Now, he says, if they be heirs,
what is an heir? Well, go to Romans 8 now. If
they be heirs, in Romans 8, it says here in verse 16, the Spirit
himself bareth witness with our spirits that we are children
of God. And if children, then heirs. In other words, if these
people are children of God, and they're heirs, heirs of God,
joint heirs with Christ, heirs of heaven. That's what he's saying.
If these people, who are committed to religious form and ceremony
and deeds and duties, if they're heirs, if they're really children
of God, Heirs of God and children of God and heirs of heaven. Now
listen. Then faith is made void. Believing
God is futile. Believing God is useless. Take all those scriptures that
I read a while ago. These things are written unto
you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that you may
know you have life. Believing on the Son of God will
profit you one iota if salvation's by the law. Faith is made boring. Faith is obliterated, deleted,
forget it. Take all the scriptures, how
do you do it? He that believeth on the Son hath life. Not so. He that worketh hath life. See
the difference? And here's the second thing,
and the promise, the promise, the promise, that's the promise back there
in verse 13, the promise that Abraham should be an heir of
this world and the world to come. That's the promise there in verse
20, he's staggered not at the promise of God. This promise
of God is of non-effect. if we are redeemed by what we
do. The promise of God is useless. It can't be depended on at all. And the worst thing of all, turn
to the book of Galatians chapter 2. This is the most terrible
thing of all, in Galatians chapter 2, in verse 21. Paul says, I do not frustrate
the grace of God's If righteousness come by the law, wow, Christ is dead in vain. If these people are heirs, if
there's all these religious folks running around all over the country
doing things for God and hoping to gain their rewards and their
mansions and their recognition and acceptance by what they do.
Then faith is futile, faith is void. The promise of God is of
no effect and Jesus Christ died in vain. Now that's a horrible
supposition. And this is serious. And you
think of this next time you hear a sermon which promises people
eternal life by what they do. by their deeds and duties and
religious commitments and faithfulness. You think about it. Your faith
is vaunted. The promise of God of none effect
and Jesus Christ died in vain. Because, verse 15, now listen
to this, because the law worketh wrath. The law doesn't reward
sincerity. The law rewards perfection. We don't have it. No man has
it. No creature. The law doesn't
reward sincerity. The law affords no reward based
on the best you can do. I guess you've heard that ten
thousand times also. I'm doing the best I can. The
law doesn't reward that. The law rewards total obedience,
perfect love, perfect holiness. That's what the law rewards.
Do this and live. Not part of it, all of it. And
the law knows no mercy. The law knows no leniency. The
law knows no forgiveness. The law can't forgive. The only
thing the law can do is pronounce us guilty and sentence us to
death and see that that sentence is carried out. That's just so. The law, turn
if you will to Romans 7. Listen to Paul as he talks about
what the law did to him. He said in Romans 7.10, and the
commandment which was ordained to life, that's what God said
to Adam. Obey me and live. Disobey me
and die. And this commandment that Paul
was seeking to gain life by the obedience there, he said, I found
it to be unto death. The law killed me. When I saw
what God's law really required and what God's law really demanded,
I died. I just died. And then that next statement
is a proverbial saying, where somebody says, well, where no
law is, there's no transgression. Only Israel had the law. The
Babylonians, the Philistines, the Amalekites, the Amorites,
the Hittites, all theites, they didn't have the law. Oh yes,
they did. Oh yes, there is a law. And that
law to man's perfection. And that law where it doesn't
find perfection must punish sin. Now, Moses did receive the law
of God written on tables of stone. God wrote it with his own fingers.
That's what the scripture says. God wrote the law on tables of
stone and gave it to Moses. But there is a law not written
on tables of stone. Go back with me to Isaiah 14. Isaiah chapter 14, this is the
first sin. Adam's sin wasn't the first sin.
There was sin before Adam was ever created. Satan's sin was
the first sin. The Satan and the angels in heaven
that fell. And they, angels had a law. God's law of obedience, submission
to God, which they violated. That's why the angels fall. They
violated God's law. Read Isaiah 14, verse 12. How
art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer? Son of the morning,
how art thou cut down to the ground, which did weaken the
nations? For thou hast said in thy heart,
I will ascend unto heaven. I will. I will exalt my throne
above the stars of God. I will sit also upon the mount
of the congregation in the sides of the north. I will ascend above
the heights of the clouds. I'll be like God, full of the
rule and yoke of God. I'll be God myself." And that's
the way he tempted Eve. You'll be like God. He had a
law. Adam had a law in the garden.
