A Sermon for Sinners

Q: What does the Bible say about Jesus saving sinners?

The Bible teaches that Jesus came into the world to save sinners, indicating His purpose in coming and dying for us. According to Scriptures such as Matthew 1:21 and Luke 19:10, Jesus came specifically to save sinners. The term 'sinner' emphasizes that He did not come to seek the righteous or those who think they are worthy but instead targets those who acknowledge their guilt and need for salvation. His sacrificial death on the cross was necessary for atonement, highlighting that sacrifice is required where there is sin, making the salvation of sinners the central focus of His mission.

Q: How do we know salvation is all of grace?

Salvation is entirely by grace, as the Bible emphasizes that it is not earned or deserved by any human effort. Ephesians 2:8-9 teaches that we are saved by grace through faith, and not of ourselves; it is a gift of God. This underscores that no man can merit God's love or mercy, as inherent human righteousness counts for nothing in God's economy. The grace of God both initiates and sustains our salvation. Therefore, salvation can only be understood in light of God's unmerited favor, as it is neither based on our actions nor is it a reward for good behavior, but solely grounded in His mercy and love.

Q: Why is the concept of election important for Christians?

Election is crucial because it highlights God's sovereign choice in saving individuals, showing that salvation is His work alone. In the Reformed tradition, the doctrine of election stands central to understanding salvation. Ephesians 1:4-5 states that God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. This emphasizes that our salvation is rooted in God's sovereign will rather than any action or decision on our part. Recognizing election strengthens believers' assurance and confidence in their salvation, as it reaffirms that their standing with God is firmly based on His grace, not dependent on their merit. Furthermore, acknowledging God's sovereignty in election encourages humility and gratitude rather than pride or self-righteousness.

Q: What does the Bible say about true saving faith?

True saving faith is believing in Jesus Christ as the Savior, as Scripture teaches that faith is the means through which we receive salvation. True saving faith, as outlined in Romans 10:9-10, involves a heartfelt belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. This faith is not merely intellectual agreement but involves trust in His redemptive work on the cross. Throughout the New Testament, figures such as the Philippian jailer and Abraham exemplify this faith, as their belief in God's promises was credited as righteousness. The act of believing is foundational for salvation; it reflects a deep reliance on Christ’s finished work and acknowledges our own inability to save ourselves. The power of this faith lies in its object—Christ Himself—and it is through such faith that we are justified before God.

