1 00:00:01,119 --> 00:00:06,667 Well, it's a great privilege for me to be with you 2 00:00:06,667 --> 00:00:10,227 and to have these opportunities to speak to you, 3 00:00:10,227 --> 00:00:11,705 and have happy conversations 4 00:00:11,705 --> 00:00:13,910 with so many of you. 5 00:00:13,910 --> 00:00:18,576 I've enjoyed my five weeks now in the U.S.A. 6 00:00:18,576 --> 00:00:23,367 I have written faithfully back to my family 7 00:00:23,367 --> 00:00:25,941 and told them all about every day. 8 00:00:25,941 --> 00:00:28,371 And tonight you will be on record 9 00:00:28,371 --> 00:00:32,511 and read about in London and in Wales. 10 00:00:32,511 --> 00:00:35,690 I want to speak to you at this hour 11 00:00:35,690 --> 00:00:40,302 about the work of Jesus Christ, 12 00:00:40,302 --> 00:00:42,037 and I want to draw your attention 13 00:00:42,037 --> 00:00:45,155 to Hebrews 1:3. 14 00:00:45,155 --> 00:00:49,455 "When He had by Himself purged our sins, 15 00:00:49,455 --> 00:00:51,706 He sat down at the right hand 16 00:00:51,706 --> 00:00:54,083 of the Majesty on high." 17 00:00:54,083 --> 00:00:56,244 Hebrews 1:3 18 00:00:56,244 --> 00:00:58,432 That's the King James Version. 19 00:00:58,432 --> 00:01:01,408 "When He had by Himself purged our sins, 20 00:01:01,408 --> 00:01:03,780 He sat down at the right hand 21 00:01:03,780 --> 00:01:07,118 of the Majesty on high." 22 00:01:07,118 --> 00:01:09,841 Well, you realize who this is then. 23 00:01:09,841 --> 00:01:12,289 I've spoken to you about that. 24 00:01:12,289 --> 00:01:16,446 He's the One through whom God speaks to us. 25 00:01:16,446 --> 00:01:19,082 "God has spoken through the prophets, 26 00:01:19,082 --> 00:01:21,010 but now in these last days, 27 00:01:21,010 --> 00:01:22,974 He speaks to us by His Son." 28 00:01:22,974 --> 00:01:26,831 He speaks to you by creation. 29 00:01:26,831 --> 00:01:29,037 The heavens declare His glory. 30 00:01:29,037 --> 00:01:30,877 The firmament shows His handiwork. 31 00:01:30,877 --> 00:01:32,711 Day and night there's speech coming, 32 00:01:32,711 --> 00:01:34,107 and it's saying, 33 00:01:34,107 --> 00:01:36,801 what a great and mighty God made this world. 34 00:01:36,801 --> 00:01:39,335 It didn't come about by chance or accident. 35 00:01:39,335 --> 00:01:41,189 It isn't just by luck - 36 00:01:41,189 --> 00:01:44,033 atoms join together and spontaneously 37 00:01:44,033 --> 00:01:45,767 out of nothing, something came. 38 00:01:45,767 --> 00:01:49,156 Nothing comes from nothing. 39 00:01:49,156 --> 00:01:51,041 But God made it. 40 00:01:51,041 --> 00:01:53,060 And God speaks to us in it. 41 00:01:53,060 --> 00:01:55,496 And God speaks to us through conscience - 42 00:01:55,496 --> 00:01:57,250 the great monitor that God has put 43 00:01:57,250 --> 00:02:00,242 in our hearts and minds 44 00:02:00,242 --> 00:02:02,678 that rebukes us when we do what's wrong 45 00:02:02,678 --> 00:02:04,975 and commend us when we do what's right. 46 00:02:04,975 --> 00:02:07,286 That's the voice of God. 47 00:02:07,286 --> 00:02:08,614 It has said to you: 48 00:02:08,614 --> 00:02:11,063 "You know you can't go on in unbelief like this. 49 00:02:11,063 --> 00:02:13,681 You ought to go and find a place 50 00:02:13,681 --> 00:02:16,569 which worships Me, the living God." 51 00:02:16,569 --> 00:02:22,015 And God has now spoken by His Son. 52 00:02:22,015 --> 00:02:23,568 Wonderful words. 53 00:02:23,568 --> 00:02:27,010 "When He was set, His disciples came unto Him, 54 00:02:27,010 --> 00:02:29,200 and He opened His mouth and He taught them 55 00:02:29,200 --> 00:02:32,398 saying, 'Blessed are the poor in spirit. 56 00:02:32,398 --> 00:02:34,023 Theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. 57 00:02:34,023 --> 00:02:37,492 Blessed are they that mourn; they shall be comforted. 58 00:02:37,492 --> 00:02:40,035 Blessed are the meek; they shall inhabit the earth. 59 00:02:40,035 --> 00:02:43,025 Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, 60 00:02:43,025 --> 00:02:44,932 they shall be filled. 61 00:02:44,932 --> 00:02:46,709 Blessed are the pure in heart, 62 00:02:46,709 --> 00:02:49,725 for they shall see God. 63 00:02:49,725 --> 00:02:51,495 Blessed are the peacemakers; 64 00:02:51,495 --> 00:02:53,593 they shall be called the children of God. 65 00:02:53,593 --> 00:02:55,312 Blessed are you when men revile you 66 00:02:55,312 --> 00:02:57,870 and persecute you and say all manner of evil 67 00:02:57,870 --> 00:02:59,704 against you for my sake. 68 00:02:59,704 --> 00:03:01,479 Rejoice, be exceeingly glad. 69 00:03:01,479 --> 00:03:06,095 They treated the prophets like this before you.'" 70 00:03:06,095 --> 00:03:08,304 William Shakespeare never said anything 71 00:03:08,304 --> 00:03:10,674 as wonderful as those words. 72 00:03:10,674 --> 00:03:12,249 But He did. 73 00:03:12,249 --> 00:03:14,109 He spoke and He prayed 74 00:03:14,109 --> 00:03:15,925 and we have a record of His prayers. 75 00:03:15,925 --> 00:03:19,194 And He taught us how to pray like Him. 76 00:03:19,194 --> 00:03:21,279 He's the God who made the universe then. 77 00:03:21,279 --> 00:03:25,986 We are fascinated with origins. 78 00:03:25,986 --> 00:03:28,999 We say that this One who was once tired 79 00:03:28,999 --> 00:03:31,881 and sat on the edge of a well in Sychar 80 00:03:31,881 --> 00:03:33,571 in Samaria, 81 00:03:33,571 --> 00:03:38,996 and asked a woman for a drink of water, 82 00:03:38,996 --> 00:03:41,542 He made the Gulf of Mexico. 83 00:03:41,542 --> 00:03:43,533 He made Texas. 84 00:03:43,533 --> 00:03:45,399 He made North and South America. 85 00:03:45,399 --> 00:03:47,843 He made the world. 86 00:03:47,843 --> 00:03:49,938 He was crucified. 87 00:03:49,938 --> 00:03:52,926 He made the forests whence there sprung the tree 88 00:03:52,926 --> 00:03:55,383 on which He hung. 89 00:03:55,383 --> 00:03:58,077 He died upon a cross of wood, 90 00:03:58,077 --> 00:04:01,486 yet made the hill on which it stood. 91 00:04:01,486 --> 00:04:04,221 The vastness of space. 92 00:04:04,221 --> 00:04:08,861 There's nothing in it that's contrary to 93 00:04:08,861 --> 00:04:11,937 the power and glory of Christ. 94 00:04:11,937 --> 00:04:15,132 He's relevant to the outdoors. 95 00:04:15,132 --> 00:04:17,460 God put the first Adam in a garden, 96 00:04:17,460 --> 00:04:20,237 and He put the last Adam in the indoors 97 00:04:20,237 --> 00:04:22,884 in a carpenter shop. 98 00:04:22,884 --> 00:04:28,244 He's the brightness of God's glory. 99 00:04:28,244 --> 00:04:31,706 The most Godlike thing that God ever did 100 00:04:31,706 --> 00:04:35,657 was to send His Son to the cross. 