And I'm going to deal with it
as plainly and clearly and simply as I can this morning on the
subject, is salvation by grace or is it by works? It says here
in Romans 11, verse 6, And if by grace, and if it is by grace,
if salvation is by grace, then is it no more of works, not at
all, in any shape, form or fashion, does make any contribution Otherwise,
grace is not grace. Grace has got to be unmerited,
got to be undeserved, to be grace. But if salvation is by works,
if it's of works, then grace has nothing to do with it. It
doesn't matter what you say, it doesn't matter what you claim.
If it's by works, if that's what you preach and what you believe
and that to which you hold, then grace has got nothing to do with
it. It's impossible. Otherwise, work is not work.
Now, back a few years after the fall, not many years after the
fall, nobody knows how many, but two young men came before
the Lord. If you read that scripture carefully,
I read a while ago, they came unto the Lord. Abel came unto
the Lord and Cain came unto the Lord. They both came before the
Lord. Two young men came before the
Lord, seeking what? Seeking acceptance. seeking fellowship,
seeking communion, seeking some interchange of fellowship or relationship. They came before the Lord, they
came unto the Lord, these two men. One of the men came, came
before the Lord, both of them brought an offering, both of
them brought a sacrifice or an offering. Both of them built
an altar, both built an altar, and both brought an offering
came brought of the fruits of the field. Being a farmer, he
was proud of his tomatoes and corn and cabbage and squash and
these other things. He was proud of his wheat and
oats and barley. And he worked hard and went out
and probably got the first fruits. He probably got the first part
of the harvest. And he brought it and brought
it He put it on that altar unto the Lord, and Abel brought a
lamb. He slew that lamb and burned
it on the altar and offered the blood unto the Lord. Now, Cain
sought acceptance before God. That's what he came for. He came
to bring before God an offering, to bring before God some sort
of effort. to get acquainted or to have
communion with God, but he brought his works. And Abel came before
the Lord and sought acceptance or fellowship or communion only
on the basis of blood or grace. Now, this is the summary of all
religion. I don't care what you call it.
It's as simple as this. Here it is right here, portrayed
before us. It happened a long time ago. Here is all religion
in a nutshell. You can call it Protestant, Catholic
or Jew, it doesn't make any difference. You can call it Baptist and all
the different names under the Baptist. You can call it Presbyterian,
United, Southern or whatever. You can call it Methodist, Free
Methodist, United Methodists or First Methodists or whatever,
you can call it Camelite, you can call it Christian, you can
call it whatever you will, it doesn't matter. You can call
it even fundamentalism, liberalism or whatever, you can call it
Calvinism or antinomianism or Arminianism or humanism, put
any ism on it you want to, but it all boils down to this one
point, what's on the altar. She comes down to that one point.
These two fellows, it may be King spent a lot of time on,
he might have polished that altar real pretty. He might have got
stones from India. He might have brought in the
most beautiful stones. He might have had those stones
shaped by the finest artists, chiseled out by the greatest
craftsmen in the world. There are all things to that
altar, and Abel might have done the same. Or he might have just
had a plain old dirty rock that he found in a creek bay. But
the difference is, the whole issue is, what's on the altar? That's the whole thing. God had
respect to Abel in his offering. He did not have respect to Cain
or his offering. You see what I'm saying? That's
where the difference was, right there. One was the fruit of effort
and works and deeds. The other was by grace and mercy
and by blood. Here's the situation, and these
boys knew it. God is holy. God is immutably,
infinitely, eternally holy. There's no way that we can comprehend
just how holy is the Lord. There's no way, but he is holy.
Man is desperately sinful, wicked, born in sin, shaken in iniquity,
brought forth speaking lies. No way for us in our natural
minds to conceive of just how evil man is in God's eyes, in
God's sight. Our sins have separated us from
God. That's so. God is unapproachable. God is holy. Who shall stand
in his presence? Who can come before the Lord?
