Making Much of Jesus — Ralph Sexton

God bless you. Thank you so very much. It's a great honor for me to be invited back to Southwide this year, and I appreciate the invitation so very much. It was my privilege in the late sixties, early seventies, to be a member of Northside Baptist Church.

I was a cost accountant with Kraft Foods, a seal test corporation, and I was transferred to the city of Charlotte. We lived there for a couple of years, and my pastor was Dr. Jack Hudson. My Sunday school teacher was now Dr. Steve Bird, pastor of the wonderful church here in North Carolina.

And Brother Charlie was there, and we had a lot of fellowship and a lot of friends. But I think about Dr. Hudson's life motto, Make Much of Jesus. This is our final session, and as we close Southwide tonight, I would, by the help of the Lord, challenge your heart, challenge your faith, and yes, challenge your fight for the days that are in front of us.

Watching for Christ's Return and Seeking a Fresh Encounter

These are the most exciting hours that believers have ever lived on planet earth. My heart is thrilled. I just returned from Israel. While we were there, we were able to go by the Temple Institute, the Temple Treasures, they call it.

And I have photographs here tonight of the golden Mizrach, where they are getting ready and preparing to resume sacrifices. All the instruments, ninety-some that they talked about, would be essential, and fifty-three of them are already manufactured and sitting on the shelf.

The rabbi told me, he said, we can start sacrifices just as soon as we get the mount back. It's a great, exciting time to be a believer. Gershwin Solomon called my motel room, and he's the leader of the Temple Mount faithful.

My church family gets a kick out of this. He's an Orthodox Jew, he's not a Bible believer, and he was just in the States, and we had him come by our church, and he refers to me as the holy pastor. He called me in my motel room, and he said, would you like to go over and see the cornerstone?

He said, it's already been cut and prepared according to the Mosaic law. We didn't use an instrument of steel. It was cut with stone cutting stone. And I said, Gershwin, why are you tormenting me? He said, holy pastor, you need to know that this is the age of redemption.

He said, the Messiah could come at any moment. He's preaching like that, and he's blind. What should we be doing? We should be looking for the upper taker, not the undertaker. If I could challenge your heart and your fight and your faith tonight, I would pray that you go home different, that you not waste the fuel, that you not waste the energy and time and effort that you've exerted to be a part of this conference.

That before you leave the property, somewhere tonight you get your fresh glimpse of glory. Somewhere tonight you pray for the personal touch of Jesus on your life. Some of my best friends on planet earth are in this auditorium tonight.

Some of my heroes, men that have touched my life, affected my service to the King, challenged me. And yet at the same time, I know that what I need tonight, they cannot provide. I love Dr. Lee Robeson, and only heaven will be able to reveal the deep affection that I have in my heart for him.

But as much as I love him, I know he cannot sustain me tonight. I must go to Calvary, and I must look upon his dear and wonderful face and beg the King for fresh oil. Tonight I would encourage you not to be weary and well-doing.

Tonight I would ask that you stop watching the storm and look to the Savior that's above the storm. And you say, how is this possible, Brother Ralph? How can we do this? How can I continue in my circumstance?

Well, the answer is in our motto, Making Much of Jesus. That's how we can look above the storm. That's how we cannot grow weary and well-doing. That's how we'll be able to survive the next few weeks and months, and if God should grant us another year to meet and assemble.

Somehow, between here and there, we're going to have to concentrate on making much of Jesus. You say, well, how can we make much of Jesus? Well, I think the most obvious way to make much of Jesus is to look at him and what he stands for.

The Virgin Birth and the Parents of Jesus

If you have your Bibles tonight, I want you to turn to Matthew chapter 1 and verse number 18, making much of Jesus. The latter part of that verse says, Before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

If we're going to make much of Jesus tonight, we need to make much of his parents. We need to make much of the parents of the children of the Lord Jesus Christ. You say, well, what do you mean by the parents of the Lord Jesus?

Well, first of all, we need to make much of the fact that his father was a thrice holy God of this universe. Jesus Christ did not have Joseph's blood. If you know anything about biology, the blood is transmitted by the Father.

That's how we're able to settle paternal suits, is that we can perform a blood test and find out who the Father is. And if you could analyze the drop of that holy, pure, precious blood tonight, you would find out that Jesus belongs to God the Father.

He does not have Millie's blood. He does not have Joseph's blood. But he has the blood of his Father, the Lord God Almighty. I'd like to make much of his parents tonight. I'd like to make much of his mother, the Virgin Mary.

We read in Matthew chapter 2 and verse number 11 that the mother of Jesus, this virgin maiden, that when she realized who he was when he was born, the Bible says that she fell down and worshiped him. She knew who he was.

