Salvation's 33 Blessings - 03

[0:00] I'd like to remind you that there are a couple of CDs here, I just happened to notice the dates on them. They are dealing with the first of the issues that we're dealing with here in the Salvation's 33 Blessings.

[0:14] If you were not here for the very first session, and this happens to be our third, if you were not here for the first session, there are a couple of CDs here that contain that session.

[0:26] If you would like, feel free to pick one up, and I don't have any of the second session, I forgot to get them the third. And my memory, I'll tell you, I guess it's part of the aging process, but I find myself having more difficulty remembering things, and I think it started ever since what's your name when I got married.

[0:47] So, it just goes with the territory. Okay, we are looking at Salvation's 33 Blessings. It was originally compiled by Dr. Louis Barry Chafer, who was the founder of Dallas Theological Seminary, and we have worked our way down, all the way down to item number two.

[1:10] And it is, a believer has been redeemed. Romans 3.24, the price required to set him free from sin has been paid.

[1:22] If you want, you can do what I did, because I think it's important, and I'm sure that Dr. Chafer would agree to it. You could add two words to that, and they are the words, in full.

[1:38] Paid in full. Guys, it is so very important to understand, Jesus Christ did not make a down payment on your salvation.

[1:52] He paid it off. He did not pay on it. He paid it off. Lock, stock, and barrel. There is nothing that stands against you, or between you, and acceptance with God, because Jesus Christ made the way of access wide open for all to come to him.

[2:15] That is the most glorious thing. I've often said two most important things in the world. The first is to be saved. That is to be delivered, to have been rescued, to have been saved from your sin.

[2:32] That's the most important thing. Second most important thing is to have the knowledge and assurance of that, because if you don't, you know enough to know how important it is.

[2:45] Matter of fact, if I could go back, well, okay, we'll go back a little while to 1957. In my first year at Cedarville College, I was a new convert, was having difficulty struggling with the issue of salvation, and was I really saved, and did I believe, and did I believe right, and all the rest of it.

[3:07] Typical kinds of conflicts that a new Christian has. And I remember talking to Dr. Arthur Williams, who was the dean of students at the time, and I was just a brand new student, fresh out of the army, had spent three years there, was married, and all the rest of it.

[3:20] And I went in to discuss that with him, and he said, well, he said, he said, Marvin, I want you to know that your concern about your salvation is a very good sign.

[3:35] And I said, what? What do you mean? And he said, it's a very good sign that you are saved. I said, I still don't understand. And he says, the fact that you are saved means that you know enough to know how important it is, and it is a real concern to you, and you're upset about it.

[3:59] That's a good sign. And I never thought of it, to put it that way. And he went on to give me assurance with the scriptures that he showed me, and he said, just be aware of the fact that the adversary, Satan and his minions, and I don't understand how many there are or exactly how they work, but he said, Satan and his minions are out there, and they are afoot to derail any new believer they can, because if they can head you off from your growth and stability and assurance and everything, if they can take you out of the action, then that's one less foot soldier they have to be concerned about.

[4:38] So you can understand that your concern about your salvation is a good sign that you have it. But then he went on to share with me that he that believeth and has a son has eternal life, not might have it or maybe or so on.

[4:52] And by the way, guys, this is such a sticking point with so many people, and they completely misunderstand this thing.

[5:03] And I've shared this with you before, but it bears repetition, and I'm not going to apologize for repeating it. And that is, if you have opportunity to tell people or the discussion comes up and the subject has to do with eternal life or salvation, you say something like, well, I'm confident I know where I'm going.

[5:22] I know that I'm saved. And immediately almost the response from most people is, wow, you must think you're really something. You must think you are just so good.

[5:34] And they completely miss the point. But don't pass up the opportunity to clarify. Make sure they understand. You do have assurance. You are certain. You do know where you're going when you die.

[5:46] But it isn't because you're really something. It's because Jesus Christ is really something. And your faith is in Him, not in you. He is the Savior.

[5:59] And people don't understand that. It's a very minor point, but a very important one. And you would be surprised how people really misunderstand because they are constantly given to thinking of salvation in terms of quantity.

