The True Light

Greetings and welcome once again to the midweek live stream service from Beacon Baptist Church, Kirkpatrick Road, Burlington, North Carolina. We've had nearly a year now that we have not been having a people present service on Wednesday night or on Sunday night for the most part. We didn't have any services at all, but I think it was in May that we began to gather once again on Sunday morning, and we're still doing that.

930 on Sunday morning, people present, and we are having good services, and our attendance has been growing little by little over the last several weeks, and we think that trend will likely continue. And we're going to start adding some other things, and I'm not going to make any definite announcement at this time except just to say that in our discussion this afternoon among the three elders, as we met on Wednesday is our custom, we talked about the timing and the manner of adding some additional meetings to our present schedule. And we are going to do that. We've already given permission to one of the pastors to go ahead and start conducting one of the meetings that he is responsible for and would like to begin again.

And we've got some others in mind. We're evaluating them, and we'll be talking to you about them in the near future, but we're confident that though we're not ready to just resume everything all at once, that we can start gradually adding some additional meetings. And hopefully in that manner, in time, we will get back to a full schedule sometime in the next several weeks or short months at the most. At least that is our desire.

But for now, we continue as we have. Thank you for joining us tonight by means of computer or cell phone or however you are joining us. We are very encouraged by the feedback that we receive from people who are joining us by the internet, giving us feedback, letting us know that you're present, giving sometimes some response to the messages that you hear, and it has been very encouraging indeed. The month of February is radio month at Beacon, and I simply mention that. The Lord has given us a fairly busy schedule of services or of broadcasts, I should say. We are on, I'm just looking here, looks like about a dozen stations on a daily basis, that is Monday through Friday with a 15-minute broadcast, and then we're on about seven or so stations on Sundays with a half-hour broadcast. And the Lord has opened those doors for us and so far has sustained us in those open doors, though we did suffer a weakness in our giving and contributions that came in from radio listeners during this last year. And because of some savings that we had, we were able to continue our present log into 2021 and haven't cut any stations back yet.

If we don't start seeing some uptick in our donations that come in designated for the radio, then we probably will have to cut back a station or two sometime in the months ahead. So I mention that to you and would ask you to make that a matter of prayer. We want to be faithful to the opportunities God gives us and to go through every open door that God allows us to go through, but we also want to be faithful with our finances, and we don't believe in deficit financing. We believe in looking to God to support what we do.

And when the support diminishes, then what we are able to do also diminishes as well. I'm going to go ahead with our prayer requests at this time. I'm happy to report that Marseille Councilman's surgery, which was yesterday, went well, and her follow up visit today also went well. This is eye surgery, and so she's now had both eyes done and hopefully will be much improved in the future. We're also praising the Lord that Alice Marley is much improved from her healing process, which took a number of weeks, but she's doing much better, is at home, and doesn't need anyone to stay with her any longer.

We're also praising the Lord that Robert Sweet came through his carotid artery catheterization and also his biopsy demonstrated that the tumor that they found was benign, two causes for rejoicing. We continue to pray for Drew Guthrie as she's dealing with cancer, with Scott Hazelip as he's recovering from back surgery, and from Shirley Watkins, who has had to go to the emergency room two or three times over the last couple of months. She's back home doing well. I checked on her yesterday. She's doing well, but please uphold her in prayer. We are praying for David Bachman, who had surgery recently, for Gloris Joyner, who is in UNC Hospital burn unit, this request given to us by Jane Latour.

She had a reaction to gout medication and developed blisters over much of her body and in her throat. So please pray for, what did I say her name was, a Gloris Joyner. Jean Ferris, Wendy Lynch's mother, is recovering from hip surgery. Pray for her.

Keith Schleiermacher, who's had some very serious health issues up in Canada, is an acquaintance of Leslie Fanon's son, trying to remember what his first name is, but her son that lives in Canada. This man, though he's still not home from the hospital, has come a long ways and is rejoicing. His wife is rejoicing in his recovery, still continuing to pray for him. We are, of course, praying for Laverne Waugh. She continues to adjust to life without her husband, who passed into the presence of the Lord several, a couple of weeks ago now. And we're also praying for Mike Webster, who has colon cancer.

