Alright brethren, let's turn
to John chapter 19. John chapter 19. Begin in verse 19. And Pilate
wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was, Jesus
of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. This title, then, read
many of the Jews, for the place where Jesus was crucified was
nigh to the city, and it was written in Hebrew and Greek and
Latin. Then said the chief priests of
the Jews to Pilate, write not the king of the Jews, but that
he said, I am the king of the Jews. Pilate answered, what I
have written, I have written. Then the soldiers, when they
had crucified Jesus, took his garments and made four parts
to every soldier apart, and also his coat. Now the coat was without
seam, woven from the top throughout. And they said, therefore, among
themselves, let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it
shall be, that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith,
they parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture did
they cast lots. These things, therefore, the
soldiers did. Let's pray. Our great God and
our Father, we need Your presence. We need the blessing of Your
Word to our hearts. We depend entirely upon You to
instruct us and teach us. And Lord, we ask by our great
prophet, priest, and king, You would teach us now in heart and
in spirit. Make us to profit from the Word.
In Christ's name we ask it. Amen. Now the Gospel of our Lord Jesus
is in this inscription and it's in these garments. The Gospel
of Christ is in this inscription and it's in these garments. We
know that God was moving everything that was going on here. This
was all of God's hand. It was determined before and
He had spoken of it in the Scriptures beforehand. The pilot wrote,
Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. Christ could be seen
by all, these words could be seen by all, they could be read
by all. The place was near the city and it was written in three
languages so all could read it. So as Paul told Festus, none
of these things are hidden from men for this thing was not done
in a corner. It's open for all to see. This
inscription declared Christ's humanity. It was written, Jesus
of Nazareth, he's the sinless man, the perfect man, the last
Adam, made in all points likened to his brethren to redeem his
people from our sin. The inscription here declares
his glory. He is the king of the Jews. He's
the king of his true spiritual Israel, those made true Jews
by circumcision of the heart. It declares the sin of the world.
We crucified the Prince of Life. The Prince of Life came, God
in human flesh, and we crucified the Prince of Life. But it also
declares the hope of His people all over the world. Christ crucified
is the Savior. Him being crucified is the salvation
of His people. Now, Arthur Pink pointed out
something that I want to use as part of my outline. He said
this was written in Hebrew and Greek and Latin. Hebrew was the
language of the Jews. This was the language of religion
in that day. Greek was the language of the
Gentiles who prided themselves on learning, on science and philosophy,
learning, wisdom. Latin was the language of the
Romans. who were at that time the law of the land. They were
the law of the land. In all three, in religion, in
learning, in wisdom science, and in the law, Christ is king. He is preeminent. He is preeminent. First of all, this was written
in Hebrew. This was the language of the
Jews' religion. Now, in religion, the Lord Jesus
Christ is King. He is preeminent. He is true
religion, the Lord Jesus Christ. He's the gospel. He is the gospel. Christ Jesus, the Son of God,
is the Savior of His people, and He is the substance, the
sum and substance of all true religion. The gospel is concerning
Christ. Look with me at Romans 1. The
gospel, whether you're in the Old Testament or you're in the
New Testament, the gospel is concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. Look here now, Romans chapter
1, and listen to what Paul says here. Paul, a servant of Jesus
Christ, called an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God. which He had promised afore by
His prophets in the Holy Scriptures. Everything the Old Scriptures
testify are the Gospel of God. What is it? Concerning His Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David
according to the flesh, and declared the Son of God with power according
to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead,
by whom we've received grace and apostleship for obedience
to the faith among all nations for his name. Our Lord Jesus
is king, he is preeminent, he is himself the gospel. He is
the gospel. What is said in Revelation 1
could be said of the whole Bible. In Revelation 1.1, it is called
the revelation of Jesus Christ. He's the faithful witness. He's
the first begotten of the dead. He's the prince of the kings
of the earth. Unto Him that loved us and washed
us from our sins in His own blood and made us kings and priests
unto God and His Father. To Him be glory and dominion
forever and ever. He's the Alpha, He's the Omega. He's the beginning and the ending,
saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come,
the Almighty. That's who the Lord Jesus, the
God-man, is. The triune God manifest in Christ
Jesus. Now Paul, the apostle, he'd been
in the Jews' religion, but it was the Jews' religion. He had
been in the Jews' religion. That's what we all are in. As
we come forth into this world, whether we're religious or not,
we believe what the Jews at that time believed, that salvation
was by some good in us, something we could do to save ourselves.