She knew he didn't belong to Joseph, and she knew he didn't belong to her. God had prepared a place for him, and his Father was God Almighty. You ought to make much of his parents. Tonight you can make much of Jesus because he is the virgin-born Son of God.

He was not half God and half man. He's all God and all man. He's the God Creator. He's the provider, and he is the very one that sustains us here tonight. We can make much of Jesus and his parents. Secondly tonight, you can make much of Jesus and his power.

The Power of Jesus Over Death, Hell, and the Grave

You can make much of his power tonight. Exodus chapter 15 and verse number 6 says, Thy right hand, O Lord, is become glorious in power. The good news tonight is that the power of Jesus Christ is so wonderful and so mighty that it is actually glorious when you attempt to describe it.

You can make much of the power of Jesus because he literally had the power to give his life for sinners. He literally had the power to topple old death from his gory throne. Death thought he had the power to rule over men.

Death thought he could control the grave. Death thought that he had everything in his hand and control. But Jesus Christ had the power. He had the power to not only give his life for the souls of men, but he had the power to topple old death from his throne.

He had the power to invade hell and to cause the demons to flee. And in the deep dungeons of the damned, they ran and tried to get behind Lucifer, for the invader of hell had now pierced the air. And Jesus Christ had the power to go where no one else had ever gone.

He had the power to back the devil up against the old smutty walls of hell. And by the authority of his own name, command Lucifer, turn loose of the keys, give me the keys of death, hell, and the grave, and hand them to me.

I want you to know he had the power to take charge of the predicament that fallen men had fallen into. He had the power to take the keys and grasp them. He had the power to look over at the devil and remind him that keys represent authority.

Keys represent proprietorship. Keys are something that you have in your pocket when you own your own business, own your own car, own your own house. But tonight the devil is the only booger in business that doesn't have the keys to his own shop.

God's son put him out of business. For time and for eternity, he is a defeated foe. The devil would like for you to forget as you leave Southwide and drive home, catch your plane, get caught back up under the burden of pastoring, evangelism, the mission field, running to and fro in the house and the family.

The devil would like for you to forget who's got the keys. He'd like to make you think that he's got the power, that he's in charge. But I want you to go home making much of Jesus tonight and making much of the fact that he has the power to rule and to reign.

He not only had the power to get the keys, but he had the power to step across that gulf into paradise and to keep a promise and to rescue those that had died in the hope of a promised Redeemer. He had the power after he had redeemed those that were waiting in paradise and assembled them unto himself, that on the way to the Father he stopped off on the morning of the third day, and there was a piece of clay, and old death was lying on top of him.

Lucifer had sent corruption into the grave and said, whatever we do, we can't wait. If we wait, he's got disciples that may try to steal him. So what we better do is start the process of corruption early.

He sent demons to reinforce death and corruption. But when corruption walked into that grave, he took a deep breath of air he had never smelled before. My, this doesn't smell like a grave. It smells like the rose of Sharon.

He took another breath and said, it smells like the lily of the garden. It smells like the lily of the valley. And on that glorious morning, by the power of his own name and by the authority of his own throne, he resurrected his own body and he got up out of the grave for time and for eternity.

And tonight we are participants in a religion, in a truth, in a wonderful adoration and a worship. We're the only people in the world where the founder of our religion is still alive. You go over to where Buddha's buried and they'll show you a great and glorious grave.

You can go to the grave of Confucius and you can go to the grave of Muhammad. You can go to many great graves that have been decorated and inside the founder of the religion. But when you go over to Jerusalem and you walk down into that little garden and you visit that borrowed tomb, there's just a little simple plaque on the door that says he is forevermore.

He's the living resurrected savior. Boy, when I think about that, I want to brag on his name. I want to make much of Jesus. I want to make much of the fact that he's alive. And when hell tries to load my wagon and discourage me and talk me into having the pooch mouth, no clavicle, no long lip and the moody blues, I just want to look across in there and see it's still empty and to know that my redeemer liveth.

And I have something to praise him for and to thank him for. But you know what else you can do tonight? You can make much of his promises. Not only can I make much of his parents and his power, but I can make much of his promises.

The Living Word and the Power of Christ's Promises

John one, one, that simple text in the book reads in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was what? God. When you begin to read that the word was God, you begin to understand in the beginning was the word and the power of that promises that are recorded here, that we do have a Bible that's alive and well.

Jesus is his word and his promises are him. This tonight is something I can make much of. This is Jesus. I was humble the other day in Israel because I kept watching those Orthodox Jews and they would walk back under that wall and try to get as close as they can.

