A preacher friend told me that he went down to the hospital to visit with one of his faithful
deacons, a man who had been a member of his church for many years, and who was very, very sick. The doctors had given up. And
he was coming to the end of his life on this earth. And he said, I visited with him
and we talked. I knew it would be the last time
I'd see him alive, and he knew that it was the last time that
he'd talk to me. And he said, we talked a while.
We'd been friends for so long. And then we had prayer. And he said, before I left him,
I leaned over and took him by the hand and I looked him in the face
and I called him by name and I said to him, are you truly saved? Are you prepared to meet God? Do you really know Christ? And
he said, that man looked at me And with a weak, dying voice,
he said, Yes, sir, if you told me right, if you told me right,
because I believe the gospel you preach. Now I'm asking myself, and I'm
asking you today, and as far as you know, you're not dying,
not immediately, but who knows? But I'm asking myself, and I'm
asking you these questions. Do you know the living God? Do you really know the living
God? Our Lord Jesus Christ said, this is life eternal. It's not
to know doctrine, or church history, or even the law, but it's to
know the living God. And Jesus Christ, whom he has
sent, do you know him? Can you say with Paul, I know
whom I have believed? I wonder, do we have religion or do we have a saving interest
in Christ? Now, which is it? This is a religious
day. This is a religious country.
Everybody's got religion. But do we have a saving interest
in Christ? That's what I'm asking. Are we
in the church or in Christ? Do we know the doctrine or do
we know the Redeemer? Some people can recite the doctrine
forwards and backwards who do not know the Redeemer. Saul of
Tarsus was an orthodox, moral, religious heresy before he met
Christ. I wonder, have we learned Calvinism
or Christ? Good question, isn't it? I do
know this, you don't arrive at Christ through doctrine. You
arrive at doctrine through Christ. I've heard people say, well,
I believe the doctrines of grace, but I'm not a Christian. Oh,
that's an impossibility. That's an impossibility. There's
no man who can even understand grace without Christ. You've
got it all wrong. Whatever doctrines you have that
you call Calvinism or grace, that's not grace at all without
Christ. You understand it wrongly. You've
got to know Him. He's the key of knowledge. I'm
asking this, do we have a knowledge of and an interest in how God
justifies sinners? how God can be just and justifier. Turn to Psalm 85. Let me read
you a verse here and ask a question. Psalm 85, verse 10. Do we have an interest in how
God can be God and save sinners in such a way that he can still
be God? Holy and righteous, merciful
and true. Look at Psalm 85, verse 10. Mercy and truth are met together. Now where could that take place?
Mercy and truth. Here, God is truth. The soul
that's in it, it shall surely die. No question about that.
And you've seen it, and you've got to die. But how is God going
to be truthful in dealing with you, and yet merciful in dealing
with you? Only at Calvary. You see that? Read the next line.
Righteousness, this is pure, absolute, immaculate, perfect,
unchangeable, infinite righteousness. And there's no way you can stand
under that searchlight. And yet it says, righteousness
and peace have kissed each other. Where could that take place?
Do you understand that verse? If you don't understand that
verse, you've missed the gospel. Because the gospel reveals what
that verse means. That's right. Mercy and truth
met together, only Calvary. You see, the mercy of God says,
I'll show mercy, and the attribute of truth says, not at my expense
you won't. The love of God said, I'll love sinners, and holiness
says, not at my expense you won't. God says, well, I will be gracious,
and justice says, not at my expense you won't. So how is God going
to be just and justifier, truth and mercy? righteousness and
peace, holiness and grace in Christ. That's where it is. That's where it is. That's where
it is. I tell you, I'm going to sound
this note. Somebody said one time, well,
you hear him once, you've heard him, all he's got to say. That
may be true. But I'm going to blow this trumpet
and sound this note and declare this gospel to somebody. including
myself, like Mary of old, bathes the feet of Christ with tears
of repentance and kisses the feet of Christ with grateful
affection. Right? I'm going to blow this
trumpet and sound this note of how God can be just and justifier,
how God can be merciful and yet truth and righteousness, until
somebody like Thomas of old falls at his feet in submission and
looks up and cries, My Lord and my God. The beauty and glory
of God's redemption in the face of Christ Jesus. We'll blow this trumpet and sound
this note and declare this gospel until I hear the voice of a publican
standing afar off, crying, God! Oh, God! Will you be merciful to me? center,
instead of hearing this generation of Pharisees bragging about what
they've done and what they've given and what they've said.