All the way through the Old Testament, when these people saw the Lord,
they saw him in holiness, glory, righteousness. and man in his corruption. Now,
here's the question. The question is, it's not what's
your doctrine, what's my doctrine. The question is not whether you're
right and I'm wrong, or I'm right and you're wrong. It's not even
our sincerity. That's not the question. The
question is, how does he get to him? That's the question of
it. How does he, man, in his depravity,
inability, corruption and shame, get to him in his holiness, infinite
righteousness. How is this gap going to be bridged?
How are the two going to have fellowship again? How is this
Holy God going to be just and justify that mess? How can he
that is born of a woman be clean? Not in his sight, not in the
sight of others, but in his sight, God's sight. How is he going
to be clean in his sight? How is he going to approach him?
How is man going to find acceptance with him? That's the whole issue
of religion. That's why I'm here this morning.
And that's why you're here. Everybody that's assembled everywhere
today, I don't care where they're assembled, whether they're on
their knees, over their face in Mecca, Or whether they are
climbing up those steps of old Buddha and Kamakura today, or
whether they are in some congregation where a fellow is up here with
his robes on, going through all of the motions of pouring water
on things and sprinkling things and dipping wafers. No matter
what they are doing, whether they are baptizing or eating
the table or going through the motions, this one issue, how
does he get to him? That's it. That's the whole issue
of religion. That's the whole reason for religion,
that's the whole cause of religion, that's the whole foundation of
religion. How does he get to him without changing him, without altering his holiness,
without dishonoring his law, without dishonoring his justice? He's not going to change. He's
not going to change. And bless your heart, our problem
is, we can't change. Not in the flesh. Can the Ethiopian
change his skin? Can the leper change his spots?
Neither can you do good with a custom of doing evil. That's
the problem. That's the whole issue of religion.
I've got a life to live, and so do you. I'm here. I'm here
already. I've got a life to live. I want
to live it walking with him. How am I going to do it? I've
got a death to die, and so do you. And I want to die in him,
in his grace and favor. How am I going to do it? I've
got a judgment to face. I have no ambitions to face it
at all, not in my strength or sins. I want to face that judgment
justified in him, alright in his sight, holy in his sight.
I'll be honest with you, I'm selfish in this matter, aren't
you? I want to be justified. I have an eternity to spend,
and I want to spend it with him. Without any doubts about it,
I want to spend it with him. That's all there is to it. And
that's the whole issue involving religion. That's the whole reason
for our pursuing religion. That's the whole reason for being
here. How did he get to him? How is he going to come to him? He's not going to change, he's
not going to move. He's unchangeable, immutable.
I'm the Lord, I've changed nothing. And the unfortunate thing is,
man's not going to change either. In the flesh dwelleth no good
thing, in the flesh no man can please God, in the flesh, the
flesh is the flesh, and it will stay flesh. And your sins have
separated you and your God. That's your problem, that's my
problem. Not God's problem, my problem. My sins are separating
me from God. Cain, Cain came before the Lord, and he exercised, you say, but
I got faith. Now hold on a minute, Cain had
faith too. Yes, he did. Now, wait a minute. He exercised a form of faith. He approached God with a form
of faith. He believed in God. He believed
in God. He wouldn't have built that altar,
Jay. He believed in God. He wouldn't
have brought that sacrifice. He believed in God. Secondly,
he believed he had sinned to some extent, or he wouldn't have
brought an offering He brought, no matter what it is, whatever
he volunteered to pay, he volunteered to pay something. He felt that
there was a breach of fellowship somewhere, there was some trouble,
because whatever he brought, it might have been a nickel,
but he still brought something. He knew that he had violated,
he knew that he had sinned, he knew that in some respect there
was a problem, that there was a debt he was going to have to
pay off. So he exercised that faith, and then he believed in
what he did. He was sincere. You say, was
he really? He killed his brother over it.
