"Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel... By which also ye are saved... unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)

"For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." (Mt. 5:20)

The above text is found among several chapters (Mt. 5-7) which have been labeled by some as the "Sermon on the Mount". And rightly so, for in Chapter Five we read, "And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them . . ." And if we look to the beginning of Chapter Eight it reads, "When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him." In the book of Matthew we find in Chapter One the genealogy and birth of Jesus. In Chapter Two we have the childhood of Christ. In Chapter Three we have the ministry of John the Baptist. And in Chapter Four, we have the Temptation of Christ in the wilderness, and the beginning of His ministry. And we read, "From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Mt. 4:17) And as he preached, he went about healing all manner of sickness and disease, and casting out demons, manifesting that the kingdom of God was indeed at hand (Mt. 12:22-29). "And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them." (Mt. 4:23-24)

His works testified that the Father was with him, and that he was the Christ who evidently had the power to establish the kingdom. Do you remember when Jesus cast a demon out of one who was both blind and dumb? The people were amazed and said, "Is not this the son of David?" (Mt. 12:23) But when the Pharisees heard of this, they said that Jesus cast out the demon by Beelzebub, the prince of the demons. Jesus rebuked them saying, if a kingdom is divided against itself it can not stand. "And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom stand?" (v. 27) Oh yes, Satan has a kingdom, he offered the kingdoms of this world to Christ if he would only bow down and worship him. (Mt. 4:8-10) Satan is the "god of this world" (2Cor. 4:4). Jesus then said, "But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you." (Mt. 12:28) The kingdom of God had come to them in the person of Jesus Christ, the King of saints.

Because of his fame, multitudes followed Him, and he went up the mount and began to preach to the multitudes. He began by describing the character or the nature of the kingdom and who could enter therein. He told them "That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." And this because they highly esteemed and admired the Scribes and the Pharisees for their seeming righteousness and holiness. The Scribes being the more learned part, the "teachers of the law" or "lawyers", were the scholars who interpreted the Law and applied it, especially in court. Unfortunately they did add to it their own traditions making the commandment of God of none effect. The Pharisees on the other hand were that part which held to the strictest in outward or external religion and righteousness. The apostle Paul could say, of "the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee." (Acts 26:5) And, as "touching the righteousness which is in the law, [he was] blameless." (Philip. 3:6) But Christ would say of them both, "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity." (Mt. 23:27-28) He told them to "Cleanse first that which is within the cup and the platter, that the outside of them may be clean also." (v. 26) As long as the inside of the cup was dirty, the outside could in no wise could be clean.

Righteousness is to be conformed to the divine standard of Holiness as contained in the Law. As the Pharisees, men can invent all sorts of coverings to hide from themselves their state toward God, but the righteousness which God required is internal as well as external, and consists in conformity of heart and life to his revealed will. For "the LORD seeth not as a man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart." (1Sam. 16:7) Unless ones righteousness would exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees they would not enter the kingdom of heaven.

It was the loss of righteousness which removed Adam from his earthly paradise. Our entrance into the kingdom of heaven depends not on our countenance or the height of our stature, nor the excellency of our speech or anything that we might do, but unless one has the righteousness that God demands, we will in no wise enter the kingdom of heaven. The writer of Hebrews says without "holiness . . . no man shall see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14)

One of the gravest errors that is sounded abroad today is that "Good people go to heaven." It says that you earn your salvation by good works or deserve heaven by good character. This philosophy ends in death and separation from God. I have recently been to a funeral, and the one conducting the funeral described how the deceased was in heaven "because every Sunday he sat right there (pointing to his regular spot in the pew) and because he was baptized as an infant, and he was very involved in many community works, always ready to lend a helping hand." This is very grievous, as approximately 500 persons there were told the lie. It is destructive to comfort the world that their loved ones are gone on to heaven because they were good people. Ask anyone today, "What must you do to enter into heavens gates?" The sure answer by most today is, "by going to church, or trying to be a good person, or living a decent life." That person is lost! Paul said, "if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost" (2Cor. 4:3-4). The devil is working overtime in the churches these last days to keep the gospel hid from the minds of them that believe not. This lukewarm "Christianity" needs to know that they are "wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked". (Rev. 3:17)

Today, like no other day, the world needs to see the exceeding wickedness of man, in the light of the Most Holy God. Mankind's problem has always been that he never views sin as being quite as heinous as God sees it. Many times man will not even recognize sin as such, but rather designate it by a different term altogether: thereby endeavoring to take the sting out of sin. Until the man of sin wakes up to the sense of his own lost estate and depravity, he will not see heaven. Likewise, until he sees the Holiness of God, he will not see the one who might save him from his sin, and the wrath to come. How are we who are unrighteous and morally depraved, who are unclean and defiled with sin, going to enter into the presence of the Most Holy God? Of whom it is said by the prophet Habakkuk, "Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity". (Hab. 1:13) Can darkness co-habitate with Light?

