Mark 16, verse 16, the Lord Jesus
said, He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but
he that believeth not shall be damned. Now these words require
as serious attention as any words ever spoken to the sons of men. There are several reasons for
that. Number one, these are the words
of Christ our Lord. These are the words of the risen
Christ, crucified, buried, now risen from the tomb. Secondly,
these are the last words that Christ spoke to His disciples
before He ascended back to the Father. Verse 19 says, So then,
after the Lord had spoken unto them, after He had said these
you go unto all the world, and you preach the gospel to every
creature, he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, and
he that believeth not shall be damned." After he had spoken
these words, he was received up into heaven and sat on the
right hand of God. These words require as serious
attention as any words ever spoken to the sons of men, because they
are the words of Christ. And they are the last words of
Christ before he ascended back to the Father. And thirdly, these
words contain the conditions of life and death. These words contain the terms
of eternal happiness and eternal misery. Now if a criminal stood
at the bar of justice, and was told that the judge, the judge
in the court of appeals, the highest court of appeals, was
about to declare unto him the terms on which he would live
or die. I'm sure that that criminal would
listen carefully if he knew that the words that the judge was
about to speak were the conditions of life or death. He would listen so carefully.
And here the Judge of Heaven, for the Father judgeth no man,
but hath committed all judgment to the Son. That's what the Scripture
says. Here the Judge of Heaven declares
how that you and I may live eternally. He that believeth and is baptized
shall live. He that believeth not shall be
damned. Salvation and damnation depend
on faith and unbelief. There is no salvation but by
faith, for by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of
yourselves, it is the gift of God. It is not of works, lest
any man should boast. Salvation is by faith, and there
is no salvation except by faith. And there is nothing but damnation
for unbelief. Turn to the book of John, chapter
3. and listen to the Savior. In the third chapter of John,
verse 18, he declares, He that believeth on him is not condemned. But he that believeth not is
condemned already. In verse 36, the Lord says again,
He that believeth on the Son hath life, everlasting life.
And he that believeth not the Son Whatever else he knows or
has shall not see life. Now, faith is so necessary, and
unbelief is so dangerous, it concerns you and me to know what
faith is and how faith comes. That's my business. The Lord
Jesus told his disciples to go into all the world and preach
the gospel. Not go into all the world and
speculate about prophecy, but preach the gospel. Not go into
all the world and win friends and influence people, but preach
the gospel. And he that believes this gospel
and confesses the Christ of this gospel shall be saved, and he
who does not believe it shall be damned. Now, brethren, I want
to divide this message into two parts. The first part will concern
this question, what is faith? What is faith? What is saving
faith? Secondly, how does the Lord work
faith? Faith's the gift of God. We're
His workmanship created in Christ Jesus. It's God that worketh
in you both to will and to do His good pleasure. You don't
will to do his good pleasure without him working in you. And
you don't do his good pleasure without God working in you. So
what is saving faith? Do you know? And secondly, how
does the Lord work saving faith in a sinner's heart? Now the
first question, what is the faith that saves? There are hundreds
of definitions of faith. And many of them are good and
they're helpful. I never get weary of studying the subject
of faith. They're three difficult subjects—faith, prayer, and love. And I don't believe anyone here
on this earth is a master of any of them. I never get tired
of reading definitions of faith. I want faith. I want strong faith. I want living faith. I want saving
faith. But I worked out a definition
of faith from the Word of God a few years ago and brought it
in a message here, and I want to briefly review it. Faith in
the Word of God is expressed by three words. Believe, trust,
and receive. First of all, faith is to believe
Christ. He that believeth. Faith is to
believe Christ. Believe, what about Christ? Believe
Christ as He's revealed in the Word of God. It is to believe
the record that God hath given concerning His Son. That's what
it is to believe. is to believe the record that
God had given concerning his son, the deity of Christ, the
glory of Christ, the covenant of Christ, the coming of Christ,
the obedience of Christ, the innocence of Christ, the perfection
of Christ, the death of Christ, the burial of Christ, his resurrection,
his ascension, his glory, his intercession, his coming again,
his lordship. It's to believe the record that
God had given concerning His Son. That's faith. One black preacher in New York
said a few months ago, I believe the Bible from cover to cover.
