I appreciate that and I know
that you do as well. We thank the Lord for music and
for the opportunities we have normally to join together our
voices and to praise the Lord in song. Tonight, if you will,
I want you to open your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 3. 1
Corinthians chapter 3. The title of my message tonight
is A Great Promise, A Great Promise. You know, the Apostle Peter in
his second epistle tells us that God has given unto his children
exceeding great and precious promises. And in this passage
tonight that we are going to look at, I can't think of any
promise any greater. Because two times the apostle
tells us, all things are yours. All things are yours. First Corinthians
chapter three, beginning in verse 21. Therefore, let no man glory
in men, for all things are yours. Whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas
or the world or life or death or things present, are things
to come, all are yours, and you are Christ, and Christ is God's. One of the old writers made this
comment, and I quote, Paul ransacks heaven and earth, time and eternity,
to make up the children's rich catalog of mercies, but As though
the utmost stretch of thought of men or angels might omit some
part of the believer's treasure, unless anything should be found
wanting to support and comfort to any needy soul, he twice repeats,
all things are yours. A great promise, all things are
yours. Now this evening, in looking
at this promise, I want to begin at the end. I want to begin at
the end of the verses that I just read. There we read, Christ is
God's. Christ is God's. What does this
mean? Christ is God's. You know, Christ
is the New Testament equivalent to the Old Testament title Messiah,
which means anointed. is God's. Christ is God's anointed. And I'm going to mention four
truths. There are many more, but for time's sake, I'm going
to mention to us tonight four truths about this statement,
Christ is God's. Number one, Christ is God's eternal
son made flesh. In John chapter 1 and verse 14,
we read, and the Word, that is the eternal Word, who is one
with the Father, and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among
us. And we beheld His glory as of
the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Now, remember this. When the
scripture here says the Word was made flesh, that means that
He took into union with His person that body and soul that God,
the Holy Spirit, had prepared Him. The word flesh, sometimes
we think only of the physical, of the body. But in this case,
the word flesh, the word was made flesh. Yes, he had a body,
a physical body, but he also had a human soul. You remember
in the garden. He said, my soul is exceedingly
sorrowful, even unto death. And in Isaiah chapter 53, which
speaks to us of the suffering Savior, it speaks of making his
soul an offering for sin. So yes, his body was offered,
but also his soul. He was a man. Just as you have
a body and soul, I have a body and soul. So he was made flesh. This is the great mystery of
godliness. The apostle Paul tells us in
first Timothy chapter three and verse 16. Great is the mystery
of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh. Remember, he told his disciples,
he that has seen me has seen the father. Yes, he is one. The one God who came into this
world, the eternal son of God, who came into this world, was
made flesh and dwelt among us, as the gospel says, and we beheld
his glory. We beheld his glory. John, writing
this, I wonder if he was speaking about that day on the Mount of
Transfiguration, when he said, we beheld his glory. You know,
he was transfigured there. And the father spoke from heaven
saying, this is my beloved son, hear ye him. So Christ is God's,
Christ is God's eternal son who was made flesh, the mystery of
godliness. Number two, Christ is God's righteous
servant. Christ is God's. Christ is God's
eternal Son made flesh. And number two, Christ is God's
righteous servant. He came into this world as a
man, as God's servant. Isaiah chapter 42 and verse one,
we have this word, behold. Behold, stop, stop and listen. Stop and look, behold. God says,
behold. My servant, whom I uphold, mine
elect, in whom my soul delighteth." At his baptism, we are told that
there was a voice from heaven saying, this is my beloved son,
in whom I am well pleased. Christ is God's, Christ is God's
righteous servant. And that 42nd chapter of Isaiah,
such a beautiful, beautiful chapter that speaks to us of the Savior,
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is God's. But it also
says this about God's righteous servant. It tells us, he shall
not fail nor be discouraged until he has set judgment in the world. That reminds us of the fact He
shall not fail nor be discouraged until he has finished the work
which the Father gave him to do. He prayed in John chapter
17, Father, I have finished the work which thou gavest me to
do. He would never be discouraged.