101 00:04:35,657 --> 00:04:37,388 And when He hung there, He prayed, 102 00:04:37,388 --> 00:04:38,601 "Father, forgive them. 103 00:04:38,601 --> 00:04:41,717 They know not what they do." 104 00:04:41,717 --> 00:04:43,374 There's the glory of God. 105 00:04:43,374 --> 00:04:46,124 This is the one, then, this verse is talking about. 106 00:04:46,124 --> 00:04:48,893 Then it tells us what He did. 107 00:04:48,893 --> 00:04:51,862 "He purged our sins." 108 00:04:51,862 --> 00:04:54,505 He came into the closest contact 109 00:04:54,505 --> 00:04:58,787 with these people whose forefathers 110 00:04:58,787 --> 00:05:03,512 God had chosen and set apart. 111 00:05:03,512 --> 00:05:04,875 He lived among them. 112 00:05:04,875 --> 00:05:07,331 He came and pitched His tent 113 00:05:07,331 --> 00:05:09,376 in the valley of the shadow of darkness. 114 00:05:09,376 --> 00:05:12,857 He came where men crucify other men. 115 00:05:12,857 --> 00:05:17,088 He came where they throw a young woman at His feet 116 00:05:17,088 --> 00:05:19,229 and are going to throw jagged boulders 117 00:05:19,229 --> 00:05:22,395 into her face and ribs. 118 00:05:22,395 --> 00:05:24,317 And He was there. 119 00:05:24,317 --> 00:05:25,840 He came where the blasphemy, 120 00:05:25,840 --> 00:05:27,667 where the gambling is 121 00:05:27,667 --> 00:05:31,824 as they gamble for condemned men's clothes. 122 00:05:31,824 --> 00:05:34,303 He came. He came there. 123 00:05:34,303 --> 00:05:38,458 And He saw their sins. 124 00:05:38,458 --> 00:05:41,382 And sins defile us. 125 00:05:41,382 --> 00:05:44,400 Sins make us dirty. 126 00:05:44,400 --> 00:05:46,360 And we need more than a little washing; 127 00:05:46,360 --> 00:05:47,922 more than a little sprinkling. 128 00:05:47,922 --> 00:05:50,670 We need purging. 129 00:05:50,670 --> 00:05:52,425 I'd walk to church with my mother 130 00:05:52,425 --> 00:05:56,048 on a Sunday night. 131 00:05:56,048 --> 00:05:59,122 She'd notice I had tomato soup stains 132 00:05:59,122 --> 00:06:01,674 around my mouth. 133 00:06:01,674 --> 00:06:05,184 She'd say, "Spit on this hanky." 134 00:06:05,184 --> 00:06:07,593 And then she'd scrub my face 135 00:06:07,593 --> 00:06:09,377 so that I'd look presentable - 136 00:06:09,377 --> 00:06:15,819 worthy to sit next to her. 137 00:06:15,819 --> 00:06:19,692 We need more than a little spittle 138 00:06:19,692 --> 00:06:22,633 to wash away our stains. 139 00:06:22,633 --> 00:06:25,142 They stain our hearts. 140 00:06:25,142 --> 00:06:26,522 Our inmost being - 141 00:06:26,522 --> 00:06:28,244 the dispositional complex, 142 00:06:28,244 --> 00:06:31,138 out of which are all the issues of our life. 143 00:06:31,138 --> 00:06:33,579 There's dirt there. There's defilement there. 144 00:06:33,579 --> 00:06:35,541 A man knocked on the door of my house, 145 00:06:35,541 --> 00:06:36,685 and I went to answer. 146 00:06:36,685 --> 00:06:38,890 I didn't recognize him. 147 00:06:38,890 --> 00:06:42,600 He said, "I wonder, could you baptize me?" 148 00:06:42,600 --> 00:06:44,695 So, he came in and I spoke to him. 149 00:06:44,695 --> 00:06:46,557 He'd lived with a woman in Canada, 150 00:06:46,557 --> 00:06:47,737 and she got pregnant. 151 00:06:47,737 --> 00:06:50,447 And she'd had an abortion. 152 00:06:50,447 --> 00:06:54,274 And he felt defiled. 153 00:06:54,274 --> 00:06:58,173 And he thought this defilement, this dirt, 154 00:06:58,173 --> 00:07:01,397 of what I've done needs to be washed away. 155 00:07:01,397 --> 00:07:02,953 I said to him, 156 00:07:02,953 --> 00:07:05,607 "baptism is an outward sign 157 00:07:05,607 --> 00:07:08,253 of an inward change - 158 00:07:08,253 --> 00:07:12,091 that God washes our hearts. 159 00:07:12,091 --> 00:07:15,494 And you must come and listen to the gospel now." 160 00:07:15,494 --> 00:07:18,539 And he started to attend church. 161 00:07:18,539 --> 00:07:21,892 Because sins have made us dark and defiled - 162 00:07:21,892 --> 00:07:24,506 spotted like the leper. 163 00:07:24,506 --> 00:07:26,851 And we need to be washed. 164 00:07:26,851 --> 00:07:30,356 And He's come. God has sent His Son 165 00:07:30,356 --> 00:07:32,617 into the darkness. 166 00:07:32,617 --> 00:07:36,741 He sent Him where sinners are in need. 167 00:07:36,741 --> 00:07:39,346 And He's done something for our sins. 168 00:07:39,346 --> 00:07:41,845 He says, you see, that's the phrase 169 00:07:41,845 --> 00:07:43,014 the apostle uses 170 00:07:43,014 --> 00:07:46,307 talking to these Jewish Christians. 171 00:07:46,307 --> 00:07:49,432 "Ours..." - "Mine too" he says. 172 00:07:49,432 --> 00:07:51,923 Mine need to be washed too. 173 00:07:51,923 --> 00:07:55,579 He stands in solidarity with them. 174 00:07:55,579 --> 00:07:57,415 In acknowledgement with them 175 00:07:57,415 --> 00:07:59,431 that he too is a sinner 176 00:07:59,431 --> 00:08:01,601 and needs to be cleansed. 177 00:08:01,601 --> 00:08:04,637 He's not writing this letter to the Sanhedrin. 178 00:08:04,637 --> 00:08:07,228 He's not writing this letter to Caiaphas and Annas 179 00:08:07,228 --> 00:08:09,469 or to Pilate or to Herod. 180 00:08:09,469 --> 00:08:11,976 He's writing to a certain constituency 181 00:08:11,976 --> 00:08:15,152 when he says "our sins." 182 00:08:15,152 --> 00:08:18,724 He's writing to Jews who have seen 183 00:08:18,724 --> 00:08:21,949 the Man on the cross is the Messiah. 184 00:08:21,949 --> 00:08:25,205 And He died there as the Lamb of God 185 00:08:25,205 --> 00:08:27,514 that all the types and offerings 186 00:08:27,514 --> 00:08:29,775 were pointing forward to the coming 187 00:08:29,775 --> 00:08:33,512 into this world of the Lord Jesus Christ. 188 00:08:33,512 --> 00:08:37,847 The God who had spoken through Isaiah and Elijah 189 00:08:37,847 --> 00:08:39,960 and was now speaking to them 190 00:08:39,960 --> 00:08:41,771 by His own Son. 191 00:08:41,771 --> 00:08:45,197 So this letter is written to these people - 192 00:08:45,197 --> 00:08:47,289 a certain constituency, a definite, 193 00:08:47,289 --> 00:08:49,956 a particular constituency. 194 00:08:49,956 --> 00:08:52,329 It's not a promiscuous letter. 195 00:08:52,329 --> 00:08:54,212 It's not a letter to everybody. 196 00:08:54,212 --> 00:08:56,154 It's a letter to these people. 197 00:08:56,154 --> 00:08:57,311 To a church. 198 00:08:57,311 --> 00:08:59,134 When he writes to the Corinthians, 199 00:08:59,134 --> 00:09:03,094 he says, "Christ died for our sins." 200 00:09:03,094 --> 00:09:06,524 When he writes to the Ephesians, 201 00:09:06,524 --> 00:09:11,246 he says, "Christ loved the church 202 00:09:11,246 --> 00:09:13,119 and gave Himself for the church." 