I even believe the cover. I believe the Holy Bible written
on the front. I believe the record that God
had given concerning His Son. All of it. I never put God's
Word to a motion. I never question God's Word.
I accept it by faith. That is faith. It's to believe
God's Word. Secondly, faith is not only to
believe Christ, it is to trust Christ. It is to trust Him as
He set forth in the promises. It's to trust Him as He set forth
in the sacrifice. It is to trust Him as He set
forth in the prophecies. He claims great things. He claims
the ability to do what no one else can do. He claims to be
able to forgive sin. He claims to be able to give
life. He claims to be able to raise the dead. He claims to
be able to open the way to the Father. He claims to be able
to give you eternal glory and eternal life. Can he do these
things? Yes, he can. And I trust him. I trust Him to do for me what
I could never do for myself and what no one else in heaven, earth,
or hell could do for me. Faith is to believe Christ as
He's revealed in the Word. Secondly, faith is to trust Him.
Trust Him. And then thirdly, faith is to
receive Christ. It is to receive Him in my heart
and in my life as my Lord and my Savior. Faith is willingly,
lovingly, intelligently, deliberately to take his yoke, and to take
his scepter forever, and to bow before his throne as his subject,
as his willing, loving bond-slave. It is to have the ear bored with
the awl, and to wear the ring of Christ Jesus like the bond-slave
of old. That's what faith is. It's to
believe the record God had given concerning His Son. It is to
not only believe it, but it is to trust Him. And thirdly, it
is to receive Him. But I think an improvement on
that definition is one found in 2 Timothy, given by the Apostle
Paul. In 2 Timothy, chapter 1, verse
12, listen to Paul. For the witch cause I also suffer
these things. Nevertheless, I am not ashamed,
for I know whom I have believed." First of all, faith is knowledge. It is to know Christ. Now, it
is certain that a person cannot believe, or trust, or receive,
or have faith in one he does not know. And Paul knew Christ
to be the Creator. He said in his book to the Colossians
in chapter 1, verse 14, "...in whom we have redemption through
his blood, even the forgiveness of sin, who is the image of the
invisible God, the firstborn of every creature. For by him
were all things created that are in heaven, that are in earth,
visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions,
or principalities, or powers, All things were created by Him
and for Him, and He's before all things." Paul knew Him. Paul
knew Him to be God the Creator. And Paul knew Him to be our righteousness. He said in the book of Romans,
chapter 5, verse 19, "...as by one man's disobedience many were
made sinners, so by the obedience of one..." Who is that one? Christ
Jesus. shall many be made righteous."
In Romans 10, he said, verse 1, my heart's desire and prayer
to God for Israel is that they might be saved. I bear them record. They're religious. They've got
a zeal of God. Everybody's religious. Man by
nature is religious, but not according to knowledge, for they're
ignorant of God's righteousness. And they're going about to establish
their own righteousness and have not submitted themselves unto
the righteousness of God. They're trying to gain heaven,
or earn heaven, or buy heaven, or bargain for heaven, instead
of receiving heaven in Christ. And verse 4 says, Christ is the
end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. Paul
knew him. Paul knew him to be God the Creator. Paul knew him to be God our righteousness. Jehovah our righteousness. And Paul knew him to be the only
sacrifice. In 1 Corinthians, chapter 15,
he said, "'Brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached
unto you, and which you have received, and wherein you stand,
and by which you are saved, if you keep in memory what I preached
unto you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered unto
you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died
for our sins.'" These are sacrifices. He died for our sins according
to the Scripture. He was buried and rose again
the third day according to the Scripture. So Paul knew Him.
That's the first part of faith. It's to know whom you believe. I know whom I have believed. I know Him as God the Creator. I know Him as God our Righteousness. And I know Him as God my Savior.
