The Lord Jesus Christ Saviour of the World by Jack Van Imp
Today, I want to speak to you about my wonderful Savior, the Lord
Jesus Christ. The Holy Bible gives Him manifold titles and names, but
the one that means so much to all of us as poor hopeless sinners, is
Savior, because it immediately instills hope within our hearts
concerning salvation. His very name -- Jesus, means, "salvation."
Matthew 1:21 states," . . . thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall
save his people from their sins." Multitudes today are trusting in man-
made rituals to get them inside of God's heaven. I very dogmatically
and emphatically want to state at the outset of this message that there
isn't a ceremonial rite in all of Christendom's churches that can save a
man. Jesus Christ alone is the only way to get eternal life.
THE SAVIOR
1. First of all, let's see how often he is called the Savior. Mary, the
mother of Jesus, in that tremendous portion of Scripture often
described as the "Magnificant," cries out, "My soul doth magnify the
Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior," Luke 1:46-47. In
Luke 2 the angel of the Lord appears unto the shepherds and states in
verses 10 and 11, "Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which
shall be to all people; for unto you is born this day in the city of David
a Savior which is Christ the Lord." Also in Luke 2, Simeon, who had
been waiting for the consolation or hope of Israel, has the Holy Ghost
come upon him, and jubilantly shouts in verses 29 and 30, "Lord, now
lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For
mine eyes have seen thy salvation." And he's looking upon Jesus as he
cries out these words. In John 4, a wicked woman, who has had 5
husbands and living common law with number 6, turns to Jesus Christ
for forgiveness. The woman excitedly runs back to the city and tells
the people about her new-found joy in this Christ, who has blotted out
her sordid past. When the men of the city hear the Lord's discourses
for 2 days, they exuberantly cry out in verse 42, "Now we believe, not
because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know
that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world." In Acts 5,
Peter and some of the apostles are threatened with punishment, even
unto death (verse 33). However the great apostle Peter so loved this
Jesus and believed so strongly in the fact that he was the only way of
salvation and eternal life, that he was willing to die in order that this
message might be proclaimed. I can almost hear this impulsive
preacher saying, "We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of
our Fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him
hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Savior,"
verses 29-31. Acts 13:23 calls him a Savior, Jesus. Ephesians 5:23,
"Christ is the head of the church: and he is the Savior of the body."
Compare this with I Corinthians 12:13, "For by one Spirit are we all
baptized into one body." This is the church, the body of Christ, into
which we are implanted at the time of regeneration. And Ephesians
5:23 states that Christ is the Savior of this body. Notice--it is not
baptism, reformation, confirmation, works, creeds, and human efforts
that place one into the true church, but it's the Lord Jesus Christ who
is the Savior of this body. Amen! The apostle Paul tells us that one of
the reasons he was willing to go thru suffering, torture, and even
death, was because of his trust in the Savior. Death could only mean
that the one who saved him would welcome him home into heaven.
Hear him in I Timothy 4:10, "For therefore we both labor and suffer
reproach, because we trust in the Living God, who is the Savior of all
men, especially of those that believe." In II Timothy 1:9-10 Paul goes
on to say that it was not a system of self-attainment thru works that
would place him eternally in the glory land but a precious Savior
whose name was Jesus Christ. Listen to the simplicity of these
instructive verses. "Who hath saved us and called us with an holy
calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose
and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
but is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ,
who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to
light thru the gospel" (or thru the good news). Again, he hath
abolished death. Wonderful, isn't it? "And he hath brought life and
immortality to light thru the gospel." Immortality speaks about living
eternally, and it all comes thru the gospel, or the good news. Did you
get the impact? Eternal life was thru the gospel, and gospel means
good news, and that gospel or good news is explained in I Corinthians
15:1-4, "Christ died, was buried, and he rose again the third day,
according to the Scriptures." Put it all together and it simply says that
everlasting life does not come thru your denominational record of
being a good worker, but thru acceptance of the Savior's death by the
shedding of blood and resurrection. Titus 2:13 speaks about the return
of the Lord and says, "looking for that blessed hope and the glorious
appearing of the great God and Savior, Jesus Christ." Notice--it is not
Buddha, Mohammed or Zoroaster who is the Savior, but the Lord Jesus
Christ. There's no other Savior-- Jesus is the only way. II Peter 1:1
again calls him "Our Savior, Jesus Christ."
SAVIOR'S MINISTRY
Now, a Savior is not some honorary title bestowed upon the Lord Jesus
Christ at heaven's commencement exercises in recognition of his
wonderful teachings, but rather depicts his ministry upon earth. So,
secondly we consider the Savior's saving power. We're living in a time
of rebellion. Corrupted mankind is trying to destroy all of our
foundational structures. This can also be witnessed in the religious
world, as apostate liberal clergymen try to mock the doctrines of the
virgin birth, the deity of Christ, his blood atonement upon the cross,
and his bodily resurrection.