203 00:09:13,119 --> 00:09:14,822 When he writes to the Galatians, 204 00:09:14,822 --> 00:09:17,345 he's very personal: "He loved me, 205 00:09:17,345 --> 00:09:20,517 and He gave Himself for me," he says. 206 00:09:20,517 --> 00:09:22,558 It's always so definite. 207 00:09:22,558 --> 00:09:25,537 Not for those who died in Noah's flood, 208 00:09:25,537 --> 00:09:27,539 but for our sins. 209 00:09:27,539 --> 00:09:30,663 Our sins have a total answer 210 00:09:30,663 --> 00:09:34,495 and that is found in the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. 211 00:09:34,495 --> 00:09:38,953 He purged our sins. 212 00:09:38,953 --> 00:09:43,165 He made an effective purgation of them. 213 00:09:43,165 --> 00:09:45,516 He removed every spot, every stain, 214 00:09:45,516 --> 00:09:48,366 every wrinkle, every such thing. 215 00:09:48,366 --> 00:09:50,226 It's taken away. 216 00:09:50,226 --> 00:09:53,599 You see the consequences of this then, 217 00:09:53,599 --> 00:09:59,367 that my sins as if they never were. 218 00:09:59,367 --> 00:10:00,996 It's magnificent. 219 00:10:00,996 --> 00:10:04,618 It's an incredible concept. 220 00:10:04,618 --> 00:10:06,728 They do not control 221 00:10:06,728 --> 00:10:10,280 my relationship with God this morning. 222 00:10:10,280 --> 00:10:13,274 They do not modify how it is 223 00:10:13,274 --> 00:10:15,107 between me and God. 224 00:10:15,107 --> 00:10:17,746 It is as if they weren't there. 225 00:10:17,746 --> 00:10:21,142 There is no defilement. 226 00:10:21,142 --> 00:10:23,309 It's all been removed. 227 00:10:23,309 --> 00:10:24,945 He's taken our past sin. 228 00:10:24,945 --> 00:10:27,411 He's taken our present sin. 229 00:10:27,411 --> 00:10:29,969 He's taken our future sin. 230 00:10:29,969 --> 00:10:31,776 And He's put it away. 231 00:10:31,776 --> 00:10:37,301 He's provided purification for it. 232 00:10:37,301 --> 00:10:41,167 And we are whiter than snow. 233 00:10:41,167 --> 00:10:44,660 I'm not sure that my conscience can believe it. 234 00:10:44,660 --> 00:10:47,339 I am not sure that there isn't in me 235 00:10:47,339 --> 00:10:50,791 and in some of you an egotism 236 00:10:50,791 --> 00:10:53,366 that wants to cling in some self-pity 237 00:10:53,366 --> 00:10:57,301 to some remnants of our sin, 238 00:10:57,301 --> 00:10:58,779 of our guilt, 239 00:10:58,779 --> 00:11:03,353 so that we can feel sorry for ourselves. 240 00:11:03,353 --> 00:11:06,584 If only I can let this truth 241 00:11:06,584 --> 00:11:08,353 be the whole truth 242 00:11:08,353 --> 00:11:11,214 about the way things are 243 00:11:11,214 --> 00:11:14,403 between me and God this morning, 244 00:11:14,403 --> 00:11:17,818 there's no barrier whatsoever, 245 00:11:17,818 --> 00:11:21,129 there is no impediment whatsoever, 246 00:11:21,129 --> 00:11:23,953 it is all forgiven. 247 00:11:23,953 --> 00:11:25,666 It is all forgotten. 248 00:11:25,666 --> 00:11:29,146 It's all blotted out. 249 00:11:29,146 --> 00:11:32,671 It may even be that sometimes 250 00:11:32,671 --> 00:11:34,523 you use this very belief 251 00:11:34,523 --> 00:11:37,587 that one day I've got to go to purgatory. 252 00:11:37,587 --> 00:11:41,050 And one day, I've got to pay for my sins. 253 00:11:41,050 --> 00:11:45,283 And that leads to a little less commitment, 254 00:11:45,283 --> 00:11:48,768 a little less resistance to sin. 255 00:11:48,768 --> 00:11:51,463 A little less discipleship; a little less purity, 256 00:11:51,463 --> 00:11:53,928 because, well, I've got to pay for them anyway. 257 00:11:53,928 --> 00:11:56,127 Let me enjoy them, because I'll pay for them. 258 00:11:56,127 --> 00:11:59,270 I'm prepared to pay for them. 259 00:11:59,270 --> 00:12:01,839 So, let me take that illicit weekend 260 00:12:01,839 --> 00:12:03,606 with that woman. 261 00:12:03,606 --> 00:12:06,768 Let me lace my speech with blasphemies 262 00:12:06,768 --> 00:12:10,862 and foul language. 263 00:12:10,862 --> 00:12:12,708 Let me take another drink, 264 00:12:12,708 --> 00:12:14,611 another drink, another drink. 265 00:12:14,611 --> 00:12:17,491 Because I've got to pay for my drunkenness anyway. 266 00:12:17,491 --> 00:12:19,916 I've got to go to purgatory. 267 00:12:19,916 --> 00:12:25,531 I am saying they are all forgiven. 268 00:12:25,531 --> 00:12:29,235 I am saying He's purged them all. 269 00:12:29,235 --> 00:12:32,826 He's dealt with every molecule 270 00:12:32,826 --> 00:12:34,687 of our guilt and shame. 271 00:12:34,687 --> 00:12:39,716 Not one rogue molecule remains 272 00:12:39,716 --> 00:12:42,663 that I have to purge myself. 273 00:12:42,663 --> 00:12:45,129 Every spot imputed to Him. 274 00:12:45,129 --> 00:12:49,415 There is absolutely nothing left. 275 00:12:49,415 --> 00:12:51,518 Do you believe it? 276 00:12:51,518 --> 00:12:53,762 The single determinant 277 00:12:53,762 --> 00:12:57,532 of your relationship with God this morning 278 00:12:57,532 --> 00:13:00,258 is what happened on that cross. 279 00:13:00,258 --> 00:13:03,382 Nothing else matters. 280 00:13:03,382 --> 00:13:06,086 Nothing else is relevant. 281 00:13:06,086 --> 00:13:08,880 There are only two factors 282 00:13:08,880 --> 00:13:12,013 in that equation: 283 00:13:12,013 --> 00:13:14,569 What Christ did 284 00:13:14,569 --> 00:13:17,673 and how God responded. 285 00:13:17,673 --> 00:13:19,051 And the way you feel, 286 00:13:19,051 --> 00:13:20,738 and the way you struggle, 287 00:13:20,738 --> 00:13:23,960 and what you achieve and how you fail - 288 00:13:23,960 --> 00:13:26,512 that is irrelevant. 289 00:13:26,512 --> 00:13:28,605 The one thing relevant 290 00:13:28,605 --> 00:13:33,192 is what the Lamb of God did on the cross. 291 00:13:33,192 --> 00:13:35,779 And I don't for a moment believe 292 00:13:35,779 --> 00:13:38,917 that the heart that knows that 293 00:13:38,917 --> 00:13:43,117 will take advantage of it and go from it 294 00:13:43,117 --> 00:13:46,366 to live a life without law, 295 00:13:46,366 --> 00:13:48,224 because that cross, that grace, 296 00:13:48,224 --> 00:13:50,224 won't let you. 297 00:13:50,224 --> 00:13:52,696 I believe on the contrary 298 00:13:52,696 --> 00:13:53,951 that a bad conscience 299 00:13:53,951 --> 00:13:57,241 and a feeling that, well, I've got to pay for it anyway, 300 00:13:57,241 --> 00:13:59,267 and God has something against me - 301 00:13:59,267 --> 00:14:03,193 that serves as an unconscious grudge 302 00:14:03,193 --> 00:14:08,080 against God that somehow justifies me 303 00:14:08,080 --> 00:14:11,496 acting badly; being less perfect. 304 00:14:11,496 --> 00:14:14,293 Permits a relapse here 305 00:14:14,293 --> 00:14:16,442 and a shortcoming there. 