I believe that you and I would have a lot more joy and a lot more assurance of heart
if we could learn and keep in mind five things. Here are five things, if I could
learn them. Really, truly learn them and
live with them. I'd have more joy and more assurance. And here are those five things.
Number one, Jesus Christ, my Lord, came into this world to
save sinners. He came to save sinners. Did
you know that? Oh, I know that. Do you really
know that? He came into this world to save sinners. When the
angel spoke to Joseph, he said, call his name Jesus. What does
that word mean? It's the Old Testament word Joshua,
isn't it? Which means what? God my Savior. God my what? Savior. Call his
name Jesus. God my Savior, for he shall save
his people from their sins. From their sins. That's what
he came to do. His work was not to seek saints,
it was to save the lost. Isn't that true? He said, I didn't come to call
the righteous. That's not why I came. I came
to call sinners. If Jesus Christ did not come
into this world to save sinners, Why did he die as a sacrifice?
What does sacrifice imply to you? Why do you offer a sacrifice? Sacrifice always is required
where there's sin. Atonement is needed where there's
guilt. That's why he died, to save sinners. Christ came to save sinners. Now, if I could learn that. sinners
such as you and sinners like me." That's why he came. That was the purpose of his leaving
heaven's glory and coming into this world and taking upon himself
the form or habit of a servant being made in the likeness of
what? Sinful flesh. That's why he was
obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, to save sinners. Secondly, if I could learn this,
I could rejoice. Jesus Christ came not only to
save sinners, He came to save the cheap of sinners. That's
what Paul said, this is a true saying, it's worthy of acceptation
by all men. that Jesus Christ came into the
world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. Now I ask you a question. Do you see Him on the cross?
Can you in your imagination see our Lord hanging on that cross? He's already been scourged and
beaten and spat upon, crown of thorns pressed in His brow, weakened. weakened by the soldiers' beatings. Do you see Him on that cross
hanging there naked? Do you see the awful agony of
soul and the awful agony that we speak of so seldom of His
soul-bearing sin? He made His soul an offering.
You hear Him cry, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me? Forsaken
of God? Hated and despised by men? betrayed
by his brethren, the objects of scorn and hatred by demons? Do you see him in his agony?
Do you see him suffering? And let me ask you, do you think
for a moment that such agony and such suffering and such a
death was required because you cut your hair? Such trifling
little sins. You went to a movie? Or you used a bad word? Or you
stole a watermelon? Do you think for a moment that
such agony, such suffering, and such a death was on behalf of
And instead of such little trifling peanut sins, no sin. The justice and holiness of God
required a great sacrifice by a great Savior for great sinners,
traitors, heady, blasphemers, injurious. High-minded, murderers,
thieves, liars. That's right. Think about that
a minute. Oh, I believe Jesus could save
Sister Sadie, but I don't believe He could save me. I'm too great
a sinner. You think that agony was for
such trifling things? No, He came to save great sinners.
Is there a sinner here? I mean a real and bona fide,
genuine, self-confessed sinner. Well, if there is, Christ died
like He died for the ungodly. I'd give you some hope, and you'd
quit cataloging sins. Thirdly, we could get some hope
and joy and confidence and assurance if we could realize the third
thing, that those whom he called and those whom he saved, whose
stories are recorded in Scripture, the Lots, the Davids, the Jacobs,
the Zacchaeuses, the Magdalenas, the Samaritans, the Canaanites,
the thieves, that those were people like you and me, like
you and me. That's what they were, people
like you and me. If God Almighty can love Jacob,
why can't he love me? If God Almighty could love Lot
and call him Righteous while he was where he was, why can't
he love you? If God Almighty can turn to a
bona fide thief, murderer, dying on a cross, and express his love
and affection, take him to glory. That's the kind of people he
saved. That's one reason they found fault with him. They said
he's a friend of sinners. And he is. But those folks are
like you and me. They're people who mourned over
their sins before they met Christ, like the publican, God be merciful
to me, the sinner. And they're the people who mourned
over their sins after they met Christ, like David, who said,
My sins are ever before me. Or like Paul, who said, O wretched
man that I am. In fact, a man who does not mourn
over his sins is not a sinner, and he's certainly no candidate
for God's mercies. We weren't worthy of His mercies
before He called us, and we're not worthy of His mercies since
He called us. But thank God He's plenteous
in mercy. Somebody wrote one time, some
people are too good to be saved, none are too bad. For your sins