"JESUS SAVES"
Many laugh at the old-fashioned terminology, "Jesus Saves." Many
deliberately mock the word, "saved," as an invention of some
simpleton. Our God predicted this would happen, and it's one of
the signs of the end. II Peter 2:1-2, "But there were false prophets
also among the people, even as there shall be (one of the signs) false
teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies,
even denying the Lord that bought them. And bring upon themselves
swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways by
reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of." There are
two things we can do for these poor misguided souls: 1) pray for them,
2) thank God that they're around because it means that Jesus Christ is
coming soon to call us home. Let them laugh. The term "saved," was
placed in the Bible scores of times by a Holy God. One better
investigate and accept this truth if one is interested in eternal life.
TERMINOLOGY
2. Now let's study the terminology. I could quote verses for a solid hour
that salvation is of God and that God put it in the Bible and I'll take a
limited number that speak exclusively about Christ being the way of
salvation. "Thou shalt call his name Jesus for he shall save his people
from their sins," Matthew 1:23. "The Son of man has come to save that
which was lost," Matthew 18:11. "God sent not his son into the world to
condemn the world; but that the world thru him (Jesus) might be
saved," John 3:17. Jesus said, "I am the door: by me if any man enter in,
he shall be saved," John 10:9. "I came not to judge the world, but to
save the world," John 12:47. Paul says, "Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ, and thou shalt be saved," Acts 16:31. "I am not ashamed of the
gospel of Christ (or the good news
of Christ) . . ." Not rites, ceremonies, rituals, the Sermon on the Mount,
the Golden Rule, the Ten Commandments, but the gospel, the good news
of Christ. ". . . for this good news of Christ is the power of God unto
salvation to every one that believeth," Romans 1:16. "We shall be saved
from wrath, through Him," Romans 5:9. "That if thou shalt confess with
thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God has
raised him from the dead. thou shalt be saved," Romans 10:9. In I
Corinthians 15:1, we find, "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the
gospel (the good news), which I preached unto you, which also you
have received, and wherein you stand; By which also you are saved."
How? Verse 3."Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; And
that he was buried, and he rose again the third day according to the
Scriptures." This alone is the message of the gospel, the good news, the
only way of salvation. Christ died, shed his blood, and rose again.
THE BLOOD
This power to save all the world is because of his precious, shed
blood at Calvary. Leviticus 17:11, "It is the blood that makes an
atonement for the soul." Acts 20:28, "He bought the Church with his
own blood." Ephesians 1:7, "In whom we have redemption thru his
blood." I Peter 1:19, "Redeemed with the precious blood of Jesus."
Revelation 1:5, "Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in
his own blood." So you see, without shedding of blood there is no
remission of sins (Hebrews 9:22). It's not enough to state that Christ
died, as so many intellectuals do today in order to do away with the
sacriflce of his blood. Literature and sermons often leave out the blood;
but a bloodless death on the cross could not save anyone. Let me repeat
that. A bloodless death on the cross could not save anyone. Had Christ
died of a heart attack or of suffocation upon that cross, you would have
been lost forever, for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.
Because of it, he came to earth to take upon himself a body with blood
so that he might shed that blood for your sins (Hebrews 10:5). If you
receive this sacrifice of the shed blood of Jesus Christ now you can be
saved immediately.
SINNER NEEDS SAVIOR
3. Finally, if Christ is a Savior and has saving power, we conclude that
he came because sinners needed saving. This is what it's all about.
Christ, a Savior, came to save sinners. That's what Paul says--"This is a
faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came
into the world to save sinners," I Timothy 1:15. Not only does this
include everyone you know, but embraces you, as well. Christ would
have all men to be saved, including you (I Timothy 2:4). "He gave
himself a ransom for all," including you, I Timothy 2:6. The only
reason some of you will never get saved is because you think you've
never been lost. You think you were born into sainthood. You're like
the Pharisee in the temple who said, "I am not as other men are,"
Luke 18:11. However, Jesus said in Matthew 5:20, "Except your
righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and
Pharisees, you shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of heaven."
Why? The Pharisees were so caught up in admiration of their own
goodness that they needed nothing from God, nothing at all. Some of
you are like that and God says to you in Isaiah 64:6, "We are all as an
unclean thing and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags." Galatians
3:22, "The Scripture hath concluded all under sin." God not only wants
to save you from the misery of your sin now, but from the eternal
penalty into which your sin will drag you. John 3:36, "He that
believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth
(that's eternally) on him." Why? Because you won't receive the Son.
Oh, my friend, the Savior longs to save you if you will only listen.
You need saving because all are sinners, and thru his blood you can be
washed white. Some of you are white-washed, because you've had all
the rituals of the Church performed upon you, but you need to get
washed white. Call on him. "Lord Jesus. come into my heart."
******
In the last study I wrote about our wonderful Lord Jesus Christ
being the Savior of the world. And now I want to continue the series
by showing you the sacrifice he made in order that he might be our
Savior.