That's how sincere he was. It's the same thing over there
when they kill those martyrs. Those religious leaders are sincere
enough to shed blood over what they believe. And Cain brought
his offering. He believed in God. He believed
that he had, to some degree or extent, had problems with that
God, and he brought the best he had. I hear people say, I'm
doing the best I can. So did Cain. I guarantee you
he didn't pick the a wormy apple and bring it. He shined it and
waxed it. I guarantee you he didn't bring
a stubby piece of corn that was left over. He brought the richest,
ripest, freshest corn he could find. After all, he was dealing
with eternal matters, dealing with God. I'm saying this present
generation of religionists, they're doing good in their eyes. They're
bringing their best, they're picking their tithes off the
top, their time off the top, their efforts off the top. There's
nothing too good for God! There's nothing too good for
the Lord! I dedicate my life to him! Yes, sir, faith, but
he mixed it with works. Here's the whole problem. He
mixed it with works. He had faith, but he mixed it
with works. Now, Abel. Look at Abel's He
brought nothing of himself. There is nothing of evil on that
orphan, nothing. He came by a life that he didn't
live. That sheep lived that life. He
came by death that he did not die and had no part in it. He
came by sufferings to which he made no contribution. He never
suffered Joe one iota. He came by blood he didn't shed. Joe didn't shed one drop of blood.
What was on that altar was the life of another, the sacrifice
of another, the suffering of another, the death of another,
and the blood of another, and he just stood back and watched
him die! And that was his offer. All grace. All grace. God even fed that
lamb with his own grass. That's God's lamb. God gave it
life. old Cain planted that corn, Abel
didn't have a thing to do with the life of that sheep. God gave
life. God took it, too. He didn't mix
works in any way. Cain's sacrifice and Abel's sacrifice
cannot abide together, just can't do it. What's on the altar? As
I come before God, God's holy, I'm sinful, there's got to be
a sacrifice. God's got to be just and righteous
and holy. Sin's got to be paid for. The
debt's got to be paid. An offering's got to be bought.
Cain's offering of works cannot abide beside Abel's offering
of grace. The son of the bondwoman, God
said, Abraham, the son of the bondwoman, cannot inherit with
the son of promise. They can't live under the same
roof. They can't stay in the same house. They can't live on
the same ranch! But let me give Ishmael just
ten acres down in the corner. He's got to get clear off the
place. This is works. Works has got to be driven clear
off the place. It can't have ten acres of a
ten-thousand-acre plot. It can't even have just a cabin
in the corner of Blooming. It can't do it. Words cannot
even raise its little finger, it cannot make any contribution
whatsoever. The son of the bondwoman has
got to get clear off the place, like they say in Alabama, clean
out of here. The message of Christ and the
ceremonies of the Pharisees cannot abide together. The gospel of
Paul and the word of circumcision cannot stand in the same church.
The Reformers and the Religionists must divide, and the message
today, salvation is of the Lord, and sinners say, Thyself cannot
abide together. Turn to Galatians 2.20. This
is how clear Paul makes it. Galatians 2.20. This is how clear
I'd better make it. Galatians 2.20. Galatians 2.21. I do not frustrate, that word
means confuse, distort or confound. I do not frustrate the grace
of God. If righteousness come to the
law, Christ died in vain. That's it. I mean, dear brethren, and I
mean to be heard and understood. in the salvation of my soul,
in the redemption of my soul, in the justification of my soul
before God, in the paying of my penalty, in the satisfaction
of my righteousness and holiness, in my acceptance with God, in
the forgiveness of sin, in the pardon of iniquity, in the blotting
out of my transgressions. It's all of grace by the gift
of God through the merits and blood of Christ as if I had never
even believed, as if I had never repented, as if I had never raised
my hand or spoke a word or took a step. It's all of grace. That's so. God doesn't forgive
me because I did anything. He forgave me because of the
offering on that altar, the blood on that cross. the obedience of his Son and
the intercession of my Mediator." Somebody said one time, if someone
doesn't accuse you of being an antinomian, if someone down the
line doesn't accuse you of being an antinomian, what an antinomian
is, that's a person without law, a person that carries liberty
to excess, a person who says the law doesn't matter and so
forth. If someone doesn't accuse you of that, you're not preaching
grace. You've got to preach grace. Paul did. They said, Well, if
our sins recommend the grace of God, let's sin that grace
may abound. That's what they accused Paul
of. They said, If we're saved by grace apart from anything,
let's don't do anything. Paul said, God forbid. But that's
