Halleluiah What A Savior

Q: What does the Bible say about forgiveness of sins?

The Bible affirms that the forgiveness of sins is a transformative act from God, exemplified by Jesus in Matthew 9:2 when he says, 'Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.' The concept of forgiveness of sins is foundational in Scripture, where it highlights God's merciful nature and His desire to reconcile sinners to Himself. In Matthew 9:2, Jesus demonstrates this authority by forgiving the sins of a paralyzed man before healing him physically, showing that spiritual healing precedes and holds greater significance than physical healing. This act illustrates the gravity of sin and the need for divine forgiveness, a theme that recurs throughout the New Testament. Moreover, forgiveness is not merely a one-time event but an ongoing reality for believers, as seen in 1 John 1:9, which states that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. This emphasizes that through faith in Christ, we can have assurance of forgiveness and eternal life, reinforcing the believer's identity as one forgiven and justified before God.

Q: How do we know Jesus has the power to forgive sins?

Jesus demonstrated His authority to forgive sins through His actions and teachings, affirming His divinity and role as the only mediator between God and man. The authority of Jesus to forgive sins is explicitly claimed in the Gospels, particularly in passages such as Matthew 9:6-7, where He states, 'But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins...' This declaration is pivotal as it directly challenges the accusations of the Pharisees who believed that only God could forgive sins. Jesus not only forgives sins but also backs up His claim by healing the paralytic, which serves as a demonstration of His divine authority. Furthermore, understanding Jesus' dual nature as fully God and fully man enriches this truth. He is the unique mediator, established as the perfect sacrifice who atones for sin. Acts 10:43 reiterates that 'to Him give all the prophets witness, that through His name whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins.' Therefore, the holistic understanding of Scripture affirms His power to forgive sins and the significance of His work on the cross.

Q: Why is the concept of mercy important for Christians?

Mercy is central to the Christian faith, exemplified by Christ's sacrificial love and the forgiveness He offers to sinners, which underpins the believer's relationship with God. Mercy is a defining attribute of God and an essential element of the gospel message. It underscores the nature of God's interaction with humanity, particularly in a covenant relationship where He extends grace to those in desperate need. Throughout the New Testament, particularly in verses like Matthew 9:13, Jesus emphasizes that He came 'not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.' This illustrates that the foundation of our faith rests upon God’s mercy towards us as sinners. Moreover, mercy invites Christians into a transformative relationship with God, instilling assurance and hope. In Ezekiel 16, we see the metaphor of God’s redeeming love for His people, highlighting that His mercy is not just an abstract concept but an active reality that restores lives. For Christians, living in light of this mercy leads to a life marked by gratitude, humility, and a desire to extend mercy to others, reflecting the character of Christ to the world around them.

Q: Why should Christians rejoice in forgiveness?

Christians rejoice in forgiveness because it secures peace with God, restoring their relationship with Him and granting eternal life through faith in Christ. Rejoicing in forgiveness is rooted in the profound impact it has on a believer's life. When Jesus tells the paralytic in Matthew 9:2, 'Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee,' it signifies not only the removal of guilt but also the restoration of peace and acceptance with God. This assurance of forgiveness brings joy to the believer as it signifies a new life, free from condemnation, and the hope of eternal life with God. Furthermore, this joy is not just personal but communal, as seen in the early church where believers rejoiced in the grace given to them. The narrative of salvation is interwoven with joy, as expressed in passages like Luke 15, where there is rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents. Thus, understanding and reflecting on the magnitude of God's grace and forgiveness propel Christians to rejoice, fostering a life of worship and gratitude.

Q: How does faith relate to the forgiveness of sins?

Faith is the means by which individuals receive forgiveness of sins, acknowledging the need for mercy and trusting in Christ's redemptive work. Faith is integral to the experience of forgiveness in the Christian life. Scripture teaches that belief in Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice is essential for salvation, as stated in Ephesians 2:8-9, 'For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.' This indicates that forgiveness is not achieved through works or merit, but through a trusting relationship with Christ, who bears our sins and provides redemption. Moreover, the act of faith involves both recognition of one’s sinful state and acceptance of God’s grace. In the sermon, the faith exhibited by the friends of the paralytic is a key element leading to forgiveness, demonstrating that faith is not merely individual but can be communal as well. Thus, faith acts as both a response to God's invitation for mercy and the channel through which believers partake in the blessings of forgiveness, leading to a transformed life that seeks to honor God in all things.

