Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now I'm found Was blind but now I see Welcome to the Princess Chapel Church sermon audio site. Princess Chapel Church is located in Ashland, Kentucky. Pastor, Brother Douglas Salyer. We truly hope that you receive a blessing from these messages, sermons, and lessons posted on this site. We would very much like to invite you, your family and friends to join us for worship services in our sanctuary in Ashland, Kentucky. Our prayers are with you as we request your prayers also as we do the work of the ministry edifying the saints and exalting the Savior to bring honor and glory to our sovereign Lord. We thank you very much for joining us today and may God richly bless I have already come. Tis grace that brought me here. and grace will lead me home. Y'all gonna make me preach extra long this morning, ain't you? Why, is it because I was late? I wasn't going to tell Brenda. I was just going to rub it in. But yeah, I was late too. I was holding the door for Brother Woody and Sister Tyna as they were walking out. And a couple of others were walking in. Bill and Rita and Mamaw there, they were walking in. They said, oh, we've got a doorman this morning. I said, yeah, I'm making up for being late. But you've got to understand something now. I said that all in fun and all in jest. But you need to understand something that all my good works don't mean a thing. We realize that this morning, don't we? All of our righteousness in the eyes of God are but filthy rags. So you know what? I do those things because God has changed my heart to give me the willingness to do those things. I do those things not of myself because in the flesh dwelleth no good thing. I don't know where I'm going to go this morning with this. I've got quite an extensive sermon outline, but it's not as long as it might seem, but I've got a thought I want to get across this morning. If you would, open your Bibles, find your spot in the book of Romans chapter number 10 this morning. I want to deal with just a few verses this morning. I got to thinking, well this is loud this morning, am I loud or is it just me? I got to thinking last week and this past weekend about some things and I've kind of thrown some questions out there leading up to this sermon about why did Christ have to ascend? Why did he have to ascend? Why couldn't he have just, poof, disappeared? Called all of his disciples together upon the Mount Olives, where he took off from, where he ascended from, and he could have just disappeared, couldn't he? He could have just vanished. Why did he have to ascend? And you know, I went through the entire Old Testament, and I was looking for Bible prophecy that spoke of the ascension, and I found one. It was prophesied that He would ascend. There's one Bible verse in the book of Psalms that prophesies the ascension. But then I got to thinking about it, you know, there's a reason, not only it was prophesied that He ascended, but there is a reason that He specifically ascended. He is the Holy One. He is the Righteous One. He is the only One who could ascend. No one else could. No one else was qualified to ascend. And that's what I want to deal with this morning. I want to deal with the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, the reason He ascended up after He had finished His earthly ministry. But the title of this message this morning, and just bear with me, Like I said, it's a long sermon outline, but it's really not that long of a sermon. I've got several points this morning, but they're very brief. But the title of this message this morning is, Nothing Can Hold Him. Nothing can hold Him. The earth couldn't even hold Him. Alright? So just bear with me this morning because of His righteousness. And whose righteousness is it? It's the righteousness of God. The righteousness of God. And if you're here this morning saved by the amazing grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, you understand and realize the purpose for the cross. And there is people that swear up and down that they're going to work their way to heaven. Well, I've got news for you. Friends, if you think this morning that you're going to work your way to heaven, do you know what you're doing? You're spitting and slapping the finished work of the Savior. You're saying, God the Father, what you sent to be the propitiation for the sins wasn't good enough. I've got to add to it. The Bible said to wit that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, but hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. The cross was the penalty for the payment of sin. That was the only thing that could appease the wrath of God. The grave was also part of that payment. He experienced the second death. Do you all realize that? That Jesus Christ experienced the second death. You say, Brother Doug, Jesus Christ actually experienced the second death? Yes, He did. Total separation from the Father. God the Father turned His back on His only begotten Son when He imputed upon Him the sin of mankind. And God the Father had to separate Himself from Christ. And for the next three days, Jesus Christ experienced the second death. You say, why did He do that? He did that for you this morning. He did that for you. And if you'd have been the only person on the face of this earth, I do believe He'd have still went to the cross. There are those today that say that Jesus Christ, He died and He went to the grave, but He never actually descended into the lower parts