John chapter 20. I'm entitling
the message, What the Gospel Declares. What the Gospel of
the Lord Jesus Christ declares. Notice verse 23. John 20 verse
23. Whosoever sins you remit, they are forgiven. They are remitted unto
them. And whosoever sins ye retain,
they are retained." What the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ
really does declare is found in those words in verse 23. Now let me ask you a question.
Who needs sins forgiven? Who needs sins forgiven? Well, the answer is pretty obvious,
isn't it? Sinners. Sinners need sins forgiven. Remember our Lord said over here
in Matthew 9, don't turn, let me just remind you of it again.
They that be whole don't need a physician, but those who were
sick. Go ye and learn what that means.
I will have mercy and not sacrifice for I'm not come to call the
righteous but sinners to repentance. This is the faithful saying and
worthy of all acceptation that the Lord Jesus Christ came to
save sinners. Are you a sinner? Now what a
blessing that would be for any sinner to hear the Lord Jesus
Christ speak unto his heart in power and grace and say thy sins
which are many are freely forgiven. Now who would be interested in
that? Guilty sinners. And yet, a moment
ago we read from Matthew chapter 9 where the Lord Jesus Christ
says to a paralyzed, guilty sinner, Son, be of good cheer, thy sins
are forgiven. Forgiven! Forgiven! I'm interested in that. I'm interested
in having my sin remitted and put away. Let's go back for a
moment to verse 21 of John 20 and we'll work our way down to
verse 23. The Lord Jesus Christ came among
those 11 disciples who were shut up in a room fearful for their
life thinking that they might be arrested and they might be
crucified next and the Lord comes in the midst of them and he says
unto them not once but twice and then we read further down
the third time when Thomas is with them the Lord declares unto
them peace peace be unto you peace that was a title from the
message last week and I talked about how a sinner can enjoy
peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, our Lord
Jesus Christ is called the Prince of Peace, isn't he? The Mighty
God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. His name
is Wonderful Counselor of the Mighty God. He is the Prince
of Peace. And then in our study of the
book of Hebrews, he's called the King of Peace. He'll give
peace to whom He will, as the sovereign King. He will distribute
mercy to whom He will have mercy. You see, the Lord Jesus Christ
made peace for us with His own blood. That's how peace is made.
He satisfied God's holy justice for us with His own blood. We're justified freely by His
grace through the redeeming blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. The
Lord Jesus Christ as God Almighty speaks peace unto His elect,
but only through The merits of Christ only through the redeeming
blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is a foundation and ground
and reason that any sinner can have forgiveness and peace is
through the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Being justified
by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. His visible wounds and scars
will be an eternal reminder that we are redeemed with His precious
blood and the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses us
from all our sin. Peter reminds us for as much
as you know. Here's what every believer knows.
We know that we are not redeemed with corruptible things, silver,
gold, vain tradition, works, morality. We are not redeemed
with those vain things, but with the precious blood of Christ.