God told Adam, said, now you don't eat of the fruit of this
particular tree. That's my law. God is God. Obedience and submission and
worship is due unto Him. The Gentiles have a law. Turn
to Romans 1. We say that the Philistines had
no law. Yes, they did. Yes, they did. Look at Romans chapter 1. Verse
18, they had the law of nature. In Romans 1, 18, the wrath of
God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness, unrighteousness
of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness. Because that
which may be known of God is manifest in them. God showed
it to them, not just to Israel, to all men. For the invisible
things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen,
being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal
power in Godhead, and there are every one without excuse. Not so with, there is a law. Where there is no law, there
is no transgression, but there is no place where there is no
law. No place. Heaven or hell is God's law. But Romans 2, turn over there,
verse 14. And here is God's law, listen,
in Romans 2, verse 14. Now who are the Gentiles? That's
all these pagan nations, which have not the law on tables of
stone, which have not the tabernacle. When they do by nature the things
contained in the law, These having not the law are law unto themselves
which show the work of the law written in their hearts. Their
conscience also bearing witness and their thoughts the meanwhile
accusing or else executing. You watch your children. When they do something wrong
And you turn and look at them, their eyes drop. Their face is
flush. They begin to shuffle their feet.
What's going on? They're aching in here. Conscience. Conscience. God is a light that
lighteth every man that comes into this world. God writes his
law on the heart of every son of Adam. Gives them a conscience. They know it's wrong to kill. To lie, to steal, to commit adultery,
to worship idols, to take God's name, they know the hell. And
the law of the earth is law. All right. Therefore, look at
verse 16. Therefore, this thing of salvation,
redemption, righteousness, it's got to be by faith. You see, not by law, not by works. It's got to be by faith. that
it might be by grace. The law manifests what is in
us, sin and iniquity. Grace reveals what is in Christ,
love and forgiveness. The law demands perfect righteousness
from men. The Lord Jesus Christ brings
God's perfect righteousness to men. The law tells me what I've
not done, and tells me what I must do. Grace tells me the good news
of what Christ has done. The law only reveals my sin. Grace reveals the blood of Christ,
which puts my sin away. The law buries dead men in hopelessness. It slays us. It kills us. It buries us in hopelessness. The grace of God raises hopelessly
dead men to life. The hymn writer said, Grace first
inscribed my name in God's eternal book. Grace gave me to the Lamb
who all my sorrows took. Grace taught my soul to pray. Grace made my eyes overflow. Grace has kept me to this day,
and grace will not let me go. Let's memorize verse 16. Therefore
it is a faith. Salvation, righteousness, sanctification,
acceptance with God is by faith. It's out of works, lest any man
should boast. Turn to Romans 10. Paul condemned
his brethren, his brothers in the flesh, not his believing
brothers, but his kinfolks in the flesh, he condemned them
for trying to find acceptance with God on the basis of their
religion. He says in chapter 10, verse
1, Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel
is that they might be saved. I bear them record. They have
a zeal of God. They know there's a God. They
have a zeal. They have religion. But it's
not according to knowledge, for they're ignorant of God's righteousness,
God's holiness, the required holiness of God, the essential
holiness of God, the purchased holiness of God. And they're
going about to establish their own righteousness, their own
holiness. By how they dress, how they wear
their hair, how they keep their homes, they're trying to establish
a basis on which God will accept them. By going to church five
times a week, by paying the exact tithes down to the penny, by
doing these keeping Sabbath days, they're trying to establish their
own righteousness. And they have not submitted themselves
to the righteousness of Christ. But Christ is the end of the
law. What's that word he and me? He's
the goal of the law. The law wasn't given to save
us, it was given to show us we needed a Savior. The law was
given to shut our mouths, strip us, bring us into the dust. Turn
our eyes to Calvary. Make us to see what God requires
we can't do. What the law demands we can't
fulfill. What justice requires we can't
meet. Christ did. The law wasn't given
to save. It was given to bring men to
realize things. That's the goal of the law. Christ
is the goal of the law. Christ is the end of the law.