He and his wife, Melanie, serve in France. So those are our prayer requests. We'll come back to them at the end of the service, but thank you for remembering these in prayer.

I'm going to read the words of a hymn and then we'll pray and then we'll look at some missionary communications. But this hymn by the late James Montgomery Boyce says, To him who loved us long ago before we came to be, who left his throne for earth below to save a wretch like me, all praise to Christ from grateful men, forevermore, Amen. To him who freed us from our sin by dying on the cross, to make us whole, without, within, redeemed from dreadful loss, all praise to Christ from grateful men, forevermore, Amen. To him who comes arrayed in light when sinners here shall see the one they pierced and mourn the sight God promised it shall be, all praise to Christ from grateful men, forevermore, Amen. With angels, saints, and seraphim, the new creation sings, all glory, power, and praise to him who made us priests and kings, all praise to Christ from grateful men, forevermore, Amen.

Shall we pray? Lord God, as we bow in your presence, we do bow to give you praise. We are grateful men and women, having been made grateful by the work of your Holy Spirit within us. There was a time, O Lord, when we had no thought of you, no desire for Christ, no gratitude toward you. We took your blessings for granted.

We thought very little about your requirements and very little about our danger. And the judgment day that faces us that we must give an account for the sins that we have committed. But, Lord, you made provision for us in eternity past. You brought about the fulfillment of that provision in the sending of your Son into this world and the work which he did both in his sinless life and in his vicarious death and his bodily resurrection. And then by your Spirit, you worked on our hearts, showed us our sin, made us feel our danger, showed us Christ, and enabled us to lay hold on him. And now we enjoy the life which comes from above. We enjoy the promises that you have given in your word to those who trust in Christ. And we bow before you as grateful men and women who praise you now and forevermore. Amen. And are looking forward to the time when we shall be in your presence without sin and without any hindrance to our full appreciation for all that Christ has done. Father, bless our gathering tonight by Internet. Cause us to rejoice in Christ our Savior, we pray in his name.

Amen. True Guthrie writes, Dear Pastor Barkman and Beacon Family, Thank you so much for the benevolence gift the Lord always provides for extra expenses. Thank you also for the cards, calls, food, flowers, words of encouragement, and most importantly, prayers on my behalf. The Lord continues to give me the peace only he can give. Love in Christ, signed, Drew Guthrie. I'm holding in my hands the letter that came actually several weeks ago from our friends David and Carol Graham.

Only a few Beacon folks will remember them. They were members of our church back in, well, from the beginning. Not the very first day, but from the first several months of the beginning of our church in 1973. He was administrator at Alamance Christian School at that time. And they remained members of our church for, I suppose, two or three years. Then the Lord called them on to another ministry of another state, and they have served in several places.

But every year they write to us, and here's the letter that came at the end of December. Dear Greg, thank you for your friendship. I'm grateful the Lord has sustained you to remain faithful in his ministry at Beacon Baptist for all these years. Carol and I are honored that God allowed us the privilege of serving at Beacon for a short time in its early years. We have blessed memories. Thank you for continuing to mail copies of the Beacon Beam.

Please apply the enclosed gift as you choose. God bless you and your family in his grace, David and Carol. And he continues to serve as one of the pastors at Calvary Baptist Church in Covington, Kentucky. Now I am holding the most recent letter from, well, I started this day from Stuart and Laverne Waugh, but of course not from Stuart. This was written after the Lord called him home, so this comes from Laverne Waugh. Dear praying friends, well actually this comes, I misspoke, this comes from Hal Pope, the director of Independent Faith Mission, writing on behalf of the Waugh's and informing all of their supporters of Stuart's home going, and I'm sharing this with you. For many years you have been a friend to and prayer warrior for the Waugh's, and I wanted to personally let you know that Stuart went home to be with the Lord on January 26. Stuart faithfully and joyfully served the Lord until his last days, and I am so thankful to have known him.