I know Him. I know Him. Now what's the next
part of faith? I know whom I have believed,
and I am persuaded, I am confident, that he is able." Now, faith
may doubt itself, and faith may doubt its evidences, and faith
may even doubt its existence, but saving faith can never doubt
its Lord, ever. Saving faith can never doubt
Jesus Christ, for Christ can never fail. I can fail, I do
fail, but not Christ. In John 6, 37, turn over there,
if you will. In the 37th verse of John, the
6th chapter, the Lord Jesus, speaking of Himself, says in
verse 38, ìI came down from heaven not to do my own will, but I
came to do the will of Him that sent me.î And Christ is going
to do that will. He's going to accomplish that
will. He's going to fulfill that task. What is it? And this is
the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he
hath given me I shall lose nothing. Now, in order not to lose them,
he's got to gain them. And Christ gained his people
in a threefold way. He gained them as a gift of the
Father. The Father gave them to me. He
gained them as a purchase on Calvary's cross, where he bought
them. You're not your own, you're bought with a price. And he gained
them by the effectual work of the Holy Spirit in calling them
to repentance and faith. And Christ said all three of
those things are going to be done. The Father in giving the
people, the Son in redeeming the people, and the Holy Spirit
in recovering the people. Of all that the Father has given
me, I came down here to do His will. And I'm going to do His
will, Christ said. He shall not fail. I can fail. Faith may doubt itself. It may
even doubt its existence. It may even doubt its experience. It may even doubt its evidences. But faith, saving faith, however
small, never doubts its Lord. He cannot fail. The divine Trinity
works in unity. And those whom the Father chose,
the Son redeems, and the Holy Spirit calls. And this is the
Father's will, which hath sent me," he came down here on purpose,
to accomplish a purpose, "'that of all which he hath given me
I lose nothing.'" He doesn't only say not one, but nothing,
not their souls nor their bodies. But I'll raise it up at the last
day. Now, look back at 2 Timothy 1. Paul said, I know whom I have
believed. Faith is knowledge. Knowledge. I know him, God the
Creator. I know him, God my righteousness. I know him, God my Savior. And I'm persuaded beyond a shadow
of a doubt. I'm fully confident. that he's
able. I'm not, you're not, the Church
is not. If I was trusting the Church for my salvation, I'd
trust with fear and trembling. If I were trusting my own ability
or righteousness or goodness, I'd trust with fear and trembling. But I'm trusting Christ and he
cannot fail. But then what's the next line?
He is able to keep that which I have what? Committed to him. that which I've committed to
him. Now I want you to listen real carefully right now, real
carefully. There can be no saving faith,
no justifying faith, without knowledge. You can't trust one
you don't know. There can be no saving faith
without confidence. You cannot trust one in whom
you have no confidence. That's perfectly clear, that's
perfectly logical. You can't trust someone you don't
know, and you can't trust someone in whom you have no confidence.
But, you can have these two things and still not have saving faith. You can have these two things
and still not be a child of God. You can say, well, I know that
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I know that he is able to do
everything God sent him to do. There must be a committal. There
must be a personal receiving of Christ. One must come to Christ
whom he knows. One must come to Christ in whom
he has confidence. One must lay hold on Christ whom
he believes is able to save. Paul didn't say, I know whom
I have believed, and I'm persuaded he's able. He didn't stop there. He said, I know whom I have believed,
I am persuaded he's able to keep that which I've put in his hands,
and that which I've committed to him, and that which I've laid
at his feet, and that which I've surrendered to his care. Our
Lord said, You come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy
laden, and I'll give you rest. Oh, everyone that thirsteth,
here's the water, come to the water. He is able to save to
the uttermost them that come to God by him. Now listen to
this. Faith is the hand that receives
the gift, like the woman with the issue of blood who trembling
reached out to touch his garment. She believed, she said, he's
able to heal me. She was confident that he was
the only one who could. She'd spent everything she had
and was no better but only grew worse. She said, if I can get
to him. And so when she found him, she
reached out. And when she touched him, she was made whole. She
believed, she was confident, But she committed herself to
it. Faith is the arm that receives the gift. It's the hand that
receives the gift. And faith is the arm. Turn to