Will you turn with me to Matthew's
Gospel chapter 9. Matthew chapter 9. We like to read the first eight
verses. Matthew chapter 9. This is also recorded in Mark's
Gospel chapter 2 and Luke's Gospel chapter 5. Verse 1 of Mark 9. And he entered
into a ship and passed over and came into his own city, that
is, Capernaum. And behold, they brought unto
him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed. And Jesus, seeing
their faith, said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, be of good
cheer, thy sins be forgiven thee. And behold, certain of the scribes
said within themselves, this man blasphemeth. And Jesus, knowing
their thoughts, said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?
For whether it is easier to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee, or
to say, Arise and walk? But that ye may know that the
Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins, then saith he
to the sick of the palsy, Arise, take up thy bed, and go into
thine house. and he arose and departed to
his house. But when the multitude saw it,
they marveled and glorified God, which had given such power unto
men. The Pharisees always seemed to
be present when our Lord performed miracles. Notice what they said
here. This man blasphemes. In Luke's account of this same
miracle, in Luke chapter 5, we're told this. Not only did they
say that he speaks blasphemy, but they said, who does he think
he is? Nobody can forgive sins but God. Verse 21 of Luke 5, And the scribes
and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh
blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God
alone? And they were right. They were
right. Oh, but God had forgiven this
man's sins. The God-man, the only mediator
between God and man. But their accusations, their
continual criticisms of the Son of Man, They later would even
say he cast out devils through Beelzebub, the prince of the
devils. But that didn't stop the great
shepherd of the sheep, did it? No, on the contrary. He speaks
these words again soon after this. Soon after this, he speaks
these very same words on a different occasion and he does it Lo and
behold, in a Pharisee's house. The Pharisee says, who does he
think he is? He's forgiving sins. He's a mere
man. He's Joseph's son, or son, rather. And not long after this, he sits
in the house of Simon the Pharisee, and a certain woman comes in,
in Luke chapter 7, and Simon looks at her and says, oh, there's
that sinner. There's that notorious sinner.
She's got her nerve coming in here. I didn't invite her into
my house. And our Lord said to that woman,
thy sins are forgiven thee. And they said the same thing
to themselves on that occasion. Who does this man think he is? Only God can forgive sins. But they're accusations. and
their criticisms didn't deter him, did it? He shall save his
people from their sins. Brother Loyle, nothing could
stop him. Nothing stopped him then, nothing
stops him now. He shall save all of his people
from all of their sins. Look at verse 9 here in Matthew
chapter 9. And as Jesus passed by, forth
from thence, he saw a man named Matthew, the one who wrote this
gospel, was a publican, a despised tax collector, sitting at the
receipt of custom, and he saith unto him, Follow me. And you
see what happened. His sheep hear his voice. And
they proved that they heard their voice by following him. And he
arose and followed him. Matthew made a feast in our lord's
honor and he invited other publicans and sinners and again, the Pharisees
are present in verse eleven. When the Pharisees saw it, they
said unto his disciples, why eateth your master with publicans
and sinners? But when Jesus heard that, he
said unto them, they that behold don't need a physician but they
that are With only a few exceptions, they
never did. They never did learn what that
meant. They never did learn that it's not the sacrifices of their
hands that can fulfill God's demands. Jesus Christ himself
was the supreme sacrifice. And he says, I will have mercy. and not sacrifice. The Pharisees
never felt their need of mercy until one day he said to his
disciples concerning these men, these religious men, these very
religious men, the men that the people looked up to, he said
to his disciples, leave them alone. Leave them alone. I'm done with them. I'm done
with them. They never learn what that meant. Aren't you thankful you have?
Aren't you thankful that you've learned what that means? Christ
says, I will have mercy. Mercy and not sacrifice for I'm
not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. I'm so thankful for that. Look again at verse 7 of the
verses that we read. Now, this is our text or rather