I hear that on every hand. I hear them The voice is saying,
we did this, we did that, we tithed, we preached, we gave,
we built, we cast out, we preached, we did all these things. And
in all this hullabaloo of voices, just once in a while, you hear
somebody who will not even so much as lift his eyes to heaven
and cry, God! Be merciful. until somebody like the hymn
writer of old can say, My life, my love, I give to thee, thy
Lamb of God, who died for me. O God, may I ever faithful be
to my Savior and my God. I now believe, I now believe
thou dost receive, for thou hast died that I may live. And now
henceforth I trust in thee, my Savior and my God." I don't care
how long you've been in church or how long you've preached or
how much you've sacrificed and given. Forgiveness of sin is
through the blood of Christ only. That's right. It doesn't matter how long you've
been a professing Christian, doesn't matter how much you've
preached and traveled, no matter how much money you've sacrificed,
no matter how much, how faithful you've been in several incidences,
our righteousness and sanctification before Almighty God is through
Christ and Christ only. Our hope of eternal glory is
totally dependent on Jesus Christ, who is our Atonement, our Redemption,
our Sanctification, our Mediator, and our Passover. And nothing
that I can do, nothing I have done, nothing I ever will do,
will influence the hand of God to move in mercy toward me in
any respect except in Christ. We're shut up to Christ. Like old Spurgeon said, you get
a man out there in the ocean on a ship, take the ship away
from him. And then he's clinging to a plank,
take the plank away from him. And when he has nothing to hold
to and cling to and trust in, and he begins to sink helplessly
and hopelessly, God reaches down and lifts him out. That's salvation.
That's salvation. Nothing in my hands I bring,
simply to the cross of Jesus Christ I cling. Could my tears
forever flow? Could my zeal and my enthusiasm,
no languor, no respite? No. These for sin could never
atone. Never atone. Christ was saved
in Christ the Lord. But oh, my friends, what confidence
we can have in Christ. That's what I'm going to show
you. Turn to Romans 4 and 5. what confidence we can have in
Christ. There is no confidence in the flesh. There is no confidence
in the works of the law. There's no confidence in religion.
There's no confidence in preachers. There's no confidence in doctrine.
We are true Israel who worship God in the Spirit, who rejoice
in Christ, and have no confidence in the flesh at all. but what confidence we can have
in Christ. And we'll show you why. What
peace and rest and joy there is in believing. I mean rest. Nothing is more tiring than trying
to live a religious life without Christ. That's tiring. Nothing
is more confusing. Did you know that? Nothing is
more boring than trying to live a religious life without Christ.
But what peace and joy and rest there is in Christ, what sweet
assurance, what sweet confidence comes to the soul who for refuge
to Jesus has fled, of whom the hymn writer said, that soul though
all hell, all hell should endeavor to shake, he'll never, no, never,
no, never forsake. Look at Romans 4. Romans chapter
4. Here in verse 3, what say the
Scriptures? I know what men's thoughts declare
about this, and I know what a lot of denominations say, and I know
what a lot of religious literature says, but what does the Scripture
say? What does the Scripture say?
Abraham believed God. This man Abraham, who's the friend
of God, This man Abraham, whom God called out of idolatry. This
man Abraham, of whom God said his seed would be like the sands
of the seashore and the stars of heaven. This man Abraham,
who walked with God. But Abraham believed God, and
his faith was counted for righteousness. Even Abraham, even Abraham had
to find his righteousness in Christ. Look at verse 5. But to him that
worketh not, he works, but not for righteousness. To him that
worketh not is the reward. But to him that worketh not,
but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted
for righteousness, or imputed, or reckoned for righteousness. Actually, hold that place there
and turn to Galatians. I want to show you something.
