If you will, please turn to the Gospel according to Matthew chapter eight. Matthew chapter eight. Verse 23. And when he, the Lord Jesus Christ, was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him, and behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves, but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us, we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are you fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. But the men marveled, saying, what manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him? I want you to notice the statement of these men. They're making a statement concerning the Lord Jesus, which I would like you to notice tonight. The uniqueness of his person. What manner of man is this that even the winds and the sea obey him? If you will, next, please turn to John's gospel and chapter seven. Three verses of scripture I wish to note with you. John chapter seven. Verse forty. many of the people, therefore, when they heard this saying, said of a truth, this is the prophet. Others said, this is the Christ. But some said, shall Christ come out of Galilee? Hath not the scripture said that Christ cometh of the seed of David and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was? So there was a division among the people because of him, and some of them would have taken him, that is, to harm him, but no man laid hands on him. Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said unto them, Why have you not brought him? The officers answered, Never man spake like this man. The uniqueness of the Lord's preaching. Never man spake like this man. One final reading, please, in Mark's Gospel, chapter two. We will read from verse three. And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was born of four. And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was. And when they had broken it up, they let down the bed whereon the sick of the palsy lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy's son, Thy sins be forgiven thee. But there were certain of the scribes sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, why does this man thus speak blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God only? And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, why reason ye these things in your hearts? Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, thy sins be forgiven thee, or to say, arise, take up thy bed and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins, he saith to the sick of the palsy, I say unto thee, arise and take up thy bed and go thy way into thine house. And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all, insomuch that they were all amazed, and they glorified God, saying, we never saw on this fashion the uniqueness of the Lord's power and the dual blessing that was received by that dear man. Now, the reason that I wish to note these three passages with you tonight is to try to emphasize, if I can, to everyone in this little audience, that the center and the hinge and the preeminent note in the gospel of God's grace that runs through the Bible is a person, the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am thankful to be able to say, and I say it, friend, without a, a, a fear of any man contradicting it, Christ is indispensable. You cannot get along without the Lord Jesus Christ, not even the breath you breathe. We can, we cannot live without him, we cannot die without him. We have no existence without him. Every individual in this little room tonight is dependent on the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. And yet, amazingly, we must honestly confess he is the most forgotten person. It's so easy to forget about the Lord Jesus. We become self-centered. That's just by nature. That's the way we are. We're born that way. We live that way. The world elbows its way that way. Self, me, my, and mine. What else is there? Ah, my friend, if you ever get to see God's estimation of the Lord Jesus Christ, and I hope you shall from this gospel meeting tonight, I hope you will recognize what God wants you to see. He has given to the Lord Jesus the place of preeminence, and you and I, poor, frail, dependent creatures that we are, sinful by nature, sinners by choice, dying in our sin. If you ever get to see that the only place for the Lord Jesus Christ in your existence is the same place God has given him, first place. When you get to see that, I hope that you will recognize God's purpose for me is to know Christ, to love him, to serve him, and die for him. And he's worth it, friend. There is none like him. That's the great, beloved, glorious person, the living man in heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now we have read of three unique things about the Lord Jesus. And I wish to try, if I can, friend, to underline to you and to me tonight, it is a moral responsibility of every living man to consider the person of Christ. He's unique. That's what makes him indispensable. That which is unique stands alone. It stands in solitude. There are many things. For example, electricity is unique. There's no duplicate of it. You can't duplicate it. It's either electricity or it's not. It's unique. We're dependent upon it in our life. I don't just mean on a switch on the wall. We're dependent upon electricity in the very air that we breathe. That's a marvelous thing, and any of you chemistry students will understand that far better than, than I do. But it's marvelous, and it's unique. That's why it be- has become a servant of man. Man has seen its unique character. He's gone after it. He's harnessed it, and God has given man the genius to do that. My friend, here is a person that is unique. Do we think of an Einstein? Unique genius, perhaps. Unique in the sense that he stands alone in many things that he calculated and pondered and genius looked into. Ah, my friend, tonight here you and I are, and be it an Einstein or be it an Edison, or be whoever it may be upon the face of the earth who has ever lived. The Lord Jesus Christ stands apart from them all. He stands unique. Let me note with you the value of the uniqueness of the Lord Jesus, its relevance to you and to me tonight. In our first reading, we read concerning his person, a unique person. You know, our Lord Jesus Christ, friend, is the only person who ever lived and who