I believe that mankind as well as today's "Christianity" have become numb to the exceeding wickedness and darkness around us. And most certainly have forgotten the Holiness of our God, "the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy" (Isaiah 57:15). Darkness seeps in ever so subtly through compromise. The first generation tolerates evil, the next in turn accepts it, and finally it is practiced. James says, "when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." (James 1:15)

The numbness to abounding iniquity may be likened to the man who works in the sanitation business. After some time he does not even notice the foul odor. When one has lived in the sewer all his life, he is not aware of the stench, his senses become dulled to discern both good and evil. Perhaps after some time the stench becomes a pleasant smell to his nostrils, just as a dog who loves the smell of a rotting carcass, or as the pig who wallows in the mire. I once asked our local septic cleaning agent how he could stand the smell of excrement and rotting sewage, and his reply was, "You get used to it, you do not even smell it after awhile." This generation has become numb to the stench of sin. We have lost sight of just how wicked we are in the sight of the Most Holy God.

In the beginning Adam was created in the image and likeness of God. But when he sinned, his nature changed, and from that time he was not what he was, holy, upright, righteous, without sin, clean, undefiled, uncorrupted, spiritually alive, he could see, and was without shame, and able to respond to God. But when he fell, he fell short of the glory of God. The image and likeness in which he was made became defiled, and his offspring from thence were generated "in his own likeness, after his image" (Gen. 5:3), with a sinful nature. Some may argue that there was still some good in Adam, but the scriptures teach "that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump". (1Cor. 5:6)

We might liken this leavening to the glorious gospel of our salvation (Gal. 1:6-12). Paul would tell the Galatians, "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another;[there is no other] but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ." To change the gospel of Christ one iota, makes it not the gospel. It may look like the gospel, but IT IS NOT THE GOSPEL, but rather some perverted form that can not save. It is the same as man today whose image and likeness is corrupted from that of God. His image is like that reflection of a circus mirror, it is distorted. While there may be some resemblance, that image has been perverted, his image is now unholy, unrighteous and depraved.

The Flesh Problem

Many will yet argue that man is generally good. But the scriptures teach very much to the contrary of this popular opinion. A young man came to Jesus and said unto him "Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?" (Mt. 19:16) Jesus rebuked him saying "Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God." We learn from the Word of God that man has fallen short of the glory of God through sin, and that his natural inclination is to do evil. "All that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." (1John 2:16) These things of the world are appealing to the flesh, and man in his flesh can not resist these lusts, and temptations of the Devil. We are just like Eve in the garden who could not resist the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. We are told "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." (1John 2:15) These sinful lusts are contrary to "God who is a Spirit". "For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." (Galatians 5:17) The Apostle Paul would say, "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not." (Romans 7: 18) "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1Cor. 2:14) "So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." (Romans 8: 8) They can not do good. Not only can they not do good and please God, but "if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." (v.9)

There is nothing good in man, nothing. The carnal mind is enmity against God, and not subject to the law of God, nor can it be, without his grace. It is hard, stiff, obstinate, and perverse, until the stony heart is taken away, and a heart of flesh is given. The affections are inordinate, and are fixed on wrong objects. Men hate what they should love, and love what they should hate, they hate the good, and love the evil, they are lovers of pleasures, of sinful lusts and pleasures, rather than lovers of God, good men, and good things. In short, there is no place clean, no part free from the pollution and influence of sin.

