Gospel—Bob Thonney
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I am not ashamed.
Of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth.
Let's see #37.
The gospel of thy grace.
My stubborn heart has won, for God so loved the world He gave His only, only Son, that whosoever will believe shall everlasting life receive.
The Gospel.
Of.
Our lives is very long. I can come.
Round.
Oh man.
Nsnoise.
Second call.
Read quite a few scriptures tonight because.
My experience in gospel work is that God uses His Word. You know, sometimes we put a lot of emphasis on explaining it, but sometimes I wonder if we put too much emphasis on that and not on the simple, clear reading of the Scriptures. One young brother in South America that is quite gifted in giving out the gospel.
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Stood up one evening to give the gospel and quoted and read scripture after scripture after Scripture. When he sat down. I don't think any of his own explanation entered into it, but it was the Word of God and as we had in the verse I quoted at the beginning, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God. My brother today said that word power is the same word that we get our word dynamite.
From it is the power of God to salvation. I never cease to marvel.
And how God reaches down to grasp one person and another.
And another and all in different ways, but it has this in common that it is to him that believeth and so I would just like to ask each one here tonight. I don't know where you stand with God, but it has been something that has kind of shaken me that.
Some, I guess. I know as many as four young people that used to sit in meetings like this who broke bread, who today say they are atheists.
That really makes me stop and wonder. I cannot look into your heart to see how you stand with God.
But it's so easy to make an outward profession of faith in Christ without inward reality.
And that concerns me, and that's why I would like you to listen to what God has to say to you.
Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.
And it is the Scripture again and again in the Bible, says, If any man hath an ear, let him hear.
Oh, how it is important. It is if you do it. Don't want to listen to what I say tonight. I can understand, I can maybe sympathize with you, but I ask you for the good of your own soul to listen to what God has to say. That's important.
You know, I just like to tell you a few stories of those that God has reached into their lives.
And save them.
When we lived in Bolivia, in the city of Montero to the north of Santa Cruz, I used to take my Jeep into a mechanic shop to get it tuned up when I was about to go on a trip.
And then and who was the mechanic there? His name was Alfonso Mendez. I think I've told a number of you about him and asked for prayers for him.
But Alfonso Mendez was a man who.
Had lived with a woman and then he found another woman and because he was unfaithful to the first woman, the Catholic Church excommunicated him. I don't know if they do that anymore for that kind of sin. It is sin in the sight of God. Unfaithfulness is sin.
But he said, well, the priests do worse than I do, and so I'm not going to let it worry me. And so he lived basically a godless life.
One day when I was into the shop, I said to him, after I had paid the bill, I said, I've straightened my accounts with you, Alfonso, but how about the accounts with God?
Oh, Senor Tony.
I'm a good guy and you're a good guy. I don't think we have anything that bad. I said, well, you can talk to yourself, but you can't talk for me. I may not be that good of a guy. Well, I'm not really that good of a guy either. He's.
And so one day I left him a little New Testament and another day I was in, he said, you know that book you left me, I can't understand anything. Why don't you come over to my house and explain it to me? So we set up a time and we went over and we started with John's gospel chapter one. Never forget. We got down to verse four says in the beginning.
Was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God in the beginning. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was nothing made that was made. And this verse seemed to penetrate. And Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And I looked at him, and I said, Alfonso, what is light?
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And he looked at me for a long time. He didn't say one word, but it was just as if the light penetrated the darkness and that man's soul. Next time I was into the shop, he said, you know what, that book you gave me, I can understand it now. It makes sense. What was the what made the difference? It was the penetrating of the word of God. It wasn't so much what I said.
But Alfonso Mendez, Lemoyne Smith and I had the privilege of going to see him this last time we were in Santa Cruz. Cancer was eating off his nose.
It wasn't a very pretty sight, and since we've come back, we heard that Alfonso went into the glory.
He believed the message. He didn't have much to his account. You know, there are more and more people that say.
When you ask them how they stand with God, they say, oh, I think I'm as good as anybody. I've done a lot of good things and they have the idea that the good things that they've done.
We'll cancel out the bad things they've done.
I want you to stop if that's your thinking, because that is erroneous thinking. Supposing I was known here in Saint Louis as being a very good person, doing a lot of good things for people. But one day in the street I have.
A problem with somebody and then a fit of anger. I give him a.
Hit in the face so hard that he dies.
Oh, oh, here comes the police.
Officer, please, I want you to understand one thing. I've done a lot of good here for Saint Louis, and I promise to continue to do it. I'm sorry about this, but I've done a lot of good. You think he's going to let me go? You know he's not going to let me go.
