WHEN GOD LOVES BOASTING

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     278 – WHEN GOD LOVES BOASTING

     AUGUST 30, 1964

     Pastor Henry F. Kulp

 

Romans 5: 11 – 14 And here we are told, “And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” What does the word, joy, mean? It is a very interesting word. Let me show you the same Greek word that is translated with another English word in Ephesians 2: 8, 9 and there we read, “For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast.” 

There is exactly the same word. Here God says we are not to boast, but in Romans 5: 11 we also boast in God, we are told to boast. This seemingly is a contradiction, is it not? But not really when we study the context.

1/  This shows us the absolute necessity of studying the context of the Scripture. Let me just state one thing this morning that you might understand it. I am not a preacher to defend the Word of God. God has not called me to defend His Word, but rather to proclaim His Word. His Word is perfect—it doesn’t need defense from me. All it needs from me, is proclamation—I am the one to sound it forth, and of course this is true of you, as well. 

There are no contradictions in the Bible. God may have a different program at different times, and this is illustrated in just the point we have here. He says in Ephesians 2: 8, 9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”  We are not to boast in ourselves, in our own achievements, but here we are to boast in God. Boast in what God has achieved for us.

2/  Now, let us notice in this same Book of Romans, Romans 3: 27 “Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.” 

Did you ever see a little boy try to lift himself by his own bootstraps? He takes a hold of his shoes and he pulls and he tugs and he strains and he tries to lift until the veins in his forehead stand out, but he doesn’t lift himself at all, and you say, don’t you understand, young man, that the law of gravity is pulling downward with greater force than you can ever exercise in an upward direction? But it is just as foolish for a man to try to lift himself to Heaven by his own achievement, by his own works. 

Psalms 40: 2, 3 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay and set my feet upon a rock and established my goings, and has put a new song in my mouth, even praised unto our God. 

And what is that song that the lifted man has learned to sing? Most certainly he is not going to sing—UNTO ME, MYSELF, WHO GOT HERE BY LIFTING MYSELF, BY LIFTING MYSELF BY MY OWN BOOTSTRAPS. There will be no such song in Heaven. The song that the redeemed will sing, will not have any reference to what we have accomplished, but rather it will be boasting in God, what He has accomplished for us.

3/  In Psalms 40: 3 He says, “And he has put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.” If you go over to Psalms 34: 2 you will read, “My soul shall make her boast in the Lord”—that word, boast, comes from the same Hebrew word as the word, praise. They mean the same thing. To praise is to boast, and we are boasting in the Lord, not in ourselves. Boasting in our self is excluded, but boasting in God is the order of the day.

4/  I’d like you to listen to Moses singing after the children of Israel had been brought through the Red Sea. Do you want to see boasting in the Lord? Here it is. Exodus 15: 11 “Who is like unto Thee, O Lord, among the Gods? Who is like Thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders.” Then listen to Hannah when the Lord promised her that Samuel would be born unto her. I Samuel 2: 1, 2 “My heart rejoiceth in the Lord, and then she finishes by saying, there is none holy as the Lord, for there is none beside Thee, neither is there any rock like our God.” Moses is boasting in the God of power. Hannah was rejoicing in God and boasting in the God of lowly tenderness. We, too, should boast in our God. Let me show you how we can boast. There is a wonderful thing that is brought out in the Book of Romans.

5/  In Romans chapters 1, 2, 3, God shows us that we are sinners, lost and undone, and we come to Romans 3: 19 “Now we know what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped and the whole world may become guilty before God.” He says sin has stopped our mouths, sin has caused us to be silent in God’s presence. Sin has closed the mouth of each member of the human race for all are condemned. But then starting with Romans 3: 24 “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:” We have salvation that God provides for us in Jesus Christ, and when we trust His Christ as our Saviour, He opens our mouths, and the mouth of each believer is opened to shout the praises of Jesus Christ, to boast in Him. The believer is not born a mute. There are not any dumb children in the family of God. We are struck dumb with sin, but God has put a new song in our hearts.