His testimony and ministry have had a personal impact on my life, and the Lord greatly used him to share the truth of the gospel in Zimbabwe and South Africa. Although we are grieved by his death, we rejoice that Stuart is worshipping the Savior in his presence even now. As you well know, Stuart struggled for many years with liver disease. Last year the disease, along with cancer, progressed quickly to the point of needing an immediate liver transplant. The Lord graciously allowed for Stuart to receive a transplant in September of 2020.

His health immediately improved, and Stuart was back on the ground almost running to the ministry in Zimbabwe. The prognosis was good. However, unexpected complications arose from an aneurysm that developed in the main artery to his new liver. While surgery was successful to address this problem, other complications arose a few weeks later. Abscesses around his liver caused infection, and an additional blockage in the main artery was found.

With the new complications, the doctors were unable to do anything more. Stuart returned with Laverne and all of their children to Zimbabwe to spend his remaining time together. In putting together this letter to you, we came across one of the last emails Stuart sent to us at the beginning of January.

I wanted to share his heart with you. Stuart writes, we traveled to Zimbabwe to visit the family and our people in the month of December. After two days, though, I came down with a very high fever and was hospitalized in Bulawayo for four days. The doctors there couldn't find what was wrong, and we hired a small plane to fly back to Johannesburg where an ambulance picked me up at the airport and took me straight to the hospital here. After tests, they discovered that I had a number of abscesses on my new liver, and I had surgery to put a drain into the largest one. I was in the hospital for nine days, and now I am at home recovering with a nursing program called Hospital at Home. The doctors didn't want me to stay at the hospital because of the many COVID cases that were coming in. I am recovering well, and Laverne is with me.

I may have to have further procedures to drain his second abscess, but I am waiting on a decision from the doctors. Our plans are to remain here for a couple more weeks, then head back to Zimbabwe and to our work with our people. The country is in total lockdown for 30 days with no travel allowed and only grocery stores and medical facilities open. Our people are struggling. I will meet with the pastors as soon as the roads are open and plan for Bible conferences and training programs for the 10 young men who feel God's call on their lives to preach. I also want to include the women who are interested in ministry. There are two more areas opening up for new churches to be planted, and we are very excited about these. As soon as the COVID pandemic goes down, we have four pastors waiting to come out in prayers from the states to help with Bible conferences. As you can see, now we're returning to the words of Hal Pope, as you can see, his missionary heart was steadfast in continuing the work. But in his sovereignty, the Lord directed his steps differently.

Stuart passed away in his home in Zimbabwe, surrounded by his family, and the funeral was held in Ganyana, Zimbabwe, where he is buried. However, the work has not finished, and the Lord has continued the ministry in Zimbabwe. The churches are growing and thriving.

While Stuart may be gone, the ministry they established is carrying on. Laverne has repeatedly reiterated to us that the Lord has called her to continue their ministry. She will continue to provide for the physical needs of the people as well as enable pastoral training seminars with the United States pastors traveling to Zimbabwe. Her missionary heart for the people is very apparent.

And now he quotes from communication from Laverne. Dear friends, thank you for your wonderful message and invitation to come and stay with you. She is responding to an invitation to come to the states. I would so love to see you and stay with you.

I've explored the possibilities, but it doesn't look possible in the near future. I was out of Zimbabwe for almost 11 months, staying with Stuart in South Africa. And because I am a permanent resident here, I now have to stay in the country for at least six months to keep that status. I can leave for a week or two, but that's all.

The school has asked me to stay on this year, and I have agreed to stay until, or at least April, to strengthen my position. With all these considerations and with the COVID situation, August would be a better plan. Lord willing, perhaps I could come for six to eight weeks and visit with you and the churches.

So perhaps Laverne will be joining us here in the states in August. The pastors gave Stuart a wonderful service. Juma, Crispin, Saidi, Joseph, and Temba were all able to come.

Because of the strict lockdown, we couldn't get them all here. The gospel was clearly presented to the many staff members who came, and they were all moved. I pray that a harvest of souls, I pray for a harvest of souls. It is hard to think of life without my precious stew. I'm struggling with the loss and feeling down and tearful, keeping busy, focusing on His eternal glory, and taking care of those around me helps a lot. The scriptures are even more precious, and salvation in Christ means everything. I love you, precious friends, so very much and long to see you again. Thanks for your love and uplifting care, which has meant so much these past months. You have been an anchor in these turbulent times. And then back to the words of the IFM board director.