Is there a remedy for mankind's depravity? Jesus told a lost religious leader, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. . . That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." (John 3:3, 6) All men are born of the flesh via the natural birth, but if men are to be saved they must be born again of supernatural birth, that is of God. "But as many as received him [Jesus Christ], to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." (John 1:12-13) Whosoever will receive Jesus Christ by faith alone as personal Lord and Saviour are a new creation, created in Christ Jesus, and have become children of God. And the apostle Paul would then say "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you." (Romans 8:9)

Mankind may yet argue that there is some good in man, but what saith the scripture? "For we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes." (Romans 3:9-18) The Psalmist would agree, "They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one." (Psalm 14:1-3) God looked down from heaven to see if there were ANY that did understand and seek God, there were none. There is none that doeth good, no, not one. Oh the sad estate of mankind. May he see the wickedness of his ways and turn to God for grace and mercy which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour. "Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!" (Psalm 107:8)

It may seem confusing when those who appear to be so big hearted and ready to do "good works", when they hear the name of Jesus Christ and his power to save mankind from his iniquity, and they shun away. Be not confused, it is this self righteousness that God hates. Even the good works that the unregenerate perform is wicked, for "the plowing of the wicked, is sin." (Proverbs 21:4) And the sad end of the self righteous is thus, "the lamp of the wicked shall be put out." (Proverbs 13:9) What ever light they may appear to manifest will be extinguished. The self-righteous can not do good for the heart is wicked. The prophet Jeremiah asks a rhetorical question, "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil." (Jeremiah 13:23) The prophet Isaiah answers this well, "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6). Any relative good that a man might do, in so far as it might be according to God's law, is due to God's restraining grace, not man's goodness. God does keep a restraining hand on things, or else we would kill each other like Cain who slew his brother. Mankind's good works are defiled with sin, corrupted by selfish motives, seeking esteem or recognition among men, and acceptance of God through them. We must get right with God before we can do right before God. Man can not get right by doing right.

How about children or infants? Our natural inclination is to conclude that they are good and innocent and clean from sin. But what saith the scripture? They too are born of Adam with a sinful nature, and as cute as they are, all bundled up in their cute little outfits, they are a bundle of iniquity. Although they are not able to speak, are very capable of venting out sin and anger. If we could understand some of this baby talk I think that we would be petrified. At times their crying may be out of pain or discomfort, but after Mom has checked the diaper and is sure the child is not hungry or constipated, what next? I am not sure if we would want to know what they are trying to tell us. From the youngest of age rebellion is in their heart. Listen to the scriptures. Isaiah says that man is "called a transgressor from the womb." (Isaiah 48:8) Solomon says that "Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child." (Proverbs 22:15) Listen to Moses, he says "the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth" (Genesis 8:21). David said, "I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me." (Psalms 51:5) And again, "The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies." (Psalms 58:3) How about Job, what does he have to say on this wise? "What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?" (Job 15:14) He asks, "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one." (Job 14:4) Need we say more? John Gill says it well, "Reason confirms it, that so it must be; that if a tree is corrupt, it can bring forth no other than corrupt fruit; that if the root of mankind is unholy, the branches must be so too; if the fountain is impure, the streams must be so likewise; if immediate parents are unclean, their posterity must be unclean, since a clean thing cannot be brought out of an unclean; and if God has made of one man's blood all nations that are upon the face of the earth, and that blood is tainted with sin, all that proceed from him by ordinary generation must have the same taint."

Oh that God would allow us to see but for a moment what is truly abiding in our hearts, that we might see our sad estate, and cleave to the one who is glorious in his apparel, who speaks in righteousness, mighty to save. The prophet Isaiah said of the nation Israel, "Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward. Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment." (Isaiah 1:4-6) Although Isaiah is speaking to the nation Israel, I would have you to know that Israel is a type of the church. The apostle Paul would say, "For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel". (Romans 9:6) And again, "For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God." (Romans 2:28-29) Neither are they all the church, which are of the church. Only those whose hearts have been circumcised without hands (Col. 2:11), by the Spirit, whose praise is not of men, but of God.

The Heart Problem

The problem is that the heart of man has been defiled with sin, not only by deed, but by nature, that is through natural generation, which is due to Adams transgression. In the room of Abel, whom Cain slew, God raised up another seed to Adam, namely Seth, whom he begot in his own likeness, after his image (Gen. 5:3). Not in the likeness and image of God, in which Adam was created, but in that which he had brought upon himself, through his transgression. The posterity of Adam and Seth and of Cain, peopled and filled the whole world before the flood. And what is the account that is given of them? It is this, that the earth was corrupt through them and all flesh had corrupted His way on the earth (Gen. 6:11-12), and that "every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Genesis 6:5). Only one man found grace in the sight of God and that was Noah. He and his sons filled the earth after the flood. But the prophet Jeremiah who lived after the flood would record for us again, that "the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked" (Jeremiah 17:9).

