Gospel—Bob Thonney
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Good evening.
Let's say #14 on our hymn sheet.
Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Have you?
Always in the world.
In the world.
What are you like? You ain't love. You're in love here in the world for anything. Love all of our lives, all your life, all your life as far as 200 and 3500 and 8500 and 12:41.
So I'm not gonna give one.
But when the bridegroom comes with your flaws being wine, you're a boy against the world.
Whoever's hopping, ready for the man turns right. Everyone's in the fall of the world.
I'd like to turn to Romans chapter one.
In John 17, the Lord Jesus said.
Thy word is truth.
When he uses that word truth in that way, he's speaking about something absolute in value. And I just like to reaffirm that at the beginning of this meeting, what we say is not up for debate. I might mistake what I have to say, but God's word is final. It is absolute what I find the increasingly today.
In our world is that people think they have the rights to their own religion.
I just want to say that in the end, what is going to evaluate everything is God's Word. It is the truth, absolutely.
So that's important to think about as we read God's Word.
Chapter one of Romans, verse 16.
I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew 1St, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith as it is written. The just shall live by faith.
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For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness.
And unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness.
Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them.
For God hath showed it unto them.
For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen.
Being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God. Neither were thankful, but became vain.
In their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkened.
Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.
And change the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man.
And a birds and four footed beasts and creeping things.
Wherefore God also gave them up to.
Uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts to dishonor their own bodies between themselves, who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this 'cause God gave them up unto vile affections, for even their women did change the natural use.
Into that which is against nature, and likewise also the men.
Leaving the natural use of the woman burned in their lust, one toward another.
Men with men working what is unseemly?
And receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet, and even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind. That word reprobate means, void of judgment, to do those things which are not convenient, being filled with all unrighteousness.
Fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity, whispers, backbiters, haters of God despite full proud bolsters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents without understanding, Covenantbreakers without natural affection.
Implacable, unmerciful, who, knowing the judgment of God.
That they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure.
And then that do them.
Oh, what a picture we have here in this chapter of the natural condition of my heart, Your heart without God. This is the picture that Scripture paints, Chapter 3.
Verse 10 As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one. There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
They're all gone out of the way. They're together, becoming unprofitable. There is none that doeth good. No, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre. With their tongues they have used deceit. The poison of ASP is under their lips, whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and misery are in their ways.
And the way of peace, have they not known there is No Fear of God before their eyes?
Now we know that what things that so over the law says, it says to them who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped in all the world, may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight. For the by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested.
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Being witnessed by the law and the prophets this wonderful, there is a change, but now there is a way to be righteous with God. I think we've read enough to show that our natural condition is without hope before God. I'm not talking about anybody out here in the audience. I'm talking about myself. Naturally speaking, this is the condition of the human race.
And so I dress you in this way because it is true of all.
There are no exceptions. There is none that doeth good. No, not one. You know, you and I may form our judgments of different people around. And sometimes you have a neighbor that might be a pretty good person, relatively speaking. Relatively speaking.
But as much as you might be a good person, relatively speaking, still there are things that you have done in your life that God is going to hold you accountable for.
God's standard of justice is complete perfection. Is there anybody?
That wants to stand up and say I'm completely perfect. I've never heard in anything in my life. I'm sure there's no one that's gonna do that. We're all guilty before God. That's important. If you're going to appreciate the salvation that God has, you're gonna have to understand that a man that is drowning, if he doesn't know he's drowning.
Will not grasp the lifesaver. He has to know it. And so you and I, it's important that we understand that sin is a very serious thing with God. We make jokes of it. Sometimes people laugh about it. They have programs that promote sin.
It's serious with God because sin destroys people.
Sometimes I speaking to the men at the prison in Lawrence County, I say Adam lived 930 years old. Have you ever known anybody that's gotten close to that? Of course, nobody has.
Sometimes, you know, somebody that's gotten up to 100 heard about somebody the other day that died about I think it was 124 years old.