of the earth. Well, you're denying Scripture when you deny that. Let me tell you what, Jesus paid my price in full. When He cried out from the cross on the sixth cry, He said, It is finished. Do you realize the Greek terminology is what He's actually saying there? It's a dischargement of a debt, paid in full. A brother Don Stallier cannot add to the finished work of Christ. What makes anyone think that they can? There are those that deny the fact that He actually descended into hell to pay our price. Do you all realize that this morning? Jesus Christ went to hell. Now, there are people that refute that. Oh, no! Well, the book of Psalm, the psalmist writes in Psalm 16.10, he said, "...for thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One." All caps. Oh, who's he talking about? He ain't talking about the psalmist. He ain't talking about King David. Because there's only one Holy One. There's only one Righteous One. And that was the only one qualified to ascend. The resurrection was proof that the wrath of God was appeased. He arose in a glorified body, and for forty days and forty nights, He walked on the face of the earth with His disciples, the number of testing. Forty days and forty nights. And then he ascended up to the right hand of the Father. And that's where he sits now. Why? Because he finished his work here on earth. And now he's seated at the right hand of the Father because there's other work to be done. He's our mediator. He's our intercessor. He's our go-between. He's our bridge-builder. He's the daisman betwixt us that Job cried for in the book of Job. He's the only one qualified to ascend. He's the only one I know the thoughts and the mind and the heart of man, and at the same time know the heart and the mind of God the Father. He's the only one that can place His hand on me, and at the same time touch God. Whoa, glory! The daismon, the twixtus. Now, if you would, let's go. I want to read this to you. Just keep your place marked in the book of Romans. I want to read this to you. If you want to write this down, then you can go right ahead, but you don't have to turn there. I'm just going to read these two verses briefly, and then I'm going to move on with Romans 10. Psalm 68, verse 18 and 19, this is the prophecy of His ascension. Boy, you know, when I found this, Last night, about one o'clock in the morning. I've been looking for a week on prophecy that has to do with the ascension, and I only found one verse, and I found it about one o'clock this morning. Psalm 68, verse 18 and 19, Thou hast ascended on high. Thou hast led captivity. Captivity, captive, thou hast received gifts for men. Yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them. Blessed be the Lord, whom daily loatheth us." Boy, I like loatheth, loatheth us. You know what? He loads me down. He doesn't load me down with burdens because the burden He took away from me was a lot heavier than the burden that He gave me. He said, come unto me all ye that are burdened and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for my burden is easy and my burden is light. What God took away from me and gave me was much lighter. And what does He load me down with now? He doesn't load me down with a burden. But what does He load me down with now? Us, with benefits. The benefits, the blessings of God to and by His grace. Even the God of our salvation, Selah. He is the God of salvation. No other way. No other way, friends. It's not through and by good works. It's not through and by the keeping of the law. It's not through and by the deeds of the law, but by Jesus Christ. By grace are you saved through faith. Now, that was the Bible prophecy. I just threw that in there for nothing. I had to show it to you because it took me a week to find it. But I want you to go to Romans 10 this morning. I'm going to read the first 10 verses of the chapter 10 of the book of Romans. The first ten verses this morning, and then we'll get straight into our points. We'll get straight into our points this morning. Romans chapter number 10, verse number 1. Brethren, this is the Apostle Paul writing to the church at Rome. Now you need to understand something now. The majority of the people that was getting saved in the early days of the New Testament were Jews. They were Jews, even the ones in Rome were Jews, but what they had done is they had proselyted from Gentile faith over into the Jewish faith, and then all of a sudden they hear the gospel, and what happens to them? They get saved by the amazing grace of God and justified by faith. But what the Apostle Paul is dealing with here in the book of Romans, in this specific chapter, he's dealing with the vindication of the justification by faith. You're not justified by anything other than your simple faith, saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And what the Apostle Paul is trying to get them to understand here, that it's not through and by any other means of righteousness other than the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, and that was the only thing that made him qualified to be able to ascend to the Father. And when he stood before God the Father in heaven, boy, he had finished the work. He was the righteousness of God. And let me tell you something this morning. You can sit there on your blessed assurance and think all you're high and mighty and everything, but let me tell you what, unless your righteousness equal the righteousness of Christ, you will never be able to stand before the presence of God the Father. Never. You will not ascend, you will descend. Hello! You will not ascend, you will descend. Your righteousness must be equal to or exceed that of the Pharisees. Isn't that what Jesus said? Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees, you shall no wise enter into the kingdom. Your righteousness must exceed or be equal to that of Jesus Christ or you will not make it to heaven. You say, well, Brother Doug, how in the world is anybody supposed to be saved then? Justification by faith in His finished work. And He imputes upon you His own righteousness. And then you are able to ascend and enter into the presence of God the Father. Why? Not by your work, but through and by His finished work. That's why He came to die. That's why He went to the cross. Why? Because we could never do it. Never. Romans 10, verse 1, "...Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness..." Uh-oh. God's righteousness. Whose righteousness is it this morning that puts you in a right state? It ain't yours. "...They being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, that the man which doeth those things shall live in them. But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, who shall ascend into heaven? That is, to bring Christ down from above. Or, who shall descend into the deep? That is, to bring up Christ again from the dead. But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart. That is the word of faith which we preach. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thy heart, that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Do you see, when the Apostle Paul is talking about belief here, when he's talking about faith here, boy, let me tell you what, friends, it starts with the heart. It don't start with the mind. It starts with the heart. You see, anybody in here can change their mind for 15 minutes and come down and say a little old four-point prayer and then walk out and say, Woo-hoo! I'm saved. I'm on my way to heaven. And then you know what's going to happen? In about six months, they're going to be back out into the world living like the devil. Why? Because salvation is of It's not him that willeth, nor him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. And let me tell you what, the Holy Spirit must be in the process, through and by the preaching of the gospel. The broken heart and the contrite spirit must be wrought in the heart of the sinner, and then God will start showering that lost man with grace. And let me tell you what, friends, grace will change you. I'm living proof of that, amen? There's a lot of you in here that are walking testimonies of that. Grace will change you. Grace will clean you up. Grace will sanctify you. Grace will bless you. Grace will give you a new heart. Grace will change your will. Grace will change your mind. Grace will do everything that you didn't want to do before you got grace. Why? Because the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for their foolishness unto him, neither can he know them for they are spiritually discerned. Until the Holy Spirit comes in and breathes life into you, you can't get grace. Not the saving grace. You will get common grace because when it rains, it rains on the just and the unjust. That's common grace. That's common grace. But I thank God there's something else come with that grace, through and by my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And you know what that was? That was righteousness. And it wasn't even of my own. I took off the old fig leaves one day. I took them off. I took them off. And God said, I'm going to make some kosher skin. And you know what? He called me by my name one day. And there I was. I said, here am I, Lord. And He said, take that junk off and put this on. Because what God demands, God provides. You think God's going to make you do something that you can't do on your own? Yeah, He is. But He's going to give it to you. You see, there ain't nobody in here going to get to heaven because of the law. The only thing the law ever did for you was convict you and show your guilt. But along come grace. And when you get that grace, you get the righteousness. And Paul said, my goodness. He said, look at you all. He said, you have the zeal of God, but it's not the zeal of knowledge because you go about to establish your own righteousness. Paul said, I am that I am by the grace of God. Everything that Paul dealt with, he dealt with through and by grace. He said, it's by God's grace I am that I am. And it's by God's grace that you're even breathing this morning. It's by God's grace that blood is even flowing through your veins this morning. It's by God's grace that you have eyesight and you can hear me. That's all common grace, folks. That's all common grace. Oh, but to get saving grace, and to accept the Savior by faith, and to receive His righteousness, then that makes me... You know what that makes me? That makes me qualified now. To do what? To be able to ascend when He calls my name the second time. See, he called me once for the first resurrection, that the time is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of Man, and they that hear shall live. That's the first resurrection. You say, what's that talking about, Brother Doug? That's talking about being born again. I am the Good Shepherd. I call my own sheep by name. Paul said in Ephesians chapter 2, verses 1 and verse 5, to paraphrase it, he said, ye who were yet dead in your trespasses and sin, God hath quickened