First, I would like to express
my appreciation and thanks to this congregation and to your
pastor for your love and your faithful support of the ministry
there in Mexico for all these years. We are thankful for what
the Lord is doing there. I spoke to my mother this morning. You and I are earlier. We are
down there in Mexico. I asked her how things were going
and she said they were going well. My dad came out of the
room and he said, switchboards on early this morning. I wanted to get an update on
how things were going there. The services are going well.
The preacher's classes are going well. I got a word of when am
I going to get back. But I'm thankful that he is there
preaching in the services in Merida while I'm here. Anyway,
I want to just express our appreciation to you. We love you, and I know
you love us, and we're thankful for your prayers for us and for
your pastor also. I'm looking forward to the day. And I want to speak this morning
about the pardon or forgiveness of sins. At the beginning of
the service, we read that verse in Ephesians, chapter 1, verse
7. We have redemption. That's not
my text, but it's a wonderful text. Here we have redemption,
the forgiveness of sins. The forgiveness of sins. Now
listen carefully. Can it be, I'm not going to say
God will forgive your sins, I'm using the word has. Can it be
that God has pardoned or forgiven your sins? If he will, it's because
he has. If he will, it's because he has.
Can it be that God has pardoned or forgiven your sins? Can it
be? Can it be that God has pardoned
or forgiven me my sin? Pardon is the act of forgiving
an offender by removing the guilt of sin so that the punishment
due to the sinner may not be inflicted. The Scriptures speak
of pardon or forgiveness of sins in many different ways. It is
spoken of as a lifting up, a lifting up or taking away. is he whose
transgression is forgiven, as the word is lifted up, whose
transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. It is also spoken
of as a covering. Forgiven is spoken of as a covering
of it. Forgiven is spoken of also as
a non-imputation of it. Blessed thou hast forgiven the
iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered their sin. Blessed
is the man unto whom the Lord imputed not iniquity. impure, if not iniquity, and
in whose spirit there is no God. Forgiveness of sins is spoken
of as a blocking out, a blocking out. Even I, the Lord said, I,
even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own
sake. And it's also spoken of as a
non-remembrance. This is a blessing to me. God
will not remember the sins of his people. Their sins and their
iniquities will I remember no more. Remember no more. Now,
I want to speak about the forgiveness of sins or the pardon of sin
and justification. Justification and pardon of sins
agree on many parts. And without a doubt, listen to
this, without a doubt, every sinner who shall be found pardoned
in that great day, likewise, is justified. But pardon and justification
may be distinguished in this way. Pardon and justification
may be distinguished this way. An innocent person, any person
in here innocent? I'm not. When falsely accused and acquitted
is justified but not pardoned. You know that lacrosse team. You all heard about that lacrosse
team who was accused. They were not pardoned. They
were declared innocent. Innocent of the charge. Innocent. A person that is innocent may
be is justified, is declared innocent, but is not pardoned.
Justification is the pronounce of a person righteous. In other
words, they've never sinned. That's what justification is.
They've never sinned. Now, in Christ Jesus, we're justified.
But we're also pardoned. A criminal may be pardoned, though
he cannot be justified and declared innocent. A criminal may serve
a certain amount of time, and he is pardoned. Someone may commit
a crime, and the governor of the state may pardon that person,
but he is never justified. Pardon is for men that are sinners
and who remain sinners, though pardoned sinners. Now, pardon frees us from punishment. Pardon frees us from punishment,
but does not bring us into everlasting life, but justification does. Therefore, being justified by
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
If we were only pardoned, we would indeed escape the pains
of hell, but could have no access can have no access into the presence
of God, of everlasting enjoyment of the sons of God. We can have
no access if we are only pardoned. Through pardon and justification,
though pardon and justification may be distinguished, yet they
cannot be separated. They cannot be separated. In
the Lord Jesus Christ, we have pardon for sins and justification. In reality, they go at the same
time. You can't have one without the
other. And here's the reason. Here's
the reason for that. He that is pardoned by the death
of Jesus Christ, we have redemption through his blood. He that is
pardoned by the death of the Lord Jesus Christ is at the same
time justified by his life. Look at Romans chapter 5 with
me, verse 10. Romans 5, verse 10. It says here,
so for when we were enemies, criminals, 5, verse 10 says,
for if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by His
death, pardoned by His death, the death of His Son, much more
being reconciled we shall be saved by His life. We are saved by his life. Now,
this morning, I want to speak about the forgiveness of sin.