verse two. This is our text. Just these
these few words, son, be of good cheer. Thy sins be forgiven thee. The title of my message is In Matthew chapter 7, turn back
a page or two in your Bible, we read these words in Matthew
7 verses 28 and 29. And it came to pass when Jesus
had ended these sayings that people were astonished at his
doctrine for or because he taught them as one having authority
and not as the scribes. And on another occasion, we'll
not turn there, but something much like unto that, the Pharisees
and chief priests sent officers to arrest the Lord and bring
him back to them. The officers go and they come
back empty-handed. And the chief priest and Pharisees
asked them, why have you not brought him? We gave you a command. Why didn't you bring him? And
they said, you don't understand. You don't understand. Never a
man speak like this man. He teaches with authority. He's not like you. He's not like
the scribes. He teaches with authority. His
word is with power. Never a man speak like this man. And I declare, they didn't know
the half of it, did they? They didn't know the half of
the power that was in the words and the voice of the Son of God. They didn't know, for example,
that He spoke the universe into existence by His Word. He did it. Everything that was
made was made by Him. Not anything that's made. Not
the moon, not the stars, not the heavens, not the earth. He
spoke it all into existence. Never a man spake like this man. And he upholds it all by that
same mighty word, the word of his power. One day, one day,
he arose from sleep. His disciples woke him up in
the bow of a ship because there was a storm and they thought
they would perish. And they woke him up sleeping. As a man, he required sleep. Think about that. Now, you know
what he's about to do. That same one who we read of
in Genesis 1 said, let there be. Over and over again, we see
those words in Genesis 1, and the result was whatever he said
would be came to pass. It appeared. Let there be light.
And there was light. But as man, he requires sleep. He got tired, Lonnie. He got
tired. He got thirsty. He was weary
with his journey, we're told. Flesh of our flesh and bone of
our bones. No wonder Paul wrote, Timothy,
great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh. He became a man and as man, he
went to sleep. He needed rest. And they awoke
him and said, Master, don't you care that we perish? Oh, but now look. He's man indeed. He's man indeed. But he's also
very God of very God, because we read that he arose from sleep,
and he rebuked the wind. Can you imagine just a mere man
doing that? Next time a tornado comes through,
stand and try to rebuke it and see how much good it does. Oh,
but he's the God-man. He stands on that ship and he
rebukes the wind and says into the waves, peace be still. And you know what happened? The
wind stopped just like that. And the waves laid down at his
feet. They obeyed the voice of their
creator who first spoke them into existence. Indeed, never
a man spake like this man. And there were occasions, at
least three on record, that when he even spoke to people who had
already died, imagine that. Who is this? Young man, I say
unto thee, arise. Arise. He enters the city of
Nain. And just as he's entering, here
comes a broken-hearted mother following behind the stretcher
that's carrying her dead son out of the city to bury him. And he who is the resurrection
and the life approaches that stretcher, that beer as it's
called, and they stop, and he says, young man, I say unto thee, arise. arise. And what happened? What happened? Just exactly what
he said happened. He that was dead sat up and began
to speak and our Lord takes him and delivers him back to his
mother. Have I exaggerated the title
of this message? Oh no. It doesn't go far enough. Hallelujah. What a Savior. He went to the ruler's house,
whose daughter lay dead. That's recorded here in Matthew
chapter 9. Look at verse 23. And when Jesus
came into the ruler's house and saw the minstrels and the people
making a noise, he said unto them, Give place, stand back,
for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And look what they
said. Look what they did, rather. They laughed him to scorn. laughed him to scorn, and when
the people were put forth, he told them to leave. He went in
and took her by the hand, and Luke tells us that he said, Maid,
arise. Maid, arise. And she arose. What manner of man is this? And then on the other occasion,
he went to the tomb of a man who had been dead four days. Four days he'd been dead. And
he goes to the tomb, he tells them to roll away the stone,
and he prays to the Father, and we read in John 11, when he had
