Where Jack read to you in Matthew
there, if you want to look a little bit, Lord willing, at Matthew
1.21. Matthew 1.21. This is a message
that a lot of people preaches on Christmas, but this is to
the child of God. This is the message to be preached
every day. He is our Savior, the Lord Jesus
Christ. And in Matthew 1.21 it says,
She shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name
Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins. So we see that the name Jesus
means Savior, darling. Why is He called Jesus? This is His earthly name that
was given to Him as he came in the form of a servant to represent
and to provide for his people and to give himself a sacrifice
on behalf of their sins towards God. So he has called Jesus,
that's his earthly name, as our Savior. He became a man, didn't
he, to represent and to take our place, to die for us, to
satisfy God's wrath against his people. And that's the sinner's
only hope. That's my only hope. My only
hope is the Lord Jesus Christ. As the Psalm says, my only hope
and my only plea is that when He died, He died for me. And that's what Roland was teaching.
Christ is our only hope. He's our only. Ain't nothing
we do in this flesh or can do or try to do to have any confidence
in, are they? We're not confident in this flesh,
in no way in the flesh. I'm talking about towards the
flesh. But our confidence by the grace of God is in the Lord
Jesus Christ. It's not how good we be and what
we do. I know we strive because we're
children of God. As Roland said, there's two natures,
ain't there? There's the nature of the Lord
Jesus Christ in us, and there's our natural nature, the nature
of Adam. The nature of Adam and the nature
of Christ. These two are in a warfare against
one another as he's read in Paul's writings. They're in a warfare.
He said that which I would do, I do not. But the things that
I do, you see, I do by the grace of God. I do
in the flesh. I do by the grace of God. There's
things in this flesh that we do that we can't help because
of our nature. We are sinned by nature, but
by the grace of God, by the grace of God, God's children, they
know Christ by the grace of God. They look to Christ by the grace
of God. They rest in Christ. They trust
Christ. We're justified in Him. We count
Him before God as though we had never sinned, and our desire
is unto the Lord, ain't it? Even though, because of the two
natures, there is a continuous warfare there. But the nature
of the Lord Jesus Christ in us, the hope of glory, is striving
against the flesh and the flesh against that nature, you see.
The spiritual nature. And the child of God in that
spiritual nature seeks to serve God and desires to honor and
to please God. His heart vows to Christ. He rests in Christ. His trust
is in Christ. His hope is in Christ. So he
tries by God's grace to serve Him because his faith is in Christ. His faith is not in this flesh.
This flesh is evil. We're of an evil nature by nature,
right? But in Christ, we're of a holy
nature. And by the grace of God, that
warfare of ours, we struggle with the flesh, and we're at
war with the flesh continuously. The flesh saying to do this,
and the Spirit saying, no, that's not right. Do this. Do this. But we're in a struggle
continuously. But our faith, by the grace of
God, is in the Lord Jesus Christ. We look to Him. We rest in Him.
We trust Him. He's our wisdom and righteousness,
sanctification and redemption. And we don't have any confidence
in the flesh, but by the grace of God, our confidence is in
Christ. And we seek to serve Him for
God's glory in our benefit. But our salvation is in Christ
and in Him alone. He's my only hope, my only hope. And my only plea is that when
He died, He died for me. I dare not trust the sweetest
frame. I don't trust in anything in
this flesh by the grace of God, but I trust in the Lord Jesus
Christ who loved me and gave himself for me. But holy lean
on Jesus name. So my only hope of salvation
is in the Lord Jesus Christ. That's my only hope. That's my
only hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation is of God, ain't it?