Galatians 5. Galatians chapter 5. Listen to this. Now, the believer
works. Some of you, and our young men
out preaching today, some of you have given. Some of you have
worked on this building. Some of you have witnessed, taught.
You ladies have been working all week, preparing Bible school.
We have Bible school this week, and some of you have worked hard
for weeks, studying, preparing. You work, but not for righteousness,
not for acceptance with God. Because if you do, if you do,
you've fallen from grace. You've deserted the lifeboat.
You're trying to swim across the ocean. It won't work. That's what he said in Galatians
5, listen, verse 2. Behold, I fall say unto you,
if you be circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. Now
wait a minute, there's nothing wrong with being circumcised.
A lot of us have our men, children, circumcised when they're born.
for various reasons. And there's nothing wrong with
works. There's nothing wrong with...
But now, if you do these things for acceptance with God, now
that's different. Like a fellow says, well, I know
baptism has nothing to do with salvation, but I'm going to be
baptized just in case. Hold it. There ain't no just
in case about it. You'd better stay away from the
water. You'd do anything. I mean, well, I know, I know.
No, you don't know either. You think you know? It's Christ
plus nothing, minus nothing. Well, I know, I know, I know
preacher talks about, you know, tithing's not a New Testament
requirement. Tithing's under law. Believers
don't tithe, they give. Let a man give as he purposes
in his heart. Well, if ten percent's it, I
don't have to purpose anything. It's already been purposed. But
I won't tie it anyway just in case. Oh, hold it, boy. You better
keep your money. That's sinful giving. You do anything. I don't care
what it is. He said if you be circumcised
with even the thought, with even the inkling of a thought that
you're doing this to please God, or to satisfy God, or get on
the good side of God, or get in the favor of God, Christ is
not worth a hill of beans to you. That's right, Reno. If I testify
again to every man that's circumcised, every man that starts keeping
the law for acceptance with God, he's a debtor to do the whole
thing. So you start down that road.
See what I'm talking about? It's a long road. You even put
one foot in that road. See, Christ is the way. We're
in the way. We're in Christ. Christ is the
way. And we're settled and dedicated
and confident and in the way. But you put one toe in the road
of the Lord, you'll be able to walk the whole way. And God will
meet you at the end and say, you've fallen short. That's what
he said. Christ, verse 4, has become of
no effect to you. No effect. He's not worth anything
to you. Whosoever of you is justified by law, you've fallen from the
truth of grace. You've fallen from the gospel
of grace. You've fallen from the message of grace. You've
fallen from any trust in grace. You've fallen from the redemption
by grace. You're trying to get to God some
other way. See what I'm saying? Works of good. Works of faith,
labor of love, giving, preaching, witnessing. Walking with God. All of these things. But they
do not satisfy God. They do not please God. They
do not redeem us. Not any of our rags of righteousness
can please a holy God. It's faith. Alright, read on. Read verse 6 through 8. Listen
to this. And watch how this word imputed keeps coming up. Counted,
reckoned, imputed. Already twice. Verse 6, even
as David also described the blessedness, happiness of the man under whom
God imputeth righteousness, holiness. What kind of righteousness is
this? Well, this is not the phony righteousness and holiness of
today's religion. Touch not, taste not, handle
not. This, my friend, is the holiness of God Himself. This
is the perfection of God. And God imputes, He imputes,
He charges, He reckons absolute, perfect, Holiness without works
to whom? To those who believe. Saying,
Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, whose sins are
covered. Blessed is the man to whom God will not charge sin. Wow, I tell you, you talk about
confidence. All right, look at verse 9 and
10. Now, does this blessedness, this holiness, this righteousness,
does it come upon the circumcision only the religious Jew? the professing
religionist, the man who's fulfilling the requirements and conditions,
or upon the uncircumcision also. But we say that faith was reckoned
to Abraham for righteousness. When? When was it reckoned to
him for righteousness? After he was circumcised or before? Before. Before. God didn't wait around till Abraham
fulfilled these conditions and obeyed these requirements and
met these traditions and customs and say, now you're righteous.