306 00:14:16,442 --> 00:14:18,241 And I want you to know in the depth 307 00:14:18,241 --> 00:14:19,934 of your own being 308 00:14:19,934 --> 00:14:24,179 that Jesus Christ made a good and decent job 309 00:14:24,179 --> 00:14:27,257 of the work that God gave Him to do. 310 00:14:27,257 --> 00:14:31,114 That He made a real purging for sin. 311 00:14:31,114 --> 00:14:33,170 He's the brightness of God's glory. 312 00:14:33,170 --> 00:14:36,026 He's God the Son. He's Jehovah Jesus. 313 00:14:36,026 --> 00:14:38,257 He's the infinite, eternal One 314 00:14:38,257 --> 00:14:40,127 who's taken human nature. 315 00:14:40,127 --> 00:14:43,862 And He focused at the climax of His life 316 00:14:43,862 --> 00:14:47,689 on Jerusalem and the task that lay before Him. 317 00:14:47,689 --> 00:14:50,819 He was walking with destiny to Golgotha, 318 00:14:50,819 --> 00:14:53,477 there to deal with sin - 319 00:14:53,477 --> 00:14:56,517 the way it dirties us and defiles us 320 00:14:56,517 --> 00:14:58,261 and corrupts us. 321 00:14:58,261 --> 00:15:00,368 And God hates it. 322 00:15:00,368 --> 00:15:03,614 The way it's created a gulf, 323 00:15:03,614 --> 00:15:06,885 an alienation between ourselves and God. 324 00:15:06,885 --> 00:15:08,558 He comes. 325 00:15:08,558 --> 00:15:11,109 He comes who raises the dead. 326 00:15:11,109 --> 00:15:13,268 He comes who speaks 327 00:15:13,268 --> 00:15:15,425 and the winds and the waves obey Him. 328 00:15:15,425 --> 00:15:16,767 He comes. 329 00:15:16,767 --> 00:15:18,232 Jehovah Jesus. 330 00:15:18,232 --> 00:15:21,293 There's one more thing He has to do 331 00:15:21,293 --> 00:15:24,296 before He can say, "It is finished." 332 00:15:24,296 --> 00:15:27,074 He must purge our sins. 333 00:15:27,074 --> 00:15:29,827 He must take the defilement that comes - 334 00:15:29,827 --> 00:15:32,905 every lapse; 335 00:15:32,905 --> 00:15:34,924 every sin of omission. 336 00:15:34,924 --> 00:15:36,611 He comes. 337 00:15:36,611 --> 00:15:38,457 The guilt of every failure - 338 00:15:38,457 --> 00:15:40,319 He must take them 339 00:15:40,319 --> 00:15:43,292 into the judgment of the lake of fire. 340 00:15:43,292 --> 00:15:45,700 He must take them 341 00:15:45,700 --> 00:15:47,834 into the bottomless pit. 342 00:15:47,834 --> 00:15:50,484 There to fall and fall and fall 343 00:15:50,484 --> 00:15:53,548 further and further from us. 344 00:15:53,548 --> 00:15:55,529 For all eternity. 345 00:15:55,529 --> 00:16:02,299 A vaster and vaster separation of us and our sin. 346 00:16:02,299 --> 00:16:06,869 And it leaves us de-sinned. 347 00:16:06,869 --> 00:16:09,857 It leaves us guiltless. 348 00:16:09,857 --> 00:16:12,722 As sinless as God is sinless. 349 00:16:12,722 --> 00:16:15,615 As holy as the angels are holy. 350 00:16:15,615 --> 00:16:20,958 Look, there is flowing a crimson tide. 351 00:16:20,958 --> 00:16:24,772 Whiter than snow you may be today. 352 00:16:24,772 --> 00:16:27,223 So you see the consequences 353 00:16:27,223 --> 00:16:28,944 of what He has done. 354 00:16:28,944 --> 00:16:32,939 That the dying of Jesus is purgatory. 355 00:16:32,939 --> 00:16:35,495 Golgotha is the only purgatory 356 00:16:35,495 --> 00:16:38,487 in this world or in the world to come. 357 00:16:38,487 --> 00:16:40,673 There's no need of another purging. 358 00:16:40,673 --> 00:16:45,130 There's nothing left to purge. 359 00:16:45,130 --> 00:16:47,547 And there is no force, there is no power 360 00:16:47,547 --> 00:16:50,068 except the death of Christ 361 00:16:50,068 --> 00:16:52,175 that can deal with our sin. 362 00:16:52,175 --> 00:16:54,169 And then when we see Him, 363 00:16:54,169 --> 00:16:55,337 we shall be like Him. 364 00:16:55,337 --> 00:16:58,674 He will present us faultless before Him in that day. 365 00:16:58,674 --> 00:17:00,038 No fault. 366 00:17:00,038 --> 00:17:03,056 Because all our sin has been dealt with. 367 00:17:03,056 --> 00:17:06,766 Christ didn't do half a job on Calvary. 368 00:17:06,766 --> 00:17:10,440 He didn't do 90% of a job on Calvary. 369 00:17:10,440 --> 00:17:14,011 Jesus paid it all. 370 00:17:14,011 --> 00:17:16,903 All to Him I owe. 371 00:17:16,903 --> 00:17:19,341 Sin had left a fearful stain. 372 00:17:19,341 --> 00:17:22,104 He washed it white as snow. 373 00:17:22,104 --> 00:17:26,273 He purged our sin. 374 00:17:26,273 --> 00:17:27,608 And then you see, 375 00:17:27,608 --> 00:17:30,539 He did it by Himself we're told. 376 00:17:30,539 --> 00:17:34,173 "When He had by Himself purged our sins..." 377 00:17:34,173 --> 00:17:35,822 What was He doing? 378 00:17:35,822 --> 00:17:37,592 Well, He was offering Himself 379 00:17:37,592 --> 00:17:40,507 without spot to God. 380 00:17:40,507 --> 00:17:42,642 He wasn't offering His body; 381 00:17:42,642 --> 00:17:45,219 He wasn't offering His obedience only; 382 00:17:45,219 --> 00:17:48,015 He wasn't offering His sufferings only; 383 00:17:48,015 --> 00:17:50,320 He wasn't offering His blood only; 384 00:17:50,320 --> 00:17:54,319 He wasn't offering His human nature only. 385 00:17:54,319 --> 00:17:56,264 He was offering Himself. 386 00:17:56,264 --> 00:18:00,660 The God-man was offering to God 387 00:18:00,660 --> 00:18:04,177 the sacrificial obedience of the holy Lamb of God. 388 00:18:04,177 --> 00:18:06,549 He was offering Himself to God. 389 00:18:06,549 --> 00:18:10,647 He was the ransom price paid. 390 00:18:10,647 --> 00:18:12,132 And we are free. 391 00:18:12,132 --> 00:18:14,204 He was the propitiation. 392 00:18:14,204 --> 00:18:16,708 The appeasement of the holy wrath of God 393 00:18:16,708 --> 00:18:19,269 against all that contradicts what God is. 394 00:18:19,269 --> 00:18:21,641 All that is cruel and tawdry 395 00:18:21,641 --> 00:18:24,741 and mean and nasty. 396 00:18:24,741 --> 00:18:27,067 And He dealt with that 397 00:18:27,067 --> 00:18:29,214 and God's anger towards it. 398 00:18:29,214 --> 00:18:31,062 He's the great satisfaction 399 00:18:31,062 --> 00:18:32,528 rendered to God. 400 00:18:32,528 --> 00:18:35,933 He's the price of our liberation. 401 00:18:35,933 --> 00:18:38,663 There is nothing left undone 402 00:18:38,663 --> 00:18:41,759 that any of you or me have to do. 403 00:18:41,759 --> 00:18:44,012 He made a purging for us. 404 00:18:44,012 --> 00:18:46,190 And He did it not by enabling you 405 00:18:46,190 --> 00:18:47,788 to do something. 406 00:18:47,788 --> 00:18:51,157 He did it not by inspiring you to choose. 407 00:18:51,157 --> 00:18:54,431 He did it not by encouraging you to repentance. 408 00:18:54,431 --> 00:18:57,592 He did it not by challenging you 409 00:18:57,592 --> 00:18:58,829 to discipleship. 410 00:18:58,829 --> 00:19:01,718 Not by exhorting you to faith. 