The Declaration of The Lord Jesus

Introduction and Prayer

0:01 Now, if you will please follow as I read again tonight the portion of Scripture that has been the focus of our study these evening sessions, Luke chapter 19, excuse me, Luke chapter 19, verses 1 through 10. And he entered and was passing through Jericho. And behold, a man called by name Zacchaeus. And he was a chief publican, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus, who he was, and could not for the crowd, because he was little of stature.

0:43 And he ran on before and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the prophet, he said, place, he looked up and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must abide at thy house. And he made haste and came down and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, He has gone into lodge with a man that is a sinner. And Zacchaeus stood and said unto the Lord, Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor, and if I have wrongfully exacted aught of any man, I restore fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, Today is salvation come to this house, forasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost. Let us once again, you know, tonight our hearts in prayer before God. Our Father, we come again to this very solemn and

1:59 sacred moment when we open up the Holy Scriptures, this book that came to us by your very breath.

2:10 And we are conscious that we need the author of the book, even the Holy Spirit himself, to be our present aid, to be our present help in taking the cobwebs from our minds and the darkness from our hearts. O Lord, shine upon us with light, we pray. Bless each listener with the gift of discernment and illumination. Bless the one who speaks with clarity of utterance. Grant help, O Lord, in the weakness of the voice. Grant above all else the unction of the Holy Spirit, that together we may be conscious that we are not dealing with men's ideas, but that we are having direct dealings with you in the Holy Spirit. Amen.

2:55 In the ministry of the Word, O God, come to us on the wings of your Holy Word. Come to us in the preaching of the Word, for our hearts thirst for you, the living and the true God. Hear us in our cry and answer us for the honor and glory of him by whose merits we draw nigh to you, even our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

3:21 Amen.

The Great Theme: Seeking and Saving the Lost

3:28 The great theme of this portion of the Word of God is announced in the tenth verse, the concluding statement, The Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost. And the previous nine verses are a beautiful example of how the Son of Man seeks and saves a lost sinner. If, therefore, we would understand what it is to be sought and saved by the Son of Man, we come to this example of his seeking and his saving. And so, we've spent two evenings studying together something of the Lord's dealings with this lost sinner who was arrested by sovereign grace and mercy. In the first scene, we are introduced to the man Zacchaeus. We are told something about him by his name, his occupation, his station, his stature, his desire. But most significant, we are told something about his character.

4:31 He was a sinner and he was lost, indicating then that the narrative of Zacchaeus is very relevant to us, since we share in his character as sinners, as those who likewise are lost. Then we have the entrance of the Son of God, the only hope for lost sinners, Jesus enters. We've studied together how he came and stood beneath that tree where Zacchaeus was perched, and how he commanded him in words that revealed who he himself was, revealed to Zacchaeus what he was, and revealed why he had come, even to dwell with sinners by his own matchless grace. Then, last night, we began a study of scene two, which takes place in the house of Zacchaeus, and we focused our attention upon verse eight, the great confession which Zacchaeus made, a confession which Zacchaeus made. A confession which displayed his understanding of Christ's person, behold, Lord. A confession which acknowledged basic submission to Christ's authority.

5:44 A confession which reflected a radical transformation by Christ's power. The three indispensable elements of a saving confession of Jesus Christ are there present in the confession of Zacchaeus. Now tonight, we come to an examination of verse nine. The confession of Zacchaeus in verse eight is followed very quickly by the declaration of the Lord Jesus, in verse nine.

Jesus' Declaration of Assurance

6:15 No sooner does Zacchaeus confess, behold, Lord, the half of my goods, I give to the poor, and if I've wrongfully exacted ought of any man I restore fourfold, no sooner I Does Zacchaeus make this confession? Then Jesus makes a declaration, Today is salvation come to this house. Zacchaeus made a saving confession. The Lord Jesus makes a declaration of assurance of salvation to the man Zacchaeus.