6/  Let me show you something that should cause you to sing. I can’t help but sing about it every time I read this verse. Every time I read it, my heart is filled to overflowing. Romans 5: 20 “But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” I am sure you will admit that sin is a problem. If God were to give you some miraculous power that you could look into all the world in a moment of time, and could see all the sin that is being committed at this very moment, I am sure you would cry out in despair—Sin is abounding in this earth—and so it is. But then, God says, in contrast to that—grace did much more abound. And God does not use the same Greek word when He uses the word, abound, for grace. But the word, abound, here is the Greek word for super-abundance—it is a mathematical word which means a number greater than any other. So, he says, sin is abounding all right, but, grace is super-abounding, and he uses much more in front of abound, and this is hoop-pear, and it means, over and beyond, and so it actually means grace has super-abounded upon super-abounded upon super-abounded. In other words, no matter how much sin is in the world, there is enough grace, more than enough grace to take care of it. No matter how much sin is in your life, there is more than enough grace to take care of it. Praise God, there was more than enough grace to take care of the sin I had in my life. This causes me to boast in God, not in myself.

7/  Now we come to Romans 5: 12 – 14 “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.” 

Here Paul introduces us to another truth. This truth is not known in the Book of Romans up to this point. Notice, he says, “Wherefore by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, so death passed upon all men.” 

This is rather hard to understand I will admit it. But it is this, that men die, not for their own sin, but because Adam sinned. If the members of the human race died just for their own sin, then babies wouldn’t die, for they have committed no sin. This is what we call the truth of REPRESENTATION. The whole human race is represented in One. I can hear you immediately say—is it fair the whole human race is to be in Adam? Is it fair that in Adam all are sinners? It is not for you, and it is not for me to argue with God. God says it is so and He says it is the truth.

8/  Now let us notice something else in this portion of Scripture, look at the 12^th Vs. “Wherefore by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned, for until the law, sin was in the world, but sin was not imputed when there is no law.” 

Down to Moses, there wasn’t any law. Down to Moses, God hadn’t said to the world, “Thou shalt not kill.” He had given to Moses after the Flood the power to impose Capital punishment, but that was the only thing that was given from Adam to Moses. God had not said to the human race, “Thus shalt not lie, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not covet.” Men were sinning, but if they were sinning, there was no penalty for sin, for God had not pronounced a penalty. Then, you say, why did they all die? They died because Adam sinned. As he tells us in the 12^th Vs. “As by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin.” In Adam all die even if they have not sinned, because Adam died, all must die. Because Adam sinned we are all sinners, and therefore we die.

9/  Again, you say, is this fair? Yes, it is, for let me show you the glorious part of this plan. God had a plan in ages past—it was a glorious plan, one that we should understand today. God had a plan that all should be lost in one, and they all could be saved in One. What do I mean by that? Vs. 14 “Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression who was the figure or type of Him that was to come.” Don’t you see if everyone would die for his own sins, then Christ would have to die over and over again for each person—only then could everyone be saved. But if the race is lost in one, then the race can be saved in One. Adam is what we call our federal head, God put the whole race in Adam, for this whole race was in the loins. And when Adam sinned, the race sinned, and the whole race fell. But God has a plan whereby the whole race can be saved in one Man—Jesus Christ.

10/  Romans 5: 19 Please notice this wonderful chapter. “For as by one man’s disobedience, that was Adam, many were made sinners, so by the obedience of One shall many be made righteous.” 

So, the whole human race fell in Adam, and all men are sinners. Even little babies die, and it isn’t because of their own sin. It is a question with a lot of folks, what about the babies being in Heaven? I have had a lot of people ask me about that. Jesus Christ died for the whole human race, and all men are lost, and the only reason they are lost is because they won’t have Christ Jesus. That is the only reason men are not saved. You come to the Great White Throne Judgment, and you are cast into hell—it won’t be because of your sins, but because of the question, what have you done with Jesus Christ? 

Children cannot receive the Lord Jesus Christ, and God, the Lord Jesus Christ has died for their sin, and until they reach the age of responsibility, they are saved, but after they reach the age of responsibility, then we must lead them to Jesus Christ. They say, in China 51% of babies die in their first year. I know in Haiti, I think something like 8 out of 10 die in the first year. These children go to Heaven. Of course, they don’t stay as children in Heaven. They are not in infancy, they become adults.