You know, at one time there was a great number of people who
were following Him. You read about this in John chapter
6. But they were following Him for
the wrong motive, the wrong reason. It was because of the bread which
they had eaten. They were following Him. But
when the Lord Jesus Christ spoke to them the Word of God, the
Scriptures tell us that many of them said, this is a hard
saying. Who can hear it? Who can hear
this saying? And they went away. And then
the Lord Jesus Christ spoke to his 12 apostles, and he said,
will you also go away? And don't you love the response
that Peter gave? And he gave this not only for
himself, but for all of those apostles, except Judas. Lord,
to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal
life. And we believe and are sure that
the earth, the Christ, the son, of the living God. You know,
when he made that confession once before, our Lord told him,
Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona, blessed blood hath not revealed
this unto thee, but my Father, which is in heaven. Yes, Christ
is God's, his righteous servant, who came into this world as a
man. And this is a reason in the gospel
you will read the Lord Jesus Christ saying, my father is greater
than I. He's not speaking there as only
God, but he's speaking there as God's righteous servant, both
God and man in one person. And that's the reason he said,
my father is greater than I. as the God-man, as the mediator,
as God's righteous servant. Another thing that we read there
in Isaiah chapter 42 concerning God's righteous servant is the
Lord is well pleased for his righteousness sake. Now listen,
he will magnify and honor God's law. He will magnify the law
and make it honorable. That law of God. That perfect
law of God, which our father Adam broke, and every one of
his descendants as we come into this world, we have all broken. We've all failed to honor the
law of God, to keep the law of God perfectly. We know that. For all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God, the scripture says. For by one man,
sin entered into the world, and death by sin. So the Lord Jesus
Christ, God, Christ is God's. Christ is God's eternal son made
flesh. Christ is God's righteous servant,
who just by his obedience, remember as God, he is the law giver. And yet he was made, the scripture
says, made of a woman, made under the law, that he might redeem
us from the curse of the law. And so, yes, Christ is God's
righteous servant. And he, as the scripture said,
magnified the law and made it honorable. And in obeying that
law, he brought in that everlasting righteousness. You see, before
a person may be justified, before a person may be declared righteous
in God's sight, He must or she must have a righteousness that
God will accept. And it must be perfect. And that
is the righteousness of God, the righteousness of Christ,
his perfect obedience to God's holy law. What a thought, my friends, to
know that Christ never had a sinful thought, never spoke a sinful
word, never had a sinful action, Oh, don't you want to be like
Christ? Don't you? If you're one of his children,
I know that you do, because he was perfect in his obedience
unto God. Christ is God's. Number three,
Christ is God's surety of the everlasting covenant. Yes, Christ
is God's eternal son made flesh. Yes, Christ is God's righteous
servant who obeyed his law. And yes, Christ is God's surety
of the everlasting covenant. This is what we read in Hebrews
chapter 7 and verse 22. By so much was Jesus made a surety
of a better testament. Now the word testament and covenant
in the New Testament are both translated from the same word,
the same Greek word. Yes, he's the surety of that
everlasting covenant. It is through his work as a surety
of this covenant that men have peace with God. That is that
we are reconciled with God. It is through his work as a surety. God looked to him for all of
the people that God gave unto him, for all of those for whom
he came as our surety. God looked to him for righteousness,
and yes, to satisfy that broken law. Christ is God's. He's God's surety of the everlasting
covenant. And I read this verse at the
beginning of the service, Romans 5 and verse 10. For if when we
were enemies, and we were, we were enmity with God, all men
are by nature, And the apostle says, for if, when we were enemies,
we were reconciled unto God. How? By the death of his son. Much more, being reconciled,
we shall be saved through his life. And number four, Christ
is God's unspeakable gift. His unspeakable gift. You know,
the apostle Paul wrote those words, thanks be unto God for
his unspeakable gift. That has to be the gift of His
Son, because man does not have the words. Man doesn't have the
words, my friends, to speak about the Lord Jesus Christ, the greatness
of this gift. For God so loved the world, so
loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in Him should not perish. but have everlasting life." So
that's the first point. Christ is God. Number two, you
are Christ. That's also in that verse 23.
