Sermon
#14461 Miscellaneous
Sermons
Title: Christ Pre-eminent
in God’s Salvation
Text: Colossians
Subject: The Glory of Christ in Salvation
Date: Sunday Morning --
Tape # W-18a
Introduction:
It is one of the plainest and most obvious truths of Holy Scripture that the glory of God is and must be the first and ultimate end of all things.
As Bro. Scott
Richardson brought out so clearly in a message he preached here
back in 1997, -- God’s glory is himself, his essence, his nature, his very
being. Those magnificent attributes and perfections of his nature which
identify him and him alone as God are much more than mere emanations from and
qualities of his nature. Unlike us, God’s attributes are himself. His being is
his glory. When we think and speak of the great, almighty, solitary God in the
trinity of his sacred persons, we must always think of him in possession of all
those incommunicable attributes and perfections of his being which distinguish
him alone as God.
Yet,
the glory of the triune God is revealed, manifest to, and seen by us in the
person of his dear Son our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. In Christ
alone the invisible God is visible! Beholding his glory, we behold all the
fulness of the glory of the triune God! So great is that glory that the Lord
our God has prepared and appointed a whole eternity (if I may be allowed to use
such language) to display it to his creatures. It is written…
Ephesians 2:7 "That in the ages to come he
might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus."
Not only shall the glory of God be revealed to us throughout the endless ages of eternity; but it shall be revealed and made known to us in the person of the God-man, God in our nature, our most glorious Christ.
Colossians
There is a peculiar preciousness
about this everlasting revelation of the glory of God in Christ. Listen to
this. The Holy Spirit tells us that the glory of the triune God revealed in
Christ is directly and inseparably connected with his grace toward us. The
revealed glory of God is, to all eternity, connected with the salvation of his
elect and our infallible, eternal union with Christ. According to
Ephesians 1:6, we are now and shall forever be…
Ephesians 1:6 "To the praise of the
glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved."
The
glory of the triune God, that is to say, the glory of our most glorious Christ,
that One designated by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as the One in
whom all fulness should dwell and the One who should forever and in all things
have the pre-eminence, is seen in many, many things. The glory of our God is
evident everywhere.
·
In Creation
·
In
·
In The Scriptures.
Proposition: However, the glory of God is
seen most fully in the face of Jesus Christ as our Savior, and that glory is
most great and most greatly revealed in his salvation.
That
is what I want to show you in this message. Turn with me to Psalm 21. You will
recall that when Moses asked God that he might see his glory,
that which God showed him was his sovereign goodness in the salvation of
sinners by Christ.
Exodus 33:18-19 "And he said, I beseech thee,
show me thy glory. (19) And he said,
I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of
the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will
show mercy on whom I will show mercy."
Here, in Psalm 21:5, the
psalmist declares, “His glory is great in thy salvation.” Give me your attention
for a few minutes. May God the Holy Spirit take total control of my thoughts
and of yours, may he be pleased to speak through these stammering lips of clay
and give you ears to hear, as I try to preach to you about Christ Pre-eminent in God’s
Salvation. My text will be verses five and six; but we will
begin with verse one and work our way down to verse five.
I realize that David wrote
this psalm and that it has a proper historical application to him. But David
was only a type of Christ. His kingdom was only typical of Christ’s kingdom.
His deliverances were by the hand of God. But hey were only typical of God’s
salvation of his people by Christ. And David’s glory was only typical of
Christ’s glory. The King in Psalm 21 is Christ or King. The salvation is
Christ’s salvation. And the glory is Christ’s glory.
Psalms 21:1 "The king shall joy in thy
strength, O LORD; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!"
Here is a prophecy of our
Savior’s joy as the result of the salvation which he would accomplish. When God
the Son had assumed our nature, as agreed upon in the covenant of grace, having
accomplished our salvation by the strength of Jehovah, having entered in once
into the holy place with his own blood and obtaining eternal redemption for us,
“how greatly did he rejoice!” What
bliss, what joy, what rejoicing there is in Immanuel’s heart as he sits upon
his throne. His work is finished. His Father is glorified. His people are
redeemed. Their salvation is certain.
