul uses the word done. I don't
need to define that, do I? You know what that is. And Paul
says all those things that he once trusted in, that he described,
he says now in the light of Christ, in the light of his righteousness,
in the light of his completeness, who he is and what he's done,
all those things by comparison are worthless. They're done. They're not to even be considered
in the view of Christ. And he says, Now what Paul is
speaking of here, this knowledge of Christ, is just not a knowledge
about him. Oh, no, but a knowledge of him
that I might know him. Jesus Christ, my lord, for whom
I have suffered the loss of all things. All things. Paul, do you regret it? Are you
sorry you did that? Of course not. I have suffered
the loss of all things and do count them but done that I may
win Christ. He's the pearl of great price. He's that one which when found
will sell everything that we might have him. And then in verse
90 says, and be found in him. In comparison to knowing him,
and winning him, my loss was really a gain." Everything, as
we said, he mentions there, he's referring to verses 3 through
6. And remember this, in the very embracing of all those things,
in the very act of trusting all those things, that is religion,
tradition, zeal for God, the tradition of the fathers as touching
the law. He did all these things in the
very utmost of sincerity. And in the very act of all that,
listen to this, in the very act of all that, those things that
Paul describes that he thought impressed God, because they impressed
him. And they impressed those people
around him. They'd never seen anybody as
dedicated to God as Saul of Tarsus. The high priest said, he's my
right-hand man. I don't have any worries. As
long as Saul of Tarsus is around, he'll uphold all of our traditions,
the traditions of the elders. And in that very act of doing
those things, Paul was a lost man. Paul was a lost man. He was blind to himself and he
was blind to God. He didn't know God. He didn't
know God. He thought he did. He would have
swore that he did but he didn't know God because he didn't know
Christ. He didn't know Christ and that
Jesus who is the Christ. Therefore, he could not have That would include Saul of Tarsus,
wouldn't it? No man cometh to the Father,
no matter who he is. No matter what he's doing, no
matter what he thinks, no matter what he sacrifices, no matter
what he does, no man comes to God by anything he's ever done
or ever shall do. The only way anyone can come
to God, Christ said, is by me. I'm the mediator. If a man approaches
God, he'll come to Him. on my merits, by my righteousness. He'll be accepted before God
because I'm accepted before God. And he'll be accepted before
God because he's accepted in me. And Paul wasn't. He hadn't experienced that yet. In the same condition of those
other Pharisees that our Lord spoke to in John chapter 9. Turn
back there if you will. Paul was in this class. before
God had called him by his grace, called him effectually. Grace
that gets the job done. In John chapter 9, you're familiar
with the setting. Our Lord had healed the man that
was born blind. The Pharisees took issue with
that and excommunicated the poor man. And the great shepherd found
him because he was one of his sheep. When he found him, he
revealed himself to him. And the man bowed down before
him. And our Lord in verse 39, in
the presence of the Pharisees, they were there, they were listening.
He said these words in verse 39. For judgment I come into
this world, that they which see not might see, and they which
see might be made blind. And the Pharisees stood there
and they asked this question of him in verse 40. And some
of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words. And they
said unto him, Are we blind also? Are we blind also? And here's
our Lord's response in verse 41. If you were blind, you would
have no sin. But now you say, we see, therefore
your sin remaineth. If you were blind, you would
have no sin. If you were blind to your own
self-righteousness, you would realize your need of me. Instead,
you say, we see. We're not in darkness. In the
same vein, they spoke to him on another occasion when they
said, we've got Abraham for our father. We don't need you. And our Lord tells them, if you
were really blind, blind to your own righteousness, you would
have no sin. You would seek mine. But instead
of that, you claim to seek. It's just another way of what
he said on another occasion. Those that are whole, like you
claim to be, you seek. You don't need a physician. You
don't have a need of the great physician because you're not
in darkness. That being the case, he said,
therefore, your sin remaineth. Because you profess to be whole,
you won't come to me. You have no need of mercy. You
have no need of my righteousness because you have your own. Doesn't that sound familiar?