411 00:19:01,718 --> 00:19:05,089 Not by commanding you to live a holy life; 412 00:19:05,089 --> 00:19:07,548 by pleading with you to have compassion 413 00:19:07,548 --> 00:19:09,566 on your fellow men. 414 00:19:09,566 --> 00:19:12,125 Because if my standing before God 415 00:19:12,125 --> 00:19:14,643 depends on any of those things, 416 00:19:14,643 --> 00:19:16,993 then I'm a lost man; 417 00:19:16,993 --> 00:19:18,836 if it depends on my repentance 418 00:19:18,836 --> 00:19:20,933 and my faith and my obedience 419 00:19:20,933 --> 00:19:22,467 and my holy living. 420 00:19:22,467 --> 00:19:23,936 I have no hope. 421 00:19:23,936 --> 00:19:28,573 He did something absolutely by Himself. 422 00:19:28,573 --> 00:19:31,666 And it was absolutely sufficient 423 00:19:31,666 --> 00:19:34,455 for all that the Father had given to Him. 424 00:19:34,455 --> 00:19:38,029 He purged away every speck 425 00:19:38,029 --> 00:19:40,853 of their sin and guilt. 426 00:19:40,853 --> 00:19:42,864 And He did it alone. 427 00:19:42,864 --> 00:19:44,832 After His temptations, 428 00:19:44,832 --> 00:19:47,629 angels came and ministered to Him. 429 00:19:47,629 --> 00:19:50,023 After His baptism, the voice of God came 430 00:19:50,023 --> 00:19:51,426 and spoke to Him. 431 00:19:51,426 --> 00:19:53,081 After His transfiguration, 432 00:19:53,081 --> 00:19:58,416 Moses and Elijah came and talked with Him. 433 00:19:58,416 --> 00:20:02,810 But on the cross, He was there by Himself. 434 00:20:02,810 --> 00:20:04,631 He was there alone. 435 00:20:04,631 --> 00:20:06,077 No friend there. 436 00:20:06,077 --> 00:20:08,081 Nobody catching His eye and saying, 437 00:20:08,081 --> 00:20:09,624 in a glance, 438 00:20:09,624 --> 00:20:12,878 "I love You and I know why You're doing this." 439 00:20:12,878 --> 00:20:15,412 No disciples. 440 00:20:15,412 --> 00:20:18,121 No family. 441 00:20:18,121 --> 00:20:19,768 They all forsook Him and fled. 442 00:20:19,768 --> 00:20:21,411 You were no good, were you? 443 00:20:21,411 --> 00:20:23,269 You weren't there. 444 00:20:23,269 --> 00:20:28,123 What contribution did you make on Golgotha to Jesus? 445 00:20:28,123 --> 00:20:31,348 Your guilt and shame. 446 00:20:31,348 --> 00:20:33,307 Nothing more than that. 447 00:20:33,307 --> 00:20:38,677 He by Himself purged that guilt and shame. 448 00:20:38,677 --> 00:20:40,536 So what could be more glorious? 449 00:20:40,536 --> 00:20:43,462 What could be more liberating than that? 450 00:20:43,462 --> 00:20:46,396 That there was a real and a total; 451 00:20:46,396 --> 00:20:48,114 a comprehensive, 452 00:20:48,114 --> 00:20:51,504 an infinite purging of sin? 453 00:20:51,504 --> 00:20:52,893 Which He accomplished. 454 00:20:52,893 --> 00:20:56,510 He did it by Himself. 455 00:20:56,510 --> 00:21:01,091 And then we are told that He sat down 456 00:21:01,091 --> 00:21:02,716 at the right hand 457 00:21:02,716 --> 00:21:05,107 of the Majesty on high. 458 00:21:05,107 --> 00:21:08,855 We know where Jesus is today. 459 00:21:08,855 --> 00:21:10,706 He is at the right hand of God 460 00:21:10,706 --> 00:21:13,914 and He is present here. 461 00:21:13,914 --> 00:21:15,862 He's sitting next to you. 462 00:21:15,862 --> 00:21:18,426 He's nudging you. 463 00:21:18,426 --> 00:21:22,191 He is bearing testimony that what I say is true. 464 00:21:22,191 --> 00:21:24,472 He's giving you this opportunity 465 00:21:24,472 --> 00:21:29,013 to start having dealings with God the Son. 466 00:21:29,013 --> 00:21:31,145 He is here and He's there. 467 00:21:31,145 --> 00:21:34,918 And there He sits at the right hand of God. 468 00:21:34,918 --> 00:21:38,536 He's a sitting Savior. 469 00:21:38,536 --> 00:21:42,022 It means that He's finished the work. 470 00:21:42,022 --> 00:21:44,449 Your husband comes home from work 471 00:21:44,449 --> 00:21:49,657 and you say, "Supper's almost ready." 472 00:21:49,657 --> 00:21:52,305 And he sits down. He picks up the paper. 473 00:21:52,305 --> 00:21:56,953 He's sitting after the work is over for the day. 474 00:21:56,953 --> 00:22:02,875 Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God. 475 00:22:02,875 --> 00:22:08,671 Like God in Genesis 1 looked at creation. 476 00:22:08,671 --> 00:22:10,916 The firmament and the seas, 477 00:22:10,916 --> 00:22:14,668 and the light and the darkness, 478 00:22:14,668 --> 00:22:18,590 and the sun and the moon and the stars, 479 00:22:18,590 --> 00:22:21,713 and the birds and the animals and man 480 00:22:21,713 --> 00:22:24,625 and God said, "It's good." 481 00:22:24,625 --> 00:22:26,036 He looked at all creation. 482 00:22:26,036 --> 00:22:27,899 He said, "It's very good." 483 00:22:27,899 --> 00:22:30,074 So, today, God is looking 484 00:22:30,074 --> 00:22:32,183 at what Jesus Christ did - 485 00:22:32,183 --> 00:22:34,512 the work of redemption - 486 00:22:34,512 --> 00:22:35,847 "Very good," He says. 487 00:22:35,847 --> 00:22:38,134 "Sit at My right hand." 488 00:22:38,134 --> 00:22:40,925 "Very good," God says. 489 00:22:40,925 --> 00:22:43,276 So, I'm saying at this moment 490 00:22:43,276 --> 00:22:45,145 God the Father and God the Son 491 00:22:45,145 --> 00:22:47,819 and God the Holy Spirit look back 492 00:22:47,819 --> 00:22:51,773 at the whole travail of redeeming grace 493 00:22:51,773 --> 00:22:55,048 and the death of Christ - its great climax. 494 00:22:55,048 --> 00:22:57,035 All the pain and the blood 495 00:22:57,035 --> 00:22:58,652 the obedience, 496 00:22:58,652 --> 00:23:06,127 and they are completely satisfied. 497 00:23:06,127 --> 00:23:07,908 There's nothing more glorious 498 00:23:07,908 --> 00:23:10,535 in heaven or earth today than that. 499 00:23:10,535 --> 00:23:15,965 That Jesus Christ is completely pleased 500 00:23:15,965 --> 00:23:17,710 with His own work. 501 00:23:17,710 --> 00:23:20,061 He looks at it and He says, 502 00:23:20,061 --> 00:23:22,278 "Very good." 503 00:23:22,278 --> 00:23:24,929 And He sits down. 504 00:23:24,929 --> 00:23:27,415 And He rests. 505 00:23:27,415 --> 00:23:31,220 He sees the travail of His soul 506 00:23:31,220 --> 00:23:34,302 and He is satisfied. 507 00:23:34,302 --> 00:23:36,405 And God the Father looks at the obedience 508 00:23:36,405 --> 00:23:37,982 of His Son. He is satisfied. 509 00:23:37,982 --> 00:23:39,607 The Holy Spirit looks 510 00:23:39,607 --> 00:23:41,165 at what Christ has done 511 00:23:41,165 --> 00:23:43,859 and the Holy Spirit is satisfied. 512 00:23:43,859 --> 00:23:47,387 The angels can't believe their eyes. 513 00:23:47,387 --> 00:23:52,935 And all are filled with wonder, love, and praise. 514 00:23:52,935 --> 00:23:57,106 God is filled with love and praise. 