together and made alive with Christ Jesus. Why? Because of grace, that's why. Not because of your good works. You think I got saved because my daddy was a preacher? No, my daddy being a preacher didn't have nothing to do with me getting salvation through and by the grace of God. It's not him that willeth nor him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy for the children being not yet born, neither having done good nor evil, so that the purpose of God, according to election, might stand. But when I get the righteousness of Jesus Christ, that makes me qualified to ascend. That puts me at becoming an heir with God and a joint heir with Jesus. And I have that same privilege and that same right and that same power and that same authority to be able to ascend into heaven when He calls my name at the second resurrection, the resurrection of the quick. when the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with the shout and the trump and the voice of the archangel, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up, so shall we ever be with the Lord in the air. Wherefore, comfort one another with these words." If you've got the righteousness of Jesus, then when that trumpet blows and Jesus Christ calls His saints home in the rapture of the church, you will have the capability He has the ability to be able to arise and ascend into the presence of God, not because of your righteousness, but because of His righteousness. Earth, a lot of stuff couldn't hold Him. I want to go over these right quick this morning. Don't I? I'll jump through these right quick. Y'all in a hurry, ain't ya? Some of y'all hungry. Some of y'all want to get that buffet line at the Golden Cow or the Golden Crow. Hey, that's alright. Hey, glory to God. Hey, right here's the best meal you're probably going to get all day. Amen? Hey, natural food, let me tell you what. Hey, you'll eat three times a day, won't you? Come on now. I eat four or five times a day. He, Tom, eats about ten times a day, amen? Come on now, can I get a witness? Somebody amen me on that. Yeah, you'll eat three or four times a day. And you know, you little kiddies, I love you, I love every one of you, but you all will stay up late at night, especially on a Saturday night, and you'll play those games, and you know what? You'll sneak in the kitchen about one o'clock, and you'll get some cookies and milk, won't you? Or you'll get one of them little Debbie snack cakes, or you'll get all them oatmeal cakes with the white cream. Oh, let me tell you what, boy, we eat constantly, don't we? Why? To be able to sustain our body. But we starve our spirits to death. We come in church and we sit there like a sad sack and say, boy I wish he'd hurry up. I wish he'd hurry up and quit preaching. Well, you know what? Glory to God, I'm just going to mind the Lord this morning. I come here to have church, amen? I come here to have church this morning. I come here to worship and praise and magnify and honor and glorify the Holy One. I come here to worship and praise and glorify the Righteous One, the One who had the qualification and the authority to ascend into heaven, and now He's given me that same right. And you know what? The earth can't hold me. Because the earth couldn't hold Him. That's why He had to ascend. But let me show you else what couldn't hold Him this morning. Eternity couldn't hold Him. You say, what? Yeah, buddy, He's bigger than eternity. He's bigger than... He's God, isn't He? Is He not God? Is not Jesus God? In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. And these three are one. He's divine. But yet, He's still the perfect God-man. Why? Because eternity couldn't hold Him. His great love for His own made Him willing to walk off the pages of eternity and walk into the pages of time. Why did He do that? For you. For you. You see, Calvary was not an afterthought. The crucifixion, the death, the burial, and the resurrection was not an afterthought. In other words, God wasn't setting up in heaven one day, about 6,000 years ago, looking down at the world, and there was old Lucifer, old Sloughfoot, the great red dragon, the anointed cherub, Satan, the devil, the liar, and the father of it. sneaking through the Garden of Eden talking to Eve. And oh, by the way, Adam was standing right there too. Hello, read your Bible. Adam was standing right there. He knew what was going on. And all of a sudden he told Eve, he said, go on, try it, you'll like it. Boy, the devil's been doing that ever since. Listen to me, young people. Hello, listen to me this morning, young people. You're going to get about 15, 16, 17, 18 years old, and you're going to be out there in the world, and the devil's going to throw something in front of you, and he's going to say, go ahead. Try it. You'll like it. And you know what? I'm going to tell you something. You will. Amen? You will like it. The flesh will love it, but the spirit won't. And let me tell you what, if you're a child of God this morning, and you try it, and you don't like it, you need to come back, and you need to tell God, Lord, I'm sorry. I have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Know that you have an advocate with the Father. It don't affect your salvation, but let me tell you what, it will affect your fellowship with the Father, because eternity couldn't hold Him. And He sent His only begotten Son, not because of the fall. He didn't look down and say, I didn't see that one coming. No sir, buddy. God had that planned from the very