Okay, now, last week we were
looking at a message which I entitled, Whose Sins? We were looking at
Psalm 69, verse 5, where David writes there, my sins are before
you, my guiltiness is before you, but I showed you from the
Scriptures that that's Christ speaking. And Christ is speaking
of those sins as His sins, because He took the sins of His people. We've just been singing a hymn
which said, and every sin on Him was laid, in the second verse.
correct, so long as it means every sin of His people, of those
people for whom Christ died. Christ did not die for the sins
of everybody in the world that were ever committed. He died
for the sins of His people. You may say, that's a harsh stance
to take. I want to be no more harsh and
no more soft than this word is. To the law and to the testimony,
we must speak according to what this book says. Now, last week
we looked at whose sins were they. whose sins were being spoken
of. They were Christ's sins because
He made them His sins. He never committed any sin but
He was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness
of God in Him. And so this week I want to look
at whose righteousness is it? Whose sins and whose righteousness? You see, we aim to proclaim the
true gospel. The true gospel. There's all
sorts of gospels. Paul says that in Galatians 1.
Who preach a gospel which is not a gospel. It's another gospel.
It's no gospel at all. Because in it, there's just a
con. There's no good news. There's no payment for sin. Therefore,
there's no good news. there's one true gospel revealed
by this book it's the one that saves sinners and makes them
right with God do you know a lot of people have a gospel that
they preach which is like the drowning man in the sea and their
gospel throws him a life belt just to stop him drowning and
tied to the life belt is a Leukocyte energy drink. So he gulps down
his Leukocyte energy drink and then he's told, right, now I've
stopped you from drowning. You would have drowned. I've
stopped you from drowning. I've saved you from that. Now on you go
and finish the race yourself with your bottle of Leukocyte
energy drink. That's not the Gospel of Scripture. The Gospel
of Scripture is that Christ saves to the uttermost. He doesn't
just throw you a life belt off the rescue boat. He comes down
into the water. He gets hold of you. He picks
you out of the water. He brings you into the boat dry
and safe and secure. Is that an extreme analogy? No,
I don't think so. You read Genesis 6. God provided
a boat to save some people from some water which is such a picture
of salvation. No, this is the gospel that saves
completely. Which gospel do you want to know?
The one that makes you feel good and that we're all good pals
together and we're all good human beings together or do you want
to believe the one that God, the God of the universe has revealed
in his word? The one that saves completely
for all for whom Christ stood as surety, as guarantor. He stood
as surety for his people, his people. Why was he called Jesus?
For he would save His people from their sins. We read of the
many that He came. Many sons, Hebrews 2, in bringing
many sons to glory. These are the ones. They're called
the elect of God. You see, to be accepted by the
God of the universe we need to be holy absolutely holy it says
this in Hebrews 12 14 pursue holiness without which no man
shall see the Lord you must have holiness to see the Lord you
must be righteous as God counts righteousness and not only must
you be holy but you must be without sin well we saw last week that
Christ bore all the sins of his people and as we sung in the
first hymn God, the just, cannot demand payment twice. First at
my bleeding surety's hand and then again at mine. If Christ
has paid it, if Christ has borne the justice of God for those
sins, He won't charge me again. The fire of God has already fallen.