But the salvation which is of God is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Apart from Jesus Christ, God
will not receive anybody in favor. Apart from Christ, no matter
how good we try to be or what we try to do, if we don't know
Christ in our hearts by God's grace, it's evil. Our religious deeds are evil
without Christ. You see what I'm saying? Because
in our religious deed, we'll seek to do something for God
to get God to recognize us or to get God to receive what we've
done for Him as being okay or being right, doing that which
is right towards God. That's not right. If we seek
to do anything for God in the way of justification, we haven't
done right. We're doing what the flesh wants
to do. The only way we can do anything in favor to God is in
the Lord Jesus Christ. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou shalt be saved. By the grace of God, we look
to Christ, don't we? We rest in Christ. We don't rest
in this. We rest in Christ. We seek to
honor Christ, yes, and to serve Christ because our faith is in
Him and our love is towards Him. The only hope of salvation is
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation is of God, yes, but
it's in the Lord Jesus Christ. Acts 4.12 says, Neither is there
salvation in any other. See what I'm saying? Salvation
is not in me or it's not in you. It's in Christ. If you have faith
in Christ, then God has given you faith to believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ and to rest in Christ. Neither is there salvation in
any other, for there is none other name under heaven given
among men whereby we must be saved. This is the only name,
the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only name which
means Savior, which is Savior. He saved us from our sins. He
put away our sins by His perfect obedience of life unto God in
my place. You see that? He put away my
sin by giving Himself a sacrifice before God on my behalf in satisfying
the eternal wrath of God against me. He could satisfy God's eternal
wrath because He had no sin in Him. He was in the form of God. Who being in the form of God
thought it not robbery to be equal with God? And to be equal
with God is for God to be in His Son in human flesh. I can't
understand that. But made himself of no reputation,
took upon him the form of a servant. See? He took upon him a form
of a servant. And he became as a form of a
servant, obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Wherefore God is highly exalted in him, and given him a name
which is above every name. What is that name? That at the
name of Jesus, see, Jesus, God and His Son became a man to represent
and to die for His people. And what He did is done. Do you
see what I'm saying? He sent it back into heaven itself
and sat down. He sat down. The work of redemption
of the soul is finished. It's finished. I have finished
the work which Thou has given me to do. My only hope is in
Him. Salvation is of God. It's in
Christ. And Romans 3.24 says being justified
freely. See, if you're justified, it's
in Christ. It's got to be freely. It's by
God's grace. Or you're not justified at all.
We try to justify ourselves because of our own selves. We can't do
that. But the only place we can be justified before God is in
the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. We're justified by His
grace through Christ. See what I'm saying? Through
the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. See? Justified by God's
grace through the redemption. through Christ, giving Himself
and representing, giving Himself and satisfying God's wrath. That's
it. He redeemed us from the curse
of the law. What was the curse of the law?
God's wrath against sin. See that? Being made a curse.
God's curse came down upon Him. God's curse against sin come
down upon the Lord Jesus Christ. If I can't believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ in my heart, then God's wrath has already come
down upon me in Christ. See that? on the Lord Jesus Christ. God's wrath was satisfied. There
is therefore now no wrath, no condemnation to them which are
in Christ, you see. Anybody that's in Christ, there's
no wrath of God against them. Why? Because God's wrath has
been satisfied through the death of His Son. We're completely justified, just
as if we had never sinned. Our sins will never be brought
between us and God again, because God's wrath has been satisfied.
There is no condemnation. There is no wrath of God against
them which are in Christ. Why ain't there? Because God's
wrath has come down upon His Son as their substitute. And He killed His Son, and He
raised from the dead, free from any condemnation, free from any
sin, because it's been satisfied, see, through His death. He rose
from the dead and He ascended. What shall separate us from the
love of God which is in Christ Jesus? Nothing in this world
can separate you from the love of God which is in Christ. Where
does God love His people? In Christ. In God's love in His
Son. And through His Son toward His
people will never end. I have loved thee with an everlasting
love. Therefore, because I loved you,
I have called you, see that? Those whom He loved, He called.
Yes, He hasn't called every one of them yet, but He will. He'll
call every one of them. My sheep, hear my voice. I know
them. I give unto them eternal life,
and they follow me. Nothing shall pluck them out
of my hands. So, neither dent, nor hide, nor
Any other creature shall be able to separate us from God's love,
see that, which is in Christ Jesus. 1 Corinthians 1.20 says,
Under the church of God, which is at Corinth, to them that are
sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints with all that in
every place, call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both
theirs and ours. And those he's talking about
here who were sanctified in the Lord Jesus Christ? When were
they sanctified in Christ? When were they counted holy before
God in Christ? Before the foundation of the
world. God will bring it to pass in time. He must bring it to
pass. Christ must die. He must suffer the penalty of
sin. But they were counted holy in Christ before Christ ever
came into this world, weren't they? Because Christ was sure
to come. He must suffer. He must suffer. He did suffer. See, they're sanctified
in Him. Then they're called to be the
saints with all that in every place. Call upon the name of
Jesus Christ, our Lord, both theirs and ours. All that in
every place. What about those Old Testament
people back under the law? How were they saved? Brother
Wade just said they were saved on a credit. God purposed to
have them in Christ. And in God's time, Christ died
for them. That's how they're saved. Through
all those sacrifices and offerings and stuff, they look to the blood
of Christ, which them things represented to when Christ would
come, that Lamb of God. You know, they'd offer up the
Lamb, drain its blood, and slay the Lamb. But they look forward
to the time that Christ would come, the Lamb of God, who would
give His blood as an offering for their sins. They look to
Christ. We can't be saved without Christ.