[6:17] Have I done enough of this? Have I read my Bible enough? Have I prayed enough? Have I given enough? Have I believed enough? And it's all quantity thing. And guys, there is no assurance in a question mark.

[6:32] No stability in a question mark. But the second most important thing God wants you to know after you're saved is that you are locked in to Jesus Christ, and He is locked in to you, and it is a done deal.

[6:47] You are seated with Him in the heavenlies. That's God's perspective. We see ourselves as seated right here. God sees us as a done deal. We're already seated with Christ in the heavenlies.

[6:59] If you then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above. We're Christ who sits at the right hand of God. This assurance thing is soul-strengthening, stabilizing.

[7:12] There's just nothing like it in the world. And guys, if you bring this down to a human level, and think of boy meets girl and husband and wife, what is the basis for assurance in that relationship when you ask that sweet young thing to be your wife, and you are married, and what have you got?

[7:39] Well, I'm not sure you can use that as an analogy today because things are so discombobulated with marriage and live-ins and all the rest. But the idea is that when man and woman make a commitment to each other, and they accept each other, and they exchange their vows, the question mark is supposed to be removed.

[8:02] Does my mate love me? That's supposed to be a slam dunk, isn't it? And if it's done right, it will be. But I want you to understand that the vows that you took with your mate, which are earthly and will no longer last beyond this life, they do not begin to compare with the vow that was made to Jesus Christ for his salvation.

[8:28] That has eternal consequences, and there is absolutely nothing like it in the world. It's just the assurance that comes from being able to lay your head on that pillow and say, I plan to wake up tomorrow morning, but if I don't wake up here, I'll wake up in glory.

[8:43] And that's all the better. So it provides comfort, confidence, assurance, stability. Everything that matters is wrapped up in who Jesus Christ is and the fact that you are in him.

[8:57] So a believer has been redeemed. Romans 3.24, let's take a look at it. The text is there. And it talks about all of sin fall short.

[9:08] Don't measure up the glory of God, the standard of God being justified. And justified means justified, never sin.

[9:19] Do you realize that? God regards you in Christ just as if you had never committed sin, one in your life. God regards you in Christ.

[9:29] God regards you in Christ. That's what provides the robe of righteousness. And it is a redemption that is full and complete, lacking nothing.

[9:42] When Jesus Christ said, Tetelestai, it is finished. He didn't mean it has begun. He didn't mean it has started. It means it is over.

[9:53] It is done. The price has been paid. And it has been paid in full. It is a gift. It is a gift.

[10:06] It is free. It is free to you because it was paid for by somebody else. So, it does not mean that salvation is cheap.

[10:20] Nothing cheap about it. Salvation is free. It is free, but not cheap because it costs the ultimate one the ultimate price. Unmerited favor, undeserved favor.

[10:44] That was what activated it through the redemption. That means the bind back. The bind back.

[10:55] And the whole world was lost. As in Adam, all die. That's the sentence of death upon all of humanity in Adam. Even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

[11:10] And it is through the redemption or through the bind back, which is in Jesus Christ, whom God displayed publicly.

[11:23] The Apostle Paul was giving his testimony before one of the authorities, Roman authorities that had his life in their hands, as it were, and he was relating to them about Jesus Christ and who he was and what God did through him.

[11:39] And Paul made the statement, he said, this thing, this thing was not done in a corner. What do you mean by that? He meant the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and the death of Christ that he died on that cross was as public as it could possibly be.

[11:57] There on that cross suspended the Son of God before all of those people who were witnesses. And how many do you think there were? I think they were innumerable. Why do we say that?

[12:08] Because this was Passover. Jerusalem was flooded with pilgrims from all over the Mediterranean world who came there for the Passover celebration.

[12:21] And when there was a public execution like that, it drew huge crowds of people. And when Paul said this thing, this thing was not done in a corner.

[12:31] Jesus didn't die on a cross often in some remote place with four or five witnesses. We don't know how many there were, but there were a considerable number there. You may be sure of that.

[12:44] Whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation. And that word propitiation literally means as a satisfaction.

[12:55] The psalmist said that God, the Father, will see the travail, the travail of the Son and be satisfied.