who stood as a Lamb foreordained, the Lamb slain from the foundation
of this world. We have peace with God only through
the Lord Jesus Christ." And upon that established ground of salvation,
that foundation that God had laid, the Lord speaks to these
sinners, Saved by God's grace and he said the last part of
verse 21 as the father sent me now I Send you I Send you to
declare this message of reconciliation this message of a successful
atonement through the Lord Jesus Christ Himself as the father
sent me even so now I Send you the Lord declares under these
sinners these 11 Apostles he declares unto them and announces
unto them their mission to go on all the world as it says in
Mark 16 to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every
creature, every creature. Go and preach. It says here,
as the Father, God the Father has sent me, even so God the
Son says, I am sending you. Now we can be assured of this,
God the Father sent the Son into this world as His righteous servant,
didn't He? You remember Isaiah 42.1, God
said, Behold My servant, Speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ, my
servant, mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth, God speaks
from heaven, said, this is my beloved son, in whom I'm well
pleased. You hear him. The Lord Jesus Christ was sent
as the righteous servant of God to accomplish God's purpose,
to redeem and save his people from their sin, and make no mistake,
he got it done. He got it done turn back to John
hold your place there and find John chapter 3 John chapter 3 God so loved this world his world
the world and This is the world of his redeemed John 3 verse
16 for God so loved the world now this world that he loves
he saved them and that he gave his only begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but
have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into
the world to condemn it." It's already condemned. but that the
world through him might be saved." And that world there is the world
of His elect, His chosen. The Father sending the Son to
redeem His elect was no failed mission, was it? He said on many occasions in
John 17, Father, I've glorified Thee on the earth, I finished the work you gave
me to do. He said my meat is to do the
will of him that sent me and to finish his work. So the Lord
Jesus Christ came and he accomplished God's purpose and his mission
that the Father gave him was complete. and everlasting success. Option failure was not an option. He appeared once in the end of
the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. The Lord
Jesus Christ came by divine commission. Remember He said, I didn't send
myself, my Father sent me. He came by divine purpose, therefore
He couldn't fail, could He? That verse that I always quote,
Isaiah 42 verse 4, where it says, He shall not fail. The God we serve, the true and
living God, knows nothing of failure or defeat. Everything
that He does, He does with absolute success and victory and glory. Always, always, always. Him being
delivered, the Lord Jesus Christ, by the determinate counsel of
God, He accomplished everything that God gave Him to do. The Lord Jesus Christ declared
from the cross, with His dying words, and He said, Father, it's
finished. It's finished. It does not mean,
when He says that, that I've finished my part. Now the sinner
has a part, No, he's the whole of salvation. He's not a part
Savior. But Bob, he's all of it, isn't
he? He's my all and my all. He's all of salvation. He said,
it is finished. So as the Father had sent him
with a mission to accomplish, and he did so, Perfectly. Completely. Eternally. Even so,
our Sovereign Lord has sovereignly sent out His Apostles. Talking
about Peter, James, John, the Apostle Paul later. He sent out
His Apostles as His servants. The servants of God. How many
times we read in the epistles where Paul especially calls himself
Paul the servant of God. Servant of God. It's a high title.
These apostles were sent with the divine commission, sent with
the divine purpose, and you know what? Because they're sent of
God, commissioned of God, with a mission of God, you know what?
Failure is not an option. They're sent of God. Talking
about these men here, these apostles. They came by divine purpose,
with a divine commission, with a divine message, and they couldn't
fail. You see, these are God's servants.
Servants of the Most High God that show us the way of salvation.
They were sent with the divine message of the gospel. Now let's
read about it. Turn over here to Ephesians chapter
3. Ephesians chapter 3. They were sent with the divine
message Ephesians chapter 3 the Apostle Paul writes here in verse
7 Ephesians 3 7 wherefore I was made a minister according to
the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual
working energy of His power. Unto me, who am less than the
least of all the saints, is this grace given, that I should preach
among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of the Lord Jesus Christ."
They're unsearchable. You talk about His person, it's
unsearchable. You talk about His work, how
infinite and powerful and glorious it is, it's unsearchable. And
that's our message. Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ,
and him crucified. The word of the gospel of the
Lord Jesus Christ, we read in Isaiah 55, the Lord said, it
shall not return unto him void, but it shall accomplish all his
purpose. The preaching of the gospel The
Lord Jesus Christ the gospel that Paul says that the power
of God and the salvation the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ
will always accomplish God's purpose to the salvation of his
sheep to the condemnation of the goats always accomplishing
God's purpose turn over to 2nd Corinthians 2nd Corinthians chapter 2nd Corinthians chapter 2, first
of all. 2nd Corinthians chapter 2, look
at verse 14. The preaching of the gospel of
the Lord Jesus Christ always accomplishes His purpose. It's never preached in vain,
never, never, never. Look what it says here, 2nd Corinthians
2 verse 14. Now, thanks be unto God, always,
who always causes us to triumph in Christ." Always. Always. "...and maketh manifest the savor
of his knowledge by us in every place. For we are unto God a
sweet savor of Christ in them that are saved, and in those
that perish. To the one we are a savor of
death unto death, to the other a savor of life unto life." Who
is sufficient for these things? God-sufficient for we are not
as many which corrupt the Word of God but as of sincerity but
as of God in the sight of God speak we of Christ our message
is the Lord Jesus Christ now turn to 2nd Corinthians chapter
4 verse 5 2nd Corinthians chapter 4 verse 5 he says we preach not
ourselves but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves servants,
servants for His sake, Jesus' sake. For God who commanded the
light to shine out of darkness has shined in our hearts to give
the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face
of Jesus Christ. We have this treasure in earthen
vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God and not
of us." Not of us. The gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ always is victorious when it's preached. The gospel is
never preached in vain because it pleased God by the foolishness
of preaching Christ to the salvation of His people. Now, turn back
to the text. So as the Father hath sent me,
even so I send you. Now, John 20, verse 22. And when he had said this, declared
this commission, go and preach the gospel. He breathed on them. Now this is the breath of God.