The heart of man needs to be changed, "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man" (Matthew 15:19-20). God made Adam in His image, but Seth was made in Adam's image, and every son since then. Man's mind, his emotions and his will, his total being, is ruined by sin. He cannot understand and will not seek God. If left to himself, he would surely perish. But the Lord our God, in his abundant Grace and Mercy sent His Son "to seek and to save that which was lost." (Luke 19:10) He cried out in the garden, "Where art thou Adam?", when Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees. And today he is still crying out, Where art thou John? Where art thou Anne? Where art thou? He has come to seek and to save that which is lost. He loves you, and does not want to see any perish. "As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways" (Ezekiel 33:11).

Although many are called, few are chosen. Only those who respond to the loving kindness and tender mercies of the Lord Jesus Christ are chosen to eternal life. And to those who respond are given "A new heart . . . and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh." (Ezekiel 36:26) And from thence we are able to obey from the heart for His laws become written thereon, "not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart." (2Cor. 3:3)

Jesus said, "no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6), and "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him". (John 6:44) If no one can come to the Father but by Christ, and no one can come to Christ unless the Father draw him, How does the Father draw lost sinners? Would the Father draw some and not others? Jesus said, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." (John 12:32) The Father draws lost sinners by the Cross of Christ. It is hard to fathom why God would yet love us. Yet He loved us so much that he sent his lovely Son to die in our place, and to supply the remedy for our melody. "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God." (1Cor. 1:18)

The Holiness of God

After considering mankind and coming to the conclusion that there is no good in him of himself, let us now consider the one who is Good. Let us call to mind again the occasion of the rich young man who came to Christ calling him "Good Master". Christ responded, "Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God" (Mt. 19:17) And that is the truth, only God is good, and Christ was God manifest in the flesh. Christ said, He who sees me sees the Father, I and my Father are One. Luke records for us in the book of Acts that Jesus is one "who went about doing good" (Acts 10:38). And those who observed his deeds "were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well" (Mark 7:37). He is the one who "knew no sin" (2Cor. 5:21), nor "did no sin" (1Peter 1:22), and in whom "is no sin" (1John 3:5). He "was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin" (Heb. 4:15). He came "in the likeness of sinful flesh" (Romans 8:3), yet he was without a sinful nature. He is the Holy One of Israel, the only one who is "altogether lovely" and "Beautiful", the one "who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens" (Heb. 7:26). "He had done no violence" (Isaiah 53:9). "Neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not" (1Peter 2:22-25). There was no malice in his heart. His life was perfect in every way for "Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity" (Hebrews 1:9). He came to fulfill the law that he might be our perfect substitute, the Lamb who was without spot or blemish, the one who taketh away the sin of the world. "O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him." (Psalms 34:8)

I do not think that man can even comprehend His Holiness this side of heaven, and forgive me if I do great injustice in inadequately describing the One who is called Holy. But, if we are to get a glimpse of His glory it must be through the eye of faith as we look to His Word. I think this can best be done by looking to the ones to whom God chose to reveal Himself, and their response to His presence.

Let us consider the saints of old, whom many today consider to be super-saints and revere them so high as to look to them in prayer, which is shameful. They were just men subject to like passions as we, and as blameless as their lives may have seemed, and as holy as their walk may have been, when they came into the presence of The Holy One, they found themselves on their face as dead. Let us consider some of these saints.

Consider the Apostle John, who did rest his head on the bosom of the Lord Jesus Christ in the days of his earthly ministry. After the resurrection and ascension of Christ, we find John some 40 years later on the Isle of Patmos, and in the Revelation of Jesus Christ, John hears a great voice behind him as of a trumpet talking to him, and as he turns he finds himself before the One whose "countenance was as the sun", and he records for us that "when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead." (Rev. 1:17) Jesus is God, but He humbled himself and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. He veiled himself in human flesh. (Heb. 10:20) Although John knew Christ in the days of His flesh, He now stood before the One whom the angels worship (Heb. 1:6), in all His glory which He had with the Father before the world was. (John 17:5) And when he saw him, he fell at his feet as dead. Who shall see God and live? (Exodus 33:20)

Consider the prophet Daniel and his great vision. He saw "a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz: His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude." (Dan. 10:5-6) Upon seeing such a great vision he records for us that "there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, . . .I set my face toward the ground, and I became dumb. . . neither is there breath left in me." (Daniel 10:8-9, 15-17) In the presence of the Almighty his comeliness was turned into corruption. When he saw the Holy One he could see himself for what he really was, corruption. His breath was gone and he was on his face.