6:51 The same voice that found Zacchaeus in the tree, in a state of nature, lost and undone, the same voice that spoke to Zacchaeus saying, Make haste, come down, I must abide at thy house, revealing to Zacchaeus who he was, revealing why he had come, that voice that had exposed him, that voice that had stripped him, that voice that had arrested him, now speaks the most blessed words any man, any man can ever hear, salvation is come to this house. The greatest blessing in life is to be in a state of grace and spiritual safety. The next greatest blessing is to know for certain that you are in that state of grace and safety. And so we will examine together this declaration of the Lord Jesus, a declaration of assurance of grace. First of all, consider in the text the essence of the blessing which Jesus had conferred.

8:02 What has come to Zacchaeus? Our Lord describes it in this pregnant word, Today is salvation, come to this house. All the blessings which have come to Zacchaeus through the sovereign condescending grace of Christ are summed up in this one word, Salvation. One of the most precious words in all of the Bible.

The Essence of Salvation

8:31 A word that is precious in the heart of every man, woman, fellow or girl who has ever felt himself a sinner, who has ever felt himself truly lost. Now what does this word salvation mean? Well it's one of those words that like a snowball, though some of you kids probably have never seen a snowball, if you live in a place where they have lots of snow, you like to make snowmen. And you start with a little snowball, and you begin to roll it, and as it rolls it picks up size and immensity until you get a snowball about so big and that makes the pot-bellied bottom of your snowman.

9:14 Well there are words in the Bible that start in the Old Testament just like a little snowball. But as they come through the Old Testament they gather size and meaning and implication and inference until in the New Testament they pick up additional meaning and they come to us as a big, rounded declaration of some precious concept of God's holy word. Such is the word salvation. It began to be used in the history of the nation of Israel.

9:46 And it was used whenever the nation experienced a great military deliverance or victory. When Israel was brought out of Egypt, this was called salvation. When she was delivered from her enemies, this was called salvation. And all of those military and temporal deliverances and victories in the nation of Israel described under the word salvation were pointing to that great deliverance from the greatest of all of man's enemies.

10:20 Sin, death, guilt and bondage. And we were led to believe, as we study the Old Testament, that that great salvation from our true enemies would be brought by the great Deliverer, the coming Messiah, so that when His coming is announced, as in the case of Matthew 1.21, we are told, Thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save, He shall save His people from not, not temporal bondage, not temporal danger, not temporal threats, but He shall save His people from their sins. And now the word comes to its full and glorious expression. The word salvation means nothing less than freedom from the guilt and reigning power of sin through the merits of Jesus Christ and the powerful operation of God. It is the word salvation.

11:27 And that word salvation is the biblical word that includes all that God does in providing and applying a solution to every problem caused by sin. Whatever disorder sin has brought, God's salvation is His answer to that problem. If we think of sin in terms of guilt and the breaking of God's law, law bringing upon us that sentence of condemnation salvation in terms of guilt is described in the Bible as the blessings of justification the forgiveness of sin and the acceptance of our persons in the infinite righteousness of Christ if we think of sin in terms of guilt salvation is the removal of guilt and the positive conferral of a standing of righteousness if we think of the problem of sin in terms of bondage whosoever commits sin is the slave of sin the word salvation speaks of liberation from bondage whom the son makes free he shall be free indeed he will proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison

12:50 risen to them that are bound do we think of the problem of sin in terms of ignorance and the darkness of the mind then salvation is described as the illumination of the mind the scripture speaks of salvation as being enlightened having the eyes of our hearts open do we think of sin in terms of the defilement and pollution that it brings the heart deceitful above all things and desperately wicked in the words of isaiah all our righteousnesses as polluted garments then salvation is described as being cleansed from our defilement having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience the blood of jesus christ god's son cleansing us from all sin do we think of sin in terms of remaining corruption in the life of a believer then salvation is described as that glorifying work of god when we shall be like him seeing him as he is now my friends this has just been a little quick survey of some of the breadth of this word salvation and when jesus said to zacchaeus today salvation has come to this house he was thinking of nothing less than this

14:19 this conferral of breath of blessing forgiveness cleansing acceptance the purging away of defilement the breaking of bondage this was the blessing that he himself had brought whenever the son of man seeks and saves a sinner whenever he factually calls a lost sinner to himself these are the blessings he brought What a tragedy to ever hear anyone say, oh well, he's only saved but. And then they go on to say, but he needs something here and he needs something here. Only saved? Only saved?

