Okay, I want you to look with
me again at John chapter 19. John chapter 19. And I've entitled
this message, According to the Scriptures. We sang in that second
verse of that hymn, that the scripture might be fulfilled.
The scripture might be fulfilled. And in this account in John chapter
19, we have the account of the crucifixion. You know, medieval
Renaissance art, portrays the crucifixion as this almost beautiful
scene, it is horrendous. Is this account, how can you
read this account without your heart being pulled? The account
of what they did to our blessed Lord Jesus Christ. And you know
it's a terrible account, the terrible injustice, humanly speaking,
and the cruelty to which he was subjected, the awful cruelty
to which he was subjected, and it really was absolutely culpable
on the part of those scribes and Pharisees and the baying
mob who were calling for his crucifixion, that they were guilty,
they by wicked hands took the Lord of Glory and crucified him,
absolute, the worst crime ever committed humanly speaking but
all according to the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of
God. You hear some bishops in the National Church and they
talk about the tragedy of the crucifixion and how it would
have been so much better if it had never happened and what a
terrible thing and what can we learn and they totally miss the
point that it was the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of
God to accomplish a specific purpose that the scriptures had
prophesied that the scriptures spoke about for every page of
the scriptures these are they said Jesus which speak of me
and beginning at Moses and the prophets to those disciples on
the Emmaus road he expounded to them in all the scriptures
the things concerning himself this is the message of this book
the saviour the substitute, the Messiah, the Christ, the Redeemer. He's coming for one purpose,
to redeem His people, to save His people from their sins, to
establish righteousness, to purchase eternal life, to satisfy justice
and to pay its ransom. He did all of this and that's
what the message of God is about. And the message of God is to
His sheep, to His people. That His sheep might hear the
voice of Christ and hear it and believe it and follow him. All
of it in accordance with scripture. Every step of the earthly life
of our Lord Jesus Christ I believe was specifically ordained for
Christ to be his people's substitute. Every step he took was not only
him taking that step but his people taking that step in him
that they might be made the righteousness of God in him. even when he bore
the sins of his people as we read in this chapter here he
is under the curse and wrath of God for cursed is everyone
that hangs on a tree and here is the son of God redeeming his
people from the curse of the law having been made a curse
for us why because he was counted guilty of the sins of his people
for he bore the sins of his people and bearing them he was judged
guilty under the law of God not that he was ever a sinner but
he was judged guilty and he was found guilty and punished under
the wrath of God for the sins of his people that's why we can't
sing for every sin on him was laid that's why we must sing
for all the sins of his elect on him were laid. That's what
the scripture teaches. That is effectual redemption. Do you know what effectual means?
It gets the job done. In everyday life you know things
that claim to do the job but they don't. They're useless.
They're ineffective. We want a salvation that is effectual. And this particular redemption
that is in the Lord Jesus Christ is effectual. It accomplishes
the purpose of God. All in accordance with scripture.
You'll have noticed then in chapter 19, the number of times it spoke
about in accordance with the scripture. We could go back,
don't follow me now unless you're very quick at turning the pages,
but John 13 verse 18 about Judas betraying him, you know the night
he washed the disciples' feet and Judas went out and he said,
what you must do, go out and do quickly and Psalm 41. verse
9 it says he went out that the scripture might be fulfilled
and what was the scripture? Psalm 41 verse 9 the Messiah
speaking oh yes it was David and David had been betrayed by
his own familiar friend but in that same way that Spurgeon said
you can't tell you can't separate is it David speaking? is it my
experience as a believer suffering desertion and rejection? or is
it Christ? yes it's all three but especially
it's Christ it says my own familiar friend betrayed him that the
scripture might be fulfilled Judas did that John 17 verse
12 none is lost he prays to the father but the son of perdition
the son of lostness and again Psalm 109 that talks about Judas
Iscariot talks about the one who betrayed him Then we get
into chapter 19. Chapter 19 and verse 24, if you've
got it open before you. They said therefore among themselves,
that's the soldiers, let's not rend it, let's not tear it, the
clothes, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be. This was the
cloak, because it was woven in one piece without a seam. That
the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, they parted my raiment
among them, and for my vesture did they cast lots. These things
therefore the soldiers did. Psalm 22 verse 18. My God, my
God, why have you forsaken me? Verse 18 of that psalm says they
parted my garments and cast lots for my raiment. John chapter
19 verse 36, talking about them coming to break the legs of those
on the cross that they might die quickly and it be finished.