beginning. You say, what are you talking about, Brother Doug? Oh, I'm glad you asked. Write this down. Revelation 13.8. I'm going to read it for you. You can come back later and read it on your own. I'm going to try to get through this. Revelation chapter 13 and verse number 8. Well, let me just paraphrase it for you because I'll go in 2 Peter and read 2 Peter 1, but Revelation 13.8 states that Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God, slain before, for, or from the foundation of the world. What does that mean? That means before God even said, let there be light, He had already planned this whole thing. He had planned the fall of Satan. He had planned the fall of Adam and Eve. Yeah, He had planned all of that, and He had already, in His sovereign mind, decreed that His Son be crucified. Already. Done. Finished. In Genesis 1-3, God said, on your mark, get set, go. Let there be light. He said, let this plan come to fulfillment. Why? So He could work out His grace and His glory in you and me. That's why. That's why He loved us. That's why eternity couldn't hold Him. Eternity wasn't big enough to hold Him because He created eternity. He is eternity. He is infinite. He said, before Abraham was, I am. He has no beginning of days, nor no ending of days. He has no mother. He has no father. He was never born, and He'll never die. 2 Peter 1, verses 18-20 says, Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, and from your vain conversation received by the tradition of your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as a lamb without blemish and without spot, who was verily foreordained, before the foundation of the world. What was foreordained? The sacrifice. The sacrifice that He would come and die was already foreordained from the foundation of the world, but was now made manifest in these last times for you, whom by Him... Do you believe in God? that raised Him up from the dead and gave Him glory, that your faith and hope might be in God. Is it in your righteousness this morning? Are you still walking about trying to establish yourself in your own righteousness? If you do that this morning, the earth will be able to hold you and you will not have the power to ascend because you cannot ascend before God the Father unless you have His righteousness. But the earth couldn't hold Him. Eternity couldn't hold Him. I'm going to show you something else this morning, very quickly. Man couldn't hold Him. He tried. Man couldn't hold Him. I'll tell you how He couldn't hold Him. Now, I'm not going to read all these. I'm just going to go through them very quickly. Matthew 12, 14. Don't turn there. Just listen. Just open your ears and listen. Matthew 12, 14. The Pharisees went out and held counsel against Him, how they might destroy Him, but man cannot hold Him. Matthew 21, 40, 46. They sought to lay hands upon him. They feared the multitude, because the multitude took him for a prophet, because man cannot hold him. Mark 3, 6. The Pharisees and the Herodians took counsel and went forth that they might destroy him, but man cannot hold him. Mark 14.1, at the feast of the Passover, the chief priests and the scribes saw how they might take him by craft, in other words, witchcraft. They were going to try to accuse him of the things he was doing was by sorcery and witchcraft and craft. but take him by craft and put him to death, but man cannot hold him." Luke 6, 11, they were filled with madness and reasoned with each other on what they might do to Jesus, but man cannot hold him. John 5, 16, the Jews persecuted Jesus and sought to slay Him, but man cannot hold Him. The Jews sought to kill Him in John 7, 1, but man cannot hold Him. John 8, 59, right after He said, before Abraham was, I am. They took 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, because man cannot hold him. John 19.10, Pilate tells Christ, he said, Knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, or to release thee? And Jesus said, You have no power, except it were given to you from above, because man cannot hold him. They didn't take his life, glory to God, because eternity couldn't hold him. Time couldn't hold Him. Man couldn't hold Him. He came and laid down His life freely for whosoever will. The cross couldn't hold Him. The cross couldn't hold Him this morning. Let me tell you what. Hey, hey, hey, He ain't on the cross. All of these little icons and these little pictures. We serve a risen Savior this morning. The cross is empty. His blood, the blood of God, changed the image of that cross forever. This used to be something 2,000 years ago. If you would look at it, you would fear and tremble. Why? Because this, it was the symbol of death. This was like the skull and the crossbones of two millenniums ago. If you saw this, you would be terrified. Why change the image of this? It was the blood of God that trickled down that cross that changed all of humanity, because time couldn't hold Him, eternity couldn't hold Him, man couldn't hold Him, and glory to God, the cross! Couldn't hold Him because He came down. The Creator of the heaven and the earth hung there with outstretched arms, bleeding, dying, battered and bruised and broken. Dying for you! Dying for me! And the cross couldn't hold Him. He came down. Oh, but when He gave up the ghost and He said, It is finished. Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit. And he gave up the ghost and he died. Where did he go? I'm going to tell you where he went before he descended. And you can disagree with me if you want, it's alright. We've all got our opinions on this, but I've got enough Bible to back my opinion up. As soon as Jesus Christ gave up the ghost. Now the Bible said he descended into the lower parts of the earth. He paid our price. He came up victorious, did he not? With the keys to death, hell and the grave. How are you going to get the keys to death and hell and the grave if you don't go there to Kim? Hello? The phone's ringing, pick it up. But he had to do something before he could descend. You say, what did he have to do, Brother Doug? He had to ascend. As soon as he gave up the ghost. And he had to walk into the throne room. He had to go through the veil, which there wasn't no veil now. He had to go upon the mercy seat. And you know what he put on that mercy seat? He put his own blood that appeased the wrath of God the Father. It appeased God's wrath. And then he said, I'll be back. I'll be back in 43 days, daddy. And He descended into the lower parts of the earth. And let me tell you what, eternity couldn't hold Him. Time couldn't hold Him. Man couldn't hold Him. The cross couldn't hold Him. And Satan and hell couldn't hold Him. Glory to God. After he gave up the ghost and he ascended into the third heaven and placed his own blood upon the mercy seat, he descended into the lower parts of the earth. Ephesians chapter 4 verses 8 and 9 says, now that he ascended, what is that to say also that he descended first into the lower parts of the earth? That he descended. It's the same that also ascended far above all heavens that He might fulfill all things. And what did the psalmist write in Psalm 1610? For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Man couldn't hold Him, friends. Eternity couldn't hold Him. Time couldn't hold Him. The cross couldn't hold Him. Satan and hell couldn't hold him. Oh, the old devil tried to bruise his heel on the cross, and he did bruise his heel. He fulfilled Genesis 3.15 when he said, I will put enmity between thy seed and the woman's seed, and thy shall bruise his heel, but he shall bruise thy head. Let me tell you what, Satan bruised his heel on Calvary because when Jesus was hanging there on the cross, stretched arms, the only way he was able to breathe. You realize how he died. People say, oh, he died from various causes. I'll tell you how he died. He drowned in his own fluids, and he caused his heart to collapse. He died of a broken heart as a result from drowning in his own fluids, because in order to be able to breathe when you're outstretched for six hours hanging on that cross, you'd have to push up with your feet. And what rubs against the back of the cross when you pull up to push up against your feet? you push up, your heels rub, and your heels constantly rub raw. Why? Because He was there for six hours paying our price, paying the ultimate payment for sin. You say, that was only six hours and three days that He spent compared to an eternity. Yes, but He drank the full cup of wrath, and you won't. But you know what He did when He went to Satan? down into the pits of Hades, the lower parts of the earth, He bruised the serpent's head. And He's going to come back one day and He's going to crush that head. Why? Because the earth can't hold Him. Eternity can't hold Him. Man couldn't hold Him. The cross couldn't hold Him. Satan and hell couldn't hold Him. I want to show you what else couldn't hold Him. The grave couldn't hold Him. The grave couldn't hold Him. Man couldn't. Cross couldn't. Eternity and time couldn't. Satan and hell couldn't because he came up victorious with the keys to death, hell, and the grave. Psalm 49, 15, the Bible said, God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave. He shall receive me. Selah. That's prophecy, folks. That's resurrection prophecy. The old grave just wasn't big enough to contain sovereignty. Oh, just imagine having the sovereign hand of God, having the body of Christ, having sovereignty laying in the tomb. It wasn't big enough to contain or hold the Holy One. It wasn't big enough or large enough or strong enough even to contain the righteous one. The two angels that were sitting there, one at the head and one at the foot, sitting there shining with bright apparel, they asked the question in Luke 24. They said, why seek ye the living among the dead? Why? Because He is risen. He is risen because the grave could not hold Him. He got up victorious. And you know what? Because He lives, we shall live also. Amen? Eternity, time, man, the cross, Satan and hell. And no, not even the grave could hold Him. So why did He ascend? He was fully qualified to ascend. He was the only one that had appeased the wrath of God. He was the only one who was the perfect sacrifice. He Himself was the righteousness of God. He told the Pharisees. He told the scribes. He told the Herodians. He told the disciples. He said, unless... We got any full-blooded Jews in here this morning? Didn't think so. He said, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and the Pharisees. Any scribes in here this morning? From Israel? Nobody? Do we have any Pharisees in here this morning? Anybody? Nobody? Unless your righteousness exceed that of the scribes and of the Pharisees, you shall know my sinner in." Does any of our righteousness exceed that? I don't think so. Boy, they knew the law inside and out. And you know what? They kept it too. Why'd they keep it? You know, I'll tell you why they kept it. They kept it because it made them look good. And Jesus said, oh, you