515 00:23:57,106 --> 00:24:00,780 And the terrible thing is that everybody 516 00:24:00,780 --> 00:24:06,429 is satisfied with it except you. 517 00:24:06,429 --> 00:24:09,494 And you won't come. 518 00:24:09,494 --> 00:24:14,249 Just as you are to Him 519 00:24:14,249 --> 00:24:19,443 just as He is - seated at the right hand of God. 520 00:24:19,443 --> 00:24:21,081 You won't come. 521 00:24:21,081 --> 00:24:22,629 Alone. 522 00:24:22,629 --> 00:24:24,011 Naked. 523 00:24:24,011 --> 00:24:28,422 Nothing in my hands I bring. 524 00:24:28,422 --> 00:24:30,869 You feel, well, I've got to make 525 00:24:30,869 --> 00:24:37,151 a little contribution myself. 526 00:24:37,151 --> 00:24:41,881 A little bit of Christian experience. 527 00:24:41,881 --> 00:24:48,300 I've learned a few marks of grace. 528 00:24:48,300 --> 00:24:50,169 A little growth; a little progress; 529 00:24:50,169 --> 00:24:51,900 a little courage in testimony; 530 00:24:51,900 --> 00:24:54,653 a little persecution in the office; 531 00:24:54,653 --> 00:24:58,623 a little laughter from some of your mates; 532 00:24:58,623 --> 00:25:00,140 a little pain in providence - 533 00:25:00,140 --> 00:25:04,806 you won't come alone. 534 00:25:04,806 --> 00:25:08,503 You won't come exposed. 535 00:25:08,503 --> 00:25:12,239 You won't sit down 536 00:25:12,239 --> 00:25:14,958 and survey Christ. 537 00:25:14,958 --> 00:25:20,371 You won't rest in the work of Jesus. 538 00:25:20,371 --> 00:25:23,793 Now, that's what God the Son did. 539 00:25:23,793 --> 00:25:26,096 He said, "It is finished." 540 00:25:26,096 --> 00:25:28,957 He was buried. He rose. He ascended. 541 00:25:28,957 --> 00:25:34,352 And He sits at the right hand of God. 542 00:25:34,352 --> 00:25:36,748 The Father is thrilled. 543 00:25:36,748 --> 00:25:38,490 And the Spirit is delighted. 544 00:25:38,490 --> 00:25:40,625 And all the angels glory in it. 545 00:25:40,625 --> 00:25:42,673 And the spirits of just men made perfect - 546 00:25:42,673 --> 00:25:45,107 any achievements, they take the achievements 547 00:25:45,107 --> 00:25:48,196 and they throw them at His feet. 548 00:25:48,196 --> 00:25:50,074 Worthy is the Lamb that was slain 549 00:25:50,074 --> 00:25:52,358 to receive power and riches 550 00:25:52,358 --> 00:25:53,982 and wisdom and strength 551 00:25:53,982 --> 00:25:55,349 and honor and glory 552 00:25:55,349 --> 00:25:56,855 and blessing, they say. 553 00:25:56,855 --> 00:25:59,221 That's all the say because they know 554 00:25:59,221 --> 00:26:02,385 that Christ has made a complete purging. 555 00:26:02,385 --> 00:26:04,367 There's nothing in the world 556 00:26:04,367 --> 00:26:06,338 more glorious than this. 557 00:26:06,338 --> 00:26:10,493 That's why the Bible is a magnificent group. 558 00:26:10,493 --> 00:26:12,051 That's why we all have a Bible, 559 00:26:12,051 --> 00:26:14,030 and that's why the climax of our worship 560 00:26:14,030 --> 00:26:16,526 is to open the book and find the place 561 00:26:16,526 --> 00:26:18,208 and preach the Word. 562 00:26:18,208 --> 00:26:19,857 After we've sung to God, 563 00:26:19,857 --> 00:26:23,355 He speaks to us in His Word. 564 00:26:23,355 --> 00:26:24,548 And that's what you want. 565 00:26:24,548 --> 00:26:25,887 I want to find a church 566 00:26:25,887 --> 00:26:27,970 which will tell me about Jesus 567 00:26:27,970 --> 00:26:29,118 and what He's done. 568 00:26:29,118 --> 00:26:30,102 That's what I want. 569 00:26:30,102 --> 00:26:32,542 I don't want men dressed up in religious costumes. 570 00:26:32,542 --> 00:26:33,420 I don't want that. 571 00:26:33,420 --> 00:26:35,163 I don't want a lot of entertainment 572 00:26:35,163 --> 00:26:37,378 and humor and laughter. 573 00:26:37,378 --> 00:26:39,493 I don't want that. 574 00:26:39,493 --> 00:26:43,838 Give me Christ or else I die! 575 00:26:43,838 --> 00:26:46,140 Do you live by the words that proceed 576 00:26:46,140 --> 00:26:48,353 from the mouth of God? 577 00:26:48,353 --> 00:26:51,619 If you are a Bible Christian this morning, 578 00:26:51,619 --> 00:26:55,393 you sit before the cross of Christ; 579 00:26:55,393 --> 00:27:01,111 before what Jesus did in purging your sins. 580 00:27:01,111 --> 00:27:05,525 What do I want you to do? 581 00:27:05,525 --> 00:27:07,785 What have I come from Wales here 582 00:27:07,785 --> 00:27:10,676 to ask you to do? 583 00:27:10,676 --> 00:27:14,415 I want you to do nothing. 584 00:27:14,415 --> 00:27:19,914 I want you to do absolutely nothing. 585 00:27:19,914 --> 00:27:22,242 I don't want you to get out of your seats. 586 00:27:22,242 --> 00:27:24,164 I don't want you to come to the front. 587 00:27:24,164 --> 00:27:26,222 Of course, if Jesus was here in the front, 588 00:27:26,222 --> 00:27:27,769 I'd say come and meet Jesus. 589 00:27:27,769 --> 00:27:29,600 But the word is nigh you. 590 00:27:29,600 --> 00:27:31,991 It's in your mouth. It's in your hearing. 591 00:27:31,991 --> 00:27:34,214 It's in your heart. It's in your understanding. 592 00:27:34,214 --> 00:27:36,879 It's in your conscience. 593 00:27:36,879 --> 00:27:38,883 The word of faith that we preach to you, 594 00:27:38,883 --> 00:27:39,718 it's there. 595 00:27:39,718 --> 00:27:43,579 You don't need to come to the front for that. 596 00:27:43,579 --> 00:27:45,866 I don't want you to be baptized. 597 00:27:45,866 --> 00:27:47,596 I don't want you to join the church. 598 00:27:47,596 --> 00:27:49,593 I don't want you to make any resolutions 599 00:27:49,593 --> 00:27:51,868 that from now one it's going to be different, 600 00:27:51,868 --> 00:27:53,611 and you're going to be religious man 601 00:27:53,611 --> 00:27:55,223 and you're going to be in church 602 00:27:55,223 --> 00:27:57,981 every Sunday. 603 00:27:57,981 --> 00:28:00,547 I don't want you to think 604 00:28:00,547 --> 00:28:04,561 of what you're going to do in your future. 605 00:28:04,561 --> 00:28:09,047 I want you to sit. 606 00:28:09,047 --> 00:28:13,108 I want you to be absolutely still. 607 00:28:13,108 --> 00:28:14,356 I don't want you to move. 608 00:28:14,356 --> 00:28:17,371 I don't want you to plan. 609 00:28:17,371 --> 00:28:20,517 I don't want you to decide. 610 00:28:20,517 --> 00:28:22,947 I want you to look away from all of that 611 00:28:22,947 --> 00:28:26,050 to look - 612 00:28:26,050 --> 00:28:28,443 the head that once was crowned with thorns 613 00:28:28,443 --> 00:28:30,183 is crowned with glory. 614 00:28:30,183 --> 00:28:32,109 See Him at the right hand of God. 615 00:28:32,109 --> 00:28:33,489 The Jesus of the Bible. 616 00:28:33,489 --> 00:28:36,760 The Jesus who's with us now alive 617 00:28:36,760 --> 00:28:40,562 who reigns in glory. 