Consider Job of whom the Lord did say, "there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and upright man" (Job 1:8). If there was a perfect and upright man it was Job. His three so called friends could find no accusation against him as hard as they tried. But we find Job trying to justify himself before them, that is until he came into the presence of the Lord and his attitude did change saying, "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes." (Job 42:5-6) Job had heard of God, but now his eye did see the Lord and he said, "I abhor myself", and he had to repent of his self righteousness. This is what the book of Job is about. The theme is not about suffering but of repentance. And when God wanted to teach us repentance he did not take the vilest of sinners, he took the most upright man in all the earth that he could find and he taught us repentance. You know, today there is a Bible for everyone, and we too have heard of the Lord by the hearing of our ears, but my, how we need to see the Lord today in all his glory. Today men have lost the meaning of holiness and have applied it to some place, or some religious trinket and have forgotten that it is the Lord God Almighty who is Holy.

Consider Ezekiel, the prophet and priest. When he was in the captivity at Babylon, the heavens were opened and he "saw visions of God." (Ezekiel 1:1) His vision was so stupendous that he could only describe it in mere human words such as, whirlwind, and great clouds, and fire, and burning coals, and lamps, and lightnings, and brightness, and amber, and beryl, and sparkled brass, and terrible crystal, and sapphire stone. And in his vision he saw a throne and a rainbow round about the throne, "and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. . . .This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face" (Ezekiel 1:26-28). Human words fall far short in descriptive terms, but one can only imagine as Ezekiel tries to describe what he saw. His words speak to man as to the magnificence of Him whom he was before. Whom did he find himself before? None other than the Lord Jesus Christ. He is "the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy" (Isaiah 57:15) And where was Ezekiel? Was he just standing around? He was on his face. This is the vision that God had given to Ezekiel before he said "I send thee . . . to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me . . . I do send thee unto them . . . whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear . . . be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words . . . nor be dismayed at their looks . . . thou shalt speak my words unto them". (Ezekiel 2) May we who have by faith come into the presence of the Living God serve Him.

How about Joshua, the man who was the successor to Moses, the greatest man of the Old Testament, and had now become the leader of a great nation. He was now the Commander in Chief or so he thought, and led the nation Israel into the promised land, destroying seven nations that were before them. And as he looked out over the tents of Israel, I'm sure his hat became a little tight for his head. What a sight it must have been. Even Balac could not be brought to curse Israel who said, "How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel!" (Num. 24:5) Let us consider his confrontation with the Lord. "And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant? And the captain of the LORD'S host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so." (Joshua 5:13-15) The place whereon he was standing was holy because he was in the presence of the Almighty. That day Joshua found out who was really Commander in Chief, and that General Headquarters was not in some Israel tent but up yonder in heaven. He met the Captain of the Lords host. This is the same One whom the writer of the book of Hebrews calls, "the captain of [our] salvation" (Heb. 2:10). He did come into the presence of none other than the pre-incarnate Christ, the Lord Jesus. And where was Joshua? He was on his face worshipping.

Consider again another man of God, the prophet Isaiah, who was called of God to be a messenger to the nation Israel, who also did see a vision of the glory of God. He saw "the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and . . . seraphims [one crying unto another saying], Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory." And what did Isaiah say in response to such a vision? "Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts." (Isaiah 6) Isaiah had seen God and all he could say is "Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips." He recognized how unclean he was in the presence of God, and he acknowledged his iniquity. If any man is to be saved he too must come to this place. He must say like Paul, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" (Romans 7:24) What then did Isaiah see? We read, "Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged." (Isaiah 6:1-7) Who did he see? The Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world. He alone can purge away sin and uncleanness (Heb. 1:3). Who was Paul's answer for deliverance? "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 7:25)

Let us consider one last individual, David, the man after God's own heart, who recognized the sad estate of his own heart. After he had committed adultery with Bathsheba, and murdered her husband Uriah, he could no longer bear the load of his iniquity and cried unto God, "Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. . . Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." (Psalm 51:2, 7) The Apostle John said, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1John 1:9) Though we, like David, "hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme" (2 Sam. 12:14), He is faithful and just to cleanse us from all our unrighteousness. "There is a fountain filled with blood, Drawn from Immanuel's veins; And sinners plunged beneath that flood Lose all their guilty stains!" (William Cowper 1731-1800 cf. Zech. 13:1) "Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood" (Rev. 1:5). "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace". (Eph. 1:7) "Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow." (John T. Grape 1868) The Bible says "without the shedding of blood is no remission" (Heb. 9:22), and only the blood of the holy Son of God can bring forgiveness and salvation. Only His blood is capable of paying the penalty of our sins.

