Colossians chapter 4. Y'all see how pretty I look in this tie and this jacket? Get a good look real quick because it's gone. I'm sorry about that, but I feel like I have a straitjacket on when I'm wearing that. Colossians 4.1, and this may seem like an unusual verse of scripture for us to focus in on and look at as a standalone text. Colossians 4.1, masters give unto your servants that which is just and equal, knowing that you also have a master in heaven. Now this verse is indeed part of the context of chapter three and how that we are exhorted all through that chapter. And we can look at some of the, some of the verses and get a sense of that. Forbearing one another, verse 13, forgiving one another, that he may have a quarrel against any Even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. We're exhorted to adorn the doctrine that we preach. We're not to declare the forgiveness of God and then be cruel to those who we perceive to have wronged us. We're not to proclaim the loving kindness and mercy of God and then be mean as a snake. We are to adorn the doctrine that we preach. be doers of the word, doers of the gospel and not hearers only. And we will be. God works in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure. If the Lord is blessed in us, if he's saved us, if he's dwelling in us, Paul said, it's not I, it's Christ that dwelleth in me. we're not to experience and affirm what a wonderful king our savior is and then abuse whatever authority he may have given us on this earth we're to live the gospel that we preach honoring our savior as we do as his word does all through but this verse also reminds us and teaches us of a particular attribute of our God which is so glorious and comforting, especially when seen in light of the gospel. You see how specific this verse is when you consider what it might have said. It specifically points out the framework of the verse is telling masters to treat those who serve them In a certain way, because here's the reason, here's the motivation. Because we have a master in heaven because of Christ and who he is to us. Let's be that to others. It could have said kindness is our master, not kind to us. Is he not long suffering? Does he not not upbraid us when we show ourselves to be fools and so needy before him and always dependent upon him? He upbraideth not. He knows that we're dust. He knows that we need him every hour for everything. And he is that need. They could say generosity. Masters be generous to your servants. because you have a master in heaven. It could surely say that, couldn't it? Our savior gives us what's right, but somehow his idea of what's right for his sheep is a lot more than us just getting by. He's so generous, isn't he? Everybody in this room is rich. rich, and those who know the Lord Jesus Christ in this room are rich beyond measure. It could be wise governance, be wise in your administration of, of whatever authority you have, because look at your master, how wise he is, how, how many things we would do differently and suffer for it. But our Lord guides us. Teaches us. Reigns us in overrules us opens our eyes and our hearts. To the truth. It could be level. That'd be a strange concept in this world. Wouldn't it love your servants? Because look at your master in heaven. You know, that one centurion, I believe he loved his servant. Don't you? He came to the Lord Jesus Christ and said, Lord, my servant life at home, sick of the policy, grievously tormented. Come and help him. You're not, I'm not worthy for you to come into under my roof. Just say the word and my servant will be healed. He came to the Lord for him. Those ones that lowered their. their loved one down through the roof. Lord, they came and brought him to the Lord. Do we do that in prayer and from our hearts? Bring those that we love before the Lord and say, Lord, have mercy. If you will, you can. All of these and more would abundantly apply to our master. in heaven, but we're told specifically to be righteous. That's what that word justice. And fair. That's those two words righteous and fair in our dealings. With our servants those over whom we have authority as a parent as a boss in the church. At home. Or in any capacity under God. And the clear implication being that God, our master, is just and equal in his dealings with us. And maybe you're thinking, wait a minute, is that what we want? Do we want the master to be righteous? To be fair? Is that what we want? What's fair from God? It sounds like something we wouldn't want. And in a sense, it is something that very much we don't want. You've probably heard a few gospel preachers say, if God gives us what we deserve, we're in trouble. And that's the truth. In the sense of our standing before God by nature, this sounds like something that we don't want. We all deserve to go to hell. In our natural condition before God, We deserve hell and only hell. Anything beyond hell is some kind of mercy. Only hell, nothing but hell. We are by nature, the children of wrath, even as others. But let's look at that passage of scripture that I just quoted that verse from. Turn with me to Ephesians 2. and verse two. Ephesians 2, 2. Wherein in time past you walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience, People popping off about their free will. When they're under the bondage of Satan the whole time. Captive. Captive under Satan at his will. God. But God, we richly deserve his wrath. And yet, God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love, wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, even when we were so wretched and horrible in his sight, that we were like dead, stinking, rotted corpses. But worse