Psalms 21:2 "Thou hast given him his heart's
desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah."
What was our Savior’s
heart’s desire? “Lo, I come to do thy
will, O God!” “Father, glorify thy name.” “Thy will be done.” It has been
given to him. What was the request of his lips? Was it not the salvation of his
people? The heart desire of Christ and the prayer of his
lips, which cannot be and shall not be withheld from him, was the glory of his
Father and the eternal welfare of his people. Nothing is so dear to the heart of the Son of God as our…
· Redemption By His
Blood.
· Regeneration By His
Spirit.
· Comfort In Trouble.
· Preservation In
Trial.
· Holiness Before His
Father.
· Happiness Forever In His Presence!
“Selah!” These are things before
which we should pause in thoughtful adoration. Stop here. Linger awhile.
Meditate on these things. Eternity will be too short for us to comprehend them
fully!
Psalms 21:3 "For thou preventest him with the
blessings of goodness: thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head."
The
word “prevent” means to “precede” or “go before.” So the meaning of this verse
is that the Lord God bestowed all the bountiful blessings of goodness and grace
upon us in Christ even before Christ came. Indeed, he blessed us with all
spiritual blessings in Christ before the world began (Eph. 1:3).
Still, thee
is more. God’s goodness toward his elect goes out to them even before Christ
comes to them in the secret workings of providence. This text has reference to
that great, wondrous mystery of prevenient grace, grace which goes before and
prepares the way for God’s saving grace.
Goodness
and mercy precede Christ’s coming, come with Christ, and follow Christ. Then
exaltation and glory are given to him. The Lord God, the triune Jehovah has set
upon his head a crown of pure gold, a pure, everlasting, precious,
indescribably glorious crown.
·
As The Reward of His Obedience.
·
In The Hearts of His People.
Psalms 21:4 "He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even length of
days for ever and ever."
This
refers to our Lord’s resurrection, exaltation, and dominion, which he earned,
asked, for, and received from his Father.
Psalms 16:8-11 "I have set the LORD always
before me: because he is at my right
hand, I shall not be moved. (9) Therefore
my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. (10) For thou wilt not leave my soul in
hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. (11) Thou wilt show me the path of
life: in thy presence is fulness of
joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures
for evermore."
John 17:1-2
"These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and
said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify
thee: (2) As thou hast given him
power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast
given him."
Divisions: Now, as I wrap my message up and bring it
to a conclusion, I want to show you seven things in verses five and six about Christ’s pre-eminence in God’s salvation.
His pre-eminence is seen in his glory; and his glory is great in God’s
salvation as…
1. The Son.
2. The Surety.
3. The Servant.
4. The Substitute.
5. The Sovereign.
6. The Savior.
7. The Satisfier.
I. THE SON -- Christ’s glory is great in
Jehovah’s salvation personally as the Son of God.
Our
text declares, “His glory is great in thy salvation.” There are three things
in the opening line of verse five that I want you to see.
A. The salvation revealed and spoken of in Holy
Scripture is God’s salvation.
Everything
spoken of in our text and everything spoken of in the Word of God relating to
salvation is of God, by God, and belongs to God. Nothing relating to salvation
is of man. There is much talk in our day about man’s free will. But man’s free
will has never done anything yet except ruin him, until his will is conquered
by God’s will. Any man left to himself is sure to
choose that which is evil and do that which is evil. As naturally a water runs downhill, so the will of man is bent toward
hell and wickedness. If the heart and will of a man ever looks heavenward,
ascends upward toward holiness, chooses Christ, comes to Christ, and follows
Christ, it is because that man has been the object and recipient of God’s
salvation. From he first sigh of repentance to the songs of praise in glory,
salvation is God’s work. We are God’s workmanship. The universal testimony of
Scripture is - “Salvation is of the Lord!” We must never presume to mingle
anything of the creature with the glory of the Creator. Salvation is God’s!