You are Christ. And looking at this statement,
it's only right that we look and see to whom Paul is writing
this letter when he says, and you are Christ. You've got to
go back to the first chapter, actually. But if you turn back
to the first chapter, read this at your convenience, you will
see those to whom Paul was writing were, first of all, addressed
as saints, as saints. In other words, they were separated
unto God. They were set apart unto God.
And I think of one petition in the Lord's Prayer in John chapter
17. When the Lord Jesus Christ said, I pray not for the world,
but for those, for them, which thou hast given me, for they
are thine. They were sanctified, they were
separated. Separated by God in eternity
through his sovereign election. Separated by God the Son by his
redemption at the cross. And yes, separated by God the
Holy Spirit in time. And not only are they addressed
as saints, but also as those who have been called into fellowship
with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. In other words, into union
with Christ. By faith, we are in union with
Him. Now let's think about this statement,
you are Christ. And let me give us three ways
that These people, these believers, these saints of God, were Christ. And it's true of you, it's true
of me, if you're one of his children tonight. There are three ways
that those who know Christ are his. First of all, you are Christ
by God's sovereign choice. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, according as he has chosen us in him before
the foundation of the world. You are Christ by God's sovereign
choice. Number two, you are Christ by
God's gift. Now I mentioned that verse in
John 17 in our Lord's prayer when he spoke and said, I pray
not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me. Did
you know six times in that prayer, the Lord Jesus Christ mentions
the fact that there were those who were given unto him by the
father. He began acknowledging in that
prayer that all power was given unto Him that He might give eternal
life to as many as the Father had given Him. You see, eternal
life is a gift, and He gives eternal life. It's not earned.
It's certainly not deserved by anyone. It's God's gift. In John
chapter 6 and verse 39, He said, This is the Father's will, which
hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me, all which he
hath given me, that I should lose nothing, but should raise
it up at the last day. And when God's people were given,
when He gave His people unto His Son, in that everlasting
covenant, both soul and body, that means the dust, when the
body of a believer turns back to the dust. It is charged upon
Christ as a surety that he lose nothing. And one day he will
be able to say and stand before his father and say, Father, here
am I and the children which thou has given me and not one shall
be missing. Not one shall be missing. Number
two, you are Christ by his purchase, by his purchase. These are those
who are bought with a price, and the price was the precious
blood of Christ. Brother Bill sang that hymn just
a few minutes ago, all through the blood. God leads his dear
children along. We have different experiences
as we go through this life, no doubt about it. But one thing
is true of every child of God. We all are justified, redeemed,
purchased, washed in the blood of Jesus Christ. You're Christ. He purchased you if you're one
of his children. And number three, you're Christ
by God, the Holy Spirit's conquest. All of these who are Christ's
were at first as sheep going astray. And by our enmity, we
proclaim, we never said this maybe with our mouths, but this
is what we proclaim with our lives. We will not have this
man to reign over us. And yet God in his mercy and
grace, God the Holy Spirit comes. And in the day of his power,
his people, are made willing, and we willingly come because
we've been conquered by God the Holy Spirit. Now, third, the
great promise, all things are yours. Let's look at what he
mentions. Well, first he begins with ministers. He names Himself and Apollos
and Cephas, all things are yours. They had to be spoken to as babes,
these that received this letter at first. They had to be spoken
to as babes because they divided around various ministers. And yet the truth is that all
ministers, all true men of God, men that God has called and put
into the ministry, are gifts, the scripture said, gifts of
the ascended Lord, in Ephesians 4 and verse 12. And all are gifts for the work
of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. You know,
ministers are servants. They're called stewards, and
it's required of stewards that a man be faithful. Paul was able
