Now, if you want to take notes on the message this morning, I encourage you to do so. You may hear a better message in the future. I don't think you'll ever hear a more important message. When is a man saved? When is a man saved according to the Scripture? Now, it's premature to talk about when a man is saved unless you and I understand what it is to be saved. That's of primary importance. If we're going to discuss when a man is saved, we're going to have to have some kind of understanding of what it means to be saved. This is a matter that needs to be cleared up, cleared up until we clear it up. What does it mean to be saved? There's no need to talk about when a man is saved. By being saved, what do we mean by being saved? Well, first of all, our Lord said this, being saved or having eternal life is to know God. He said in John 17 3, this is eternal life that they might know thee, the only true God in Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. Not to know a God, but to know the true and living God. To know Him, to be savingly acquainted with Him, to be vitally united with Him, to have fellowship with Him and communion with Him is to know God. Enoch walked with God. David said, the Lord is my shepherd. Paul said, I know whom I have believed. I'm persuaded that He's able to keep that which I've committed to Him. I know Him. I know Him. Now, whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved, but how shall they call on him in whom they've not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they've not heard? It's to know God. All right, secondly, now this is by way of introduction. We don't, we can't answer when a man is saved if we don't know what it means to be saved. So to be saved is to know, it's not a religious profession, it's to know God. Secondly, to be saved is to be delivered from the guilt of sin. If you take a look at Romans 3.19 with me, you'll see something that you ought to be concerned about, that I ought to be concerned about, and that is guilt, guilt, guilt. And I'm not talking about just a depressed guilt feeling over something you thought, said, or did. But I'm talking about guilt before God. It says in Romans 3, 19, ìNow we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty, guilty, guilty before God.î I know a lot of us have a sense of of unhappiness and depression and guilt about something we did five, ten, fifteen, twenty years ago or yesterday or last week. We have a sense of guilt about something we said or we have a sense of guilt about this, that and the other, but this guilt I'm talking about here is an awesome guilt. It's a fearful guilt. It's a universal guilt. It's a terrible guilt. It's guilt before God. having broken His law, having sinned against Him, having rebelled against Him, having crucified His Son, having rejected His law and His government and His statutes and His commandments and His laws. That's what I'm talking about. We're guilty before God. And to be saved is to be delivered from this guilt. It's not to be delivered from a knowledge that we're sinners. It's not to be delivered from a mourning over our sins. It's not to be delivered from grief because of the things we say and do and feel and imagine. It's to be delivered from actual guilt before God. To have the guilt removed. Now, turn with me to Romans 5. Romans chapter 5, verse 19. To be saved. is to have the guilt removed. The scripture says the law pronounces all men guilty before God, in the presence of God, in the sight of God, before the law of God. Our records are in bad shape before God. In Romans 5, 19, by one man's disobedience the many were made sinners. So by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. That's what we need, a righteousness, a deliverance and freedom from guilt. Look at Romans 8, verse 1. Romans 8, 1. There is therefore now no condemnation, no judgment, no charge to them who are in Christ Jesus. That's what it means to be saved. It means to know God, and it means to be delivered from the guilt of sin, from the penalty of sin, from the curse of sin, from the condemnation of sin. Look across the page at Romans 8, 33. Who can lay anything to the charge of God's elect? But you say, Pritchard, we just read a moment ago that the whole world's guilty before God. Christ has removed the guilt by paying the penalty. Christ has removed the condemnation by satisfying the law and the justice of God. So Paul says in verse 34, who is he that condemned? It's Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who makes intercession for us. What is it to be saved? It's to know God, savingly, lovingly, intimately, It's to be introduced to, and to be acquainted with, and to have fellowship with the living God, to know Him in His attributes, and in His character, and in His power, and in His person, and in His Son. It's to know the living God. And it's to be delivered from the guilt of sin. Now you can feel ashamed of something you said. You may say something this morning and go home and be, why did I say that to that person? I know he took that wrong and I wish I hadn't have said it and you'd be depressed all day about it. Guilt feeling about it or some thoughts you had or something you said. But that's not what I'm talking about here. You'll experience that all your life because you're going to keep on, this tongue of ours is always tripping us up. It's always getting us in trouble. And these eyes of ours are always getting us in trouble, and these bodies of ours get us in trouble with ourselves and everybody else, and we're just bumblers and fumblers and failures