And that's where Paul was. Notice there in John 19 and verse
21, what the chief priests are called. Then said the chief priests
of the Jews, God's chief priest was there. God's chief priest,
his high priest, was on the cross. That's who Christ is. But they
were the chief priests of the Jews. That's all they were in
the Jews' religion. Go over to Galatians 1. It's
only by the Lord calling us in the new birth and revealing Christ
to us that we're called out of the Jews' religion. Then we're
made true Jews. Then we know Christ who is himself
the gospel. And this is only by the Lord.
Galatians 1.13. Paul said, you've heard of my
conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that
beyond measure I persecuted the church of God. Now that's different
from the Jews' religion, the church of God. I persecuted the
church of God and wasted it, and I profited in the Jews' religion
above many my equals in my own nation, being more exceedingly
zealous of the traditions of my fathers, but when it pleased
God, who separated me from my mother's womb and called me by
His grace to reveal His Son in me. Then I knew true religion. Then I knew the true gospel.
And He sent me that I might preach Him among the heathen, and immediately
I conferred not with flesh and blood." One more place. I want
you to go to Job 19. Job 19. This is what Job calls the root of the matter,
knowing Christ and believing Christ and resting all in Him. This is the root of the matter,
the sum and substance of the matter right here. And this is
it, Job 19 verse 25, he said, I know that my Redeemer liveth. Job, everything has been taken
from him, including his health. And he says, I know my Redeemer
liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth,
and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my
flesh shall I see God, whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes
shall behold him, and not another, though my reins be consumed within
me. But you should say, he said to
his friends, why persecute we him, seeing the root of the matter
is found in me? This is the root. We have the
root of the matter in us when Christ is formed in us and we're
brought to see the gospel. And He is the gospel. He's the
preeminent in the gospel. Now secondly, back in our text,
this inscription was written in Greek. You remember how the
scripture said to the Gentiles, the gospel's foolishness, because
they're seeking after wisdom. They want to seek the wisdom
of men. They're seeking after learning and philosophy and science
and what have you. Well, Christ himself is wisdom. He's wisdom. Until God makes Christ wisdom
unto us, we're altogether ignorant. were altogether ignorant. He
could be, a man could be the most learned man in the world,
and yet he knows nothing until Christ has made wisdom. He knows
absolutely nothing. In Christ are hid all the treasures
of wisdom and knowledge. We should read this book looking
and learning from the Lord Jesus Christ. In Christ are hid all
the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. He's wisdom that Solomon spoke
of and said he was with the Lord before the world was made. He's
wisdom. He's the king of science. He's
the king of science. He created the world. He upholds
it. The laws of so-called nature
are His laws. It's Him upholding everything,
making everything operate according to His will and good pleasure.
By Him all things consist. He made all things. He upholds
all things. And by Him all things consist. He upholds all things by the
word of His power. Men study the heavens. Men study
the creature. Men study creation. But every
bit of it declares Christ's glory. Everything in creation declares
God's glory. It's a witness to every man. Paul said back there in Romans
1.20, the invisible things of Him from the creation of the
world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that
are made, even His eternal and powering Godhead, so that they
are without excuse. When men knew God, they glorified
Him not as God, neither were thankful. They became vain in
their imaginations. Their foolish heart was darkened.
Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools and changed
the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to
corruptible man, to birds and four-footed beasts and creeping
things, and worshiped the creature, the creation, more than God.
Everything in his creation, he made it and everything about
it declares him. Carnal wisdom, man getting learning,
just natural learning and natural understanding in things and study
and what have you. Carnal wisdom is the highest
a man can obtain. And that's limited. That's limited. It's in a depraved mind. It's in a depraved carnal mind.
It's all sin and for selfish gain, the motive is selfish.