The Timing of Salvation

15:03 My friend, throw out of your mind such narrow, mean, unworthy thoughts of the biblical concept of salvation. The scripture says the word salvation and the blessings that come with it are such that angels desire to look into these mysteries. And so the essence of the blessing that Jesus confers is described as salvation. Now secondly, notice what our Lord says concerning the time when this blessing was conferred.

15:37 The essence of the blessing that he assures him he now has is salvation. What time did that salvation come? Our Lord says, today is salvation come. Jesus assures Zacchaeus that the same day of his command to him, make haste, come down, I must abide.

16:00 The day in which Zacchaeus received him joyfully has become the day when the blessings of salvation have become his possession. So then, Zacchaeus, our Lord says, in essence, as you go out and begin to make right all of those wrongs, as you begin to restore to the people that you have wronged by your cheating and by your avarice, they ask you, Zacchaeus, what in the world has happened to you? Zacchaeus, tell them, I have been saved. I was saved today.

16:36 Today. You mean to say to me, preacher, that all of the guilt that he contracted, by a lifetime of disobedience to God's law, is cancelled in a moment of time? All of the bondage to the cords of his greed and the habits of dishonesty, broken basically in a day? All of the blindness of years gone in a day?

17:03 That's exactly what Jesus says. Today is salvation come to this house. And in saying, in saying this, our Lord gives us one of the most powerful and convincing statements that there is such a thing as instantaneous and sudden conversion. You have those whose influence, the influence upon whom was gradual, and we don't know when they were converted.

17:32 Timothy knew the scriptures from a babe. And we have other instances in Holy Scripture where coming into spiritual life was like the dawning. We cannot. We cannot tell precisely when the night passed and the day came.

17:47 But here is a saint of God living in the day of God's grace. But Zacchaeus woke up that morning utterly blind to who Jesus was. Utterly blind to his own sin. Utterly in bondage to his own greed.

18:04 Utterly in bondage to his own spiritual death. And when he pillowed his head that night, he was a man, saved by the grace of God. He had been sought and saved by the seeking Savior himself. Now, it is not necessary, listen carefully, it is not necessary to know the day and the hour of your salvation.

18:32 It is spiritually cruel and biblically untenable to say, unless you can tell the day and the hour that you were saved, you're not a Christian. There's nothing in the Word of God, to support that assertion. But let us not rule out the fact that God does arrest certain sinners in such a way that they do know the day and the hour. And we need not be suspicious, for we have the record here of Zacchaeus, who could point to the tree and forever go to that tree and say, there in that tree at such and such a time on such and such a day, the voice of my Savior arrested me.

19:16 And so in the words of our Lord Jesus saying, today is salvation come, is a word not only assuring Zacchaeus of the blessing he now has, salvation, but the time in which it came to him today. But now in the third place, consider the ground upon which this blessing was conferred. Look at these strange words, for as much as he also, is a son of Abraham. In other words, Jesus said, the reason I'm assuring Zacchaeus that salvation has come to his house today, is because he has become a son of Abraham. Notice the reasoning, the connection between the words. Today is salvation come to this house for as much, or according as he is a son of Abraham. Now what does this strange little phrase mean a son of Abraham?

The Ground of Salvation: Son of Abraham

20:24 Well if you were to ask the average Jew in our Lord's day, he would have given you an answer, he'd say to be a son of Abraham means that flowing through your physical veins, is blood that can be traced back to the bloodlines of our earthly father, Abraham. And the Jew was very proud of this, very proud of the fact that he was Abraham, very proud that he was a son of Abraham. seed and you find this in such passages as john chapter 8 in which our lord talks about the necessity of liberty from spiritual bondage and they say we be abraham's seed and we're never in bondage to any man jesus goes on to say if you were abraham's seed you would do the works of abraham he says you're not abraham's seed he didn't accept their claim john the baptist had the same problem these people were coming out to his baptism jews by birth jews by blood and he says bring forth fruits meet for repentance and they were just about to say oh that's for those old gentile dogs oh they need a tremendous transformation but we're the seed of abraham he says think not to say within yourselves we be abraham's seed he says god is able to raise up physical seed unto abraham right out of the stones of the earth you see the concept the son of abraham a