Pretty impressive, but whatever happened between Adam and that person, why is it so reduced?
Sin Rex people, it wrecks your life. It takes away your health. It wrecks families, it wrecks nations. That's why God takes it seriously. And you and I have to take it seriously too, because even though you may not have done anything dramatically wrong, you still are guilty before God.
Of.
Line of deceit, of anger, Things in your life that you know are wrong before God.
And God takes every single sin seriously.
Every single sin that has ever been committed by man, woman and child.
Will receive from the hand of God is just judgment.
God is righteous. He cannot Passover sin. If he would Passover 1 little sin, it would call in question his holy character. Absolutely impossible. Won't happen. Don't ever think so.
But now there is a way to be righteous.
How in the world, if we've all sinned so grievously, can we be righteous? Let's read this again, verse 21. Now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe. For there is no difference, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
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Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness.
For the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God to declare.
I say at this time his righteousness that he might be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
So here it tells us how God can at the same time be just and the justifier of him that believes in Jesus.
And it's through what it speaks about in verse 24, the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Let me.
Tell you about that redemption.
God.
Standard of justice is perfect.
Cannot allow anything less or it would wreck heaven forever. Absolutely impossible that God could allow it.
So God sent his only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ came into this world born of a virgin.
Since he didn't have a human father, he was without sin.
When he was to be born, the Angel that announced it to his mother to be the Virgin Mary said That holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. The Lord Jesus was born holy. You and I are born sinners. We've inherited a sin nature from our parents all the way from Adam down.
There are no exceptions to that except the Lord Jesus Christ, who was born not of a seed of the man, but of the seed of the woman. Interesting.
And the Lord Jesus in all his life here manifested His Holiness in every side, not only His Holiness, but his compassion. Because God is not only light, God is love, and he loves his creation. God is love, and he loves you because he is love. And so the Lord Jesus manifested his love in coming into this world.
He cured the sick. You would think people would want somebody. He could go to a hospital and completely empty all the sick folk out. Wouldn't she kind of like somebody like that? They didn't want him. He fed the hungry. There's so many hungry people in this world, and you hear about places in this world where they don't have very much to eat.
Hear about those over in Malawi that eat one meal maybe every two days or every three days.
They just don't have any enough food. Wouldn't you like somebody like that?
You know, it was the religious people that joined together to ask Pilot to have him condemned to death by crucifixion, the most awful death they could possibly give to anyone. So the Lord Jesus, even though Pilate recognized that they were doing it for envy.
And he objected at first, but simply later on he gave in and the people had their way and Jesus was let out as a lamb to the slaughter and the sheep before her shears is done. He didn't open his mouth.
Oh, the story. What a story. The chief priests are the ones that are said in Matthew's Gospel that they came up.
And they spit directly in the face of the Son of God. Was there any reaction, any retaliation? Nothing.
Why?
Because he came to save. He loves. And so they took him outside the city of Jerusalem, his head crowned with thorns.
His face disfigured with the blows of the Roman soldiers, there they stretched out his hands. There they nailed him.
There they hung him between heaven and earth.
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And he cries. Reproach has broken my heart.
He said prophetically in the Psalms.
Our fathers trusted in thee, they trusted and that it's deliver him. They trusted in thee and were delivered. But I'm a man. I'm a worm and no man. God didn't come down to rescue his own beloved Son.
Why not?
The reason why is because he loved you and me.
And so he hung there and then in three hours of darkness.
We heard this story last night.
God laid on Jesus the iniquity of us all, and God's holy wrath poured out for three hours.
And that man on the center cross, I'm Golgotha's Hill.
No complaint is registered in Scripture for three hours until the very end.
And he cries, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
The one who was his strength and stay. When the billows and wrath of God were were rolling over him, He did not complain, but when God turned his face and forsaken there is nothing else to do but cry. He paid the price in full. God's holy character has been fully vindicated in the death of His beloved Son.
Jesus.
Say it again, it is finished. He bowed his head.
And gave up the ghost. He died. Soldier came.