the Song of Solomon. Some of these days I'm going
to bring a series of messages from the Song of Solomon. John
Gill wrote perhaps his greatest work on the Song of Solomon,
and it's a beautiful, beautiful scripture talking about the relationship
between Christ and His people. But here in the Song of Solomon,
chapter 3, verse 4, Faith is the arm that embraces Christ. It says in verse 4 of Solomon,
chapter 3, Song of Solomon, it was but a little that I passed
from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth, and I held him,
and I would not let him go. Faith is the arm that embraces
Christ and will not let him go. And then faith is the eye that
looks to Christ, he that seeth the sun and believeth on him. Faith is the mouth of the soul
that feeds on Christ. He said, my body is bread and
my blood is wine indeed, and he that eateth and drinketh shall
never perish. Faith is the foot of the soul
that runs to Christ. And faith is the lips of the
soul that kisses the Lord Jesus, Psalms chapter 2. In the second
chapter of Psalms, verse 12, it says, Kiss the Son, lest ye
be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled
but a little. So faith must have a committal. It's knowledge, I know whom I
have believed, It is confidence, I am confident, I am persuaded
he is able to keep, to save, to redeem, to forgive, to pardon,
to justify that which I've committed. Here I am, Lord, sink or swim,
I turn to him. If I go to hell, I'll go to hell
clinging to the cross of the Son of God. Ruth summed it up
when she said to Naomi, entreat me not to leave thee. or to return
from following after thee, where you go, I go, and where you lodge,
I lodge. And your people shall be my people,
and your God my God, and where you die, I'll die and be buried."
And that's the committal of faith to the Lord Jesus Christ. Now
what is faith? Faith is knowledge I know whom
I have believed. Secondly, faith is committal,
or rather confidence. And thirdly, it's committal to
Christ. Surrender to as many as received him. To them gave
he power to become the sons of God." Now, here's the second
part of the message. How does the Lord work faith? Now, the Lord does not always
work the same way with all men whom he saves. Now that's clear
from three things. Number one, that's clear from
the miracles which he performed, that's clear from the parables
which he taught, and that's clear from his personal dealing with
sinners while here on this earth. He doesn't always work the same
way with everybody. There were two blind men who
came to him and he reached out and touched them and immediately
they were healed. There was another blind man who
came to him, and Christ, the Scripture says, spit upon his
eyes and rubbed his eyes, and then touching him he was able
to see. But first he saw dimly and then
he saw clearly. Then another blind man, the Lord
Jesus, spat on the ground and made mud and rubbed it in his
eyes and told him to go wash in the pool of Siloam. Now, these
three incidences, three miracles, all these men were blind. All
of them were healed by Christ, but he dealt with them in a different
way. Christ does not always work the same way with all men whom
he saves. This is not only clear from the miracles, but it's clear
from the parables. Our Lord, giving a parable, talking
about the kingdom of heaven, said a man went out one morning
to hire some men to work in his vineyard. He went out at 6 a.m. and he asked some men, some men
standing around, he said, ìYou fellas want a job?î ìYes, sir.î
ìYouíre willing to work for so much a day?î ìYes, sir.î ìThen
come down and work for me.î So they went down and went to work.
At 9 oíclock he went out, found some more men, said, ìYou fellas
want a job?î They said, ìYes.î He said, ìWant to work for me?î
ìYes.î ìWill you work for this same amount?î Letís call it a
dollar. ìWill you work for a dollar?î
ìBe glad to.î So they went with him. At 12 noon he went out again
and he found some more men and he said, you fellas want to work?
Yep. We work for a dollar? Certainly will. He took them
down and went to work. He did that 3 o'clock, he did
that 5 o'clock in the evening, just before quitting time. And
he paid every one of them the same thing. Every one of them. Those that started at 6 o'clock
got a dollar. Those that started at 5 in the
evening Somebody said, ìThatís not right.î He said, ìDid you
agree to work for a dollar?î ìYes, I did.î ìWell, what are
you griping about?î ìCan I not do with my own what I will? If
I want to pay a man a dollar for an hourís work, thatís my
business.î ìYou agreed to work for a dollar.î ìAnd the Lord
Jesus may call you into his kingdom when youíre ten years old.î ìHe
may call you into his kingdom when youíre twenty.î ìHe may
call you by his grace when youíre forty.î ìHe may call you when
youíre fifty.î And he may, like the thief on the cross, call
you an hour before you die. But everybody's going to get
the same thing, eternal glory. They're going to be like Christ.
