The Word of God in 1 Timothy
chapter 3 verse 16 says, And without controversy, great is
the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh. I'm going to ask you seven questions
this morning. Seven questions, the answers
to which you must know. You must know the answers to
these questions. If you do not know the scriptures
that give these answers, at least you must know the truth of The
answer. All of God's people know the
answers to these questions. All of Christians, all believers
know they can answer these things. Number one, who is Jesus Christ? Who is Jesus Christ? One time
he asked his disciples, whom do men say that I am? And they
said, some say you're this person or that person or a prophet or
a good man and so forth. And he asked them, but whom do
you say that I am? Well, Scripture says that he
is God manifest in the flesh, that Jesus of Nazareth. was and is none other than God
who created this world. John chapter 1 verse 1 says,
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God. And verse 14 says, The Word was
made flesh and dwelt among us. Very few people know that and
believe that. There are whole systems of religion
such as Jehovah Witnesses and Mormons who deny that Jesus Christ
is God. Well, Scripture says that He
is God. Scripture says the first man,
speaking of Adam, was of the earth, earthy. But the second
man, speaking of Jesus Christ, the second Adam, is the Lord
from heaven. He is God. Thomas, one of his
disciples, fell down at his feet and said, My Lord and my God,
Jesus Christ said himself, He that hath seen me hath seen the
Father. Well, why did he come to this
earth? Why did God come to this earth? Well, Hebrews 2 says this. He says, As much as the children
are partakers of flesh and blood, He also himself likewise took
part of the same, that through death he might destroy him that
had the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver them,
who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to
bondage. He came to deliver some people
from death. He said Himself, I am come that
they might have life. Scripture says He calls His people
from death unto life. You remember the story of Lazarus.
Our Lord Jesus Christ went to Lazarus' tomb one day. Lazarus
was dead. He's dead. He can't take the
first step. He can't do anything. He is dead. And Scripture says, man is dead
in trespasses and sin. Well, the Lord Jesus Christ called
Lazarus out of the grave. Lazarus, come forth! And he that
was dead came forth. And Scripture says, and you,
speaking of God's people, His chosen, His elect, In Ephesians
2, and you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and
sin, quickened us together. Well, Christ said, I am not come
to call the righteous, but sinners to repent them. He said, I'm
come to seek and to save the law. He said, I'm the good shepherd,
the good shepherd. giveth his life for the sheep.
He said, I lay down my life for the sheep. Jesus Christ came,
Hebrews 9 says, to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. It is appointed unto men once
to die after this judgment. So Christ was once offered to
bear the sins of many. He came to die. Why did he die? That's my third question. Why
did he die? He came to die. Why did He die? He came to live.
He came to die. Why did He die? He didn't have
to. He said, No man taketh my life
from me. He said, I lay it down. He didn't
die as a martyr. He died as a substitute in the
stead of, in the place of His chosen people, as a sin offering. Scripture said, The soul that
sinneth shall surely All have sinned and come short of the
glory of God. He is appointed unto men once
to die. But Christ was offered not to
man. He did not offer Himself to man. God did not offer Him to man.
God does not offer Him to man. Christ offered Himself to God. He was a sin offering to God
for someone. Not all, but for some. Christ
was once offered, Hebrews 9, 28, to bear the sins of many. Not all, but many. He came to
lay down His life to be a substitute, to be the sin offering, to be
the sin payment. The soul that sinneth will surely
die. God made His soul an offering
for sin for some people. Who? His people. Christ said,
I lay down My life for the sheep. The sheep. Well, who killed Him? He died. Well, who killed Him? that the Jews, that the Gentiles,
Peter at Pentecost preached this, him, Jesus Christ, delivered
by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have
taken, and by wicked hands have crucified. In chapter four he
said this, he said, Of a truth against thy holy child Jesus,
both Herod, Pontius Pilate, the Gentiles, and the people were
gathered together to do whatsoever. Thy hand, God's hand, and counsel
determined before to be done. Listen to Isaiah 53. It says
that he was oppressed, afflicted, like a lamb to the slaughter,
as a sheep before her shearers. He's dumb, he opened not his
mouth, but it pleased the Lord to bruise him. He put him to
grief. God killed his own son. Who killed
him? God killed him. He's called the
Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Jesus Christ came
as a sin offering for God's people. He bared the sin of many. He was made sin for His people
that they might be made the righteousness of God in Him, a substitute. He took the place of, not all,
but some, yea, many, took their place. made his soul an offering
for sin, and he travailed in his soul in death, and God is
satisfied. And by him, he justified many. He bore their iniquity. He is
the sin payment of God's people. That's why he came. And God killed
him as a sin payment for God's people. And God saw the payment
that Christ made, and God is satisfied in all of God's people. are justified by that death,
by that sin payment that Jesus Christ paid on Calvary's tree
for His people. So He died. He came to live and
die. He came to die, but He arose
from the grave. He arose from the grave. Scripture
declares it and many witnesses of it. God's people know it because
He communes with them through His Word and they commune with
Him. Well, where is He? Where is He? The angels, when
some of the disciples came to the grave looking for Him, they
said, He's not here. He's risen. They said, why do
you seek the living among the dead? There are some having so-called
sunrise services at a grave site. Why would you go to a cemetery
looking for the Lord Jesus Christ? You remember the Lord Jesus Christ.