The fields in Zimbabwe are truly white and ready to harvest. The churches that was established are pastored by solid national men, and we are looking forward to seeing what the Lord will continue to do through this ministry. I hope you will join me in continuing to pray and to support this ongoing ministry. Please pray for strength and comfort for Laverne and the pastors. Please pray for guidance and God's blessing for this ministry. If you have any questions about the WAS ministry or would like to send personal condolences or a memorial gift, please contact our office. I wanted to share that entire letter with our church family. Well, I have another letter here, but it may be longer than I have time for now. It's from the Bixby's in France. I have a shorter one here from the Rudolphs in South Africa who have just been able to return to the field, and I think because of time I will share that shorter one.

And here's what they write. After being grounded for nine months in the United States, we made it home to South Africa in November. We returned to have a small outdoor memorial service for Dave's mother, who went to heaven early in September. We also had the joy of participating in our son Jared's marriage to Judy. We returned to our ministry team and to our ministries.

The reunions have been sweet. Just as we were settling into life back in Kansana, COVID hit our household. Julie may have had a mild infection, but David was very ill for most of December. We are both well now and strong as we attempt to catch up with the responsibilities of life. Added to our demanding ministry responsibilities are the varying levels of lockdown rules by the South African government.

Things change depending on the current infection rates, so like the rest of the world, we live under the constant threat of lockdowns. And then finally, a short communication from David Anderson of Capital Commission in Virginia, working with state legislators. He writes, We appreciate much your prayers for our Bible studies this legislative session. Through the generosity of a Christian businessman, the Lord opened a spacious conference room within a block of the General Assembly building where the legislators' offices are located.

Additionally, we have been able to meet with them at the same time through Zoom. Though we are not able to access them in their offices personally or use a room for our Bible study in the General Assembly building, we thank the Lord for providing both the space and technology to continue to minister to our leaders, and we are grateful for all who have participated. It has been difficult for them to come this year because many have committee meetings so early that it prohibits them from attending the Bible studies. So we request your prayers for an easing of their schedules after the mid-session crossover so that more can attend. Also pray that the Lord will use a new resource now for our Virginia leaders entitled Alone with God about the Lord's Prayer so that they may be motivated to turn to God personally in prayer. Thank you so much for your faithful prayers in partnership with us these challenging times. We are amazed and thankful for the opportunities the Lord continues to provide. Rejoicing in His grace, Dr. David Anderson, Virginia State Minister. Now the Bixby letter that I cannot read because of its length, I can tell you also tells about how they're ministering in these days of lockdown in France.

And most of it is taking place by Zoom, and they're finding that very effective, more effective than they anticipated it would be. And I wish I could read all of this. It's very encouraging. But Lord willing, perhaps I will do that next time. I will, however, just read the section that has the praises and the prayer requests. They write, praise the Lord for the individual discipleship meetings and other ministries that have been able to continue in spite of COVID restrictions. Praise the Lord for a favorable report from Zachary's homeschool inspection.

Pray with us regarding the law against separatism currently being considered that threatens to impose crippling restrictions on homeschooling as well as the functioning of religious organizations. Praise the Lord for the number of recent gifts toward our building fund and the way He is opening doors for us to officially enter into a purchase contract. We are a little more than two-thirds of the way towards our final goal. Please continue to pray for the Lord's provision for the remaining funds by April 2022.

And that's actually a little bit further out than what they originally were anticipating. Through the Lord's blessing, they've been able to negotiate an extension on the time when the final deposit of funds has to be made for the completion of the purchase. So I guess I'm a little more than a year now to raise the remainder of the funds.

So I'm just trying to calculate my mind. I'm guessing they have something in the neighborhood of $200,000 or more yet to raise. So please pray with them.

