Sermon #1263
Title: Five Instructive Words
Text: Psalm 115:3
Readings: Office: Buddy Daugherty Auditorium:
Merle Hart
Subject: How Sinners Are Saved
Date: Sunday Evening - November 17, 1996
Tape # T-9
Introduction:
We often miss great privileges by
failing to observe and take advantage of those things that are nearest us. We
seldom notice those things that we see every day.
·
Old Salem
·
Williamsburg
·
Old Fort
Harrod
·
McDowell House
Frequently, we miss great blessings by
failing to observe those things revealed in Holy Scripture which are most
common. Tonight, I want us to observe some things that are very common in the
conversation of religious people, but seldom meditated upon with serious
thought.
If you are taking notes, the title of
my message is Five Instructive Words.
Here are five words, found throughout the Bible, words full of instruction,
words we need to understand. What I have to say tonight is so simple that the
smallest child can get it and so profound that we will never fathom it. Follow
me through the Scriptures, as we look at these five words together.
I. GOD
Psalms 115:3 "But our God is in the heavens: he hath done
whatsoever he hath pleased."
Without question, the greatest word in the bible is the word
“GOD.” Here is a word that has no
rival. It contains all things. When I read the word “God,” I think of the
Eternal Trinity - The Mighty Creator - The Marvels of Creation - My Heavenly
Father - My Savior - and My Master. “God
is love!” God is truth. God is gracious. God is holy. God is wise. God is
omnipotent. God is everywhere. God is great, infinitely, incomprehensibly
great! “Canst thou by searching find out
God?” Who can measure the fulness of this word - “God?” Let his name be
spoken with reverence and fear. “For holy
and reverend is his name!”
II. SIN
No doubt, the blackest word in the Bible is “sin.”
Psalms 51:1-5 "Have mercy
upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude
of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. (2) Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
(3) For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. (4) Against
thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this
evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. (5) Behold, I was shapen in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me."
It takes three words to describe this
horrible thing we call sin.
·
Iniquity - In
Equity, Missing the Mark
·
Transgression
- Breaking the Law
·
Sin - Our Evil
Nature
Sin brought death to our race. Sin separated us from God.
Sin has marred, defiled, and deformed God’s creation. All that is good in this
world is caused by God. All that is evil in this world is caused by sin. Thank
God, he rules the evil as well as the good. But the cause of evil is sin.
Murder, rape and robbery, persecution, poverty and pain, sickness, bereavement
and death, are all the fruits of sin. Were it not for sin, these things would
not exist. And when God has completely delivered us from sin, these things will
exist no more (Rev. 21:4-5).
III. DEPART
The saddest word in the Bible is the
word “depart.” There are some people
to whom the Lord Jesus Christ will one day say, “Depart from me, ye cursed; I never knew you.” In your wildest
imagination, in your terrifying nightmare, can you think of any word that is
more horrible, more dreadful, more hopeless, more sad than that? What a sad,
sad word -”Depart from me!”
Matthew 7:22-23 "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we
not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy
name done many wonderful works?
(23) And then will I profess unto them, I never
knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."
Matthew 25:41 "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand,
Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and
his angels:"
IV. JESUS
Matthew 1:21 "And she shall
bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his
people from their sins."
The most precious word in the Bible is the word “Jesus!” “Thou shalt call his name Jesus,” the angel said to Joseph, “for he shall save his people from their
sins.” “Unto you therefore which believe, he is precious!”
“Jesus,” O how sweet the name!
“Jesus,” everyday the same!
“Jesus,” let all saints proclaim
His worthy praise forever!
A.
Jesus is
Jehovah, our God!
B.
Jesus is the
Lord our Righteousness!
C.
Jesus is our
sin-atoning Substitute!
D.
Jesus is our
Advocate and Great High Priest!
E.
Jesus is our
Great King!
F.
Jesus is our
Savior!
·
I have no need
but Jesus!
·
I have no want
but Jesus!
·
I have no
claim but Jesus!
·
I have no plea
but Jesus!
·
I have no hope
but Jesus!
·
I have no
right but Jesus!
·
I have no
peace but Jesus!
·
I have no
might but Jesus!
V. SAVED
Isaiah 45:22 "Look unto me,
and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none
else."