21:45 seed of abraham the jew had completely misunderstood this as being completely an external physical relationship but now the scripture answers with absolute clarity what it means to be a true son of abraham open your bibles please to the passages that i shall now read quickly romans chapter 4 letting scripture be its own infallible interpreter what does this phrase mean for as much as he is a seed of abraham the jew had completely misunderstood this as being completely an eternal son of abraham romans chapter four speaking of abraham the apostle paul says and he abraham verse eleven received the sign of circumcision a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while he was in uncircumcision that he might be the father of all them that believe though they be in uncircumcision that righteousness might be reckoned unto them and the father of circumcision to them who are not only of the circumcision but who walk in the steps of the faith of our father abraham who is the son of abraham everyone who has the faith of abraham notice the phrase in verse eleven that he might

23:08 be the father of all them that believe verse sixteen you have the same emphasis same same chapter for this cause it is of faith that it might be according to grace to the end that the promise may be sure to all the seed not to that only which is of the law but to that which is the faith of abraham who is the father of us all all what all of us who believe now turn over please to galatians chapter three verses seven through nine galatians chapter three Verses 7 through 9.

23:55 Know therefore that they that are of faith, the same are the what? Sons of Abraham. What constitutes a man a son of Abraham? When he comes into the orbit of true and genuine saving faith.

24:12 Notice as he goes on to say, verse 8. And the scripture foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith. Preach the gospel beforehand unto Abraham. In thee shall all the nations be blessed.

24:27 So then they that are of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. Verses 27 and 28 of the same chapter. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ. There can be neither Jew nor Greek, bond nor free, no male nor female.

24:43 Ye are all one man in Christ Jesus. And if ye are Christ's, then are ye Abraham. Seed, heirs according to the promise. Now do you see the Bible's answer to the question?

24:57 What did Jesus mean when he said, Zacchaeus, I tell you salvation has come to this house today. In as much as he is a son of Abraham. What was he saying? He was saying that Zacchaeus was a man of saving faith.

25:16 He now had the same object of his faith. That Abraham. Abraham did. There was the proper actings of faith as there was in Abraham.

25:28 And there was the necessary fruit of true faith as in the case of Abraham. Zacchaeus, you are a son of Abraham because you've become a son of faith. I've revealed myself to you as God incarnate. The seeking savior of men.

25:50 And you've received. You've received me joyfully. And that act of reception is the exercise of true faith. Zacchaeus, salvation has come.

25:59 You've just told me, Zacchaeus, that you see me to be the Lord. You've said to me, behold, Lord. You've told me, Zacchaeus, that your faith has been coupled with a transformation of your attitude to sin. You're ready to make right your wrongs and strike out in an entirely new course of life.

26:18 Zacchaeus, your faith. Your faith is no dead faith. Your faith is no notional faith. Your faith is no empty matter of mere words.

26:28 Zacchaeus, your faith is the fruit of my own powerful work in your heart. The Father has given you a new heart. The Spirit has come to dwell within you. You are a true son of Abraham, Zacchaeus.

26:41 I tell you, Zacchaeus, you're saved because you have truly believed unto salvation.

The Necessity of Becoming a Son of Abraham

26:50 My friend. You're never going to become a Christian until you become a son of Abraham.

26:57 If you don't become a son of Abraham, you're not a Christian. You're not saved. That's right.

27:04 Jesus will never say by the Spirit in the word, salvation has come to your house, until he can say inasmuch as you have become a son of Abraham. How do we become sons of Abraham? By believing as Abraham believed upon him who has promised in the promises to Abraham. Even the Lord Jesus Christ, and listen carefully, by demonstrating the reality of our faith by a transformed light as Abraham did and as Zacchaeus did.

27:38 It is no mere notion of faith that brings us into saving relationship to the living God. For the Scripture says that the demons also believe and they tremble. But wilt thou not know, O man, that faith without works is dead? Now we've been told for a number of generations, your good works will never save you.

27:59 And we need to be told that. All the works you do, thinking that they'll form some kind of a stepping stone to lift you to God. You know what God calls them? Dead works, filthy rags.