thus spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And what happened? What happened? He that was dead came forth. And all these are pictures of
His mighty power to save sinners. Do you have loved ones? Do you have daughters dead in
sin? He can come to them and say,
made arise. Do you have sons like me dead
in sin? He has the same mighty power
now that he had then, and all he's got to do is speak the word,
and they'll raise from spiritual death, and you know what they'll
do? Just like Matthew did. They'll follow him. Oh, hallelujah. What a Savior. But to me personally, and I hope
this is true, I hope I'm just not saying something I don't
really feel in my heart. But to me personally, these words
that we take in verse 2 as our text are some of the most amazing
words he ever spoke. Look at them again. Son, be of
good cheer. Thy sins be forgiven thee. I was reminded again and I need
to be reminded of it so often. But I was reminded again during
my visit last week in West Virginia by conversations I had with loved
ones, friends, and by observation, I was made to ask myself again
this question, who maketh thee to differ from
another? With my four brothers I spent
time with, I afterwards asked myself the question, Larry, who's
made you to differ from another? I remember hearing Tim James
preach one time and he said, if you wonder why I often preach
against or on the subject of self-righteousness, why that
seems to always come up in my message, he said, it's because
I have a problem with it. I have a problem myself with
self-righteousness and I have a problem with forgetting and
taking for granted where I would be if it hadn't been for the
mercy of God. And that's why I need reminded
so often, Larry, who's made you to differ from another? Turn
it, turn, if you will, for a moment, then we'll come back to our text,
to Ezekiel chapter 16. Here's a picture of where we
were by nature. Here is a picture of where we
were apart from God's grace. And it's also a picture of that
alone which has made us to differ. You know the passage, but it
won't hurt us to look at it again. In Ezekiel chapter 16, verse
8, now when I passed by thee and looked upon thee, now what
he's looking on is a aborted infant thrown out into the field
to die. just thrown out into a garbage
heap, unkept, unloved, unwanted. That's where we were by nature.
And when I passed by thee, this is God speaking, and looked upon
thee, behold, thy time was a time of love. And I spread my skirt
over thee and covered thy nakedness. Yea, I swear unto thee, and entered
into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord God, and thou becamest
mine." Thou becamest mine. He loved me with an everlasting
love, but now I'm made aware of it. Then washed I thee with
water, yea, I thoroughly washed away thy blood from thee, and
I anointed thee with oil. I clothed thee also with boidered
work, and shod thee with badger skin, and I girded thee about
with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk. I decked thee
also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and
a chain on thy neck. And I put a jewel on thy forehead,
and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine
head. Who did all this, God? What did I do, received? Thus
was thou decked with gold and silver, and thy raiment was of
fine linen and silk embroidered work. Thou didst eat fine flour
and honey and oil, and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou
didst prosper into a kingdom, and thy renown went forth among
the heathen for thy beauty. for it was perfect for it was
perfect through my comeliness God. Who maketh thee the differ
from another? Now, look again at our text.
I hope God will be pleased to use the message to accomplish
what we read in Psalm thirty-four. Oh, magnify the lord with me
and let us exalt his name together. As you are well aware, we have
his Songs of Grace book here. My pastor has written hundreds
and hundreds of hymns. But as I looked over my notes
this afternoon, I thought of this one, My Soul Consider. My Soul Consider is the title
of it. Redeemed by blood, preserved
by power until that great appointed hour. When God in mercy came
to me, he gave me life and set me free. My God has never, never
failed. His grace and power have prevailed. My heart, my soul, my life he
holds by sovereign grace within his fold. And so, my God, I'll
praise your name. Exalt your grace and spread your
fame. Eternal sovereign love and grace
compel my heart to sing his praise. Looking at these words, Son,
be of good cheer. Thy sins be forgiven thee. Consider
what was said, and then to whom it was spoken, And who did the
talking? Who said so? First of all, what