This is what Paul wrote or spoke of in Romans chapter 10 concerning
his kinsmen. the Jews, his brethren after
the flesh. Paul said, I have a great burden
for him. I have a great heaviness for him. In chapter 9 he said,
I would wish that even myself were accursed from God for my
brethren according to the flesh. And then in chapter 10 he says
the same thing and says this, they go about. They're going
about to establish. They're working out their own
righteousness before God and they've not submitted to it.
They've not submitted to it. They've not cast off and bowed
to the Lord Jesus Christ who is the only one who's ever established
the righteousness before God. Paul at one time was in that
very same boat. He was in the same class and
in the same condition, in the same blindness that our Lord
spoke of concerning those Pharisees and as Paul himself described
in Romans chapter 10. And our Lord said to them, go
and learn what that meaneth. I will have mercy and not sacrifice. Go and learn what that means.
And oh, what a blessing of God's grace when he is pleased to teach
that to a sinner. When a sinner learns that, he's
been taught of God. He's been in the school of grace
because he won't learn that otherwise. When we learn our need, we're
not far from learning that Christ has a supply of grace to meet
my need. When I learn something about
my emptiness, I'll soon learn something about his fullness. When I learn something about
my natural blindness, I'll learn something about Christ who is
the light. You remember that day when he
must needs go through Samaria. That's how it reads, doesn't
it, in John chapter 4. He must needs go through Samaria. Isn't that a comfort? And you
know why. There's a lost sheep in Samaria. There's one in Samaria, a woman
who has been passed from man to man to man. A woman whose life was just empty,
just useless. But it was a woman that God the
Father had given to his son before the world ever was. That's why
he's got to go through Samaria. And he goes there. He sends his
disciples away so he could be alone with this one sheep. And
here she comes to the well. And he engages her in conversation. And he said this to her. If you
knew, if you knew the gift of God, if you only knew. I don't know how often I've considered these words of
our Lord. and applied them to my children,
my sons, my daughter, my loved ones, my grandchildren. Now,
there are teenagers, several of them. And I look at them,
and I think of them, and I consider these words of Christ. If they
knew, if they only knew the gift of God, if they only knew, This
is what our Lord said to her, said to this poor woman, if you
knew the gift of God and who, you see that? You see that? Don't separate the two. He is
the gift of God. If you knew the gift of God and
who, let me digress for just a moment. In certain circles
today, Pentecostal, charismatic, whatever they like to refer to
themselves as, there is so much talk about gifts, gifts, gifts
of the Spirit. Our Lord said if you knew the
gift of God and who, Who? More talk about gifts than the
giver. Christ said, if you knew who
it was that's speaking to you, you would ask of him. You would
ask of him, and you know what he would do. If you only knew,
you would ask. If you knew who it was speaking
to you right now, the water of life, you would ask of him. And if you would ask, if you
would simply ask, you would receive. Brothers and sisters in Christ,
let us not forget that He delights to show mercy. God Almighty delights
to show mercy to sinners. He's ready to pardon. Our Lord
said, if you'll ask, I'll give. I'll give. And he takes the key
of his grace and opens her heart so that she'll be willing to
ask. And he is so much more willing
to give when she does the water of everlasting life. All that could be said of Paul's
religion before what we read of in Philippians 3 was simply
this. And these are horrible. This is a horrible expression.
Paul's religion before he met Christ could be described like
this. It was a Christless religion. In verses 3 through 6, he doesn't
mention Christ. It's all I. It's all me. It's all my doings. Oh, but after
this, after he meets Christ, after he's apprehended of Christ
Jesus, it's all about him. It's not about me anymore. It's
about him. Every time Paul opened his mouth,
it was about him. Every time he stood up to preach,
it was about him. When he was in prison, chained
between two guards, he was still talking about him. And I'm convinced
when they laid his head on that chopping block until they severed
his head from his body, he was still talking about and preaching
the glorious subject that so engrossed his heart, the Lord
Jesus Christ. It never got old. It never got
old. It never got tiresome. He never
got over the wonder of it that Jesus Christ called Saul of Tarsus
out of darkness because Paul remembered what he was before. He wrote to Timothy and said,