than that natural picture, dead, stinking, rotted corpses shaking our fists in his face and spewing blasphemies and our hatred unto him. But for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, what did he do about it? He quickened us together with Christ, by grace you're saved. In case this picture of us being dead, dead people are dead. No capacity, no hope. It's important that we understand our condition by nature, not only wretched and vile, and evil and corrupt. People talk about sinners, like it's kind of a romantic way, don't they? Oh, he's just a poor old sinner. Do you have any idea what that is? Somebody got offended at me one time calling us from the scriptures. Now I called us stupid. I said, we're stupid. You look up that word, slow of heart, slow of heart to believe. spiritually before God, without his grace, without his enlightening spirit. We're stupid. And somebody got, well, I don't like the word stupid. And I thought to myself, I always think, you know, when it's too late to say it, what was the best thing to say? But I thought later, I thought, well, do you like the word sinner? Do you think stupid is worse than sinner? You're okay with being called a sinner, but you don't want to be called stupid. Something wrong with that. If we had any idea what a sinner was, stupid would be a compliment. Even when we were dead and sins hath given us life. And so if that picture isn't clear enough, dead, four days stinking dead. And Christ with the power of the same voice that said, let there be light. And there was light said, Lazarus, come forth. And quickened us together with Christ. All of our blessed, every blessing we have from God is in Christ. We're quickened together with him. In case that picture isn't clear enough, by grace you're saved. That's what that's saying. That's saying we're not only horrible, but there's nothing we can do about it. And it's going to take the free sovereign grace of God to save a wretch like me. So God, because of his great love wherewith he loved us, quickened us, gave us life together with Christ who rose from the dead for our justification. Even though we were deserving of his wrath, followed Satan and were rebels even to the point of murdering his precious only begotten son on Calvary. because he loved us. But is that just? Is that right? How can mercy, even the rich mercy of God, be consistent with justice? If God is strictly just and we deserve hell, we get him. That's what justice means, doing what's right. But notice in what we just read that it's who God is. We're the children of wrath, even as others, but God who is. It's because of who he is, not because of any improvement in me or reaction from me or Works for me, anything, decision, my will, nothing. It's because of who God is that there's hope for me. You see that? God who is. We can never understand this in this life, but the answer has to do with who God is. Who is God according to that passage we just read in Ephesians 2? Who is God? Rich mercy and great love. That's why I'm saved, because of who he is. Romans 5a, God commendeth his love toward us, and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Now, not only is that a beautiful truth concerning the love of God toward wretches like us, but let's look at the context of that verse too, in Romans 5. Let's look at Romans chapter 5 for a minute. And talk about this. God has dealt with us in justice and equity. That's comforting. That is how we go to sleep at night. Romans chapter five. And we could read this whole chapter. Let's kind of, I guess, look at. look at, I guess, most of it. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also, knowing that tribulations worketh patience. He works everything for our good. He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all. How shall he not freely also freely with him give us all things. You know, nothing bad has ever happened to you. If you're his things that we call bad, but nothing bad has ever happened to you. It's all been for your good. Before you knew him, when you knew him, after you knew him, there's no bad. Even tribulations, pain, fear, heartache, it's all good. He works it. To establish these graces within us, to grow us in his grace and in his knowledge and hope, make it not a shame. Verse five, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us. 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 of us, much more than being now justified by his blood. That's what our brother just preached, isn't it? because of his blood. It's that simple. It's because of his precious blood that I stand not guilty in the sight of God. It's that simple. Anything else you would say about that would just complicate it. It's by his blood that we're justified. And we shall be saved from wrath. through him. You see that? For if when we were enemies, and we were, we read it, didn't we? By nature, the children of wrath, the carnal mind is enmity against God and is not subject to the law of God. Neither indeed can be. We were reconciled to God by the death of his son. It is enough that Jesus died and that he died for me, not the world, not mankind. He died for me. Is that enough for you? Is that enough for us? And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement He's saying the same thing a lot of times in a lot of different way. We've received the atonement and we joy, we rejoice in him. Who are we? We're the circumcision that worship God in the spirit. And what do we do? Rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh. 