Abraham believed God and God declared him in Christ righteous
and holy. And then he did these things. Look at verse 21. Why? He believed
God. Verse 21, being fully persuaded
that what God had promised, what God promised him, God promised
him a son. Well, that's the impossibility.
There's no human hope that Abraham 100 and his wife 90 will have
a son. It's against all hope, but God
promised it. And Abraham believed God. And
God imputed to him a perfect holiness because he believed
Him. Do you believe God? You mean Jesus Christ came into
this world, the Lord of glory who made heaven and earth, who
was before all things, who was God, who is God. He came into
this world by the power of the Holy Spirit, was formed in a
virgin's womb, and was born and lay in a manger. A tender plant
was washed and swaddled and cleansed and laid in a manger, and then
grew up in a carpenter's shop and was obedient to his parents
and worked and earned his living by the sweat of his brow and
was kicked in all parts as we are as a human being, walked
on this earth, God in human flesh, and then went to the cross and
died on that cross and bore my sins in his body and was buried
and rose again and ascended to the right hand of God where he
reigns. Is that what you're telling me?
Is that what you're commanding me to believe? Yes, sir, that's
it right there. That's it. that from Alpha to Omega, from
beginning to end, your acceptance with God is not in yourself,
or in your deeds, or in your works, or in your morality, or
in your religion, or in your profession, or in your decision.
It's in that man right there. From the time he stood for us
and we stood in him as our divine charity, the Lamb slain from
the foundation of the world, all the way through his incarnation
and his perfect life and his betrayal and death and burial
and resurrection and ascension and exaltation where He is our
forerunner who's entered within the veil. That is my salvation. Hold incomplete. I make no contribution,
none whatsoever. Anything you do would be negative. Anything you would try to put
with this spotless robe would be detrimental. The only thing
you can put on the robe of Christ is a smudge. The only thing you
can do to the blood of Christ is dilute it. The only thing
you can do by your religious profession and deeds to Almighty
God is anger Him. That's what I'm saying. That's what I'm saying. Abraham just believed. He believed
God. You preach like that, people
won't do anything. Religious people won't, but saved
people will. You have to whip religious people
to get them to do anything anyway, don't you? Promise them rewards
in heaven, promise them a house bigger than somebody else's,
promise them a job, promise them two cars, promise them health
and body to get them to serve God or give or do anything. You've
got to promise them something or threaten them with hell. God's
people do these things because they love Him. Now verse 23 says in Romans 4,
Now this was not written for his sake alone, that righteousness
was imputed to him, but for us also, to whom it shall be imputed
this same holiness that clothed Abraham, this same righteousness
with which he was blessed, this same friendship with God which
Abraham enjoyed. Boy, I can tell you, these Jews
said, we have Abraham. But in Christ, I have everything
Abraham has. That's right. This same blessedness,
look at it, shall be imputed to us, but for us also to whom
it shall be imputed if we believe. If we believe. Not if we walk
around, not if we're baptized, not if we join the church, not
if we work and labor and give, not if we preach, not if we remain
faithful. If we believe. And God's not
going to wait around to see what you'll do or what the results
will be. You believe. If you really believe in the
results, you'll be alright. If you believe in Him, you'll
keep on believing in Him. If we believe on him that raised
up Jesus, our Lord from the dead, who was delivered for our offenses
and raised for our justification. Now, what's this? Therefore,
verse 1, chapter 5. Therefore. Therefore. Here's a big word. Somebody used
to say, when you come to a therefore in the Bible, see what is therefore.