Nobody's saved without Christ. We're all under the wrath of
God apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. And if we're in Christ,
the wrath of God is satisfied. But you can't be saved without
Christ. Look unto Jesus, all ye ends
of the earth. Look unto Him and be ye saved.
For I am God, and besides me there is none other. We're only
saved by God through the Lord Jesus Christ. We can't be saved
if we try to mix our works with Christ to justify ourselves. In other words, I'm not up here
to justify myself because I have to be here. You see that? Therefore,
I'm doing what I'm supposed to do and therefore I'm justified
before God. No, that's not what I'm up here
for. I'm up here because I'm already justified in the Lord
Jesus Christ. And I'm up here because I want
to be up here to proclaim the name of Christ my Lord and my
Savior and to tell others about Him. I'm justified in Him, in Him
alone. Nothing shall separate me from
the love of God if I'm in Christ. Neither death, nor life, nor
powers, nor principality, nor angels, nor things present, nor
things to come. I am complete in Him if I am
in Him. You see that? Colossians 2.10
says, You are complete in Him which is the head of all principality
and power. Acts 4.12 says, Neither is there
salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven
given among men whereby we must be saved. And Simeon said, My
eyes have seen thy salvation. Who did he see? He's seen the
Lord Jesus Christ. Except I see the nail prints
in his hands, and the thrust place in his side. He's seen
him, didn't he? He's seen the Lord Jesus Christ.
Outside of Christ, God is a consuming fire. But in Christ, God gives
salvation. He made his people, whoever they
are, accepted in the Beloved, the Lord Jesus Christ. If thou
shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in
thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt
be saved. Not by works of righteousness, which we do, but according to
his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing
of the Holy Ghost. Romans 9.11 says, The children
being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil at the
purpose of God, according to election, might stand, not of
works, but of him that calleth. Not of works, lest any man should
boast, for ye are his workmanship. See that? Created in Christ Jesus
unto good works. A new creature in Christ Jesus
don't work to be justified. They work out of faith and love
to Christ. See that? They are justified
in the Lord Jesus Christ. We're completing Him. The wages of sin is death, yes,
but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our
Lord. He suffered, if I'm in Christ, He suffered my wages,
didn't He? He paid my debt. My eternal wages. What would be equivalent to my
eternity throughout all time. in the punishment of the lake
and fire. He paid that equivalent by His one offering, once and
for all, didn't He? Once and for all. Christ raised from the dead to
die no more. Die no more. Why? Because His death did what God
had purposed for it to do. His death I'll not die under
the penalty of sin. You see what I'm saying? I'll not die under the penalty
of sin. I have no death in that regard. I'm alive unto God by
Jesus Christ. I'm alive unto God. Sin does
not have dominion over me. Sin cannot condemn me to death
and cast me into the lake of fire if Christ died for me. See
what I'm saying? If I believe that in my heart
by the grace of God, sin cannot condemn me to death. He is able
to save to the uttermost all them that come unto God by Him's
sin. He ever liveth to make intercession
for them. And I shall call His name Jesus,
for He shall, shall, save His people from their sins. There
is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must
be saved. The name Jesus, He is Savior. He shall save His people. He
did. He did suffer the penalty of
their sins. He satisfied the wrath of God
against them. He's the only one who has power
in himself to forgive sin, right? Matthew 9, 6, "...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, Rise, take up thy
bed, and walk, and go unto thine own house." Why did he have power
on earth to forgive sins? Because he substituted himself
for his people and gave himself under the wrath of God. as their
substitute for their sins. Therefore, for every one that
he gave himself for, he has power to forgive them because he gave
himself. See that? He is exalted to give repentance
and remission of sin. That is why he is exalted, to
give repentance. And that repentance and remission
of sin should be preached in his name among all nations Being
at Jerusalem. Beginning at Jerusalem. Repentance
and remission should be preached in His name. Beginning at all
nations. Or preached in His name among
all nations. Beginning at Jerusalem. Repentance
is in His name. There is no repentance apart
from Christ. God cannot forgive anyone apart
from Christ. And He won't. God is first just. and then justify it. See what
I'm saying? If he's first just, his justice must be satisfied
first. So his justice is satisfied for
his people in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. He is exalted to give repentance. He's exalted to give repentance,
right? Acts 5.31 says, Him hath God
highly exalted with his right hand to be a prince and savior
for to give repentance to Israel in forgiveness of sin. See that?