28:10 But the Bible not only contains a doctrine of dead works, it contains a doctrine of dead faith. And just as a man will be damned who puts his works between himself and the cross and hopes to climb to God. On the basis of his own works. There will be others damned because they say, oh yeah, I believe in the Lord Jesus.

28:33 But it's an empty faith that doesn't produce a holy walk in a godly life. And God calls it dead faith. And dead works and dead faith both lead to a devil's hell. The ground upon which the Lord Jesus gave assurance to Zacchaeus was the fact that he'd become a true believer, a true son of Abraham.

Principle 1: Christ Still Assures Sinners

28:54 Well. He opened up the words of the text. Now in the time remaining, let me draw three principles from this exposition of the word of God. Principle number one.

29:07 Jesus Christ still speaks these words of assurance to the hearts of sinful men whom he has sought and saved. Though he is not here in the flesh to say to sinners, today is salvation come to thy house. Verse eight and verse sixteen says the Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirits that we are the children of God. Not by audible words, but by the inward testimony of the Holy Spirit.

29:44 Jesus Christ still speaks these words to sinners whom he has sought and whom he has saved. And so we dare to say. In the face. Of the.

29:57 Doctrine of the church of Rome that assurance of salvation is an abomination and any who says he is certain he is saved is under the curse and anathema of the church. We dare to say no, no. No the Lord Jesus spoke to Zacchaeus and he speaks today telling people that their sins are pardoned and that they are his children. For there is nothing.

30:27 In Jesus Christ. Not even the devil did anything to save their sins and that they be saved and delivered to life. The Holy Spirit is in the Lord Jesus Christ and he says through purpose of the Holy Spirit that all sins that he has caused shall be forgiven and shall not be forgiven but that he is so thorough in his words that they shall be forgiven and that all sins that he has spoken shall be forgiven. He said we are willing to sacrifice our sins as much as we would like and we are willing to sacrifice our lives.

30:38 The Holy Spirit. He is the Lord Jesus Christ the Redeemer. He is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the one who gave his same name.

30:45 He is the one who has given us the same name. He is the Lord Jesus Christ who has given his name to all men and to all nations in the world. And his zeal was in direct proportion to his absolute confidence. I know whom I have believed.

30:57 And I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. Now the balancing principle number two that comes out of the text is this. Though Jesus Christ still speaks these words of assurance today by his spirit. Only Jesus Christ by the spirit can give these words of assurance to men.

Principle 2: Only Christ Gives Assurance

31:25 Why could Jesus say Zacchaeus salvation has come? Because as the scripture says he knew what was in man and he saw Zacchaeus' heart. And when Zacchaeus said behold Lord. The Lord knew that that was no lip confession it was a heart confession.

31:43 And when Zacchaeus said my life is changed. Jesus knew it was no temporary confession. But a change flowing from a renewed will and the impartation of a new life. Now only Jesus could know that.

31:56 Because as God he knew what was in man. Now listen carefully. When a sinner whether it's a boy or a girl or an adult makes a profession of faith. And says I've accepted Jesus.

32:08 I call him my Lord. I acknowledge my sin. I repent. I believe.

32:13 No teacher. No personal worker has a right to say. Now you are a Christian. Because no man knows the heart of another man.

32:26 We can say if indeed you have truly believed. God says you're his child. And the God who says it himself will assure you by the spirit. And then will bear witness to it by a transformed life.

32:42 And every evangelist and personal worker who takes upon himself to give out assurance to others. Is usurping the office of the Holy Ghost.

32:52 And our churches are full of people going around absolved by Protestant priests. Who've said some my sins have been forgiven. How do you know that there's been true repentance and faith? Well you say I saw them weep.

33:09 So what? If you came in that day when Esau was weeping because he couldn't get the birthright back. We'd had a hallelujah meeting saying glory to God. Esau's got it.

33:19 Look at him weep. Let's go to prayer meeting. Tell the saints rejoice. They were tears of self-pity.

33:27 That's what the Bible says.

33:30 Oh but you said I saw them just beam with joy. Jesus said many will receive the word with joy. Who are nothing but stony brown heroes. Ah but you.

33:39 Listen my friend. Face it. You're trying to play God. You don't know the hearts of men.