The breath of God, like God breathed upon that dust in the garden
and Adam became a living soul. He breathed into him the breath
of life. And when he said this, he breathed
on them and said unto them, receive ye the Holy Ghost. Or receive
ye the Holy Spirit. Now the meaning here, is not
the grace of the Holy Spirit in regeneration. It's not the
grace of the Holy Spirit in regeneration. Because these men here had already
been begotten of God, which they had received already in the new
birth, for no man can believe the gospel without the Holy Spirit,
can they? Remember what the Lord said in
Nicodemus in chapter 3? Except a man be born from above,
he cannot see, he cannot believe, cannot understand the kingdom
of God. These men here believed the gospel.
You remember what Peter said? We are sure and we believe the
heart, the Son of God. He couldn't do that apart from
being born of God, begotten of God. So they had the Holy Spirit
in regenerating grace. But what he's talking about here
is something unique and special only to the selected men, these
who were called apostles. And what he's talking here is
about the gifts of the Holy Spirit given to these particular men
for a special work which he qualified them to, and now he sends them
forth with these special credentials to demonstrate they were sent
of God. Now turn to Hebrews chapter 2.
Now remember when these men went out first preaching the gospel,
they didn't have the completed record of God. They had the Old
Testament, from which you can see through the preaching in
the Book of Acts, that they often referred to the Old Testament,
Isaiah, in the Psalms, in preaching of the Gospel. But when they
came to a certain city and a town, to demonstrate they were sent
of God, God gave them these special gifts and special credentials,
demonstrating and showing they were sent of God. Now, Hebrews
chapter 2, verse 1. Therefore we ought to give them
more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at
any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels
was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just
recompense of reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great
salvation, which at first began to be spoken by the Lord, and
was confirmed unto us by them that heard him, God also bearing..."
Now look at verse 4. "...God also bearing them witness
both with signs and wonders and different gifts, miracles and
gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will. These men had special gifts. They could preach the gospel
in languages that they had not learned. They could converse
with those who weren't of their native tongue, and they could
preach the gospel in languages that they didn't know, that hadn't
been to school to learn. They even could heal the sick. At some point, they even raised
the dead. You see, they had special, what
we call, apostolic gifts given to them. To guarantee the absolute success
of their ministry, these apostles, given special gifts by the risen
Savior, who has all power in heaven and earth, and he gave
to these certain men, including Saul of Tarsus, later known as
the Apostle Paul, special credentials, special God-given gifts. Now the Lord did not send these
men out in the energy of the flesh, did he? He didn't send
them out in the energy of the flesh, but rather with the special
and unique power of God that was only and exclusively given
to these apostles. God made them able ministers
of the New Testament. Now, Listen to this. For any
man in this day to say that he is an apostle who has the gifts
that these men had as apostles, mark it down, that man is an
imposter, a false prophet, and he's anti-Christ. That's right. Now listen, this whole TV crowd,
TV preachers, talking about televangelism. I don't know who invented that
term, but I guess it's a good term. It describes what they
are, TV evangelists. They don't have any truth. This
whole TV preacher crowd, including the man that has the funny hair,
Benny Hinn, We say you shouldn't call names. Well, it's about
time somebody did. He's a phony. He's a fake. I
can't even watch the man. It makes me sick. But you know
what he does? He breathes on people, trying
to mimic what the Lord did here. And those people, have you ever
watched that? They fall backwards and they
pass out, it seems like. It's just all a big charade.