I believe the happiest word in the
Bible is the word “saved.” We hear
this word al the time. We use it constantly. It is used in the Word of God to
describe the state and condition of those people who have been brought into a
living union of faith with the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. “God hath saved us and called us.” “By grace
are ye saved through faith.” All who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, all
who truly trust the Son of God, are saved. It is written, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” “Whosoever
shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” But what does it mean
to be saved by the grace of God through faith in Christ? To be saved is...
·
To be loved
and chosen of God (Eph. 1:3-4).
·
To be redeemed
and justified by the precious blood of Christ - “The Son of God loved me and gave himself for me.”
·
To be born
again and called by the Spirit of God (Eph. 2:1).
·
To be forgiven
of all sin (Eph. 1:7; Rom. 4:8).
·
To be freed
from the curse of the law (Gal. 3:13).
·
To be freed
from all possibility of condemnation (Rom. 8:1, 33, 34).
·
To have peace
with God (Rom. 5:1).
·
To have
eternal life (1 John 5:11).
·
To have the
Spirit of God (Rom. 8:9, 14).
·
To own and
acknowledge that Christ is Lord (Rom. 10:9-10).
·
To love the
Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 16:22).
·
To be an heir
of God and joint-heir with Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:17).
Do you see what a blessed, happy,
delightful word this word “saved” is? It is a choice word in the vocabulary of
God’s elect. “The Son of Man is come to
seek and to save that which was lost.” “This is a faithful saying, and worthy
of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners!”
There is good news in this word “saved.” “Look unto me,” the Savior says, “and be ye saved!”
I want us to look at this word, “saved,” as it is used in
five passages of Holy Scripture. The Bible tells us that all who are saved
are...
·
Saved by grace
(Eph. 2:8-9).
·
Saved with
difficulty (1 Pet. 4:18).
·
Saved by faith
(Lk. 7:50).
·
Saved by hope
(Rom. 8:24).
·
Saved by
losing (Matt. 16:25).
A.
The apostle Paul tells us that we are saved by grace (Eph. 2:8-9).
Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace
are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (9) Not
of works, lest any man should boast."
Throughout the Scriptures we are
taught, again and again, that salvation, from start to finish, is the work of
God’s rich, free, abundant, sovereign grace in Christ. The Word of God allows
no place for human merit, gives no credit to human dignity and offers no reward
to human works, except eternal damnation.
1.
The covenant
of salvation is a covenant of grace (2 Tim. 1:9).
2.
Election to
salvation is the election of grace (Rom. 11:5-6).
3.
Redemption,
the basis of salvation, is a work of grace (Rom. 3:24).
4.
The call of
the Spirit is the call of grace (2 Tim. 1:9).
5.
Faith in
Christ is the gift of grace (Eph. 2;8; Col. 2:12).
6.
Perseverance
in salvation is the preservation of grace (1 Pet. 1:5).
7.
Heaven, the
completion of salvation, is the reward of grace.
“Naught have I gotten, but what I received;
Grace hath bestowed it since I have believed!
Boasting excluded, pride I abase -
I’m only a sinner, saved by grace!”
Salvation is the work of grace alone.
And the grace of God by which we have been saved is...
·
Sovereign
Grace!
·
Eternal Grace!
·
Unconditional
Grace!
·
Immutable
Grace!
·
Effectual
Grace!
The whole work
of salvation is God’s work; and it is entirely the work of grace (Col. 2:10-15).
Colossians 2:10-15 "And ye are
complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: (11) In whom also ye are circumcised
with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins
of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
(12) Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation
of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
(13) And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh,
hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; (14) Blotting out the handwriting of
ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of
the way, nailing it to his cross; (15)
And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them
openly, triumphing over them in it."
Any mixture of
works with grace is a total denial of grace
(Gal. 5:1-4; Rom. 11:6).
Romans 11:6 "And if by
grace, then is it no more of works:
otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it
be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more
work."
Galatians
5:1-4 "Stand fast therefore in the
liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the
yoke of bondage. (2) Behold, I Paul
say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. (3) For I testify again to every man
that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. (4) Christ is become of no effect unto
you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from
grace."
B.
The apostle Peter tells us that we are saved with difficulty (1 Pet. 4:18).
1 Peter 4:18 "And if the
righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner
appear?"
The
word “scarcely” does not imply that there is any uncertainty about salvation
for God’s elect, or that their eternal acceptance with God is not sure.
·
We are
complete in Christ (Col. 2:10; 1:12).