33:43 Neither do I.

33:49 It's the Holy Spirit's prerogative to give a person assurance. Not mine. My task is to point them to Christ. To tell them the son of man has come to seek and to save.

34:00 That which is lost that the son of God receives the vilest of sinners that he commands sinners to come that he bids them to come he promises them a welcome that I can say that I have no right to say now I see into your heart and I know that you have truly. Oh but you say preacher I asked them were you sincere in your decision. Well what person is going to say no I just was bluffing it. Of course they're going to say I was sincere.

34:35 They're not going to say no I was just faking it.

34:39 My friend. Human sincerity and divine illumination are two different things. Many a person. To all outward appearances has really made a sincere profession and time proves.

34:53 That the son of man never sought them and saved them. Because they're still in bondage to their sins their pride their self-righteousness their self-will. And the tragedy is now. They go through life thinking.

35:07 They're saved because they've been told now once saved always saved and I'm saved because the preacher told me I was. Listen. The Bible surely teaches if you're once saved you're always saved but listen to teach you something else. And the proof that you were once saved is that you are being saved right now.

35:29 The proof that you were once saved is that you're being saved right now.

35:36 For he that has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ and the only proof you've got that ever done. Been anything real in the. Past is he's doing something real now and the only pledge he's going to do something for you in the future is that he's doing something now the acid test is what are you now tonight in this place you're not saying because you have a glowing memory of something that happened 20 years ago only Jesus by the spirit can speak these assuring words to the hearts of men he saw the work of his grace in him he knew that the confession was genuine. And.

36:19 Therefore he could say. Today. His salvation come to this house. And the third principle.

Principle 3: The Ground of Assurance Remains

36:27 And with this I close tonight. Jesus speaks this word of assurance. On the same grounds that he spoke them to Zacchaeus. What was the ground upon which he said to Zacchaeus.

36:41 Salvation has come. He says in as much as he's a son of Abraham. He speaks these words on the same ground. On the grounds now that he spoke from them.

36:55 Let me press the question home to your conscience tonight. Can Jesus say. Salvation has come to you. Because you have evidently become the son of Abraham.

37:09 Has there been that work of the Holy Spirit showing you your sin. Driving you out of yourself to look for pardon and acceptance in another. Has there been the work of the Holy Spirit. Unfolding the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

37:28 Has there been the work of the spirit bringing you in subjection to Christ. Authority and rule. Has there been the work of the Holy Spirit making you a new person. As Zacchaeus became a new man.

37:42 My friend don't you tell me that you have sweet peace tonight.

37:48 If it's on any other grounds than that you've become a true son or daughter of Abraham. If you are not believing on the Lord Jesus Christ as the true son of God son of man. Believing with a faith that evidences genuine repentance and a changed life. And you say you have peace and the consciousness of pardon.

38:10 I say on the basis of the word of God that peace is whispered in your ear and heart by the devil himself. Jesus Christ never whispers peace by the spirit.

38:28 To a heart that's never been broken from the love of sin. That's never bowed in submission to his authority. That's never seen the glory of his person. That's never abandoned itself to his salvation.

38:46 Jesus speaks that word of assurance on the same grounds today. As he spoke it then. But having sought to plow up those of you who may be deceived tonight. Let me speak a word of comfort.

Comfort for the Fearing and Weak

39:00 To some who may like those characters in Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. You would be described as Mr. Fearing, Mr. Weak Faith, Mr. Ready to Halt.

39:12 Listen, listen. How did Zacchaeus come to possess salvation? Not by struggling for days and weeks and years. Not by turning over in a new life and living a better life for ten years, five years, three months.

39:28 No, no. The moment the Lord Jesus exposed him in all of his ugly sinfulness. And the moment he in his ugly sinfulness embraced the perfect Savior. And according to the words of the text, received him joyfully.

39:48 At that moment his sin was pardoned, his guilt was passed. He was a new man by the power of the Son of God. Oh, I say to some of you. Who have a mountain of iniquity that looms up before your memory and your conscience.

40:05 And you say, can it be? Can it be that by simply looking to the Son of God. Simply casting the eyes of my soul upon the Lord Jesus crucified, buried and risen. Seated at the right hand of the Father.