HEAVENLY HOME
1. First of all, he sacrificed the pleasures of his heavenly home. Heaven
is a place where joy, happiness and pleasure abound. The Psalmist,
speaking to his God in chapter 16:11 says, "In thy presence is fullness of
joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." In heaven
there is no fear of being mugged, robbed or raped because there tha
wicked cease from troubling, making trouble. And there the weary be at
rest (Job 3:17). Christ the Savior came from that heaven to give his life
and blood to save sinners. He said, ~I came down from heaven," John
6:38. Again, "I am the living bread which came down from heaven," John
6:51. The Apostle Paul beautifully tells the story in Philippians 2:5-8,
"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus; Who, being in
the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made
himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and
was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man,
he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even
the death of the cross." Say, this Jesus so loved you that he left the
palatial mansions of his home above to become a poverty-stricken
pauper, if I may use that terminology reverently, because of his love for
you and your never-dying soul.
NO HOME
He owned nothing while he was upon this earth. He had no home and
few possessions. In Matthew 8, a scribe flippantly tells the Lord that he
wants to follow him. Immediately Christ tells him the cost involved.
Verse 20, "Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes (a place into which
they crawl at night for sleep) and the birds of the air have nests; but the
Son of Man (Jesus), hath not where to lay his head." No home, not even
his own bed. Oh, our Lord had so little as he walked up and down on this
old globe we call planet earth.
HIS LOVE
But the thing I want to impress upon you is the fact that his love
chose this lifestyle because he wanted to sacrifice his all to save you.
The Word of God tells us what he left, and why he came; because of his
desire to give every human being eternal life. In II Corinthians 8:9 we
find, "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, tho he was
rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that you through his poverty
might be rich." He was rich; that's his pre-existence in heaven. But he
became poor; that's his coming to earth. That you, dear friend, might
become rich. The way you can become rich is to partake of the eternal
life he provided as he shed his blood on Calvary's cross. When you have
life, abundant life, eternal life, you have the wealth of all of the
international bankers combined. They'll die after 70 years, and leave it
behind. But your wealth will abide forever. Oh, get ahold of this eternal
life by receiving Jesus Christ, for the Bible says in John 3:36, "He that
believeth on the Son hath everlasting life." And Jesus said in John 6:47,
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting
life."
HONOR
2. Secondly, as we continue this study, we find that Christ sacrificed
his honor. I do not mean by this statement that he did wrong,
"Because he did no sin," I Peter 2:22. "He knew no sin," II Corinthians
5:21. "And he is holy, harmless, undefiled and separate from sinners,"
Hebrews 7:26. Instead, my thought is that the world dishonored him.
Psalm 22 is Messianic, meaning that it is all about the Lord Jesus
Christ in prophetical form, and we hear Jesus saying the following
beginning with verse 6. "I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men,
and despised of the people. All they that see me laugh me to scorn:
they shake the head." Verse 11, "There is none to help. Many have
compassed me, bulls of Bashan have beset me round. They gaped
upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion. I am
poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is
like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried
up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast
brought me into the dust of death. I may tell all my bones: they look
and stare upon me." Oh, when I consider these verses my soul cries
out, "Lord Jesus, I love you. If ever I loved you, my Savior, it's now."
Was Christ ridiculed and hated? Did his predictions materialize? You
be the judge. A religious sinner said, 'This fellow doth not cast out
devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of devils," Matthew 12:24. "He has
an unclean spirit," Mark 3:30. "We be not born of fornication," (sexual
impurity), as you were, Jesus, John 8:41. Imagine, how they even
mocked the precious virgin birth like so many apostate preachers do
today. If you have, you ought to repent and turn to Christ and get real
Christianity. The Pharisees said, "This man is not of God, because he
keepeth not the sabbath day," John 9:16. The Pharisees again said to
the blind man who was healed by Jesus, "Give God the praise--we
know that this man, (Jesus) is a sinner." Imagine. They called Jesus a
sinner. And the blind man replies, "Whether he be a sinner or no, I
know not: one thing I know that, whereas I was blind, now I see,"
John 9:24-25. Oh, friend, so many folks have been blind as to who
Jesus really is, the Savior of the world, the only Savior. You can have
your eyes opened today if you only give him a chance, and receive
him. "Many of them said "He hath a devil, and is mad," demented and
out of his mind, John 10:20. "For a good work we stone thee not; but
for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself
God," John 10:33. Just think of the things they called him--The Prince
of the Devils, an unclean spirit, born of sexual impurity, one who kept
not the Sabbath, one who was a sinner, one who had a devil, who was
mad and demented, one who was a blasphemer. Jesus, God in the
flesh. Oh, when he came to die for you, certainly he sacrificed his
honor. Why did Jesus Christ, the Lord of Glory, allow all of this?
Philippians 2:6-8 again tells the story. "Who, being in the form of God
(that's before he came to earth) . . . made himself of no reputation."
How? By "taking upon him the form of a servant and was made in the
likeness of men." Why? Verse 8, "So that he might humble himself and
become obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." The
sacrifice of home and honor was because he wanted you saved for
time and eternity.
