Isaiah. Isaiah chapter 53. My subject is, he was numbered with the
transgressors. And my text is verse 10 of Isaiah
53. Isaiah 53.10. Yet it pleased
the Lord to bruise him. He hath put him to grief. When
thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed,
he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall
prosper in his hand. He shall see the travail of his
soul and shall be satisfied. By his knowledge shall my righteous
servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities.
Now note verse 12, Therefore will I divide him a portion with
the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because
he hath poured out his soul unto death, and he was numbered, he
was enrolled he was registered with the transgressors, and he
bared the sin of many, and he made intercession for the transgressors. Now, most preaching and most
religious talk today leads the average person to believe that
Christ Jesus came into this world to save moral, good, righteous
people. Most preaching today and most
religion today leads people to believe that Jesus Christ came
into this world to call to himself the godly, the obedient, and
the holy and to heal those who really have no spiritual sickness. Now, I don't associate with the
man on the street very much. I don't work in the plants, as
you men do, and the stores and the factories. I don't rub shoulders
very much with the people on the streets, but I believe I
know something about what they're thinking and what their attitude
is. And this attitude is manifest I think, by the man on the street.
You take their attitude toward the church. The church is for
old women and little children. That's what the average man on
the street believes, and that's what he feels. Religion is not
for the he-man. Religion is not for the strong
man. Religion is not for the intelligent
man. Religion is for the weak. Religion
is for the sissy. Religion is for the goody-goody
bunch, and the average man on the street is a little bit embarrassed
to be identified with religion, to be identified with preachers,
to be identified with the church. Now that's a fact. The attitude
of the average person on the street, in the factory, is that
he's a little bit embarrassed to be identified with religion
because religion is a sign of weakness and a sign of fear.
Religion is for women and children. And then this attitude also that
Jesus Christ ministers to and came to save the moral, the good
people, this attitude is seen in the religious people themselves.
They are severely critical, strongly critical of anyone who goes astray,
anyone who sins. The religious crowd is strongly
critical, hypercritical of those who fall. The religious crowd,
the church people, manifest a strong pride in their own personal holiness. You've seen it, I've seen it.
It's nauseating to be around. The religious crowd appoints
themselves judges of the conduct of other people, the habits of
other people, of the way of life of other people. They don't want
to be around what they call sinners. because they might be contaminated. The religious crowd has a religious
jargon. They don't just speak the language
of the Bible. They have a special language
that no one but that crowd can speak. It's peculiar to them,
this religious language. And when they're around the man
on the street, when they begin speaking this religious language,
he doesn't understand what they're talking about. That Jesus Christ came into the
world to save moral people, good people, to associate with the
good people, is seen in the attitude of the average sinner, a man
who is made aware of his guilt, who is made aware of his sin
before God. He feels like God would never
save him because he's too sinful. God would never receive him just
like he is. They say, I'm too sinful to be
saved. I cannot hope to find mercy.
I cannot hope to find grace because I'm too great a sinner. And God,
I've got no business in the church. I've got no business looking
to Christ because there's nothing for me. I'm too evil. I'm too
wicked. He thinks Christ came to save
good people. Now this attitude is seen in
the man on the street, it's manifested in the churches, it's manifested
from the pulpit, it's seen in the attitude of even awakened
sinners that Jesus Christ came into this world to associate
with, to keep company with, to establish communion with, and
to take to heaven those who are good, and those who are moral,
and those who are honest, and those who are pure. Now, if we'd
just think a little bit, if we'd just open even one eye, we'd
see how inconsistent this attitude is with the Word of God, how
inconsistent these thoughts are with the Scripture, how contrary
this supposition is with God's Word. Listen to the Word of God.