and everything else. But I'm talking about, I don't have any guilt before God. Because Christ has paid my debt and satisfied the law of God. There is no condemnation. There is no guilt. There are no charges. There are no offenses. With His spotless righteousness on, I'm as righteous and holy as God's Son. And before God, my guilt is gone. Oh, we still grieve over our sins, we still repent of our sins, we still confess our sins, we still mourn over our sins, we still recognize our inabilities and our failures, and we pant after holiness and strive to be like Christ and long to grow in grace and knowledge of Christ, but when we've done everything we know to do, we're still unprofitable, sir. And man at his best state is altogether vanity. And I shall carry this body of death and this body of sin to the grave, but thank God I already have the victory. The guilt is gone. My sins are covered. The blood of Christ cleanses us. There's no feeling, no need for me to have any feelings of guilt as far as God's concerned, because there are no sins. That's what it means to be saved. To be saved is to be delivered from the power of sin, from the conquering power and reigning power of sin. Our Lord said, sin shall not have dominion over you. You ever driven down the street and saw a sign in front of a restaurant or a place of business? Under new management, things will run differently. That doesn't mean that the floors will always be spotless. That doesn't mean the food will always be perfect. That doesn't mean that the service will always be the best, but it's better than it used to be. And that's what they mean by that sign, under new management. Things are different around here now. Things are different around here. There's a new boss. There's a new manager. There's a new executive. There's a new president. Things are better. And that's what this means right here. You are not under the dominion of sin. You're not under the reigning power of sin. You're not under the lordship of sin. You're not under the control of sin. You're under new management. If any man be in Christ, he's under new management. He's a new creature. The floors may not always be spotless, but they're sure cleaner than they used to be. That's what John Newton said, I'm not what I want to be, I'm not what I ought to be, I'm not what I expect to be, but thank God I'm not what I used to be. And that's so. To be saved is to be delivered from the reigning power, from the control of sin. It means to be under the Lordship of Christ. It's to be under the presidency and reign of the Son of God. And then to be saved, fourthly, is someday to be delivered from the very presence of sin. Turn to 1 Corinthians 15. From the very presence of sin. In 1 Corinthians 15, verse 51. 1 Corinthians 15, 51. Now this is what it is to be saved. It's to know God. It's to know the living God. Not a God, some God, any God. Living God In the person of Christ no man knoweth the father saved the son he to whom the son will reveal you've seen me you've seen the father So no God in Christ Is to be delivered from the guilt of sin the guilt is gone. My sins are gone. You said you still sin, but they're gone God said I'll remember them no more. They're blotted out. They're covered. They're torn father the debts paid. I It's to be under new management. It's to be out from under the dominion of sin, the reigning power of sin. And then someday from the very presence of sin. 1 Corinthians 15, 51. Behold, I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep. We shall all be changed. Everybody's not going to die. Somebody's going to be living when Christ comes. But there's one thing for sure. When Christ comes, we're going to be changed. If we hadn't died, We're gonna be changed in a moment in a twinkling of an eye at the last trump for the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed For this corruptible. What's that talking about your body your flesh your old nature? It's corruptible it's gonna put on incorruption this mortals gonna put on immortality and and Shame is gonna put on glory and weakness put on strength. That's what it means to be saved. I is to be perfectly conformed someday to his blessed image, to be like Christ. That's what God's purpose is in redeeming a people, that he might have sons like his son. All right? Here's the second thing I want you to consider. When a man is saved by experience, when a man is saved by experience depends entirely entirely on what the Lord has decreed and done in the past. We're dealing with the question, when is a man saved? And no need to proceed on that until you determine what it means to be saved. And the second thing is this, no use to proceed in that until you know who gets the glory for this thing of salvation, and who does the work. That's so. No need to go any further until you determine who gets the glory and who does the salvations of the Lord. And when a man is saved in time, I don't care if he's 12 years old or 20 years old or 40 years old or 77 years old. What is done in time depends on what God decreed in eternity. That's what I'm saying. You turn back to the text in Luke 19. Our Lord said something here that 99% Maybe not that many, but a whole host of preachers don't even understand, and so-called Bible students and teachers. You would ask them what he meant by this in Luke 19, 9. Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham. He's a son of... But my friend, the reason Zacchaeus climbed up in that tree, is because there's so many sons of Abraham around there, Bob. He couldn't see there's so many people, so many Jews, that he climbed up in a tree. Well, how come salvation didn't come to all these sons of Abraham? They were sons of Abraham by nature. This man was one of the sons of Abraham by faith. That's what Christ talked about. In other words, if he were to come here this morning, I'm going to make it plain so you can understand what I'm saying. I heard a preacher say one time, it's possible to preach the doctrines of grace in such a way that people won't be disturbed or upset because they won't know what you're saying. Well, why fool with it? But here's what I'm saying. Here's a whole crowd. If Christ comes this morning, and some of his elect are out there. Just say Cecil's one of God's elect, and Christ has come to this crowd. Here's a crowd of religious people, or Jewish people, or professing people. But that's one of his own. And he comes and he says to this crowd, salvation comes to this man's house because he is a son of Abraham. We're all sons of Abraham, the Jews say. No, he is a specific, particular, chosen, spiritual seed of Abraham. That's what he's saying about this. That's the reason he saved Zacchaeus. Turn to 2 Timothy 1. 2 Timothy 1. I want you to look at some verses here, 2 Timothy chapter 1, verse 8 through 10. 2 Timothy 1, 8 through 10. Paul says, Timothy, 2 Timothy 1, 8, Don't be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord. Don't be ashamed of me, his prisoner. Be thou partaker of the affliction of the gospel according to the power of God, who saved us who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. That's what I'm saying. I'm saying if you're going to find out when a man's saved, you're going to have to first of all determine what it is to be saved. Because if you don't know what it is to be saved, you'll mistake a lot of experiences for salvation. And secondly, you're going to have to determine who it is that saves. And the fact that his salvation, which he reveals in time, which he administers in time, is that which he ordained and predestinated from eternity past. That's what Paul is saying to Timothy. He called us Not according to our works, our emotions, our decisions, our profession, but according to His own purpose in grace, which was given to us in Christ. Turn to Ephesians 1. Ephesians chapter 1. It was given us in Christ. Everything's in Christ. God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. That's where the blessings are. They're in Christ. They're not in the altar, in the church, in the law, in the catechism, in the creed, in the ordinances, in the preacher. They're in Christ. Look at verse 4. According as He chose us in Christ, before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him. Look at verse 7. In whom we have redemption. We have salvation given to us in Christ, redemption in Christ, acceptance in the Beloved. We love Him because He first loved us. That's what I'm saying. But still there's a time, in time, by experience, when a man can have assurance that he's saved. that he has come to a knowledge of God, that he has come to a deliverance from guilt, that he has come to be under new management, that he has come to a hope of eternal life, all decreed and ordained and purposed and designed and executed and applied and given by God, worked out For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It's the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus. He said, I'm the potter, you're the clay. If not the potter, power over the clay to make of the same lump a vessel under honor and a vessel under dishonor. What is God willing to show His mercy and do it with much love, suffering the vessels of wrath, fitted for destruction? put his love and mercy upon sons of Abraham. Abraham's the father of every believer. He's the father of the faithful. This is God's work. God ordains it, and God performs it, and God applies it, and God executes it, and God sustains it. Salvation is of the Lord. But there's a time when a man comes to experience this gift of grace. When is it? When is it? Well, some people say it's when he's christened as an infant. You won't believe this, but this is so. It's so unbelievably so. I wish I'd have saved the book. I threw it away. I got upset with it and threw it in the waste can. But a man invited me to come preach for him in another state. Somebody got on me last Sunday about mentioning denominational names. But I ain't going to tell folks the truth if you don't tell them. But anyway, this man is a reformed of the reformed persuasion. Reformed churches, they're Protestant reforms, and Christian reformed, and Dutch reformed, and so forth. He's reformed. Got a big church, big church, in a large city. And he invited me to come preach for him. over the weekend, special services. Said, I'll put you on the radio and in the pulpit and so forth. But he sent me a book that he had written. And he wasn't too crazy about Baptists. And in that book, he said there was a Baptist preacher in the South who said that his daughter was saved when she was three years old. And there is a John R. Rice said that. His daughter was saved when she was three years old. But he said, I'll go one better than that. My daughter was saved when she came out of the delivery room. Now, that's what some folks think a person's saying. They have an idea. This is evil. It's wrong. It's error. It's heresy. But there's some folks who believe that. What's called household salvation that a person is saved because mom and daddy Christian boy, it's good to have a Christian mom and daddy, but Brother, I'll tell you I hope you're not resting in there Now you're in sad shape if you're resting in some drops of water sprinkle on your brow in an unconscious state Baptisms for believers And some say you're saved when you make a decision. They have revival meetings and the preacher puts a lot of, how many of you want me to pray for you? You're lost. Raise your hand. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. Now the choir's going to sing. And while we're singing, you who raised your hand, if you're really serious about this, come down and let's seek the Lord. And they come down and you believe you're a sinner. Yes. You believe Christ died on the cross. Yes. Will you trust him? Yes. You're saved. All right, some say they're saved when they're baptized. I listened to a fellow on the radio the other day, and he said that the Church of Christ started at Pentecost, and you're not in the Church of Christ, you're not in the Church of the Lord Jesus, and if you hadn't been baptized, you're not saved. Well, the thief on the cross was saved, and a lot of other folks. Moses wasn't baptized. Abraham wasn't. Able, you say, but they're in the Old Testament. They're in Christ. They're in Christ. Some say that you really can't know. I remember, this is so funny how you remember things that happen when you're a child. They say that you can't remember what happened yesterday, but you can remember what happened when you're a child. You know what that means, don't you, Ted? That means you're getting old. But anyway, I remember I was standing in a church one Sunday, and the pastor called on a man to dismiss and pray. I'd never heard this in my life. I guess it's got an element of truth in it. But it was a Methodist church, and he stood and he prayed very eloquently. And then before he quit, he said, and Lord, save us in heaven at last. And I went home thinking about that, just a kid, and I thought, save us in heaven. We better get saved before we get to heaven. But that's when some folks think you can't really know you're saved till you get to heaven. Well, let's face this thing head on. If you got the courage, if you got the courage, when is a man saved? I'm going to give you four things to think on, to practically consider. I'm not shoving this down your throat. I'm giving you these four things to consider. Now, we've gone over some important things, and I don't want to Go too long on this introduction, but the introduction is important as the message. What is it to be saved? You heard those things. Who does the saving? That's awfully important. Salvation is of the Lord. When is a man saved? Number one, turn to Galatians 1.15. When is a man, woman, boy or girl saved? Galatians 1.15, according to the Bible. Galatians 1.15, But when it pleased God. That's the first answer. But when it pleased God. Paul says, Who separated me from my mother's womb. Huh? Who chose me in Christ. Who set His love upon me. who called us not according to our own works, but according to his purpose, which he purposed in Christ before the world began. When? It pleased God! Not when the best preacher came to town, though usually there's a preacher involved. How shall they hear without a preacher? Not when the church had a revival meeting and everybody got right with God. That's not when a man's saved. He's saved when it pleases God. To do what? To reveal His Son in me. I wish there was some way that I could make that clear. Christ is revealed in a sinner's heart by the Spirit of God. Now, I can introduce you to Christ With your natural ears, I can tell you who Jesus Christ is. That's what I try to do. Son of God. Son of man. Incarnate God. God in human flesh. Our righteousness, substitutes, sanctification, all of these things. But to you, their theology and doctrine turns until God, by His Spirit, introduces Him to your heart. And God's only one can do that. You can play church, you can buy your Bible, carry it around, let a cross dangle down, get you a little old silly fish and stick it up here. You know, that meant something one time, it doesn't anymore. No, it doesn't anymore. It doesn't mean anything. It's imitating and mocking something somebody did years ago. Let's find out something that means something. And you can go around acting pious and looking religious, but I'll tell you when you'll be saved. It's when, like Matthew of old, the Lord crosses your path and tells you who He is, and deals with your soul, like He crossed the path of Zacchaeus and dealt with his sins, and dealt with his soul, and dealt with his future, and dealt with his present, and dealt with his past, and dealt with him, and broke his heart and made him over again, when it pleased God, like the woman at the well. Saul of Tarsus. You know how old Saul was and God saved him? You say, yeah, but he didn't know the way of salvation. Now, wait a minute. You just hold on a minute. Saul of Tarsus knew more about the scripture than any other man living. I boldly declare that without fear of any contradiction. Wouldn't you say that? I say that he knew more about the Scripture than any man lived. He was a Pharisee of Pharisees. What Scripture are you talking about, Preacher? I'm talking about the Word of God. I'm talking about Genesis through Malachi, because he wrote the rest of it, just about, by the Holy Spirit's leadership. I'm talking about the only Scriptures that were available at that time. I'm talking about the Scriptures to which Christ appealed. The Scriptures. He knew him inside and out, up and down, backwards and forwards. He knew him up here. He was about 40 or 45 years old. He'd gone through the sacrifices, the