Him have God highly exalted to be a prince and a savior to give
repentance for sins. To give repentance. He gives
repentance for sins. Where does repentance come from? God does. A man cannot repent
within himself. Repentance must be given to me
before I can repent of my sins. I must see myself for who I really
am in the light of God. And I'm a sinner. I can't be
or do anything before God to justify myself in any way, shape,
form or fashion. Nothing can I do to justify myself
as I am in this flesh. But by the grace of God, if I,
by God's grace, can look to Christ, it's not of myself. It's by God's
grace. You see that? For by grace are you saved through
faith. And even the faith is not of
yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of
works, lest any man should boast. But the Lord found a ransom for
sinners in His own dear Son, didn't He? He found a ransom.
Job 33, 24 says, Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver
him from going down to the pit. I have found a ransom. I have
found a ransom for him. He is gracious in Christ towards
him. Deliver him from going down to
the pit. He purposed to save his people
by the sacrificial death of the Lord Jesus Christ, his own son.
How? As their substitute. He saved
His people as their substitute from all eternity. In Acts 2.23,
it says, Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and
foreknowledge of God. See that? How was He delivered? By the determinate counsel and
foreknowledge of God. You took wicked hands and crucified
Him. Yeah. Because that's what you
wanted to do and God just let you go. But by allowing you to
do this, God worked out His own good and perfect will, which
He was sure to do. He was delivered up to you by
the determined counsel of God. He stood as a lamb slain. See
that? The counsel of God in eternity past before the foundation of
the world. And now at this time, at that time, He was delivered
up by the hand of God to you. What for? to be crucified because
God had a people. See what I'm saying? God had
a people. Christ must come into the world.
He must die for those people. Those people must be justified
by the blood and righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. He
must put away their sins. They must be before God counted
holy in the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, they are. In the fullness
of time, you see, in the fullness of time, in God's appointed time,
the fullness of God's time, the exact, precise time, the Son
of God became a man to accomplish the salvation of chosen sinners,
didn't He? He became a man to accomplish
their salvation. Galatians 4, 4 and 5 says that
when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son.
when the precise exact time had come for God. Had God a purpose
to do. He sent him forth as a man, didn't
he? His son as a man. Made of a woman
to represent his people. See that? And to die for his
people. Made under the law. Forth to be subject to the law.
That is against us by nature. The law is against us. We can't
keep the law. We can't honor the law. The holy
law of God. But he did, didn't he? As a substitute. Christ did. To redeem them that
were under the law. He honored God's holy law. He
did all that the law required. All that justice demanded. And
justice demanded death equivalent to eternity for us. See that? That we might receive the adoptions
of sons. See, we're adopted into the family
of God. By nature, we're not in the family
of God, but in Christ we are. We're adopted into the family
of God through the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. We're
sons of God in Christ. We're accepted of God in Christ
and through Christ. You see that? By the sacrifice
of Himself. You see that? According to the
will of God, the Lord Jesus Christ put away all the sins of all
of His people of all times. He obtained eternal redemption
for them. He established the only grounds
upon which God could be both just and justifier, didn't He?