That's what that's teaching. They're all going to be like
Christ. Now then, our Lord dealt with
different people. He dealt with Nicodemus. He talked
to him about the new birth. Here was a man who was a religious
leader. He was a teacher. He was a student
of the scriptures, but he was lost. And Christ told him that
he had to be born again. The salvation was not education. It was not in man's wisdom, traditions,
and ceremonies of religion. It was by revelation. It was
a new birth. It was regeneration. It was the
power of God giving a man a new heart and a new nature. But in
the next chapter, he talked with a sinful woman at the well, and
he never said a word to her about the new birth. Not one word.
She wasn't educated. She wasn't a theologian. She
wasn't a student of the Scripture. She was a sinner. She knew it,
and he knew it, and everybody else knew it. And so that's how
he dealt with her. He never mentioned the new birth.
He offered to give her the water of life. She had asked for it.
Then our Lord dealt with a rich young ruler. That rich young
ruler's problem The problem was his possessions. He loved his
money. He loved his money more than he loved God. He loved his
possessions more than he loved God, and Christ knew it, and
that's where Christ dealt with him. But then when he walked
by Matthew sitting at the seat of customs, he knew money wasn't
Matthew's trouble, and he didn't even deal with him about money.
He said, Matthew, follow me. He got up and followed him. He
walked down to the seashore, and there were Peter, James,
and John fishing. He said, you follow me, I'll make you fishers
of men. They dropped their nets and followed him. He never said
a word to them about selling all they have and giving it to
the poor. So you see, our Lord Jesus Christ, by his miracles,
by his parables, and by his personal dealing with people, never does
deal with people the same way. But, and this is the important
thing now about how the Lord works faith, there are certain
discoveries which the Holy Spirit makes to everybody whom God saves. I don't care whether he talks
to them about the new birth or whether he talks to them about
sin, whether he talks to them about selling their possessions
or whether he just says, follow me, whether he puts clay on their
face or spit on their eyes or just touches them, whether or
not he hires them at ten years of age or fifty years of age,
there are certain discoveries which everybody makes as the
Holy Spirit reveals Christ. And the first one is this, a
discovery of sin. Paul said, I never would have
known sin if the Holy Spirit had not revealed to my heart
the evil of covetousness and lust. I never would have known
it. Would he have been saved without
ever discovering he was a sinner? No, sir. You've got to be lost
before you can be found. You've got to be stripped before
you can be clothed. You've got to be slain before you can be
resurrected. You've got to be blind before you can receive
sight. Before a man turns to God, before a man receives forgiveness,
before a man looks to Christ, he's got to discover that he's
a sinner. He's a sinner. That's the first
thing God does, is reveal to a man that he's a sinner. Secondly,
now this is important, the second thing that God does in working
faith, Not only reveal to a man he's a sinner and discover unto
him his guilt, but secondly, he makes that man to see that
he deserves condemnation. Him, not the world, him. Not
everybody else, him. Not his neighbor, him. The Lord
convinces every person whom he saves that all the dreadful punishments
and judgments about sin belong to him. What did the thief on
the cross say, the one that was saved? He said, Don't you fear,
God, seeing we're in the same condemnation, and we indeed justly,
for we receive a due reward of our deeds. We're getting what
we deserve. When Nathan stood before David,
he pointed his finger in his face and said, David, thou art
the man. Thou art the man. And that's
what God says to everybody whom he saves, I am the man. Not among
a group of men, not a part of a race of men, I am David. Nathan said, the man. I am the
man the law condemns. I am the man justice damns. I am the man God is angry with. Turn to Psalm 51. See if this
is not what David is saying here in Psalm 51, verse 4. Verse 3,
first of all, he said, I acknowledge my sin. That's the first thing
a man has to do. That's the first step in working
faith. The Holy Ghost reveals my sin. I acknowledge my transgressions. My sin is ever before me against
thee, and thee only have I sinned. and done this evil in thy sight."