The law was given to bring men to Christ. to shut us up to faith. That's the hardest thing in the
world to do is shut a man up. Shut him up. I told guys I go
to these places to preach and I've been in the ministry 49
years. I've studied and written and
preached and God sent me there to preach and they won't let
me say anything. When we get with them privately,
they want to overload me with what they're doing, what they've
done, what the great things they've done, how long they've been there,
how long they've served God. Let me tell them about Christ. It just frustrates me. A man walked in church a few
nights ago where I was preaching. He said, I've got one for you.
I said, lay it on me. Where'd King get his wife? I
said, now isn't that, that's something we need to work on.
Let's just call a special meeting and let's work on that. I said,
my friend, you'll just have to wait to find out the answer to
that one. Yeah, I guess I will, but that's all. Christ is the goal of the law.
Christ is the end of the law. Christ is the consummation of
the law. He fulfilled it. He did everything
God required. He did it perfectly. Wonderously. Magnificently. Abundantly. There's nothing to be done. The
consolation, and I'll tell you this, as a covenant he's the
end of it. That's right. As a covenant,
as a way of Acceptance is the end of it. That's it. Moses describes the righteousness
which is of the law that the man that doeth these things,
doeth them, doesn't admire them, or take a shot at it, or tries
best, do it! As your Father is holy, you be
holy. As your Heavenly Father is perfect,
you be perfect. Do it! or perish. I don't want that. I want this
righteousness of faith, verse 6. It speaks on this rise. Don't say in your heart who shall
ascend into heaven and bring Christ down. He's already come
back. Don't say who shall descend into the deep, that is to bring
up Christ from the dead. I've got to do this, I've got
to do that. No. What is it? The word is nigh
thee, even in your mouth, in your heart. It's the word of
faith which we praise. that if thou shalt confess with
thy mouth, Jesus to be Lord, and believe in your heart, God
sent him, God bruised him, God made his offering, saving offering
for sin, buried him, raised him, exalted him, you believe that
in your heart, you'll be saved. That's the way men are saved.
And this verse 16 says, it is of faith. works do not enter
in at any time. It is a faith that it might be
by grace. Now watch this, Romans 4, 16.
To the end. That promise, that promise of
life, happiness, that promise of holiness, that promise of
air, that inheritance incorruptible and defiled, it not away, reserved
in heaven." That promise, it's by faith, through faith, by grace,
that that promise might be sure. I'll tell you this, if that promise
in any way relies upon or waits upon or
depends on anything you do or I do, that's what I'm saying. Not sure. Not sure. Not sure. But if that promise
of eternal heirship, inheritance, eternal life, that promise is
mine through the blood of Christ and the righteousness of Christ
and the faithfulness of God and the free gift of God, it's sure. Turn with me to Hebrews 7. Let me show you something, give
you a definition of a word. Hebrews 7. Hebrews 7 verse 22. Hebrews 7, 22. Listen to this. By so much was Jesus made a surety
of a better covenant. A better surety of a better covenant. And they truly were many priests
because they were not suffering to continue by reason of death.
But this man, because he continues ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to
save them to the uttermost that come to God by him. Seeing he
ever liveth to make intercession for them, he's a surety of a
better covenant. What is a surety? Well here's
what it is, a surety. A surety is one who makes himself,
he makes himself voluntarily responsible for another. You
remember when Joseph was down in Egypt and Jacob sent the sons
down there to get corn and Joseph knew who they were but they didn't
know who he was. And he kept the little brother. No, he kept Simeon, one of the
brothers, he kept Simeon. And sent them back, he said,
you're a bunch of spies. No, they said, we're not, we're
all sons of the same father, there are 11 of us. Our older
brother, our brother Joseph's dead, that Joseph was talking
to. But they said, we're sons of
a... No, he said, you're spies. Well,
where's that other brother? You said 11 of you? Well, our
little brother Benjamin's at home. Well, you go get him. And
next time you come down here for corn, you bring him with
you. That's Joseph, little brother. He wanted to see him. You bring
him up. And they said, my father won't
let him come. Well, don't you come without him. So they went
down there back to home and they were starving around there. They
didn't have anything to eat. And they came to their father
and said, Father, there's plenty of corn back there in Egypt.
