(Paul Washer reading an excerpt by Puritan John Flavel from “The Father’s Bargain.”)
He looks at you. And he says this: “Father, such is My love to this one person and My pity for them.” After they’ve broken every command He still says, “Such is My love, and such is My pity.” Proud men say “I don’t want your pity.” You need His pity. You need His pity. We are pitiful. He says, “Such is My love to and pity for them that rather than they shall perish eternally, I will be responsible for them as their guarantee.” “Bring in all thy bills Father that I may see what they owe thee.”
Now. Sometimes a young man will get married. And after he gets married, he’ll start getting a little shaky on his commitment. He said “I had no idea that marriage was this tough.” “I don’t know if this is really, what I’m made to do.” You see, he was boasting about how much he would love this girl. He had no idea the commitment he was going to have to make, but that is not true with Christ. Here he says to the Father, “Father, bring in everything they owe thee, let me see it.” Imagine this: He sees everything that you owe justice. He doesn’t go to that Cross blindly, He doesn’t get on the Cross and say “No Father, I don’t want to do this, I didn’t know it would cost so much.” He knew from eternity how much it would cost Him and yet He still did it.
But listen to this. “Bring in all thy bills that I may see what they owe thee.” “Lord bring them all in.” Now listen, believers. If this doesn’t make you so happy you weep or cry out for joy you’re not understanding what I’m saying. “He says bring in all the bills. Bring them all in that there may be no after reckonings with them.” Do you see what He’s saying? Bring in everyone of their bills from the time they were born till the time they die, everything they owe Thee, Father, bring them all in. I want to see them all, and on that tree I want to pay for them all there so that you never have to deal with them again with regard to their sin.
Do you see that believer? He never has to deal with you again! It’s over! All your crimes are paid for! Your crimes in the past. Your crimes in the present. Your crimes you’re going to commit in the future. All of them paid for.
And some people say, “Well, if you tell that to people they’ll just sin!.” No, they won’t, not true believers. Carnal wicked lost church members will hear that and go on sinning. But believers will say “If His love is like that, if he has set me free completely, I’m His!” “I don’t want to sin anymore!” “I don’t want to sin anymore!” You see brothers, that’s what leads to holiness, that’s why the Gospel is called “The Mystery of Godliness(1 Timothy 3:16)” You see that? It’s the thing that produces godliness in the believer. Yes there are commands, and there are rules, but that’s not what makes us godly. What makes us godly is knowing that Jesus died and that He died for me! And when He died He paid for every sin, past, present and future. And God will never again, never call me into His judgment hall to judge me. Never again! I’m free, I’m free, oh thank God I’m free!
And you say “But brother Paul, it says that there’s going to be a judgment for a believer.”(2 Cor 5:10) Yeah, but listen to this. In that Judgment, when you look up into the judges face… it will be your Father. It will be your brother. The one who judges you is the one who died for you. Don’t you see that? You’re free. You’re free! No guilt! Always come to Him! Always go back to Him! Always run to Him! You’re free! You finally walked through a door that no one in this world knows anything about, it’s unconditional love. You’re just loved, and it can’t be changed now! Because of that perfect work of Christ on that tree, on your behalf.
Christ so loved you, so loved His bride. That He who was ruler of all things, the heir of the universe and beyond; He became a servant.