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. That's where we started. How can God be just? How can he deal with us in equity and us have any hope? Until the law, we'll look at this part too, until the law, sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there's no law. Nevertheless, death still reigned. Just because there wasn't a law written yet and given on Mount Sinai doesn't mean we weren't already breaking it. Those didn't sin after the similitude of Adam's transgression in the very face of God's written law, but they sinned. Death reigned who is the figure of him that was to come, but not as the offense. So also is the free gift for if through the offense of one many be dead much more The grace of God and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ hath abounded unto many. So God deals with us justly and in equity, and yet there's hope, there's grace, there's salvation by the blood. We're reconciled to God by the death of his son, as it says in verse 10. and put this way in verse nine, I love the way he said that there in verse nine, justified by his blood. So then the way that God can have mercy on us in a righteous way to deal with us in equity and justice and yet have mercy is by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Isn't that simple? Greg said it was. He was right. He was right. Is that what the Bible teaches? Turn to Romans chapter three, please. Romans 3 21. But now the righteousness of God without the law. is manifested. Does that mean God just did away with his law? Of course not. Righteousness, how can there be righteousness without law? That's what righteousness is. It's obedience to the law. It's perfect obedience to the law. But this is righteousness, the righteousness of God without you keeping the law and being witnessed by the law and the prophets. The law itself It teaches us how to be just without the law. Does it not? God gave his law on Mount Sinai, revealing what we are, by the way, not to prevent, you know, us being that way, but because we are that way. And then what did he say? Build a mercy seat. That's part of the law too. Build a mercy seat. What's that for? For lawbreakers. That's where the precious blood of God's lamb will be shed and applied to that mercy seat. He said, I'll commune with you there on that mercy seat. That's Christ. The only place God and a sinner can come together in communion in acceptance and fellowship is in Christ and by his precious blood. Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ. Now Christ first believed on God. He's the first one, the first man to ever perfectly, completely, satisfactorily believe God. And he is our righteousness in that. But this here, this word means the faithfulness of. This is righteousness, the righteousness of God, which by the way, that's the only righteousness there is. There's just war. It's by the faithfulness of Christ. For us to be righteous before God, we would have to be faithful to his law. That can't happen. That's never happened. That's never going to happen. But Christ was faithful to the law, not just outwardly conformed to the law. But with all of his heart, his meat was to do the will of him. That which sustained and satisfied him was to do the will of his father. That's my righteousness. Christ, the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. But what about our faith? Here it is next. For there unto all and upon all them that believe. That's us believing on Christ. And as our brother said, that's the gift of God. That's not something we work up. The fruit of the spirit is faith. Looking unto Jesus, the author, you look up that word sometime, it means that by which something began to be. The author and finisher of our faith. So we're looking unto Jesus, that's what faith is. We're looking unto Jesus by faith, and by faith that he gave, we're looking to the one that gave it to us. And we'll finish it. And we'll keep us unpluckable from his hand. For all have sinned, well, upon all them that believe, for there's no difference. The difference is the difference that Christ makes. There's no difference in any of us. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. You say, well, I haven't sinned as much as somebody else has sinned. That's like saying he's more of a worm than I am. I'm a worm, but he's a bigger worm. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. That's what you need to know about that. And by nature, you're a child of his wrath, but being justified freely by his grace. You see that now? God's going to deal with us justly and in equity. How? We're justified freely by God's grace. So God is just so just so benevolent that he just decided he's gonna let some of us go off scot-free? No, God can't do that. So what did he do? Why did he do that? How can he do that through the redemption? Through the precious sin-cleansing blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, whom God has set forth to be a propitiation, a sin offering. How'd you put it, Todd? A sin-removing offering. Propitiation through faith in His blood. Isn't that a beautiful phrase? Faith in His blood. Do you believe that Christ's blood is precious enough to pay for all of your sin? There's a little more to it than that, and Lord willing, we're going to talk about that in a second, but a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousness. This has nothing to do with you being righteous in the sight of God and by the deeds of the law. By the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in the sight of God. This is about his righteousness. This is about what he did for you. Gospel preachers don't stand up and try to get you to do something for God. Our hope and prayer is that God will do something for you. To declare, I say, verse 26, at this time, His righteousness, that He might be just, that He might