In human justice, good things done do not cancel out bad things done. It doesn't work that way. And God's justice is not less than human justice.
That is erroneous thinking. Every single sin.
That has been committed by man, woman or child must receive from the hand of a righteous God. It's just punishment. And if God lets even a little single white lice escape to be swept under the rug, it calls in question His holy character absolutely impossible. It cannot happen.
So let's go back to Romans chapter one I want to read.
For I am not ashamed verse 16 of chapter one. I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. For it is the power of God, and to 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 for the wrath of God.
Is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness. Did you notice that they hold the truth? Or you say I know the truth. Oh, you do. Hey, here's men who hold the truth in unrighteousness. Are they gonna escape? Absolutely not.
Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them, for God hath should 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 in Godhead, so that they are without excuse.
You know one of the.
Questions I often get.
As I give the gospel is what about?
The heathen that don't have never heard about the Lord Jesus Christ. I said, well, I don't think you're a heathen, are you? You have heard about the Lord Jesus Christ, but God is a righteous God. And even to those heathen in the jungles of South America, I've heard of tribes that have never been civilized. They're going on killing each other and there's efforts to reach them.
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The loggers were usually the first ones into the jungle when we lived in the.
Montero and they always carried a rifle and if they saw a savage.
They would use their rifles on them. There are missionaries that make it a particular effort to go in after those men.
I met one in a doctor's office, one of those missionaries. One time he told me he and his friend were trapped. After going after some of those tribes, they had made friendly contact with them.
And they were going through the jungle. And I mean, it is not pleasant circumstances. Swamps, hordes of mosquitoes have been in that area at least once. And if you stop your March through the jungle, those mosquitoes just descend from all directions to partake of your blood. That's still kind of circumstances. They were going through wild animals, snakes and but they were maintaining their March.
Through the jungle after these. And he said after a little while, one of the savages stopped and looked at him and took out an arrow out of his sheet, put it to his bow and shot him, went in this side of his stomach and came out that side. And he was lying on the ground for 26 hours before they could evacuate him.
Those poor people, I said to him, I said, why do you think they shot you? He says. I think they did it out of compassion. He probably looked at him and said this guy is so miserable.
We'll just help him.
Put him out of his misery. That's the way those people think and that's why their numbers are diminishing. That's why there are people, thank God, that go after them to see if they can communicate the gospel. But those people, even though they have heard nothing of Jesus and salvation through faith in Jesus.
Are they without excuse? No.
They have a testimony given to them. What is that testimony? The testimony of creation. That's why even those savages have a moral code of ethics. They know it's wrong to take somebody else's wife. They know it's wrong to steal.
And so their conscience according to the measure of light that they do get.
Shines into their conscience and they realize that they are guilty before God.
So how do they accept that testimony? That's all the testimony they have. Thank God. God is sending people to reach those.
People.
But you have the scriptures in your hand. You have listened to the gospel time and time again and yet you have not made it real in your heart. I hope you stopped tonight and really think this thing through. You know you can fool me. A lot of people have fooled me.
And you can fool me. You can say I believe.
I remember one I baptized in Bolivia, but he never ever gave any evidence of real salvation. You know what we're not saved by works. But the faith that saves is a faith that works. And when a person truly gets saved, you notice it. And if there's been no change in your attitude, if you still.
Sin.
Without any compunction before God, I question if you really have come to grips with sin. You know God hates sin because sin wrecks his creation. When the Lord Jesus was here in this world, everywhere he looked he saw sin and disease and death, and he groaned and he wept.
This was his creation and it had gotten to this state. Just think of it, when God created Adam and Eve, Adam lived up to 930 years old. You ever seen anybody?
Over 150 years old, today's world, I don't think anybody exists. Whatever happened to the human race that we don't last very long anymore.
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Sin degrades.
It is something that is degenerative to the human race.
So if you treat sin lightly, you need to repent. We're going to get to that word in these this reading here, but here it says the invisible things, the creation that God has made is a testimony to his eternal power and Godhead.
I love studying the creation and in the High Plains of Bolivia I love to go out on the starlit night when there's no moon and away from the cities, because you can actually see other galaxies with the naked eye scattered around. Of course, you're up at 12,000 feet altitude so that you don't have a lot of the dust of the atmosphere to interfere with your sight, but it is majestic to see.
The extension. And what do we see with the naked eye? Very little.
I understand that now with the telescopes they can see about 13 billion light years distance.