The Son of Man is come to seek and to save the lost. Listen to Christ. I am not come
to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Christ died, Paul
said, for the ungodly. God commended His love toward
us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. If we confess our sins, He is
faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness. This is a faithful saying and
worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world
to save sinners of whom I am chief. The blood of Jesus Christ,
God's Son, cleanseth us from all sin. We could understand the mission
of Christ a lot better if we'd consider three things. Number
one, if we'd consider what sin is. I do not believe that the
average preacher has the slightest conception of what sin really
is. I do not believe that the average person, I don't believe
very many people in this congregation really know what sin is. I don't
believe that the man on the street has the foggiest notion of what
sin is. Now I may get shot between the
eyes while I'm standing up here this morning, but I'm going to
say what I really believe. Sin is an attitude more than
an action. Sin is an attitude more than
an action. Sin is a condition more than
a committal. Sin is an offense of the heart
rather than the hand. Christ taught that. Turn with
me to Matthew 15. Now you listen to me. The average
person, and I'm talking about people right here in this congregation,
and the average what we call grace church, average fundamental
church, doesn't have the foggiest notion what sin is. That's the
reason they think they're good people. When the scripture says
there's none good, no not one. When the word of God declares
all have sinned, if any man say he hath not sinned, he's a liar
and the truth's not in him. We think when we quit certain
habits and quit certain customs and quit going to certain places
and quit associating with certain people and quit saying certain
words that we no longer see. Our Master says, and do you know
the people, the people our Lord condemned more than any other
people when he was on this earth, those for whom he had the hardest
words, the sharpest certain damnation he pronounced upon them were
the cleanest, most moral, most righteous people that lived in
his day. Those were the people our Lord
pronounced anathema upon. The cleanest, most moral, righteous,
religious leaders of his day. When our Lord spoke to a harlot,
he spoke with compassion and kindness. When he spoke to a
Pharisee, he spoke with the sharpest rebuke. He called them a generation
of snakes. He told them they could not escape
the damnation of hell. When our Lord spoke to a publican
or to a drunk, he spoke with the sweetest compassion and the
deepest understanding. When he spoke with this crowd
of religious leaders, our Lord spoke to them in this way, you
generation of hypocrites, You shut the kingdom of God up to
men, you won't enter in yourself, and you shut it up to everybody
around you. That's a fact. And our Lord gave
a parable here in Matthew 15. And the disciples came to Him
in verse 13, verse 12, and they said to Him, listen, Matthew
15, 12. Then came His disciples and said unto Him, Knowest thou
that the Pharisees, the religious people, were offended after they
heard this saying? Our Lord answered and said, Every
plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted
up, let them alone. They are just blind leaders of
the blind, and if the blind lead the blind, they both shall fall
into the ditch. Then answered Peter and said
unto him, Declare unto us this parable. Jesus said, Are you
also yet without understanding? Do you not yet understand that
whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and
is cast out into the draft? These Pharisees were so particular
about their religious customs and ceremonies and hand washings
and all of these outward ceremonies. They were particular about all
these outward customs and habits and requirements and laws and
commandments and all of these things. And Christ said, that
which you put in your mouth, it goes in your belly, it's cast
out into the draft. Look at verse 18. But those things
which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart. They
defile the man. That's where sin is. For out
of the heart That's the taproot. That's the fountain of evil.
That's the source of corruption. Out of the heart proceeds evil
thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness,
blasphemy. These are the things which defile
a man. This is sin. This is sin. Sin is an attitude. it develops
into an action. The scripture says, God seeth
not as man seeth. Man looks on the outward countenance,
God looks on the heart. Seeing is an attitude which results
in an action. Seeing is a condition, a condition
of the heart that results in a crime. Sin
is an offense of the heart rather than the hand. The hand just
is directed by the thoughts and attitude and intent of the heart. And I'll tell you, if people
understood what sin is, they'd know Christ had to come to save
sinners. Because there's none good, there's
none righteous, there's none that seeketh after God. They're
all together become unprofitable. There's none that doeth good,
no, not one. The work of Christ has to be
for sinners because that's all there is down here. And then
we consider the second thing, consider what salvation is. What
is salvation? Salvation is not just leaving
one denomination and going to a more accurate denomination.
Salvation is not just deciding to go to heaven when we die.
Salvation is not just deciding to be aligned or allied with
moral people, good people, religious people. What is salvation? Salvation
is rediction from the penalty of sin. That's what it is. Turn
to Matthew chapter 1. Let's look at this a moment.
When the angel came down and announced to Joseph that Mary
would bring forth a son, this was the announcement to Joseph
about the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Redeemer. And the
angel said to Joseph, verse 21 of Matthew 1, and she shall bring
forth a son. And thou shalt call his name
Jesus, that is, Savior, for he shall save his people from their
sins." Their sinful condition. Redemption. What is salvation?