Does it make you feel pious or make you feel special? Well,
He's not there. He's not there. He's risen. He's seated at the right hand
of the majesty on high, Scripture says. He's seated on the throne.
It says after He made this sacrifice for sins that He is seated in
glory. He's seated in glory at the right
hand of the majesty on high, reigning. What is He doing? That's
my next question. Where is He? He's seated on the
throne of glory. He's seated on the circle of
the earth. He's received up into glory. He died for the sins of
God's people. He arose for the justification,
making it clear that God accepted what He did on their behalf.
He's now seated at the right hand of God on the throne of
God. What is He doing? What is He
doing? He is reigning and ruling, directing
all things. It is He that sitteth on the
circle of the earth. reigns and rules over the armies
of heaven and habitants of the earth, and none can stay his
hand or say unto him, What doest thou? He's reigning, ruling.
Scripture says he's expecting his enemies to be made his footstool,
to be put under his feet. All things will be put under
his feet. It's a certainty because he's
Lord over all, reigning and ruling. He's gathering his people. He
sent the Holy Spirit to do the preaching of the gospel, what
I'm doing right now. to preach the gospel in all the
world, gathering His elect, gathering His sheep, finding His lost sheep
through the preaching of the gospel, giving them life through
this gospel, through His Word, the incorruptible seed, bringing
them to repentance and faith, giving them faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ, repentance toward God, and faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ. That's what He's doing. He's
reigning and ruling. He's directing all things. He's Lord over all, the dead
and the living. That's what He's doing. That's
what He's doing. Well, my last question is this. What does this mean to you? What
does this mean to you? He's coming again. Scripture
says He's coming again. Christ who came to live, to die
for His people, who offered His soul in offering for sin, laid
down His life for His people. bore their sins, their sin payment,
their sin bearer, suffered death to bring life and immortality
to life through the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, to put
away their sin, to deliver them from fear of death. It says,
"...Unto them that looked for Him shall He appear the second
time without sin unto salvation." Unto them that looked for Him.
What does this mean to you? What does all this mean to you?
Who He is? Why he came and why he died and
who he died for. What does it mean to you? Well,
Scripture says of some that it's nothing to them. What the prophet
cried, he said, is it nothing to you? All ye that pass by,
nothing to you? Behold and see if there is any
sorrow like unto my sorrow, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me. Speaking
of the Lord Jesus Christ. To most people, Jesus Christ
is and why he came means nothing. They don't care. about you? Is it nothing to you? Did He
come for you the first time? Did He come to live for you,
to give you His righteousness? Did He come to die for you, to
pay for your sin? He did it for everybody. For
some, He did it for His people. Did He do it for you? Did He
die for you? Scripture says He's coming again.
He's coming back the second time. He said to His apostles John
chapter 14, I go to prepare a place for you. If I go, I will come
again and receive you unto Myself. He's coming again for His people,
to receive the people that He put into His kingdom, that He
died for, He lived for and died for. He's coming again for them,
to receive them into an everlasting, to be with Him forever. If so,
if He did this for you, then you're waiting on Him. You're
looking for Him. You're worshiping Him. You know
Him that is true, and you know it, and you believe Him. You
love Him, and you rejoice in Him, and you attribute all your
salvation to Him. You say, with all of God's people,
of Him, through Him, to Him, for Him, are all thanked. To
Him be all honor and glory, both now and forever. Amen.