We saw that. And so when Christ cries out,
my sins are before you, my foolishness, my guiltiness, and it's the words
of David but it's the words of Christ bearing the sins of his
people he bore the sins themselves the guilt the punishment it all
fell upon him to perfectly pay the price of justice so that
we can sing what we love to sing that they're nailed, my sins
are nailed to his cross and I bear them no more but what about holiness
and righteousness now turn with me right at the start to Exodus
chapter 19 we read this passage earlier, Exodus chapter 19 and we saw how the the children
of Israel, the Israelites came to the wilderness of Sinai, they'd
come out of Egypt, they'd been wandering around and it's the
third month since they came out and they come to the wilderness
of Sinai and Moses goes up to God and the Lord calls to him
out of the mountain And he says, Thus shall you say to the house
of Jacob and tell the children of Israel. Do you notice there,
just in passing, who God speaks to? He speaks to his people. He speaks to Jacob, the sinner. He speaks to Israel, the sinner
made a prince with God. This is who God speaks to. He
says, You've seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I bore
you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore,
now hear is what is laid down. Now therefore, if you obey my
voice indeed and keep my covenant, then you shall be a peculiar
treasure to me above all people, for all the earth is mine. You
shall be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation." These are the
words that you shall tell them. If any of you have ever done
any programming, computer programming, you'll know that that reminds
you of an if-then-else statement. If this, then do that. If not,
then something else. it's very clear it's a condition
if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant then you shall
be a percutor then there'll be tremendous blessings but if not
there'll be tremendous cursings and look at verse 8 look what
the people responded chapter 19 verse 8 and all the people
answered together and said here they are all that the Lord has
spoken we will do Oh, He requires obedience. Oh, we can do that. We'll do that. No problem. Yeah,
we'll do that. God has brought us out and He's
given us this requirement to obey Him perfectly. We'll do
that. Definitely, we'll do that. That's what they said. No problem.
Well, we know that they did have a problem and we've all got a
problem. And the problem is this that things have not changed
because in Matthew 5 and verse 17 in the Sermon on the Mount
Jesus said to them Do not think that I am come to destroy the
law or the prophets. I am not come to destroy but
to fulfill. It applies to us today. If you
will obey my voice indeed and keep my covenant then you will
receive my blessing. Now the issue is this. How? How? How can we fulfill that requirement?
Because it still applies today. If you keep it perfectly, you'll
be my privileged people. But if not, divine justice will
demand that you be cursed. Because Deuteronomy 27, 26 says
this, Cursed be he that confirms not all the words of this law
to do them. Cursed be he that doesn't keep
the law perfectly. Paul quotes it in Galatians 3,
10. Cursed is everyone that hangs on a tree. Cursed is everyone
who does not continue in all the words of this law to do them. You may say, it's hard, it's
harsh, it's unfair, it's unreasonable. I'm sorry. We're all in this
together. This is God. This is thrice holy
God. Like it or not, He's the sovereign
of the universe. He's the potter. We're the clay.
He's the one who has made us and not we ourselves. It's His
word. It's His demands. It's His law.
Now just in summary, this chapter 19 of Exodus if you read on beyond
where we read you'll see that God prohibits man touching the
mount under penalty of death we read that in verse 13 penalty
of death and what he's saying in chapter 19 is anyone who puts
his own hand to the work of approaching God shall perish that's true
that's true you see he's making this demand but then he's saying
anybody who puts his hand to doing the work of approaching
God shall perish." Then in chapter 20 he gives the Ten Commandments
and they're given there. You know them, the ones about
our relationship with God and the ones about our relationship
with our fellow men and Christ summarized them for us in the
Gospels. Love God with all your heart
and your neighbor as yourself. That's them in summary and we
can't do it. I can't do it. No time any day
do I ever get close And look at when the laws finished being
given. Look at chapter 20 and verse
19. You know these people that said,
Oh God demands obedience. That's no problem. We'll do that.
Look what they say in verse 19. Then they said, the people said
to Moses, You speak with us and we will hear. But don't let God
speak with us lest we die. Because now we're terrified.
What we've seen, we're terrified. How awesome how terrifying, how
demanding God's righteous demands, His commandments. We can't do
them. And we know that we're going to be cursed. You, Moses,
speak to us. We can stand your voice, but we can't stand the
voice of God. It's too harsh against us. And then further
on in chapter 20, God shows the way of grace and He talks about
an altar. Verses 24, 25, 26. An altar. But it must be an altar of God's
own making. Now, in response to this situation
that we have of a holy God who demands perfect righteousness.