Afterwards, to make sure that the three had been crucified, died that day. Crucifixion could last. A person often live 2-3 days on a cross. Crucified Jesus gave up his life, but the soldiers broke the first legs of the first malefactor and the other one. When they came to Jesus, they saw his.
That already.
And the soldier took his spear and pierced his side, and outflowed blood and water.
What cleanses from sin is the blood of Jesus Christ.
No other thing will do before God but that precious blood of Jesus.
Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Remember, in the Old Testament God had a people in Egypt, the Israelites, and God wanted to deliver them out of the land of Egypt, and so he sent plagues on the land of Egypt.
One after another after another Pharaoh, supreme leader of Egypt.
Hardened his heart. Sometimes he would give in a bit.
But then he would harden his heart again against God.
I plead with you not to harden your heart with God. God is looking down into your heart. He knows exactly how you're taking His Word.
I can't tell how you're taking it, but God knows exactly.
Anyhow, the time came when there was the last plague, the plague of the death of every first born in the land of Egypt.
And since death is the wages of sin, God could not exempt the Israelites in this plague.
They too were sinners, just like the Egyptians. But God makes the provision.
He tells them to take a lamb without blemish.
On the 10th day of the first month and to keep it for four days to make sure it had no blemishes.
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Four days because man's history from Adam to Christ was 4000 years God was looking over.
The course of human history. And there was none that didn't corrupt his way. Absolutely none.
Until one day, the Lord Jesus being here, the Son of God, the Lamb of God, John the Baptist says, behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world.
And so the Lord Jesus was that lamb.
And on the 14th day of the month, they were to kill that lamb and to take its blood.
And to apply it to the houses where they lived on the outside, on the two side puss, and the upper door post of the house. And the Lord said, When I see the blood, I will Passover you, and the plague shall not be upon you when I pass through the land of Egypt.
So the Israelites killed the lamb. They put the blood on the door. It was not enough to just simply kill the lamb. It was necessary to apply the blood to the door. And I know many of you children or young people maybe know about Jesus dying. I ask you, have you applied the blood to your own heart and soul? That is so important.
It's not enough that your parents have done it, you must do it yourself. And so the time came at midnight when the Lord passed through the land of Egypt, and there was one question asked. Is there blood on the door?
If there was blood on the door, he passed over that house. That's why it's called the Passover. The next house. Is there blood on the door? No.
No blood. He went in. The first born died.
He didn't ask is there nice people who live here or they're bad people who live there. He didn't ask that question. Only one question. Is there blood on the door? That was the only question. When we come down to the judgment of this world, there's only one thing that can protect you from the judgment of God, the blood.
Of the Lamb, the Lord Jesus shed his precious blood, and that's the only thing.
That can protect you from the wrath of God that's coming on this world.
So there was no house in Egypt where there was not one dead. You know, I often think there is case of my family. I'm a first born, my wife is a first born and we have our first born as well. Three would have been dead in our house.
So there was death in all the land of Egypt. The only thing that would protect them from that destroying Angel was the blood of the Lamb. God provided that, and God has provided that for you.
The blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us.
From all sin.
It says that we are redeemed not with corruptible things as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without spot and without blemish. It's the blood that will protect you from the wrath of God that's coming on this world.
Do you know?
The Israelites were saved from the wrath of God by the blood of the Lamb, as we've been speaking today, and.
Sam, I think, brought it out last evening to God not only saves us from the guilt of our sin and the punishment they deserve, but God also delivers us.
From that very sin nature that we are all born with, that's part of God's salvation as well, and I'd like to speak about that as well. Let's go over to the 8th chapter. Brother Don read these verses today, but I want to read them again because they are so important to understand.
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Again, I say I can put it this way.
What saves me from the wrath of God for my sins is the blood.
Of Jesus.
What saves me from myself that old sin nature is the death of Christ. Notice this verse three of chapter 8. Romans chapter 8 verse 3 for what the law could not do, and that it was leaked through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh.
And.