What is beyond that, they have no clue. They don't know what to say.
But who created all that?
Why is there such tremendous order in the creation? Somebody has their fingers in this matter.
So if somebody sincerely accepts the testimony of God in creation, those savages in the jungle, God will send them more light, and that's what happens.
Verse 21 because that when they knew God.
They glorified Him not as God. You take time to glorify God.
We get so busy.
Even sometimes we Christians that we don't take time to sing God's praises. Oh, yeah, we sing when we come to meeting, but do we sing when you're at home? Do you think a practice of singing, you know what it does, it puts the focus on how glorious and great our God is. So they didn't glorify him as God, neither were thankful. You make a practice of thanking God for the positive things in life.
We really have lots to thank God for. We need to stop and do that. Sometimes people have complaints, and I sometimes suggest that they take a notebook and put all your complaints on one side. Then on the other side, put all the things you have to be thankful to God for. I think you're going to find that you're going to fill up the right side where you have the things to thank God for. That's going to fill up a lot more than the things you have to complain about. Just that people get so concentrated on their little view of life and their complaints.
That they forget to thank God. I want to suggest a change to turn it around to thank God. Here is our generation, young people that we're living in neither. We're thankful but became vain in their imaginations.
Isn't it incredible the way people go after imaginations?
I see the polls that they take, the polls that really actually just ask what people are thinking. It's not based on fact. It's just what people are thinking. Since it's a democracy, people wanna know what the Americans are thinking.
That's vanity of imagination. It's basing our lives not on truth, but on imagination.
Their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. That incredible. I don't know if there's a time when there's been so much an emphasis on education, but a truly wise man realizes how little he really understands.
Somebody is sad. It's what you learn after you know it all that counts.
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And that's the truth of the matter. People that think they are so wise.
Are often fools because they don't take God into account.
And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God.
Into an image they'd like to corruptible man and to burst birds and four footed beasts and creeping things. So they go and make their images. Man comes first because he's the most exalted of the creation. But then there's birds and they're up in the air, but it keeps coming down 4 feet 4 footed beasts and ends up in creeping things.
They worshipped those things.
Been sad to me living in Bolivia and since we left Bolivia, our residents there and came back to the states, we continue to make visits to Bolivia. The present government of Bolivia has abandoned.
Has apostasized from the Roman Catholic faith. Oh who is Those governments were Roman Catholic and have gone back to the worship of creation.
They actually sacrifice llamas and other animals in the present presidential palace to Mother Earth, father, son. It SAT. It is truly sad, but that is what's happening more and more in this country because what figures for people is not the God that has been revealed to us in Christianity. People want to play God.
They say I have my rights and I say sometimes to them when they say I have my rights, yes, I guess as an American you have your rights. But when we're talking about God, it's not about your rights or my rights. We're going to a completely different level. God has something to say to you and that ultimately you are accountable to Him.
Wherefore God And I want you to notice in these following verses three times it says God gave them up.
Really makes me sad to see this happening in American culture today. This country that has been so prospered materially speaking. God here is the first time verse 24. God also gave them up if they're going to turn from God.
Then God gives them up through the lusts of their own hearts to dishonor their own bodies between themselves.
Notice the first time he gives them up is the degradation of the body. That's where it starts.
It's sad to see how people treat their bodies.
Making markings, making cuttings, as if their body belonged to them and they had no other one to give an account to. Do you know what? You're going to give an account. God gave you that body. And the human body is a marvelous thing, incredible thing.
But God gave them up to dishonor their own bodies between themselves. Now notice verse 25. Who changed the truth of God into a lie? First they hold the truth and unrighteousness. Now there's a change. They change the truth of God into a lie.
You know what I noticed? It's a lot easier in American culture to believe a lie than it is to believe the truth.
It's a lot easier.
And worship and serve the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
They've replaced God.
With the creature, it's what I want, what I like.
Somewhere out there, I don't know where he might be.
That's the way they treat God.
For this 'cause God gave them up unto vile.
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Affections for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature.
Women prostituting themselves incredible. They don't realize the value that God puts on a woman, but doesn't stop there. Verse 27 and likewise also the men leaving the natural use of the woman burned in their lusts one toward another. Men with men working that which is unseemly and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error.
Which was meat, homosexuality. Here we have it. It's not a new thing. It's something that is old as the book.
God showed and he made Sodom and Gomorrah an example of those that should live ungodly. What happened to Sodom and Gomorrah? I understand they can't even find vestiges of those civilizations or those cities. There are four cities that were destroyed. Sodom and Gomorrah admin Zeboyum and they think it's out in the plains to the towards the salt sea, but it is an area that is.