I spoke about the forgiveness of pardon for sin and justification
and how you can have one without the other. We're justified by
the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was raised for our justification.
But I want to talk this morning about the forgiveness of sins.
Do you know how it is? that God can forgive your sins. Can it be that He has forgiven
our sins? Forgiveness is an act, first
of all, is an act of grace. Forgiveness, we sure can't merit
it. There's nothing we can do to
merit it, to deserve forgiveness. We can't deserve it. David, the
psalmist, when he came In prayer, after Nathan came to him and
told him of his sin with Bathsheba, he realized he needed to die.
He said, ìThe man, he needs to die. That man shall die.î And
Nathan said, ìThou art the man.î And Nathan said, ìHave mercy
on me, O Lord. Have mercy. Have mercy on me,
O God, according to Thy lovingkindness, according to Thy grace, according
to the multitude of Thy tender mercies. blot out my transgressions."
Well, that's the first thing. It's grace. No man can merit
it. God's forgiveness also, God's
forgiveness must be done in a way that he is just. God's forgiveness,
secondly, must be done in a way that he is just. How can he justly
forgive sins? We know this. He does so. The
Scriptures plainly tell us there in 1 John chapter 1. If we confess
our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. In the blood of Jesus Christ
cleanses us of all our sins. He is faithful and he is just.
And the forgiveness of God must be complete. It must be every
sin. Not 99.9% of our sins, but every
one of them. Bless God, sins past, sins present,
and sins future. since past, since present, and
since future. The psalmist said, Bless the
Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgiveth
all thine iniquities, all thine iniquities, and healeth all thy
diseases. He cleanses us from all sin.
And God's forgiveness must be forever. That is, never repealed,
never taken back, never repealed. As we read there in the class
this morning or in the office, our sins are cast into the depths
of the sea. It's forever. And never to be
repealed. Never to be brought up again.
Never to be dug up again. And there's nothing a man can
do to procure this forgiveness. It is the grace of God. Now,
I want us to look this morning I want us to look this morning
at four passages. Now, the question I ask is, can
it be that God has forgiven us our sins? I want us to look at
four passages in the New Testament where the phrase, spared not,
in each one of these passages you will find the word spared
not. Spared not is used showing that
God did not forgive. God did not forgive. And it is
my prayer that after seeing these four passages, you may be able
to see how it is that God can forgive sins, how it is that
God can forgive sins, and seeing how He may forgive sins, you
may have hope that He has forgiven your sins. Now, the word used is did not
spare, for when God does not forgive, He does not spare. When
God does not forgive, He does not spare. Here's the
first text. It's found in 2 Peter, chapter
2. 2 Peter, chapter 2. Verse 4. For if God spared the angels that sinned, but cast
them down into hell, and delivered them up into chains of darkness
to be reserved unto judgment." Here is the first time we have,
I want us to consider, God did not spare the angels that sinned. The Scriptures tell us that Satan,
the archangel, was lifted up in pride. This is the sin that the apostle Paul is telling
Timothy there in 1 Timothy 3, when laying hands on a man for
the ministry, he says, Don't do it soon. Don't do it soon.
It says in verse 6, Not a novice. Don't lay hands on any novice.
Lest being lifted up in the pride, he fall in the condemnation of
the devil. This was the sin of Satan. Pride. Pride. And Satan's rebellion
was against God's Christ. We have there in Isaiah chapter
14, here's what Satan said. I will ascend above the heights
of the clouds. I will be like the Most High. Here is what God says, you will
be brought down to hell and the sides of the pit. He lifted himself
up. Let's look at that. Isaiah 14
says, Isaiah 14, verse 12, How art thou falling from heaven,
O Lucifer, son of the morning? How art thou cut down to the
ground which did weaken the nations? For thou hast said in thine heart,
I will ascend into heaven. I will exalt my throne above
the stars of God. I will sit also upon the mount
of the congregation of the sides of the north. I will ascend above
the heights of the clouds. I will be like the Most High."
Here is what he is saying, I will be like Jesus Christ. He is the
Most High. He is the only one sitting on
that throne. There is a man sitting in glory.
The man Christ Jesus. But here is a creation lower
than the creation of the angels. Made him a little lower than
the angels. But God has crowned him with glory and with honor.
And Satan said, I won't bow to him. I won't bow to him. He was lifted up with pride.