It is redemption from the penalty of sin. In the fullness of time,
God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
to redeem us from the curse of the law. That's why Christ came.
to save people from the curse of the law. You've never been
under the curse of the law. You've never been saved. You've
never been lost. You've never been found. You've
never been a sinner. You've never met the Savior.
You've never been stripped. You've never been clothed. You've
never been dead. You've never been raised. You've
never been blind. You've never had sight restored.
Salvation is redemption from the penalty of sin. Salvation
is rediction from the power of sin. Salvation is rediction from
the practice of sin. That's what it's all about. Your
sins have separated you from God. That's why Christ came.
He came down here not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to
give His life a ransom for many. When you consider what sin is,
that's the first place. If you miss out there, you've
missed out all the way. If you don't know what sin is,
if you don't know the depths of sin, the exceeding sinfulness
of sin, the awfulness of sin, the filth and guilt of sin, you
don't know what sin is. If you can't identify what sin
is, you can't identify with sinners. And if you can't identify with
sinners, you can't identify with Christ. because he came to save
sinners. And that's what salvation is.
It's not to establish a social order down here, it's to save
people from sin. It's not just to come down here
and recruit an army for the Lord to take them to heaven so that
heaven will be populated, it's to save people from sin. Now consider the work of Christ
in salvation. This is the third thing. If you
consider what sin is, you'll have to say Christ came to save
sinners. If you consider what salvation
is, you have to say Christ came to save sinners. If you consider
the work of Christ in salvation, you'll be persuaded that He came
to save sinners. What is His work? Number one,
it's twofold. Number one, the work of Christ
Jesus, the work of our Lord and Savior, was to bring in a perfect
righteousness. Isn't that right? He came to bring in a perfect
righteousness, God's righteousness. Christ is God's righteousness. He came to bring in a perfect
holiness. For whom? For those who already have one? Pick all the good Baptists you
know, the good, clean, moral, outstanding, upstanding Baptists
and Methodists and Pentecostals and Nazarenes and Presbyterians,
get all these fine, moral, outstanding, holy people, and Christ came
down here to establish a perfect righteousness for that crowd
that's already got one? That's the reason the Pharisees
rejected him. They didn't need a righteousness.
They had one. Who needs a righteousness if
he already had one? Did Christ come down here to
weave a robe of righteousness for folks that were already clothed,
or for those who were naked? Why does your master associate
with publicans and sinners? That was the question asked then.
I'll tell you why. Because he came to save sinners. They were his people. They were
his sheep. They were his brethren. You're
going to see in a minute how he was numbered with them. But
I said the work of Christ in salvation is twofold. He came,
first of all, to bring in a perfect righteousness. Secondly, He came
to effect an atonement. For whom? Who needs an atonement? Do you need an atonement? Huh? The only folks I know who need
an atonement are those who are enemies of God. The only folks
I know who need to be reconciled are those who are at war with
God. Huh? The only people I know who
need a sacrifice are sinners, bona fide, self-confessed, unadulterated,
no excuse, no alibi sinners. Christ died for those who deserve
to die. Christ bore hell for those who
deserve hell. The sinless became sinful that
the sinful might be made sinless. The wages of sin is death. The
soul that sinneth, it shall die. That's why he came. Now, salvation
needs a sinner, and salvation's seeking sinners, and salvation
goes to look for sinners. And unless salvation finds a
sinner, salvation won't save. The blood of Christ needs a sinner.
The blood of Christ seeks the sinner. The blood of Christ looks
for a sinner. And if the blood of Christ cannot
find a sinner, it will not cleanse. The atonement needs a sinner.
The atonement looks for a sinner. And if the atonement cannot find
a bona fide, genuine sinner, it won't atone, it won't reconcile. The high priest needs a sinner. And if the high priest can't
find a sinner, the high priest won't represent only sinners. Come ye sinners, poor and needy,
weak and wounded, sick and sore. Jesus ready stands to save you. He's full of pity, love, and
power. Let not conscience make you linger. Be thankful you've got one. Thank
God He gave you one. Thank God it's smitten and broken. Thank God it's disturbing you.