Totally desolate to this day, God showed what he thought about it.
Fire and brimstone were rained down. I don't know if you know what brimstone is. It's sulfur.
Can you imagine in Bolivia on the border with Chile on the High Plains, there are sulfur veins on the surface. They can go in with big front end loaders and scoop up the sulfur and put it into dump trucks to take away and use for industrial purposes.
But they say that when they are scooping up that sulphur, there's as much as a little spark it sends, it starts it burning. Very flammable sulfur is.
Imagine big hunks of sulfur coming down, burning hunks of sulfur, hitting people, burning them till there is nothing left of Sodom and Gomorrah, United States of America, this country that has been so prospered, going right square back toward that direction.
Without any evidence of repentance.
They want to defend that way of life, that alternate lifestyle, they say.
Oh, I trust that there's nobody here that participates in any such activity. But you need to see it as God sees it.
Verse 28 and even as they did not like to retain God in their.
Knowledge God gave them over to a reprobate mind in verse 24. He gives them up to uncleanness in their bodies to dishonor their own bodies.
And in verse 26, he gives them up into vile affections. That's the soul. And now he gives them up into a reprobate mind. That's the spirit of man and is a tripart, Dean. And they've been given up.
I don't know, brethren, it seems to me that we are getting the three things in our culture today give them up to a reprobate mind, a mind void of understanding. And some of the things they're doing doesn't even make sense.
Terrible. This is the Word of God. This is the pure word of the living God. Listen to it being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity, whispers back fighters, haters of God, despiteful, proud boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents without understanding.
Covenant Breakers 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 in them that do them.
You know that last statement of verse 32?
Is what people do when they watch movies on TV or otherwise that are violence and corruption.
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Having pleasure in them that do them.
You participate in that.
I'm afraid there's quite a few that watch those kind of movies.
Do you realize where you stand with God?
Do you realize that even the things that are entertained in your mind, you will give an account of in a future day? I know I've been pretty negative and what I've said up to this point, but I think it's tremendously important that you realize that God takes sin seriously. Judgment is coming on this nation. God is speaking to it in so many ways. The floods, the drought.
The Hurricanes, the Tornadoes that God is allowing to knock out people and their houses through this country and people don't get the message. They don't get it, don't seem to even mention God, the authorities. It makes me grieve to see it. God is giving warnings. A lot worse is up ahead. God is not going to allow things to go on forever.
You know, people say if God is a God of love, why would he judge people?
Because God is a God of love, He will not let evil continue its unchecked course. He is going to step in. He's going to say that's it, that's enough, and he's going to start judging this world.
The worst judgment this world has ever seen.
Is just ahead. It's called the Great Tribulation.
God is going to take serious the sin of this world.
But I want to go now over to the third chapter because the apostle Paul in his discourse of the gospel, comes to the part where we have what is good news, and that's what the gospel means. But again I say.
It's amazing to me how God has to allow people to be crushed.
To be brought down to the bottom before they are willing to turn around and appreciate the gospel.
There's a man in southern Mexico. Maybe I've told this story too.
Name was Synovio Ruiz. He was abandoned. That was his, uh, occupation.
Burned houses, he robbed and he killed people.
He had killed 21 People.
It was so bad that the Mexican army had orders to get him dead or alive.
He knew that they were looking for him.
A little town on the sides of the mountain down there in Oaxaca, Mexico, called Okatlan. There's a meeting room.
And they make their meeting rooms, buy some sticks putting for the sides. Since it's warm down there, the air circulates right through. And so somebody's standing on the outside can easily see. And, And Synovial came under conviction. And he used to stand outside and listen to the message when everything was dark. And he realized if he went into that, they could maybe trap him in there and rest him.
So he always on the outside, and he heard the gospel.
It penetrated.
He realized he was in trouble.
And he heard the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses us from all sins.
And he couldn't believe it. Is that possible?
All the bad stuff I've done in my life.
And when he had a chance, he spoke to one of the brothers in that town, says, is that really in the Bible? And he showed it to him, yes, Blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses us from all sin. Synovial accepted the Lord as his Savior.
You know what he did next? He turned himself in to the Mexican army authorities and they took him into custody. I think he was in custody about two weeks. I have no clue how they came to this conclusion that after he killed that many people, they let him loose.
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They saw such a change in that man because he had simply believed God's testimony.