[13:09] Guys, when Jesus was on that cross paying for your sin and my sin and everyone else's sin, the Father was pleased.

[13:26] The Father was satisfied. The Father was propitiated in the price that Christ paid. It was sufficient. It was more than enough.

[13:38] God was satisfied. You know what that means? It means because God is satisfied, the way of access for you to come to Him thrown wide open, God says, come, come.

[13:53] The price has been paid and the way has been made. All you need to do is come. And the way of access is there because that ultimate price was paid.

[14:06] Nothing like it. The Father was propitiated and wrapped up in that word is the idea of satisfied. in His blood.

[14:21] And don't be mistaken in thinking that there is something super mysterious about the blood because there isn't in the fact that it was the blood that is used as a metaphor and the shedding of blood is used as a metaphor for the giving up of life.

[14:43] You know, if if you're looking at a corpse, especially a corpse that was just that just recently became a corpse, sometimes you don't know for sure if life is still there or not.

[15:00] And and the technician or the doctor has a stethoscope or a way of determining whether whether death has actually occurred. and and it's a it's a it's a kind of a well let me put it this way.

[15:17] It's a kind of a situation where sorry guys I just lost my train of thought. Because in the forbearance of God he passed over the sins previously committed.

[15:31] Maybe that'll come back to me later. I don't know. But oh I was talking about in his blood. One of the one of the surest evidences that death has occurred is a loss of blood.

[15:46] Blood is a telltale evidence especially when a sufficient amount of blood has been lost that the life is gone. And it is the vivid picture of life given up.

[16:02] And it is often expressed like that by using the term blood. when when God was speaking to Cain and he asked him where's your brother Abel? And he said well I I don't know am I his keeper?

[16:17] And God said the blood the blood of your brother Abel cries unto me from the ground. Well that too is a metaphor.

[16:28] And blood is a way of expressing a visible way of expressing the absence of life is the shedding of blood.

[16:38] And that expression is used a lot. And it is used right here in verse 25. A propitiation in his blood through. This is a marvelous verse.

[16:48] Look through faith. That means by way of faith which is another way of saying by way of simply believing. believing. That's it.

[17:00] Just believing. And you would be surprised how many people complain at that and they come back with well anybody can do that. Well yeah that's the point.

[17:12] Anybody can do that. What do you think? There are no hoops to jump through. Anybody can do that. What is required? It requires the activation of your will and the commitment with that will to the finished work of Jesus Christ as your Savior.

[17:32] And that's true. Anybody can do that. Guys that's why it's called good news. Listen if salvation costs 50 cents there would be some poor slob somewhere that couldn't afford it.

[17:55] It's free. Absolutely free. And do you know it is this reality that often causes people to reject it because they cannot divorce from there being a price to be paid.

[18:15] And in one respect they're right. There is a price to be paid and Jesus paid the price. And you know what he left for you to pay? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

[18:28] And might I add anything that you would contribute would be contaminated. Do you know why? Because we are still in this thing called the flesh.

[18:40] The body of flesh. That's the old man. The old Adamic man. And fellas it isn't very flattering to say this but it is true. you do not have anything in you to positively commend you to God.

[18:57] Nothing. And some say well I'm offended at that. Well you'll just have to be offended because that's the truth. And Paul says in Romans 8 let's turn there for a minute.

[19:11] Let's come back here to Romans chapter 8. And what am I looking for?

[19:29] I'm talking about the law being weak and so forth. I'm sorry guys. I'm sorry. I'm talking about Romans 5.

[19:42] It moved again. Romans chapter 5 not 8. And verse 6. Wow. Wow.

[19:53] We were still helpless. You know what that means? Just what it says. It means spiritually speaking you do not have the ability to lift a finger to affect your own redemption.

[20:13] this word helpless means wiped out. Means unable to sustain yourself in any way shape or form. While we were still helpless at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

[20:32] for one will hardly die for a righteous man though perhaps for the good man someone would dare to die.

[20:48] See what he's doing here? He's giving degrees of human goodness. But God demonstrates or proved his own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.

[21:08] The reason Jesus died for sinners was because there wasn't anybody else. We were all sinners. All under that sentence of death. And he paid the ultimate price.