11/  But the question is today, are you trusting Jesus Christ? He is the answer to your sinful condition—all in Adam have sinned but all in Christ can be made alive.

12/  John 16: 7 – 11 Notice, “When the Holy Spirit is come, He will reprove (or convict) the world of sin. Of sin, because they believed not on Me.” 

This is the damning sin. You say, what about the millions who have never heard of Jesus Christ? That is why we have missions, that is why it is our job to get the Gospel out that these folks might hear this wonderful Gospel.

13/  Did you ever turn to the Book of Ephesians and read it, and notice how wonderful it is that Paul keeps talking about being in Christ? We were born in Adam but when we are saved we are in Christ. Ephesians 1: 3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Heavenly places in Christ.” 

Notice, all blessing in Christ. What did you get when you were born into this world? What did you get from Adam when you were born—Sin. And you have to die. That is all you get—you don’t get anything else from Adam but sin and death. The question is whether you have been taken out of Adam and put into Christ.

14/  Colossians 3: 1-3 Here we are told, “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”

So, the difference between a saved individual and a lost individual is that we are in Christ. No wonder we boast in the Lord. We have something to boast about. This is what Jesus Christ has done for us when He paid the price of sin on the Cross of Calvary, and no wonder it leaves out our boasting in our own achievements, in what we are or what we have done.

AMEN

Ref: 08/30/1964/ 278 - WHEN GOD LOVES BOASTING / June 7, 2020

BOAST IN GOD

Photo taken by B Smith from Kitchen Patio

     277 – BOAST IN GOD

     August 16, 1964

     Pastor Henry F. Kulp

Romans 5: 6 - 11 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

Notice the 8^th vs. But God commendeth, or proves His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

The important point that I want you to see this morning, the most outstanding thing that I have to bring to your attention is in this next statement. The whole sermon will hinge upon it. ALL GOD’S WORK FOR US WAS DONE WHEN WE WERE HIS ENEMIES. So, that means it is impossible—totally impossible for us to do anything at this present time. God’s work was done when we were enemies. This does away with all human endeavor.

1/  Now you will notice that man must have a motive for his love outside of himself. God loves because He is love. Man can possibly die for someone he loves, but for him to love this person, this person must be a good person, or in his own eyes, a righteous person. In other words, someone who is lovable, someone who is lovely. Those two words tell us very clearly this is the object of our love. We call someone lovable, or lovely—but God died for us when we were unlovely and unlovable—when we were helpless, ungodly sinners.

2/  Notice, God did this when we were enemies, for this is what the 10^th verse brings out. 

For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

The word, enemy, is a cold, hard word. It brings a chill to our hearts. Every soldier knows what it means—an enemy—you want to kill them if you can. An enemy is someone you despise, someone you hate. For the Latin word, enemy, means, not a friend, and from this Latin word we get the word, hostile. The common German noun for enemy has given us the word, fiend.

3/  But is man hostile to God? Does man hate God? Of course, he does, there is no room for doubt. You might say, do we wish God ill? We would like to kill God? We would like to injure God? Of course. There may be those who deny such feeling, but it is true—it is in every human heart. 

This is shown to us clearly in Isaiah 53: 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned ever one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

When it says, all we like sheep have gone astray—we have turned everyone to his own way. So, in the simplest terms, man is hostile to God, man is an enemy to God because he wants his own way instead of God’s way.

4/  Since man wants his own way and not God’s way, man hates God and would do away with Him if he could. For instance, if you want to see this in action, why did Cain kill Abel? Here is a murderer at the very outset of the history of the human race.

Genesis 4: 5 - 8 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.  And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?  If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.  And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

Here you will notice that Cain was very wroth and his countenance fell. Why? Because the Lord had respect unto Abel and his offering and not to him and his offering. He wanted his way, not God’s way. He knew what God expected, the death of a lamb, but he rejected it. He wanted his own way, and he had hatred in his heart for God, he could do away with God. He shows right here that he is an enemy of God, for this reason, Cain slew Abel, his brother.

