GRACE FOR TODAY Radio Message #395
“ALL THINGS ARE READY!” Matthew
22:4
Pastor
Don Fortner
Grace Baptist Church of Danville
2734 Old Stanford Road
Danville,
Kentucky 40422-9438
Here is a text designed and
intended specifically for the benefit of you who are yet under the wrath of
God. It is found in Matthew 22:4. Here the Lord Jesus commands saved sinners to
declare to lost sinners that “ALL THINGS
ARE READY!” "Again, he sent forth
other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my
dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto
the marriage."
The
Lord God has sent me to you with an invitation to the marriage supper of the
Lamb. Come just as you are. Bring nothing with you. This is one marriage at
which no guests with gifts will ever be admitted. At this marriage, all the
gifts come from the Father of the Groom and are bestowed because of the Groom.
The bride has no dowry!
In Christ all things are
ready for the salvation and eternal bliss of needy sinners. “The Spirit and the Bride say, Come; and
whosoever will, let him come!”
Here is complete pardon for all sin. It is found in his blood atonement.
Precious blood indeed is sin-atoning blood!
Here is complete righteousness. Our Savior’s name is JEHOVAH-TSIDKENU, the Lord
our Righteousness! The perfect righteousness of Christ, his perfect obedience,
is imputed to every sinner who trusts him. He is made of God unto us
righteousness.
Here is sure acceptance. His promise is -
“Him that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out.” Here is
unconditional salvation. Since salvation is by his grace, and not by your
works, your will or your worth it is absolutely free and unconditional. God
saves sinners upon the grounds of what Christ has done, his obedience, his
sin-atoning death, and his intercession. Salvation is by grace alone, in Christ
alone, through faith alone.
Here is absolute security. He who died for sinners is alive again for
evermore. Because he lives, we who believe shall live also. Until our all
glorious Substitute and Surety can be dragged from his lofty throne in heaven
and put to death again, not one of those for whom he died can perish. He says, “I give unto them eternal life; and they
shall never perish!”
In Acts 13:39 we read, “BY
CHRIST ALL THAT BELIEVE ARE JUSTIFIED FROM ALL THINGS!” When the Son of
God says, “All things are ready”, he
means all things. "And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from
which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.”
There is no justification
for sinners by the works of the law. “By
the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified.” There is no
justification to be obtained by religious rites and ceremonies. Baptism, church
membership, Bible reading, prayers, and a life of religious devotion, all are
totally useless, in so far as the matter of justification is concerned. But
there is free, full, complete justification from all things in Christ. By his
blood, by the imputation of his righteousness, by the grace of God every
believing sinner is completely and forever justified from all iniquity, all
transgression, and all sin! Did you hear that? This free, full, complete
justification in Christ belongs to every believer. It is ours presently; and it
is ours permanently.
In
the story of the rich young ruler (Matt. 19:23-26) we are told, “WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE.” You
know the story. That rich man walked away from Christ. So far as we know, he
went to hell, clinging to his riches. "Then
said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall
hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier
for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter
into the kingdom of God. When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly
amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto
them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible."
When the disciples saw this
impressive, moral, upright, religious man walk away from the Master, they
understood what had happened. This young man was confronted with the claims of
Christ the Lord and refused to bow. Then they said, “Who then can be saved?” And our Lord tells us two things plainly,
in response to their question: (1.) “With
men this is impossible.” (2.) “But
with God all things are possible!” No sinner is beyond the reach of God’s
omnipotent grace. There is no filth that the blood of Christ cannot cleanse.
There is no spiritual deformity that the grace of Christ cannot correct. There
is no nakedness of soul that the righteousness of Christ cannot cover. God help
you now to come to Christ. Why do you tarry? Why will you die, when there is
life, eternal life to be had in Christ? Trust the Savior now. “ALL THINGS ARE READY!” AMEN.