618 00:28:40,562 --> 00:28:45,038 When the children of Israel were sinners 619 00:28:45,038 --> 00:28:47,196 and were whinging and complaining 620 00:28:47,196 --> 00:28:49,943 in the wilderness, 621 00:28:49,943 --> 00:28:54,980 and God finally, as reluctantly as any father, 622 00:28:54,980 --> 00:28:57,323 chastens His children. 623 00:28:57,323 --> 00:29:03,606 He sent burning fiery serpents 624 00:29:03,606 --> 00:29:05,842 into that wilderness and they bit them. 625 00:29:05,842 --> 00:29:08,002 They were hiding in their tents 626 00:29:08,002 --> 00:29:10,398 and in the piles of wood they were gathering 627 00:29:10,398 --> 00:29:11,628 and they were bit. 628 00:29:11,628 --> 00:29:13,317 And oh, they were in anguish 629 00:29:13,317 --> 00:29:15,849 and they repented. They knew why. 630 00:29:15,849 --> 00:29:17,703 They knew why He didn't deliver them 631 00:29:17,703 --> 00:29:19,897 and they cried for mercy. 632 00:29:19,897 --> 00:29:22,224 You remember what God told Moses? 633 00:29:22,224 --> 00:29:25,304 To set up a great pole 634 00:29:25,304 --> 00:29:31,528 and on the top, cast a brass serpent 635 00:29:31,528 --> 00:29:35,432 that glittered in the sun. 636 00:29:35,432 --> 00:29:37,565 And then what did He tell the people to do? 637 00:29:37,565 --> 00:29:40,330 Did He tell them they had to walk on their knees up to it 638 00:29:40,330 --> 00:29:42,127 and walk around it seven times 639 00:29:42,127 --> 00:29:44,773 and kiss the pole? 640 00:29:44,773 --> 00:29:46,997 No. 641 00:29:46,997 --> 00:29:51,421 "Look," He said. 642 00:29:51,421 --> 00:29:53,593 Set your eyes on that serpent. 643 00:29:53,593 --> 00:29:57,724 Look. Look at it. Look and live. 644 00:29:57,724 --> 00:29:59,161 My brother, live. 645 00:29:59,161 --> 00:30:03,152 Look to Jesus Christ and live. 646 00:30:03,152 --> 00:30:06,222 As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, 647 00:30:06,222 --> 00:30:08,464 so the Son of Man was lifted up 648 00:30:08,464 --> 00:30:12,707 that all who look, all who believe in Him, 649 00:30:12,707 --> 00:30:15,908 all whose trust is focused in Him 650 00:30:15,908 --> 00:30:17,188 should not perish, 651 00:30:17,188 --> 00:30:21,656 but have everlasting life. 652 00:30:21,656 --> 00:30:25,661 You've heard this morning what Jesus has done. 653 00:30:25,661 --> 00:30:27,300 He's done it all by Himself. 654 00:30:27,300 --> 00:30:29,567 You've heard of the glorious achievements 655 00:30:29,567 --> 00:30:34,352 of the Son of God. 656 00:30:34,352 --> 00:30:41,593 That He's purged our sins. 657 00:30:41,593 --> 00:30:46,595 I've told you that God is absolutely satisfied with that. 658 00:30:46,595 --> 00:30:53,568 Are you satisfied with what Jesus Christ has done? 659 00:30:53,568 --> 00:30:58,339 Are you absolutely satisfied 660 00:30:58,339 --> 00:31:00,853 with what Jesus Christ has done? 661 00:31:00,853 --> 00:31:03,959 Are you completely satisfied 662 00:31:03,959 --> 00:31:07,416 with what Jesus Christ has done? 663 00:31:07,416 --> 00:31:15,513 Are you sitting and looking at Him? 664 00:31:15,513 --> 00:31:17,833 And when you feel your sin and your guilt, 665 00:31:17,833 --> 00:31:20,608 you look to Him and you say, 666 00:31:20,608 --> 00:31:23,231 He took it away. 667 00:31:23,231 --> 00:31:28,483 All my past sins are forgiven sins 668 00:31:28,483 --> 00:31:33,286 because of what Jesus Christ has done. 669 00:31:33,286 --> 00:31:35,424 And when Satan comes and reminds you 670 00:31:35,424 --> 00:31:37,520 of how you hurt people you love 671 00:31:37,520 --> 00:31:38,842 and people who love you, 672 00:31:38,842 --> 00:31:40,650 who were dependent on you, 673 00:31:40,650 --> 00:31:44,519 how terribly you treated them, 674 00:31:44,519 --> 00:31:49,511 you say: but Christ dealt with that sin, 675 00:31:49,511 --> 00:31:52,041 that guilt, that shame. 676 00:31:52,041 --> 00:31:54,628 When you fall for the thousandth time 677 00:31:54,628 --> 00:31:57,270 into sins of imagination and thought 678 00:31:57,270 --> 00:32:00,091 and omission, 679 00:32:00,091 --> 00:32:02,231 He dealt with that sin. 680 00:32:02,231 --> 00:32:07,507 He took it in His own body on the cross. 681 00:32:07,507 --> 00:32:10,007 Christ by Himself purged our sins. 682 00:32:10,007 --> 00:32:13,487 Now, do you believe that? 683 00:32:13,487 --> 00:32:17,078 Does everyone in this congregation believe that? 684 00:32:17,078 --> 00:32:21,956 Everyone who believes in it is a Christian. 685 00:32:21,956 --> 00:32:24,696 Not great Christians. 686 00:32:24,696 --> 00:32:28,538 I'm not interested in great Christians. 687 00:32:28,538 --> 00:32:33,420 I'm interested in mere believers. 688 00:32:33,420 --> 00:32:39,764 Mere lookers at this Jesus. 689 00:32:39,764 --> 00:32:43,274 It is settled once and for all. 690 00:32:43,274 --> 00:32:47,700 You've left it all with Jesus long ago. 691 00:32:47,700 --> 00:32:49,485 When a man is drowning, 692 00:32:49,485 --> 00:32:52,230 and the life guard swims out to him, 693 00:32:52,230 --> 00:32:55,091 the lift guard doesn't speak to him 694 00:32:55,091 --> 00:32:56,182 and say to him, 695 00:32:56,182 --> 00:32:58,067 "Now, there's the shore. 696 00:32:58,067 --> 00:32:59,912 That's the direction. 697 00:32:59,912 --> 00:33:03,174 That's where you've got to swim to." 698 00:33:03,174 --> 00:33:05,003 He doesn't tell him that, does he? 699 00:33:05,003 --> 00:33:07,826 He says, "Don't move now. Don't move. 700 00:33:07,826 --> 00:33:13,769 Don't stop me from saving you." 701 00:33:13,769 --> 00:33:16,322 And he puts his arm around him and he holds him 702 00:33:16,322 --> 00:33:18,051 and he powerfully swims 703 00:33:18,051 --> 00:33:22,200 and he saves the man. 704 00:33:22,200 --> 00:33:26,328 Please, don't stop the Lord Jesus Christ 705 00:33:26,328 --> 00:33:29,943 from saving you this morning 706 00:33:29,943 --> 00:33:33,238 by thinking you've got to do something; 707 00:33:33,238 --> 00:33:36,824 that you've got to add to what He's done. 708 00:33:36,824 --> 00:33:39,281 You just look at Him. 709 00:33:39,281 --> 00:33:41,036 Look at Him. 710 00:33:41,036 --> 00:33:42,304 I want you to sit. 711 00:33:42,304 --> 00:33:44,666 I don't want you to bat an eyelid. 712 00:33:44,666 --> 00:33:46,227 I don't want you to breathe. 713 00:33:46,227 --> 00:33:50,931 I want you to purge the word "do" from your mind. 714 00:33:50,931 --> 00:33:56,011 I never want you to think about doing. 715 00:33:56,011 --> 00:33:59,568 This has to be settled first. 716 00:33:59,568 --> 00:34:03,392 Till to Jesus' work you cling, 717 00:34:03,392 --> 00:34:05,753 by a simple faith, 718 00:34:05,753 --> 00:34:08,187 doing is a deadly thing. 719 00:34:08,187 --> 00:34:10,905 Doing ends in death. 