For sin condemned sin in the flesh.
I hope you can hear me carefully.
God Forgives our sins, those unrighteous things we've done. God never forgives the nature that produces those sins. That nature is condemned. Here's the Lord Jesus, the sinless, spotless Son of God in here in this world. How did they treat him? They gave him the most absolutely miserable death.
They could possibly think that God says in effect, the test is over for mankind. Mankind failed the test.
Sin in the flesh is condemned. I'm talking about myself, you understand? I'm talking about everyone else here today.
Sin in the flesh is condemned by the coming of the Son of God. Notice it says in the likeness of sinful pleasure, didn't say in sinful flesh.
Because he was not sinful flesh, He was holy flesh. But through that God has condemned sin in the flesh. And as we were talking about today, God not only looks at us as condemned in the flesh, but we are.
Dead and buried with Christ.
It's a terrible condition. Notice in verse seven speaking about this sin nature that we all have because the carnal mind is enmity against God.
If I allow my carnal mind to act, I will act as an enemy of God. That goes for anybody sitting here.
For it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. Notice verse 8. So then they that are in the flesh can not please God. Pretty conclusive, isn't it?
Tremendously serious to understand these points. That's me, naturally speaking. That's why the Lord Jesus said to Nicodemus.
You must be born again.
You couldn't understand that, he said. I'm a religious, I'm a good Jew and he evidently was religious man. But he says.
That won't work. You must be born again.
He says how can a man be born when he is old?
And the Lord Jesus clarified it in saying if you're not born by water and by the Spirit, you cannot enter the Kingdom of God. Water is the word of God, and the Spirit takes the Word of God and applies it to those who hear His word. I want to speak as clearly as possible. I see sometimes young people, children.
That are sitting in meetings, but they're, I don't know if they're listening or not. They're busy scribbling in a little pad. OK, I understand the kids are that way. But I want to encourage you. I grew up in meetings like these and I must say I didn't understand a whole lot when I was a kid.
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But little by little, I started listening.
And it's so important to listen, especially when it's God that speaks. I can understand if you don't want to listen to me. I can understand that when God speaks.
It's your eternal blessing at stake. Listen, the Lord Jesus said when he was here, he that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Later on Book of Revelation it says he that hath an ear to hear.
Let him hear, oh, how important it is to listen to God. You may not understand everything that's said, but listen, it will be a blessing to you. Listen. So that is the case of our nature. And I want to go back again to speak a little bit more about the children of Israel after they were saved. Maybe we can go back to it a bad in Exodus chapter.
Umm, 13 or 14? It is Exodus chapter 14.
They left Egypt.
And they were marching toward the Red Sea, and they came to the Red Sea, and of course it was quite a barrier, and they stopped there and they encamped there.
Verse eight it says, well let's read from verse 5, Exodus 14, verse five. And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled and the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people. And they said, why have we done this? That we have let Israel go from serving us. And he married bread is chariot and took his people with him, and he took 600 chosen Chariots.
And all the Chariots of Egypt, and captains over everyone of them. And the Lord hardened the heart of the Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel, And the children of Israel went out with a high hand.
Just to stop there a minute to speak about this, the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt.
I just want to plead with anybody here who is resisting the call of the Spirit of God tonight.
About your eternal salvation.
Listen, please don't harden your heart. Pharaoh hardened his heart again and again and again.
And what happened?
The Lord finally hardened Pharaoh's heart because he had already taken to that decision to go that direction.
Pharaoh is a testimony to the power of God to judge.
God wants to show you to be a a testimony to His power to save. But if you reject, if you continue to harden your heart again and again and again, time will come when God Himself will harden your heart.
Oh, how solemn it is.
The Lord hardened his heart. Verse 9. But the Egyptians pursued after them all the horses and Chariots of Pharaoh and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them in camping by the sea beside Pay High High Roth before bail Zephan. And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them, and they were sore afraid. The children of Israel cried out unto the Lord.
If you were to ask the children of Israel at that moment, are you saved, what would they have said?