[21:23] He paid the price that we all owed but could not pay. because we were already bankrupt morally and Jesus Christ came to our rescue and paid that price.

[21:35] And then he goes on in verse 25 across the page where we were earlier. This was to demonstrate his righteousness. I want you to really focus on that and understand that.

[21:47] Think of it this way guys. Jesus Christ was on that cross because God was righteous.

[22:00] God is righteous. That's why Jesus was on the cross. It was to satisfy the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

[22:12] The righteousness of God in the penalty that he paid. This is an amazing concept but it is one that is so significant and so central to our whole salvation and everything about it to demonstrate his righteousness.

[22:30] How could God demonstrate in the ultimate way that his son whom he sent to this earth was the absolute righteous one and how could God use that to demonstrate that the one who sent him was righteous and demanded a righteous payment.

[22:51] He put Jesus on the cross. think of that. Now it's true. God put Jesus his son on the cross and well look if you will at verse 25 of chapter 4 of Romans chapter 4 verse 25 he Jesus who was delivered up because of our transgressions and was raised because of our justification.

[23:30] And the question is he was delivered up who delivered him? Who delivered him? Well his father delivered him. That's what the verses say.

[23:41] Oh we know Pilate delivered him. We know that Judas delivered him. We know the Roman soldiers who crucified him delivered him. But behind all of that his father delivered him.

[23:57] Now I don't know about you but I have a son and frankly I can't imagine delivering my son up for anybody. Can you?

[24:08] think of this. And we guys we are mere humans. We could have another son. But God had one son.

[24:23] And no I don't understand the intricacy that's involved with the trinity. I know there is one God and he subsists in three persons and I don't understand that because that's just out of the human pay grade.

[24:36] But the scriptures asserted time and time again and God so loved the world that means God in this way God in this manner loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.

[24:50] Guys we have absolutely no appreciation at all of what took place when the eternal father and the eternal son were separated in a way that they had never ever been separated and it was for the space of three hours and we mere humans look at that and we say well three hours what's the big deal about that after all he gets him back in the resurrection what's the big deal about giving this up listen guys we're not talking about paltry human beings we're talking about the creator and sustainer of the universe we're talking about God almighty and the relationship he had with his son in eternity and the cleavage that took place there that caused him to cry out my

[25:51] God my God in his humanity why have you forsaken me the father and the son were separated in some way we don't understand and in a way that had never occurred before or after for three hours and in that time he was being made sin for you and for me now what I have just shared with you is the center piece of all history this is everything guys this is this is what everything is all about that he who knew no sin was made to be sin for us so that we might be made the righteousness of God in him I find it compellingly ironic that what

[26:51] I have just shared with you is not an important message it is the important message but would you believe it is the world's best kept secret it has been noised abroad by missions and preachers for two thousand years and is still short of being grasped by the majority best we can do is a few days called Christmas and quickly forgotten amid all of the trinkles and everything that goes with it the real meaning of the real meaning of gift giving is lost in the scurrying and unwrapping of presents and all the rest of it and then it's followed up with

[27:52] Easter and we've got a cute little bunny and some colored eggs and that's something else that is designed to obscure the reality of it and that's as close as the world gets twice a year and easily dismissed if they ever focus on it at all and we are privileged and commissioned with the responsibility of sharing this message and it's the most glorious message that the world has ever heard it's why it's called good news it's good news good news the way to God has been opened freely and you may come nothing in my hands I bring simply to thy cross I claim that's where it is and the reason the reason the world can't see this or doesn't see this is because like Paul said in

[28:56] Romans 1 their foolish heart was darkened so they don't see the light that's why it takes repetitive opportunities for the gospel to penetrate somebody before they ever get it amazing I think it was Bill Faye that said something like estimated something like I don't know how I arrived at this but he made the statement I think it was 7.2 times that somebody has to hear the gospel before it clicks before it connects and it's just religious gobbledygook out there floating around and it's just something that they don't pick up on they just don't get it and Paul talks about their foolish heart being darkened and then in 2 Corinthians 4 a passage that everybody ought to memorize and that is if our gospel be hid that is if our gospel is veiled veiled like it's got a cloud over it it is veiled to those who are lost whose minds guys that means their thinking apparatus their intellect whose minds are blinded less that means so that or to prevent the glorious good news of the grace of