God, by God's grace, I obtained mercy. Timothy, have I told you about
this? I obtained mercy. I, of all people, Timothy, obtained
mercy. Remember what I was before. I
was a blasphemer. I was a hater of Jesus of Nazareth. I hated him. I hated everything
he taught. I hated everyone that he left
behind believing those lies. And I was determined with my
last breath to stamp out the very name of Jesus of Nazareth,
Timothy. You remember what I was, but
I obtained mercy. What a wonder. What a wonder. But before that, before Paul
obtained mercy, before he had experienced the grace of God
in Christ on that Damascus road, his religion was simply a Christless
religion. It was only religion. without
Christ. And you know what religion without
Christ equals? You know what that adds up to?
Worthless. Worthless. No need of Christ. Imagine that. Can you imagine
that? No need of Christ? The Scriptures
teach that Christ is all. Christ is everything. Christ
is all God accepts. Christ is the only one that meets
all God's demands. He's the only one that obeyed
and satisfied God's holy law. In His life, He obeyed His precept. In His death, He suffered His
curse. And God said concerning both,
I am well pleased. And can you imagine anyone, in
light of that truth that Christ is all, they say, I don't need
Him? I don't need him. Something's
wrong with that person. Their attitude betrays the very
truth of Scripture that they're blinded in sin. They must be
dead in sin. They must be blinded in their
need or they would never think that they have no need of Christ.
Look at verse 7, again in Philippians 3. Paul says, but. Don't you like that? Don't you
like that? Once were all these things circumcised
the eighth day. Oh, Paul, you're on the front
page of the, of the who's who in the religious world, weren't
you? At Saul of Tarsus. But. But. Something changed all that. Someone
changed all that. The great shepherd of the sheep
went out seeking one of his own and just as he taught, he'll
seek until he finds it. Taught, taught he will. He'll
seek until he finds. No matter where that sheep is,
no matter how far they've wandered, no matter how far in darkness
they've traveled, Christ said, I'll go out and look, I'll seek,
and I'll seek until I find that one lost sheep. And that's what
he did. That's what he did that day on
the Damascus road. The great shepherd went out seeking
one of his own. And lo and behold, lo and behold,
would you believe it? Would you believe it? Would you
ever have guessed? Look, look at that one whom he
finds. Look who is one of his sheep.
It's none other than that blasphemer, that persecutor, that rebel,
that self-righteous man Saul of Tarsus. That's who he finds. and he brings him down. He brings
him down. Why? Because he's mighty the
same. He's mighty the same. Because
his grace is never in vain, as Paul said in Galatians chapter
1. But, but, when it pleased God, when is a man saved? Well, when he believes. That's
true. but he'll be saved when it pleases
God. When it pleased God, who separated
me from my mother's womb and called me by his grace, what
did you do, Saul? Did you turn a deaf ear? Did
you turn away? No. Saul bowed down, bowed down
before the King of kings and Lord of lords and said, what
will you have me to do? That's grace. That's the kind
of grace this sinner that's trying to preach to you tonight needs.
That's the only kind of grace that'll help me. What about you?
Sovereign grace, reigning grace, conquering grace, grace that
apprehends. That's what Paul says in verse
12, didn't he? Apprehended of Christ Jesus. And you know what? When the great
shepherd went out, and arrested that rebel on the Damascus Road,
Saul of Tarsus didn't mind. He didn't mind, did he? Because
he was made willing in the day of God's power. Did you mind? Did you mind? This same man,
Saul of Tarsus, wrote so much of the New Testament He said,
we were once children of wrath, even as others. And we walked
just like everybody else. We followed the crowd. We walked
the broad way. We were in darkness. And by nature,
we were no different than anybody else. We were children of wrath. What happened but God? But God,
when by His mighty grace made us to know that we were blind,
we didn't have any problem when He commanded the light to shine
out of darkness and to shine into our hearts to give the knowledge
of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. We were made
to bow, and that was all right with us. Was it not? Thank God. that he didn't leave
us to ourselves. When he stripped us, we didn't
mind, because he clothed us in his own righteousness. Not our own filthy rags, but
his very own righteousness. Do you mind that? We sang a moment
ago, when I soar to worlds unknown, and behold thee on thy throne. Believers know now that Christ
is precious. As they live in this world, they