HIS BLOOD
3. But thirdly and most importantly, he sacrificed his life by the
shedding of his blood. I've touched upon this in other studies, but it
needs continual emphasis in this day and age when the bloodshed of
Christ upon a cross is looked upon as something incidental or accidental
or insignificant. It must be reiterated thousands of times when
unbelieving clergymen scoff at the message of his precious blood, calling
it a slaughterhouse religion. Oh, you preachers who are so blind as to
preach a system of man-made works to get sinners to heaven. And you
laymen who are making cookies for the bake sale and selling old socks
at the church rummage bazaar in order to work your way to heaven
need to know that the old book, God's Word, contains 700 verses
pointing to the shed blood as God's offering; and the only, I said only,
plan of salvation. Titus 3:5, "Not by works of righteousness which we
have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of
regeneration." That washing is thru his blood because Revelation 1:5
declares, "Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his
own blood." This sacrifice to save you brought great agony and
suffering to the body and soul of Jesus Christ our Lord. Just before they
crucified him, he said, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto
death," Matthew 26:38. In Hebrews 12:2 we find, "Looking unto Jesus
the author and finisher of our faith." I like that. He is the author and
finisher, or, the beginner and ender of our faith. Not works, creeds,
ceremonies, prayers, or a code of ethics, but Christ. The text goes on to
say, "This Christ, for or because of the joy that was set before him,
endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right
hand of the throne of God." In modern English it states, "Because he
could see what his shed blood on the cross was going to accomplish,
(your presence with him for all of eternity), he was willing to endure
being nailed to the tree and the suffering.
Again, Christ also suffered for us (I Peter 2:21), "the just for the unjust--
(the just, (Jesus), suffering for you and me, (the unjust), that he might
bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened (or being
made alive), by the spirit (I Peter 3:18). Look at that suffering Savior. I
have a full-length sermon recorded containing every detail of Christ's
agony and ignominious death. Write for it if you're interested. I will
simply, at this point, show you what Christ endured because of his love
for you. You say, "For me?" Yes, for you. Listen to the prophet, Isaiah, in
chapter 53:4-6, "Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our
sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our
iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his
stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have
turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him (Jesus),
the iniquity of us all." That's why he said, "It was for you." Look with me
at Calvary for a moment. This wounding and bruising took place so that
his blood might flow freely for the remission of your sin. Can you in
your mind's eye picture Jesus on that cross? Close your eyes now and
get a vision of this. There he is. A crown of thorns on his head and the
blood flowing down his cheeks into his beard. His face lacerated from
hitting it with sticks and fists, and the blood flowing from those wounds,
his beard ripped out of his face because Isaiah 50:6 says, "I gave my
cheeks to them that plucked off the hair." Do you see him? Can you
visualize it? Do you see where his chest, arms, and back are torn wide
open because of the Roman scourge? Do you see the nails in his hands
and feet? "He was wounded for our transgressions; he was bruised for
our iniquities." His body was bruised horribly, terribly, almost beyond
recognition. That's why Isaiah says in that 53rd chapter "He hath no
form or shape or comeliness." This was for you.
There is no other way to get saved but thru this shed blood. Acts 20:28
mentions "the Church of God which he purchased with his own blood."
You see friend, the true Church has been purchased by Christ's blood
and your church is swindling you when it offers a stone of self-righteous
human attainment. It's the dry vegetable offering or religion of Cain, the
murderer (Genesis 4). Ephesians 1:7, "In whom we have redemption
through his blood." I Peter 1:19, "Redeemed with the precious blood of
Jesus." I John 1:7, "The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanseth us from
all sin." It's the sacrifice of Christ's blood that saves you. Had he died
upon the cross of strangulation or heart failure, you could not have been
saved, because, "without shedding of blood there is no remission of sin"
(Hebrews 9:22).
You dear people who are sincerely seeking the truth, quit listening to
pompous platitudes from your pulpits that mislead you on earth and
will make you miss being in the presence of God for eternity. If you
have been deceived into thinking that the shed blood for salvation is
passe in the Twentieth Century because some lost clergyman said it
was not relevant, then hear Christ in these closing moments. The scene
is the Last Supper, and Jesus illustrates thru bread and juice his
coming sacrifice upon a cross. Matthew 26:26, "And as they were
eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to
the disciples, and said, Take, eat, this is my body. And he took the cup
and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this
is my blood of the new testament which is shed for many for the
remission of sins." You can't mistake it. It is the blood that is shed for
the remission of sin. If you reject this truth because some ordained
wolf in sheep's clothing told you that it was passe for up-to-date
people to believe this, I can only have sorrow for your condition.
Why? Because you have listened to man rather than Jesus Christ, my
Savior. Hear him. Believe him. His shed blood is the only way of
salvation.