will never keep you from Christ. There is no sin. All manner of
sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven. That's what the Scripture says.
All manner, the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all
sin. All sin. Your sins will never keep you
from Christ, but your righteousness will. The fourth thing I need
to learn, and we'll learn it right here in this Scripture
today, that salvation is all of grace. all of grace, all of
grace, all of free, unmerited grace. This business of salvation
is altogether God's business. Altogether, God does not save
any man because he deserves to be saved. God does not call any
man because there's anything in that man that deserves his
love or deserves his mercy. God does not save any man because
he merits his mercy. No, sir. In the flesh dwelleth no good
thing. In the flesh no man can please
God. God is no respecter of persons. That's what that means. That doesn't discount election.
He said, I don't believe in election because God's no respecter of
persons. That has nothing to do with that. That's the reason we have election,
because God respects no man's person. That's the reason an
election is necessary, because God respects no man's person.
There's nothing in man's person to be respected. The Lord saves whom He will.
He said to Moses, I'll be gracious to whom I will. I'll show mercy
to whom I will. Are you looking for a reason?
Am I looking for a reason why God should save me? How foolish. Are you or am I looking for a
reason why God should keep me saved? Forget it. Are you looking for a reason
in yourself? Well, there never was, is not
now, and never will be anything in you to attract God's love
or mercy. Never, never, never. Not now
or ever. That's true. Well, you say, where does he
find a reason for his love in himself? You say, why does he find a reason?
Where does he find a reason to move toward me in himself? God
humbleth himself to look on anything in heaven or earth. We read that. What is man that art mindful
of him? He finds the reason only in himself. Thank God there is a reason in
himself. Thank God he must show mercy
because he's God. I heard a man say one time, Save
everybody. I agree with that. God's arm's
not short that He can't save. Is anything too hard for God?
You believe there's anybody God can't save? Why, He could save the whole
world right now. You talk about, Lord, send a revival. If He's
pleased to, He will. Why, that's right. God's arm is not short, His ear
is not heavy, He can't hear, or He can't save, He could save
everybody, He could save anybody. And then the preacher went on
and said, or He could damn everybody. I don't agree with that. I agree
with the first point, He could save everybody. The blood of
Christ is sufficient to save 10,000 worlds. If he saved 10,000
worlds, Christ wouldn't have to suffer anymore or obey anymore. His blood is sufficient. But
God couldn't damn everybody. Because God is love. And God's
love must be expressed. It must be manifested. Just like
His justice must be manifested. It must. He must be judged. He
must be loved. You say, we love me. Well, he
didn't find the reason in you. He found the reason in himself.
Because he must love, and he will love, and he does love,
and his love is infinite. His love is incomprehensible. His love is unchanging. His love
is eternal. That's right. Well, give me... See, salvation is of the Lord
in its origination. Do you question that? Moses wrote, it pleased God to
make you His people. You were the fewest of all. You
were nothing. And it pleased God to make you
His people. He chose you. You didn't choose
Him. He chose you. And it pleased God that in Christ
should all fullness dwell, salvations of the Lord in its execution.
God sent His Son. We didn't go after Him. He sent
Him. You didn't have to send Him. He sent Him. Why? Because he loved. You didn't
love him. He loved. For God so loved, He gave His
Son. Christ didn't come to get God
in the notion of love, and He came because God did love. And it pleased God to bruise
Him. Those men who crucified Christ did what God determined
before to be done. They carried out the determinant
counsel and foreknowledge of God who said He would die. It's
of the Lord. It's of the Lord in its application. It pleased God to reveal His
Son in me. Paul said, on that road to Damascus,
God, I was in religion. I was in the law. I was in morality. But I wasn't
in Christ. And it pleased God to reveal
Christ. Salvation's of the Lord in its
sustaining power. Some people got the idea that
they get in Christ and they keep themselves. Well, we're kept
by the power of God through faith. God who hath begun a good work
in you shall finish it in the day of Christ Jesus. Salvation
is of the Lord in its ultimate perfection. He's able. He's able
to keep us from falling. to present us faultless before
His throne, and He's able to rise, to raise our vile bodies
and make them like His own. Oh, if I could just get a hold
of that. Salvations of the Lord. It's all of grace. It's all of
grace. And then when I stumble or fumble
or fall or fiddle around or don't pray like I should or read the