Do you know what men do? They've done it all down the
years. All down the centuries. All down the millennia. Men set
up idols. They make idols. Idols in wood
and stone. Idols in organisations. Idols
in different people that they put on pedestals. Idols in their
own minds. They create idols in their own
minds. In response to this situation of God demanding perfect righteousness,
men make idols. There are obvious ones, there
are some less obvious. Clearly, false religion is an
idol. But there are some very convincing
forgeries. You see, the question comes,
how can we satisfy God? And so, do you know what people
say down the years? You know what modern man says
today? Well, God has changed his mind, you see. God's changed
it. I'm not joking. You could go round the churches
that are meeting now in this town and in Wellingarden City
and surrounding areas and this, in essence, is the message that
you'll hear. God has changed his mind. The God of the Old
Testament was a harsh, brutal, cold, unloving God. He was stern and hard but the
God of the New Testament, the modern God, the 21st century
God, He's much more understanding of us. He's changed his mind.
He's not as severe as he used to be. He'll be alright with
us. He'll let us in. He understands us. He's not like
he was then shooting through with an arrow or stoning to death.
No, God has changed. I am He that changes not. Jesus
Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever. It is a fearful
thing to fall into the hands of the living God for our God
is a consuming fire. Let's not forget that. That remains
true. There's no past tense in those
quotations. Some of them from the epistle
to the Hebrews. Our God is a consuming fire. He's the same God yesterday,
today and forever. Sorry, modern man, that's an
idol. That's an idol. That's a figment of your imagination.
God has not changed his mind. God still says to mankind, if
you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, then you shall be
a peculiar treasure. Then. If. Then. But we can't. or modern man says he'll accept
sincere attempts even if they fail or I'll have a good shot
at it and he'll accept me on the grounds that I had a good
shot at it and I had as good a shot as anybody else did again
idols of men's imagination and they're all there to calm fears
of judgment for it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands
of the living God there's even a very deceiving idol a very
deceiving idol in evangelical circles it's this that in the
gospel, listen to me carefully, in the gospel, this is what they
say, in the gospel, God has substituted the strict need for perfect obedience
to the law for this much easier requirement. You just have to
believe the gospel, just to believe Jesus. That's all you, if you
just do that one thing and believe Jesus, then that will let you
off that really hard thing of perfectly keeping the law. Do
you know that's a lie? That is not true. That is not
what this book teaches. It's very subtle but I'll show
you why shortly. Do you remember some time ago
I wrote a piece for a bulletin about Abraham? You know we read
that Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. And the tendency of the human
heart is to think that Abraham did a work of believing. Because
Jesus says in John 5.19 to the Pharisees, they say, what must
we do that we do the work of God? And he said, this is the
work of God that you believe on him who he has sent. And so
they take that and they distort it and they say, right, there
are works of law that you must do, not coveting, not stealing,
loving God with all your heart, those are things that you can,
but here's the work that sweeps all of those out to one side.
believe in Jesus and then you'll have done all the work that God
requires you to do now in a sense it's true but the point about
Abraham is this it was not Abraham's act of believing that made him
righteous with God it was what Abraham believed in that made
him right with God what did he believe in? he believed that
God was sending his son he'd seen it pictured when he went
to sacrifice his own son Isaac He believed that God was sending
his own son as a surety, as a guarantee, as a saviour to bear the sins
of his people, to bear Abraham's sins, to establish righteousness
that Abraham knew he didn't have. Abraham knew that he, by nature,
was a liar and an idolater. He knew those things but he knew
that Christ was coming to do all those things in his place
and it was what Abraham believed in. It was the faithfulness of
Christ that saved him not his faith in Christ as a work it
was the faithfulness of Christ that saved him that Christ came
and was obedient obedient to his father obedient unto death
even the death of the cross that's what Abraham believed and that's
the true gospel it's not your believing that is a work that
makes up for all of your failure on all the other laws of God
it's what Christ has done on your behalf and the fact that
you have obeyed those laws in Him and that you have paid the
penalty for your sins in Him and so the justice of God is
perfectly satisfied in the Lord Jesus Christ there are the idols
of men's imagination but we need to be true to this word We need
to be true to this. What does the Bible teach? Turn
with me to some scriptures. I want you to go to Romans chapter
5. Romans chapter 5 which is explicit. You know how it is that in the
Old Testament so much of the truth is implicit and you know
this Henry's two books that we're using for our studies with New
Testament eyes because you see the Old Testament with New Testament
eyes and it's like you know if I take my glasses off I can't
see very much but if I put them on all of a sudden there's a