That prime minister up there told us to come back and bring
Benjamin with us. And he kept Simeon. And Jacob
said, Nope. Joseph is not. Simeon is not. And you're not going to take
Benjamin. I'd go to my grave if you took Benjamin. And Judah
stepped down. Judah. That's the tribe from
which our Lord came. The Lion of Judah. Judah stepped
out and said, Father, you let us take him back, Benjamin, and
I'll be surety for him. I'll make myself responsible
for him, and I'll bring him back. I guarantee his safety. I'll personally bring him back,
or you can hold me responsible forever. That's a surety. One who makes himself responsible
for another. One who makes himself liable
for another man's debts, defaults, obligations, and guarantees against
any loss, damage, or default. Who's your surrogate? It's Christ. He's the surrogate of that covenant. Made himself our surrogate. Now then, I want you to turn
to Genesis 17. Genesis 17. Bob read this in the study tonight. Genesis 17. I want you to listen
to this. This is a covenant. Abraham was 90 years old and
nine. Now Ishmael had already been
born. Ishmael was 13 years old. But Abraham was ninety-nine,
and the Lord appeared to Abraham and said, I am almighty God,
you walk before me and be sincere, and be sincere and upright. And I'll make my covenant between
me and you, and I'll multiply you exceedingly. And Abraham
fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying, Now as for
me, behold, my covenant is with you. I'm making a covenant. Christ
is our surety of an everlasting covenant. God made a covenant
with us in Christ. All of our little religious duties
and details and all these things didn't have anything to do with
this. This is God's business. He made a covenant. He chose us. He elected us. He put his affection
on us and made a covenant. I couldn't fulfill the requirements
of it, but he gave Christ to me as a surety. He took the responsibility
for me and you. I make my covenant with you.
Now listen, my covenant is with you, and you're going to be a
father of many nations. Neither shall your name be any
more Abram, called Abram, you'll be Abraham, father of a great
multitude. Father of many nations am I made
thee, and I'll make you fruitful, I'll make nations of thee, and
kings shall come out of thee. And I'll establish my covenant
between me and thee, and thy seed after thee, and their generation,
for an everlasting covenant to be of God unto thee, and to thy
seed after thee." Now, when David was dying, these were his last
words. His last words to David. You
don't call David an old man. He wasn't but seventy years old.
Did you know that? He was thirty years old when
it started raining, and it rained forty years. And he was dying. And this is what he said after
all of his experiences and revelations and enlightenments and everything.
He said, although it be not so at my house, God has made with
me an everlasting covenant, ordered and all things insured. Sure! That's what we're talking about,
that it might be sure! I don't want a hope, a hope,
a hope. I want a sure covenant. And he
said, It's order in all things, and sure, and this is all my
salvation and all my desire, although he make it not to grow.
Now down here in verse, and God told him to circumcise all of
the, down in verse 10, This is my covenant, which ye shall keep
between me and you, and your seed after you. Every man and
child shall be circumcised. All right, down in verse 15 now.
God said to Abraham, as for Sarah your wife, I shall not call her
name Sarah, but Sarah. You know what that Sarah means?
Princess. Princess. It's right there in your Bible.
Princess shall be her name. And I'll bless her and give her
a son. Give thee a son also of her.
And I'll bless her, she'll be the mother of nations. This is
my covenant. And kings of people shall be
of her. Well, Abraham got a whole lot
of Baptist religion, Nazarene religion, Methodist religion
in him. He's going to help God out down here. He said, God,
he fell on his face and laughed. And he laughed. And he said,
shall a child be born unto him that's a hundred years old? Shall
a Savior bear a child that's ninety years old? I'll tell you
what, Lord, let Ishmael live before thee. I'll have a hand
in this thing. I went to Hadrian, we had a son,
let that him be there. That'll be all right, boy. No,
that won't be all right. That's your works. This is a
covenant of pure, free, sovereign grace. This life is the gift
of God. This son is a miracle child. This is a gift of God. This is
a type of Jesus Christ, our surety. No! He said, verse 18, Abraham said,
Lord, let Ishmael live before thee. God said, Savior, thy wife
shall bear thee a son indeed, and you call his name Isaac.