at one time at any point did anybody any good. The only thing
that those folks received from Benny Hinn was germs and bad
breath. That's it. That's all they got. Germs, bad
breath. For any sinner to try to mimic
what the Lord did here in such a special intimate way for only
those apostles is to truly blaspheme God. I mean, it's just, just
don't even watch him. It's satanic. It is absolutely
satanic. It's inspired by the devil. Don't
have anything to do with it, run from it. And I'm telling
you as your friend and as your pastor, You see, only God can
forgive sin. Look at verse 23. Look what he
says here. He gave them these special gifts,
and then he said, go out and preach the gospel, and he says,
verse 23, whosoever sins ye remit, they're forgiven, they're remitted.
They are remitted unto them, and whosoever sins ye retain,
they are retained. Now what does that verse mean?
Does this verse mean and teach that the apostles had power to
forgive sin? Absolutely not. This is a declaration
of what the gospel declares. Whose sins are forgiven and whose
sins are not forgiven. That's what the message of the
gospel declares. Only God can forgive sin. Only
God can look upon the heart. Only God knows the heart perfectly. Let me show you an example of
this. Turn back to John chapter 6. John chapter 6. John chapter 6. Look at verse 64. Verse 63, "...the spirit that
quickeneth." John 6, 63, "...the flesh profiteth nothing. The
word that I speak unto you, they are spirit, they are life, but
they are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the
beginning who they were that believed not, and who should
betray." You remember in John chapter 2 we read that he needed
not to testify for a man to testify, for he knew what was in man,
what was in the sinner's heart. Let me read it to you. He needed
not that any man should testify of man, for he knew what was
in man. He knows our heart, our thoughts afar off, and only God
can forgive sin. For some mere man to say, to
some sinner thy sins are forgiven is to usurp and to supplant the
authority of God alone." Now we see this done in religious
circles. For example, in Catholicism the Catholic priest
will go into a confessional booth And he'll have somebody who needs
to confess something come in on the other side and confess
to this man, one sinner telling another sinner what he's done,
and that sinner would say back to the other man, that priest
would say, well, your sins are forgiven. Who is he? What kind of authority does he
have? Absolutely none. None. It's absolute, utter nonsense,
isn't it? For one man to say, well, What's crazy? Nonsense. Or, now
listen, or, now listen, I'm going to get it down right here where
it is. Or for some church today to say to some sinner, let us
baptize you and we will wash away your sins. Let us, now, let us do it. We have the power to do it. You
come and let us baptize. We have to baptize you. What
utter blasphemy against God. Who are they? Who do they think
they are? So what does this verse really
teach us? The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ declares whose sins
are forgiven and whose sins are retained. That's what the gospel
itself declares. I can, with the authority of
the inspired Word of God, declare unto you without hesitation whose
sins are remitted, forgiven, and whose sins are retained,
and not forgiven." In the Gospel, through the Gospel, I can. Exactly. Let me show you another verse
that's very similar to verse 23 there in John 20. Turn back
to Matthew chapter 16. Matthew chapter 16. Matthew 16 verse 17, Our Lord
said to Peter, Blessed art thou when Simon Peter confessed thou
art the Christ, the Son of the living God. The Lord said to
him, Blessed art thou Simon bar Jonah, son of Jonah, for flesh
and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which
is in heaven. And I say also unto thee that
thou art Peter. And upon this rock, upon... He's not talking about Peter
being the foundation. He's talking about the gospel
that Peter would preach upon this foundation. I'll build my
church, and the gates of death and hell cannot prevail against
it. Peter, you're going to be successful.