Of all who believe on Him. He offered one offering, didn't He? He appeared once to the end
of the world to put away sin. He put away sin. How? by the
sacrifice of Himself. Hebrews 1.3 says, Who being the
brightness of His glory, the very brightness of God's own
glory, the glory of God, the eternal glory of God, and the
expressed image of His person, or precise image of God. When
God was in Christ, reconciled the world unto Himself through
His Son as a man, God is everywhere. We can't understand that, can
we? But He was. You see that? The express image
of His Son in upholding all things by the word of His power. And
when He had by Himself purged our sins, He sat down. Why? Because when He purged our
sins, He put the wrath of God away, didn't He? He satisfied
God's wrath. Sin. There's no charge for sin. There's no condemnation against
sin now. He has put the wrath of God away against all those
who are in Him. By His own blood, He entered
in once into the holy place, having obtained, see that? Having obtained eternal redemption. If I obtain something, I have
it, don't I? I reach out and get something and pick it up.
I obtain that. That's mine, you see. If it's
mine, it's mine. That's what he did. He obtained
eternal redemption. He died for his people. He suffered
the wrath of God against them. That wrath is satisfied. That
wrath is satisfied. He obtained eternal redemption. When Christ died on the cross
of Calvary, when he died for a people, he put away the eternal
wrath of God. Do you see that? People say,
well, I'm saved today and lost tomorrow. If you're in the Lord
Jesus Christ, you're saved. That's it. You're not lost. You can't be saved one minute
and lost the other, can you? In the purpose of God, you were
saved before the foundation of the world. In the act of God,
you were saved by the death of His Son. And in the power of
God, and when God's pleased, He'll speak to you, your heart
by His Holy Spirit and make you a new creature in Christ Jesus.
But those who are in Christ are saved. They're not saved and
then lost. If you ever come to a true knowledge
of yourself in the light of God and see Christ as your Savior
in your heart, I'm saying, then He'll always be your Savior.
You don't have anything to turn back to. If you know who you
are, you don't have nothing to turn back to. I'm telling you.
You're nothing but wrong and corruption and sin. Worthy of
the wrath of God. But Christ suffered my wrath,
see. He satisfied God on my behalf. By His own blood He entered in,
see, that is the holy place, the holiest of all, having obtained
eternal redemption. He entered into heaven itself,
there to appear in the presence of God. Not into that tabernacle
which pictured Him, see, but into the holiest of all, a place
not made with hands, into heaven itself. Once in the end of the
world, he appeared. He appeared. Why did he come
into this world? Why did Christ come? Did he come
to make salvation possible and to present himself to people
and say, now, if you'll believe on me and receive me, you'll
be all right. It's up to you. He didn't say
that. No. He came into this world. Once in the end of the world,
he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Hebrews
10, 1 through 14 says, For the law having a shadow of good things
to come, and not the very image of the things. You know that
old law I was talking about of all those types and shadows and
figures and all these sacrifices and everything? Those was just
a shadow of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Can never
would those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually
make the comers thereunto perfect? These sacrifices couldn't put
away their sins. For then would they have ceased
to be offered. If these sacrifices had put away
sin, they would have just offered one sacrifice, wouldn't they?
If it had been sufficient to put away sin. But it wasn't.
Because that the worshippers once purged should have had no
more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there
is a remembrance made of sins every year. When that high priest
went into that old tabernacle once every year to offer up first
a sacrifice for himself because he was a sinner and then to represent
the other people and offer up a sacrifice for them for their
sins. You see that? There's a remembrance made there
of their sins. This don't put away their sins,
what they did there. That didn't put away their sins.
The only one that could put away their sins was what those things
pointed to, the Lord Jesus Christ. For it is not possible that the
blood of bulls and goats should take away sins. Wherefore, when
he cometh into the world, this is Christ, sacrificing offerings
thou wouldst not, but a body thou hast prepared. Now you see,
we had to have a substitute. to represent us, who is God incarnate
in human flesh, in the person of His Son. In burnt offering
and sacrifices for sin, thou had no pleasure in. He didn't
take pleasure. God don't take pleasure in burnt
offerings and sacrifices. Those only pointed to Christ.
Then said I, this is Christ, lo, I come in the volume of a
book, it's written of me, to do thy will, O God. I come to
do thy will. Above, when he said, Sacrifice
in offerings, and burnt offerings, and offerings for sin, thou wouldest
not, neither hadst thou any pleasure therein, which are offered by
the law. Then said he, Lo, I come to do
thy will, O God. He taketh away the first. He
took away that law, didn't he? Because that law has been fulfilled.