5/  Here it is in the Word of God, John 15: 18. Now, notice, If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 

Here is Jesus Christ saying the world hates Me, and He is God. This is evident. They said, Away with Him, we’ll take a murderer, we will take a thief, but we don’t want this Christ. The world hates God.

6/  In some parts of the earth human hatred towards God is publicly manifested. That is true in Russia. It is impossible to belong to the Russian Communist party without accepting atheism. God has been declared non-existent. Elsewhere the hatred of man toward the true God has been manifested by substituting another God for Jesus Christ. This is proven to us by Mahatma Gandhi—the name of Ram was on the lips of Gandhi as he died, but this is certainly not the name of God. If you substitute another god for the true God, you are showing your hatred for the true God, and this Gandhi did. Do you realize that every religion is proof of man’s hatred of God, and the proof of this hatred is how they treat the Bible-believing, Christ-receiving individuals.

7/  As time comes to an end, this hatred will break out in an open sore. 

Psalms 2: 1-3 and here we read Why do the nations rage and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of earth set themselves and the rulers take council together against Jehovah and against His Anointed—that’s Jesus Christ—saying—let us break their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us.

Here is Isaiah 53: 10 in action. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

Here is proof that man is an enemy of the true God.

8/  Now notice when we were enemies we were reconciled to God. The word, reconcile, is never used of God, the word, reconcile is only used of men. The whole thought here is that God takes the initiative. God did not have to be reconciled to man, because God is love, but man had to be reconciled to God, because man was a helpless, ungodly sinner, hating God.

9/  Now we have a great portion of Scripture that gives us the doctrine of reconciliation. 

II Corinthians. 5: 17 - 19 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 

Notice, all things are of God, Who hath reconciled us to Himself. Notice, it does not say that He reconciled Himself to us. Notice, what it says here…we were reconciled by God to God. Never in the Bible is it said to reconcile God, but it twice states in this passage, God reconciled us. The agent is always God; the objects are always men. Notice the ministry that has been committed to us—the word of reconciliation, and we are to call to the world, be ye reconciled to God—not God to man, but man to God.

10/  Now this message of reconciliation which we are supposed to preach has almost disappeared from Christian pulpits. You would be surprised how many expressions are used in so-called Christian pulpits that are not true. Take, first of all, the common invitation for sinners to give their hearts to God. As James McHendrick, the great Scotch evangelist said, “What would God do with the dirty thing, anyway?” 

Here in II Corinthians. 5: 17 He says, If any man be in Christ he is a new creation. God makes him a new creation. He doesn’t take the old, dirty heart, not at all. Notice, what we have. 

Jeremiah 17: 9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, that means incurable. Do you want to give this to God? No, this is not a correct statement. Then secondly, you often hear people say, if you do not receive Christ as your Saviour, you will be lost, and at first glance, this seems to be pretty good—but it is not true at all. The statement should be, if you do not receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, you will remain lost. You have always been lost, you were born lost, you are living in a lost condition. You must be saved before you can pass out of this lost condition. But if you don’t receive the Lord, you just remain in your lost condition.

11/  There is still another error that many evangelists and preachers make when they do not understand the doctrine of reconciliation, and that is the doctrine of repentance. 

There is a Bible repentance, there is also another un-Bible repentance. The false doctrine is something of a penitence—if you tell God you are sorry…man to be sorry for his sins, it is like asking a corpse to give itself a blood transfusion. Repentance which is in the Bible is called godly sorrow can only be experienced by a godly person. 

II Corinthians 7: 10  For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. 

How can an ungodly man experience godly sorrow? He can’t do it.

12/  Now as to the ministry of reconciliation. How are we reconciled? We come to God just as we are. If you want to be saved this morning, you are not to wash your face, you are not to brush your clothes. He will cleanse you and give you new garments. But, He will not do so until you step inside the door with all your filth and ungodliness. Then, after He has bathed you, you can keep yourself washed, after He gives you new garments, you may keep them brushed, leave all your baggage outside and come with empty hands. He will give you new luggage. God will not tolerate you bringing anything with you.

13/  Notice, Romans 5: 10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

When we were yet enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son. 

Mr. Moody tells a story that is about the best I have ever heard, I think it illustrates this point very splendidly. Mr. Moody always gave this story to illustrate our reconciliation. 