From beginning to end, salvation is entirely God’s work. Those who say
otherwise, at any point, to any degree imply do not know God and have not
experienced his salvation. Every
believer, speaking of salvation, ascribes it to the triune God. We call our
salvation, “THY SALVATION!” It is
God’s…
1. In Its Conception.
2. In Its Execution.
3. In Its Application.
4. In Its Preservation.
5. In Its Completion.
“When
it is all finished, -- when every one, who ever shall be called, has been
called, -- when every one of the Lord’s elect has been regenerated, justified,
sanctified, and glorified, -- when the whole of the blood-washed family of God
shall surround the throne above, all the glory shall be given to the Lord
alone. There will be no jarring note in heaven, no whisper of human merit, (OR
FREE WILL!), no claim of a reward for good intentions; but every crown shall be
cast at Jesus’ feet, and every voice shall join in the ascription, ‘Not unto
us, not unto us, but unto thy name be all the glory of the salvation which thou
hast wrought out for us from first to last.’” -- C.
H. Spurgeon
B. Salvation comes from God and belongs to God; and our
salvation is for the glory of God.
Remember
this. Never lose sight of it. It is his glory, not ours, which is great in
salvation. We who are made partakers of the unsearchable riches of his grace
are receivers only, not contributors. And we are all alike
receivers, and equal receivers. The great have nothing to bring. The little have nothing to offer. We all receive everything as empty
handed beggars at the door of mercy.
“God’s
glory is the first object proposed by salvation. God is more concerned for the
promotion of his glory than any of his people can be for their happiness.” -- Robert
Hawker
If
salvation is for the glory of God and God’s work alone, if we cannot and must
not contribute anything to it, then God’s salvation is a salvation exactly
suited to the most helpless, most desperate, most needy sinner there is. What
stronger argument can their be to persuade you to flee
to Christ for salvation? Come, come, O helpless, guilty, desperate sinners,
come to Christ!
C. Now, get this: Christ’s glory as God the Son is
great in Jehovah’s salvation.
We
are Trinitarians. We worship, love, and serve the one true and living God in
the trinity of his sacred persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We delight in
the Father’s election, the Son’s redemption, and the Spirit’s regeneration.
However, the triune God has purposed that Christ, the Son of God, God the Son,
shall have all pre-eminence in the whole affair of salvation, putting all
fulness in the Son, for the glory of the Son.
1. All the fulness of the
Godhead is in Christ the Son (Col. 2:9-10).
2. All the fulness of salvation
and grace is in the Son (1 Cor.
3. All the fulness of glory is
in the Son (John
How
I love to meditate upon, read about, hear about, sing
about, and preach about the glory of Christ! I am like a dying saint I read
about somewhere years ago. Someone in the old lady’s room began to speak about
the greatness, grace, and glory of Christ. Others urged him to be quiet and let
the woman rest. As they did, she said, “Oh, speak some more! Let me hear more.
Do not stop telling his praise. I long to see him soon; but I want to hear
about him now!”
“Surely
I cannot say too much of Jesus Christ. On this blessed subject no man can
hyperbolize. Had I the tongues of men and angels, I could never fully set forth
Christ…Oh, the loveliness, beauty, and glory of his countenance! Can I speak,
or you hear too much f such a Christ?” --
Isaac Ambrose
The
tongues of men and angels combined, the tongues of all men and all angels
combined, could never tell out the glory of our all glorious Christ. Let me
therefore never look for another theme. May God give me grace to give my life
to its dying breath to preach the great glory of Christ in the salvation of sinners.
Christ’s
glory is great in salvation as the Son. Secondly, and I must do no more than
make a passing mention of this because time will permit no more, Christ’s glory
in salvation is great as…
II. THE SURETY.
It
is impossible to talk about salvation in biblical terms without talking about
an everlasting covenant of grace made on behalf of God’s elect and of Christ’s
everlasting engagements as the Surety of that covenant.