The one that was come, that that law represented, has now already
come. If he's satisfied that law, you
see, all that that law pictured, all that law required, Christ
is the answer to it. He taketh away the first, that
he may establish the second. By the which will, there's no
more offering for sin, see that? By the which will we are sanctified
through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for
all. We're sanctified through Christ. We're made holy in the
Lord Jesus Christ. This is the only way we can be
holy before God. This is the only way we can be
accepted. And every priest stand up daily ministering and offering
oftentimes the same sacrifices which can never take away sins.
See those old blood of bulls and goats and offerings of sacrifices.
They didn't take away sin, but this man that they pointed to,
the one to come to fulfill all these things. after he had offered
one sacrifice for sins forever, see, sat down on the right hand
of God, from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his
footstool. Why? For by one offering he hath
perfected forever them that are sanctified, all that God purposed
to have in Christ. By his one offering he perfected
them before God once and for all. And that's what Romans 324
and 2226 says being justified freely by his grace. How are we justified before God? How are we made righteous before
God? Through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God
has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood to
declare his righteousness for the remissions of sins that are
passed through the forbearance of God, the child of God, Does
he look to himself and to his good works? Christ declared his righteousness. He looks to Christ who represented him and perfectly,
perfectly obeyed God, even unto death, even the death of the
cross. Sin has been put away. to declare, I say at this time,
his righteousness, that he might be just, that he might be just
and justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. This is the only way
any man or any woman can ever be justified is in the person
of the Lord Jesus Christ. All them that believe in Jesus
are justified by the righteousness of God in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only way There is no
other way. There's none other name under
heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. Christ said,
I am the way. He's the only way any man can
ever be saved. Well, you say, well, every every
denomination or whoever it is, I'm not here to talk about denomination,
but you say everybody preaches Christ. If they preach Christ,
they'll be preaching what the word says about the Lord Jesus
Christ. They preach him in truth. They'll
preach what the Word says in their heart. Through their heart.
That's right. They'll preach Christ. He said,
I'm the way. I'm the truth. And I'm the life. See, you're not the way. I'm
not the way. He's the truth. We're not the
truth. He's the life. It's not what we do for Him.
It's what He's done with us. You see that? And in us. According
to His own will. For His own glory. In our benefit,
yes, but it was Him. There is no other way of salvation. God's beloved Son would never
have been crucified if there had been another way for man
to be saved. Salvation can be received in
no other way. In no other way. Neither is there
salvation in any other. There is none other name under
heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. Salvation is of God. It's in
Christ. He's the way, the truth, and
the life. As He has revealed in Holy Scripture, the truth
of God in Christ. This is the record that God has
given unto us, eternal life. And this life is in His Son. This life is not in us, in who
we are or what we do, but this life is in His Son. If we could have been saved in
any other way, the Apostle Paul said, Christ is dead in vain.
Christ is dead in vain. There is no other way. Christ
said, I'm the way. He that hath the Son hath life. He that hath not the Son hath
not life. Life is in God's Son toward His
people. And he that has come by the grace
of God through a heart given knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ
as his only hope, his only plea in the Lord Jesus Christ, he
who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ by the grace of God is
accepted in the Beloved. The infinite wisdom of God found
a way to save His people Christ is the way. God said, this is
my son in whom I'm well pleased. If righteousness come by the
deeds of man or the keeping of a law, then Christ is dead in
vain, Paul said. And this is the mystery of God. Without controversy, great is
the mystery of God. What is the mystery of God? God
was manifest in the flesh. God in Christ. See that? God
in Christ and through and by Christ. Put away sin. Justified in the Spirit. Justified. Scene of angels preached unto
the Gentiles, believed unto the world, and received up into glory. Wisdom found a way, didn't it?