A boy quarreled with his father, but it was all the boy’s fault. It wasn’t the father’s fault the father didn’t want conditions to be as they were with the son, but the son got angry with the father, he wouldn’t speak to him, he wouldn’t have anything to do with him. The father had nothing against the son, but the boy was the one who was angry—would not talk to the father, would have no fellowship with the father. So, he left home in anger. While he was away from home, he corresponded with his mother. He loved his mother, but not his father. And his mother used to write to the boy and say, come home and be reconciled to your father, but the boy would not do it. 

Then one day he got a letter which said his mother was sick, and then another letter came and said his mother was very sick. And then finally a telegram said to come at once for his mother was dying. The boy took the fastest means of travel. He got on an airplane from the city, flew into the airport, and there got a taxi, came back into his home town, back into his home street. And there was his home, and he knew his mother was inside the house. He hurried in off the street into the house and up the stairs into the room where he knew his mother was, and she was near death. There on the opposite side of the bed stood his father, the boy just wouldn’t look at the father, he hated his father. He despised his father. His mother pled with him to be reconciled, and he still wouldn’t look at his father. Finally, the mother took the right hand of the boy in her right hand, and the right hand of the father in her left hand, she put the two hands together over herself, pled with them to be reconciled, and fell back on the pillow, dead. Then the boy looked up and said, “Father, I’m sorry”. Now they were reconciled by the death of the mother. 

That is exactly what happened on the cross of Calvary. Look at this—reconciled to God by the death of His Son. Calvary is the place of reconciliation. There is God the Father, there is the Son, and when the sinner comes, Jesus Christ brings them together. It is all done beneath the cross. What is needed today is the preaching of the cross. A lot of people mention the cross, but they don’t preach it. A lot of preachers mention the blood, but they don’t preach it. What is needed today is the preaching of the cross, for there is the place of reconciliation for all men. For the verse says, reconciled to God by the death of His Son.

14/  Now look at the rest of this verse. Romans 5: 10 …being reconciled we shall be saved by His life. 

Now, you will say, see—it is not just the death of Christ, it is the life of Christ that saves the sinner, and I admit that is true. But there is something we must recognize, the life of Christ is made known to us in different phases, and we must be careful to see what phase of the life of Christ is mentioned here. Christ eternally existed with the Father, in eternity past—then, in the fullness of Time, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under law, and for some 33 years, He lived the second phase of His life, here on earth. 

Then, third, He went to the cross during six hours of light and darkness, He poured out His life for us, thus satisfying God. 

Then the forth phase of Christ’s life, followed His resurrection and for six weeks He manifested Himself upon earth, establishing that He was raised from the dead in a physical body. He invited Thomas to touch His hands and His side, He appeared in the upper room, ate boiled fish with His disciples. 

Then in the fifth phase, He ascended into Heaven, into the clouds of Glory, and He sat down on the right hand of God the Father. 

Now in the sixth phase, He will come forth to judge, to put down all sin and unrighteousness, and He will sit upon the throne of His father, David, upon this earth for a thousand years, and then the seventh is eternity future. 

As I set forth these seven phases of the Life of Christ—which one is the one that is mentioned here that will save us? It is the fifth phase—but He ascended into Heaven in resurrected glory and is now seated on the right hand of God the Father, so that means His life after death—That’s resurrection life. So, when we come to the Lord Jesus Christ, know that He has paid the price of our sin, we get this resurrection life. God the Son actually gives us His life. That is what Christianity actually is. God doesn’t make the old life any better—He gives us His resurrection life.

15/   Colossians. 3: 1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Now notice, if ye be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, not the things around you, where Christ sitteth upon the right hand of God.

Set you affections on things above, not on things on the earth—for ye are dead—there it is—your own life died with Jesus Christ at the cross. Now we are to live unto God, for you are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God. 

What a wonderful place to be in—your life is hid in Christ with God. I don’t know why folks who believe in Jesus Christ, or say they do, can ever think a saved person could be lost when they read a verse like that. I just can’t understand it. Our life is hid with Christ in God. How can Satan, the world, and the flesh get at our life when it is in God. 