what they detected from his preaching. That's what I want you to detect
from my preaching when I preach grace. It's grace so clearly
and grace so distinctly and grace so positively that it saves a
thief on a cross, who never walked an aisle, who never made a decision
as far as what we call decisions, who was never baptized, who never
paid a dime, who never witnessed a soul, who never won a soul
to Jesus, who never made any contribution whatsoever outwardly
to the kingdom of God. But he's as saved and redeemed
and glorified and forgiven and justified as Paul himself. That's right. He's not living
in a cabin, he's in the image of Jesus Christ, in the full
bloom and flower of eternal glory. That's right. I don't frustrate
the grace of God, I do not. If righteousness come by works
in any shape, form, or fashion, even if it's the wiggling of
a little finger, Jesus Christ died in me. I see five things,
I'm going to give them to you briefly. I see five things in
dealing with this subject. I see God shown me a little bit,
not much, but a little bit. There's no way that I could contain
very much of it, none of us could. We don't have the vessels in
which to contain it. I've seen a little bit of the
attributes of God, a little bit. I remember Brother Pemberton,
Brother Spurlock, when somebody introduced him to a young preacher,
he had asked the young preacher this, How big is your God? Do
you remember him asking that, How big is your God? I said,
What did you ask him that for? He said, If I can find out how
big his God is, I can tell you what he's preaching. I'm telling you this, I found
out a little bit about the attributes of God. Attributes is a big word
for this, qualities that belong to God only, characteristics. I found out a little bit about
God. I know this, God is holy, eternal, almighty, righteous,
unchangeable. I've seen a little bit of the
holiness of God. I heard a TV preacher this morning,
and he said this. He said, now he's talking about
accepting Jesus. And he said, that's your whole
problem, you haven't accepted Jesus. He said, I know I'm preaching
to some good people out there this morning, I'm preaching to
some good people, these exact words, I'm preaching to some
good people, but your whole problem is you've never accepted Jesus.
Now, let me tell you something, and I wouldn't offend you, that
ain't your problem. Your problem is back there, the
first statement he made, you're no good, and I'm no good, and
there's none good, nor not want. Do you know what the Bible says?
I know this, I know this. I've looked out over this congregation,
and there are people sitting here, and please don't misunderstand
me. Compared with the drunks and
the gamblers and profane swearers and rabble-rousers and troublemakers
terrorist, you are good people compared with them. But that's
not the comparison, that's not even the definition of good.
The definition of good is this, God is good, so if I'm going
to be labeled with the word good, I've got to come up to him who
is good. You see what I'm saying? God
is good, Our Lord Jesus Christ, when the original man came to
him and said, Good Master, he said, Why callest thou me good? There is none good but God. God
is good. God is the essence of goodness.
God is the definition of goodness. God is good, and anybody that
is not God or equal with God is not good. There's none good,
there's none that seeketh that, there's none that understandeth.
All have seen and come short of the goodness of God. Moses
says, Show me your glory! We've seen and come short of
the glory of God. Show me your glory! I'll cause my goodness
to pass before you. We've come short of the goodness
of God. There are no good people. See, this is why we're here and
he's there, and we're trying to find out how to get there.
We're not good, we're not already there. It's not just the fact
you haven't accepted Jesus. The fact is, you've never found
out that you need Jesus Christ. If you ever find out your condition
and God's holiness, you might seek the Lord Jesus Christ. And if he'd quit lying, somebody
might start seeking the Lord to whom he's preaching. He is
giving them the impression that they are good, therefore they
say, Well, what do I need Jesus for? I found out God is holy, righteous. Nebuchadnezzar found that out,
Isaiah found that out, Job said, I've heard of you by the hearing
of the ear, now, man, I see thee, wherefore I hate myself. The first issue to be settled,
if we are going If we're going to find out how he can get to
him, we've got to find out where he is, where the him is. You see what I'm saying? We've
got to find out who is God. That's the first question to
be settled. I know a lot of people who say, I discovered I was a
sinner and I started seeking the Lord. I believe that's backwards,
J. I really do. Do you know what
I believe that a man in conviction and real salvation sees? He sees
the holiness of God, and then he sees himself. And then he
sees himself. I find that all the way through
the Word. I find the Lord appeared to Moses on the mountain, and
he was astounded by the tree that burned and was not consumed.