Now watch this line. "...that thou mightest be justified
when you speak, and be clear when you judge." I'm getting
what I deserve. Lord, when you speak to me in
condemnation, you're justified. And when you condemn me, you're
justified. I'm guilty. That's the second
thing he revealed. Now, thirdly, and then the Holy
Spirit brings that sinner to inquire into how he can avoid
condemnation and how he can be freed from condemnation. When
Peter preached at Pentecost, what did the people say? What did the Philippian jailer
say when he saw the power of God? Sir, what must I do? When our guilt is revealed, when
condemnation stares us in the face, when all the doors of human
works and human righteousness and human endeavors are closed,
when we are shut up to the judgment of God, then we begin to cry
like Peter sinking beneath the sea. Lord, save me right We ceased
to talk about what we're going to do for God, we ceased to talk
about what we can do for God, we ceased to talk about what
we ought to give up for God, and we began to cry, Lord, save
me or I perish. What did Jonah say in the belly
of the whale when all hope was gone? He said, the iron bars
were closed about me, and the seaweed was draped about my head,
and I was shut up in the darkness of hell forever, and I cried,
Salvation is of the Lord! Of the Lord. And then one more
thing. When the Holy Spirit works faith,
Philippians chapter 3, He brings a man to a discovery of his sins. He brings a man to apply judgment
to himself. I'm guilty, I'm the man. Old
Nathan deals with every one of us. Thou art the man. I know
it. And then we begin to inquire.
We begin to seek the Lord. No man is ever saved who doesn't
seek the Lord. That's right. I know a little
bit about theology, and I know theology is divided up into a
thousand different divisions, but I know a man who is not saved
who never seeks the Lord. And he begins to inquire, and
he begins to seek, and he begins to cry, and he begins to call,
and he begins to beg God for mercy. That's right. And then
there's a renunciation of all other ways of salvation. Paul
said here, in verse 4 of Philippians 3, I might also have confidence
in the flesh. If any of you fellows can have
confidence in the flesh, I more. While I was circumcised the eighth
day of the Sock of Israel, I was of the tribe of Benjamin, I was
a Hebrew of Hebrews, as touching the law of Pharisee concerning
zeal. While I persecuted the church,
and touching the righteousness which is in the law, outwardly
blameless, but what things were gain to me, I counted loss for
Christ. Yea, doubtless, I count all things. everything, but lost for the
excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom
I suffered the loss of all things, and I do count them but dumb."
I'll tell you, if you had twenty years before this told that Saul
of Tarsus that his heritage and his religious traditions and
his ceremonies and and all of his faithfulness to his outward
laws was done, he would have had you beheaded. But when he
came to see these things couldn't save, and they were really stumbling
blocks in the way of those who wanted to be saved, he cried,
I count them but done. that I may win Christ and be
found in him. And then in the last place, there
is a revelation of Christ. He that seeth the Son and believeth
on him. That's John 6.40. He that seeth
the Son and believeth on him hath everlasting life. And Christ
said, I'll raise him up at the last day. When God has shown
a sinner his sins, when God has shown a sinner what his sins
deserve, when God has shown a sinner, by experience, the impossibility
of putting away his sins through his own efforts, When God has
created in that sinner's heart a hunger and thirst for righteousness,
oh, that I might win Christ and be found in Him. Oh, that I might
know Him and the power of His resurrection. I'd give the rest
of my life for eternal life. I'd give everything I possess
for eternal life. I'd give all that I know and
all that I have and all that I shall ever have for a knowledge
of Christ when God brings a man to that place. When he loves
Christ or wants Christ or eternal life more than he wants anything
else, then he reveals the only way of pardon, the crucified
Lord. He reveals the excellency of
Christ. that he's the fairest of ten
thousand, that he's the rose of Sharon, that he's the bright
and morning star, that he's the express image of the Father,
that he's the brightness of his glory. And he reveals to that
sinner the sufficiency of Christ, that there's nothing that can
be required by the law or by the justice of God that the Lord
Jesus can't supply. And then he reveals the efficacy
of the Savior's blood. His blood cleanseth us from all
sin. All sin. When the Lord Jesus Christ stood
before Pilate on trial for his life, there was a man already
tried already found guilty, already sentenced to death. His name
was Barabbas. And he was off yonder in a Roman
prison down somewhere in a dungeon awaiting crucifixion. He and
two other fellows were to be crucified that day. There were
three of them to be crucified. And he was down in a cell dungeon
awaiting execution. And Pilate had Christ on trial
before him. And this man Barabbas, down in
his dungeon, heard the multitude, the people outside. They were
going somewhere. He could hear their feet, and
he could hear them shouting and hollering and screaming. And
they went on down. There was a multitude of them
gathered down there somewhere, and he could hear them down there.