·
He is able to
save to the uttermost!
·
Christ knows
his sheep. He will most assuredly give them everyone eternal life (John
10:27-29).
The
word “scarcely” does not mean that some of the Lord’s people will just barely
get into heaven! A full entrance is provided for God’s elect in Christ. We
shall sweep into glory triumphantly, in full array, clothed in the
righteousness of Christ!
“Bold shall I stand in that great day!
For who ought to my charge shall lay,
While through Christ’s blood absolved I am
From sin’s tremendous guilt and blame?”
What,
then, does this word “scarcely” mean? It means that it is no easy thing for God
to save a sinner. There are many difficulties which must be overcome. The law must be honored. Justice must be satisfied. Righteousness must be maintained. Sin must be punished. Before God’s
elect could be saved, a mighty work of redemption had to be performed. A better
translation of this verse is - “If the righteous with difficulty be saved,
where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?”
1. The
difficulty lay with the holiness and justice of God.
How can God be just and yet justify
the ungodly? How can God both honor his holy law and save guilty sinners? How
can the sinner be punished and yet forgiven? How can the guilty die and yet
live?
The answer is Christ! As a man, as the
sinner’s Substitute, the Lord Jesus Christ met every need of fallen man, met
every demand of God’s holy law, satisfied every claim of divine justice,
fulfilled every requirement of God’s righteousness, and overcome every
difficulty that lay in God’s way for the salvation of his elect (Rom. 3:24-26).
Illustration: One Room School
·
Christ brought
in everlasting righteousness for us (John 17:4).
·
Christ
satisfied divine justice as our Substitute (2 Cor. 5:21).
·
We have been
made the righteousness of God in him.
2. The
difficulty also lay in the nature and will of man.
It is written, “Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.” “Men love darkness
rather than light.” “The carnal mind is enmity against God.” All men and
women by nature are “lovers of pleasure
more than lovers of God.” The difficulty in salvation is the depraved
nature of man, the fact that we are all sinful flesh, proud, rebelling against
God and the gospel of his grace. Before any sinner will ever be saved, two
mighty miracles of grace must be performed.
·
The heart must
be renewed (John 3:5-7).
·
The will must
be broken (Psa. 110:3; Zech. 12:10).
Christ must be formed in you (Gal.
4:19). You must be created anew in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). This is a miraculous
work which only God can perform. The new birth is a resurrection from the dead;
and a resurrection is a miraculous thing!
“It took a miracle to put the stars in place,
It took a miracle to hang the world in space,
But when God saved my soul,
Cleansed and made me whole,
It took a miracle of love and grace!”
C.
Our Lord Jesus tells us that we are saved by faith.
Faith is not the cause of salvation. That is the grace of
God. Faith is not the basis of salvation. That is the obedience of Christ. And
faith is not the power by which salvation is performed. That is the call of the
Spirit. But faith is the means by which salvation is received and enjoyed; and
personal faith in Christ is vital. Without it, you will never be saved.
1.
Look at Luke 7:50 - “And he said to
the woman, thy faith hath saved thee, go in peace.”
You know the story of this woman. It is one of the most
touching and instructive stories in the Bible. The object of her faith was
Christ. Her tears washed his feet. Her hair was the towel with which she dried
his feet. Her lips tenderly kissed his feet. What does this story teach us
about faith?
·
Saving faith
looks to Christ. She came to him.
·
Saving faith
grieves over sin. She wept.
·
Saving faith
is humble. It takes its place “at his
feet.”
·
Saving faith
loves Christ. She kissed his feet.
·
Saving faith
is submissive, self-denying and sacrificial. “Costly ointment!” (Mk. 14:4-5).
·
Saving faith
serves Christ. “She hath done what she
could” (Mk. 14).
2.
Now look at Luke 18:42. Our Lord spoke these same words to blind
Bartemaeus. “Receive thy sight, thy faith
hath saved thee.”
The experiences of Bartemaeus and the woman in Luke 7 were
not at all alike. Their faith was the same. It had the same object - Christ.
And it had the same characteristics - Humility and repentance, love and
submission. But they experienced different things.
·
The woman’s faith acted like a woman. She showed tenderness and affection. The man’s faith acted like a man. He showed determination and
strength, crying, “Thou Son of David,
have mercy on me!”
·
The woman did not speak.
As a woman should be in public, she was silent. But the man continued to cry aloud. He could not be silenced.