And God said, put off your shoes, you don't hold a gun. They came
to that mountain, and God revealed his holiness, his righteousness,
and Israel backed off. Isaiah saw the Lord and said,
Woe is me. Job saw the Lord and said, I'm
undone, I'm unclean, I abhor myself. Daniel saw the Lord,
my comeliness melted into corruption. So the first issue to be settled
is, who is God? To whom are we coming? If we're
going to decide how to get there, we're going to find out first
who it is we're trying to get to! And if we find out who we're
trying to get to, we might figure out how to get there, Gerald!
Save my life, I can't understand present-day preaching. You've
got, like Hollis used to say, how big is your God? Who is your
God? We've got to find out who God is. Because we don't know
who he is, we don't know what we are, John, and we don't know
who he is, we don't know his terms or conditions, or what
it will take to please him, or what route by which we should
come. We've got to find out who God is. Most theology is based
on the ignorance of God. They don't know who God is, therefore
they do say, I'm preaching to a lot of good people. They don't
know who God is. God is their co-pilot, as the
preacher said last night. God is their partner. Me and
God have got a good thing going. That's horrible. But yet, he reached up and brought
God down. When God is big, man is little. When God is little, man is big.
He brought those two together. Get them closer so they can deal
with one another. His holiness is as far from us
as east is from the west. never the twain shall meet."
The second issue to be settled is the total ruin of man. Here
is the question about man. Everybody believes he fell, and
nobody doesn't. Well, you can look round about
you and tell man fell. God created man holy and upright. The question is not, did man
fall? The question is, how far did he fall? That's the question. You go around and ask any theologian,
liberal, conservative, or whatever, do you believe man is a sinner?
Well, yes. Do you believe man fell? Yes. Do you believe he fell in the
garden? Yes. He believes he fell in the garden. How far did he
fall? That's the issue. How far did
he fall? He believes in God. Who is God? How holy is God? How sovereign
is God? How big is God? How immutable,
how unapproachable, how righteous is God? That's the question.
It's not do men believe in God, but how high? Who can approach
his ways of pass finding out? Higher than heaven, it's deeper
than hell, it's broader than the sea, what can you know? That's
what scripture says. And just how far did that man
fall? I'll tell you what scripture says. Every imagination of his
heart is evil. Everything he thinks is wrong.
Imagination is thoughts. So he says, every imagination
of his heart is evil. The scripture says he's blind.
He's not lost his sight in one eye, he's blind. He's deaf, he's
dead, It's not that he hates goodness only, he loves darkness. He not only hates light, but
he's in love with his darkness. He's without God, he's without
Christ, he's without hope, he's without help. That's what shape
we're in. Let me tell you something. The
more you find out about him, the more you're going to find
out about yourself. And the more you find out about yourself,
the more you're going to find out what Christ meant when he
said to the disciples, who can be saved with me? And it's impossible. That's where we've come to. You talk about a conclusion.
If this Bible is true, and it is, as it relates to holiness
and righteousness of God, the unapproachableness of God in
human strength and flesh. The distance between man and
God is so vast, so infinite, so impossible, that that's the
reason men have thrown up their hands through the years and given
up in this quest for God. Honest men. Here's the third thing I've learned.
And that brought Job to ask, How can he be clean this morn
of a war? How can man be just with God? How in the world can
I have any fellowship with him? We're like oil and water, we
can't mix. Fire and gasoline, as the Preacher
said last night. God has determined to save a
people that originated up there. This way to God, this reconciliation,
we're still talking about the same thing, all religion comes
down to this one thing, as he gets to him. Is there a possibility, is there
a way? Well, there's nothing going on down here in the dunghill. The dunghill dwellers hadn't
come up with anything that wouldn't do them any good for death. They've
got nothing to pay and nowhere to go but down. You see, there's
nothing there. Darkness can't give forth anything
but more darkness. Death can't produce anything
but more death, more decay. So this situation up there, a
decision was made. A decision was made up there
about that fellow down there, J. God says, I'm going to have
a people. I'm going to do it. I'm going
to show mercy. I'm going to be gracious. I'm
going to be merciful. I'm going to make a way. I'm
going to save a people. I'm going to. God made a choice between fallen
angels and fallen men. He didn't decide to save fallen
angels. He took not on him the nature
of angels. They are reserved in everlasting chains of darkness
unto that day. But he decided to save man. Let
me tell you this. There was a covenant of grace
before there was a fall, before there was a covenant of work.