SUBSTITUTE
In our present study we have dealt with the Lord Jesus Christ as
the Savior of the world and the giver of his own life by the shedding
of blood to be that Savior. Now we want to picture our wonderful Lord
as the substitute for helpless, hopeless sinners. All of us are familiar
with the terminology, substitute. During school days when a teacher
became ill and another filled the instructor's position, the replacement
was called a substitute teacher. One who took the place of another. In
theological studies we come across a doctrine entitled, "The Vicarious,"
or substitutionary work of Christ. Now we want to see how the Son of
God in his enormous love for sinners took our place, or became our
substitute.
1. First of all, he took upon himself the sinners' sin. Oh what love, that a
Holy God should leave the heavens for earth's misery, in order that he
might, in a body of flesh, take upon himself our sin. Yes, I said God. God
was manifest in the flesh (I Timothy 3:16). In Hebrews 1:8, the Father
is speaking to his son, and Jehovah says, "Thy throne, O God, is for ever
and ever." He was in the form of God and came to earth to be made in
the likeness of men (Philippians 2:6-7), in order that he might take the
place of the sinner or become the sinner's substitute. As the God-man,
he never experienced or tasted the dregs of sin. He was the holy one
(Isaiah is overwhelmed with the holiness of God, and says in chapter
6:3), "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of His
glory." Three times he utters the phrase, once for each member of the
Trinity. He continues in verse 5 with, "Woe is me! for I am undone;
because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a
people of unclean lips." What makes the prophet feel so lowly? He has
witnessed the holiness of God. The remainder of the verse tells the
story: "Mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts." I believe the
one Isaiah saw was Jesus Christ, because he is the one who bears the
title of King of Kings. In Revelation 19:11 the Lord Jesus Christ returns
to earth and the text states, "I saw heaven opened, and behold a white
horse; and he that sat upon it was called Faithful and True." Verse 13,
"He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood." That speaks about his
redemptive work as Savior--through sacrifice by the shedding of his
blood. His name is called the Word of God and this ties in with his pre-
existence. (John 1:1). And when we reach verse 16 we are presented
with his glorious title, "He had on his vesture and upon his thigh a
name written, 'King of Kings and Lord of Lords'." Oh, dear friend, Jesus
was, is, and always will be, the Holy One. While upon earth he did no
sin (I Peter 2:22). "He knew no sin," II Corinthians 5:21, and could
victoriously challenge the crowds with the words, "Which of you
convinceth me of sin?" John 8:46.
The victorious truth that I'm about to present is that this all-
together, holy, spotless Christ was willing to take mankind's filthy, vile,
loathsome and abominable sin upon his being at Calvary. The prophet
Isaiah who felt so humbled as he saw the King in his beauty and
holiness also sees him bearing the degraded, depraved wickedness of
all of earth's race, and in Chapter 53:6, He says, "All we like sheep have
gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord
hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." Jehovah hath laid on Christ the
iniquity of us all. That agrees with II Corinthians 5:21, "For he
(Jehovah), hath made him (Christ), to be sin for us, who knew no sin;
that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." This is the
good news--Christ died for our sins and was buried and rose again the
third day (I Corinthians 15:3,4). "Who his own self bore our sins in his
own body on the tree," I Peter 2:24. "Unto him that loved us and
washed us from our sins in his own blood," Revelation 1:5.
Can you imagine this holy one bearing all of the filth of the world at
Calvary? This is what so deeply disturbed the Lord Jesus Christ in
Gethsemane. He knew he had come to shed his blood for sinners for he
planned it with the Father and the Holy Spirit, before.the world was
created. "Who verily was forordained before the foundation of the world,"
I Peter 1:20. "Jesus Christ is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the
world," Revelation 13:8. The crucifixion was not taking him by surprise,
for he helped plan it. However, his reason for crying out "My soul is
exceedingIy sorrowful, even unto death," and "oh, my Father, if it be
possible, let this cup pass from me," Matthew 26:38-39, was his dreadful
hatred of sin--my sin, your sin. The iniquity of all sinners heaped upon
him causing his Father to turn his face away from him, and forsake him,
for the hours that he was hanging upon that tree bearing our wickedness.
He knew that soon Matthew 27:46, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani," or "My
God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" would become a reality. The
thought of the weight of all this sin upon the holy one, who had never
sinned, was undeniably heavy. Nevertheless, he took our place and
became our substitute. He bore the grief and sorrow as he filled our
shoes. And Isaiah 53:4 says, "Surely he hath borne our grief and carried
our sorrows." Would you consider the extent of his grief by meditating
upon John 19:34, when one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side
and, "there came forth blood and water." Medical men at one time
thought this to be an impossibility because one does not have enough
water in that particular area. Through advanced science and technology
in the medical field, today's doctors inform us that water may freely run
from that area if an incision is made when one dies in grief. The sacrifice
of Christ to save us was through the shedding of his blood revealed his
broken, tormented heart through the flowing of the water from his side.
To bear every sinner's sin is an experience that none of us shall ever
taste because he, the holy one, has already endured it for us. However,
many of you reading this, know the torment of mind you are presently
experiencing because of some hidden secret sin you are harboring. Well,
multiply this billions of times or trillions of times, and you'll begin to
comprehend what Jesus bore at Golgotha. I Corinthians 6:9-11 gives us a
listing of just a few of the sins that Christ bore as he took our place:
"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?