And the rabbi in there, he made a statement. He said, we know where the ark of the covenant is. He said, we've kept it a secret these last 18 months or so because we are afraid there'll be a conflict and it'll be destroyed.

But we know the exact location. We're just waiting for the temple mount. We're just waiting. He said, we know where the ark is. I've got it on an interview down there. And he says, we know where it is.

And you know what? I watched them go over and unlock the cabinets and they'd get out the word of God. And as they'd take it out, they'd kiss the Bible, Torah. And they'd get out to the wall and some of them had smaller copies and kissed the word.

And I got on the plane riding back to the United States and we were packed in there and there was a fella over beside me and he opened up that Old Testament and he kissed the word. Boy, I thought you don't even know what you're doing to me.

You're kissing the word because it's the power of his promises. You're holding on to a hope that the Messiah will come. I've got the living hope that he's already come and he's alive in my soul forevermore.

Oh, the power of his promises. Because you see, my friend, that this word is the inerrant, infallible, holy, inspired word of God. My Bible does not contain the word. It is the word of God. It's preserved to the English-speaking world in this only authorized version that there's ever been.

This old King James, 1611, archaic Elizabethan English, hallelujah, is the living, holy word of God. Hey, I've got something alive tonight. I've got the holy word of God. I don't have to back up. I don't have to retreat.

I've got the word of God tonight alive and alive forevermore. I'm so grateful, gentlemen, that night they ordained me right up the road in Asheville, North Carolina and I knelt at an altar and those preachers gathered around and laid hands on me and they charged me with a sermon.

They scared me with warnings, but then when they got through intimidating me and making me afraid to even breathe, they reached over and handed me an old black back 1611 and said, now you go preach. They issued me into the army of a holy God as a soldier of the cross.

And when I graduated from my boot camp exercises that night, they strapped on me an M1611. Bless God. It won't jam down in the ditches of sin. It won't run out of ammunition when the devil sticks up his slimy head.

It's still got the power. It's still sharper than a two-edged sword. It's the holy word of God alive and alive forevermore. The problem is not with the book. The problem is with my evil, wicked heart of unbelief.

Oh, that we would see it's the power of his word. You know what I like about this blessed book? It'll not run out of ammunition when hell attacks. Brother Tim, one of the scariest things in Nam was that when you had a base camp, couldn't be resupplied and there would come the wire attacks, human sacrifices, bandoliers of explosives.

Men would literally melt the barrels of weapons down. Then come the terror, the scream and the cry. There's no more ammunition. There's no defense. But I'm grateful tonight when the night's the longest.

Oh, when hell seems to be the hottest. When your night seems to be so confused and the heavens are made of brass and your old, doubty heart says, I wonder if there's even really a God. That this blessed book never, ever runs out of ammunition to hold your sanity and to hold your soul.

It's the power of God's holy word. I'm grateful that this blessed book will not melt down during the heat of debate, when the liberal critics attack, when those that pretend to profess his name, but deny the truth and the power of his word, it'll not fall apart under pressure.

It's the word of God and you can make much of Jesus and his promises because of his holy word. Not only can we make much of his parents and his power and his promises, but tonight I'm grateful I can make much of his pardon.

Christ's Pardoning Blood and Finished Atonement

The only reason I'm here tonight is Jesus. If you've never had soul winning 101, if you've never learned that there was a Roman road or any other kind of road, you know what you can always tell someone?

Let me tell you what Jesus has done for me. Let me tell you about it. The other day I was dead. Now I'm alive. The other day I was blind, but now I can see. The other day I was deaf, but now I can hear.

The other day I was crippled, but now I can walk. Because of what Jesus has done for you, you don't ever have to learn a program or to memorize a package. You just always do what the apostle Paul always used on men that were lost.

He just kept telling them what Jesus had done for him. Make much of his pardoning power. I was sentenced to death by the justice of a holy God. However, I was justified. Instead of receiving justice, I was pardoned by this same Jesus.

His blood was literally shed for my sins. Exodus chapter 12 and verse number 13, and when I see the blood of my Savior I will pass over you. The Bible says that today in heaven that the beloved, the brethren, we were accused by the devil.

That today you've been accused in front of God. And God the Father is sitting on the throne. Jesus is his right hand. And the devil is running around talking about you and accusing you. God turns to his son and says, what about old Ralph Sexton down there?

Sir, that's one you gave me before we made worlds. I died on the cross for him. I bought him with my own blood. He's my son. I've adopted him into the family. God looks down at the devil and he says, what sins are you talking about?

I don't see anything but the darling royal red blood of my son that died by his soul, by her soul, been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. You see, it is Leviticus 17 that teaches us it is the blood, for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.