He said, I'll be like the Most High. And he was cast down. He was cast down. Well, a third
of the angels fell. A third of the angels fell with
Lucifer that day, that time. And their reserve, we read in
our text, it said their reserve in chains of darkness. There's
no hope for them. God did not pardon. God did not pardon. Here's the second one. If you've
got your text open there again to 2 Peter, chapter 2, not only
did God not pardon the angels that fell, God did not pardon
also the old world. 2 Peter 2, verse 5, said, And spared not the old
world. He's speaking of the flood, Noah. It says there in Genesis
chapter 6, if you look with me, Genesis chapter 6, God looked
down and saw that the imagination of the man was only evil continually. And this is talking about you
and I right now. This is a commentary of man by
nature. And if any man denies this, the
Lord hasn't shown him this. But this is who we are by nature. And it says, chapter 6 and verse
5, ìAnd God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the And that
every imagination of the thought of his heart was only evil continually. Evil continually. And God had
determined he's going to do away with this. He's going to wipe
the earth. He's going to send a flood. And
he spared not the whole world. How many? How many millions of
people lived on the face of the earth at that time? How many
were saved? He spared not the whole world.
Noah and seven others. Look here in chapter 7, verse
11. In the 600th year of Noah's life,
in the second month, the seventh day of the month, the same day
were all the fountains of the great deep broken up. Who broke
these fountains up? God did that. He spared not the
whole world, the old world. They were broken up. And the
windows of heaven were opened, and millions and millions of
people died and perished and are right now in hell. And are right now in hell. He
spared not the whole world. Can it be that He has forgiven
me? Can it be that He has forgiven
me? Well, look here at the third one. It's in Romans chapter 11.
Third time we see this. This word, spared not, is in
Romans chapter 11. Now, the Apostle Paul here is
speaking to the Gentile believers, and he said, Don't puff yourself
up over the Jews. Don't puff yourself up over the
Jews. You've been put into the vine
against nature. You've been put into the vine.
And God was severe with them, but he could put them back in
the vine. The Apostle Paul said this, I am what I am by the grace
of God. Don't puff yourself up. We are
who we are. If we know the Lord Jesus Christ,
it's grace. It's grace. But it says here
in Romans chapter 11, verse 21, for if God spared not the natural
branches, he's speaking about the natural descendants of Abraham. He spared not the natural branches.
Take heed, lest ye also spare not thee. Take heed. Don't puff yourself up. It says
here, verse 18, read verse 18. Boast not against the branches,
but if thou boast, think about this, you don't bear Christ up. You don't bear the root up, but
the root's holding you up. That will say, then, the branches
were broken off that I might be grafted in. Well, because
of unbelief, they were broken off. And thou standest by faith. Well, that faith you have is
a gift of God. Be not high-minded, but fear.
For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed, lest he
also spare not thee. Behold, therefore, the goodness
and severity of God. the goodness of God manifested
to you and that you are in the branch, but the severity against
those that believe not. Will he forgive? Will he pardon?
Well, here is the fourth one, Romans chapter 8. And I believe
right here we will see, I trust you will see how it is that God
can forgive and how it is that God has forgiven the sins of
his people. in Romans chapter 8 and verse
32. He that spared not his own son. You see that? He spared not,
as he forgave not his own son. When the sin of his people, when
the sin of his people was laid on him, the Scriptures say he
was made sin for us. When God took the sin of his
And he was made sin for us. He suffered. God turned his back
on him. He forgave him not. And he suffered
and bled and died on Calvary. He spared not his own son, but
delivered him up. Delivered him up unto death,
the death that his people the death of those whom he loved,
the death of those whom God the Father gave him, the death of
those who chose before the foundation of the world. He died the death. He died the death. God's justice
cried, Awake, O sword! Awake, O sword, against my shepherd,
against the man that is my fellow, said the Lord of hosts. Smite
the shepherd. The Lord Jesus Christ died. in
the place, in the room of his people. He died to put away the
sins of his people. This is how God can forgive you. This is how God can forgive his
people. Because he did not forgive his
son. He did not spare his son. You see, it says here, he that
spared not his own son. God manifests in the flesh. His
own Son. God spared not His own Son. Who
is He? Who is He that was not spared?
His own Son. Who is He that is not spared?
It's Jehovah, God the Son, manifest in the flesh. We cannot understand
this, but what gives value to the death of the Lord Jesus Christ
is that He is God. He is God. What gives value to
what sanctified the offering of the body of the Lord Jesus
Christ was that it is His deity. He is God. He spared not His
own Son. Our Lord cried, My God, My God,
why hast Thou forsaken Me? Why hast Thou forsaken Me? He
was forsaken of God that you will never hear these words.