was said? Son, be of good cheer, he said. Seeing the faith of his four
friends and the faith of this man, he said, Son, be of good
cheer. Son, he addressed him. He only
addresses those who are adopted into his family. Sons, children,
joint heirs with him. Son, be of good cheer. I'll make you wealthy. No, that's
not what he said. That's not his greatest need
and it's not ours or this son be of good cheer. I'll make you
healthy. But he would soon die still,
wouldn't he? And after that, after that, the
judgment. So the greatest need is not health
or wealth, it's mercy, it's grace. Oh God, have mercy upon me. How would you feel if as a bankrupt
sinner, made that way by God's Holy Spirit. Because that's the
only ones who are. They're only sinners who are
made sinners by the Lord Jesus Christ and His work of grace
in their heart. They're made aware that they're
lost. Otherwise, they'll never know
it. They'll never know it. Until they're lost, they'll never
be found. Until God in mercy strips the
sinner, he'll never know he's naked and he'll never sue to
Christ for mercy. Oh, but what? After being made
aware that you're a bankrupt sinner, you came to God seeking
mercy and you were told this, I'll give you wealth and health
instead. Oh no, God. No, no, no, no. I don't want that. I don't need
that. I want mercy. I want the peace
of sins forgiven. I want to be reconciled to You. The reason I chose those words
deliberately, health and wealth, is because there's a popular,
very popular so-called gospel, which is not a gospel, but it's
a perversion, it's a lie, which has that as its message. God
wants everybody healthy, and he wants everybody wealthy. I
was asked about that on my visit, and I told him truthfully, it's
a lie. It's a lie, and the man who stands
up and tells you that is a liar. He's only making himself rich,
and the only thing he'll relieve you of is your bank account. Oh, no. What did our master himself
say? The foxes have holes, and the
birds have nests, and I don't even have a bed to lay my head
down in, and yet people say God wants everybody healthy and everybody
wealthy. He said, what's your profit of
me? if he should gain the whole world, if he gets it all, and
then he loses his own soul. What will he give in exchange
for his soul? You see where our Lord put the
emphasis? That's why he spoke to this man
and said, first of all, he addresses that which is most important.
He addresses this man's greatest need and says, Thy sin be forgiven. Before the Lord healed this man
physically, He healed him spiritually, didn't he? The outward man perishes. No matter what, he's perishing
day by day. Doctor him, take care of him,
do all that you can, but he's still perishing. Oh, but the
new man, that man created after the image of Jesus Christ, he'll
live forever. Be of good cheer. Take up thy
bed and walk. No. No. That's not what the text
says, is it? No, no. He said that afterwards.
No, the words be of good cheer come before this. Thy sins be
forgiven thee. Oh, that's the cause for joy.
That's the cause to be happy. That's the reason to praise God. Thy sins be forgiven thee. All your sins. All your sins,
plural, they're all washed away. Have you heard what Jesus did
for me? Magnify the Lord with me. Let's
join hands around the throne of grace and praise His name
forever. Have you heard what Jesus did
for me? My sins are all taken away. Do I not have cause to rejoice? Do I not have good reason to
be of good cheer? My sins have all been taken away. Thy sins are forgiven thee forever,
Lord. forever. They've been buried
in the sea of God's forgetfulness and they'll never be brought
up again. As far as the east is from the
west, can you measure that, Louis? Can you tell me how far that
is? No, it's impossible. That's the point. As far as the
East is from the West, they never meet. So far have I removed thy
transgressions from thee. Compare these two statements
of Christ to this man. that one concerning his physical
healing, was only done to prove his authority as God to forgive
sins. That's why he did it. Because
they put more emphasis on that than the spiritual. So in order
to show them that the Son of God, or Son of Man rather, had
power on earth to forgive sins, he said unto the man, take up
thy bed and walk. But they didn't believe him even
after that. Oh, but this man did, didn't
he? He took up his bed and walked. And he possesses that same power
right now. Doesn't he? Doesn't he? Why wouldn't
he? Why wouldn't he? He has that
same power now. What he did for needy sinners
when he was on this earth, he still does from the throne of
sovereign grace and majesty and glory. Right now, Lonnie. Right now. You remember when