720 00:34:10,905 --> 00:34:17,613 Sit and consider what Christ did 721 00:34:17,613 --> 00:34:20,503 and where He is now. 722 00:34:20,503 --> 00:34:23,361 Be absolutely satisfied with that. 723 00:34:23,361 --> 00:34:25,937 Let your conscience be satisfied with it. 724 00:34:25,937 --> 00:34:29,527 Let your intellect be satisfied with it. 725 00:34:29,527 --> 00:34:31,675 Let your mind; 726 00:34:31,675 --> 00:34:34,269 let your past be satisfied 727 00:34:34,269 --> 00:34:37,532 with what Jesus Christ has done. 728 00:34:37,532 --> 00:34:39,995 If God is satisfied with it, 729 00:34:39,995 --> 00:34:45,010 then Texas sinners can be satisfied with it. 730 00:34:45,010 --> 00:34:49,331 Don't move a muscle. 731 00:34:49,331 --> 00:34:51,538 Settle on this. 732 00:34:51,538 --> 00:34:54,900 I the chief of sinners am, 733 00:34:54,900 --> 00:35:00,121 but Jesus died for me. 734 00:35:00,121 --> 00:35:04,478 And when God gives you a chance to speak, 735 00:35:04,478 --> 00:35:07,100 all you can say is, 736 00:35:07,100 --> 00:35:11,798 "I wish it wasn't me." 737 00:35:11,798 --> 00:35:15,576 And when He gives me a chance to speak, 738 00:35:15,576 --> 00:35:21,178 I will say, "Mercy. Mercy." 739 00:35:21,178 --> 00:35:25,439 Mercy, mercy... 740 00:35:25,439 --> 00:35:28,007 The world is full of religions. 741 00:35:28,007 --> 00:35:30,761 And all those religions say, "Do this." 742 00:35:30,761 --> 00:35:32,296 "Give your money." 743 00:35:32,296 --> 00:35:36,040 "Say these prayers five times a day." 744 00:35:36,040 --> 00:35:37,335 "Meditate." 745 00:35:37,335 --> 00:35:40,057 "Keep a month in which you don't eat 746 00:35:40,057 --> 00:35:41,650 during daylight hours." 747 00:35:41,650 --> 00:35:44,692 "Don't eat pork." 748 00:35:44,692 --> 00:35:46,855 "Do, do, do, do," they say. 749 00:35:46,855 --> 00:35:48,700 That's their message. 750 00:35:48,700 --> 00:35:51,291 "Do this." 751 00:35:51,291 --> 00:35:56,808 Christ says, "Sit." 752 00:35:56,808 --> 00:36:00,167 Look at what the Lord Jesus Christ, 753 00:36:00,167 --> 00:36:03,230 the Son of God has done. 754 00:36:03,230 --> 00:36:09,333 Be satisfied with that. 755 00:36:09,333 --> 00:36:11,415 That is salvation. 756 00:36:11,415 --> 00:36:13,795 That is Christianity. 757 00:36:13,795 --> 00:36:15,768 That is Life. 758 00:36:15,768 --> 00:36:17,632 That is grace. 759 00:36:17,632 --> 00:36:20,885 Look and live, my brother. 760 00:36:20,885 --> 00:36:23,173 Neither is there salvation in any other. 761 00:36:23,173 --> 00:36:24,962 There is no other name under heaven 762 00:36:24,962 --> 00:36:25,937 given amongst men 763 00:36:25,937 --> 00:36:28,010 whereby we must be saved. 764 00:36:28,010 --> 00:36:29,658 Look unto Me and be saved 765 00:36:29,658 --> 00:36:31,686 all the ends of the earth. 766 00:36:31,686 --> 00:36:34,494 For I am God and there is none else. 767 00:36:34,494 --> 00:36:36,090 Let the wicked forsake his way 768 00:36:36,090 --> 00:36:38,399 and the unrighteous man his thoughts. 769 00:36:38,399 --> 00:36:41,104 Let him look to Christ 770 00:36:41,104 --> 00:36:45,392 who will pardon all who look to Him. 771 00:36:45,392 --> 00:36:48,314 Don't move. 772 00:36:48,314 --> 00:36:53,430 Speak like the dying thief who said: 773 00:36:53,430 --> 00:36:55,746 Just don't forget me 774 00:36:55,746 --> 00:36:58,112 when You're dealing with the Milky Way 775 00:36:58,112 --> 00:37:01,826 and outer space. 776 00:37:01,826 --> 00:37:06,212 Just remember me. 777 00:37:06,212 --> 00:37:08,993 And He will abundantly pardon. 778 00:37:08,993 --> 00:37:13,482 For He has by Himself purged our sins. 779 00:37:13,482 --> 00:37:15,145 And He is seated at the right hand 780 00:37:15,145 --> 00:37:17,526 of the Majesty on high. 781 00:37:17,526 --> 00:37:20,086 There He ever lives to make intercession for us 782 00:37:20,086 --> 00:37:22,081 and so He can save to the uttermost 783 00:37:22,081 --> 00:37:25,295 those who come to God by Him. 784 00:37:25,295 --> 00:37:28,463 By looking at Him. 785 00:37:28,463 --> 00:37:30,450 And then when that is clear, 786 00:37:30,450 --> 00:37:32,390 be steadfast and unmovable 787 00:37:32,390 --> 00:37:35,638 and always abounding in the work of the Lord. 788 00:37:35,638 --> 00:37:38,331 It's not in vain, your work in the Lord. 789 00:37:38,331 --> 00:37:44,011 But first, you sit 790 00:37:44,011 --> 00:37:47,416 and survey the wondrous cross 791 00:37:47,416 --> 00:37:52,462 on which the Prince of Glory died. 792 00:37:52,462 --> 00:37:55,164 Let's pray. 793 00:37:55,164 --> 00:37:57,452 Lord our God, we beseech You, 794 00:37:57,452 --> 00:37:59,931 help sinners to look now. 795 00:37:59,931 --> 00:38:03,674 If there's a veil in front of their eyes still, 796 00:38:03,674 --> 00:38:05,524 take it away. 797 00:38:05,524 --> 00:38:08,272 If there's glaucoma spiritually; 798 00:38:08,272 --> 00:38:09,752 if they can't see, 799 00:38:09,752 --> 00:38:12,184 Oh Lord, show them 800 00:38:12,184 --> 00:38:15,044 Jesus Christ the Son of God. 801 00:38:15,044 --> 00:38:17,777 Help them, Lord. Draw them. 802 00:38:17,777 --> 00:38:20,099 Draw them irresistibly. 803 00:38:20,099 --> 00:38:22,811 Help them to face up to their sin and guilt 804 00:38:22,811 --> 00:38:26,760 and the way it's stained them and marred them. 805 00:38:26,760 --> 00:38:28,825 Oh, may they then look; 806 00:38:28,825 --> 00:38:31,343 may they look to Jesus Christ. 807 00:38:31,343 --> 00:38:34,704 May they set their eyes on Him 808 00:38:34,704 --> 00:38:37,207 and look at Him 809 00:38:37,207 --> 00:38:39,898 and be saved, God. 810 00:38:39,898 --> 00:38:44,104 Oh, in Your mercy and in Your love 811 00:38:44,104 --> 00:38:46,996 for San Antonio sinners 812 00:38:46,996 --> 00:38:51,057 who repent and look to Jesus. 813 00:38:51,057 --> 00:38:54,618 Give them the inner witness of the Holy Spirit 814 00:38:54,618 --> 00:38:59,447 that they ever be satisfied 815 00:38:59,447 --> 00:39:01,586 that they have a Savior 816 00:39:01,586 --> 00:39:02,945 who is seated in glory; 817 00:39:02,945 --> 00:39:07,003 who has gone to prepare a place for them 818 00:39:07,003 --> 00:39:11,166 and who will take them to Himself 819 00:39:11,166 --> 00:39:13,276 that where He is, there they will be 820 00:39:13,276 --> 00:39:14,999 forever and ever. 821 00:39:14,999 --> 00:39:17,742 Oh, happy home awaiting us. 822 00:39:17,742 --> 00:39:19,631 Oh, blessed place. 823 00:39:19,631 --> 00:39:25,114 Enable us in these last years of our lives 824 00:39:25,114 --> 00:39:31,165 to live ever, only, all for Thee, 825 00:39:31,165 --> 00:39:32,628 our God and Savior, 826 00:39:32,628 --> 00:39:35,684 we ask it in Jesus' name, Amen.