They've come a long ways. They've raised over $400,000 that the Lord has sent in. With that, I now open my Bible to the Gospel of John chapter 1. If you have your Bible with you as you are viewing this, then please open your Bible to the same text. We're going to be focusing upon verses 9 through 12, but I want to read the verses that lead up to it. This is one of the outstanding sections of God's word, and of course I say that advisedly because every word of the Bible is outstanding. Every word is the word of God. But this opening prelude to the Gospel of John, this section about the logos, in the beginning was the word, the logos, and the word was with God and the word was God is so rich, so powerful that it deserves our repeated attention.

We need to return to it again and again. Now just to summarize the verses leading up to our text tonight, what we have in verses 1 through 5 we could call the nature of the Redeemer, followed in verses 6 through 8 with the identity of the Redeemer. The nature of the Redeemer. Now I read verses 1 through 5. In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. He was in the beginning with God.

I pause of course. I'm sure you know that when we get to verse 14 we find out who this one called the word is, if there's any question immediately, because we read in verse 14, and the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. And then it goes on and tells of the ministry of John the Baptist and his introduction of Jesus the Christ. So we know that the word is the Son of God, the eternal Son of God, the one who came to earth, who was incarnate, who was born of a virgin, whose name was called Jesus, but nevertheless before he came to earth as a babe in the manger, he was eternally with the Father in the beginning. He had no beginning, so with that I go back. In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. He was in the beginning with God. And then this statement of verse 3. All things were made through him, and without him nothing was made that was made.

I pause again. We're reading the verses that talk about the nature of the Redeemer. But if this doesn't nail it down, then I don't know what does. If these words aren't so clear and plain as to who this one is, this one is God. His nature is divine. He is almighty God. He is eternal God. And this nails it down when it says, All things were made through him, and without him nothing was made that was made.

Now that tells me a couple of things. Number one, it tells me that he was not made. Because all things were made through him, and without him nothing was made that was made. Which is another way of saying everything that is created was created by him. Or, as this verse says very technically, was made through him.

Because we're talking about the cooperative working of the triune Godhead. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. One God, three Persons. And so when we're talking about the Person of the Son, all things were made through him, or by him, is also an accurate translation. And it can also be said that all things were made by the Spirit of God, and it can also be said that all things were made by the Father. But this much is clear that he was there in creation making everything that was created. He was not created. He is eternal.

He made everything that was made. Not as some insert everything except himself, that he was first made and then through him God made everything else. That's not what the text says here or anywhere. That is a false doctrine, a libelous insertion into the sacred text. It is a heresy.

It is a damnable doctrine. This one is not a created being. He is not the first one that was created by the eternal God. He is the eternal God, and he made everything that was made.

We're talking about his nature. It goes on to say, In him was life, and the life was the light of men, and the light shines in darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. And so what is the nature of the Redeemer?

He is eternal deity. And then the identity of the Redeemer, verses 6 through 8. There was a man sent from God whose name was John.

We call him John the Baptist. This man came for a witness to bear witness of the light that all through him might believe he was not that light but was sent to bear witness of that light. The identity of the Redeemer is revealed by the forerunner, John the Baptist, who was not that eternal light, that is the Messiah, and he is the eternal light because he is God, who is light, but he was sent to bear witness of the light. And so John identifies Jesus as this one, this eternal light, of which John was a small reflection. John was a light, but the Word was or is the light, the source of light, the eternal light.

That's who he is by identity. But now we come to some more things about the Redeemer. And so we are going to look in verse 9 at the preeminence of the Redeemer. We're going to look in verses 10 and 11 at the revelation of the Redeemer. And we're going to see in verse 12 the rite of sonship through the Redeemer.

We'll have to hurry to do all of that. First of all, the preeminence, verse 9. That was the true light.

Now, of course, we have to back up to the verses before it that we just read. But he was not that light. John was not that light, that eternal light, but was sent to bear witness of that light. That was the true light which gives light to every man coming into the world. This is the true light, the divine light.

And this light, this divine light, is attested to by lesser lights. John was not, as I've already said, was not the light, but he was a light pointing men to the light. Some evidently wondered if John was the promised Messiah.