He appeared to His disciples? Just before He ascended back
to glory, what did He tell them? Before He sent them into a world
that hated Him and crucified Him, and He said, they're going
to hate you too. They'll persecute you too. It'll
come to this. Those that persecute you will
think they're doing God a service. They'll do it in the name of
God. Saul of Tarsus is a perfect example of that until God opened
his eyes. But he said, go into all the
world and preach the gospel of the world that I made and knew
me not. The world that I came unto and
was created by me and that received me not. Go into that world and
preach the gospel. Take this message, the glorious
gospel of the blessed God, and preach it to every creature. And begin at Jerusalem. Begin
at Jerusalem? That's where you were hated the
most? That's where the religious leaders plot in your death. You
want us to go there? You want us to begin there? Yes. And take this with you. All power. All power in heaven and in earth
is given unto me. Go ye therefore. I'm not sending
you on a fool's errand. I'm going with you. Other sheep
I have which are not of this fold, them also I'll do my best
to bring. Or if I find somebody that's
willing, then something will be done. If I can find somebody
that'll do their part, oh, no, no. No, that's foolish religious
talk. He said, other sheep I have which
are not of this fold, them also I must bring. Isn't that what
he said? And they shall hear my voice,
they'll follow me, and they'll be one fold and one shepherd. Oh, hallelujah, what a Savior.
Yes, he possesses the same power and glory that he possesses on
earth, and he's able because of that, being who he is, the
God-man. The God-man. He's able to save
unto the uttermost all that come unto God by him. They can't come to God any other
way. There's no other way to God except
by him. The miracles serve as a picture
of his power to save. All the physical healing, all
those miracles were simply pictures of his power to save sinners
from their sins. To say to the spiritual cripples,
arise, thy sins be forgiven thee. That's the greater miracle. To
walk in newness of life, to be raised from spiritual death,
to be quickened. We who were dead had heat quickened. The hour is coming. The Son of
Man has power to quicken who He will. And the hour is coming,
and now is, He said. When the dead shall hear the
voice of the Son of God, and they that hear will do what?
Resist. No, they'll live. They'll live,
and they'll take up their cross, and by the grace of their great
Shepherd, they'll follow Him all the way to glory. What a Savior. What a savior. Oh yes, this is the greater miracle
indeed to be risen to walk by his mighty powerful grace in
newness of life. To walk in grace with sins forgiven
until like Enoch, we just walk right into glory. Just walk right
in to heaven. This is the reason, the very
reason to be of good cheer. Thy sins be forgiven thee. Remember on another occasion
in Luke's gospel chapter 10, there were 70 other disciples.
And he sent them out two by two to preach the gospel. And to
heal the sick and to cast out devils. And they came back rejoicing. And they said, Master, even the
devils are subject unto us through your name. And you remember what
he said. In this, rejoice not that the
devils are subject unto you, but rather rejoice because your
names, your names are written in heaven. He ought to know. It's His book. It's the Lamb's
book of life. And He said, Rejoice in this,
your names are written in heaven. Under His name, the Lamb of God,
the book of life, there appears all the names of all His elect. Thou art my first elect, God
said, and then chose us in Christ our head. Our names have always
been there under His, and always will be there under His, because
we were chosen in Him, and accepted in Him, and bless God, we'll
be glorified in Him. Which is greater? Which brings
peace? Which brings with it eternal
life and glory to follow? Which brings me into the presence
of God forever? The healing of my body or the
healing of my soul? Son, be of good cheer. Thy sins
be forgiven thee. Which is most important? Relief
from sickness or relief from sin? You know. If you're a believer, you know. Oh, you know the greatest relief. that burden that only the grace
of God rolled away, that guilt, that load of sin, oh, but one
look at the crucified one and it's gone. Oh, that's the greater
miracle. Just as I am, poor, wretched,
blind, sight, riches, healing of the mind, yea, all I need
in Thee to find, O Lamb of God, I come, I come. He has it all. He has it all. To every sinner
made to feel so by the spirit of God, the sweetest words he's
