The Irreversible Blessings Of Christ

Below are notes to a sermon preached Sunday evening, April 3, 2005, at Gospel Light Baptist Church, Albany, Georgia. For more outlines, including zipped files of outlines from previous years, click on the link at the bottom of this note, and go to our website:

THE IRREVERSIBLE BLESSINGS OF CHRIST

By Michael D. O’Neal
Pastor, Gospel Light Baptist Church
Albany, Georgia

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Scripture Reading: Num. 23:13-21

Text: Num. 23:20

Numbers 23:20 Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it.

Introduction: Tonight I want to show you a portrait of the person and work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in this chapter. Do you not see Jesus in Num. 23? Well, let’s look more closely. I remind you that we should look for Him in the Old Testament:

John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

Especially in the book of Numbers, for it is one of the five books of Moses, and Jesus said of Moses’ writings:

John 5:46 For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me.

Now, look at verse 21 of this passage:

Numbers 23:21a He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: …

God had not beheld iniquity in Jacob? Why? Here is the answer:

Micah 6:5 O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal; that ye may know the righteousness of the LORD.

According to Micah 6:5, Balaam’s statement illustrates not the righteousness of men, but the righteousness of the Lord! This sends us right to the New Testament, for it is the NEW Testament that expounds on the righteousness of the Lord in the book of Romans. As for IRREVERSIBLE BLESSINGS of the righteousness of the Lord, as it is imputed to a believing sinner, we find this declared in Rom. 8:33-39, where we will see three hypocritical attempts to curse the people of God.

One irreversible blessing of Christ is that

I. WE ARE CLEANSED ENTIRELY
BY HIS ATONEMENT

Romans 8:33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.

We are justified by GOD:

A. By believing on Christ –
Rom. 5:1

B. By the blood of Christ –
Rom. 5:9

C. By the Book of Christ –
the scripture declares
the believer to be justified –
Gal. 2:16

Another irreversible blessing of Christ is that

II. WE ARE CLEARED ETERNALLY
BY HIS ADVOCACY

Romans 8:34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

A. He has a personal relationship
with the Judge and with the
accused

B. He has a powerful reason
for a dismissal of the charges

C. He has a perfect resume
of cases won

D. He has a permanent record
of the settling of the case –
Matt. 24:35

A final irreversible blessing of Christ is that

III. WE ARE CLAIMED ENDLESSLY
BY HIS AFFECTION

Romans 8:35-39 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The eternal love of Jesus is like:

A. The love of a shepherd
for His sheep

B. The love of a spouse
His bride

C. The love of a Savior
for His children!