It's called in scripture earthly, sensual, and devilish. It makes
men proud. The politician thinks he rules
in his sphere of government. The businessman heaps to himself
riches and he thinks himself wise, and that's his salvation,
but it's just temporary. The carnally religious man finds
his riches in his works, in what he does and does not do. But
no matter if a sinner's high or low in understanding, no matter,
it's carnal, it's temporary, and it will be gone in a moment.
When we die and go back to the dust, unless Christ has made
us eternal, everlastingly saved by his righteousness, None of
these things will profit. None of these things will profit.
Christ is wisdom. He's over all creation. He made
it, he's over it, and all his creatures. That's the risen God-man,
this Jesus of Nazareth that they wrote here. He's over all, the
God-man, risen, reigning over everything, and everything is
accomplishing His will and His good pleasure because He's working
it out that way. He's working in everything to
accomplish His pleasure. He's King of kings, He's Lord
of lords, and He sets up kings, and He sets up kingdoms, and
by Him they decree and they rule, and when He's done, He brings
them down. He rules all men, the king's heart's in His hand.
Those to whom Christ has made wisdom. Now when, like 1 Corinthians
1 said, of God is Christ made unto us wisdom, he has to do
that. And when he does that, when he
makes Christ our wisdom, he gives us true spiritual discernment
to know Christ is truly wisdom. He's the king over his spiritual
kingdom doing everything in perfect wisdom, in perfect wisdom. He's the wisdom and power of
God who saves His people. God chose His people in Christ
and gave them to Christ and trusted Christ to save us. That ought
to tell us He's wisdom. Christ came forth and did all
things to redeem us, to declare God's glory. That shows you He's
wisdom. He's wisdom. And when He by the
Spirit quickens us, He brings us to faith in Him, and that's
when we really have wisdom. We don't have wisdom till the
end. That's when we have wisdom. What does He do when He makes
Christ wisdom to us? He makes us a fool. He makes
us to be the fool. He makes us see that we're the
fool, that we might be wise on salvation in Him. He shows us
the deceivableness of unrighteousness in our sinful nature and our
carnal heart. He shows us how we've been deceived
and how we weren't really wise. We were ignorant all along. We
were looking to men, thinking men were wisdom, and they weren't.
Christ is the wisdom. When he's made wisdom to us,
he doesn't lift a man up in pride. That's the first time a man begins
to really see himself low in his own eyes. We begin to see
there's nothing good in us. There's nothing that can bring
us to God. We see it by the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus
our Lord. And he brings you to beg God
not to leave us to our own understanding. Do you pray that God do that
for you? That's a common thing that His
people ask. Lord, please don't leave me to
my understanding. I need Christ to lead. I need
Christ to protect. I need Him to be my wisdom in
everything. He makes that poor, unlearned
sinner that's saved by Him who the world looks down upon and
just thinks, oh, he's an unlearned and ignorant man. Nobody is thinking
very highly of some uneducated believer that Christ has called.
We praise the high and lofty men of the world, but that unlearned
poor sinner that's been made wise by Christ's wisdom, he has
more wisdom than the greatest scholar in the world. More wisdom. Now we see Christ in creation. Now we know why everything was made. Even
in the things that are made. We've seen it before where, you
know, he said the seed has to fall into the earth and be broken
and die and then it brings forth fruit. You see that happen. It's
how we get vegetables in the supermarket. Why was it made
that way? Because that's what Christ did.
He's the seed who came into this earth, who laid down his life
and died, and from him, he brings forth fruit unto God, his people.
Now we can look into the heavens and we can see the sun, the center
of everything, the center of the universe, and now we think
about Christ Jesus, who is called in scripture the son of righteousness. The SUN of righteousness, that's
who he is. We can look at the moon, it gets
all its light from the sun, and we think, that's me, I'm the
sinner without any light who gets all my light from Christ
the son. Now we see why things were made.
Now when things happen in providence, we know who's ruling it. And
we know it's only for our good and it's for His glory. You know,
the scientists at NASA, or Elon Musk's scientists, that are studying
rockets in space and looking out into space, if they're not
taught of God, if Christ has not made wisdom to us, they don't
know what you know when you look into those heavens. Think about
that. Wisdom from above makes us understand
the ignorance of all our earthly wisdom apart from Christ. He's the manifold wisdom of God. That's who He is. The wisdom
He is to His people is a true, real, eternal wisdom. Men who
are carnally wise and make a name for themselves will eventually
be forgotten. They will eventually be forgotten.