Known unto God are all his works from the beginning. God does
not meet a condition when it occurs. This condition occurs
in his foreknowledge and in his foreordination, in his predestinated
purpose, in his directive of permissive will, but he has to
be the first cause of all things. known unto God are all his works
from the beginning. Christ was the Lamb slain before
the foundation of the world. So if you ask me, when was this
plan purposed? When was this purpose brought
to pass or brought together? When was this covenant established? Before the foundation of the
world, before the world began. That's right, before the world
began. God chose a people. I don't have
time this morning to read all the scriptures in the Bible on
God's elective grace, but he not only chose the way to redeem,
which is Christ, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. You see, God has to have a way
for this creature to get back to him that is consistent with
his law and holiness. See what I'm saying? God can't
change. God is just. He must punish sin. So if he's going to receive this
sinner, his sins have got to be punished. And God's holy law
has not been repealed, it has not been laid on the shelf, it
has not had the corners cut off of it, it hasn't been reconstructed. It's still the same. It must
be satisfied and honored. We want no justification that
dishonors God's law. So that sinner has got to have
a righteousness that is in keeping with God's holy law. So God sent
his Son. If there's one going to come
down here and do for this one what God requires, he's going
to have to be God and he's going to have to be a man. He comes down in the flesh and
becomes one, numbered with those transgressors, one of but infinitely
greater because of who he is. He's God in human flesh. Now,
man can suffer, but man can't satisfy. God can satisfy, but
God can't suffer. So Christ came down here, and
he lifted us with him. He met the law and obeyed it
as a man. He died under the judgment of
God, under the wrath of God. He died under the penalty of
sin. And we died in him, all those chosen in Christ. This
is why I put such emphasis on particular redemption. Our Lord
came down. God sent his Son. God saw the
way he gave his Son. God sent his Son in the fullness
of time, made of a woman. So he came down here in this
pit, in this dunghill, in this corruption, was numbered with
us. And all that God required of us, Christ fulfilled. The
holy law he meant head on, every jot and tittle he obeyed it.
And he meant the wrath and judgment, the bolt of lightning of God's
wrath came down and the dagger of God's judgment pierced his
soul and heart. You see, we go in hymn to God. You see, God does not accept
any man's person apart from Christ. God does not deal with any man
apart from Christ. God does not accept any man apart
from Christ. It's not, I looked over and saw
Christ did this, and believed he did it, and then God accepted
me. I did it in him. I obeyed the law in him. He was
me, and you, and every one of the elect. I obeyed the law. In my substitute, in my person,
just like in Adam, I died. In Adam, I died. In Christ, I
was made alive. What Adam did, Adam represented
a people. And when Adam fell, they fell.
That's what the scripture says. When Adam sinned, death, judgment,
condemnation passed upon all men. In Adam, they were literally
actually made sinners. Imputation. When Christ came,
we were in him. He represented a people. He was
the covenant head, the federal head, the representative. He
was them. They were in him, chosen in him,
loved in him, considered in him. They were in him. And when Christ
obeyed the law, they obeyed the law. When he died on the cross,
I'm crucified with Christ, buried with Christ, risen with Christ,
ascended with Christ. We're already seated with Christ,
my friends. We've already brought from here
and we are buried now. on the right hand of God. And
the question is, what's on the altar? That's the whole thing. God had respect to Abel's offering. He had no respect to Cain's offering,
and Cain's still down there. Whoever Christ did that for,
they're accepted in him. You can't make, my friends, you
can't even make faith a work by which you say, I know it was
justified by faith, and thy faith hath made thee whole, and thy
faith hath saved thee, and without faith it's impossible to please
God. But I say that faith is the gift of God, it's the work
of God, it's a response to the calling of God, it's a response
to the mercy of God, but we accept it in the Beloved, and it's what's
on the altar. who's on the altar. That's the
whole thing. And I'm accepted in Christ, loved
in Christ, redeemed in Christ, chosen in Christ, forgiven in
Christ, redeemed in Christ, ascended in Christ, seated in Christ,
loved in Christ. That's so. Charles Spurgeon said
one time, the whole gospel is summed up in two words, substitution
and satisfaction. Christ was our substitute. He
took my place in the pit. He took my place before the law.