ceremonies, and feast days, and fastings, and almsgiving, and prayer, and all of these things. He was the most religious man of his day. He said, concerning the law, I was blameless. I had a dear lady wrote to me last week, and this folks don't understand what this thing of sin and Christianity. I get so upset. Bless her heart. I wrote to her. She wrote me a four-page letter, and she said, Brother man, she said, my husband is a good man. He doesn't do this, doesn't do that, and doesn't do the other. He stays at home. He doesn't, he says, but he's not saved. He's not a Christian. In fact, she said the only thing unchristian about him is he doesn't go to church. That's the only thing. Now let me tell you something. The only one who can strip us and empty us and convict us and bring us down, the only one who can reveal Christ to us in His saving power, the only one who can shut our mouths and open our hearts, the only one who can bring us into confrontation with the Son of God, is God Himself. And that's when a man will be saved, when he pleases God to do that work of grace. That's when a man will be saved. If my voice is the only voice you hear, you're not going to be saved. If a human voice is the only, you'll have to hear a human voice, you'll hear the Word of God preached, but you've got to hear Him who speaks through His Word and Him who speaks from Heaven. Salvation's a miracle. It's a new birth. It's a new creation. It's regeneration. It's a quickening. It's an awakening. It's life from the dead. It's all of these things by the power of God. Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus met God. That's what it pleased God, to reveal Christ in his heart. And Christ is revealed. It's not a ceremony or a church or a law or rules. It's a person. Faith has got to have an object, and the object of saving faith is Christ. All right, secondly, when will a man be saved? First, when it pleases God. And we wait for this, salvation of the Lord. And I preach and pray and witness to you and reason and argue and debate with you if you please, but only God can can tear down those walls of rebellion. Only God can uproot those old foundations of flesh. Only God can strip us of our fig leaf aprons. Only God can change the heart. Secondly, a man is saved when he comes under and bows to the authority and Lordship of Jesus Christ. That's when a man will be saved. Turn to Romans 9. That's when a man will be saved. Now, please understand what I'm saying. I wouldn't offend you. A man's not saved when he accepts Jesus as his Savior. I know what that got out. But I'm being honest with you, a lot of preachers are not. And I say this, and these deacons and elders know this, if they give me my walking papers tomorrow, that'd be all right. I'm going to tell you what this book. I watch for your souls, but I'm watching for my soul, too. And the Bible doesn't know anything about a doormat named Jesus. The Bible doesn't know anything about a fire escape named Jesus. The Bible doesn't know anything about salvation which allows a man to participate in the benefits of Christ the Savior, who does not bow to Jesus Christ the King. I'm sorry, that's not in the Word of God. You find me anywhere in this Bible that says a man will be saved by accepting Jesus as his personal Savior. I challenge you, I dare you, you won't find me. But it does say this, Romans 10, 9, and 10. Listen to it. That, if thou shalt confess with thy mouth. What's those next three words? The Lord Jesus. And you know what that is? Jesus to be Lord. Or Jesus as Lord. What is a Lord? King, monarch, dictator, sovereign, ruler. The one who has the right to reign. I tell you, Jesus Christ is not a poor little defeated frustrated sweet little Jesus boy who's sitting up there in heaven just frustrated and unhappy and disappointed because folk won't let him have his way. I'm sorry, that's not the Christ of the Bible. The Christ of the Bible is the conquering, sovereign King who created everything for Himself, by Himself, through His Word, for His glory. Even the wicked for the day of evil. Even the wrath of men will praise Christ. He's a sovereign, conquering King. He always has been King, Lord, monarch, ruler of the universe, who holds the nations as a drop in the bucket. who doeth his will in the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of this earth, and for a season, because of a love for people, because of his attribute of mercy and grace, because he would redeem a generation of sons. For a little while he laid aside his glory in heaven and transferred it down here. He came down here in human flesh. God was made flesh. Christ became a man, not a weakling. But a meek man, a man acquainted with sorrows and grief, a man of sorrows, despised and rejected, a man of flesh, took on himself the sins of his people, a man of love and mercy and grace, but he was never a weakling, he was never a beggar. Even on the way to the cross, as they wept and sobbed and cried, He turned and said, don't weep for me, weep for yourselves and for your children. He was always the King. He always completely reigned over everything and every person. When they tried to kill Him, He'd walk right through the middle of them. When they didn't have anything to eat, He'd turn the fish into enough for everybody, or bred in enough for everybody. When blind men stood in his way, he gave them sight. When lame men stood in his way, he told them to get up and walk. When he wanted to pay his taxes, he sent them down to get money out of a fish's mouth. When he wanted to walk on the sea, he