clear picture the New Testament is like putting a pair of glasses
on a short-sighted person when you read the Old Testament it
shows you with New Testament eyes what the truth of God's
revelation is now turn to chapter 5 and verses 18 to 21 and we'll
read words here he's been talking about Adam and Christ Adam the
first man and Christ and then in verse 18 he says this therefore
as by the offense of one that is Adam judgment came upon all
men to condemnation because all were counted in Adam effectively
even so by the righteousness of one who is Christ who perfectly
obeyed for the father looked down from heaven and said with
an audible voice in the hearing of those that were with him this
is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased God never said that
about any other person outside of Christ but he says it about
all of his people in Christ Even so, by the righteousness of one,
the free gift came upon all men, all those whom Christ represented
unto justification of life. They're counted righteous because
they are righteous because in Him they are righteous. They've
done everything necessary. For as, verse 19, as by one man's
disobedience, that's Adam, many were made sinners, all are counted
sinners because of Adam's disobedience. So, by the obedience of one,
Christ shall many be made righteous." Note, they will be made righteous. Do you know as He was made sin
for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him?
Here it is again, by the obedience of Christ many shall be made
righteous. Moreover, the law entered that
the offense might abound, that it might be clear, that it might
be manifest, that it might be obvious. The law shines the light
on the works of man to show that they're sinful. But where sin
abounded and was obvious, grace did much more abound. That as
sin has reigned unto death, sin leads to death, even so might
grace reign through righteousness. Through righteousness, the righteousness
of Christ which He gives to His people unto eternal life for
those people by Christ Jesus our Lord. The righteousness of
Christ is credited to His people. This is about federal headship. This is what the Scriptures teach.
You are either in Adam or you are in Christ. In Adam, all die. Even so, in Christ, shall all
who are in Christ be made alive. In Adam or in Christ. You say
that's not fair. Now let me give you an illustration.
It's not a very good illustration, but it might make the point.
Think about it. Meditate upon it. I am a British
citizen. I am a subject of the British
government, of the Queen who is the head of state, symbolically
she's the head of state. And in 1982, April I think it
was, I declared war on Argentina. You say, no you didn't. You say,
Alan, you didn't declare war on Argentina. I did. Because
my government did. My head of state did. Federally,
all who are British citizens declared war on Argentina in
1982 over the Falkland Islands. it's a fact it's true and this
is what the scripture is teaching you are either in Adam or in
Christ one or the other it's federal headship you see we were
at war each one of us individually were at war with Argentina by
virtue of the federal headship of our state in which we live
I know it's not a good illustration but it's the closest I can come
to explaining what this book is teaching so in verse 18 of
what we were just reading Romans chapter 5 Christ's righteousness
is credited to all his people in verse 19 he says many shall
be made righteous and in verse 21 grace reigns through righteousness
to eternal life by Christ turn back a few pages to chapter 3
and verse 22 well verse 21 but now don't you
love it in the scripture when there are but nows the contrasts
but now the righteousness of God without the law remember
pursue righteousness without pursue holiness without which
no man shall see the Lord but now the righteousness of God
without law works is manifested made obvious being witnessed
by the law and the prophets nothing new the law and the prophets
look forward to it when Christ would come even the righteousness
of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ note that Note that. Look
what your New King James Version says there. It doesn't say faith
of Jesus Christ. It says in Jesus Christ. The
truth is that it's the faithfulness of Jesus Christ in His work as
a surety and a substitute that we have the righteousness of
God. The righteousness of God which is by faithfulness of Jesus
Christ unto all and upon all them that believe. He brings
them to believe all for whom He did it. He brings them to
believe for there is no difference for all have sinned. They've
all sinned and come short of the glory of God. but they're
all His people justified freely by His grace through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus maybe you say is this just Paul's opinion
that I'm giving you this morning well no let's look back in the
Old Testament Psalm 89 you see I used to keep apologizing about
making you turn to lots of scriptures but you know something I'm not
going to apologize anymore for that you need to you know it's
good it's good that you become agile looking at the scriptures
because I don't want this to be my opinion. You're not listening
to a lecture by me where I give you my opinions. I want to, I
just want to lead us through what this book teaches about
the doctrines of God and salvation. That's what Henry says. He says
he doesn't get many criticisms that stick because he just quotes
scripture at people. And when he quotes the scripture
you can't, who can gainsay it? Who can say anything against
it? Psalm 89, verses 15 and 16. No, it's not just Paul's opinion.