Be not deceived: neither fornicators (the sex sin between the unmarried)
nor idoloters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves
with mankind, (homosexuals), nor thieves, nor coveteous, nor drunkards,
nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God." But the
next verse says, "Such were some of you: But you are washed." Christ can,
through his blood, do away with any sin if a man will call on him. Read
Romans 1:28-32; Galatians 5:19-21; and you'll see he also bore
wickedness, maliciousness, envy, murder, deceit, backbiting, hatred for
God, pride, disrespect for parents, uncleanness, or dirty double-minded
jokes, lasciviousness, idolotry, witchcraft, (which comes from the Greek
word, "pharmakeia," or drug-use;) hatred for others; strife and fighting,
heresies; yes, he even died to save false heretical teachers who deny the
virgin birth, the deity of Christ, the blood atonement, and the bodily
resurrection. Yea, even the sin of heresy, which some of you preachers
are practicing, was laid upon Jesus so that you might be forgiven if you
repent. This listing gives us a partial idea of what Jesus bore in order to
save us.
Now may I tell you that his precious blood is so powerful and
effacacious 1900 years after it was shed, that all these sins and many I
didn't even mention that you may be practlcing, may be blotted out if
you'll come to this Christ for "the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son,
cleanseth us from all sin," I John 1:7. This substitutionary sacrifice is best
summed up in II Corinthians 5:21, "Oh, what a Savior what a sacrifice.
Hear it--"He became sin that you might become righteous."
DEATH
2. Secondly. he took our death. The Bible says, 'The soul that sinneth, it
shall die," Ezekiel 18:4. "The wages of sin is death," Romans 6:23. "Sin
when it is finished bringeth forth death," James 1:15. This is not only
the first death, the grave, but the second death, which is the lake of fire
(Revelation 20:15). There is no doubt about physical death being dealt
with at the cross. He died, that we might live. Jesus said, ~Whosoever
liveth and believeth in me shall never die." What we call death today,
is only a transferance into a richer, greater experience. Philippians 1:21
states that to die is gain. Why? Absent from the body. That's what
death is; a departure from the body. So, "absent from the body, present
with the Lord," II Corinthians 5:8. But what about the second death, the
lake of fire? Did Jesus bear our eternal punishment upon that cruel
tree? Isaiah 53:10, "Thou, Jehovah, shall make his soul an offering for
sin." It was not only his flesh that was offered, but his soul as well. This
means that he bore every pang and pain our eternal judgment would
have brought to us, in his agony during those excruciating hours at
Calvary. Matthew 27:34, "They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with
gall." Notice, this is before they nailed him to the tree. Gall was a pain-
killer. When he tasted thereof, he would not drink. Christ said, "No, no,
I've come to bear the sentence of death for the sinner, physically and
spiritually, and I will bear every pang. Away with your narcotic pain-
killer." The water flowing from his side indicates the tremendous grief
he experienced as his soul was made an offering for sin as well as his
body. He had all the fires of eternal hell surrounding him upon that
cross. No wonder he said, "My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken
me?" Jehovah will have nothing to do with a place that is filled with
sin, such as hell eventually becomes (Revelation 20:15). When all the
sins that will populate hell were laid upon Jesus Christ, the Father
would not look at His son until the sacrifice was completed. Praise God-
-when our substitute finished his sacrifice, the Father approved and
looked upon him once again. That's the meaning of the resurrection
(Romans 4:25).
May I suggest that you take all of the accounts of the Crucifixion
story and read and reread them, and you'll see that he took our first
and second death, the grave and the lake of fire upon him when he
died. Read Psalm 22, Isaiah 53, Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, and
John 19, because he took your place, bearing your sin and taking your
penalty so that you might be free to be a partaker of all these
blessings, simply by receiving what Christ did for you. John 1:12, "As
many received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God."
When you receive him, your judgment day will be past. John 5:24, "We
are passed from judgment, from condemnation unto life." Romans 8:1,
'There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ
Jesus." Why? He went through it for you. If you get saved, Hebrews
8:12 says, "Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more."
Potentially, it is all taken care of, through the Cross. Experientially you
must receive what has been provided. Think of it. No sin, no judgment,
and no hell. No sin, because his blood can cleanse you from every stain
and taint of the past. No judgment, because his blood does such a
thorough job of cleansing sinners that there's nothing left to judge. No
hell, because one whose sins have been washed away and whose sins
can't be found in God's book can't be punished. The past has been
liquidated, obliterated, and forgotten. Praise the Lord. This can be your
blessed experience today if you'll let Jesus Christ come into your life.
But if you reject him, your sins will take you into the grave and into
the second death, the lake of fire, to be separated from the presence of
God forever and forever and forever. Oh, be ready to meet Jesus Christ
when the call to leave this world comes. Receive him right now.