He took my place on the cross. He took my place in the tomb.
He took my place and gave me his place. And he satisfied God. You see, God hasn't moved from
his holiness, from his loftiness, from his unchangeable, infinite
righteousness. But we've moved, we've moved
in Christ. He's moved us up there. You can't
bring God down here. I don't care what to do. These
modern liberal preachers can do what they want to with scriptures
about the Lord God, but he's unchangeable, he's immutable,
he's infinite, he's unapproachable. And if these fallen devils are
ever going to have any fellowship with him, they're going to have
to have somebody come down here and get them and take them there.
And that's what Christ did. He took them. That's what an
angel said when he announced his coming. He said, Thou shalt
call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sin.
He said, I came to seek and to save that which was lost. Christ
Jesus came into the world to save sinners. So there's a way. Christ said to his disciples,
I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the
Father but by me. What's on your altar? That's
a serious question. I believe God's people do love
God, they do love one another. They have a new nature, new heart,
new spirit, new direction, new family, new creatures, new ambitions,
new concerns. I believe God's made them new.
I believe they not only have a righteousness imputed, but
imparted, new nature. But the soul of the work, the
whole of the work that brought this dead sinner from darkness
from the kingdom of hell to the kingdom of God's dear Son, from
my own self-righteousness and corruption and deadness to God's
holiness and life and truth, Jesus Christ did it all. He paid
it all, all the debt I owe. And I come to God this morning,
tomorrow morning, the Lord willing, the rest of my life, by Christ,
in Christ alone. I urge you to do the same. I'm
not saying you're good people who have made your decision,
I'm saying you're in the You're a worm, a wretched worm, under
the judgment and wrath of God. And if you come like old Cain,
with your flimsy, fleshly, foolish works, God will commit you even
deeper to hell, because of his holiness. I'm saying, I don't
want you to be like the people of this world. At least you'll
live a clean life on earth, even if you are going to hell. But
if you're going to get to God, Not stop halfway here. You're
going to have to come back to Christ. It's going to have to
be the blood. Without shedding of blood, there's
no remission. So that's the simplicity of the thing. That's what my
painting contractor friend said. You sure made it simple, and
that's how simple it is. You're there and he's there,
infinitely separated by sin. He's not going to change, and
you can't. Somebody's going to have to do
it for you. And it's just one somebody. Bob, that's the Lord
Jesus Christ. It's just one somebody. It's
just one somebody. And I tell you this, if you want
to motivate people for righteousness, let them come to know that somebody.
Let them come to know him. And you'll never hear the last
of it. Praise him forever. Unto him who loved us and washed
us from our sins. and made us kings and priests
unto God and to him be glory both now and forever in the church,
in my heart, in heaven. I don't want to hear another
note. I don't want to hear anybody
talk about what they've done for God. I want to hear you talk about
what he's done for you. I don't want to hear a word, not a word. Don't tell me. King, keep quiet. Let Abel do the preaching. His
blood speaketh from the ground. He being dead, yet speaketh. I don't want to hear from old
King. I've heard him long enough. Let Abel do the talking. For
it's by another's life and another's death and another's suffering
and another's blood that he came to God, and God looked with favor
upon him. make it, as only you can make
it, this good news, understandable and real to every
heart here this morning, let us see the holiness and majesty
of our God. And if we ever see that, we'll
see ourselves in our shame and our guilt. And if we see our
inability, shame and guilt, it's going to dawn upon us that the
way to is not in anything we can do or say or give, but it's
in Christ the Lord. Lord, if you will, you can make
me clean. If you will, you can lift the
beggar from the dunghill. If you will, you can make the
dead to live and the lame to walk and the blind to see. But
Lord, you have to do it. The mercy is in you, not in us. For Christ's sake we pray, amen.