He was questioned along those lines. Are you the Christ? And he made it very clear, no, I'm not. I am here to identify the Christ. I am here to cast my reflected light upon his unreflected light, to cast my derived light upon his underived light. His light is eternal.

It is underived. It flows forth from himself, for God is light. My light is derived from him, but I am given the mission of pointing him out to others. And so John was not that light in spite of the fact that some thought that he was. And it is clear as you read the opening account about John and his ministry that there were some who so highly esteemed John that they missed Christ.

And I think that's important to reflect on for a moment. The early disciples of Christ, there were a few more added along the way, but the first several apostles of Christ were originally disciples of John. They were following John, and then John pointed his followers to Jesus Christ. In fact, there came a day when he was preaching by the Jordan River, and here came Jesus out to be baptized by him. And John objected, and he said, I need to be baptized by you. You're asking me to baptize you?

No, no, no, no. I need to be baptized by you. And Jesus said, no, I need to be baptized.

Please accommodate that. And there are mysteries there that John even didn't fully understand, but I think we can understand them at least in part. Namely that in this baptism, Jesus was identifying himself with those he had come to save. It is true that Jesus, as the preeminent one, as the most honorable one, should have baptized John, should have had the honor of baptizing John rather than John having the honor of baptizing him.

And that would be true as to his eternal deity, that would be true as to his divine nature, but in his humanity, he came to identify himself with sinners. Now those who were baptized by John came to be baptized by way of a confession of their sin, by way of repentance, of acknowledging their sinfulness. In fact, when some came to be baptized by John requesting baptism, who had given no evidence of repentance, John said, I won't baptize you.

He was very stern about that. You generation of vipers, why are you coming to be baptized without repentance? First he said, go do works suitable for repentance, and then come and I will baptize you. For his baptism emphasized the need of repentance and the reality of repentance. Now how does that apply to the sinless one? Jesus Christ had nothing to repent of. He had no need of repentance, and yet he came to be baptized by John. How do we understand that?

I've already told you. He identified himself with sinners because he was here to take upon him the sins of others. In his life, he was sinless.

Make no mistake about that. It's tragic that polls demonstrate that a large percentage of people who consider themselves to be born-again Christians do not know how to answer the question, was Jesus sinless? A large percentage of them, maybe the question is more like, did Jesus ever sin?

A large percentage of them answer, yes, he did. Obviously, these are people who have absolutely no understanding of the gospel. They have no understanding of who Jesus Christ is.

They have no understanding that if Jesus Christ sinned, they are not saved. If Jesus Christ sinned, there is no Savior. If Jesus Christ sinned, then he could not bear the punishment for our sins because he would have to bear the punishment for his own, for he would carry the guilt of his own sins upon him. He was, in his humanity, sinless. In his deity, of course, he was sinless, but in his humanity, he was sinless.

He lived a sinless life so that when he went to the cross to die a vicarious death, that is, a substitutionary death, he was not bearing the penalty of his own sins. What is the penalty for sin? The wages of sin is, do I hear it? Death.

Nobody here to respond except Ryan Cardwell, who is so faithful to take care of our livestream equipment on Wednesday nights. But the wages of sin is death. The soul that sinneth, it shall die.

Both physical and spiritual death. Spiritual death, separation from the body in death and separation from God in spiritual death. Well, Jesus had no sin, so why does he hang upon the cross to give up his physical life, for his spirit to be separated from his body and to say to the Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit? Why, when he was hanging on the cross, did he cry out, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Separated from the Father. We who are sinners deserve to be separated from God and are separated from God until we are reconciled through the work of Jesus Christ. But Jesus Christ lived a sinless life, died on the cross, a vicarious death. So in his life, he earned the right, you might say, to lay down his life vicariously as a substitute. Because if he had not lived a sinless life, he couldn't offer his life in a substitutionary way for someone else. He wouldn't have a sinless life without guilt, without his own judgment in order to offer anyone else. He had to live a sinless life in order to do that. And so he lived a sinless life and then he voluntarily died. He was the only one who did not deserve to die.