know that Christ is precious. But I think as we draw nearer
to the grave, as the time approaches so swiftly, when this brevity
of life is over, and we go the way from which we shall not return. Oh, how precious will he appear. How precious will Christ appear
then? If we're aware that we're leaving
this world, when I soar the world's unknown and there's God Almighty Oh, how precious will Christ
appear to me then? How secure will it feel then
to be robed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ and to know I
am perfectly accepted in the beloved. Oh yes, he is precious. Remember what our Lord said concerning
the man who gave a marriage feast for his son? And he came out
to observe the guest and there was one there who didn't have
on the required wedding garment. identifying him as one who had
a right to be at the feast, and he said to him, how did you get
in here? How did you come in here without a wedding garment
on? And we're told he was bound hand and foot and cast out. And you know what our Lord was
teaching. Just what Paul says his desire is here. I want to
be found in him. I want to be found in him. Now,
look at verse 9. And be found in him, not having
my own righteousness, but that which is through the faith of
Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. Found in
him, my only refuge. Adam, our father, fell. He died spiritually. In the day
that you eat thereof, Adam, God told him, thou shalt die. He
didn't die that moment. Not physically. He did later.
But he died that very moment spiritually, and he became lost. And when Adam fell, you and I
fell in him. And we died just like he died.
And we became lost just like he was. In Adam, all die. And there's Adam now, without
a refuge. without an ark, without a place
of safety. And God comes to him. Here's
grace. Here's the great shepherd again.
God comes to him. People talk about man's will
and man exercising his free will. God's done so much and now waits
for man. Well, here's man's will. Look
at our daddy. His will was to hide from God. He heard God's voice. Before
the fall, that was his greatest joy. To hear the voice of God. His greatest delight. As the
hymn writer expressed it, he walks with me. Imagine that. He walks with me. And he talks
with me. Is this the figment of imagination? Oh, no, no, no. This is the truth
concerning a child of God. And he tells me, I am his own. That was once Adam's delight,
but after the fall, what does he do? Look at him. Look at him. He acts entirely different. What's
wrong with him? What's happening to him? In that
very garden that God placed him in and would come and commune
with him as friend with friend, now Adam hides himself among
the leaves or trees of the garden and thinks, Things say, God Almighty
doesn't know where he's at. What's wrong with him? Something's
happened to him. He doesn't act the same at all.
He's a fallen creature with a fallen nature. And when he fell, nothing
wasn't exempt. His mind changed the way he thought. His very nature. is dictated to by a fallen nature. And that includes his will. His
will didn't remain free. His will didn't hang out here
as a little man apart from the man. It's included in the fall. Adam, where art thou? Where is he? Where is Adam? Where are we in Adam? Hiding, terrified. of the voice of God, hiding in
fear, full of guilt, attempting to hide from God. Oh, how far
he had fallen. Oh, but listen. Listen. Listen to what Paul says in Ephesians
chapter 1. Yes, in Adam all die, but look
what he says in Ephesians 1 verse 3. Blessed be God. and Adam all
die, but that's not the end of the story. Blessed be the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with
all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as
he has chosen us in him, in him, before the foundation of the
world, that we should be holy and without blame before him. Oh, yes, in Adam all die, but
in Christ all of those chosen in him shall be made alive. True, we all died in Adam, but
we'll all be raised by the Lord Jesus Christ. Turn, if you will,
back to Romans chapter 5. Romans chapter 5. This is exactly
what Paul is teaching here in Romans chapter 5. But God, but
God, but Christ, but grace, but mercy. Aren't you thankful? Aren't you thankful, child of
God, that you're not out there following that same course like
everyone else that you once did? Aren't you glad but God came
to where you were? In Romans 5, verse 19, we read,
For as by one man's disobedience, and it's speaking of Adam, many
were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be
made righteous. Moreover, the law entered that
the offense might abound. But, but, but where sin abounded,
Grace did much more abound, that as sin hath reigned unto death,
even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life. How? By Jesus Christ our Lord. Oh yes, by Him. He has reigning
