Okay, this evening I'm going
to bring the message basically from one verse, Psalm 37, verse
39. Psalm 37, verse 39. But the salvation of the righteous
is of the Lord. He is their strength in the time
of trouble. When is the time of trouble?
All the time. All the time. We need him every
day, every hour. The title and subject of the
message is Salvation is of the Lord. Entirely, completely, and
totally. Our salvation that we enjoy by
the free grace of God is all of his doing. Man contributes
nothing to the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, nor to the
salvation of sinners. Man contributes nothing, nothing. Man in his best state is altogether
nothing. The Lord Jesus Christ alone is
the power, strength, and glory, the glory of God unto salvation
in our blessed Savior. And we can say with the apostle,
we're not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. It's the power of
God unto salvation. Now, what a glorious and blessed
truth to think about. Salvation is of the Lord. And
that truth is taught on every page Every page of Holy Scripture
and we as poor and needy guilty sinners Need a mighty victorious
Savior and that's what we have in the Lord Jesus Christ He is
the one who was almighty to save He's able to save to the uttermost
all that come to God by him The Lord Jesus Christ is the only
answer the only remedy for our sin How can sin be put away? Well, we know by the deeds of
the law shall no flesh be justified. The Lord Jesus Christ is that
Savior who really saves his people from their sin. Just as the messenger
from heaven said, call his name what he is, Savior Jesus, for
he shall save his people from their sin. The Lord Jesus Christ
is the Redeemer, that delivers and justifies us by his blood. As Job said, I know my Redeemer
liveth. What a full and complete revelation
God gives in the Lord Jesus Christ, this so great salvation we have,
that's all of God. NOW EVERY BELIEVER KNOWS THAT
THROUGH AND THROUGH. ARE YOU SAVED? WELL BY HIS GRACE
I AM BECAUSE SALVATION IS OF THE LORD. NOW IF WE LOOK AT THESE
WORDS SALVATION IS OF THE LORD. JUST CONSIDER THOSE WORDS FOR
A MOMENT. SALVATION IS A TOTAL AND COMPLETE DELIVERANCE FROM
ALL OUR SIN. That's what salvation is, that
deliverance. We're saved from our sin, from
the penalty of sin, from the guilt of sin, from the power
of sin to condemn. There is therefore now no condemnation
to those who are in Christ. So that's what we have in Him.
We have complete and total salvation, the forgiveness of sin. The second
word is salvation is. Salvation is because our great
God is the God of salvation. Salvation is because God is.
Does that make sense? Salvation is because God is. God is love, God is good, God
is merciful, God delight to show mercy to sinners. Salvation is
His delight, will, and purpose. The third word is salvation is
of, the Lord, not of works, not of merit, not of human hands,
not of human endeavor, not of the law, but rather all of the
grace of God. Salvation is of the Lord. It originates with Him and is
consummated in Him. The fourth word is this, salvation
is of the Lord. There's just one way of salvation.
Our Lord plainly said that he is not a way, he's the way, not
a truth, he's the truth, the life, the door, the light, the
bread, the good shepherd, the resurrection. You got the idea?
Definite article, there's just one. Salvation is of the Lord
Jesus Christ. And the fifth word, of course,
is salvation is of the Lord. It's in the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is who he is that gives infinite power to what he has accomplished
upon the cross for us. The Lord Jesus Christ crucified
is the only sacrifice for sin. The Lord did not die to make
an effort to put away sin, but rather to make complete atonement
for the sin of his people that God might be just and justify
the ungodly. He's the only just God and Savior. Now, have I told you anything
you don't already know? You already know all those things,
don't you? Oh, let's say it one more time.
Let's preach it one more time. You remember I've studied from
Psalm 57, he performeth all things for me. One of the first recorded
words we have that the Lord Jesus Christ spoke upon the earth in
the flesh, he said in Luke chapter two, I must be about my father's
business. Remember from our study? And
the last word the Lord Jesus Christ spoke from Calvary's tree
as he dies, the appointed death for the appointed people, he
said, it's finished. I must be about my father's business.