Hebrews
Hebrews 13:20-21 "Now the God of peace, that
brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep,
through the blood of the everlasting covenant, (21) Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working
in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."
Let me describe the glory of Christ in salvation as our Surety. He is…
A. An Everlasting Surety.
B. A Voluntary Surety.
C. An Accepted Surety.
D. A Trusted Surety.
1. God the Father trusted his
Son as our Surety (Eph.
2. I trust this great Surety.
3. Will you trust this Surety?
E. A Faithful Surety.
The
Son of God, our all glorious Redeemer is great in salvation as the Son, as the
Surety, and thirdly as…
III. THE SERVANT.
In order to save us, as our great covenant
Surety, the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ became Jehovah’s Servant; and as
Jehovah’s righteous Servant his glory is great in salvation.
Isaiah 42:1-4 "Behold my servant, whom I
uphold; mine elect, in whom
my soul delighteth;
I have put my spirit upon him:
he shall bring forth judgment
(RIGHTEOUSNESS) to the Gentiles.
(2) He shall not cry, nor
lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. (3) A bruised reed
shall he not break, and the smoking
flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. (4) He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment
in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law."
Christ’s
glory is great in salvation as the Son of God, as the Surety of the covenant,
as the Servant of Jehovah, and fourthly as…
IV. THE SUBSTITUTE.
The
greatness of Christ’s glory as our Substitute is seen in the objects of his
love, the purpose of his death, and the efficacy of his atonement. Will you
allow me to refer you once more to that glorious text of Scripture (2 Cor.
2 Corinthians 5:17-21 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things
are become new. (18) And all things are of God, who hath
reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the
ministry of reconciliation; (19) To
wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself,
not imputing their trespasses
unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. (20) Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as
though God did beseech you by us: we
pray you in Christ's stead, be ye
reconciled to God. (21) For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that
we might be made the righteousness of God in him."
Christ’s
glory is great in salvation as our Substitute, and fifthly as…
V. THE SOVEREIGN.
The psalmist declares, “Honor and majesty hast thou laid upon him.”
Psalms 45:2 "Thou art fairer than the
children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee
for ever."
Hebrews 1:1-3
"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past
unto the fathers by the prophets, (2) Hath
in these last days spoken unto us by his Son,
whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; (3) Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his
person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by
himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on
high;"
Hebrews 1:8 "But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of
righteousness is the sceptre of thy
kingdom."
Having
accomplished our atonement by his blood, having obtained eternal redemption for
us, the Lord Jesus Christ has been exalted to the place of highest dominion as
our Mediator. The God-man has been made the sovereign Ruler of all the universe for the salvation of his people.
John 17:2 "As thou hast given him power
over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given
him."
That
Man who died at
·
A Sovereign Throne.
·
A Universal Throne.
1. Christ is Lord and King over
all angels.
2. Christ is Lord and King in
3. Christ is Lord and King
everywhere, the Head over all things for his Church.
·
A Throne Of Grace!
The
glory of Christ is great in salvation as the Son, as the Surety, as the
Servant, as the Substitute, as the Sovereign, and sixthly as…
VI. THE SAVIOR.
How
can these weak, sinful, stammering lips begin describe the great glory of
Christ in salvation as our Savior? His name is JESUS because he is our Savior.
Matthew
He shall indeed save all his people from all their sins…
·
By Redemption.
·
By Regeneration.
·
By Resurrection.
The
greatness of his glory as our Savior only eternity will declare. Let me just
scatter a few diamonds you can easily gather up, take to the bank of faith, and
draw upon forever.
A. The glory of Christ as the
Savior of sinners is to be seen in the people he saves.
B. Our Savior’s greatness and
glory is displayed in the obstacles he has overcome by his grace and power to
save us.
·
God’s Justice
·
Satan’s Power
·
Our Will
C. Our Master shows his
greatness and glory in the means by which he saves his people.