Nor of fitness fondly dream. All the fitness He requires is
what? To feel your need of Him. Or,
I'm coming to Jesus, preacher, but I've got some things I've
got to get out of my life. You'll never come. Or, I'm coming
to Jesus, preacher, but I've got some things to straighten
up. I've got some things to clean up. You'll never come. He's not
looking for folks that are cleaned up. He's looking for folks to
clean up. That's right. Oh, I'm coming. I'm going to
come to church. I just, I want to get my life
straightened out. No, Christ's not looking for
folks with their lives straightened out. He's looking for folks to
straighten out their lives. You'll never come. Come ye weary,
heavy laden, bruised and mangled by the fall, if you're tarry
till you're bitter. That's this world's philosophy. That's the average preacher's
philosophy. That's the man-on-the-streets
philosophy. That's the philosophy of people
right here in this congregation. You'll never come at all. Look at Isaiah 53 again, verse
12b, and he was numbered, and he was numbered with whom? Transgressors. What is a transgressor? That's a sinner. That's a real
sinner. That's a genuine sinner. That's
a bona fide sinner. That's a thief on a cross. That's
a Magdalena with seven devils. That's a Saul of Tarsus spewing
out hatred for the church. That's a Simon Peter with all
of his blasphemy. That's a sinner. He was numbered
with the transgressors. Now, to the man and woman in
this congregation, and thank God to this preacher, who is
deeply conscious of sin, and that sin is not connected with
a bunch of silly outward action. That sin is connected with a
deep-seated, deep-rooted, Adamic nature which hates God. and hates
God's will, and loves my will, and wants my will, and desires
my will, and God can go to and stay put, that's sin. It's that selfish nature, that
egotistical nature, that proud nature, that covetous nature,
that envious nature, that malicious nature, that lustful nature,
that fleshly nature, that's what I'm talking about. I'm not talking
about going to a picture show. I'm not talking about eating
at a restaurant where they serve beer, fully on you. You don't
know what you're talking about. To the man or woman who's conscious
of sin, this is going to be a great comfort
right here. Christ is identified with, Christ
is registered with, Christ is enrolled with sinners. He's one
of them. He's one of them. The reason he understands me
is because he's one of them. The reason he can represent me
is because he's one of them. Now he's not one of you religious
Pharisees, you little goody-goody, moral, self-righteous outfit.
He's not one of you. He wasn't numbered with you.
He wasn't even so shaped, that outfit, when he was here on this
earth. He's numbered with sinners. He's enrolled with sinners. And
you know where it started? Turn to Luke 2. I'll tell you
where it all started down here on this earth. I know it started
in the covenant of grace, but I'm talking about right here
in experience. In Luke 2. Now listen to this. Luke 2, verse
1 through 5. And it came to pass, in those
days there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all
the world should be taxed. That word T-A-X-E-D is what? Look in the margin of your Bible.
Enrolled. A census, that's what it was.
I want the name of every descendant of David. You go to Bethlehem. I want the name of every descendant
of Levi, every descendant of Judah. I want the name. You go
to your town. That's right. And this taxing,
this enrollment, was first made when Cyrenius was governor of
Syria, and all went to be enrolled, everyone to his own city. And Joseph went up from Galilee
out of the city of Nazareth unto Judea, unto the city of David,
which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage
of David. That's where our Lord was born
and that's where he was enrolled. His name was on the list of people
subject to the Roman government, subject to Roman bondage, subject
to Roman slavery. He was enrolled in Bethlehem
with sinners, numbered with them, identified with them, registered
officially. He was numbered with the sinners
in public opinion. What'd they say about him? Why,
he's a devil. He's crazy, that's what they
said. We know who you are, they said, you're nothing but a cartoner.
Do you teach us? Why, you're not fifty years old,
where'd you go to school? You're nothing but a carpenter.