Spoke that when he was 12 years old. All those years, he was
about his father's business. He said, I came to do the works
of him that sent me. And at Calvary's tree, when it's
all done and finished complete, he said, it's over, it's complete,
it's done. I finished it. Now, what do we
mean when we say that salvation is of the Lord? We mean that
salvation is by the power of God. We mean that salvation is
by the power of God. You remember from his prayer
in John 17, he said, Father, you've given me power over all
flesh that I should give eternal life to as many as thou hast
given to me. What do we mean when we say that
salvation is of the Lord? We mean that salvation is by
the will of God, not by the will of man. It's by the will of God. Of His own will began He us with
the word of truth. We mean that salvation is by
the grace of God, not by the deeds of sinful flesh. Romans 3, 24, what does that
say? Justified freely by His grace
through the redemption that is in the Lord Jesus Christ. What
do we mean when we say that salvation is of the Lord? We mean this,
the whole of the work, whereby a lost, guilty, dead sinner Dead
in Adam, the whole of the work of sinners who are guilty against
God are justified, saved, sanctified, and redeemed by the Lord Jesus
Christ and Him only. What is that scripture we quote
all the time? 1 Corinthians 1.30. But of Him
are you in Christ, who of God is made unto us wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification, and redemption, that according as it is written,
He that gloryeth, let him glory only in the Lord. Salvation then
is not something we do for God or something we do for ourselves.
Salvation is something in everything that God must do for us and in
us by His grace. For Christ in you is a hope of
glory. You see, the Lord Jesus Christ
is the alpha and the omega of everything. What's the first
cause of salvation? Christ. What's the last cause
of salvation? The Lord Jesus Christ. He's called
the alpha and the omega. Starts with Him and ends with
Him. Christ is all and in all. You see, it's God who saved us
and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but
according to his own purpose and grace, given us in Christ
before the foundation of the world. All through the Bible,
the message is salvation is of the Lord and salvation is in
the Lord Jesus Christ. What did Moses say? What did
Moses say there at the Red Sea? when Pharaoh's army was pounding
down on them and they had that Red Sea in front of them, what
did Moses declare? Stand still and see the salvation
that is of the Lord. We declare the same message that
Moses declared. Jonah declared the same message
when he was in that whale's belly. And he said this, I will sacrifice
unto thee with a voice of thanksgiving. I will pay that I have vowed."
You know what he said? Salvation is of the Lord. David
declared it in the text here. He said, but the salvation of
the righteous is of the Lord. Jeremiah declared it in Jeremiah
3, 22. He said, it's good that a man
should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation that is
of the Lord. Simeon in the temple we read
a moment ago in Luke chapter 2 was waiting for the Messiah
to show up, the consolation of Israel. He was waiting for the
Redeemer who would put away his sin and give him a good hope.
And God told him that he would not die until he'd seen the Messiah,
the Redeemer. He would not die until he'd seen
the salvation that God had purposed. Remember the words of Simeon?
He said, Die in peace according to your
word, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation. Now, he's holding
a baby there, an infant baby. I don't know how many days old
he was. Some think around 40 days old,
but he picks up that small infant and looks straight eye to eye,
and he said, Lord, thank you. I've seen your salvation. Therefore,
we can confidently say that salvation's in a person, can't we? Salvation's
not in a pool. Salvation's not in a profession.
Salvation's not in a persuasion or a position. Salvation's in
a person, the Lord Jesus Christ himself. The wonder of the apostle
said, oh, that I may win Christ and be found in him, not having
my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is
through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of
God by faith in him. He that hath the Son hath life. He that hath the Son, this is
the record that God has given to us eternal life, and this
life is in the Son. He that hath the Son of God has
life. Has life. Now, I've given this
outline to you more than one time, but it bears repeating.
Those five points Charles Spurgeon first preached this message in
1857, and my pastor picked it up and started preaching it back
in 1975 or so, and preached it many, many times. And I learned
from him, and I picked these five things up, and I've given
these things to you over the last 25 years or so, many times. Salvation of the Lord and its
planning, Salvation of the Lord in its purpose and planning.