I'll give unto thee the keys of the kingdom. That's the gospel
of the Lord Jesus Christ. And whatsoever thou shalt bind
on earth shall be bound in heaven. And whatsoever shall be loosed
on the earth shall be loosed in heaven." You see, in the gospel,
we're bound and united and joined to the Lord Jesus Christ. And
that union will be forever here and forever. And whatever is
loosed here will be loosed there. We've been set free from the
bondage of our sin. He loosed us and He came to set
the captive free. Remember Luke chapter 4 verse
18? So, look back to John 20, "...whosoever sins ye remit,
they are remitted forgiven, and whosoever sins ye retain, they
are retained." That's the declaration of the gospel. Now, three questions
in closing. Is there forgiveness of sins? Is there? Yes. Okay? Preacher, can you make
good on that? I think I can. Let's turn, first
of all, to Psalm 130. Psalm 130. Is there forgiveness
of sin with thee? Yes, there is. In Christ. Psalm 130. Out of the depths
have I cried unto thee, O Lord, Lord, hear my voice, let thine
ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication. If thou,
Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But
there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared."
Oh, there is forgiveness in Christ, through Christ. Turn back to
Psalm 86, verse 5. Psalm 86, verse 5, there is forgiveness
of sin in Christ Jesus because the Lord Jesus Christ made full
atonement for our sin. Psalm 85, look at verse 5. Psalm 85, excuse me, Psalm 86,
verse 5. Psalm 86, verse 5. For thou,
Lord, art good and ready to forgive. Upon what basis? upon Christ
crucified, full payment for sin, plenteous in mercy unto them
that call upon thee." There is forgiveness of sins. Now turn
to the book of Acts. Let me show you in the preaching
of the gospel, there's a declaration of sins forgiven. In Acts chapter
13, verse 39. Acts 13, verse 38. Be it known unto you therefore,
men and brethren, Acts 13.38, that through this man, the one
that you crucified, the one that God raised from the dead, through
this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins. There
it is. And by him all that believe are
justified from all things which you could not be justified by
the law of Moses. Yes, there is forgiveness of
sin. but forgiveness of sin is not
based upon my works or deeds." Now listen to me, my faith or
my repentance? The forgiveness of sin is based
totally upon the Lord Jesus Christ. My faith did not die for my sin. My repentance did not die for
my sin. Not at all. These are the gifts
of God, and it's the fruit of the Lord Jesus Christ putting
away our sin. There is only forgiveness of
sin through the blood atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. Without
the shedding of His blood, there is no forgiveness. Is there? Well, I'm gonna pray,
I'm gonna pray, I'm gonna pray, I'm gonna repent, I'm gonna repent,
I'm gonna repent. He'll never put away one sin.
You see, true repentance is an acknowledgment of how sin is
put away. True faith is an acknowledgment
and embracing the Lord Jesus Christ who did put away sin.
You see what I'm saying? There is only forgiveness of
sin through Christ. Not possible for the blood of
bulls and goats to take away our sin. Water baptism never
took away one sin. Water baptism is confession of
the Lord Jesus Christ who did take away our sin. You see that? So, first question, is there
forgiveness of sin? Yes. Yes, in Christ Jesus. Now, second question is this.
Whose sins are forgiven? Whose sins are forgiven? Is everybody
forgiven? Some sins here it says are not
remitted. That's pretty plain, isn't it?
Some are, some aren't. So whose sins are forgiven? Well,
not everyone without exception, because it says here that some
are retained. Not everyone without exception,
not all the sins of all men everywhere, but rather all the sins of some
are put away. Now, there's a track at all the
tables, been out there for a while. And the title of it is, Who Did
the Lord Jesus Christ Die For? It was written by an old English
preacher, way back in, he was born in 1616, died 1683. I know, this is, you see, God's
servants have been preaching this gospel of God's definite
successful atonement for a long time. Paul said God bought the
church with His own blood, Acts 20, 20. But old John Owen said
back in the 1600s, you can pick that little track up out there
and read it. And he said this in that little track, did the
Lord Jesus Christ die for all the sins of all men? Now that's
what they're saying, isn't it? He died, He loves everybody?
God loves everybody and died for all the sins of all men.
If that be so, not one sinner ever, ever can perish. Because
his love cannot fail. His blood is never shed in vain.
So if you go the universal route, it has to be total universal. Nobody, if universal redemption,
universal love is true, nobody ever perished in their sin. Nobody.