And he knew it was a day of crucifixion. He knew it was a day of the lynching.
He knew it was a day of execution. And he knew these people had
come to watch him die and watch him suffer. He couldn't hear
Pilate when Pilate stood before the people and Pilate said, It's
customary on this day to release unto you a prisoner. Whom will
ye that I release unto you? Jesus Christ or Barabbas? And the people cried, Barabbas! Barabbas! Give us Barabbas! Give
us Barabbas! And as the multitudes, the many
thousands of people took up that cry, Give us Barabbas! He heard
them there in the distance. Give us Barabbas! Give us Barabbas! Cold sweat broke out on the back
of his hand, on his neck. He was afraid. He cringed over
in the corner of his cell. He didn't hear Pilate then say
to the people, But what shall I do with Jesus, which is called
Christ? And they said unto him, Let him
be crucified. And somebody else took it up.
Let him be crucified! Somebody else took it up. Crucify
him! And after a while, the whole
mob, thousands of them, took up the cry, Crucify him! Crucify
him! And Barabbas heard them there
in the distance. Give us Barabbas! Crucify him! Crucify him! And he trembled
the more. Time passed. After a while, he
heard steps. And then he heard a key in the
door. And then that great prison door swung open and two big burly
Roman soldiers stood in the doorway. And he got as far in the corner
of that cell as he could. He knew death was coming. He
knew the cross was to be erected. He knew that he must suffer and
die. And these Roman soldiers came over and grabbed the chain
and put the key in the lock and dropped the fetters and grabbed
the leg irons and put the key in the lock and turned it and
dropped them. And then one of them said, All
right, Barabbas, get out of here. And he said, What? He said, I
said, Get out of here! You're free! I'm free? That's right. But I've been condemned to die.
We know that. But I'm guilty. But I'm a criminal. They're going to crucify me today.
No, they're not going to crucify you. Not today or tomorrow ever. a man called Jesus. You know
who Jesus Christ is? Yeah, I know something about
him. He's a good man, but I'm an evil man. He was a righteous
man, but I'm a wicked man. Jesus Christ went about doing
good. I went about doing evil. That's right, Barabbas, but he's
taken your place, and he died on your cross. He's out there
now. They nailed him. Listen, you can hear the hammer
They're driving nails in his hand. He's being nailed to your
cross, and you're free to go. And, my friends, that's the gospel
as I know it. My name is Barabbas, son of my
sorrow. And Jesus Christ came down here,
and the cross was already planned for me. Death, hell, judgment,
eternal condemnation was mine because I deserved it. But he
came down here as my substitute, and stretched forth his hands,
and took my death, and gave me his heaven, and took my slavery,
and gave me freedom and liberty, and took my disease, and gave
me life. He died on my cross. He died
on my cross. He that believeth and is baptized
shall be and he that believeth not." What? The gospel? What is the gospel? Christ died
for sinners and was buried and rose again. Do you believe that?
Our Father in Heaven anoint the message with the power of the
Holy Spirit and grant that the people might hear tonight not
just the words of a man but they might hear thee speak through
thy word in a conviction of sin, and revealing what we deserve. We don't deserve thy mercy, we
deserve justice and condemnation. And thou hast shut every door
and closed every avenue of escape except the one to Calvary. Christ
must suffer and Christ must die, and by His suffering and His
death we live. And we want Him. We want Christ. We want Him above everything.
Oh, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection. Speak to our hearts effectually. For Christ's sake we pray. Amen.