Salvation of the Lord in His performance. Salvation of the
Lord in its application. Salvation of the Lord in its
sustaining power. Salvation of the Lord in its
ultimate perfection. Now, again, that's nothing new
to you, is it? But it bears repeating. As my
favorite radio announcer used to say, my favorite radio commentator,
Paul Harvey, would say, that's a quote worth re-quoting. The
quote worth re-quoting. Number one, salvation's of the
Lord in that He planned salvation, provided salvation, purposed
salvation from eternity. Salvation then we can say is
older than creation. God planned salvation in eternity. Without God it could not have
been planned or provided. You remember from our study in
Revelation 13, Christ is a lamb slain from the foundation of
the world. Before there was a sinner, there
was a Savior. Before Adam fell, the Lord Jesus
Christ stood as a surety of the everlasting covenant of grace.
Salvation was not an afterthought of God. That is, when Adam sinned,
God didn't scurry around and say, oh no, what are we gonna
do now? No, before Adam ever sinned, God had the remedy from
all eternity. God knew what would happen in
the garden. God said, in the day you eat,
you're gonna die. He said, not if you eat, in the
day you eat, you'll die. And the Lord God had the remedy
provided from all eternity. Salvation was not an afterthought.
Salvation was the purpose of God from all eternity. Why did
he purpose this thing? Why did he purpose a fall? Why
did he purpose a redeemer? That he might receive all the
honor and glory. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
surety and sacrifice of that eternal covenant. in christ listen
to this scripture first peter one we're not redeemed with corruptible
things such as silver and gold from our vain conversation received
by tradition from our fathers but with the precious blood of
christ As of a lamb without spot, without blemish, he had no sin,
knew no sin, who was foreordained before the world, but was manifest
in these last days. Saying the same thing, isn't
it? Salvation is of the Lord in its planning, in its purpose,
from all eternity. We read on Sunday of Matthew
25, where all nations shall be gathered before him at the judgment,
and the sheep shall be on the right hand and the goats on the
left, remember? And he shall say to them on the
right hand, enter in, blessed my father, into the kingdom prepared
for you before the foundation of the world. You see how God
purposed and planned salvation from all eternity before Adam
was ever created, before the earth was created, before Adam
ever sinned and fell, the Lord stood as a surety of the covenant. The second thing we know about
God's salvation, salvation is of the Lord in that He performed
it for us. Everything that God required
for the salvation of His elect, the Lord Jesus Christ performed
that. The Lord Jesus Christ purchased
salvation. That is, He executed it, He accomplished
it for His covenant people. Salvation is of the Lord in its
purchase, in its accomplishment. He purchased us with his own
blood. Remember from our study in 1
Corinthians chapter six, he said, you are bought, you're bought,
remember? Bought with what? You're bought with a price. What
is the price? His precious blood. We are redeemed
with his precious blood. When Paul, we're going to see
in Acts chapter 20, in a few months when we get over there,
that God purchased the church with his own blood. He put away sin by the sacrifice
of himself. He redeemed us from the curse
of the law, being made a curse for us. You see, everything he
did in this business of saving God's people was all accomplished
by his blood, his doing, his will, his faithfulness, his obedience
unto death. This is a faithful saying, worthy
of all acceptation that the Lord Jesus Christ came into the world
to save sinners. So you got the first two points,
right? He purposed salvation, he purchased salvation. And then
the third thing is this, who makes the application of it?
Who makes the application of it? Salvation is of the Lord
in its application. Being confident, Philippians
1, 6, being confident of this very thing, that he who hath
begun a good work in you, he will perform it. until the day
of our Lord Jesus Christ. Again, in the book of Philippians
chapter four, he said, my God shall supply all your need according
to his riches and glory through the Lord Jesus Christ. I have
great need. How's the need of my salvation
gonna be met? My God shall supply all your
need according to his riches in glory through the Lord Jesus
Christ. Boy, that's good news to the
guilty, isn't it? That's good news to sinners.