And they came to Jesus and they didn't break his legs because
he was dead already, that the scripture might be fulfilled.
verse 36 the Passover lamb if you read Numbers chapter 9 and
verse 12 further instructions about the Passover lamb not a
bone of it was to be broken Christ our Passover is sacrificed for
us not a bone of him was broken but verse 37 again another scripture
says they shall look on him whom they pierced Zechariah chapter
12 and verse 10 says they shall look on me whom they have pierced
and the soldier pierced his side to just make sure that he really
was dead. He looked dead, they thought
he was dead, they didn't need to break his legs. but he pierced
his side with a spear and out came water and blood. What does
that mean? Well, I'll tell you medically,
medically what it means. There's water around the heart.
In the pericardium there's a sack of water and no doubt the spear
pierced that and out came water. And then when it pierced the
heart, out came blood. Water and blood. But it's not
just physical. There's a spiritual significance
to it. If you read John Gill, he tells, and I think this must
be right, that it's speaking of the sanctification and the
justification. Sanctification, picturing the
washing of water, picturing baptism and the justification, picturing
the Lord's Supper and the shedding of blood and that the righteousness
is in the blood that is shed. These things were done that the
scripture might be fulfilled. And then you could even go on
into the next chapter. When he's rising from the dead, and in
verse nine of chapter twenty it says that the disciples knew
not yet that the scripture said that he must rise from the dead
and so again his resurrection was but the fulfillment of scripture
as psalm sixteen verse ten says he shall not leave his soul in
hell neither suffer his holy one to see corruption turn over
now because i want to move on and look at 1 Corinthians chapter
15 for the bulk of the rest of this message and the first few
verses of that chapter because in these verses here
we have this summarized 1 Corinthians 15 and the first four verses
moreover brethren I declare unto you the gospel which I preached
unto you which also ye have received and wherein ye stand by which
also ye are saved if ye keep in memory what I preached unto
you unless ye have believed in vain for I delivered unto you
first of all that which I also received how that Christ died
for our sins according to the scriptures and that he was buried
and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures
that's the title according to the scriptures you see it's not
that the scripture just guessed right about what would happen
in the future it's not as some people erroneously think that
the scripture is like a divine crystal ball that kind of foresees
the future, you know, makes a good guess, like going to Gypsy Lee
at the fairground and seeing what's going to happen in the
future. No, it's not. But people have this erroneous
idea that it's more or less like that. It's not as if we've got
a sort of a Doctor Who time traveller who can go forward and say, ah,
this is what happened then, and then come back and tell us and
write it down. No, no. You see, this book is unique
in the literature that we have available to us. Of the millions
and millions and millions of books that we have available
to us, this book is absolutely unique. And the reason is this,
this book is not time bound. This book is not a product of
the outworkings of time in this sinful world. This book, this
book is eternal. This is the eternal decree of
God. Yes, it was written down in time
by men as holy men were moved by the Holy Spirit, born along,
inspired by the Holy Spirit to write it down. But it's an eternal
book. It's not a book of time. It's
the word of God. It's the decree of the unchangeable
God. And because He has decreed it,
it must happen. The reason the things happen
according to the scripture is because He ordained them. He
ordained them. God is unchangeable. He has a
single purpose. God's single purpose is the redemption
of His elect, of His people, whom the Father gave to the Son
before the beginning of time. And every step is necessary. And every step is ordered. And nothing is left to chance.