You who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, you'll never hear them.
You'll never cry out. Why has God forsaken Him? He'll
never, never, never leave His people because He left His Son. Spared not His own Son, but delivered
Him, look at this word, for us. For us all. Now, you see there's
substitution for us in the place of His people. He was made sin
for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness
of God in Him. But who is this us all? Who is this us all? Now, you know that Christ, when
he died on the cross, when the Lord Jesus Christ died on the
cross, he did not die to put away the sins of all the people
who have ever lived in this world. He died to put away the sins
of his people. Well, how does it say us all
there? Well, the us, The us all is modified. The all there is
modified by the word us. Us all. If I say us all in this
building, I'm talking about us all in this building. The all
is modified by the word us or his elect. If you look back in
verse 31. Let's go back to 28. And we know
that all things work together for good to them that love God,
to them who are be called according to his purpose. Let's talk about his elect. Let's
talk about those who love God. And if anybody loves God, it's
because God first loved them. For whom he did foreknow," that's
who we're talking about, whom he loved before the foundation
of the world. Then he also did predestinate
to be conformed to his image of his Son, that he might be
the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate,
then he also called. The us are the called ones, called
by the Holy Spirit in time by the preaching of the And then
he also justified, in whom he justified, then he also glorified.
What shall we say to these things? If God before us, who can be
against us? If God before us, God before
his people, his chosen people, those whom he loved, those for
whom he gave his life, who can be against us? He spared not
his Son. And then it says here, how shall
he not? Look over there at that verse
again. He that spared not his own son. You see that? The Lord Jesus Christ was made
sin. He went to the cross and died. Who it was, he delivered
him up for us all. When he did that, he did that
for a purpose. How shall he not fulfill his
purpose? His purpose was to send his son
to redeem his people. to bring them to glory, how shall
he not do that? That's his purpose. How shall
he not do that? He's already given his son. How
shall he not give us all things that were given to us in his
son? All the things that his son did
to procure, to win this that is ours and his and in him. How shall he not also with him
freely give us all things? with Him. He's not dead. He's
alive. He's delivered. He went to the
cross and died. He was buried. On the third day
He rose. He lives forever. How shall He
not with Him? He delivered Him. Now He's going
to freely give us all things with
Him who is risen. freely give us all things. He's
risen for our justification in Him. The Scriptures say in 1
Corinthians, but of Him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God has
made into us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. And redemption. He's given us
all things freely. Now, this is how God says here,
Four times God did not forgive. God spared not, for where He
does not spare, He did not forgive. And this last one right here,
He spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all.
Do you see how God can forgive sins? Do you see how God can
forgive sins? He has forgiven the sins of His
people in the death of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. This is
how the glory of God This is how the glory of God is revealed.
We read in the text there at the class this morning, the glory
of God is revealed. It turned here to Exodus chapter
34, when God... I think I'll stop right here. In
Exodus 34, when Moses asked the Lord, show
me your glory. Verse 7. Let's look at verse
6. And the Lord passed by before
him and proclaimed, this is the name of the Lord, the Lord Jehovah,
Jehovah God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in
goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving, listen
to this, iniquity and transgression and sin, forgiving, iniquity,
transgression and sin, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon
the children and upon the children's children under the third and
fourth generation, keeping mercy for thousands,
forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no
means clear the guilty. How does he do that? How does
he do that? He cannot clear you. I'm guilty. He cannot clear me. But in the Lord Jesus Christ,
he's forgiven my transgressions, my iniquity and my sins. That's things you do. I got this
from your pastor this morning. My dad calls it the Lexington. It's the Lexington. And I got to looking at these
words. Iniquity. Just perverseness. Wickedness.
I'm wicked. Wicked. But the wickedness men
do, or the wickedness is the things we do, the good we do.
That's the wickedness. And transgression is treason
or rebellion. That's the bad stuff we do. Rebellion
against just authority and sin. That's who we are. That's what
we are. in our text, verse 7, forgiving
iniquity and transgression and sin, and they will by no means
clear the guilty. And one more text, you can take
this home with you, Ephesians 1.7, in whom we have forgiveness
of sin, the redemption. Let's look at that one more time,
Ephesians 1.7. in whom we have redemption through
his blood, the forgiveness of sins. Isn't
that precious? That's precious. According to
the riches of his grace. May the Lord bless this Word.