It's the Lord who quickens the dead and causes the sinner to
believe the gospel. This is the work of God. The
Lord said that you believe on him. As many was ordained to
eternal life believed on him. We only believe on him according
to the working of his mighty power. Faith is a gift of God. It's not something that blooms
in our wicked heart. Arthur Pink described faith as
something exotic, something outside of us that he plants within us. by His mighty power. It is the
Lord who makes us willing in a day of His power, is it not?
It is the Lord who calls us out of darkness into His marvelous
light, that we should show forth the praises of Him who did so. It's the Lord who sovereignly
grants and gives us mercy. He said, I will have mercy on
whom I will have mercy. So then, it's not of Him that
willeth, not of Him that runneth, but of God that shows mercy.
It is of the Lord who grants and gives faith. Faith and repentance
are both sovereign gifts of God. They've come by hearing and hearing
by the word by the Lord Jesus Christ. He grants and gives faith
and repentance. He's exalted to give repentance. God grants repentance sovereignly
as he does faith to whom he will. The fourth thing is this. Salvation
is of the Lord and its sustaining power. It's sustaining power. We are kept by the power of God. Salvation, when God saves a sinner,
it's not a temporary work. It's an everlasting work. He
said, my sheep hear my voice, and I've given them eternal life,
and they shall never perish. Salvation is of the Lord in its
sustaining power. We're kept by the power of God.
Isaiah 45, I quote this all the time, but Israel shall be saved
in the Lord with the everlasting salvation. He obtained for us
eternal redemption and you shall not be ashamed nor confounded
world without end. We're kept. He's able to keep
us from falling, remember? Where is that? The book of Jude.
He's able to keep us from falling and to present us faultless before
the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. Through the only
wise God our Savior be glory and majesty and dominion both
now and forever. He is able to keep us from falling. The last one is this. Salvation
is of the Lord in its ultimate perfection. ultimate perfection. What do I mean by that? You don't
need to turn to this because you all know it so well, but
we are predestinated to be conformed to the image of Christ. Salvation
is of the Lord in its ultimate perfection. Listen to this in
Romans 8, 29, For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate
to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be
the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate,
them he called, and whom he called, them he justified, and whom he
justified, them he also glorified. What shall we say to these things?
I know what a lot of people say about these things. Well, that's
not right. That's not fair. Well, who are you to reply against
God? If God be for us, who can be
against us? He that spared not his own son,
but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also
freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. Who
is he that condemneth, it is Christ that died, yea rather,
that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who
also makes intercession for us. Salvations of the Lord in its
ultimate perfection. Aren't you glad that way? Any man that says he doesn't
believe in predestination hasn't been taught of God. I
like what Brother Earl Blackburn said to me one day. Many of you
remember Brother Earl, simple man, but he knew the gospel. God had taught him the gospel.
He told me one day, he said, Brother Tom, he said, you know
who believes in predestination? I said, no, who? Those who are
predestinated. That's so, isn't it? The elect of God are predestinated
to be conformed to the image of Christ. Those who've been
taught of God believe that blessed truth. Now, if you say you're
a believer and don't believe in predestination, you're saying
you don't want to be like Christ. You want to be like Christ, don't
you? The disciples asked the Lord
one day, who can be saved? He said with man it's impossible,
but not with God. But with God all things are possible. As sure as there is salvation
in Christ, and we can be sure that there's salvation in Christ,
neither is there salvation in any other. Know the name of the
heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. Be sure of
this, there's no salvation apart from him. Salvation is of the
Lord, and salvation is in the Lord Jesus Christ. He that believeth
on the Son hath everlasting life. He that believeth not the Son
shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides upon him. Salvation, the salvation of the
righteous is of the Lord. He is their strength. He's the
strength of salvation. He's the strength of redemption.
He's the strength of pardon. He's the strength of every spiritual
blessing we have. He's the strength of it. He's
the power behind it. He's the root of it. He's the
foundation of it. The Lord shall help them and
deliver them. He shall deliver them and save
them and those whom he has delivered and those for whom he saved.
You know what they do? They trust him. They don't trust
anything else. They trust the blessed Savior,
the Lord Jesus Christ alone.