40:21 Simply by entrusting my case to him. Turning away from all self-righteousness and pride and stubbornness. And do-it-yourself religion. Simply by casting myself upon him.

40:35 You mean all of that mountain is dissolved. Oh, it's so hard to believe. My friend, let me encourage you. The Son of Man has come to seek and to save.

40:45 Not that which is half lost. Nicely lost. Not too vilely lost. He's come to seek and to save that which is lost.

40:58 The worst of the lost. The vilest of the lost. The most unclean of the lost. Thank God for that blessed word of the apostle.

41:10 This is a faithful saying. Worthy of all acceptation. That Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And then he says, of whom I am chief.

41:23 If God can save the chief, he can save all the Indians. I'm the chief. I was a blasphemer. A murderer, he says.

41:34 Injurious to the church. And when the Lord said, well, I speak reverently. In the role of my election is the name of a man named Saul of Tarsus. And in the time in which I determined to save sinners.

41:50 Ah, this is the day when I've got to bring him home to myself. And so God finds him on the road to Damascus. Reveals himself to him. Draws him in love and mercy to himself.

42:03 And later on, Paul writes about it in these words. Galatians 1, 15 and 16. When it pleased God who separated me from my mother's womb. And called me by his grace to reveal his son in me.

42:19 What does he say? If you were to ask Paul, Paul, when did you get saved? He'd say, I got saved right on schedule. When is an adverb of time.

42:29 When did you get saved? He'd say, Paul, right on schedule, he says. When the Son of Man said, it's seeking time for Saul of Tarsus. The Son of Man got on his trail and he got him.

42:41 He always gets his man. Better than the Canadian Mounties. He gets his man. He gets his man.

Call to Faith and Assurance

42:49 And he got him right on schedule. Right on schedule. And who knows, but tonight may be his schedule for someone in this place. You've come into this meeting.

42:59 God alone knows. But you sit here tonight conscious of the accusations of your own conscience. The mountain of your own sin and uncleanness. And you say, ah, that's all right.

43:11 Jesus said those words to him years ago. But what about me, my friend? Become a son of Abraham and he'll say those words to you. How do you become a son of Abraham?

43:21 Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shall be saved. Repent of your sin. And trust in the Son of God. And God himself, by his own blessed spirit, will speak peace to your heart.

43:38 Oh, what a blessed thing to have the Lord Jesus say, today is salvation come. My friend, if he says it, those words will never be canceled by anyone else. Because he's the only one who can cancel them. And he won't.

43:54 But if you think you're saved simply because some preacher said to you, now you're a Christian. Because some personal worker said, now you're a Christian. My friend, the preacher, the personal worker is not the judge of the universe. Jesus is.

44:07 You better make sure that the judge of the universe has said, salvation has come. And if he said it, the evidence will be that you have the fruit of the faith of the son of Abraham as Zacchaeus did. A changed life. A changed attitude to sin.

44:24 A changed perspective with reference to Jesus Christ, the Lord. You not only call him Lord, but you obey him as Lord. And apart from that, all hopes that he said those words to you are mere delusion. May God be pleased to apply the word to our prophet, to our conviction, and to our comfort.

Closing Remarks and Benediction

44:45 For his praise. And for our good. In just a moment, we're going to stand for closing prayer. And then I'm going to ask that we remain standing for a few moments of silent reflection upon the word of God to our hearts.

45:02 And then we shall be led in the benediction. And may I say for the number that I've scheduled for appointments tomorrow, I just about have absolutely no throat left. I've had to force every word tonight. It's been with great effort that I've preached to you.

45:16 And I just don't see how I can keep those appointments and still have anything left for tomorrow. I'm sorry, but I just don't. It's been going more and more and having to preach over it. And it's just about gone.

45:28 And I appreciate your understanding. And perhaps you can put through a call to me at the motel and we can chat for a few minutes with whispers over the phone. But if I'm going to have anything for tomorrow night, I know what I'm going to have to do. Any doctors present will tell you when you've got laryngitis, you've just got to shush up the vocal cords.

45:45 And so I think I'm just going to have to do that. And I will beg your forbearance with it. Now then, let us stand and ask God to bless his word to our hearts.