God's wisdom. God's grace provided the Lord
Jesus Christ as that great sacrifice on men's behalf. The infinite
love of God brought the Son of God to lay down His life for
His people. To the only wise God, our Savior,
to Him be glory and majesty, power and dominion both now and
forever. There was, there is, there was
no other way. for God to satisfy His justice,
but through the punishment of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the only way that God
can satisfy His justice and make the sinner just before Him in
His own righteousness in God through His Son. So Christ must
be the Savior of His people. There is no salvation in any
other. of none other name under heaven given among men whereby
we must be saved. He is the only way that sinners
like me and like you can obtain salvation. We're saved by grace
through faith. Yeah, that's the only way we
can obtain salvation by faith. Faith, which God gives, is in
the Lord Jesus Christ, ain't it? Faith looks to Christ. Faith rests in Christ. Faith, true faith. True faith
don't look to itself for anything, does it? Faith don't even look
to faith, does it? You say, but I'm saved because
I have faith. No, you have faith because God
gave you faith in Christ if you're saved. Your faith looks to Christ. You don't look back at yourself.
You don't look back at your faith that He gave you. Faith is the
gift of God, and faith that God gives looks to and rests in His
Son. If you believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ, then are your sins forgiven by the blood of the Lord Jesus
Christ. And if God looks upon you through Christ, He looks
upon you as being perfect. He looks upon you as being righteous. God has made unto us wisdom and
righteousness. See that? Sanctification and
redemption. God appointed this way of salvation. Man didn't
appoint this way. God appointed this way. This
is God's way of salvation. He promised to save all those
that believe on His Son, didn't He? And if you believe on His
Son, you'll not boast in that. Well, I'm saved because I believe.
No, you believe because you're saved. Romans 10, 9-13 says that if
thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in
thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, Thou shalt
be saved. Indeed, if you can confess the
Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God hath raised Him
from the dead, thou shalt be saved. If you can believe that
by the grace of God in your heart, thou shalt be saved. Indeed, you now trust the Son
of God. If you now trust Him, it's because
You're already born of God. You can't trust Him without being
born. You see what I'm saying? You say, well, I'm saved because
I trust Him. No, you're already born of God. If you trust God,
if you trust Christ as your representative and to take your place and to
die for you, to rise for your justification, you're accepted
in Him. If you have life everlasting, it's in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Yet you have it by faith. You're given faith to believe
on Him. But you don't look back to your faith. Faith looks to
Christ. You would not believe, and you
could not believe except it be given to you from above. You
can't. The scripture says, Whosoever
believeth on him shall not be ashamed, for there is no difference
between the Jew and the Greek. For the same Lord over all is
rich unto all that call upon his name. For whosoever shall
call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall
they call upon him in whom they have not believed? How thus shall
they believe on him in whom they have not heard? Do you see what
he says by calling upon the name of the Lord? If you truly, in
your heart, by the grace of God, call upon Christ, as your substitute
upon God to forgive your sins and see Christ as your substitute,
it's because it's been given to you. Yeah, you have faith,
but that faith is given to you. You look to your righteousness
in Christ and you rest in the Lord Jesus Christ. The righteousness
of God comes by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and of all all
them that believe. There's no difference. Why? Because God made Him to be sin
for us who knew no sin, that we might be made God's righteousness
in Him. So those whom God has worked
in their hearts, who truly hath come to despair of themselves
into faith in Christ, they're made righteous in Christ. Their
faith don't look back at their works. Their faith don't even
look at their faith. Oh, what was the old The Apostle
said, O ye of little faith, O me of little faith. Faith don't
depend on faith. Faith depends on the Lord Jesus
Christ. He that believeth on the Son. See that? Faith looks
to Christ. Faith believes on the Son have
everlasting life. He that believeth not the Son
shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. He that
hath the Son hath life. He that hath the Son. have life. That life is in His Son. The
life that we have of God is through Christ and dependent upon Christ
and rests in Christ. And if we have faith in Christ,
it's been given to us. Matthew 13, 10 through 11 says
the disciples came and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto these
in parables? The angels said unto them, because
it is given unto you to know the mysteries of heaven, but
to them it's not given. See that? They asked the disciples,
why do you speak to these men in parables? He said, because
it's not given unto them to know the mysteries of God, to know
the mysteries of heaven. It's given unto you. It's been
given unto you. If you have faith through a true
knowledge of God in your heart, it's because God gave it to you.
Great! It's the mystery of God, you
see? God manifest in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen
of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, and believed on in
the world. The mystery of godliness. Where
is God's mystery toward His people? It's in Christ! Apart from Christ. God is a consuming fire, ain't
it? God is satisfied in Christ.