He voluntarily died in order to bear the guilt for those who trust in him and he rose bodily from the dead and ascended back to heaven. Now there's also another reason why he lived a sinless life. He lived a sinless life so that he could earn righteousness.

You say, that sounds strange. He was righteous. He was perfectly righteous. He is God. He can't be anything but righteous.

God cannot be guilty of any unrighteousness. So how is it that he earned righteousness? Well, he became a man and earned righteousness in the sense of living a perfect life in the same world that we live in, confronted with the same kinds of temptations that we are confronted with, and yet living a perfectly righteous life without any sin so that in the mysterious design of God, in the mysterious workings of God, in the mysterious grace of God, he could not only qualify to die as a payment for the sins of others, but he could also offer his righteousness to us, his earned righteousness. We have a responsibility to live a righteous life. And if anyone would live, did live a righteous life, they would thereby earn eternal life.

But nobody has done that, and nobody can do that. There's none righteous. No, not one, except one exception, Jesus Christ. And Jesus Christ earned a perfect righteousness, and then there is, in the design of God, a double imputation that takes place.

An imputation means something that is placed to the account of someone else. So, I am justified before the judgment bar of God by trusting in Jesus Christ and him alone. And in trusting in Christ, here's what happens. God the Father, on the one hand, imputes to me the payment that Jesus made upon the cross, so that payment for my sins has now been made. I don't bear the judgment any longer. I'm the guilty one. I deserve the judgment. But I no longer bear the judgment because he bore it, and God reckons, God imputes that to my account. In the records of my life, in the judgment bar of God in heaven, my record says the guilt of Greg Barkman, which is great, my sins which are many, have all been atoned for. They've all been paid for.

The penalty has been paid. But there's a second aspect, and that is the righteousness of Christ is also imputed to me, to my account, so that when God opens the books in heaven and looks at my life, instead of that ledger of sins, which just goes on and on and on and on, we can't even calculate how many sins we have committed, sins of thought, sins of words, sins of deed. We sin constantly, and if we could see the record of our sins, I think it would sink us into despair. We don't even understand how much we have sinned. But the more we are saved and the closer we draw to God, there is this paradox on the one hand, the closer we draw to God, the more we enjoy the righteousness which has been imputed to us, and yet at the same time, the more we become conscious of the great sinfulness that is ours, and so we feel more the weight of our sin, we're more conscious of the greatness of our sin, and yet we are more amazed at the grace of God and the righteousness which we enjoy in Christ. So God in His design takes that perfect righteousness which Jesus earned and He credits that to the account of the believing sinner. So that, and I know I'm getting a bit away from the text here and all of this, but I'm explaining what's going on here when we're talking about Jesus being the Redeemer and how it was that He came to be baptized by John and so forth, but it turns out that the salvation which God has designed is one in which Jesus Christ earned it, but it is freely given to me and to those who believe.

We talk about salvation being free, and it is, by the grace of God, it is freely bestowed on those who believe, but it is also earned, but not by the sinner because the sinner can't. It's not, and this is something I think that's important for us to understand, we don't tell people, all you gotta do is believe, because that sort of puts it in a shallow framework that I think people misunderstand, and it sounds to them like we are saying, all you gotta do is pray and ask Jesus into your heart and you'll be saved. That's all you gotta do.

It's true. All you have to do is believe. But what is more accurate, and I think is a better way to put it, is all that you can do is believe. You can't do anything else. You can't earn salvation. You can't qualify for heaven. You cannot merit the righteousness which is required to get there. You, meaning me and all of us, you can't earn the required righteousness, but Jesus did. It's not that this righteousness does not need to be earned.

It does. And therefore, what can we do? This righteousness does need to be earned, but we're incapable of earning it.

Is there any hope? Yes. In Jesus Christ, the righteous one, he, by a righteous life, a perfect life, a sinless life, earned the righteousness that is required of us. So that righteousness must be earned, but I can't earn it, but he could earn it.

He did earn it. And therefore, God in his grace imputes it to the account of every believing sinner so that it is true in the sense of justification and in the sense that is most important that the believing sinner is in the judgment of God, at the judgment bar of God, as righteous as Jesus Christ himself. You can't get any more righteous than that. And that'll get you into heaven.