But God's people, those Christ makes wise unto salvation, scripture
says, shall be had in everlasting remembrance by our God, by our
God. Every saint you read about in
these scriptures, you're gonna know them forever. We're gonna
know them forever. All the men that we tout and
praise now as being wise men of the world, they won't be remembered. but the least of his saints will
be remembered forever. Well, next I want you to see
this inscription was written in Latin. That's the Roman's
language. They had the rule of law at this
time. But in the law and righteousness
of God, Christ is king. In the law and righteousness
of God, Christ is king. God is the law giver. Christ
Jesus is the one who fulfilled the law. He's the righteousness
of his people. You know, you have laws in countries,
you have laws in states and cities. Where did those laws come from?
Where did man get the notion to make laws in land? They all
came from God. It came from God. When we were
remodeling this building, we had to bring it up to civil code. Where did that come from? Where
did civil codes come from? Deuteronomy 22, eight. The children
of Israel, they had flat roofs on their houses and they entertained
their guests on their rooftop. And so God gave a law. He said,
when thou buildest a new house, then thou shalt make a battlement,
a low wall around the edge of the house for thy roof that thou
bring not blood upon thy house if any man fall from thence.
That's a city code, is what that is. That's a civil code. The supreme lawgiver puts men
in office, puts it in their heart to pass laws, and every law of
the land is the law of God. It's the law of Christ. Romans
13.1 says, let every soul be subject unto the higher powers,
to whoever's in authority. For there's no power but of God,
the powers that be ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth
the power, resisteth the ordinance of God, and they that resist
shall receive to themselves damnation. If a sinner wants to come to
God in his own righteousness, by his own obedience to the law,
I want you to think of this question. Does he have to keep even the
civil laws? You can't have ever even broken
a speed limit. That's right. If you're going
to come to God in your own works, you cannot have ever broken a
speed limit. That's how strict God is. That's
how strict He is. That's how just and holy and
righteous our God is. How are we going to come to God
then? Christ is the fulfillment of the law. Those He calls are
made the righteousness of God in Him through faith. And one
way you see this right here in our text, that Christ is the
fulfillment of the law. This inscription was written
in Hebrew and Greek and Latin. Why were there different languages?
At Babel, they tried to build a tower to reach to heaven, to
make a name for themselves, to make a city where they'd be safe.
a picture of sinners trying to come to God by the works of their
own hands. And God confounded the languages. That was a symbol of the curse
that's upon man. And why was Christ here? Why
was this written as it was written? Why Christ is being crucified?
Because he was made a curse for his people to deliver us from
the curse and condemnation of the law. That's the very reason
he was there. That's why these three languages
were there. Because of the curse. And He's
there delivering His people from the curse of the law. He is the
Lord our righteousness. He's the Lord our righteousness. He's calling His people right
now and making us wise by teaching us this very thing. Teaching
us He is the righteousness. and sanctification and redemption
of His people. The exaltation of Christ to God's
right hand, you know what that assures us of? That every one
of God's children, every one Christ has redeemed, shall be
called to faith in Christ. Not one shall perish. Not one
shall. Not one. He shall call each one
because He purchased us with His blood. He made us righteous
by His obedience. He justified us from all our
sin by His blood on the Calvary's tree. He will deliver up the
kingdom to the Father. The kingdom is every one of His
people He redeemed. He will deliver us up to the
Father. We will keep our mouths shut
and stand there as He presents us to God in His righteousness
perfect in Him. That's how we'll be accepted
in that day. He is the righteousness of His
people. He's the righteousness of His
people. Now lastly, I want you to look at these soldiers with
these garments, and I'll just end it with this. They divided
some of His garments into four parts, and they cast lots for
the seamless coat of our Lord. That seamless coat represents
the perfect righteous character and holiness of our Redeemer.
Everything he did in his life was perfect. He was holy in heart
and everything he did was right. Everything. Even right then when
they're treating him like they're doing and spewing this venom
upon him, he is perfectly holy and perfectly righteous in himself.