to say, for we preach not ourselves, but Christ the Lord. and ourselves
your servants for Christ's sake. As a steward, I've had this gospel
committed unto me. And it's my responsibility to
be faithful, not to entertain people, not necessarily to please
people, but to be faithful and to proclaim this gospel that
has been committed unto my trust. And number two, he says the world
is yours, this world. Now, as I said, he's writing
to believers, God's saints who are strangers and pilgrims in
this world, but it's yours. The good things in this world
are yours in a very special way. They are your covenant blessings
to be received with thanksgiving. And the things which we would
call afflictions, they too are yours, for they are made to work
together for your good. The world will continue in this
present form until it is burned, until the Lord calls out the
last of His chosen. My friends, this world will continue
more or less as it is, but in that day, that last day, This
world is going to be burned. There's going to be a new heaven
and a new earth in which dwells righteousness. This world is
yours. Live in it as one of God's children,
not abusing it, not being part of it, but being the light that
God has called you to be in this world. Number three, life is
yours. Life is yours. Your life is yours
to live as God would lead you and God would have you to live.
Did you know every breath that you breathe, every breath that
I breathe, God gives it to us. The scripture is very clear that
we live and move and have our being in him. Yes, my friends,
life is yours as the Lord gives you life in this world. Death,
the next thing he mentions, death is yours. As a child of God,
the sting of death has been removed. It's been removed through the
death of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, I'm speaking about something
that I've never experienced. I understand that, but I know
that for every child of God, death is like walking through
a door. That's all it is. Just going
from this world into the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And
the Apostle Paul said to depart and to be with Christ, which
is far, far, far better. Oh my. Every time you get sick,
You may wonder, is this the sickness that is going to bring the end
of my life in this world? It may be. Death is yours. It's nothing to be feared because
Christ has taken the sting of death away. You know, the scriptures speak
of the death of a child of God always in the New Testament as
sleep. I'm going to go home tonight,
God willing. and I'm going to go to bed and
go to sleep. And I'm not afraid of that. That
doesn't cause me any fear. And the same way we should consider
death for a child of God. Death is yours. And then number
five, things present or things to come are yours. Whether we
would consider things to come to be good or to be evil, God's
word, listen, God's word is always true and this is God's word to
every child of God. Say ye to the righteous that
it shall be well with him. You find that in Isaiah chapter
three and verse 10. That's what God told his prophet
to say. Say ye to the righteous. How's a person made righteous?
Through the imputed righteousness of Christ, my friend. Through
trusting in Christ. Say ye to the righteous, it shall
be well with him. And fourthly, and in conclusion,
what is the primary lesson for us as we think about this great
promise? What is the primary lesson for
you and I? It should be this, for all of
God's people, glory in the Lord. Glory in the Lord. That's what
the apostle says. Therefore, let no man glory in
man, for all things are yours. Don't glory in men, glory in
the Lord. Praise Him. You know, in Jeremiah,
the prophet said, Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man
glory in his wisdom, neither the mighty man in his might.
Let not the rich man glory in his riches. But he that glorieth
glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the
Lord, which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in
the earth. For in these things I delight."
What a great promise God has given unto His children. All
things are yours. I'm going to ask Bill Parker
if he will come again. He's going to sing hymn and we'll
end our service with prayer. Old habits are hard to break.
I started to say we'll be dismissed, but he's going to sing Under
His Wings, and that's where God's children are, and that's where
we want to be always, under his wings. In the midst of this virus,
this pestilence, God's children take shelter. under the wing
at all times, but especially during this time of pestilence,
what comfort do we find in knowing that we are safe and secure under
his wings? Brother Bill, if you will. Amen. Thank you, brother pastor.