grace, conquering grace, overcoming grace. Grace that is greater
than all our sin. all of our sin. Grace that reaches
deeper than the stain has gone. As Paul said in verse 17 of Romans
5, If by one man's offense death reigned by one, much more they
which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness
shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. By one, Jesus Christ. Look, look. Setting there upon
his throne. Look at Him, full of grace and
truth. Look at Him sitting there. Why? Because He has already purged
our sins. Therefore, he sits down at the
right hand of God as a prince and a savior of his people. He
reigns to give repentance to Israel, his true Israel, and
the remission of sins. He reigns in grace to bring them
all to glory. He reigns in grace to bring them
all to glory. He's King of kings and Lord of
lords, John Saul. in Revelation, that one on the
great white horse. And on his thigh was the name
written, King of kings and Lord of lords. And John said he went
forth conquering and to conquer. He loses none. He's our rock of ages. Again, quoting old top lady's
hymn, when I soared the world's unknown and behold thee on thy
throne, And before that throne, before the throne of God's august
majesty, multitudes are standing. Multitudes are standing. Our
Lord taught that it would be so. Many shall say unto me in
that day, many standing before the throne of God, this is their
plea. This is their hope. Lord, have
we not prophesied in your name? Have we not cast out devils in
your name? Have we not done many wonderful works in your name?
Then, our master said, then, then will I profess unto them,
I never knew you. I never knew you. I don't know
you. And you can be sure if he didn't
know them, they could never know him. If he had never revealed
himself to them, they didn't know him. And he says, depart
from me. Depart from me. I never knew
you. Depart from me. From all mercy,
from all grace, from all hope, the only place of no condemnation,
depart. The only place of acceptance,
depart from me. The only place you can have anything
to do with God in mercy and grace, depart from me. I'm the light,
depart from me into outer darkness. Our Lord said, thus will it be
in that day. But bless God. His old top lady
also wrote, rock of ages cleft for me. Let me hide myself in
thee. Our Lord taught in that same
passage in Matthew 7, but there will be another multitude that
none can number. They'll hear him say, enter into
the joy prepared for you. This was done on purpose for
you. enter into the joy prepared for
you from the foundation of the world. Why? Why, Lonnie? What makes them
to differ? What makes them to hear, enter
into the joy from those who heard, depart from me ye cursed into
everlasting fire? What makes the difference? Our Lord said, because they were
built, they were founded upon the rock. In Matthew 7, He explains
what makes the difference. They built their house upon the
rock. And that rock, as we all know,
is Jesus Christ Himself. He's that foundation. And the
floods came to them, and the rains, and the wind, and it howled,
and it blew fierce upon their house, but it fell not. Why? Why did it not fall? Because it was founded upon the
rock. the rock of ages, that rock that
Christ said was himself. Upon this rock, I'll build my
church. And child of God, hear this,
the gates of hell shall not, shall never, in no way, prevail
against it. Why? It's upon the rock, the
solid rock, Christ Jesus. No wonder Paul said, I want to
be found in him. He's my only refuge. Found in
him as my only hope too. Nothing else. Nothing else. My hope is built on nothing less. Chosen in him, we read in Ephesians
1. Accepted in him. The only place
there is. accepted in the Beloved. My standing before God rests
right here. And you know what? God is completely
satisfied with that. God has no problem with that
whatsoever. He said so. This is my Beloved
Son in whom? In whom? Not with whom. That's not what he said. This
is my Beloved Son in whom? I am well pleased. And it sure gives this weak earthen
vessel reason to hope with those blessed words that I'm accepted
in Him. And in Him, my God is well pleased
with me too. God has never looked for satisfaction
of his law in its precept, the keeping of it, or the satisfaction
of its penalty being broken anywhere else except in his Son. In whom we have redemption, Paul
wrote in Ephesians 1 and 7, through his blood. In whom we have attained,
verse 11, an inheritance, and eternal inheritance. May we too
look only where God himself looks. And Paul prayed for the church
at Ephesus that they would. I bow my knee unto the Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ and pray that he would give to you
the knowledge of him, that you might know him. Paul, you said
they were chosen in him. that they were accepted in him,
that they did know him, Paul said, I pray that you might know