ever shall live, who had two distinct, complete natures, divine and human. That's unique. Let me tell you, friend, the value of that to you tonight in this meeting. Have you ever pondered it, the marvel of it? Oh, I know you believe the Lord Jesus was born in Bethlehem. I know you understand that he was the Son of God. Have you ever put that together? That's unique. It stands alone in the blessed person of Christ, whose name men used to curse with, whose face men dared to spit on, whose hands men dared to nail to Golgotha's tree. Human beings like you and me dared to take that holy, unique person and crucify him. Look at him. He is God who manifested himself in flesh, took humanity to himself, never to relinquish it. What does that mean to you, friend? That's the great quality of the Lord Jesus Christ to be the mediator between God and man. The only possible mediator between an holy God who fills eternity and us, poor, frail, groveling creatures of time, in our own confusion and all the debris of our confusion that lies about us in our world. Man has sinned against his God. You know that. I need not tell you you are a sinner. You know you've sinned against the divine standard. You know that you've come short of it. To what degree is not my question tonight. The fact is, we are sinners before God. We need a mediator, and thank God there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. He's unique. He's the only one that could be the mediator. He is divine in his person. He is God in his nature, and he is human. He is man. He became man. Marvelous, friend. That's unique. That's what fits him, to stand between the righteousness of God and the sin of man, and man the sinner, and be the mediator. Ah, my friend, tonight, that's why the gospel centers in the Lord Jesus. If you've never considered him before, consider him tonight. You need Christ. You are the sinner. God is inflexible in his holiness, and thank God there's a way back to God from the dark paths of sin. And where does it begin, friend? It begins with the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. The only possible mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. But let me tell you another unique thing about his person. He was sinless, and that's unique. He had no sin, and he could not sin. Amazing. He was impeccable, that's the word that is used. Impossible for him to sin because he is God. And he had no sin in his words. You can trust everything he said. There was absolutely no failure in his work. You can trust everything that he did. That's the marvel of it. What is the value of that to you and to me, friend? Look at him tonight. You must meet him. Sooner or later, you're going to have dealings with the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, your creator, God of heaven, who took to himself humanity that he might manifest his heart to you and the purposes of his heart for you, that he might go to the cross and become the mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. What does that sinless, glorious sinlessness of the Lord Jesus mean to you? My friend, that's the great answer to the sin question that is our problem. The Lord Jesus Christ could become answerable for sinners because he had none of his own. Marvelous uniqueness. Oh, friend, can I say to you tonight, if you could only see that the Lord Jesus, in his sinlessness, is the great one who is capable of becoming answerable for sins of another because he had none of his own. And that's what the Bible teaches concerning the Lord Jesus. Dear Peter takes up his pen by the Holy Spirit. He saw through the uniqueness of the Lord Jesus. He grasped the beauty of that person in, in his sinlessness, and this is what he says. He bore our sins in his own body on the tree. My friend, that's a marvelous thing. You need to look at the Lord Jesus. Yes, can I say to you tonight, you need to go to Christ to become your savior. He's the only possible savior for sinners. He stands unique in all his ability to save. But can I point out to you, as I read that first passage, friend, the uniqueness of his sufferings? Our Lord Jesus suffered, and he suffered as no other man ever suffered. Let me tell you, first of all, to qualify that, what I mean. The Lord Jesus, because he was sinless, because in himself he is God and he is man, when he went to Calvary's cross to suffer, friend, he felt the reality of the judgment of sin more than any other man could ever feel it. And all the purity of his person, oh my friend, that makes him the trustworthy savior. He knew what it was to enter into the, the very depth of all that justice required against sin. He knew what it was to be laid in the lowest pit. No one could go further into the sufferings for sin than the Lord Jesus. He had both the capacity and the willingness to do so. Unique? Oh, my friend, tonight there is none like him. He entered into dealings with God about our sin. I ask you, what will you do with this blessed Savior who stands unique, presented to you from the Holy Scriptures. There never when he said, there never was a man like this. What manner of man is this? He's unique, friend. He's the Savior, the trustworthy Savior of sinners, who voluntarily gave himself in all his sinlessness to the mighty work of redeeming poor, guilty, lost sinners by giving himself to pay the price. A unique person, marvelous person. I hope you see tonight, not only do you have moral responsibility to consider him, but you have a moral responsibility to believe him. That leads me to my second text. His preaching was unique. They said never a man spake like this man. Marvelous preaching of the Lord Jesus. My friend, the Lord Jesus being God, he revealed God's mind. And it's God whom you and I have to deal with. It's God that you have to meet, friend, in all his infinite greatness. It makes us smaller than a speck of sand. We are nothing in his presence, and furthermore, we're self-willed and godless by nature. How amazing, how tremendous the thought of meeting God. And the Lord Jesus, through his preaching, he reveals what God is like. That's why John three sixteen is given to us in our Bible. You know, God is probably the most misunderstood person in the whole universe. Men don't understand him. If you want to know what he's like, look at the Lord Jesus and listen to him. Listen to what he said. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. Isn't that unique preaching? My friend, there's no one else could ever speak with such authority. No one else could ever reveal so much about God and God's plans for a sinner like you and me. No one but the Lord Jesus. You can trust his word, friend. Why, his very word stopped the wind. His very word calmed the sea. His very word gave assurance of the forgiveness of sins. That's unique preaching. It's his word you need, friend. You want to know where you stand in relation to God, you listen to the teaching of the Lord Jesus. One day, when speaking to the men and to the people that day, his heart went out to them. He longed to see them receiving his words, but they questioned it. Not only questioned it, but they said, we don't want it. Take them away. One time they tried to push them over the brow of a hill. Another occasion they told them, get out of our city. We don't want that preaching. We don't want to see that type of thing. What was the matter, friend? The same problem that we have. We have our own ideas, and we put our own ideas above what the Lord Jesus says. Can I say, friend, the Lord Jesus unique in his preaching. He gives words that convey eternal life. Whatever you do, don't put your word ahead of his. You can trust him. He gives the forgiveness of sins with the authority of his word. Thy sins be forgiven thee. Oh, friend, if only you had that tonight. What a pillow to rest your head on, to be able to say, I have his word for it. He went to the cross for me. He bore my sins because he says he did. My friend, tonight you couldn't get anything more. That's unique preaching. That's unique language. Would to God you could see tonight the trustworthiness of the Lord Jesus Christ as he gives you his precious word. Can I remind you as well that the Lord Jesus, through the uniqueness of his preaching, he showed how God decides who will be in heaven and who will be in the awfulness of hell? The Lord Jesus, on one occasion, drew back those curtains. He speaks of two men, and he tells us one in heaven and one in hell. Oh, my dear friend, tonight that's a divine authority. There is a real heaven, and there is a real hell, and there are men in heaven, and there are men in hell. Oh, I appeal to you as one human to another. Will you not hearken to the teaching of the Lord Jesus? Be not so foolish as to say nobody can know. My friend, the Lord Jesus said so. He tells of men who are in heaven and how they got there, what they were counting on, what they trusted to take them there, and he lets you listen to them, and they're in heaven and they're singing. You know what they're singing? About the Lord Jesus. Thou art worthy, for thou hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred and tongue and people and tribe and nation. Mind you, friend, I'm glad that's in the Bible. There's going to be people in heaven from every tribe on earth. Isn't that marvelous? That's the Savior, friend, that the Bible preaches to you tonight. He's given his word. There are men in the jungles of Peru tonight. There are other men who are way yonder in some jungle in Africa, not a roof over their head, but an open Bible in their hand. You know what they're preaching? For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. And there are going to be natives in every tribe of the earth that are going to be in heaven because of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's unique, friend. There's no other person could ever have word with such authority, such revealing message, and such power, the word of the Lord Jesus. But as I sit down, can I note you, with you, the uniqueness of his power? Ah, in that last pa- passage, the people said when the Lord Jesus said to that man, my sins are forgiven me. I, I, I'm, I'm so thankful tonight. You know, I, I've instructed my beloved wife when we talked about going into eternity because it looked like that's where I would be going. I told her, when you put up a little stone, my dear, I want one word written on it, forgiven. Oh, that's the sweetest word that I know. Forgiven. My friend, can you say that tonight? You know why I've had that on my tombstone? Because the Lord Jesus says, thy sins be forgiven. They're gone. They'll never be brought against me. My soul is saved from the awful penalty my vile sins deserve, all because of the uniqueness of the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. He entered into death that he might break its power. He went into the crosswork of Calvary to overcome the mighty power of sin, and the third day he rose out from death, untainted by the, by corruption, stood in all the triumph of resurrection, and he ascended into heaven, and he sent throughout the world the blessed message of his gospel. There is forgiveness, God doth say, through the blood of Christ, both sin and guilt are put away through the blood, and sinners fitted for the sky, yes, unto God himself brought nigh and made meet to dwell with Christ on high through the blood. My friend, that's the power of Christ. He's the only one that has power to put sin away. The only one has power to break the bonds of death. The only one with power to deliver souls from the kingdom of Satan and put them into the kingdom of the Son of God's love. That's his power. He stands unique. May I close and ask you tonight, friend, with the Lord Jesus unique in his person, the only possible savior because of his uniqueness, the uniqueness of his word, the trustworthy foundation of the unchangeable word of Christ, the uniqueness of his work to give to souls eternal salvation and forgiveness of sins. I ask you, what will you do with the Lord Jesus Christ? Forget religion, forget creeds, forget about trying to understand a lot. You deal with the person of Christ. Receive him as your savior. He'll give you the forgiveness of sins. He'll save your soul from the judgment you deserve, all by virtue of what he paid at Calvary when he entered into the cross work of the great work of salvation. He stands unique. I'm glad to tell you about him tonight, and I would say with all my heart, I commend him to you. He saved this poor sinner, he satisfied me, and he's the best friend I have, both for time and for death and for eternity. Turn to Christ and be saved tonight.