And all of it counts for righteousness and redemption to those people
who were put in Christ before the beginning of time. so let's
look at these verses let's look at these verses remember we're
going to share the bread and wine in memory of our Lord Jesus
Christ in memory that his body was broken and that his blood
was shed and that he really did die let's remember and let's
remind ourselves that the death and resurrection of Christ that
of which we read in John 19 is absolutely the core foundation
of the gospel and it's the only basis of salvation and every
spiritual blessing so I've got a few points here first of all
THE gospel Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel. Yes, the, because it hasn't got
a vowel following it, but I say it for emphasis. It's the singular,
it's the definite article. The gospel. Not a gospel, the
gospel. It means good news, the gospel
means good news. What good news? Well, You know
the message of God and His holiness and the message that we're all
sinful, that we've all fallen short of the glory of God, of
our own mortality. for it is indeed appointed to
man to die once we're all going to die and then comes the judgment
and the justice of God that is written clear in this book you
know the soul that sins it shall die God's justice demands it
and that death is not annihilation that death is eternal torment
for rejection of his rule and there's the terror of that that
should grip the soul and grip the heart to know that I must
meet the one into whose hands it is a dreadful thing to fall
a fearful thing to fall but the gospel brings good news think
of the worst news that could ever come to you and whatever
it might be in this life I tell you it is not as bad as this
that it's appointed to man to die once and then the judgment
but think of the good news in the face of the worst news you
can think of what would be good news well the gospel is the most
glorious news in the face of that message of judgment it's
the most liberating thing to know that the Lord Jesus Christ
has come as God become man he has come and redeemed his people
from the curse of the law to liberate his people from the
curse of law. That is the gospel. It's the
only way by which man can be just with God. Verse 2, it's
by which also ye are saved. It's the only one that can bring
salvation. Many gospels are around in the
world today. Many gospels, they claim to provide
peace with God. You can, I don't recommend that
you ever do, but you can watch these TV channels and you can
listen to the radio and you'll get all sorts of a ragbag of
what calls itself the Christian gospel. And you can go to various
churches and get all sorts of things that claim to be the gospel They use language which sounds
right in parts. They use words that sound scriptural
and doctrinal in parts. But it's counterfeit. It's counterfeit
currency. You know you can look at banknotes
and I could put a £50 note in front of you and a forgery and
the very best forgeries you'd find it very hard to tell the
difference but when you went somewhere where they had the
machine you know they shine it under and it shows up you go
in there expecting to have fifty pounds worth of purchasing power
and you give them unknowingly your fifty pound counterfeit
currency and they put it under the machine and how much is that
piece of paper worth we say it's not worth the paper it's written
on it's just a piece of paper It has no purchasing power. And
these false gospels have got no purchasing power in the courts
of God's justice. They're counterfeit currency.
They're forgeries. They're lies of the devil. They're
based on works. And the works of man can never
make peace with God. However good you may be, the
works of man can never make peace with God. And they try to mix
grace, which they say so far, and they try to mix works with
it. There's an acid test. of the truth, which John gives
us in his epistle, 1 John 4, 2 and 3, talking about this is
the spirit. Try the spirits, whether they
be of God. Try the preachers, whether they're preaching the
truth. Everyone that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in
the flesh is of God, and you say, ah, well that opens it up
wide. There are so many that are preaching the truth, no you
have to read it in context of the whole of scripture and what
did John really mean? I'll tell you what John really
meant and I really do believe, I'm not reading more into this
than is there this is what the weight of that scripture really
means it means that Jesus who is God became man in the flesh
and he came to this earth and walked this earth for one specific
purpose that a specific people might walk it in him and redeem
his people, his elect from before the foundation of the world that
they might be reconciled to God and have peace with God and have
forgiveness in him that's it that's the absolute basis of
the gospel and any other gospel is not good news it is the gospel
which Paul preached any other is not good news your counterfeit
currency is bad news when you go to pay for something and you
discover it's counterfeit. You see, God does not save by
a counterfeit freewill Arminian gospel. He doesn't. He doesn't. Oh, well, I, you know, I could
say the same myself. You know, I became a Christian
in Arminian circles and I believe... No, you became a true believer
when you heard the true gospel and you believed it. You know,
I remember the day when we started listening to Henry Mahan and
Don Faulkner and then later Todd Nybert and others wider than
that. And it was then that the light
shined because that was the true gospel. And all previous ones
had not been the truth. That was the true gospel. God
does not save by a counterfeit gospel. You know, it really disturbs
me. I see in modern writings, evangelical
writings, supposed to be reformed Calvinistic, extolling the praises
of John Wesley and such like. I just think, what are they on?