Our penalty? Paid for Christ upon the cross, but the required righteousness earned by Jesus Christ in his perfect life. And so that's why Jesus was baptized by John. He was identifying as a sinner. He is going to take upon him the sins of others. God takes my sin and places it upon Christ, he who had no sin. And he bears the penalty, the judgment for it upon the cross and pays the judgment. God takes my penalty, the death penalty, and he places that upon Christ. And he takes Christ's righteousness and applies that to me. And he takes Christ's life and gives that to me. And here I stand before the throne of God in the perfection of Christ, in the life of Christ.

You can't get any better than that. I am just as perfect in the eyes of God as his own perfect son. I'm just as righteous as his own perfect son. I am beloved, I don't know if I can say beloved just as much as his own son.

I think that may be going one step too far. But I am loved with an everlasting love that has been earned for me also by the righteousness of Christ. I mean everything about my salvation is owing to Christ. That's why we made reference to that hymn earlier on. To him who loved us long ago before we came to be, who left his throne for earth below to save a wretch like me, all praise to Christ from grateful men forevermore.

Amen. That's what we love to sing because we are debtors to mercy alone. Shall we bow in prayer? Father, thank you for making us aware of our sinfulness, our great sinfulness, showing us the awfulness of it, showing us the penalty of it, showing us the judgment that we deserve because of it, and then bringing us to see the glory of Christ, the beauty of Christ, the redemptive work of Christ upon the cross, and bringing us into union with him that we might receive the benefits of what he has done for hell-deserving sinners. Father, we want to thank you for bringing Marseille Councilman successfully through her second surgery. We pray now that you will bring healing and that she will enjoy a good use of both of her eyes for many years to come. We thank you that Alice Marley is so much greatly improved, and we pray that you will continue to strengthen her.

We thank you for the good report from Robert Sweet that he has had cause to praise you for two different reasons, and we rejoice in that and give you praise. We pray today for our government official of the week, who is Haw River Mayor Kelly Allen, that you might make him aware of his accountability to you and give him a desire to be guided by your word and to be led by your spirit. We pray for Drew Guthrie that you might help her as she battles with cancer and for Scott Haislip as he's recovering from his back surgery. We pray for our dear sister Shirley Watkins as she continues to struggle with her weakened health, and yet we thank you that she's home and doing well. We pray for Mary Shaw as she's recovering from shoulder surgery, a long, slow recovery, and pray for Art Pope as he continues to battle with COPD and other issues in his life. We pray for David Bachman as he's recovering from hip surgery, and for Jean Ferris as she also is recovering from hip surgery. We thank you for the good report from Keith Sliermuski in Canada, and we pray that you might continue to work in his life, both in his body and in the inner man. We pray for our dear sister Laverne Waugh that you might comfort and strengthen her. We pray for the work in Zimbabwe that it may go on. We are amazed at how much is accomplished by the work of your spirit and those places that seem to have the most obstacles, the most difficulties, the most unlikely places for your work to prosper.

And yet, O Lord, you show us over and over again how your strength is made perfect in weakness. We pray for our missionary Mike Webster in France as he's dealing with colon cancer. We pray for Bob Bixby in France and for this enormous building project, and we pray, O Lord, that you might supply the funds that are necessary to secure that building and to establish firmly that testimony to the gospel of Jesus Christ in that strategic location. We pray, O Lord, that you will allow churches there to continue to function freely without government interference. We pray that you might allow the Bixbys to continue to homeschool Zachary as they have determined that this is the best type of schooling for him, even as the others enter into the schools in France. And, Lord, we also pray for a number of our people who are struggling with health issues and especially those who are unable to get out. We pray for Gina Boswell and for Kenna Mary Ellen Crumpton and Pat and Betty Duncan and Frances Easley and for Hazel Garcia and Ruth Patterson and Mary Sue Wright. We pray, O Lord, that your presence will be known to them and will strengthen and encourage them. Father, help us to serve the Lord Jesus Christ faithfully and fruitfully as we ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen.