Verse 23, I'm going to read the verse and
you'll get the points of my message. Of this man's seed, hath God, according to his promise, raised unto Israel of Savior, Jesus. The Savior God raised. The greatest need that I have
and the greatest need that you have as well is a Savior. I need to be saved for myself. You know, one of my most frequent
prayers is, Lord, save me from myself. I'm more afraid of myself
than anything else. I need to be saved from my sins. I need to be saved from the wrath
of God. I need a Savior that is able
to save me without my works. That's what I need. If anything is required of me
to do before I can be saved, I will not be saved. I'm dead sure of that. Of this man's seed, Now this
is speaking of David. His name means the beloved. Oh, how God loved David. How God loved the greater David. How God loves the greater David. Truly, he is the beloved of the
father. I love the way he says to us,
this is my beloved son. Hear ye him. He is our beloved. Of this man's seed, the son of
David. Paul opens up his epistle to
the Romans by telling us that the Lord Jesus Christ was declared
to be, or made of the seed of David. according to the flesh. This is according to God's promise.
And declared to be the son of God with power. I think of the two blind men.
Thou son of David, have mercy on us. When he'd cast out a demon,
the crowd said, is not this the son of David? It's got to be. The Syrophoenician woman cried
out, have mercy upon me, O Lord, thou son of David. Bartimaeus, Jesus, thou son of
David, have mercy on me. Now look back up in verse 22.
And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David,
the beloved, to be their king, to whom also he gave testimony. Isn't it something that God gives
us testimony? I'm so thankful for that. Didn't have to, but
he does. And what is his testimony? I have found David, the son of
Jesse, a man after my own heart. which shall fulfill all my will. Now, David is called the man
after God's own heart, but Christ is God's own heart. Jesus Christ is the heart of
God. Now, God's heart, God is a person. That's simple enough, isn't it?
God is a person with a mind, an intellect, affections, a will. He's the mind of God, so much
so that he's called the word of God. When God speaks, what's
the word that comes out? This is my beloved son. Hear
ye him. All of God's love is in His Son. The Father loveth the Son and
has given all things into His hands. Nothing shall separate
us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. He's the will of God. You want
to know the will of God? Christ Jesus is the will of God.
He said, I delight to do thy will, O God. Yea, thy law is
written in my heart. He said, my meat and my drink
is to do the will of him that sent me and finish his work. He said, I came down from heaven,
not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me. He's
the will of God. Of this man's seed, hath God,
hath God, raised unto Israel a Savior, Jesus. Now listen to this statement
very carefully. Salvation is what God does, period. Salvation is of the Lord. If you and I are saved, it'll
be because He saved us. You know, there's something that
annoys me as much as anything is when somebody says, I got
saved. I got saved. You don't speak like that when
the Lord saves you. You say, the Lord saved me. That's
your experience. You don't say, I got saved. You
say, the Lord saved me. Somebody says, you're picking,
you're splitting hairs. No, I'm not. No, I'm not. That
is speaking of an ignorance of salvation in the first place,
how he is salvation. If you're saved, the Lord saved
you. Don't you know that's so? 2 Timothy 1.9 says, he saved
us. That's everything we believe,
isn't it? He saved us. And He called us with a holy
calling. This is so important. What came
first, the saving or the calling? The saving. The saving took place
before the calling, before our experience of anything. He saved
us. Salvation is of the Lord. We're saved because God the Father
chose us to be saved if we're saved. We're saved because God
the Son redeemed us if we're saved. We're saved because God
the Holy Spirit gave us life if we are saved. He hath, God hath. Of this man's seed, the seed
of David, hath God raised unto us a Savior. But notice it says
according to his promise. Of this man's seed, hath God
according to his promise. Now, God's promise is infinitely
different than anybody else's promise. Why is that? Because I can make
a promise and have every intention for that promise to take place,
and it can fail. I might even make a promise,
I hate, I don't want to do this, but I might even make a promise
that I know I can't keep. But not God. Not God. Paul, a servant of God, an apostle
of the Lord Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect,
the acknowledging of the truth, which is after godliness, in
hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised. before the world began. Second Peter 3.9, God is not
slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness,
but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish,
but that all should come to repentance. And that's exactly what's going
to take place. All will come to repentance. Galatians 3.18,
For if the inheritance be of the law, it's no more promise,
but God gave it to Abraham by promise. And if you have, if
I have salvation, it's because God promised our personal salvation
through his son before the world began. Now the promise of God
is eternal. Everything God does is eternal.
The promises of God is eternal. The promise of God is immutable. That means it can't be changed. The gifts and callings of God
are without repentance. He's not going to change His
mind. And the promise of God is efficacious. All the promises
of God in Him are yea. And amen. So be it. To the glory
of God by us. Now God's promise is so sure.
Listen to this. And then once again, Language kind of fails here,
but when God makes a promise, it becomes past tense before
it's taken place. That is how supreme his promise
is. That's why Christ is called the
Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. That's part of
God's promise, and that's in the perfect tense, and I love
this. Before time began, they used
the perfect tense, perfectly completed, never to be repeated. Well, did he have to come in
time? Sure he did. But the will of God is so supreme in this
that my salvation was accomplished before time began. Now, that means works are altogether
excluded, doesn't it? Notice in our text of this man's
seed, hath God, according to his promise, raised unto Israel. a Savior. Who's Israel? Is this talking
about national Israel? Is it talking about that little
country in the Middle East? No. Israel is God's elect. Do you remember when the Lord
Jesus said to that Syrophoenician woman, when she was asking for
mercy, he said, I came not, I came not, but for the lost sheep of
the house of Israel. And that's talking about every
one of God's elect. That's who he came to save. I'm
not sent but for the lost sheep of the house of Israel. That's
precisely what he's referring to when he said it. He's not
talking about national Israel. He's talking about Israel, the
Israel of God, the elect of God. I'm a Jew. You're a Jew. We are the circumcision. We're
the true circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, rejoice
in Christ Jesus and nowhere else, and have no confidence in the
flesh. Now that is the true Israelite. It's not talking about that nation
in the Middle East, that's talking about the true Jew. Listen to this scripture from
Acts chapter five. Him hath God exalted with his
right hand to be a prince and a savior for to give Israel repentance
and the remission of sins. Oh, the promises to Israel, all
Israel, Romans 11, 26, all Israel shall be saved. Now, when Paul
gives this definition of the gospel, Christ died for our sins,
according to the scripture, you have to ask the question, who's
the our? Israel. all of the elect, everybody for
whom he died. Now, somebody says, why make
an issue of this? Because the Lord does. That's
enough of a reason, isn't it? He said, I pray for them. I pray
not for the world, but for them whom thou hast given me. He said, I lay down my life for
the sheep. The Lord made an issue of this. If I believe that Christ can die for someone
and they end up in hell anyway, listen real carefully, this is
how important this is. If I believe that Christ can
die for somebody and make a payment for their sins and they end up
in hell anyway, there are some who are not saved for whom he
died, then I believe that something I did is what makes the difference
between me and that person who went to hell. I don't believe
Christ made the difference. I believe I made the difference. And salvation is of man. Now, the issue is, did Christ
make salvation available or did Christ save? And that's the kind
of Savior I need, a Savior who saves. Who shall lay anything
to the charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies. Who
is he that condemns? It's Christ that died. Yea, rather
the treason again, who's even at the right hand of God. I can't
be condemned. That's how my Savior saves. This is the hope of Israel. Now,
I've already quoted the scripture, but somebody's wondering, well,
am I a true Israelite? How can I know if I'm a true
Israelite? Quoted the scripture. We are the circumcision. We're
the true Jews. We're the true Israelites Which
worship God in the spirit now? Here's the first mark of a true
Israelite I know that the only way I can worship. God is by
the Spirit of God I I can't worship Him on my own. I can't do it
only if I am supernaturally enabled by the Spirit of God to worship
Him. Can I enter into this thing of
worship? We are the circumcision, and
I'm dead sure of that, which worship God in the Spirit. Secondly,
we rejoice. Glory. Have confidence in Christ. Paul put it this way in Galatians
6.14. but God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our
Lord Jesus Christ. Folks who worship God in the
spirit rejoice only in Christ Jesus. They don't look to their
works, they don't look to their evidences, they don't look to
their experience, they look only to Christ. And let me tell you
something, that everybody who worships God in the spirit and
rejoices in Christ Jesus They also have this, they have no
confidence in the flesh. None, zero, nada. If my flesh has anything to do
with salvation, I have no hope. I have no confidence at all in
the flesh. Now that is the true Jew. That's
the Israel that God has raised a savior And notice this word
of this man's seed, hath God, according to his promise, raised
unto Israel, a savior. He could not be a savior unless
he was raised. It doesn't say he made provision
for a Savior. It says he raised a Savior, which
is Jesus. My salvation is predicated on
his resurrection. Now, I wish I could say this
the way it ought to be said. Let me give it a shot. I'll just
quote a scripture. He was delivered for our offenses.
That's why he died. He was delivered for our offenses.
My sin became his sin. He became guilty of that sin. But not only was he delivered
for my offenses, he was raised again for our justification. You see, when Christ died, He
never went through the process of decay. I don't know what was
going on during that three days, but I know his body wasn't decaying
because he rendered complete satisfaction to God. God, when
Christ died, God said concerning Todd Nibbert and everybody he
died for, I am satisfied with them. God is satisfied with me,
and all my salvation is dependent upon his resurrection. When he
was raised from the dead, God said, I am infinitely satisfied. I'm infinitely pleased. That's
all my salvation, his resurrection. 1 Corinthians 15.4 said he was
raised from the dead according to the scriptures. Second Timothy
2.8 says, remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of the David
was raised from the dead according to my gospel. Romans 10.9, if
thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in
thy heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt
be saved. Now understand this, that doesn't mean simply that
you believe in the fact of the resurrection. I guarantee you
if you went out in the street and asked most people in Lexington,
Kentucky, Now, there'll be some that say, no, I don't believe
in that. But most people would say, yes, I believe Jesus Christ
was raised from the dead. It's not just talking about believing
the fact of the resurrection. It means all your salvation is
in his resurrection. That's it. You are relying on
his resurrection. You believe in your heart. You
believe with your understanding. You're glad it's this way. You
understand. God raised him from the dead.
And that is my hope. My hope is all in his resurrection. That's what is the answer of
a good conscience toward God. By the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead. The only thing that satisfies my conscience.
Only thing. Now listen to me. I'm telling
you. This is the only thing that satisfies my conscience. the
resurrection of Christ from the dead. Nothing else. Nothing more, nothing less, nothing
else. You believe he was sent by the
Father? You believe that he's the Son of God, that he came
in the flesh and he did what he came to do? He lived for his
people, he died for his people, And he was raised for his people. He was raised. I love to think of the angel
saying, why seek ye the living among the dead? He's not here. Boy, there's a lot in that question,
isn't there? Why do you seek him who lives
among the dead? He's not here. is risen. A Savior wouldn't do me any good
if it's not raised. He is raised. And notice how it says in verse
23 of this man's seed, hath God according to his promise raised
unto Israel a Savior Jesus unto you is born this day in the city
of David a Savior Which is Christ Jesus the Lord
Now understand this he can't be Savior unless he's first Lord
he can't do anything for you unless he's Lord I God hath made
this same Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now, a
real simple way of understanding the Lordship of Christ is the
Lord is the one whose will is done. That answers it. The Lord is the one whose will
is done. His will was done in creation when he spake the world
into existence. His will is being done in providence
yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Everything that takes place.
You can't get away from that. Everything that takes place is
his will being done. I like what Scott Richard once
said, I don't want to stand on an inch of ground where it's
not his will being done. I'd be afraid to stand there. He
is an absolute, he's the Lord of providence. and most especially
He's the Lord of salvation. If you're saved, that means He
Himself willed your salvation. Our Savior is the Lord. Able to save because of His Lordship. Turn with me for a moment to
1 Timothy 1. 1 Timothy 1. Verse 15. This is a faithful saying. This is something that is utterly
reliable. Now it's, the word saying is
the word Logos it's the word that's generally translated word
But I love the way it's translated by our translators as a saying
It's as if this had reached the status of a saying in the early
church This is something that was said quite often. This was
a saying I mean if you were around Christians you were going to
hear this statement very often very repetitively it was a saying
This is a faithful saying, and it's worthy of all acceptation. Now, somebody says, you preach
a whole lot about Christ only dying for the elect, and you
preach a lot about Christ only coming for a particular people.
What's this all about? I like it, don't you? You know what it's saying? This
is worthy for you to receive. No qualifications. No qualifications. This is worthy for everybody
to receive. This is worthy for you to receive,
to embrace, to lay hold of, and to rejoice in. This is worthy
of all acceptation. I've had people, I don't know
how many times over the years say, how can you preach the gospel
sincerely to all men if Christ only died for the elect? I don't
have any problem with it at all. I don't know why anybody says
anything like that. I mean, this is a faithful saying. Everybody ought to receive this.
Now, look what it says. That Christ Jesus, Christ is
his offices, his prophet, priest, and king. Christ, God's prophet,
the very word of God who brings the word of God to us. God's
priest, not a human priest only who brings the blood of an animal
sacrificed, but the one who brings his own blood. God's king, yet
have I set my king on my holy hill of Zion, the one whose will
is done. But not only Christ, Jesus. Don't you love his name? We love
to sing of Christ our King and hail him, blessed Jesus. For
there's no word here ever heard so dear, so sweet as Jesus. You see, his name means Savior. It's the same as the Old Testament
word, Joshua, Moses. You reckon Moses was disappointed
that he couldn't go into the promised land? I guarantee you
he was. I mean, the Lord said, nope,
you're not going. You're not going. And the reason he didn't
go is because he failed to sanctify the Lord before the people. He
smote the rock twice. The rock had already been smitten.
He stepped on that great type of the gospel because God has
said, speak to the rock and water will come out. But no, Moses
said, must we bring water out of the rock? All he's doing at
that time is glorifying himself. He's a man just like me or you.
and he smote the rock twice, and God in his mercy let the
water come out, but the Lord said, you're not bringing them
in. Well, the Lord purposed that to let us know Moses, the law,
can never bring us into heaven. Your works, the things you do,
your works of obedience can never bring you into heaven. Who brought
him into heaven? Joshua. the Hebrew name for Jesus. This is a faithful saying and
worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world. He left his father's presence. He left the worship of angels. He left heaven and he came into
the world. Now what did he come into the
world to do? What if it said he came into
the world to save elect sinners? Would that be true? Absolutely. But you know what? If that's
what it said, I wouldn't find any comfort in it. Not a bit. What if it said Christ came into
the world to save repentant sinners? Be true, wouldn't it? But would
you get any comfort out of that? What if it said Christ came into
the world to save believing sinners? You might agree with that, but
you might not be able to enter in and get comfort from that. The Puritans used to use this
statement, Christ came to save sensible sinners. Well, that's
the most stupid thing I've ever heard. Sinners are stupid by
what they are. He didn't come to save sensible
sinners. He came to save what? Sinners. Now, I can put myself
in that group right now. Christ Jesus came into the world
to save sinners. Not folks who used to be sinners.
Well, I used to be a sinner, but I'm saying, right now, can
you put yourself in that demographic? And let me remind you what a
sinner is. A sinner is somebody who is full
of sin. That's what Peter said. Depart from me, Lord. I'm a sinful
man. You don't want to have anything
to do with me. All there is in me is sin. A sinner is somebody
who all they are is sin. All they do is sin. They really,
I mean, if you're a sinner, you don't feel like you can sit in
judgment on anybody for anything. You know you can't. And you know
that every time you do, which is plenty, it's pure hypocrisy.
You know, I don't know how to, Paul said, let's not judge one
another anymore. I say amen to that, and I'm judging somebody
within five seconds. That's what sinners do. They're
still sinners. That's why they do things like that. It's not
right. Thank God Christ Jesus came into
the world to save sinners. I'm one of them. As sure as I'm
a foot and a half high, I'm one of them. I can conclude he came
to save me. And he didn't try to do anything.
When he said, it is finished, I was saved. What a Savior. Let's pray. Lord, how we thank you for our
Savior, your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, And how we thank you
that he paid it all, all the debt we owe. How we thank you that he's a
successful Savior, that he's an almighty Savior, that he's
a merciful and gracious Savior. And Lord, we are so thankful
that thy blessed son who you delight in, who you're
well-pleased with, where all your love is. Your Son is our
Savior, and Lord, truly, we rely on Him only. In His name we pray, amen.