What are they doing? Don't they look at the gospel
he preached? It's not the gospel of scripture,
it's the gospel of freewill Arminianism, which never saved anybody, for
it's pathetic, because it claims to open the door... to give the
possibility to everybody, and yet it saves and secures absolutely
the salvation of nobody. And yet, people peddle it. They
say things like this, oh, there's some lovely people over there,
now, they're Christians, they don't believe sovereign grace
and particular redemption, but they do love the Lord. Which
Lord do they love? If they don't love the doctrines
of the God of Scripture and the God of Truth, who is it that
they love? That's not the Lord of Scripture
that they love if they deny the fundamental basics of the Gospel
of His grace. No, no. No. They talk about,
oh they're good people basically, I've heard this before. They're
four point Calvinists, you know the one point they always leave
out is particular redemption, otherwise known as limited atonement.
Particular redemption sounds so much less negative than limited
atonement. And that's the one they leave
out, so they say of the five points they believe them but
they don't believe that one because they find they don't like it.
Does that mean that they're 80% of the way to salvation, so probably
okay? No. Not at all. No. What did Paul say? If anyone
comes and preaches any other gospel to you than that which
was delivered to you let him be accursed. And he says just
in case you thought that slipped out he repeats it in the next
verse. Let him be accursed. Anathema. Because it's a dreadful
thing. If you always ate in restaurants
and you were starving And you couldn't find a good restaurant
because virtually every restaurant had a food poisoning bug. You
know, it was there, endemic, in the kitchen. And if you went
and ate there, you would get food poisoning. And I would say,
well, you need to eat, so it's far better for you just to go
to that food poisoning restaurant and get... I wouldn't do that,
would I? I'd say, scratch around at home
with what you've got, but don't go to that restaurant that will
give you food poisoning. And so I would say concerning
the preaching of the false gospel, Listen to what they say. Find
out what they're really like. Don't just read their statement
of faith, hear what's preached there. And don't go there if
it's anything other than the true gospel of grace. Secondly
then, this gospel, which is so based on the truth of the death
and resurrection of Christ, it must be preached. Look in verses
1 and 2. I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto
you, which ye also received, and wherein ye stand, by which
also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto
you. This gospel must be preached. It must be preached. This true
gospel. Oh, we daren't preach election
because they put us out of the church or the Elders and Deacons
Committee wouldn't like it and they would tell the pastor to
stop it, he mustn't preach that sort of thing because he'll put
people off and drive them away. This message must be preached. Who is wiser? God or committees
of men? This is the word of God. We preach
what he says. We don't make excuses for him.
He says he's chosen a people in Christ from before the foundation
of the world. And that Christ came to specifically
redeem those people. And that's the message to preach.
Stand up and declare it. He says to all of the prophets
in the old, stand up and declare this message. And he will take
care of the rest. And this is what we must do.
Because why? How does God save? It pleased
God, 1 Corinthians 1.21, it pleased God by the foolishness, as man
counts foolishness, as man reckons up in his logic foolishness,
it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save those who
believe. God does not save apart from
true preaching. There's an Ethiopian eunuch.
Oh, he's bought himself a copy of the scriptures. He's got the
scroll of the prophet Isaiah. And in the book of Isaiah is
the gospel of grace without any doubt over and over again. So
surely he's just going to become a Christian just by sitting in
his chariot and reading his Bible on his own, isn't he? Surely
that will work for him. No, God sends him a preacher,
Philip. The evangelist comes to him and
says, do you understand what you're reading? And the eunuch
says, how can I understand it unless a man comes and explains
it to me? And so Philip went up. And what did he preach to
him? Jesus, that he is the Christ. That's what he preached. And
that's what we must do. God does not save apart from
true preaching. I'm easily prepared to accept
that God saves by preaching over the internet or on tapes if anybody
still has tapes these days or CDs or DVDs so long as the message
is true I'm even inclined to believe that God is perfectly
able to save through the preaching that is committed to print and
you read the sermon of somebody that preached it in time past
I'm perfectly prepared to believe that But I do not believe that
God saves apart from preaching. Why? Because that's how he says
he does it. That's how he says he does it.