No, can't you see here comes Pharaoh with his armies to take his captive again.
Yes, they were saved from the wrath of God by the blood of the Passover lamb, but there's salvation in another aspect. God completely takes them out of their circumstances to a new position.
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And so there they are. And they think that they're going to be taken back, but notice?
Verse 11 Let's continue to read. And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? Wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians, for it had been better for us?
To serve the Egyptians, then that we should die in the wilderness.
It's like Brother Sam said today, sometimes people that have professed faith in the Lord Jesus.
You're in such a state because of the oppression of sin in their lives that they wish they would have never gotten saved in the 1St place just like these people.
There's salvation.
Verse 13 And Moses said unto the people.
Hear ye not stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will show you today.
For the Egyptians which ye have seen today, you shall see them again no more forever. For the Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore Christ, thou unto me, speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward, but lift up, Lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea and divide it. The children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.
And I behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians.
And they shall follow them, and I will get me honor upon Pharaoh and upon all his hosts.
Punished Chariots and upon his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten the honor upon Pharaoh, upon his Chariots, and upon his horsemen. The Angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them. The pillar of cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them, and it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel.
And it was a cloud and darkness to them, the Israelites, But no as to the Egyptians, they gave light to by night to these the Israelites, so that the one came not near the other. All the night Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong E wind. All that night made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. Children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground.
And the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left the Egyptians pursued and went in after them to the midst of the sea. Even all Pharaoh's horses and his Chariots and his horsemen came to pass. That in the morning watch the Lord looked into the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians, and took off their chariot wheels. That they drove them heavily, so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel.
For the Lord fighteth for them against the Egyptians. The Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon Egypt, the Egyptians upon their horse Chariots, and upon their horsemen.
Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared.
The Egyptians fled against it, and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians.
In the midst of the sea. And the waters returned, covered the Chariots and the horsemen, and all the hosts of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them.
There remained not so much as one of them. What a tremendous victory the Lord won. Can you just picture it in your mind? There is the children of Israel, all having passed over to the other side.
Here comes the Egyptians, and Moses stretches out his rod, and the sea completely covers them.
There is Pharaoh and his army, the bottom of the sea. The Lord Jesus the Lord completely delivered Israel, not only from the wrath of the God in the blood of the Passover lamb, but He completely took him out of that area.
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Where they were enslaved as slaves of Egypt. So God has not only delivered us from the wrath of God by the blood of the Lamb.
But there is deliverance, and I think it's so wonderful to realize that. And I want to encourage the dear young people, especially. It seems like some have not really understood.
The question of deliverance. We have deliverance. And as I said this afternoon, I remember how I struggled with it myself for quite a while until the Lord showed me that I was dead and buried and risen again. And that's what the Red Sea signifies, the death of Christ for us. Sometimes I'd say as a young person, I don't feel very dead and I feel kind of alive when the temptations come around.
But what the Lord convicted me about, am I going to believe my feelings or am I going to believe God's Word? You know, feelings change and sometimes you might have good feelings and sometimes you might have bad feelings. Don't base your faith on your feelings. Feelings are very real.
Face your faith on facts. The feelings will follow. The right kind of feelings will follow. But don't base your faith on feelings. Base your faith on the facts that the Lord Jesus has won the victory.
In the cross of Christ, the Lord Jesus died. He rose again.
Now he is offering free and full salvation, not only the forgiveness of all our sins.
But he's offering that eternal life, that new life in Christ that we were talking about today.
That's what He wants us to live, that new life. May the Lord help us to understand.
The victory that he won at the cross, not only delivering us from the wrath that is surely going to fall on this world.
But delivering us from that slavery.
That, I fear, has some of God's people don't understand that very well and they're enslaved still and the feeling that they are under *******.
Remember, the Lord Jesus has delivered us from the slavery of *******. We belong to Him now and so believe God's Word.
Don't believe your feelings. Feelings are very real again, I say, but believe the facts that God sets before us in His own precious Word.