Bible like I should or not as faithful as I should, it's still
all of grace. Now, my relationship with God
ought to affect everything I do, and it will. It will. It will influence and motivate
everything I do, my relationship with Him. But what I do has no
bearing on my relationship with Him. I'm His child through Christ. Whether I'm a good child or a
bad child, I'm still a child. See what I'm saying? But the
very fact that He loves me, and He's been so good to me, ought
to motivate and constrain and influence my life in such a way
that I do not want to bring any shame or reproach upon my Father. Follow me? I hope you do. I hope
you do, because it's all of grace. That's got to be, it can't be
any other way. Can't be. Alright, here's the
fifth thing. And true faith, true saving faith, if you can
believe, it will save your soul. It will save your soul if you
can believe. My Lord said to the man who came
with the son who was so ill, and he said, Lord, heal him.
Well, he said, if you can believe, can you believe? All things are
possible to him that believe. That's it. Can you believe? Abraham believed
God. It was counted to him for righteousness.
He believed God. I hear people preaching sermons
on how much does a man have to know to be saved? He has to know
Christ. That's right. I hear them preaching sermons
on what must a man do to be saved? He's got to believe Christ. Can
you believe Him? You do all you want to and know
all you want to and you miss Christ, you'll perish. Salvation
is in Christ Jesus. Salvation is summed up in one
word, Christ. Lord, I believe, I do believe,
I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Just go through
the Word. The disciples said, when the
Lord said, you're going to go away, they said, to whom shall
we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we believe
and are sure that you are the Christ, the Son of the living
God. Listen to that man. I believe,
Lord, I believe. Help thou mine unbelief. Listen
to the eunuch. He said, I want to be baptized.
And Philip said, well, if you believe that Jesus If you believe
with all your heart, you may. He said, I believe that Jesus
Christ is the Son of God. I believe that. Philip said,
let's get in the water. That suits me. He didn't say
I'm a Baptist or a Catholic or a Protestant or a Jew. He said,
I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Do you? And then old Abraham, in the
whole fourth chapter of Romans, is dedicated to one thing. What
shall we say of our father Abraham and that which pertaineth to
Abraham? Well, we got one thing to say. If he were justified
by his works, then he can glory, but not before God, because God
knows him and his works. He doesn't dare glory before
God. He may glory before you, and earth lived Religious people
may brag before you, but they can't brag before God. He knows
their rotten, dirty, sinful, corrupt, hell-deserving hearts. Do them no good to be bragging
before God. Abraham could brag before men,
but not before God. But what saith the Scripture?
Abraham believed God. That's all. And it was counted to him, imputed
to him, reckoned to him for righteousness, holiness, and acceptance. Now
this was not written for his sake alone, but for our sake
also, to whom that righteousness shall be imputed, if we what? Walk an aisle, shake a preacher's
hand, pray through. get baptized, join the church,
pay a tithe, keep the Sabbath day, do this, do... No, sir,
if we believe on Him who raised up Jesus Christ from the dead,
that's how a man's justified. Believe it. Is that right, Jim?
That's right. And when that old trembling,
faltering, sinful Philippian jailer fell at the feet of Paul,
and Silas, he said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And Paul
said one word. Believe. That's it. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord God. Jesus, the God-man,
the substitute. Christ, the Redeemer, the Messiah. the high priest, the sacrifice,
the mercy seat, the tabernacle, and all things, you'll be saved. You believe. Well, what's wrong
with us? I believe that, don't you? I
do. I do. Look at our text a minute,
and here's our story. I wish everyone could see this,
enter the knowledge of it, the beauty of it, the joy of it,
the peace of it, and you, What were we? We were dead. Dead in
trespasses and sin. No use dwelling on that. You
know when it happened. You know what happened. You know
why it happened. Adam fell. Condemnation and death and judgment
passed upon all men. And verse 2, in times past we
walked. This is the bent of our will. This is the tenor of our lives.
This is my nature. I don't know about you, but this
is my nature. and the bent of my natural will, not toward God,
but toward self, according to the customs and manners and ways
of this world. I walked according to the course
of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air.
Not that Satan has any control over the rain, he doesn't. Over
the snow, God said he did that. Read Job. But he's the prince
of the power of the air in that evil and demons and devils inhabit
the air. Principalities and powers that
walketh in darkness and high places. That's right. That's