[30:21] God should come unto them and they see it and get it and understand how many of you here how many of you received the gospel the first time you heard it well my own case I got I got bits and pieces of it and this is what the world mostly gets is just a little spattering here and there and they get a little dab of Billy Graham on TV and they hear the gospel there and they read an article and they get a little and but guys the dots have to be connected and you've seen those pictures that are just have numbers all over them and it means nothing and that's the way spiritual truth is to most people for the natural man Paul says in Corinthians the natural man does not receive the things of the spirit of God for or because they are foolishness to them it's just like us it's just religious gobbledygook they don't put it together they don't connect the dots and this is the most glorious thing that anybody could ever experience and it is so little appreciated and we've got churches all over the place and do you know let's be honest guys so many churches in so many denominations do nothing but obscure obscure the true gospel of the grace of God they preach a do goodism they preach a be nice because it's nicer to be nice than not be nice and they preach this and they preach and do the best you can and just have faith that it'll all come out all right and all this garbage and people with longing hungry hearts sit there and they listen and they look for some kind of hope and all they get is a bunch of babies and could be's and we don't know and nothing for certain nothing is nailed down and people walk out sometimes and say

[32:39] I don't even understand what that preacher was trying to say and it's pitiful and it doesn't belong to any denomination it belongs to all of us really yes along the lines you're speaking on I studied with Raceway Ministries and we had a real nice afternoon session of how do you present the gospel to somebody who's never heard of the bible never heard of god never heard of jesus they don't know any of it yeah they've been in a dark world how do you explain to them that somebody cares enough for you that they did something for you they expect nothing in return and it was a powerful session to try and be able to talk to somebody we had to do a workshop you can't say the word bible you can't say jesus you can't say save you have to show them somebody cared so much because they loved you that they did something for you and expected nothing in return isn't that something that's just amazing you know

[33:44] I remember hearing Dr. Francis Schaefer years ago in Indianapolis when grace was just a new fledgling church and we bought a bus we got a bus load of people and we went over to Indianapolis and heard Dr.

[33:57] Schaefer and this guy's was in this was in the 70s my goodness this was in the 70s we're talking 50 years ago 60 years ago and I'll never forget Dr.

[34:09] Schaefer saying and and and keep in mind this was true in the 70s if it was true then how much more is it true now but he said then he said as he addressed the group and it was in connection with how should we then live the film series that he released he said there was a time there was a time here in America when you could give somebody the gospel you could give them John 3 16 and they understood it and they knew it and they had a frame of reference for it and just about everybody knew it but now he said as of the 70s now he says you can't give somebody John 3 16 and expect them to pick up on it and have a reference point for it because they don't have one you got to start with Genesis wow what is that you got to go way back to the creation and to the fall and to the consequence and the provision of Christ you can't just begin with John 3 16 they're in the dark and if they were in the dark in the 70s what are we here in the 2020s and do you know in so many homes all across this land in so many homes there is a living room and there is a coffee table and there is a Bible on the coffee table how little is it opened or understood it's got the family record in it who was born who died and so on but the old book for too many reasons just collects dust it's almost like a religious fetish to some and yet it is the only it is the only record that exists on the planet that explains our origin our purpose our value and our destiny you won't find it anywhere else is there anything more important than that

[36:18] I think not I have no idea what it could possibly be it is the most priceless possession this old globe presents yes we mentioned D-Day there's a lot of soldiers over there who weren't religious but they wanted help they knew there was a God maybe but they didn't know how to pray or nothing and maybe through vacation Bible school or something maybe a Sunday school class the only thing they knew was the little song Jesus Loved Me This I Know and they prayed that in a foxhole yeah absolutely there were a lot of foxhole conversions I'm sure and a lot of them were genuine too because someone said when you're in real danger like that the closer you get to God the closer you want to get because it works out way you know that the curtain's coming down how are you going to fare in this thing and that's why we have this incredible irreplaceable thing called good news the gospel the gospel of the grace of God and grace somebody spelled somebody spelled out grace acrostically g-r-a-c-e is God's riches at