It has something to say about what he just said. Something
to say about what he just said. Therefore. Therefore, if we believe with that heart's faith, if we
believe on Christ, look to Christ, not to our works, not to our
deeds, not to our religious professions, experiences, or feelings. If
we believe Christ, if we believe the gospel in our hearts, therefore
being justified, just as if I had never sinned, not guilty, without
guilt, without offense, without sin before God. fully unblameable
in Christ, therefore being justified by faith, I have peace with God." God's not angry. Heaven is not angry with Him.
I have peace with God. God's reconciled. He that believeth not on the
Son, the wrath of God abideth on him. God hateth all workers
of iniquity. That's what the Word says. God's
angry with the wicked. But if I can believe Christ, if I can with the heart, and
God doesn't bypass the mind, He lets me see who Christ is,
lets me see what Christ did, and why Christ did it, that He
might be just and justified, and where Christ is now. I call
on the name of Christ. The name of Christ is the name
of Jehovah. Jehovah our righteousness, Jehovah
our banner, Jehovah our shepherd, Jehovah's present, Jehovah all
of these things that are made up in that, that make up that
grand and glorious sevenfold name of Jehovah's Christ. And
I believe, I believe, Lord, I believe, help my unbelief. But if I can't,
I have peace with God. I mean, heavens of peace. Well, I got to go to church Sunday.
God might be angry if I don't go to church Sunday. Is that
why you can't? Well, I got to give my offering,
you know. God might take it out in a hospital bill if I don't.
Is that why you can't? Look at that next verse. It says,
Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God,
and not only that, verse 2, by whom also we have access, access,
entrance by faith into this grace, into sonship, into a state of
favor, into a state of blessing, all heavenly blessings in Christ.
It's by faith that we have access into this grace wherein we stand
and rejoice. in hope of the glory of God by
faith. By faith. Not only that, verse
3, not only that, but we glory even in trial and tribulation
when things aren't going too well. Our Lord said, in this
world you'll have tribulation. Don't expect it to be any different.
But even in that trial and tribulation, those who believe, those who
believe, all things work together for their good. Oh, I tell you, let me give you
one more word in conclusion. Actually, two words together. Actually, two words in Chapter
5. The two words are much more.
Those two words occur five times in Chapter 5. Did you notice
it? Much more, much more, much more. And what we're saying is this,
those who can, by God's grace, believe Christ, cease from their works and cease
from their labors and cease from their strivings, cease going
about to establish their own righteousness and believe Christ,
rest in Christ, trust in Christ alone, they have peace. They have peace with God. They
have access into sonship, into the grace of God, into the favor
of God. They're in the inner circle.
They're in the throne room. And even when the sea is tossing
them, and the billows are tossing them, and the skies seem to be
dark, and the storm clouds are rolling, they have joy and confidence
that this is all in His divine will, and it will be for my good.
Now watch these two words here. Look at verse 8 and 9. But God
commended His love toward us, His love, His eternal, infinite,
everlasting love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us. Much more than, much more than,
being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath
through Him. Listen to me. If while you were
yet a sinner, undone, a rebel, a shameful creature, astray from
God, if then God loved you and Christ died for you, much more
now that you are reconciled. See what he is saying? I go out here and find an old
stray alley cat full of mange and cripples and skinny, bone-sticking
out, angry, got his claws at me, and I loved that cat and
take it home and wash it and clean it up and doctor it and
make it a beautiful cat. If I loved it when it was a stinking
attic cat, much more now will I tolerate its presence. That's what he said. God commended
his love for us in that while we were yet rats, Enemies, rebels,
shameful, corrupt, preachers, if He loved us then, much more
than washed in the blood of His Son, much more than reconciled
by the death of Christ, much more than a son. He'll never
leave you. Oh, I tell you, if God had left
you, He'd have left you a long time ago, fella. If what you do and say influences
the love of God, He never would have called you to begin with,
because you never were anything. That's right. That's what He
said. Look at verse 10. If, when we were enemies, I mean
shooting enemies, I mean spitting enemies, I mean fist shaking
enemies, I mean, berserk enemies of God. If when we were enemies
we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more
being reconciled will be saved by His life, much more. I don't understand these folks
that say God saved them and called them and found them cesspool
and dunghill and brought him to Christ, and now they're kind
of doubtful about his love and grace. Well, boy, if he loved
you then, if he saved you then, how much more? How much more? I'm somebody, did you know that?