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Eph. 2:8-9) What is this gift of God? Well the Bible says " the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 8:23) Salvation is eternal life, and it comes through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. One might ask, But who may have faith? Faith too is a gift and anyone may have it, but there are few who are willing to hearken unto the Word of God. For "faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17)

If total depravity of man is true, then no one deserves the mercy of God, only His wrath. If you keep thinking that you are not that bad, not that evil, not that rebellious against the Lord then you are like those whom Jeremiah spoke of who did not know their own hearts. "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" If you for a moment had a glimpse of what truly is in your heart and how much God has restrained you from going the natural ways that are within you, you would fall down in praise and in worship at this moment. That is why Job found it necessary to repent when he came to the same conclusion. If you do not think you are that bad, you need to fall down before the feet of the living God and plead for mercy, ask Him to open your eyes and to bring His holy law to search out the wickedness of your heart till you see the preciousness of such a great Savior and yearn to be delivered from the wrath which you richly deserve. You need to fall down before Jesus Christ. He did not come to bring the righteous, only sinners, to repentance.

The Gift of Righteousness

How wonderful it is to see just how merciful a Saviour we have, and how gracious He is, in all that he has done for us through our Lord Jesus Christ. Providing cleansing and pardon for our sins that we might be "holy and without blame before him in love". (Eph. 1:4) That we should be "faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy". (Jude 24) We are holy and faultless, but we still need to be made fit for heaven. The Bible tells us "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." (1John 3:2) He "shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body" (Philip. 3:21), that we "might be partakers of the divine nature". (1Peter 1:4) We yet await the redemption of our bodies.

As we have heard, when Adam sinned he lost that righteousness that he had and took on a sinful nature. "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned . . . For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." (Romans 5:12, 17-19) Although today even if we are saved, we still find ourselves wrestling with our own flesh. Today we are justified by faith, that is, declared righteous through the merit of Jesus Christ, and his finished work on the cross. But one day we shall be made righteous, we shall be changed and freed from this body of death.

This gift of righteousness, from whence does it come? Does it come from the world? No, it has none. It comes from the Lord our God, and is the righteousness of the one who is righteous, none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. "I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness". (Isaiah 61:10)

Oh that the world might see the only One who is righteous. "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God." (Romans 10:3) "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth." (Romans 10:4) Man can by no means establish his own righteousness for they are as filthy rags in the sight of Him who is called Holy. There are no righteous deeds which sinful man may do that will make him accepted in the sight God. "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us". (Titus 3:5) We are accepted in the Beloved. Paul declares, "And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith". (Philip 3:9) Man can do no amount of good works that will establish his righteousness, "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered." (Romans 4:5-7)

We can not come to God based on our own personal righteousness for we have none. We have been separated from God not only by our iniquities, but also by Adams transgression and his nature imputed to us. So God sent his Beloved Son to bear our iniquities and the penalty thereof "that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." (Romans 3:26) For "He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities." (Isaiah 53:11)"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2Cor. 5: 21) This righteousness can only be imputed by God on the basis of a perfect substitutionary sacrifice. Christ died for the ungodly, not the righteous, and we are found to be the ungodly, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We need to come to the one who is Holy and righteous that we might be "justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins". (Romans 3:24-25)

What great contrast do we now find in the one who has come to Jesus Christ by faith, for pardon and cleansing of sin. "For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord". (Ephesians 5:8)"And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye 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: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace ye are saved". (Ephesians 2:1-5)

Hallelujah! What a Saviour! (P. P. Bliss 1838-76)

Man of Sorrows, what a name
For the Son of God who came;
Ruined sinners to reclaim!
Hallelujah! What a Saviour!

Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
In my place condemned He stood;
Sealed my pardon with His blood;
Hallelujah! What a Saviour!

Guilty, vile and helpless we;
Spotless Lamb of God was He;
Full atonement! Can it be?
Hallelujah! What a Saviour!

Lifted up was He to die,
It is finished, was His cry;
Now in heav'n exalted high;
Hallelujah! What a Saviour!

When He comes, our glorious King,
All His ransomed home to bring,
Then a new this song we'll sing:
Hallelujah! What a Saviour!