A man is equipped by God, not by colleges or by other men,
to bear the message of the gospel of his grace. And God gives him
clarity of understanding. This is why Paul sounds somewhat
arrogant perhaps when he says we have the mind of Christ he
gives understanding and an ability to communicate it and boldness
to declare it publicly because it is the power of God says Romans
1 16 this gospel what's going to save people from eternal judgment
and condemnation the power of God unto salvation to everyone
that believes and Paul says I must preach it I must preach it he
said woe is me 1 Corinthians 9 16 woe is me if I preach not
the gospel he must preach it this gospel the true gospel and
it's the only message of true preachers they don't have another
message Paul says as we often quote 1 Corinthians 2 verse 2
it's on Bill's headstone isn't it I was determined to know nothing
other than Jesus Christ what a What a glorious epitaph. Nothing other than Jesus Christ
and Him crucified. Wasn't determined to preach social
morality. He wasn't determined, and you'll
probably think I'm having a dig, well, I'm having a dig. He wasn't
prepared to preach why believers should be total abstainers, or
why the moral law should be the believer's rule of life, but
he preached Christ, and in the process, the law of Christ, which
is the royal law, which is the only law that brings about genuine
fruit, for all preaching of the law serves only to condemn. It serves only to lead to despair
or hypocrisy. Hypocrisy in those who think
they keep it and despair in those who know that they never can
and never have. No, we must preach this gospel,
Christ and Him alone. And thirdly, Christ must be its
only subject. Look in verse 3, for I delivered
unto you... What is your gospel, Paul? What
is this one that you preach wherein we're saved? I delivered unto
you first of all that which I also receive. how that Christ died
for our sins according to the scriptures and that he was buried
and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures
how that Christ died for our sins this is the subject the
factual subject the historical factual subject for Paul He was
determined to know nothing other than Christ and him crucified.
But if you also read in Acts 20 verse 27 when he's leaving
the Ephesians and he says to them on the beach before he gets
into the ship that he shunned not, he didn't hold back from
preaching the whole counsel of God. Now you have to reconcile
those two statements. He preached the whole counsel
of God by being determined to know nothing other than Jesus
Christ and Him crucified. He is the only message. You see,
why did He come? Matthew 1.21, call His name Jesus. For He shall save His people
from their sins. Look at a scripture over in Isaiah,
in Isaiah 53, which is so well known. But Isaiah 53. 10 and 11, yet it pleased the Lord
to bruise him. This crucifixion of Christ, why
did it please the Lord? Was it some weird fascination
with a man dying? No, it pleased the Lord because
it satisfied his justice. That's why he says he's got no
pleasure in the death of a wicked, it doesn't satisfy his justice.
But here, it pleased the Lord to bruise the Lord Jesus Christ.
He hath put him to grief When thou shalt make his soul an offering
for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and
the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall
see of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied. By his
knowledge shall my righteous servant, that's Christ, justify
many, all those whom the Father gave to him. For he shall bear
their iniquities. You know, you say, why are you
so nitpicky? Why do you change that line in that hymn? There
you are. He shall bear their. iniquities. Not every sin on
him was laid. He shall bear their. This is
what the book says to the law and to the testimony. If they
speak not according to this word, there's no light in them. As
far as we can, God enabling us, we're going to stick to what
God says and he says he shall bear their iniquities. We could
read Daniel chapter 9 as we did a few months ago, but don't turn
there now for the sake of time. Speaking of when 70 weeks are
accomplished and Messiah comes and he puts an end to all that
sacrifice, those pictures, because he fulfills it. And in that moment
he establishes righteousness and justification. All about
the Messiah coming. And Zechariah, we've looked at
that, about the shepherd being smitten, the sword of God's justice
striking him. And this is it on the cross of
Calvary. This is the message that Christ really did go through
these things. And look at Romans chapter 1.