·
The Preaching of The Cross
·
The Allurement of Love
D. The greatness of Christ’s
glory in salvation is to be seen in the number of those whom he saves as well.
E. The great glory of Christ as
our Savior is distinctly seen in the fact that those who are saved by him are
attached to him forever. – He enshrines himself in the hearts of saved sinners
forever, with ever increasing devotion.
I
have tried, in my very limited, feeble, sinful way to speak to you about that
which no human tongue is worthy to mention, least of all mine; but it is my
highest honor to do so. I hope the message has been blessed of God to your
souls, and that every one of you now see and rejoice in the greatness and glory
of Christ in salvation as the Son, the Surety, the Servant, the Substitute, the
Sovereign, and the Savior. And I pray that you who have known him long and know
him well, and that you who have never before known my Lord will all leave here
worshipping, rejoicing in, trusting, and praising the Lord Jesus Christ for the
greatness of his glory in salvation as…
VII. THE SATISFIER.
Turn
back to Psalm 21 again. Look at verse six. Here the sweet singer of
Psalms 21:6 "For thou hast made him most
blessed for ever: thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance."
The
first line of this verse could properly be translated…
“Thou hast made him most blessed forever,” or “Thou hast
made him a blessing forever,” or “Thou hast made him blessedness forever.”
Either way, it is describing the glorious blessedness of Christ as our Savior.
He is the most blessed forever! He is a blessing forever! And he is blessedness
forever! Our most glorious Lord Jesus Christ is all the blessedness of all his
people forever! He is our satisfaction now; and he shall be our satisfaction
forever.
In
his fulness is the sum and substance of all blessedness. Listen to the Spirit’s
testimony. In him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily; and ye are
complete in him!” I have chosen my words deliberately. Hear what I am
telling you. The Lord Jesus Christ
has undertaken to do, sworn himself to do, and most assuredly shall do all that
grace can do for all his people forever!
Christ
himself will be our blessedness and glory forever. I love the way Robert Hawker put it…
“It
is not enough in our contemplation of his blessedness to say, that all gifts
and graces; our happiness, our holiness, will be given to us by him, to
constitute our felicity in heaven; but it is HE HIMSELF, which is, and will be,
our heaven, our home, our everlasting portion. The most capacious faculties
ripened in glory will be filled from him, in the ocean of his fulness; yea, he
saith himself, ‘He that overcometh shall
inherit all things’ (Rev. 21:7); and in him, as our inheritance, we truly
possess all things!”
Now,
look at the last line of verse six. “Thou hast made him exceedingly glad with
thy countenance.” Our all glorious Christ is forever, exceedingly glad!
·
In The Presence Of The Triune God.
·
Because Of The Pleasure Of The Triune God In
Him.
·
With The People Of The Triune God Whom He Has Saved By His Almighty
Power And Grace Through The Merits Of His Blood And Righteousness.
Application: I have not even begun to
scratch the surface of this magnificent theme. Christ Pre-eminence in God’s
Salvation is a subject to big for time and mortality. I send you
home to meditate upon, worship, adore, and serve this great God, our great and
glorious Savior.
1. He is glorious in himself.
Honor and majesty are laid upon him!
2. His blessedness to his
people is immense beyond thought. He is most blessed forever!
3. See that this all glorious
Christ is your salvation, your glory, your portion, and your blessedness.
Look
for these things nowhere else. They are nowhere else to be found. Let me find
nothing satisfying until I find Christ in it. This I know – Nothing can be
dissatisfying, no matter how unpleasant and painful it is in itself, if I can
see Christ in it. A conscious awareness of his presence sweetens every natural, earthly bitterness. The love-tokens of his
favor heightens every joy. The sweet savor of his
blessed name is as ointment poured forth, a spikenard
very precious, to perfume the lives of all who trust him. May God be pleased to
make Christ all blessedness to you and to me forever.
AMEN.