ever heard spoken were these, thy sins be forgiven thee. It's no wonder he said, be of
good cheer. Turn, if you will, to Mark's
account of this. I want to read a verse there.
Mark chapter two, verse 12. We read these words in Mark 2
and 12. And immediately he arose, that
is the paralyzed man, our Lord healed. Immediately he arose,
took up the bed and went forth before them all insomuch that
they were all amazed and glorified God saying, we never saw it on
this fashion. We've never seen it like this. to that woman in Luke chapter
7 in the house of Simon the Pharisee, our Lord turned from that self-righteous
man and the rest of them and he said to this woman, thy faith
have saved thee, thy sins are forgiven thee, go in peace. Go in peace. Oh. Go in peace. I wonder how Simon
liked those apples. Right in his own house, this
sinner comes in uninvited, comes to Christ, and Christ says to
her, turning his back away from that self-righteous Pharisee
that had need of nothing, he says to that woman, Thy sins
are forgiven thee. Just like he said to this man. Go in peace. Go in peace. You mean to tell me I can live
in this world with peace with God? In this world I have tribulation,
but yet I can have peace with God? The peace of being reconciled
to Him? The peace of sins forgiven? The
peace of being accepted into being loved? The peace of knowing
that He'll never leave me nor forsake me? The peace of heart
and mind knowing When a few more years are gone, I'm going to
go the way from which I shall not return." No wonder he said,
be happy. Be happy. Be of good cheer. Your many sins are all forgiven. Oh, hear the voice of Jesus.
Go on thy way in peace to heaven and wear a crown with Jesus. Timothy, the time of my departure
is at hand. The faithful apostle wrote his
last words from that cold dungeon cell in Rome. I fought a good
fight and I've kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for
me a crown of righteousness. his righteousness, which the
Lord the righteous judge shall give me at that day, but not
to me only, Timothy, oh no, but to all them also that love his
appearing. Secondly, to whom was it said,
and we'll be brief, to whom was these words spoken? He who had
the need. like the certain woman in Luke
chapter 7 in the house of Simon. In verse 11, they said for the
second time, many times, but they said, this man, your master,
received sinners. He eats with sinners. Little
did they know, that's the very reason he came to earth, was
for sinners. Not just to eat with sinners,
sinners, associate with sinners, but to be the sinner substitute.
To live sinners. To obey god for sinners. To go
to the cross for sinners. Oh, bless god. Yes, indeed. That's why he came. That's why
he died. That's why he ascended back to
glory and intercedes now for sinners, not the righteous. And
that's why he's coming back one day. Why? For those same sinners
like him. Those same ones, oh yes, their
accusation was true. This man receiveth sinners. He does all that he does for
needy sinners. Thank God that that's so. The
Pharisees had a problem with that, didn't they? But you know what? He wasn't
talking to them. He wasn't talking to them. When
he said to this man, thy sins be forgiven thee, and they had
a problem with it. And later he said to Matthew,
come follow me, and they had a problem with it. But he wasn't
talking to them, was he, when he spoke these words. Oh no,
but it was good news to this man. It's good news to needy
sinners. Oh yes, it's the best news they've
ever heard in their life. Because when justice calls for
payment, and I had nothing to pay. Oh, what sweet words were
these? I forgive. It's all forgiven. And we learn
from these four men who carry this man, their friend, into
the presence of the Savior to use those means he's given. Believe that he delights to show
mercy. Do you believe that? James said,
show me thy faith without your works. Just talk about it. And
it proves nothing, except that it's not genuine faith. And I'll
show you my faith. I'll prove you my faith by my
works. Do I believe that God's mighty
is the same? Then let me go about proving
it by preaching the gospel everywhere I have opportunity, by witnessing
and using every means available to tell sinners all around what
a dear Savior I have found. If I really believe He's mighty
to save, I'll bring my children before Him and cast them at His
feet and pray, Father, have mercy upon them. Don't leave them to
themselves. Have mercy upon them. And you
know what? What more proof do I need that
He may delight to do so in the very fact that He saved me? He saved this sinner. Brother
Loyal, I cannot justly despair of any sinner being saved since
He saved me. The only reason I ever have doubts