Just turn back a few pages. Romans chapter 1. And the first
few verses. Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ,
called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God. That's
what his purpose is. Not to be a social worker, not
to do all sorts of help for various people, separated unto the gospel. which he had promised afore by
his prophets in the holy scriptures, again in accordance with the
scriptures, concerning his son Jesus Christ our Lord, which
was made of the seed of David according to the flesh, a real
man, and declared to be the Son of God. son of God, divine with
power according to the spirit of holiness by the resurrection
from the dead, God raised him from the dead, divine, by whom
we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among
all nations for his name, among whom are ye also the called. of Jesus Christ the called of
Jesus Christ he's absolutely central absolutely central you
see as I've said already he has redeemed us from the curse of
the law having been made a curse by hanging on that tree in our
place look at well finally in this section Hebrews 10 Hebrews 10 and verse 11 and every priest standeth daily
ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices over and
over again which can never take away sins but this man this man
hanging on behold a man upon the cross behold him behold this
man after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever sat
down at the right hand of God you see that your sins are paid
for if you're in Him by that once for all sacrifice on the
cross if you have peace with God there is only one reason
and it's that you're in Christ by faith that's how you experience
it that's how you apprehend it you're united with Him and everything
that He is and has done as the sinner's substitute you have
done in Him it's all credited to you it's all accounted to
you in Him Christ must be its only subject. He is the subject
of the gospel. And fourthly, it's based on historical
fact. It's based on how Christ died
for our sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried,
that he rose again. We've read the account in John
19. The historical fact of it. It's not some wishy-washy sort of vague thing that gives
you some benefit if you think about its other meaning as so
many try and mysticise it. It's true, it's based on absolute
solid facts that Christ really did die. This man died under
the wrath of God the Father that his people might die in him when
he died. I am crucified with Christ said
Paul nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ lives in me
but he was crucified with Christ he died under the wrath of his
father that his people might die in him that justice might
be satisfied that my sins might be paid in him and be blotted
out of the books that they might not be there that when it comes
to that judgment seat of Christ there is nothing found against
the child of God for he has paid it already God ordained it he
was slain from the foundation of the world in eternity but
it must happen in time and it did two thousand, nearly two
thousand years ago if our calendars are right maybe what nineteen
hundred and sixty seven years, no, no 77 years ago, if I'm doing
my sums correctly, there or thereabouts, he really did die. It's as historical
as the Battle of Hastings. It's as historical as the execution
of Charles I, or name any other historical event. He died for
our sins. his people's sins, in accordance
with the scripture. A body was prepared, says Hebrews,
quoting Psalm 40. A body was prepared for him.
He came in real human flesh, that as a man in human flesh,
he might earn righteousness under the law, because when the fullness
of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman,
made under the law, that he might redeem those that are under the
law. He lived subject to the law of God, as a man, and lived
perfectly. and never sinned, that he might
establish righteousness for all of his people. He did that perfectly. And then on the cross, that John
19 account and the other Gospels account, on that cross he shed
his lifeblood. for the life is in the blood
and the price of the salvation of his people and the justification
of his people was the precious blood of Christ for you're not
redeemed with corruptible things like silver and gold and precious
stones because they all fade away and corrupt but by the precious
blood of the Lord Jesus Christ he shed that blood for his people
that his people might be made the righteousness of God in him.
God made him who knew no sin to be made sin for us that we
might be made the righteousness of God in him and so who can
condemn us now? Who can bring any charge? says
Romans 8 30 that Christ has died Christ has died, it's gone, the
penalty's paid and that's the basis of when we share the bread
and wine this is the basis of my hope that Christ has died
in my place, and I have died in him." And it's a reminder
of the historical reality of it. Partaking of bread and wine
is a reminder, a regular reminder of the historical reality of
the fact that he really did die. And then, moving on quickly,
fifthly, it must be received. This gospel, the gospel, the
gospel concerning Jesus Christ and his death on the cross and
resurrection, it must be received. Verse 1, I declare to you the
gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received,
and wherein ye stand, by which also ye are saved. It must be
received. Do you know that not one of God's
elect are saved? until they receive, that is believe,
the gospel. Now you say, what about justification
from eternity? I believe that. I know lots of
people don't. I know they don't. John Gill
wrote a book on it, and I totally, totally agree with that doctrine.