I'm a son of the King. Good gracious. Look at verse
12. Verse 15, but not as the offense,
so also is the free gift. He's saying in one sense, Adam
is a type of Christ, and yet God's free gift in Christ is
not even to be compared with Adam. That's what he's saying.
If not as the offense, so is the free gift, for if through
the offense of one, many be dead. By Adam's fall, we're dead. If
that Adam's fall had that kind of effect on us to slay us and
destroy us and to kill us spiritually, much more by the grace of God
and the gift of grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ,
hath abounded to many. If the fall of Adam, if my being
identified with him and in him when he fell, if it had that
kind of effect on me through Adam, think of the glorious effect
that I have through Christ, much more. In Adam, I lost everything. In Christ, I gained more than
everything. I said, everything Adam lost
was restored in Christ. Much more. Much more. Adam could fall. I can't. Adam
could sin. I can't. Much more. Not even
worthy to be compared. I look at verse 17. For if by
one man's offense, One man's offense, death, death reigns. Much more, much more, they which
receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness
shall reign in life by one Jesus Christ. If through my identification
with Adam, death had that kind of effect on me, and who can
deny that? Much more shall we be made righteous
and reign with Christ. Do you think that the strength
of sin is greater than the strength of grace? Do you think that the strength
of Adam's fall is greater than the restoration of Christ? Oh,
no. Much more. Much more. Why can't I look to Him? Why
can't I believe in Him? People have come to everything
but Christ. Tell them to come down to the front, shake the
preacher's hand, here they come, by the droves. And I do not say this, I do not
say, if the fall of Adam, death reigned through the shaking of
the hand, grace reigned, that won't work with it. I won't reign
very long, I'm going to be dead. And in front of this church,
discarded. Then where's your salvation? But I'll tell you,
if we can look to Christ, much more. Much more. Look here, if you will, at verse
20. Moreover, the law entered that the offense might abound,
but I'll tell you this, where sin abounded, contaminated, corrupted,
overflowed, affected every faculty much more, shall His grace cleanse,
forgive, and bring in justification, sanctification, and redemption
much more." See what I'm saying? You see what Paul said? Can you
rest in Christ? Can you trust in Christ? Paul said, he's able to keep
that which I've committed to him. Can you hope in Christ? Can you
believe in Christ? Well, there's where all the promises
of God are. I'm going to preach on that tonight.
All the promises of God in Christ are yes. You mean if I come to
Christ, my sins are forgiven? Yes. You mean if I rest in Christ,
I have eternal life? Yes. You mean just by believing
Him? Yes. You mean my name's in the book
of life if I can believe Christ died for my sins and is the Son
of God? Yes. You can't ask a question
about Christ that's not yes. And not only yes, but what's
amen mean? So be it. So be it. That's what God said. So be it. You see, a lot of preachers today
are preaching about Christ. They're not preaching Christ.
And their congregations are learning about Christ, and they're reading
about Christ, and they're talking about Christ, and they've never
learned Christ. They've never closed with Christ. And God's going to consider us
only in Christ. We're chosen in Him. Loved in
Him. Called in Him. Accepted in Him. Crucified in Him. Buried in Him.
Risen in Him. And seated in Him. I am Christ. And Christ is me. By faith. And everything God has for His
Son, I'm a joint heir. That's right. And that's where
I say, come to Christ. Don't you move a muscle. Don't
move a step. Coming to Christ is not a physical
venture. It's a heart faith.