We're going back in the Old Testament. Blessed, verse 15. Blessed is
the... that means happy. Happy because
God has shown them favour. Blessed is the people that know
the joyful sound. Hear that hymn? We have heard
the joyful sound. Jesus saves, Jesus saves. They
shall walk, O Lord, in the light of your countenance. The special
favor of God shining upon them. In your name shall they rejoice
all the day. And look, in your righteousness
shall they be exalted. God's people will be exalted
in God's righteousness. It's God's righteousness that
He will credit just as the sins of His people were credited to
Christ and He paid for them. so the righteousness of Christ
will be credited to his people and in that righteousness his
people will be blessed and exalted look at because the in there
and in thy righteousness means wearing wearing his righteousness
they shall be exalted turn over to Isaiah 51 Isaiah 51 and verse 1 Hark to me, listen to me you
that follow after righteousness pursue holiness without which
no man shall see the Lord Hebrews 12 14 Hark to me, listen to me
you that follow after righteousness you that seek the Lord where
are you going to get it? look to the rock who is that
rock? that rock is Christ Where are
you going to get that righteousness? Look to the rock whence you are
hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence you are digged." Is
that not picturing the gospel? That pit of sin from which he
has taken his people? Look to the rock. Look to Abraham,
your father. Why look to him? Because he believed
God. He believed the gospel of God.
And that gospel of God was accounted to him for righteousness. You
that follow after righteousness, do what Abraham did. He believed
God, the Gospel of God. He believed the Christ of God.
He believed that his sins would be paid by the Christ of God.
He believed that the righteousness he needed would be earned for
him, on behalf of him, and credited to him by the Christ of God.
Follow his example. Follow his example in believing
the Gospel. Hark to me, you that follow after
righteousness. Look to the rock. Look to Abraham. Look to the Gospel of Christ
that he believed. follow Abraham's faith find it
in Christ that's where you'll find it that's where you'll find
that holiness without which no man shall see the Lord you'll
find it in Christ and in Christ alone in Christ that we sang
that hymn in Christ alone my hope is found then turn over
a couple of pages to 54 Isaiah 54 and verse 17 you know he's given chapter 53 which is so
clearly Christ's suffering in the place and on behalf of his
people and then in 54 it begins with sing O baron and you that
did not bear sing what a glorious position we're in and then look
down at verse 17 no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper
this is God speaking to his people the ones whom Christ has redeemed
in chapter 53 and every tongue that shall rise against you in
judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants
of the Lord." This is the heritage of the servant. If you are a
servant of the Lord, you are, if you're in Christ, you're a
servant of the Lord. This is the heritage of the servants
of the Lord. And their righteousness is of
me, says the Lord. the righteousness of his people
is God's righteousness God's own righteousness earned in Christ
established in Christ it's imputed righteousness their righteousness
is of me says the Lord turn over again to chapter 61 chapter 61 verses 10 and 11 this
is the child of God speaking this is the people of God speaking
verse 10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord. My souls shall be
joyful in my God." Do you know there's a whole load of people
gathering again this morning and no doubt saying that they're
rejoicing in the Lord and they haven't got a clue what they're
rejoicing about. They're rejoicing about the fact
that the rain was sent down from heaven this morning. Well, yes,
in Providence, yes, we're glad that the rain comes and the sun
comes and that God keeps the world ticking over so that it's