There's such a change in him. They let him loose. I had the privilege of getting to know Synovio Ruiz. You had never, ever guessed that he was that kind of a man, such a meek and mild person that I got to know.
Synovial Lewis as well has departed from this life, and to me it is the most wonderful testimony to the power of God and to salvation.
A man that is a murderer in the presence of God, how in the world is God let a man like that into his presence?
We want to get around to that because God is a just God and cannot let those murders go unpunished. Chapter 3.
Verse 10 and then read some more as it is written, there is none righteous. Listen to this young people you're that have been brought up in Christian homes, you that have lived a pretty straight life. Listen to this There is none righteous. No, not one. There is none that understand that there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way. They are together become unprofitable. There is none that doeth good.
No, not one. Have you accepted God's testimony? You know, when I used to read this young person, I was brought up in a Christian home and I was taught all that I should understand about Christianity. Oh, man, that's kind of hard. Say everybody's gone out of the way. There's none that do it. Good. Come on.
According to my estimation, that wasn't the truth, but I had to come to repent to change my thoughts about what God had said. God is true even though.
It may make every man a liar. God is true.
And so I repented. I accepted God's testimony.
Mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and misery are in their ways, in the way of peace. Have they not known there is No Fear of God before their eyes?
Now we know that what's a thing so ever the law say it. It said 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 shall no flesh be justified in His sight.
For by the laws the knowledge of sin.
The law is good and right, but the law's purpose is to show.
That we are sinners. Verse 21. But now notice this, Here's a change. 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.
God looks at the human race. He says there is no difference.
Doesn't matter who you are, how good a life you may have lived, there is no difference, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Like the way the Spanish translation reads, it says all are destitute of the glory of God. God made man in his own image and likeness.
A man fell into sin and has corrupted himself. Maybe you like certain sins, maybe I like others kind of sins. But one is thing is common, naturally speaking, and I'm talking right now, is that we are all sinners. We are all sinners and destitute of the glory of God.
Now look at verse 24. Here we come to the good news, and this is what we want to get to.
Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
You mean God can justify a person that believes? How is this? Isn't God just sometimes say to the prisoners when we preach in the prisons? How would you like a judge?
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That every time a criminal is brought before him, a judge says well.
We're gonna just forget you. It doesn't matter what the crime is. We're gonna forgive you here. I'm going to forgive you. You can go out free. It doesn't matter what the crime is. How would you like that? Kind of a judge, of course, in the prison sometimes.
At first say, well yeah, that'd be nice, but.
I remember one guy says, no, I wouldn't like that kind of a judge. Maybe he killed my wife. I wouldn't like that kind of a judge. And I say that's why that kind of a judge might be merciful, but he is not just and God is just. How can a just God justify the person that believes in Jesus? How can that be? Here's the answer through.
The redemption that is in Christ Jesus. And let me tell you.
The story of that redemption, to me, it is the most wonderful story it has ever been told. God sent his son. You know, I have two sons. I would find it difficult to give one of my sons to be killed for an enemy. God had only one son, but knowing full well, knowing how he's going to be treated, he sent him into this world.
The Lord Jesus was born of a virgin. That's important because he had no sin. When the Angel announced to Mary that she was going to be the mother of the Son of God, he said That holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. We're not born holy. We're born sinners, all of us.
But the Lord Jesus was holy. He never had any sin in his whole life. He always did the will of his Father. But at the end of his life of about 333 1/2 years, he was taken before.
Pilate, the Roman governor and falsely accused and pilots seen that people were bent on having him crucified, finally gave in and let him be crucified.
You know, Pilate had just said what is truth?
And there was the truth standing right before him. Pilate condemned the truth, and in condemning the truth, he condemned himself and his whole world system. This world is under condemnation since that time. And they took Jesus and they led him away.
They crowned them with thorns, they spit in his face, they whipped him, they scourged him, They led him outside the city of Jerusalem, they nailed him to a cross, and there he hung between heaven and earth.
He said my father could send me 12 legions of angels, but how then would the will, will, will of my father be done? You know what God loved his Son. But you know what, God loved you as well, and so he was willing to give his Son to that death. Not only did Jesus suffer those terrible.
Physical sufferings and the sufferings of his soul. The broken heart we read about today.
Because they said he's the Son of God. Let God deliver him if he will have him.
Did God deliver him?
I broke his heart.
But then.
God covered the whole scene with darkness and in three hours where no human eye could see.
Something happened that has told us about in Isaiah's prophecy. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities.
Chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with His stripes we are healed. In those three awful hours of darkness, God laid on him the iniquity of us all.
I think of the filthy things I've done. Oh, God took those and laid them on Jesus, and then took the rod of his judgment and had broken all its fury on his blessed head for three hours.
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No complaint from that center cross as Jesus suffers what would have wrecked us in hell forever. And at the end of those three hours, he says it's finished. It's finished.
And he balanced his head and gives up his life, and a soldier comes and takes his spear and Rams it into his side, and outflows blood and water.
The price of your redemption. The price of my redemption.
What's paid? What's the blood of the Son of God? How can we ever forget such a thing? That's the redemption it's talking about because Jesus paid the price in full. Now God offers to him who truly believes, who repents and believes forgiveness of sins, and not only forgiveness of sins, but justification. You can be.
Right with God on God's own standards.
God has a legal way to forgive you your sins.
God is just and the justifier of him that believes in Jesus. Notice verse 25.
Whom God, the Lord Jesus Christ, has set forth to be a propitiation.
Through faith in His blood, the Old Testament on the great Day of Atonement.
A goat was killed in the blood of that goat was carried into the very presence of God in the holiest of all, and that blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat. That word propitiation could read the mercy seat.
The blood has been sprinkled. Now God holy character has been vindicated, so much so that he can come out without compromising his holy character and forgive the guilty repentance Sinner. Oh, the wonder of that story, the wonder of his story. The Lord Jesus died, He was buried, He rose again the third day. The Lord Jesus is a living.
Savior at God's right hand able to forgive, able to justify the believer in Jesus. So in verse 25 it says to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God. In other words, in the Old Testament times there were people who believed if God is a righteous God.
How could he forgive them? David sinned grievously, the prophet said. God has remitted her, forgiven your sins.
How could he do that? Because of the propitiation through faith in his blood that the Lord Jesus was going to do in the future. But now we come to what is true today in verse 26 to declare, I said this time time we're living in his righteousness that he might be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
Isn't that wonderful?
Is just. God cannot be anything less than completely just. He is just at the same time the justifier of him that believes in Jesus. Wonderful, wonderful story.
That a Sinner, a repentance Sinner. And that's where we all have to come to you. Are you repentant?
Or do you think you are still good enough as you are?
Oh, I ask you if you're thinking that kind of thoughts, to repent tonight and to come in simple faith to the Lord Jesus. He is the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus. You know, it's wonderful to be forgiven.
But it's another thing completely.
Beyond our concept is to be justified. You know, you and I can forgive each other for something we might do one to another, but we can never justify what a person has done. But God has been so fully vindicated in the work of the Lord Jesus on the cross that he not only forgives sin, but he justifies the believer in Jesus. Wonderful, wonderful. The record has been completely blotted out.
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No sin will he ever remember again. He remembered them all at Calvary and he laid them on Jesus in those awful hours of darkness. And now he has said, I will never, ever remember them again.
Now go over to the 10th chapter.
And read a few verses here.
Verse.
4.
For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness.
To everyone that believeth, notice that for Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, that the man which doeth those things shall live by them, but the righteousness which is of faith.
Completely different righteousness speaketh on this wise thing. Say not in thine heart, that is, uh, who shall ascend up into heaven, that is to bring Christ down from above? Or who shall descend into the deep, that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead? But what saith it? Is it something hard? The word is Nighy even in thy mouth and in thy heart. That is the Word of Faith which we preach.
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thine heart, that God hath raised him from the dead.
Thou shalt be saved. There it is again. Believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead. Thou shalt be saved.
What does it mean to be believing in the heart?
I sometimes give this illustration to the men we preach to the gospel to, because they ask, what does it mean to be believe in the heart?
I say, supposing you tell me.
Bob, when you go out of this prison, don't go down that road you normally go on because there are bandits down there that are going to kill you, or at least they're going to try to kill you. Don't do that. I say thank you for the warning. I believe you. But I get it. Go out of the prison and I get in my car and I go right down that road. Do I really believe him?
What I do says I really don't believe in.
You've heard the message tonight. Are you gonna just keep going the right same way you've always gone? If that's the case, you really don't believe in your heart. You just say it with your lips.
What, God? I can't see your heart, so I can't see if you're deceiving me. You can't deceive God. You've got to deal with God and he can see it. So it's believing in the heart. God sees it and so.
If you will believe in your heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved, For with a heart man believeth unto righteousness.
With the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek. For the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved beautiful.
Did you listen? Do you really believe it? I trust them. God is looking down and he looks into your heart and He knows if you really believe.
But I want you to truly believe God. God is to be trusted.