I heard of some bandits who had set up a plan to rob a man, and somehow or other he received word that they were coming. He had some very valuable things, and of course, they knew about this. But before they came, he put his valuables in the bank in a vault. When they came and asked for them, he said, I don’t have them. They tortured him, but they could not get his wealth. There is no use for the devil to try to destroy our life for it is not here. My life is there, in God, in the Heavenlies, for this verse says your life is hid with Christ in God. It is perfectly safe in God’s eternal vault. This is God’s plan of  salvation.

16/  Of course, it is necessary for us to recognize that all of this is doctrinal, this is salvation. But now God, in a short while in the Book of Romans will get to the practical side. We are saved by grace, but we are saved to live for the Lord Jesus Christ, and we have here in Colossians 3: 1 - 4 

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

Boast in God…He is Our Blessed Hope!

AMEN

Ref: 08/16/1964 / 277 - BOAST IN GOD / May 6, 2020

GOD IS NEVER LATE

San Diego Pier

     276 – DOC – GOD IS NEVER LATE

     July 19, 1964

     Pastor Henry F. Kulp

Romans 5: 6 – 11 “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.”

As we study the fifth chapter of Romans, we can’t help but get the feeling that we are constantly mounting a golden stairway of truth, reaching higher and higher in the realms of the Grace of God. This stairway of truth has a solid foundation of having been justified by faith, we have peace with God. So, the first great effect of having believed in Jesus Christ is to have the sensation of peace. This comes by a new relationship with God. Notice, in Vs. 6 He calls us a very ugly name—ungodly, and then in vs. 10 an astounding statement is made—we were enemies—Ungodly, and enemies of God. The normal relationship with God, is not peace, but war. It is not friendship, but enmity.

1/  You have heard, well—meaning, people ask, have you made your peace with God? Peace is not a reward; it is a gift. Peace is not made by us, but it was made once for all by Christ Who made peace by the blood of His Cross.

2/  Many people do not understand peace. The world cannot understand peace, because it never has it. Peace is not pleasure, peace is not amusement, peace is not fun. Peace is spiritual life, received from Jesus Christ the moment we trust Him as our sin-sacrifice. All of this is ours by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

3/  But does not this give us a license to go and live anyway we want? How many people bring this up. No of course not. We do not say we are saved by faith and then live any way we want. This is ridiculous. Let me show you something that may bring out the difference. There has always been a truth about the child of God in every dispensation. None of us live without sin, but this is not an excuse to go out the grovel in sin. 

II Peter 2: 22 “But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.” 

Here we have the dog and the sow. The dog will get rid of the thing that made him sick, but when he feels better, he’ll go back to it again. This is what a true child of God should not do. Then the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. The sow was only washed. If the sow had been made a sheep, it would never have gone back in the mire. That is the real difference here. A sow and a sheep can walk together in the pasture side by side, and they both may fall into a mud hole or a ditch. The difference is how they act when they get into this ditch or mud-hole. The sow will enjoy wallowing in the same mire. And this is the element the sow likes. It loves to get into mud, dig and root around. But the sheep, if it falls into a ditch or a mud hole will try to get out, because it doesn’t like the mud. The sheep likes the pasture. That is the difference, the sow wants the mud, but the sheep wants the pasture. If you get a hold of a man who says, I believe in Jesus Christ, and he just loves the mud and mire and muck of sin, and he revels in it, and he just is happy in it—I doubt if that man has ever been saved. He is not one of the Lord’s. Salvation is by faith, and when you are saved, you have peace with God, and you have a new nature. You can fall into sin, you can fall into the mud hole, but you will not really be happy there—you will be tormented there, you will be in agony there—you will want God’s pasture. Sure, I’ve fallen into sin, I’ve made mistakes, but I’ve never been happy in them, I’ve always been miserable.

4/  Now, let us notice the 6^th vs., “for when we were yet without strength, in due time, Christ died for the ungodly” Notice that mankind is without strength. Being without strength doesn’t mean weak, it means you haven’t any strength at all, it means you are helpless, it means you cannot lift a finger to save yourself.