a fit place for people and animals and things to live in that's
fine but they don't know anything about this rejoicing you see
the people of God rejoice in this that their names are written
in heaven that their sins are forgiven because Christ has paid
them that they're counted righteous in the sight of God and they're
able and fitted and clothed to meet Him. I will greatly rejoice
in the Lord. My soul shall be joyful in my
God for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation." Isn't
that beautiful? He has clothed me with the garments
of salvation and has covered me with a robe of righteousness. As a bridegroom decks himself
with ornaments and as a bride adorns herself with jewels, for
as the earth brings forth her bud and as the garden causes
the things that are sown in it to spring forth, so the Lord
God will cause righteousness and praise. to spring forth before
all the nations. He's covered me with a robe of
righteousness." This is the testimony of the child of God. Not my own
righteousness. You can read on in chapter 64
and verse 4, I think it is, if you want, about our righteousnesses
being as filthy rags in His sight. Filthy rags in His sight. Maybe
it's verse 6. Yes, it's verse 6. 64 verse 6. All our righteousnesses are as
filthy rags But this is a robe of righteousness. And do you
know what that reminds me of? We were thinking of it a few
weeks ago. The prodigal son. When he comes home. What does
the father do? He's confessing his sins. Go
and get the best robe. Bring it. Put it on him. Put
the best robe on him. Oh, don't let your sins prevent
you. Come to him. See that in him there is a robe
of perfect righteousness. Look at Jeremiah chapter 23. Let's turn over a few more pages
into the next prophecy. And verse 6, Jeremiah 23 and
verse 6. In his days, he's talking about
the King who will come, in the days of the Christ who will come.
We could look at Daniel as well, chapter 9, where we've got a
very similar prophecy. In his days, Judah shall be saved
and Israel shall dwell safely. And this is his name whereby
he shall be called the Lord our righteousness." Who is Christ? He's the Lord, my righteousness. Are you righteous in myself?
No. Filthy rags, nothing else. But
in the sight of God, the Lord, our righteousness. He is my righteousness. Look over now, we'll go back
to the New Testament. Romans chapter 1. We'll get back to
the opinions of Paul now. Romans chapter 1 and verse 17. He's talking about the Gospel
of Christ. He's not ashamed of it. It's the power of God to
salvation, to everyone that believes, to the Jew first and also to
the Greek. For therein, in that Gospel,
is the righteousness of God revealed. The righteousness we need to
meet God, to stand before Him, to be accepted by Him. That righteousness
of God is revealed from faith to faith, from one degree of
faith to another degree of faith, I believe is what that means.
In it, the Gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith
to faith. The just shall live by his faith
and so on. He goes on there. Romans chapter
1 and verse 17. Righteousness revealed. It has
to be revealed because it's not your own, it's another's righteousness.
From faith to faith, from one degree to another. Turn over
again to Philippians chapter 3 and another regularly visited
verse. But in it, so much. Philippians chapter
3, Paul's talking about how he doesn't count any of his religious
heritage as being worth a pile of dung is the way he puts it.
It's nothing. It's pointless. It's hopeless.
He wants to be in Christ, the excellency of the knowledge of
Christ my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things
and count them but done that I may win Christ and verse 9,
be found in him not having mine own righteousness which is of
the law, not that which I've earned by doing the works of
the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ. How does
he get this righteousness? The righteousness which is of
God by faith. How does he get this righteousness?