We know your daddy, and we know your mama, and we know your brothers
and sisters. You came out of Nazareth. Can
anything good come out of Nazareth? Public opinion numbered him with
the transgressors. You're a winebibber. You're a
gluttonous man. You're a friend of public and
sinners. We know who your crowd is." He was called a friend of
sinners. He was numbered with the transgressors
in the ecclesiastical court. Anyone caught associating with
him was excommunicated from the synagogue. That bunch of high
priests and leaders of the religious ecclesiastical court met together,
slapped him on the face and said, you're a blasphemer. That's the
verdict of this court. You're registered, you're enrolled,
you're numbered as a blasphemer. And then he was numbered among
the transgressors in the civil court. Both Herod and Pontius
Pilate, with two pens at once, sentenced him to die. The court
said, Release Barabbas, and let it be the verdict of this court
that Jesus of Nazareth shall be nailed to a cross and stay
there till he dies. He's enrolled with the transgressors. He was numbered with the transgressors
in punishment. He bore the transgressors' scourging. They tied him to a pole, and
they took the robe off his back, and there they whipped him and
scourged him thirty-nine lashes till his back was completely
lacerated from the top of his of his spine to the nape of his
neck. He carried the transgressor's
cross. He was nailed to the transgressor's
cross. He died written down in the calendar
of crime. And do you know that just a few
years after Israel became a nation in 1948, I saw this in the Louisville
Courier-Journal. Brother Edgelmore sent it to
me, a clipping, several years ago. that a young Jewish lawyer
called on the Jewish court to go back and do away with the
verdict of the last Jewish court that met before Christ was crucified,
and declared Jesus Christ to be innocent. of all charges. And they wouldn't do it. They
wouldn't do it. This young Jewish lawyer said
this is the first Jewish court to be seated since that court
held session back yonder in 33 A.D. And I demand that you go
back and review the case and declare him innocent. And they
said, We don't have that power. We don't have that authority.
He's still guilty. He was numbered with the transgressors. He was
enrolled with them in public opinion, in the ecclesiastical
court, in the judicial court, in the civil court, in the punishment,
in death, and watch it, he was numbered with the transgressors
in the courts of heaven. When all mankind had turned their
back on him and rejected him and spat upon him and nailed
him to a cross, he was forsaken of all men. He lifted his eyes
to heaven and cried, My God, why hast thou forsaken me? And the only answer from heaven
was silence. silence. The holy God must forsake
transgressors. Thou art numbered with the transgressors. I have forsaken thee." Now my
dear friend, I'm ashamed of my sin, but I'm
not ashamed to be a sinner. I'm ashamed of my rebellion,
but I'm not ashamed to be a rebel. I'm ashamed of my ungodliness,
but I'm not ashamed to be ungodly, because my Lord was numbered
with the transgressors. He wasn't numbered with the faithful.
He wasn't numbered with the pure. He took not on Him the nature
of angels. He came down here and was numbered
with the transgressors. And there is no sinner so low,
and there is no soul so black, and there is no heart so wretched.
And there is not a man so far from God that he cannot be identified
with the Lord Jesus Christ, who was numbered with the transgressors. Look at the next line in our
text, Isaiah 53. He was numbered, enrolled, identified,
registered with transgressors. He bare the sin of many. Now here's the gospel as clear
as the noonday sun. Christ did really, Christ did
literally, Christ did truly take our sins in his body on the tree. He who knew no sin actually became
our sin bearer. It was no fantasy. It was no myth. It was no supposition. He was made sin. That's what
Scripture says. He bare the sin of many. He took our sins. He actually,
in His body and in His soul, took our sins. That's what Scripture
says. He bore our sins in His body
on the tree. He made his soul an offering
for sin. Comprehend this, you have the
gospel. He actually bore my sin away. Listen to me. There is therefore
now, since Christ's suffering, there is therefore now, since
Christ's death, there is therefore now, since Christ's sacrifice,
no condemnation to them who are in Christ. Scripture says, Behold the Lamb
of God that, what? taketh away the sin of the world. I will forgive their sins. And God says, I'll remember their
sins no more. I'll cast them behind my back
as far as the east is from the west. So far hath he removed
our transgressions from us. And there is now no sin upon
those for whom Christ died. Now, my friends, I wouldn't offend
you if I could help it. But if this offends you, you'll
just have to go out offended. Our Lord Jesus Christ, when he
died on that cross, didn't make an effort to save anybody. He
actually literally saved some people. Our Lord Jesus Christ
didn't bear sin in general, he bore sin in particular. Our Lord
Jesus Christ didn't down that cross for people who were already
in hell and who were going to hell anyway. Our Lord effectually,
successfully, took our sins in his body and paid the debt. and payment God's justice cannot
twice demand, first at my bleeding, sure at his hand, and then again
at mine." What kind of God do you know? Now, last of all, it says he was numbered
with the transgressors. He was identified with them.