That the sheep, the people of Christ, the elect, were justified
in Christ before the foundation of the world in eternity. I fully
believe that. But not one of them. comes into
the experience of it until they believe. You cannot say, I'm
one of the elect who has not yet believed. You only know you
are one of the elect when you believe, when God gives you faith.
When God says, as Jesus said to the man with the withered
hand who couldn't stretch out his hand, he said to him, stretch
out your hand. And with the command came the
power. And with the command to believe the gospel, to the elect
comes the power to believe it. And they believe it, and embrace
it, and rest upon it, and are saved. They believe it. It's
what we read in Romans 10, about preaching of the gospel, about
being sent to preach, and about those who hear the preaching,
hearing it, and on the basis of what they hear with their
ears, and it goes into their minds, and they work out what's
being put forward here, and they believe it. They believe on the
one who is the center of it, the Lord Jesus Christ. And in
believing, the heart comes into work, and they call on that one,
save me, save me from my sins, save me. They call, and whosoever
shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. You personally
must receive it. All of you. You personally must.
Listen, this word for the children particularly. Your parents, your
relatives' faith will not save you. You must believe it. You
must believe it. You must apprehend it. You must
hear these things, this preaching, and you must believe these things
for yourself. And then finally, sixthly, it
must be lived. This gospel must be lived. Not
just believed, but lived. Look again at verse 1. Which
also you have received and wherein ye stand, by which also ye are
saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless you
have believed in vain. it's not just a kind of a one-off
event belief it's an ongoing life of faith wherein ye stand
the idea being continuing to stand going on standing walking
in the spirit not according to the flesh by which ye are saved
if ye keep unless your faith was futile or empty is what he's
saying here now it sounds like it depends on you but we know
it doesn't depend on you for we know everything that we've
read of Christ's teaching about the spirit and about the vine
and about being in the vine and without him we can do nothing
and we know that without him we can do nothing so it doesn't
depend on believers individually but you shall persevere this
is the message of scripture believers will persevere knowing that he
keeps us knowing that he keeps us safe in Christ he'll keep
you and prevent you from falling from grace but we must look to
him keep looking It's an ongoing thing, it must be lived. Colossians
1.23 says this, if you continue in the faith grounded and settled
and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel. It's not
just a one-off belief when you believe it's an ongoing way of
life, an ongoing attitude of life. It's not just an attitude
of life, it's a relationship. You know, how about if a wedding
day was the bride and the groom turned up and got married wherever
it might be and that's it, the legal papers are signed and they're
married and then basically they never talk to one another again
and they go their separate, that wouldn't be a marriage would
it? So it is with Christ. There must be intimate communion
with him. Day by day, walking through this
life in communion with him, feeding on his word, speaking to him
in prayer, being led by his spirit, it must be lived. It's based
on a knowledge, not just a head knowledge, but a heart knowledge.
Job said in Job 19, I know that my Redeemer lives. And knowing
that, it makes so much difference. I know that therefore I will
stand in the resurrection and that this terrible state I'm
in now will be overcome and that I will have eternal life in Him.
Likewise, all believers say this. I know that He chose me. because
he's given me faith to believe him. I know he's lived for me
and really died for me. I know those things. I know the
water and the blood came out signifying the sanctification
and justification that's in him to pay the penalty for my sin
that I might be right with him that it might be well with my
soul and so I have a good hope based on solid facts that it
was delivered first of all which he also received that Christ
died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, that he was
buried and rose again the third day. This is our Gospel. This is our Gospel. This is what
we seek to preach and believe and hold dear together. It's
what we want to sing about, it's what we want to tell others about,
it's what forms the basis of how we think and how we organize
and everything that we do. It's why we're different. We
don't do this because we're just stubborn individualists. We do
this because we can't find anywhere else that preaches this gospel
and that is based on these truths. So it's why we're different.
we can join with all sorts of people in all sorts of things
perfectly happily because we live in this world we don't take
up swords to fight Christ's servants don't but when it comes to the
gospel of grace absolutely no compromise it's like sending
your friends to that food poisoning restaurant to give them some
nourishment not in the slightest we won't do it and that's why
we can't join with others who preach a perversion of it or
anything of the sort