It's by the faith of Christ. It's by what Christ has done.
that He's counted righteous. It's that Christ perfectly fulfilled
that law in His place, on His behalf. And Revelation 19, this
is the last one of these that I'll turn you to until we come
to our conclusion. This is speaking about the Bride
of Christ, the Wife of Christ, the Wife of the Lamb. This is
when Christ will gather to Him all whom He has saved this is
this is the end of all things let us be glad and rejoice and
give honor to him for the marriage of the lamb is come and his wife
which is the church his people has made herself ready and to
her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen clean
and white did you notice back in exodus how the people were
told to be sanctified well Moses was told sanctify the people
set the people aside and get them to wash their clothes so
that their clothes are clean well here to her was granted
that she should be arrayed in fine linen clean and white for
the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints that's the fine
linen the righteousness of the saints not that righteousness
which is by the works of the law but that righteousness which
is by the faith of Jesus Christ so what's the conclusion of this?
remember we're asking We know how our sins are dealt with because
we saw that last week. How are we counted righteous
with God? Christ stood surety for His specific
people. He stood as the representative.
In Him, in our federal head, all of His people perfectly met
all of the requirements of God's holy law in Him. He obeyed it
perfectly. You know the judgment that God
pronounced from heaven on His Son is the very same judgment
He pronounces on all the people of Christ. this is my beloved
child in whom I'm well pleased in the Lord Jesus Christ in him
he perfectly met all those requirements of that holy law all of his people
you and me if we're his people suffered the just penalty of
our sins in Him when He died on the cross. This is what Paul
must mean in Romans when he said, you are crucified with Christ,
I am crucified with Christ, you're dead with Christ, you're dead
to sin. This is what Romans 5 teaches and the result of it is this,
that amidst our experience in this life amidst the continuing
experience of sin in the flesh of sorrow that results of doubts
of fears of weaknesses and don't let any of us say that we don't
suffer from these things because we do all of the time amidst
all of that because if we're in Christ we're counted perfect
perfect counted perfect in Him Absolutely sinless. Absolutely
righteous. No debt to pay. Counted complete
in Him. This is why Paul says to the
Colossians, and you are complete in Him. No bits missing. No things
that need to be added. Complete in Him. Song of Solomon
chapter 4 verse 7 says this, you are all fair. This is Christ
speaking to His people, to His bride, to the Shulamite. It's
Solomon speaking to the Shulamite, but it's picturing Christ speaking
to His people. You are all fair, my love, there
is no spot in you. You are my undefiled, my love,
my dove, my undefiled." Such passionate language. So having
fulfilled Exodus chapter 19, verses 5 and 6, if you do these
things, then you will be a peculiar people. Having fulfilled that
law perfectly in Christ, that demand that I told you at the
start that has never changed, but can only be fulfilled and
is completely fulfilled for his people in Christ having done
that we do come we do come and we do touch the mount we read
about it right at the start of the service we come in Hebrews
chapter 12 verses 18 to 24 the opening words that we had right
at the start of the service We're not come to that mount that might
be touched and that burned with fire. We aren't come to Mount
Sinai and to blackness and darkness and tempest and the sound of
a trumpet and the voice of words which voice they heard that they
heard entreated that the word should not be spoken to them
because it terrified them and they could not endure that was
commanded. and if so much as a beast touch the mountain it
shall be stoned or thrust through with a dart it seems such a harsh
and severe penalty to them and so terrible was the sight that
even Moses even Moses the man of God who was privileged to
go up and speak with God said I exceedingly fear and quake
no you not come there because we fulfilled that law We've fulfilled
that requirement in Christ. You'll come to Mount Zion. You'll
come to the City of the Living God. You'll come to the heavenly
Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, the General
Assembly and Church of the Firstborn. And how are you come? Final Scripture. We read it as our second reading.
1 Peter chapter 2 verse 9. But you, this is Peter writing
to those who are Christ's people because in Christ Remember what
God promised in Exodus 19? If you do this, then you will
be a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a
peculiar people, that you should show forth the praises of Him
who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. You
see, you're made such perfectly and completely you're made a
holy nation a royal priesthood so perfectly and completely and
finally in Christ our surety and that is good news that's
the good news of the gospel does it seem unreasonable when Paul
says rejoice and again I say rejoice your names are written
in heaven in Christ well we'll sing our closing hymn
now Get up.