him more, that you might have a greater revelation of who he
is and what he's done on the behalf of his people. This is
our standing before God. This is our salvation, found
in him. Not a part of being in Christ
and a part of trusting my works. Not a part of in him and part
in the church. No, in him entirely. Religion is not being in a church. Or rather, religion is being
in a church, but salvation is being in Christ. Religion is
knowing what I believe. reciting doctrines and creeds
and thus and thus. But salvation is, I know whom. I know whom I have believed. There's a world of difference.
We'll close this. Turn back, if you will, once
again to Ephesians. Ephesians chapter 2. Ephesians
chapter 2, verse 11. Paul says, to them and to us. Wherefore, remember, remember,
Lord, draw back the curtain of memory
now and then. Show me where you brought me
from and where I could have been. Wherefore, remember that ye being
in times past Gentiles in the flesh who are called circumcision
by that which is called the circumcision in the flesh made by hands. Remember,
you were a bond slave in Egypt, but I brought you out. Remember,
God helped me to remember like that poor old leper must have
always remembered. when that day he came to Jesus
of Nazareth and fell down and said, if you will, if you will,
you can make me clean. Do you think he ever forgot? Do you think he ever, until his
dying day, forgot our Lord reaching out and touching him and saying,
I will? I will be thou clean. Wherefore,
remember, like Barnabas, Do you think he ever forgot that
day he's sitting there in his rags, his poverty, and his darkness? Jesus, have mercy on me. And
someone says, Bartimaeus, he wants you. He wants you. Do you think he ever forgot our
Lord opening his blinded eyes? Wherefore, remember, Larry Criss,
remember, I don't know that you have this problem, but I do. I do. That's why you hear me
say this somewhat regularly in messages. Because I have a horrible,
sinful ingratitude about man. I don't always remember. I don't marvel at his mercy,
at his grace. I don't recall often enough where
I was when he found me. Larry Criss, remember. Remember
my amazing grace to you. You remember how you were lost and now you're found. You remember
how blind you were And now you see. Remember. Look what Paul says
in verse 12. Remember this, that at that time
you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth
of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having
no hope, and without God in the world. Without Christ, without
hope, without God. What else matters? What else
matters? If you don't have Christ, you
don't have God, and you don't have hope, what else matters? Nothing else is as important
as that. I spoke a moment ago about that
awful expression, Christless religion. And there's another
one. Folks who go out and feel a Christless
grave. Look what he says in verse thirteen
though and we'll we'll close in verse thirteen. That's what
we were. by nature. but now, but now, but now in Christ Jesus,
you sometimes we're far off are made now by the is talking about this very moment,
child of God. Regardless of what this moment,
this now might involve in your life, regardless of what this
now may include, it may be heartache, it may be pain, it may be sorrow,
but Paul says it doesn't affect this. It can't touch this. right now
in Christ Jesus. You're nigh. You're near. Near. You've been brought near. You
who were so far away are brought nigh by the blood of Christ. Near. So very near to God. Nearer I cannot be, for in the
person of his dear Son I am as near as he. In Psalm 17, David
said this, As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness. I shall be satisfied when I awake. Not if I awake. I shall be satisfied
when I awake. with thy likeness. And Paul, in chapter 3 of Philippians,
wrote something very much like what David expressed there in
the 17th Psalm. chapter three, the last two verses,
and we'll close just by reading these. For our conversation is
in heaven from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord
Jesus Christ, who shall change our body that it might be fashioned
like unto his glorious body according to the working whereby he is
able to subdue all things unto himself. in Him, our only hope,
our only refuge. I pray that it's yours. God bless
you.

Found In Him

What does the Bible say about being found in Christ?

How do we know sovereign grace is true?

Why is Christ my only hope?

What is the significance of grace in the Christian life?

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Found In Him

What does the Bible say about being found in Christ?

How do we know sovereign grace is true?

Why is Christ my only hope?

What is the significance of grace in the Christian life?

Sermon Transcript

About Larry Criss

Comments

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