·
The woman wept much. The man pleaded for mercy.
·
The woman’s faith gave quiet service to the honor of Christ.
The man’s faith gave public praise to the honor of Christ.
The important thing to note is the fact that their
experiences differed greatly; but their faith was the same. They both believed
Christ. That simply means, there is not need for you to try to match your
experience of grace with mine. Do not look to your own experience or to mine.
Look to Christ alone. “Look unto me!”
“My faith looks up to Thee, Thou Lamb of Calvary,
Savior divine!
Now hear me while I pray, Take all my sin away,
Oh let me from this day be wholly Thine!”
D. In Romans 8:24, the apostle Paul tells
us that we are saved by hope.
The
world uses the word “hope” to express a baseless wish, or desire - “I hope it
will rain today.” But that is not the way the Bible uses this word. In the
Bible the word “hope” has a foundation. It is full of expectation. The
believer’s hope of salvation is a hope based upon revelation. Our hope is more
than what we desire. It is what we have reason to expect and anticipate. If you
trust Christ, you have reason to expect eternal salvation. If you do not trust
Christ, you have not hope.
1. Believing
on the Lord Jesus Christ, we have “a good
hope through grace” (2 Thess.
2:16).
·
We hope that
our sins are forgiven.
·
We hope to be
resurrected when Christ comes.
·
We hope to be
made like Christ.
·
We hope to
receive a full reward through grace in Christ.
·
We hope to
reign with Christ.
These are all blessings of grace which
we have good reason to anticipate and expect if we trust Christ. Peter said, “Be ready always to give an answer to every
man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you.”
2. Here is the
threefold reason of our hope.
a. Our hope is based upon the Word of God (Isa. 1:18-19;
Matt. 11:28-30; John 3:16, 36; 1 John 1:9).
b. Our hope is based upon the righteousness and shed blood
of the Lord Jesus Christ (Isa. 53:4-6; 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:13; 4:4-5; 1 Pet.
3:18).
I have no merit before God, except the
righteousness of Christ. I have no plea for mercy, except the blood of Christ.
But resting my soul entirely upon the merits of Christ’s righteousness and shed
blood, I am full of confidence, hope, and expectation before God. “He that spared not his own Son, but
delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all
things?” (Rom. 8:32).
c. Our hope is based upon the resurrection of Christ (Rom.
8:31-39).
NOTE:
Do you see what I am saying? “We are
saved by hope.” That hope is a great desire. But it is more. It is a
confident expectation, based entirely upon the Person and work of Christ. His
Word - His obedience to God as our Substitute, and his resurrection as our
Representative.
E.
Our Lord tells us that we are saved by losing (Matt. 16:25).
It will cost a man something to follow
Christ and be his disciple. It will cost you your life! No one is Christ’s
disciple who retains possession and ownership of himself. Salvation involves
submission to Christ - Total, unreserved submission.
Illustration:
One old missionary, who labored faithfully in the service of Christ on a
remote island, buried his wife and three sons on that island. Finally, when his
body could no longer endure the hardships of pioneer missionary life, retired
and came home. He made this statement - “If I had my life to live over again, I
would walk the same path, trust the same Savior, weep the same tears, visit the
same graves, and preach the same gospel, for all that I have lost on earth is
gained in glory.”
This is what I am saying -
1. That man, or woman, who tries to
save himself from the reproach of Christ, the offense of the cross, the
afflictions of the gospel, or from the trials, troubles, and difficulties that
come with saving faith shall lose his soul.
2. But whosoever shall lose his life
to the rule and dominion of Christ, in the cause of his gospel, his kingdom and
his glory, whosoever shall willingly bear the cross, the reproach and offense
of the gospel in an open confession of Christ and walk of faith shall be saved.
The one issue of salvation is this: Who shall have the rule and dominion of
your life? You, or Christ?
Illustration: Paul (2 Tim. 4:6-18).
Application: Do you see the happiness, the blessedness of this word S. A.
V. E. D? We are saved...
1.
By grace -
Through the operation of God.
2.
With
difficulty - By the power of God.
3.
By faith
-Trusting the Son of God.
4.
By hope -
Believing the promise of God.
5.
By losing - By
our union with and submission to the Son of God. Would you be saved? “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou
shalt be saved!” Lose you life to Christ. If you do, you will gain it in
Christ eternally.