He was enrolled with them. He won up. He won up. He's one of them in the eyes
of the ecclesiastical court. He was a blasphemer. He was one
of them in the eyes of the civil court. He was a lawbreaker. He was one of them in the eyes
of the courts of heaven. A sinner. And he bore their sins. He paid
their debt. He put away their guilt. There's
therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ. Who
shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? Who is he that
condemneth? Last of all, watch this. And
he made intercession. For whom? For sinners, transgressors. Our Lord, first of all, he prayed
for us before we came to faith. That's right. We see that in
the parable of the fig tree. The feet of justice approach
that tree. You can hear the feet of justice.
He feels the sharp blade, and a voice says, Lo, these years
I have sought fruit on this tree, and I have found none. I'll cut
it down, why cumbereth it the ground. But the voice of the
intercessor speaks and says, Spare it a little while. I'll
dig about it, and I'll dung And if it bear not fruit, cut it
down. I pray for this tree. This tree's
going to bear fruit because I'm going to dig about it and I'm
going to dung it. And if it doesn't, you can cut it down. But if it
does, let it live. The Lord Jesus prayed for you
before you ever came to faith. While you were out there trying
to bust hell wide open, he's praying for you. While you was
out there trying to get away from God, he's praying for you.
while you were living for self, and for sin, and for the world,
and for the devil, and for the flesh, the Lord Jesus. That tree's got no fruit on it,
but don't cut it down yet. Don't cut it down yet. It'll
bear some fruit. I'm going to work on it. I'm
going to work on it. God, Paul said, who separated
me from my mother's womb and called me by His grace, was pleased
one day after putting up with me. He stood at my heart's door
mid sunshine and rain. He patiently waited an interest
to gain, for shame that so long he entreated in vain. He's precious. He prayed for me before I was
ever saved. And then he prayed for me when he died on that cross.
I was there in that crowd, hollering, crucifying. And he looked down
and said, Father, forgive him. He doesn't know what he's doing.
He doesn't know what he's doing. The Lord Jesus Christ prays for
our comfort. He said, I'll pray the Father,
and He'll give you another comforter. The Lord Jesus prays for our
preservation. He says, Father, keep them. Keep
them which thou hast given me, keep them. Through thine own
name, those that thou hast given me, keep them. I pray not that
the Father should take you out of the world, but that he should
keep you from the evil one." He prays for our glorification.
He says, Father, I will that those whom thou hast given me
be with me where I am. I'm going to tell you something. There's been enough sin committed
by me right here in this pulpit this morning to send me to hell
if I didn't have a high priest praying for my soul. There's
been enough sin, since you came in this auditorium and sat down
here, the very identification you have with Adam, the identification
you have with the Christ crucifiers, the thoughts that have gone through
your mind, the attitude which you have for other people sitting
right here in this congregation, the lack of complete love for
God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, the lack
of the ability to concentrate on worship, to stand before the
throne of God with fear and adoration and awe and reverence, the lack
of love. You don't love people as you
love yourself. There's been enough sin to send
you to hell, to damn your soul eternally. to disassociate and
separate you from God for always, if it weren't for Christ being
identified with you, being one with you, being numbered with you, and
bearing your sins, and interceding for you and for me. No, not me. No, not you. Oh, what a great Savior. What
a great salvation. We don't have, you talk about
being holy, you don't have enough holiness to concentrate on God
for 30 minutes, let alone live a lifetime without sin. That's
what makes me so weary of all this so-called profess holiness
and bragging holiness and righteousness. We don't have enough to come
in the house of God, and talk about me, and sit for one hour
and think on that which is above, that which is holy and pure and
righteous and above reproach. My relationship with the living
God. Thank God for Christ. Isn't that what you say? I'm glad he came down here and
numbered with me. He was tested in all points as
I am, yet without sin. I thank God I have a Savior.
If one sheep of Christ could fall away, I'd fall a thousand
times a day. I'm a bona fide sinner. A genuine,
I'm the real article. But Christ was too. He was numbered
with me. And He bore my sins. And right
now, He's praying for me. He's praying for me. Our Father
in Heaven, through Christ our Redeemer, Through Christ our
sacrifice, Christ our substitute, through Christ our great high
priest, we come into thy presence having no business there without
Christ, and having no opportunity to be there without Christ. But
thank you, Father, for loving us and sending the Savior to
die for us. It is in him that we have life,
and that more abundantly. In his name we pray. Amen.