Nothing else will work but the blood. The blood of goats and bulls will not work. The blood of pigeons and doves will not work. The only blood that can ever work is the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

His blood bought my pardon. Listen, you all tonight leave out of this place and off this property and you ought to go about your daily life serving Jesus, making much about the blood. You ought to be making much of Jesus.

You ought to be making much of his holy, precious blood, that supernatural blood, that sinless blood, that keeping blood, that cleansing blood, that saving blood, that healing blood, that redeeming blood, that limitless blood, that fresh blood, that sheltering blood, that liberating blood, that pardoning blood, that innocent blood, that sprinkle blood, that shed blood, that abundant blood, that overcoming blood, that sealing blood, that faithful blood, that forgiving blood, that incorruptible blood, that imperishable blood, that atoning blood, that perfecting blood, and best of all, it's free blood.

The of the Lord Jesus Christ. What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Oh, glory to His name. I had the privilege of interviewing Rabbi Levy there at the Institute of Temple Treasures.

And I asked him, I said, Rabbi, why does that misrack not have a base on it? I said, there's no way you can sit it down. It comes down to a cone. I said, why does the misrack not have a base? He said, because when the high priest gets the blood of the sacrifice, the words he used were, we don't want him to go get a cup of coffee.

He said, when he gets that blood, he cannot now sit it down and take a break. He said, he has to go do his job, listen to this, until it is finished. I said, could you say that last part again? He said, he can't stop until it's finished, until the task is completed.

He must take that fresh blood and then walk into the Holy of Holies and sprinkle it before the altar and then step on the blood and then pour it upon the mercy seat, that there would be an atonement of sin.

And then his task is finished. Two thousand years ago, the Lamb of God, the sweet Lord Jesus Christ, cried off the cross, it is finished, because he had taken his blood into the Holy of Holies to buy your salvation for time and for eternity.

The Lordship and Preeminence of Jesus Christ

The power of his holy blood. Not only should we make much of his pardoning power, but we should make much of his preeminence. We should make much of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Philippians chapter 2, verse number 9,.

Wherefore God also hath highly, I like that part, highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus almost every knee, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things on earth and things under the earth, that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

To the glory of God the Father, we can make much of the fact that Jesus Christ is Lord tonight. He's not going to be Lord. He is already Lord. You can make much of his preeminence. And if you want your personal life to change, you start practicing the loving Lordship of Christ.

You want your tears back. You want your compassion back. You want your burden back. You want your zeal again. You want God the Holy Ghost to fill you and thrill you. Then you bring all that you are and all that you have, and may it kneel down at the altar of his loving Lordship and crown him King of kings and Lord of lords and give him the preeminence of everything in your life.

And then you watch the power of God move in your being. Jesus has tonight the unqualified preeminence. He has the unqualified supremacy. He precedes all others in priority. He exceeds all others in superiority.

He succeeds all others in finality. Jesus Christ is Lord. He is tonight the master of the mighty. He is the captain of the conquerors. He is the head of the heroes. He's the leader of the leaders. He's the law of the legislators.

He's the governor of the governors. He's the prince of the princes. He's the king of kings, and he is tonight Lord of all the lords. We have an opportunity tonight to worship the loving Lord of all the universe, and we should make much of Jesus.

Not only is he Lord in eternity past, but he will be Lord in eternity future. He was Lord of the beginning, and he'll be Lord at the end. He's Lord of the rich, and he's Lord of the poor. He's Lord of the healthy, and he's Lord of the sick.

He's Lord of the redeemed, and he's Lord of the lost. He's Lord of the black, and he's Lord of the white. He's Lord of the USA, and he's Lord of the USSR. He's Lord of the sun, and he's Lord of the moon.

He's Lord of the visible, and he's Lord of the invisible. He's Lord of the oasis, and he's Lord of the desert. He's Lord of the dot, and he's Lord of the tittle. He's Lord of the chapter, and he's Lord of the book.

He's Lord of the creek, and he's Lord of the river. He is Lord of the lake, and he is Lord of the sea. He is Lord of the smart, and he is Lord of the dumb. He is Lord of the great, and he is Lord of the small.

He is Lord of the ant, and he is Lord of the elephant. He is Lord of the guppy, and he is Lord of the whale. He is Lord of the kitten, and he is Lord of the lion. He is Lord of the worm, and he is Lord of the snake.

He is Lord of the sparrow, and he is Lord of He's Lord of Heaven, and He's Lord of Hell! He's Lord tonight! Jesus Christ is His name, and He's Lord of all! Oh, He's Lord. You ought to make much of Him.