5/  Now notice, in due time. In due time means the appointed time, or the right historical moment. Did you ever notice that God has a plan? He has a plan in everything He is doing. Nothing just happens by chance. That is why the believer’s life, the word, lucky, does not find an appropriate place. We are not lucky under any circumstance. So, I believe the best translation of this should be, Christ died at the appointed time. Christ died at the set time.

6/  I wonder, if as you study Scripture, you have ever noticed, that Christ’s death is according to the plan and it has a time element in it? 

Revelations 13: 8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain form the foundation of the world. 

Here we read that Christ was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. In other words, in ages past, it was decided that Christ would die. Long before man was created and put into the Garden of Eden. Long before this earth was created, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit devised this wonderful plan of salvation and a time was set for His crucifixion. 

Then notice Galatians 4: 4, 5 “But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law.” Here you have a plan and here you have a time element. 

Acts 2: 22, 23. “Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: ²³ Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:” 

Here we read that Christ being delivered by the determined council and foreknowledge of God—that means the definite plan of God. In ages past God had a plan, His Son was to die, and of course, there was a special time set.

7/  Let me show you something about this plan, and about the set time. Let us notice the day and the time that Jesus Christ was crucified. 

John 19: 30, 31 “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. ³¹ The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.” 

For that Sabbath Day was a high day. High day? What does that mean? It wasn’t the Saturday Sabbath at all, it was another Sabbath. Notice, the day when Jesus Christ was crucified, we are told, was the preparation that is the day of preparation for the Passover Feast. It was the 14^th day of Nisan. (Nigh-san) which is the first month of the Jewish calendar. On this day of this month every family in the nation had to kill a Passover Lamb and prepare it for eating in the evening. 

The story is told to us in Exodus 12: 18 “In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even.” 

When Jesus Christ died, the Jewish nation had been observing this annual Passover feast for over 1,500 years. Every year on the 14^th day of this month each family would kill its Passover Lamb in mid-afternoon. Then the Lamb would be roasted whole with fire and eaten that night with bitter herbs in memory of that night when the children of Israel came out of Egypt. Remember, the Jewish Day began at sundown. At sun-down would begin the 15^th day of this month, and then the Passover Lamb would be eaten, so they were on the 14^th day of this month, approaching the 15^th day which is a high Sabbath. This was a prophecy concerning the death of Jesus Christ. He was to die at the very appointed time for the slaying of the Passover Lambs throughout the nation. He could not die on the wrong day, but at the right day at the very minute. Remember, they tried to kill him at other times, but it didn’t work, because this was not according to God’s plan. It was not the appointed day. When Jesus Christ first preached at Galilee, after having been filled with the Spirit, the people were filled with wrath, and they rose up and thrust Him out of the city, and led Him unto the brow of the hill whereupon their city was built that they might cast Him headlong over the hill. 

Luke 4: 28, 29 “And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.” 

If they had succeeded, if Christ had died there, He would not have been the Saviour, God’s program would have been of no value, because this was not the day for Him to die.

8/  Then the wicked Pharisees and Sadducees sought to stone Him to death, as they did stone Stephen a little later on. In fact, they wanted to stone Jesus nothing would have pleased them better than if they could have accused Him of blasphemy and crushed Him under the weight of cruel stones. John 8: 59. “Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.” If one stone here had fractured His skull, or broken a rib, or any bones, then Jesus Christ would not have been the Son of God. He would not have been suffering under the right program. But it says that Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them and so passed by. They were not successful. But when the appointed time came, on this 14^th day of the first month of the Jewish calendar, the preparation day, He died even as the children of Israel were killing the lambs for the Passover. He died at the right time, and the right place.

9/  But let us go back and read the plan God had. We have a revealing of this plan in the first Passover. 

Exodus 12: 8, 9. “And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.  Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.” 