deal with you in righteousness and fairness and equity and yet justify you by grace through faith in his darling son. Your master in heaven has dealt with you in a righteous and equitable way in saving you simply because the precious blood of Christ was shed for you. We saw those words in that passage, redemption in verse 24, the word in verse 25, propitiation. Also in verse 25, faith in his blood, through faith in his blood. And all of that adds up to God being God and justifying a sinner like you. Do you know what it is to have faith in Christ's blood? And to believe in His blood is to believe that only, only by the blood of Christ am I acceptable and even holy in the sight of God. I'll tell you what it's not. Faith in His blood is not to believe that Jesus Christ shed His precious blood for everybody and the only way that that blood can work for you is if you decide that it does. That's not faith in his blood, that's faith in you. That's faith in your depraved will. Here is faith in his blood. Listen to it. You wanna know what faith in his blood sounds like? And we know that all things work together for good. Turn over there with me, please, Romans 8. We'll pretty much close with this passage, Romans 8, 28. I want you to see, isn't it beautiful how you, when you see scripture that you may be familiar with, but you see it in the light of another verse, another passage of scripture. Nothing sheds light on the word of God like the word of God. Romans 8, 28, we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. And this establishes what he's talking about. He's talking about God saving you. And all that was involved in that, look at verse 30. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called. And whom he called, to them he also justified. and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we say then to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" Now think about that. Think about that in light of what religion, their whole message. I think it was Henry that said one time, the first two things you'll learn in the average Baptist church, is that God loves you, God loves everybody, and that Christ died for everybody, and neither one of them is true. In fact, they're both absolute blasphemy, absolute blasphemy. If God before us, would you say that sending his son to be the propitiation for our sins, even while we were yet sinners, herein is love. Not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sin. Would you say that's God being for us? Who's gonna be against you? How are you gonna lose the benefit of that? How are you going to forfeit it? He that spared not his own son for you, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Would that include being with him forever? Has he freely given us all things if he's put us in hell? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? You see what we're talking about now? God deals with us righteously. Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. If I owe Todd some money and he says, Chris, don't worry about it. And then Caleb says, wait a minute. You need to pay that back. I must say no. I'm not paying it back. Todd said I didn't have to. He's the one I sinned against. It's God that we sinned against and he said we're not guilty. What charge are you gonna bring? Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that doth. Yea rather that is risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. The reason, the reason I am just in the sight of God, the reason that God deals with me in a just and equal way in justifying me before himself is that Christ died for me. That's it. His death does not make salvation possible for me. His death does not make salvation available for me. His death does not give me a choice to make. I thought about when Greg was talking about that. Did you know God never gave anybody a choice? Not one, two. I can't find it. Think about in the garden. God didn't give me any choices in the garden, but you know who did? Satan. He still does. That's who's giving you a choice. Well, I don't need a choice. I don't need a chance. I need to be saved. That's what Christ does. Well, he shed his precious blood for me in eternity and at Calvary. He saved my wretched soul. He made me before God without blemish, without spot. Poor God almighty. Have you ever thought about the rest of Romans 8 in light of the false gospel that's so rampant these days? When Paul writes of the love of God in verse 35 of Romans 8, he hasn't changed the subject. What does he mean love? What love is he talking about? It is Christ that died. That's what love is. Herein is love. That's what he's talking about. He's not changing the subject. He died for me. And if he did, you see what happens in all the rest of chapter eight, when Christ dies for you, when he loves you. Nobody and nothing in heaven, earth or hell can separate you from that love. May our tongues rot in our mouths before God would ever allow us to utter a single word that even reeks of universal atonement and universal love. Who and what is going to separate you from the one that gave himself for you? It's Christ that died, and that's the love he's talking about all in the rest of that chapter. Him who is love. His infinite love is the reason that your master in heaven is just and equitable in saying to you, well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter thou into the joys of thy Lord. And that glorious gospel, that soul-saving truth, when God reveals Him to us, and that He's all in our salvation, He's all of our righteousness, He's all of our sin offering before God, that will affect everything we think, everything we say, and everything we do by His grace.