calmed it down like the planet is this floor. He's kidding. I don't know where we get this idea, Charlie, who originated this mess about the weakling called Jesus, the defeated, frustrated, pitiful, sad-eyed, defeated thing called Jesus. There's no such person in here. He's a king. He's a sovereign king. He came down here and became a man. Yes, a man of sorrows equated with grief. Yes, a man of weariness and pain and sorrow and troubles. But all of that as a substitute there were somebody else's troubles, sorrows and sins. Mine. He went to that cross and there in his so-called weakest hour he turned to a thief and said, I'm going to let you go to heaven with me today. That's the king talking. He's got the keys of hell and death. And I'll tell you when a man will be saved. When he bows to and comes under and submits to the royal right of Christ to be his Lord. That's when he'll be saved. He won't be saved until. Turn to Luke 14. Luke chapter 14. Look at this now. This is important. Luke chapter 14 verse 26. Luke 14, 26. If any man come to me and hate not his father and mother and wife and children and brethren and sisters, his own life also, he can't be my disciple. Whosoever does not bear his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. Verse 33, so likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath cannot be my disciple. That's a Lord talking. That's King talking. Third, when's a man saved when he pleases God? See, I can't do that by myself. That's what I know. That's what people have been trying to do for ages. They've been trying to decide for Jesus. But when it pleases God to reveal who Christ is, when He reveals His hand, His unbared arm, His sovereign right to reign, His position, His person, you'll bow. You'll come unto the Lordship of Christ. And thirdly, a man's saved when he sees the glory of God. Turn to Exodus 33. And that sentence is not complete yet. I want to read something before I finish it. A man is saved when he sees the glory of God. Everybody hadn't seen that. Some have. And Moses said in Exodus 33, 18, I beseech you, Lord, show me your glory. And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before you. I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious. I will show mercy on whom I'll show mercy. Now, one other scripture, 2 Corinthians 4. I said, a man will be saved when he sees the glory of God. 2 Corinthians 4, God said, my glory is my goodness, my glory is my mercy, my glory is my saving grace. But where are we going to turn to find that glory? The law, the church, church history, the ordinances. 2 Corinthians 4, verse 5, we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord. And ourselves, your servants, for Jesus' sake, for God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. That's where it is. That's where it is. The glory of God. The heavens declare the glory of His wisdom, His sovereignty, His power, but Christ declares the glory of His redemption. I'll be merciful. How can God be merciful to the unjust? Through Christ, Christ the just became our substitute. The just died for the unjust that He might bring us to God. How can God be righteous and holy? and yet forgive folks like us because of Christ. The glory of His mercy is in Christ. The glory of His grace is in Christ. The glory of His love is in Christ. The glory of His love is in Christ. The glory of His grace and compassion is in Christ. And a man is saved when he comes to sin. I understand how God can be just and justify me. Understand because Christ the Lord honored the law and satisfied justice and released God's mercy and love Which was held back by his law and holiness and justice and righteousness. He released it to be shed upon me. I See God's glory. I'll be merciful. I'll be gracious. I see it in Christ That's what a man say not when he walks down an aisle Take the preacher by the hand and say, I ain't going to show any more on Sunday. I promise you I'm not going to cuss any more, and I promise you I'm not going to drink liquor any more, and I promise you I'm not going to do this, that, and the other any more, more except Jesus. Rather than when you come to bow to the sovereignty and lordship and the royal claims of a king, of a lord, of a sovereign, You see how God can be just and justify the ungodly, how God can be righteous, merciful, righteous, and holy and still redeem you consistent with His holiness. Oh, man. And then fourthly, and I close, a man will be saved when he understands something, not all, but something, of the awful guilt of his sin. and the righteousness of God in condemning them. Turn to Psalm 51. This is something that every man who saw the glory of God saw. Here's the wretchedness, rottenness of his sins. Not somebody else's, but his. I don't know anything about yours, but I know about mine. David said, Oh God, Oh God, Psalm 51, this is David speaking. Have mercy on me, oh God. Blot out my transgressions. Verse 2, wash me throughly from my iniquity. Verse 3, acknowledge my transgressions. Verse 4, against thee have I sinned. And Lord, you're justified when you speak, and you're clear when you judge. By shaping an iniquity and sin, my mother conceived me. Isaiah said, I saw the Lord, and I said, I'm a man of unclean lips. Job said, I saw the Lord, and I repented in sackcloth and ashes. Job said, I saw the Lord, and I hated myself. A man will be saved, not until he justifies God in condemning his sins. And when he sees the awfulness of his sins, he'll justify God. Let's sing that song in closing, Lord, Lord, Lord, Jesus paid it all, all the debt I owe.