where they are. That's where they are. He's the prince of
that evil, the spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience.
But we, Christ said to those religious people, you are of
your father, the devil. He's a liar. Every time we lie,
we're doing what Satan is the father of. See what I'm saying? Every time we exaggerate or we
twist anything or turn it around to our own advantage, and if
not a person here doesn't do that. But that's not of God. God is truth. And that's we're
following the spirit of Him that is the devil. That's his spirit.
That's the evil. It's part of our nature. It's
what we were. That's the way we walk. It's
the bent of our will, the tenor of our lives according to Satan. Not the way of holiness and perfection. And among whom we all had our
behavior. This was our behavior pattern
right here. In the lust of our flesh, that's sensualism. Appetites. Thoughts. And also in our minds,
we liked it. Desires of the flesh and of the
mind. That's where it originates. And we were about children. By
nature, children of wrath, children under the curse of the law, even
as others. There's no difference. All of
sin. There's no difference. You say, women are different
from men. No, they're not. Black people and white people
are different, maybe in some ways, but not for God. They're
all the same. They're all sinners. Well, Jews
and Gentiles, no, they're not. There's no difference. Male,
female, Jew, Gentile, old, young, white or black, rich or poor,
educated or uneducated, they're all the same. Isn't that right? Not that much different. All the same. That's what we
were. Look at verse 4. It's not, but I made my profession,
or but I changed my life, or but I turned to, but God. But
God. You were dead, but God is rich.
You were poor, but God's not poor. But God who is rich, and
I know God is rich in wisdom, and God is rich in power, and
God is rich in possessions, and God is rich in, but God is rich
in mercy. Mercy for the miserable. Mercy,
mercy, mercy. I wish I was rich in mercy. God
is rich in love. He's rich in mercy for his great
love. What is love? What is love? Christ said, you love them that
love you. That's not love. That ain't it. He said anybody can do that.
You give to those from whom you hope to receive something in
return. You don't give anything. Anybody do that? That's an investment,
that's not a give. Huh? You forgive those and love
those that forgive you, you don't do anything. He said, but I say
unto you, love your enemies. Do good to them that despitefully
use you. Give, hoping to receive nothing
in return. Then you've loved, then you've
given, then you've forgiven. We don't know much about that.
But thank God He does. He's rich in mercy. He's rich
in mercy. He's rich in grace. He's rich. He has love for the unlovely
and mercy for the miserable. Look at verse 5. Even, even when
we were dead, in sins, on the dunghill, even when we were like
we were, he hath quickened us to gather with Christ." I'm telling
you, this love is so indescribable, so beyond my expression. God
loved us as he loved him. That's what he prayed, John.
He said, Thou hast loved them even as ye loved And He quickened us together.
You see, when Christ died on the cross, all whom God loved... Now listen to me. And this is not, this is not
this blanket, unrecognizable love that's being
preached today. Nobody's going to hell whom God
loves. Now you write that down. That's right. And the proof of
that is His Son has already gone to hell for us. He's already
died. Nobody's going to die whom God
loves. Nobody's going to perish whom
God loves. His love's in Christ. Just like His mercy was upon
the ark, His love was upon the ark, His love's in Christ. That's
right. The Father loveth the Son. And
when Christ died, we died in Him, we were buried, and we were
raised in Christ and seated in Christ. That's what it says.
Even when we were dead in sins, He quickened us together with
Christ by grace, or He saved, and God hath raised us already,
hath raised us up together. Is Christ raised? Then you're
raised. Is Christ seated? Then you're seated. Huh? He has. You see, we're together with
Him, we're quickened with Him, we're raised with Him, we're
seated with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Christ
is a representative person. This is not being preached. Adam
was a representative person. Adam had a federal headship. All whom Adam represented died
in Adam and perished in Adam, and all whom Christ represented,
all for whom he's the head and we're the body, he'll save. And we're already risen, already
seated, already, verse 7, why? That in the ages to come, he
might distribute a bunch of crowns to a bunch of people who were
faithful in serving the Lord. that in the ages to come we might
line up up there and some of us get a big house and some a
little house and some a big crown and some a little crown and some
would sit with Moses and some would sit with Aaron and some
would sit over there with somebody who's don't even know. And it's
going to be all kind of differences and distinctions and rewards
and all these things. That's foolishness. And He did
all this for us that in the ages to come He might show for all