And I'll establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant,
and with his seed after him." Brethren, that's our hope. That's our hope. Same thing that God said to Abraham. Hebrews 13, listen to this. God's
a covenant God. He promises. And he fulfills
that promise, and he, in Christ, he said in Hebrews 13,
20, Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our
Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood
of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect. Make you perfect. He did. He perfected every one
of them for whom he died. righteous, gave them the perfect
holiness, cleanliness like unto God, impeccable purity, perfect
in every good work to do his will, working in you that which
is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom
be glory forever and ever. It's got to be by grace to be
sure. Let's read on, I'll quit. Therefore this salvation is of
faith, that it might be by grace, to the end that the promise might
be sure to all the seed, not only to the Jew, but to the Gentile,
to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the
father of us all. As it is written, I have made
thee a father of many nations. before him whom he believed,
even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things
which be not as though they were, who against hope believed in
hope." Abraham, against human hope. There's no
way for Abraham and Sarah to have a child. That's against
all human hope, ability. God gave that son. to against
hope, believed in hope, that he might become the father of
many nations, according to that which was spoken," according
to the word of God. You can believe everything God
says, and nothing else, spiritually. You can believe everything God
says, and nothing else. Yeah, but I think, and nothing
else. I've always been taught, and
nothing else, according to that which is written. So shall I
see thee. And being not weak in faith,
he considered not his own body now dead, when he was a hundred
years old, nor the deadness of Saviour's womb. He staggered
not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith,
giving glory to God. And being fully persuaded of
what God had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore
it was imputed to him for righteousness, perfect holiness. He sept us
with God. He believed God. Now Abraham was an obedient servant. Abraham was tested and tried
as few men. He served God. He loved God.
He believed God. He obeyed God. Because God had
saved him. Not in order to be saved. That's
why. And I'll tell you this, verse
23 tells us something. Now all this is written, all
that we've been going through today about the supernatural
work of God in the life of this man Abraham. This was written
not for his sake alone that righteousness was imputed to him, but for us
all something. To whom it shall be imputed if
we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the who was delivered by offenses
and raised by justification." We're saved just like Abraham,
a miracle of grace. We didn't choose God, he chose
us. Abraham was living in pagan idolatry, God called it. Abraham,
get thee out. God made a covenant with him,
an everlasting covenant. That's what He did for us. Whom
He foreknew, He predestinated to be conformed to the image
of His Son. And whom He predestinated, He
called. And whom He called, He justified.
And whom He justified, He glorified. Now what shall we say to these
things? What do you say to these things? Well, if God be for me,
who can be against me? He has spared not His own Son,
but delivered Him up for us all. I shall enter out with him freely,
freely, not as a result of our works and deeds and commitments,
freely. Give us all things in the covenant,
in the affairs of God, all things. Who can lay anything to the charge
of God's elect? If God didn't justify, we didn't
justify ourselves, he did. Who is he that can do it? It's
Christ that died. It's Christ that was buried and
rose again. It's Christ that ascended to
heaven. It's Christ that sits at the right hand of God. Who
can separate me from the love of God? It originated with him,
not with me. You know, we're so fickle and
so changeable. It's not too hard to be separated
from our love. A lot of people love folks and
then hate them. But not Him. Not Him. The love of God. That's my hope. The grace of
God. The covenant of God. The blood of Christ. There's
no answer to that except Amen. That's it. That's it. That's
the way men are saved. That's the way women are saved.
It's a miracle. That's all a miracle. It is a
miracle. It took a miracle to put that
son in place. It took a miracle to hang the
world in space. And when he saved our soul, cleansed
and made us whole, it took a miracle of his love and his grace and
the death of his beloved son. What a wonderful gospel. What a wonderful gospel. And the wonderful, one of the
wonderful things about it is it's free. Why do people strive
to be saved some other way when this is so clear and so free
and so rich and so sure and so wonderful? So great.