[37:41] Christ's expense think of that it's as good a definition of grace as I've ever heard and it is applied to those who believe freely and what do you have to give what do you have to do well what you have you do have to do something and what you have to do is you have to make an admission you have to make a confession the admission is you are separated from God and there is nothing you can do to present yourself to him as acceptable and guys this is what I call I called the gospels it's in two parts there's a hard part and an easy part to the gospel and the hard part is coming to grips realizing dealing with the fact that you are not acceptable to God as you are and there is nothing you can do to make yourself acceptable

[38:52] I call that the hard part of the gospel because people don't want to believe that they say things like well maybe I'm not acceptable now but I'm going to clean up my act and when I do when I get rid of this vice and get rid of that sin and get victory over this then I will be accepted no you won't no you won't there is no way you can scrub yourself squeaky clean enough to be acceptable to a righteous God and that's called the hard part of the gospel because what you have to do guys what you have to do is turn your back on yourself and I don't know about you but I love me I don't want to turn my back on myself I want to tell myself Mar you can do it boy you just practice better you just be better you be nicer you be kinder you be more generous and God's keeping the score and he sees all these right things you do and you get credit for them and all the rest of it and guys you have to scrap all that nonsense all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags what in the world is God going to do with filthy rags you just burn them that's all that's the hard part of the gospel and by the way guys this is what keeps most people who reject

[40:15] Christ from being saved they are not willing to give up on themselves their motto is I can do it I might not be all I'm supposed to be now but by golly I can do it I can clean up my act I can make myself acceptable and God will accept me that's the hard part of the gospel is dealing with the reality of your inadequacy and there is nothing you can do to make yourself adequate hey guys that's a bummer that's depressing but you have to be depressed in reality before you can come to the source that can really deliver and that is the easy part of the gospel because once you come to grips with the fact that you are unacceptable and there's nothing you can do to make yourself acceptable that is a bummer that's a downer but you have to come to that downer before

[41:19] God will lift you up and most of us have at least a modicum of goodness good intent good history good this good that something else that we want to commend us and it all falls short for all have sinned that's the meaning of fall short it's the idea of an archer pulling back his bow and letting the arrow fall to the target and it doesn't even get to the target it just falls short and that's where we are and some of us fall more short than the others and some of us may come closer to the target than the others but all are lost and under that condemnation this is the hard part of the gospel we have to see ourselves as a helpless sinner and then when you do when you do then the next thing is where can I find help where can I find salvation where can who can remedy this lost the sea and that's where Jesus comes in that's the easy part the easy part is to just turn yourself and your case over to him because he alone can do what you cannot do and he will accept you embrace you cleanse you pardon you forgive you make you a child of his all because

[42:42] Jesus died for your sin wow guys nothing like it in the world nothing like it in the world God displayed publicly as a propitiation in his blood through his death through faith that's through believing that's the way guys we are not saved by faith we are saved by grace we are saved by grace through faith faith is the avenue faith is the vehicle through which we travel to receive God's grace God's grace is here our faith is there faith is faith is the non meritorious act of the will it is a free consent of the will to put yourself and your case in the hands of Jesus Christ and you do that as an act of the will it is a decision that you make and when when Billy

[43:51] Graham was just a young man and they were trying to determine what title they were going to give to this magazine that they were going to publish and make available to Americans and other parts of the world and eventually they came up with the idea decision and they named the magazine decision because that's what this gospel is all about God calls upon our decider and when we say I do we are joined to Jesus Christ and you know the analogy guys is one that so many of us experience you stand at an altar with your beloved and you express vows and you ask will you give or will you do will you be married to this person you answer I do or I will that's an expression of your will and believe it or not it is with that same will that you extend your desire to God and commitment to God for salvation there's no difference and it's nothing magical there's nothing mysterious about it it just involves your wanter your decider there is a decision to be made and right now the decision to be made is the food looks good and it's time to eat so thank you all for being here this morning and anybody who's interested in the first session if you weren't here or you missed the first session there are a couple of

[45:23] CDs here and you're welcome to them help yourself go