to see the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward
every one of us through Christ Jesus. And everybody who knows what
He was and what He is and what He's done and what literally
deserves will be just tickled pink for Christ to get all the
glory. Just tickle pink. I deserve nothing. When I've done the best I can,
I'm an unprofitable sinner. That's right. He's going to show
off, show off his son, show off his glory, show off his riches,
show off his faithfulness. Boy, watch this, and I'll wind
her down. By grace, you are now saved. By grace. Through faith. Not apart from faith. God has
no unwilling bride, He has no unloving children. You are saved
through faith, and that faith is not of yourselves, it's the
gift of God. It's not of works, it's not of
works, it's not of works, lest any man should boast. Don't be
boasting. What were we, dead? What is He,
rich? What did He do, saved you? Called
you by His grace? What are you now? I'm His. Verse 10, for we're his. Lock,
stock, and barrel, I'm his. And Solomon said, and he's mine.
He's mine. I want you to turn to Song of
Solomon. Now quit. I want to show you something
here. I'm his and he's mine. The whole religious world's taken
up with themselves and what they're doing and their programs and
denominations and celebrations and promotions Programs and all
these things everybody's got something to do But people Who've been loved
by Christ redeemed by Christ had taken up with him They're sitting in his presence
song of Solomon chapter 5 chapter 5 verse 9 They said they didn't understand.
The watchman caught this woman, and they didn't understand. She
said, I want my beloved. And they said in verse 9, Song
of Solomon and Fire, they said, what's your beloved more than
any other beloved? That's good questioning. Everybody's
got a Jesus. Everybody's got a religion. Everybody's got some kind of
hope for heaven. What's your beloved? Oh, thou fairest among
women, fair in His fairness. What is your beloved more than
another religion or another belief or another beloved that you do
so charge us? Well, she said, watch it. Now
listen. My beloved is white. He's pure. And he's ruddy. He's strong. He's the chief among
10,000, a definite number for an indefinite. He's the greatest.
His head is as the most fine gold. His head's not gold. His
crown is. He's king. His locks are bushy
and black as a raven. He's eternally young. His eyes
are as the eyes of a dove, gentle, by the rivers of water, washed
with milk. They're clear. His eyes are clear
and fitly set. They don't change. He looks upon
me with love and it'll never change. The eyes are the windows
of the soul. They tell all about us. My beloved's
eyes are clear and fitly set and gentle. so forgiving. And his cheeks, verse 13, are
as a bed of spices, so sweet and so soft like sweet flowers,
lying down there in the soft comfort of his presence. His
lips are like lilies, dropping sweet-smelling myrrh as grace
flows from his lips. He doesn't rebuke me and reprimand
me like my preacher does. He doesn't tear my hide off and
pour in salt like these evangelists do. He speaks peace to my heart
and grace. His lips just drop with the sweetest
words. His hands are as gold rings set
with beryl. He's so generous. His belly is
as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires. That's compassion.
He's compassionate. I'm already forgiven before I
ever ask him. His legs are as pillars of marbles.
He's so strong. unmoving, set upon sockets of
fine gold, and his countenance as is as Lebanon, excellent as
the cedars. He is the purest of the pure,
holiest of the holy, strongest of the strong, the lily of the
valley, the fairest among ten thousand, and his mouth is most
sweet. Yea, he's altogether lovely. Everything about him, past, present,
and future, is lovely, altogether lovely. That's my beloved. Want to tell me about yours? That's my beloved. Ain't no denomination
can come up with that. I hear them say, well, you got
to belong to the Church of Christ. The Church of Christ ain't, they
don't come up to that. Well, you got to be a Baptist.
Oh, Barnard, you ain't in spitting distance of that. Well, I got a profession. I've
had an experience. Is it like this beloved here?
Boy, boy, boy. This is my beloved. And you know
what? He's my friend. He's my friend. He's not my enemy. He's my friend. Well, that's a good sermon for
sinners, isn't it? Ah, a sinner is a sacred thing. The Holy Ghost
made him so. And God's going to save every
sinner. Let's sing 235.

A Sermon for Sinners

What does the Bible say about Jesus saving sinners?

How do we know salvation is all of grace?

Why is the concept of election important for Christians?

What does the Bible say about true saving faith?

Sermon Transcript

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A Sermon for Sinners

What does the Bible say about Jesus saving sinners?

How do we know salvation is all of grace?

Why is the concept of election important for Christians?

What does the Bible say about true saving faith?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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