Be strong in the grace that’s in Christ Jesus. My friend, if you think today that you can grit your teeth and go out and do it on your own, you are in for grave disappointment. If you feel that somehow or another, you can follow a few little rulesIf you do thisfirst one, this one, then the next oneeverything's going to work out alright. Well don't you detect that that's just another legal system that's being given to you today? Paul has no rules, and the Word of God has no rules today for the child of God, actually, to live the Christian life. We are saved by grace. We're to live by the grace of God and be strong in that grace of God.

God did not eliminate physical death but spiritual death, eternal deaththat is, eternal separation from God. Now Christ has abolished that, so that no sinner need go to a place where you'll be eternally separated from God. Because today He's the Mediator, one Mediator between God and man. You can be reconciled to God; God's reconciled to you. Man cannot be saved by perfect obedience, he cannot render it, he cannot be saved by imperfect obedience because God will not accept it. And that leaves only one solution to the dilemma, and that is the one who said, I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh to the Father, but by me.

How do you accept a promise? Well, you do it by faiththe only way you can accept eternal life. He offers it to you. It's a gift, and the gift is something you have to believe in the givernot in the gift, but the giver. The Lord Jesus gives you eternal life when you trust Him as Savior because He paid the penalty of your sin. He today can offer you heaven on the basis of your faith, your trust in Him. You honor Him when you believe Him and you come His way. And therefore, the promise of life, which is in Christ Jesus, makes it clear. This is the only place you can get it, friends, and it's through Christ.

When the real gospel is preached and men come to Christ, we're all brothers. So you don't need all this talk about better race relations. You can't create it by forcing people together. Only the gospel of the grace of God makes a man a brother of mine, and when he does, doesn't make much difference about his skin at all. That's not the important thing. Then we need to recognize as Martin Luther put it, God creates out of nothing. Therefore, until a man is nothing, God can make nothing out of him. And that is the message that should go out and the only message that can affect a sin-sick world at the present time.

Now he says, Meditate upon these things. May I say, that means to be diligent in study. There is no excuse for a minister not to study the Word of God. And there’s no excuse for any Christian not to study the Word of God. That is important. Study! Meditate upon these things give thyself wholly to them, that thy profiting may appear to all. You can’t open the Bible at night when you’ve got one eye closed already and both feet are already in bed, or in the morning, before you’re half awake. My friend, you couldn’t study geometry like that or any science. And the Word of God is worthy of all that you and I can give it.

Now this is important to understand today. The Word of God needs to be read. And until the church is getting people into the Word of God, it’s, I think, missing its main function. This is very important. What is the minister to do today? How is the minister to grow? Well, he’s to grow by reading and by exhortation and doctrine. You see, a growing minister makes a growing church. And what about you? Are you farther along today than you were this time last year? Are you growing in grace and the knowledge of Christ? The only way to do is by reading the Word of Godthe great truths of the Word of God.

For therefore we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those that believe. Now again we have something very important here. The first thing is if you stand for Jesus Christ today, it’ll cost you something. There’s no question about that. Then the next thing here that’s very important is to know that the Lord Jesus, He’s the Savior of all men. And whoever you are, He’s your Savior. And He’s the only Savior. But who does He save? Those that believe. This is important for us to see.

These things command and teach. Let no man despise thy youth. There would be those in the church that’d say, Well, he’s just a young fellow, he doesn’t know yet. And maybe he didn’t, but don’t let anybody despise your youth. But be thou an example of the believers. It’s not age that’s important, but whether you’re an example of the believers. In what way? Here is God’s standard. We should be an example today in word, in our conversation, in our conduct, in our love, in our spirit, and in faith, and in purity.

Now that is a comfort to the child of God todayto know that all things work together for good. Why? Because God is going to see to it. And as Dr. Torrey used to say: That verse is certainly a pillow for a tired heart. And how many tired hearts there are in this world today who need a pillow to rest upon like this that are going down through deep waters and facing trials and temptations down here, and undergoing suffering and pain. They need to know that all things are working together. And that’s just not an idle expression. It’s because there is a God that has a plan and program. And He’ll not let up until it’s carried out to the very letter.

Well, friends, we have today a Mediator. The Lord Jesus Christ is come, and He has one hand in the hand of deity because He’s God. He’s able to save to the uttermost because He’s God and because He’s paid the price for your salvation and mine. Now He’s a Mediator, but He’s become a man; He can hold my hand down here. He understands me. He understands you. He knows you. You can go to Him. He’s not going to harm you and hurt you. You say, Well, I failed. I’ve done this; I’ve come short of the glory of God. I’m just such a failure. Well, He knows that, and He still loves you. He still wants to put His arm around you.