In past the few lessons we considered scores of scripture texts that
dealt with the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior, who shed His precious blood
as a sacrifice for sinners. We saw how he literally took our place,
substituting his life for ours --paying the penalty of death for us. Now I
want to tie it all together in the message entitled: "Salvation is of the
Lord." (Jonah 2:9)
ONLY JESUS
Salvation is not found in man-made ceremonies nor is it obtained thru
ordinances or religious sacraments. Instead, it is only thru Jesus Christ
our Lord. Multitudes believe that the pursuance of good works or the
following of a prescribed code of ethics automatically earns for them the
guarantee of eternal life. Others talk about the benefits of the "golden
rule," "The Sermon on the Mount," or the observance of the Decalogue--
God's Ten Commandments, as the way to prepare one's soul for heaven.
Tho many of these ideals should flow out of a believer's life, it is because
they are believers and not that they might become saved, that they are
performed. Ephesians 2:10 states, "For we are His workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus unto good works" or in simpler terminology, we do the
works because Christ who lives within us is doing the work in us. So we
see that it is because one is saved that he works and not in order to
become saved. My objection to all of these high ideals is when mankind
puts the cart before the horse and tries to reverse the gears of God's
program. It is when humans try to do that which only the divine God
can do. Man plays no part in obtaining salvation, it is all of God. That's
why Titus 3:5 declares: "Not by works of righteousness which we have
done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of
regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost."
NO OTHER WAY
Let me be as dogmatic as I have ever been and state that there is no
other way of salvation our Holy God has given to this world except the
merits of the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Acts 4:12, "Neither is
there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under
heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Notice that last
phrase again. There is no other name under heaven given among men
whereby you MUST BE SAVED. Christ is the only Savior. Buddha,
Mohammed, Confuscius, Zoroaster, Dr. Moon, Mahara Ji, and multitudes
of others are unable to save because the Holy Word of God explicitly
says that there is no other name or God who can save. Now there are
some of you who are immediately and antagonistically crying out
within yourselves: "He is quoting some isolated text from scripture. The
Bible is not that narrow in its limitations concerning salvation. Were he
using all of the scriptures his conclusion would be different." Well, let
me tell you something shocking. I just read the entire New Testament
thru in a 4 day period--marking every verse indicating that salvation
is in Christ alone--not in creeds, works, ethics, rites or ceremonies, but
Christ. There were approximately 400 portions of God's word
presenting this clear-cut truth. Now if God said it once, that would
satisfy my searching mind, but when He declares it nearly 400 times
we had better believe it. In fact, the entire listing is found in this
booklet. This will bless the heart of every believer in the Lord Jesus
Christ as he takes time to study all of these passages.
Let's examine a few of the scriptural texts today concerning the
salvation that only Christ can give to needy hearts .
JESUS' WORD
1. First, the Savior's statements. In order to bombard you with the
truth, my comments on the verses will be limited. This way I can get
approximately 75 portions of God's word into this message. God will
speak thru His word, and I will only be His mouthpiece.
Matthew 16:18, "Upon this rock I will build my church."
Matthew 26:28, "This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed
for many for the remission of sins."
Mark 8:38, "Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my
words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son
of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of His Father with the
holy angels."
In John 5:24 Christ states that the Son of man hath power on earth to
forgive sins.
Luke 19:10, "The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which is
lost."
To the thief on the cross the Savior says: "Today shalt thou be with me
in Paradise," Luke 23:43. Only God could make such a claim.
In John 4:14, our Lord says to the woman at the well "Whosoever
drinketh of this water shall thirst again But whosoever drinketh of the
water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall
give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting
life."
In John 5:40, Christ says, "You will not come to me that you might have
life."
John 6:37, "Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out."
John 8:12, "I am the light of the world; he that followeth me shall not
walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."
John 8:24, "You die in your sins if you believe not on me. "
John 10:9, "I am the door, by me if any man enter in, he shall be
saved."
John 10:28, "I give unto them eternal life."
John 11:25, "I am the resurrection and the life." Verse 26, "Whosoever
liveth and believeth in me shall never die."
John 12:32, "If I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto
me. This he spake, signifying what death he should die."
After hearing the statements of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, one
would do well to obey God the Father who said in Luke 9:35, "This is
my beloved Son. Hear Him."
Jesus also said in Luke 10:23, "He that is not with me is against me."
Don't say, "Oh, I admire Christ but I believe there are other ways."
You are either for Him or against Him. You either accept what He
has just stated about himself, thru 35 pronouns and references, or
reject it. Neutral you cannot be.
HOLY SPIRIT'S WORD
2. Secondly, let's consider the Spirit's statements. The blessed
Holy Spirit moved upon various writers according to II Peter 1:20 &
21, so we will actually be hearing from Him as we investigate the
verses He inspired men to write.
I am using the portion of the verse that backs the truth being
presented that salvation is found only in Christ. By doing this we
can deal with scores of passages. Please investigate thoroughly the
following, as nothing has been taken out of context.
Romans 1:16, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the
power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth." Notice
it is the "good news" concerning Christ that is the power of God
unto salvation to all who believe. It is not to all who are
sprinkled as babies or immersed as adults. It is not
confirmation, reformation. It is not works or following a system
of ethics such as the Sermon on the Mount, the Golden Rule, or
the Ten Commandments, but the "good news" about Christ that is
the power of God unto salvation to all who--watch that word--
believe, believe.
Romans 5:1, "We have peace with God thru our Lord Jesus Christ."
Romans 5:8, "Christ died for us."
Romans 5:9, "We shall be saved from wrath through Him. "
Romans 6:23, "The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ,
our Lord.
Romans 8:1, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them
which are in Christ Jesus." Think of it--no judgment or hell if one is
in Christ Jesus.
Romans 10:13, "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord
shall be saved."
Romans 13:14, "Put on the Lord Jesus Christ"
I Corinthians 1:2, "We are sanctified in Christ Jesus."
I Corinthians 2:2, "I determined not to know anything among you,
save Jesus Christ and Him crucified." Why Paul? He is the only way.
I Corinthians 3:11, "Other foundation can no man lay but that which
is laid which is Jesus Christ." He is the foundation on which the
superstructure, the Church, has been built. Praise God, He is the
rock or foundation, not Peter.
I Corinthians 6:11, "You are washed in the name of the Lord Jesus."
II Corinthians 5:17, "If any man be in Christ, He is a new creature. "
II Corinthians 12:2, "I knew a man in Christ." Amen, that's the only way
to be--in Christ.
Galatians 1:4, Christ gave himself for our sins."
Galatians 2:16, "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of
the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ. "
Galatians 3:13, "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law,
being made a curse for us. For it is written, Cursed is everyone
that hangeth on a tree."
Galatians 3:26, "You are all the children of God by faith in Christ
Jesus."
Galatians 5:1, "Christ hath made us free."
Ephesians 1:3, "Our Lord Jesus Christ hath blessed us with all
spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. "
Ephesians 3:17, "Oh, that Christ may dwell in your hearts by
faith."
Philippians 3:10, "That I may know him and the power of his
resurrection."
Philippians 4:21, "Salute every saint in Christ Jesus." Saints are
produced in Christ.
Colossians 1:20, "He made peace through the blood of his cross."
Colossians 1:27, "Christ in you, the hope of glory."
Colossians 2:10, "You are complete in Him."
I Thessalonians 1:10, "Jesus which delivered us from the wrath to
come."
I Timothy 2:6, "Christ gave himself a ransom for all."
II Timothy 2:10, "They may obtain the salvation which is in Christ
Jesus with eternal glory."
Hebrews 2:9, "That Christ by the grace of God should taste death
for every man."
Hebrews 5:9, "He became the author of eternal salvation."
Hebrews 10:12, "But this man, Jesus, after he had offered one
sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God."
I Peter 2:24, "Who His own self bare our sins in his own body on the
tree."
II Peter 2:20, "They have escaped the pollutions of the world
through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
I John 4:9, "God sent his only begotten Son into the world that we
might live through him."
I John 4:10, "He sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins."
I John 5:11 & 12, "This is the record, that God hath glven to us
eternal life; and this life is in his Son. He that hath the son hath
life; and he that hath not the son of God hath not life."
Jude 1:21, "Looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto
eternal life."
Revelation 5:9, pictures the eternal future when we shall be with
Christ in heaven and records the words of the song the redeemed
shall sing in that day. "They sang a new song saying, Thou art
worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou
wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of
every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast
made us unto our God kings and prlests: and we shall reign on the
earth." Say, if you never sing about the blood of Christ in your
high class church services, you will never find yourself in heaven
with the "throngs singing redemption's story."
Revelation 7:14 pictures the tribulation hour and the same plan
of salvation exists after the Church is removed from this
earth. "These are they which came out of great tribulation,
and have washed their robes, and made them white in the
blood of the Lamb. Christ is the lamb of God." (John 1:29.)
Revelation 14:13 states that the only ones called blessed or happy
are the dead which die in the Lord. If you don't die in the Lord,
you will be lost. Dear reader, I sum it all up by saying that you
will never see God unless you come by the way of Christ's shed
blood upon the cross.
Revelation 21:27, "There shall in no wise enter into it (heaven),
anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or
maketh a lie: but--(hear it, don't miss it)-- but they which are
written in the Lamb's Book of Life." (Christ's book of life.)
I have but skimmed the surface today. Four hundred passages
reiterate this same glorious truth. The question is: "What will you do
with Jesus? You are a sinner, Christ shed his blood for your sin and now
you must receive Him. Remember the old hymn: "What will you do
with Jesus, neutral you cannot be; some day your heart will be asking,
what will he do with me?" If you reject Him I can give you the answer
today. John 5:40, "You will not come to me that you might have life." In
John 14:6, "No man cometh unto the Father but by me." Revelation
20:15, "Whosoever was not found written in the Lamb's book of life
was cast into the lake of fire." ../ |