He's bearing the sin of his people, but he's righteous and holy in
himself. Now, that garment was without
seam. It was woven from the top throughout. From the top throughout. Now, you and I, our garments,
our character, and our works are full of holes. They're full
of holes, but not Christ. Everything he thought and did
and said is very nature. Everything was holy and righteous
before God. Now they would take the garments,
but they wouldn't take Christ. They divided some of the garments,
and only one of them could have that seamless coat. The Lord Jesus Christ has brought
in righteousness, not for one of His elect, for all His elect
people. He brought in a righteousness
for all His people. But now if we're going to have
Christ, He must be our all. He must be our all. We can't
take part of Christ. We can't just have a part of
Christ. We can't say, I'll trust Him for that, but then I'll do
this other part. No, you can't have any part in
it. It's got to be all Christ. All
Christ. We're complete sinners. That's
what we are. We are completely, totally, thoroughly
ruined in sin and we have to have a complete Savior to save
us. He has to be everything for us
because we're not everything He is. We have to have Him. We
have to have Him. Christ must be all to us. or he's nothing to us. There's
no middle ground. He's got to be all or he's nothing
to us. Christ must be the sum and substance
of our religion. We can't be of the Jews' religion.
We have to be of the church of God. born, created entirely in
His holiness and righteousness, made to trust His holiness and
righteousness alone. Christ must be our wisdom. He
must be our wisdom. We must look to Him alone. Christ
must be our righteousness. He must be our sanctification.
He must be our redemption. If He is, If He's all to us,
then we're wise. We're wise. Then we're righteous. Then we're holy. Then we're free. You can't serve God when you're
in bondage. You can't serve God when you're
guilty and trying to do something about your guilt. You can only
serve Him when you know you're totally redeemed from the law.
And you can live to Him then. But if we have Him and we're
robed in His garments, then we're full of rejoicing. Look over
with me at Isaiah 61 and verse 10. Isaiah 61 and verse 10. I will greatly rejoice in the
Lord. Where? In the Lord. I'm not rejoicing
in me, we're not rejoicing in ourselves, we're rejoicing in
the Lord. My soul, as an inward man made new, my soul shall be
joyful in my God. For he hath clothed me with the
garments of salvation. He hath covered me with the robe
of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments,
and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels." What about
inwardly though? That's our righteousness. What
about inwardly? Look with me at Psalm 45. By Christ abiding in His people,
there is a new man created that is holy." And this is what he
says, the king's daughter, that's his church, his people, the king's
daughter born of him is all glorious within. She's all-glorious within. Her clothing is of wrought gold. She shall be brought unto the
king in raiment of needlework. The virgins, her companions that
follow her, shall be brought unto thee. With gladness and
rejoicing shall they be brought, and they shall enter into the
king's palace. That's all of Christ. Now, if
you have Him, and He's your all, That can be said of you. Trust
Him. I pray today He'll bless this
Word and enter in and create in you a new spirit and a new
man. And if you already have been
created new, that He'd renew you in that new man and make
you see Him like it's the first time you ever saw Him and rejoice
in Him and look to Him alone, knowing He's the sum and substance
of the Gospel He is wisdom, the height of wisdom. And He is everything
the law declares, the fulfillment of it all. Follow Him. Follow
Him. Look to Him. Trust Him. He is
our salvation. Amen. Father, thank You for Your
precious Son. Thank You for providing Your
people with a glorious Gospel. Thank You for providing us with
true wisdom. Thank you for giving us your
holy, just, and good law and showing us how complete and fulfilled
it is by Christ and how that in Him your people have fulfilled
it. Lord, keep us sanctified unto
you. Keep us separated unto Him. Look
into Christ, trust in Christ, and follow in Christ. And forgive
us, Lord. Forgive us for the foolish notion
that there ought to be more. Lord, don't let us be as the
unbelieving Jews that looked at Christ as a stumbling block,
looking for a sign, looking for something outward to lay hold
of. Lord, don't let us be as the
Greeks who considered this gospel foolishness, rejected the wisdom
of God for their own wisdom. And Lord, don't let us ever,
don't let us ever go back to our works and go back to putting
confidence in ourselves. Make us trust Christ alone. Lord, we thank you for this work.
We praise you for each one that you've made righteous and holy. Keep us, Lord. We ask it. Don't
leave us to our own understanding. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.