Because his love can't fail. John Owen said, secondly, Did
He die for some of the sin of all men? If that be the case, none will
be saved. If He died for some of the sin
of all men, because we cannot do, I cannot make one bit of
atonement for my sin, not one. But here's the truth of it. Who
did the Lord Jesus Christ die for? Whose sins are forgiven?
All the sin of some men. All the sin of His elect chosen
people. That's what this book teaches.
You say, well, that's offensive. I don't care. It doesn't offend
God's people. It doesn't offend God's sheep.
God knows nothing of failure or defeat. The love of Christ,
those for whom the Lord Jesus Christ loves, He saves. He loves them with an everlasting
love, therefore with loving kindness He draws them to Himself. Now
that just, I mean, we're not trying to make the gospel logical
and make sense to it, but that's the only thing really that is
sensible. If He loves me and died for me
and put away my sin, I can't perish! If Christ put away my sin, and
he did, because that's my hope. Talking about original sin, actual
sin, past, present, future sin, sins of omission, sin of commission,
the Lord Jesus Christ totally and completely put away all the
sin of God's people, in whom we have redemption. Turn to Ephesians
chapter 1. Through his word we get understanding,
therefore we hate every false way." That's what the psalmist
said, isn't it? I hate with a passion this idea
and this preaching that says that God loves everybody and
Christ died for everybody. I hate that. Because it's contrary
to God's book. And it says that God's a failure.
My God can't fail. Ephesians chapter 1, turn there. And yet that's what's been promoted
and that's what, that's just taken for granted. People believe
that, don't they? They need to be taught of God. Ephesians 1,
look at verse 3. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual
blessing in the heavenlies in Christ, according as He has chosen
us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy, He didn't choose us because we were holy, that we
should be holy without blame before Him in love, having predestinated
us under the adoption of children, by Jesus Christ to Himself according
to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of
His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved, in
whom we have redemption." In whom we have redemption. Through
His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches
of His grace. Now those who are accepted in
the Beloved, they have forgiveness of sin. Who can lay anything
to the charge of God's elect? in heaven, earth, or hell. It
is God who justifies. Who is He that condemns? It is
Christ who died. Yea, rather He is risen again,
who is even at the right hand of God. So is there forgiveness
of sin? Yes. Whose sins are forgiven? His sheep. He said, I laid down
my life for the sheep, for His people, for the transgression
of my people. The Lord said, was I stricken? Now thirdly,
here's the third thing. I'll send you home with this.
Do I have forgiveness of sin? Now ask yourself that question.
Do I have forgiveness of sin in the Lord Jesus Christ? Can
you say with David, have mercy upon me, O God, according to
thy loving kindness, according to the multitude of thy tender
mercy, blot out my iniquity, O Lord. You see, those who are
forgiven are those who know they are sinners and they own what
they are and have no hope of forgiveness but through the Lord
Jesus Christ. That's my only hope. This is
a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that the
Lord Jesus Christ came to save sinners. We read in Scripture
that the Lord Jesus Christ died for the ungodly. We read in Scripture
that He justified the ungodly. Are you a sinner? Are you ungodly? What is your hope of salvation?
Or rather, who is your hope? The Lord Jesus Christ alone.
Do I have forgiveness of my sin before God? Absolutely so. The Lord Jesus Christ is all
of my atonement. In Him dwells all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily, and in the Lord Jesus Christ we stand
complete. Now, remember the parable of
the two men that went to the temple to pray. The Pharisee stood and bragged
on himself and said, Lord, I'm not this, I'm not that, I'm not
that, I'm not like that man. That publican, old Matthew, that
publican, I'm not like him. The publican smote his breast
and said, God be merciful to me, thee sinner. And you know
what the Lord said of those two men? That old publican that acknowledged
that he was a sinner. Acknowledge he was a mercy beggar
before the throne of God. The Lord says in that parable,
this man went down to his house justified rather than the other. Sin forgiven. Sin forgiven. See, he took his place by God's
grace as a mercy beggar. Is that you?
No, I'm too proud to beg for mercy. Your sins are not forgiven. I'm a mercy beggar. I look to
Christ alone for all my salvation.