Tonight, they were to eat the flesh of that lamb, and it was with the purtenance, and that means the organs were to be left in, the whole thing was to be roasted with fire, the entire lamb. Notice, God says, you are not to eat it raw. Do you think there was any danger that they would eat the lamb raw? Of course, they had been for many years, slaves down in Egypt. They were nothing more than heathen--they knew nothing about the Lord. They probably knew about Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph, but they had no written word, they had no prophet, they had no history. They were probably not much removed from a heathen nation, and the Lord said, eat not of it raw. But there is a deeper meaning than that in it. I think it is this. I think it is this. Remember this Lamb is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, and God says, eat it not raw, but roast it with fire. Fire is a picture of judgement. And the Lord Jesus Christ passed through the fires of judgement for us when He was on the cross. It was on the cross where the Lord Jesus Christ was judged for our sins, and punished with the fore of God’s wrath, and here He is a type of the Lamb, roasted with fire. God said, eat not of it before the fire is applied. That means that Christ before He suffered on the cross was not able to save. The Christ of the four Gospels, who healed, and helped and raised the dead, was not able to save, because He had not suffered the wrath, the fire of God’s judgement.

10/  Exodus 12: 10 “And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.” 

Let us notice something else here, and ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning, that which remaineth of it until the morning, ye shall burn with fire. That is remarkable, that the Lord said, this Passover Lamb is to die, and ye are to take the blood from it, and sprinkle it for your safety on the door lintel and eat it for your strength and sustenance, but do not leave of it until the morning, it must disappear entirely. Did you ever notice how quickly they buried the Lord Jesus Christ after He died? Most people have a little bit of service of some kind at death—even the Jews of those days did—they had some kind of a funeral service, but not for the Lord Jesus Christ. They took Him off the cross, and put Him in the brave as soon as possible, it was all over. Let nothing of it remain until the morning. Perhaps within an hour they went to Pilate and begged the body of Jesus, and Pilate said, yes. They took Him down and wrapped Him in linen. They took Him to the tomb and rolled the stone. All was according to plan as it was prophesied and given to the nation Israel.

11/  There is a very definite time schedule in Daniel. 

Daniel 9: 24 “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.” 

Daniel had some knowledge of the plan of god, and he prayed and asked for more. God sent the angel Gabriel who gave him a divine revelation, and this divine revelation is very interesting. 70 weeks are determined upon they people. The word, here translated weeks, is a time word, and it refers to a period of seven years. We use decade for a period of ten years. But here it is a period of seven years. First of all, notice the word, determined. These weeks are determined, they are set and fixed, nothing can change it. Israel used to speak of seven years as a week. 

Genesis 29: 26, 27. “And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. Fulfill her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.” 

You will recall here that Jacob, who had been working for Laban, his uncle, falls in love with Rachel the daughter of Laban. He made a bargain with Laban that he was to work seven years, and at the end of seven years he would receive Rachel as his wife. But the scheming Laban had other plans, so when the wedding day came, he gave Leah, the sister of Rachel to be the wife of Jacob instead of Rachel for whom he had been laboring, and so he comes to Jacob and he makes another bargain. He says why don’t you continuing working another seven years for me here, and I’ll give you Rachel immediately to be your wife, because he said, in our country, you cannot give the younger before the firstborn. Now notice the 27^th vs. fulfill her week—seven years and here is a striking example that a period of seven years is called a week. Now he says, first of all 70 weeks, that is 490 years, and then it is to finish the transgression and make the end of sins. That means when Christ died on Calvary.

12/  Then notice, the total of 70 X 7 years is divided into three periods. Two of these periods are 7 X 7’s, or 49 years, and 62 X 7, or 434. These figures together make 69 X 7 or 483 years. But this leaves 7 years to be accounted for—if we look at the list of things to be accomplished before the 490 years are finished, we immediately see that some prophecy has not yet been fulfilled, but God said to Daniel, start counting years from the issuance of the degree to rebuild Jerusalem, and after 490 years of trouble the street and the wall will be rebuilt—then continue counting, after 483 years the Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself. What a statement! Here is the clear declaration of God that the Messiah would die and His death would be for others, not for Himself. It was to be vicarious, it was to be a substitutionary atonement. Evidence shows that this decree was issued in Babylon one spring time, and proof is given to us very clearly that Jesus Christ died on the cross 483 years later, to the very time marked down by the decree. The prophecy was fulfilled to the last detail. In the fullness of time, at the appointed time, at this special time in history, Jesus Christ died. 

Oh, how wonderful the Word of God is down to its last detail…God is never late!

AMEN

Ref: 07/19/1964/ KULP – 276 – GOD IS NEVER LATE / June 5, 2020