about His power to save when I take my eyes off Him. and look
to the sinner for something. Oh, but when I look to him, I
see that his grace and power is not diminished. Be encouraged,
brothers and sisters, what Paul said in Romans 11 concerning
Elijah's day, and he applied it to his own day, is true every
day since and every day that God allows this world to stand
afterwards. There is a remnant according
to the election of grace. That's why the world exists.
They're still a remnant according to the election of grace. And
they'll hear His voice and they'll follow Him. Wouldn't it be glorious? Wouldn't it be an honor if God
gave us the blessing of having a part in that? Oh, what an honor
that is to tell others what Christ had done for our souls. And He
may be pleased to use your testimony to bring them to Himself. Oh yes, a remnant according to
the election of grace alone. That sounds like good news to
me, doesn't it, you? That must be successful. That
has to be successful. Then last of all, who said so? Who speaks these words? Hmm? Thy sins be forgiven thee. The Pope tells people that. That
old fool over in Rome, he says that to people. but it doesn't
make it so. His little underlings, the priest,
they say it. Your sins are all absolved. It
doesn't make it so, did it, Joe? It didn't happen. And if a Baptist
pope or preacher says it, it doesn't make it so. Oh, but he,
he who's saying so, makes it so. When he says so, it's so. Because he's the only mediator
between God and man. He's the truth and the way and
the light. He's the one who put away sin.
And he has power on earth to forgive my sins. Because he's
been exalted as a prince and a savior for that very purpose. To give repentance to his people
and remission of sins. A young man lay dying. And someone
called for a preacher, and the preacher ran to the place of
this young man as he lay dying. And he leaned down and whispered,
young man, make your peace with God. And this young man knew more
of grace than the preacher. He said, no. He said, Christ
did that already. Christ made my peace with god
2000 years ago on the cross when he bore my sins away in his own
body on the tree. All the peace of mind and heart
when he who spake like never a man spake says to you and I
son be a good go in peace. You've probably
read it, but I was so impressed with an article about Mr. Spurgeon that I included it in
today's bulletin, and I just want to share a sentence or two
with you of this story. Mr. Spurgeon is in a country
village preaching at a chapel one summer day. And while he
was preaching, he said he couldn't help but notice this woman sitting
and just soaking it up, as we said, just like a sponge. And as Spurgeon began or continued
to preach, he says he saw a strange expression come over her face
and he spoke to some standing by, brothers, I think that lady
has died. And they went and checked, and
sure enough, she was gone. And Spurgeon wrote, while I was
telling of heaven, she had gone on. While I was preaching about
heaven, she had gone there. And I remember saying that I
wished that it had been my case as well as hers. I shall not
forget that inward fellowship which existed between a soul
that stood with the wings outspread for glory. and the poor preacher
who was trying to talk of that which he knew but little of compared
with her. And Spurgeon said, well, well,
it will soon be my turn. And it has been. And it will
soon be our turn. It will soon be our turn. One
by one, it will soon be our turn to go to be with that one who
came by when we were polluted in our own blood and spread his
skirt over us. And it was a time of love. And
he said, live. Live. Live. And bless God, one day soon, I'll be more alive than I've
ever been. when I see him who loved me and gave himself for
me. Son, brothers and sisters in
Christ, be a good cheer. Thy sins be forgiven thee. God bless you. Amen.

Halleluiah What A Savior

What does the Bible say about forgiveness of sins?

How do we know Jesus has the power to forgive sins?

Why is the concept of mercy important for Christians?

Why should Christians rejoice in forgiveness?

How does faith relate to the forgiveness of sins?

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About Larry Criss

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Halleluiah What A Savior

What does the Bible say about forgiveness of sins?

How do we know Jesus has the power to forgive sins?

Why is the concept of mercy important for Christians?

Why should Christians rejoice in forgiveness?

How does faith relate to the forgiveness of sins?

Sermon Transcript

About Larry Criss

Comments

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