hypocrites. He said, outside you're like whitewashed tombs, but inside you're like rotting flesh. Why? You go about in your own self to do your own righteousness. Isn't that what Paul said in Romans 10.3? He said, you walk about to proclaim and seek and do your own righteousness. But Jesus Christ is fully qualified. And by all that eternity, time, man, the cross, Satan, hell, the grave, By me placing my faith and trust in Him that did all that? You know what He gives me? He gives me that same righteousness that qualifies me to be able to ascend into the throne room of heaven. Not by my own righteousness. For my grace are you saved through faith, but not of yourselves. It is the gift of God. Not of works. lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus, which God hath before ordained, that we should walk in them." His righteousness. Why did He ascend? Because He was qualified. And He ascended because the earth couldn't hold Him. He was finished. Nothing has been able to hold Him. Why? Because He's sovereign. He's God. So why could anybody think that they could get there on their own self-righteousness? Let's listen to what Paul says again. Romans 10, 3 and 4. For they being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believe it. Let me tell you something this morning in closing. I want to tell you this in closing. I am not placing my trust in anything I can do. I am not placing my faith or my confidence in myself because in this flesh dwelleth no good thing. My trust and my faith and my confidence is solely and fully and completely in the One of which eternity couldn't hold, time couldn't hold, man couldn't hold Him, the cross couldn't hold Him, Satan in hell couldn't hold Him, the grave couldn't hold Him, and this whole earth couldn't even hold Him. That's who my faith is in. My faith is in the Lord of Glory, the Great I Am, the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords. Nothing can lay hold to Him. So therefore, I'm holding on. No, I'm not. Hey, man! Oh, these people. I'm almost done now. Just bear with me. Just grit your teeth a little bit. That's what happens when you don't sing. Hey, man, I'll just wear it back and let it rip. You're going to get a full hour's worth. I don't care. I hear people stand up in church, oh, I'm holding on to Jesus. No, you ain't either. You can't hold on to sovereignty. You can't grip His hand. People, I'm holding on. I'm just clinging on to the cross. Let go of the cross, because He ain't there no more. Woo! Hey! Hello! He ain't there because the cross couldn't hold Him. Hey! I ain't holding on to Him. But glory to God, He's holding on to me. Woo! He's holding on to me. In closing, John 10, 28, 29, just write these down, jot these down. Open up your ears real good and listen. This is the Scripture saying this. This ain't Brother Doug this morning. This is the Holy Scriptures! Which is alive, it's given by inspiration, and it's profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly furnished. Perfect. John 10, 28 and 29. I love these verses. And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never... What's that word again? Never. Come on church, say that. Never. Never perish. What does that mean? That means exactly what it says it means. Once God the Father, through God the Son, through and by the work of God the Holy Ghost, gives you eternal life, you will never perish! Now that's salvation. Now that ain't religion. Hello! There's too many people in churches today that think they've got salvation, but they ain't got salvation. They've just got good or bad religion. convinced them of, patted them on the back. And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. It ain't holding on to Him. He's holding on to you. John 10, 29, My Father which gave them Me is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand. I and My Father are one. And John 6, 38 and 39, For I came down from heaven. Not why? Because eternity couldn't hold Him. He came down. Why? Not to do My own will, but the will of Him that hath sent Me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent Me. Now listen, this is the Father's will. This is the Father's will. I don't care what you think. I don't care what you've been taught. I don't care how you've been brought up. Lay down your righteousness and lay down your traditions and come to the foot of the cross and receive Christ, the death, the burial, and the resurrection, and start walking after Him. And believe what He said, not what man has said. But I came down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of Him that hath sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which He hath given me I should lose nothing, but that I should raise it up again at the last day. Oh, my hope is built on nothing less. Say, Jesus is blood and righteousness. What's my trust is in that. And that alone can't take away from it. And you better not add to it. Because if you add to it, you're slapping Him in the face and saying, that wasn't good enough. That wasn't good enough. I've got to add to it. You should have said, it's finished class, Lord. No, He said it once and once was good enough. Paid in full. Nothing of myself I bring, but to the cross I cling. Not the cross in itself as the physical cross, but in the work of Christ that was done on that cross. My hope is built and nothing less save Jesus' blood and righteousness. Where's your faith at this morning? Where's your trust? As we bow our heads and close our eyes this morning.