Teach me thy way. Last verse. As long as my life
shall last, teach me thy way. Where'er my life be cast, teach
me thy way. Until the race is lost, until
the journey's done, until the prowl is gone, teach me that
way. Alright, let's go back to the
book of Judges now. Judges chapter 13. I love these Old Testament stories. But as many of you know, these
are not merely stories of about Israel. But they're not merely moral
stories. Because we're not saved by morality. We're saved by knowing Christ. We're saved by believing, looking
to the Lord Jesus Christ. All of these stories, every one
of them without exception, were written to reveal the Christ. That's what he said. That's what
he himself said, didn't he? There were two disciples walking
on the road to a town called Emmaus one time and Luke chapter
twenty four. And they were talking of things
and the Lord. He had just risen from the grave
he appeared under them. And again it says preaching to
them speaking to them from the books of Moses that's the first
five book the prophets and the song. the things concerning himself,
it said. Now that's the whole Old Testament.
The books of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms. That's the whole
Old Testament. And he said, you search the scriptures
for any of them you think you have life, but they are they
which testify of me. The Old Testament scriptures
are not mere moral stories, because we're not saved by morality.
We're not saved by our work. We're saved by Christ. by beholding
Him, by looking to Him, like the children of Israel looking
at that brazen serpent. And if we can behold Him, if
we can see Christ from the Word, and He grants us faith, eyes
of faith, see Him through it, and trust Him, and look to Him,
and believe Him, salvation will appear, will come. So that's
what these stories are about. And let's not be bogged down
or taken up with It's amazing. We look at these things and it's
amazing to us how clearly they speak of Christ. But let's not
be taken up with the amazement, but let's see how it applies
to us. These were real people, real stories that happened to
them concerning their salvation, how the Lord dealt with them.
We need to look at this as the Lord dealing with us. So it won't
do us any good. If it doesn't apply to us personally,
it does us no good. Right? All right, verse 1, let's
look at it verse by verse. Verse 1, the children of Israel
did evil again in the sight of the Lord. They were a sinful
people. They were a rebellious people. That's what Moses kept
telling them to do. You're a rebellious people. Joshua.
They told Joshua, we'll serve the Lord. He said, you can't.
You say you will, but you won't. You're a sinful people. And so
are we. We may mean well, but we're sinners. Always will be. Always have been.
In the sight of the Lord, the Lord who sees the heart, the
Lord who looks on the motive as well as the deed. Sinful people,
all of them. And so it says, they were delivered
into the hand of the Philistines forty years. They were held captive.
And so are we. We're, in a sense, captive to
sin. Certainly those who the Lord
has not delivered from sin are held captive. Those who are captive
by Satan, as Scripture says, are held captive by him. 2 Timothy. The world holds people captive,
does it not? But God so loves his people. and a people out of every tribe,
kindred, nation, and tongue unto heaven." Not every human being,
but a people out of every tribe. And he sends them the deliverer. This
story is about the birth of Samson. Who does Samson represent? Samson
merely represent a man if a man sets his mind to it and really
strives hard he can accomplish great things. No, Samson represents
the Lord Jesus Christ, the deliverer of God's people who single-handedly,
Samson single-handedly, what one man can single-handedly defeat
thousands of the enemy for the sake of his people? Jesus Christ,
that's it. When he had by himself, Hebrews
1 said, purged our sin, sat down. Samson represents the Lord Jesus
Christ, the deliverer of his people, who led captivity captive. We were captive, and he came
to deliver. So God sent his angel, his messenger,
to this man and this woman, to a lowly man and his wife, just
a common, ordinary man and his wife. These aren't special people.
These aren't kings and princes and queens, no. This is the first
time you ever heard of them, and it'll probably be the last. common people. God sent this
glorious message of the Deliverer. The Deliverer was going to be
in them, literally in them. And that's our story, how God
saves his people. Well, how are they going to hear
about this? God sent an angel. Verse 2, there was a certain
man of Zorah, a certain man. God sends his message to certain
people. People have ears but don't hear.
Well, how does anyone ever hear the gospel? How does anyone ever
hear? The seeing eye and the hearing ear of the Lord, Scripture
says. He gives ears to hear. Unless
he does, we won't hear it. We won't hear it. Unless he gives
faith, we won't believe it. Unless he gives eyes to see,
we won't see his glory. We won't see the truth. We'll
be like the natural man. I don't see it that way. But
if God gives eyes, you'll see it just like it is. You'll see
it. Certain man. God has his elect. Certain wants. It says he was
barren, verse 2. A certain man of the family whose
name was Manoah and his wife was barren. Whose fault was it? Hers or his? It takes two to have a child,
does it not? Well, it's both. They were both barren, and what
a good picture this is of us by nature. Barren. Scripture says, God looked down
from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there were any
that did seek after God, if any understand. If there's none good,
no not one. None righteous, no not one. They've
all together, all of them together, become unprofitable. barren of
any goodness, barren of any righteousness. All have sinned and come far
short of the glory of God. Barren, until God Almighty plants
a seed. Verse 3, The angel of the Lord
appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou
art barren, and barrest not. The first thing God Almighty
tells His people through the preaching of the word through
an angel. That's what they're called. That's what he wrote
the letters to in the revelation to the churches under the angel
of the church of Smyrna. That's the preacher. You tell
the people this God speaks through me and always had. God is pleased
that a foolish preaching. Scripture says the first thing
God Almighty says through his prophets. Apostles evangelists
pastors teachers and so forth is not Now, God loves you and
needs you and has a wonderful plan for you. You won't find
one prophet in all this book saying that. You won't find the
apostles ever saying that in a public situation. Now, His Word is not written
like that to the common man. The first thing that God Almighty
says through His Preacher, through His Word, is, Behold, you're
barren. You see that? You need to take a good look
at yourself. You're barren. There's nothing good. The Book
of Romans. The Book of Romans, I would advise
anybody, if you want to know the truth of God, who God really
is, what man is, the truth of salvation, read the Book of Romans. Ask the Lord to begin to show
you what the Book of Romans says. The first two chapters talk about
The Gentiles, sinful people. First chapter, second chapter,
the Jews, religious people. They're sinners too. Chapter
three sums them both up. Are we better than that? No.
All together. There's none. No, no. And on and on. And he
describes us by nature. What we are? Barren. Completely
barren. This is what the Word of God begins by saying. Behold
yourself. You're barren. Then, in chapter
four, it begins to say, Talk about somebody, a deliverer,
who must be formed in us, a deliverer who must deliver us from our
barrenness, from our sinfulness. Read it for yourself. We'll go
over to Galatians chapter 1. Galatians chapter 1. So the first
thing God says through his preacher, through his word to everyone,
is you're barren. Behold yourself, dead and trespassers
in sin. But, he said, thou shalt conceive
and bear a son. Look at Galatians chapter one
with me. God says, behold yourselves.
You can't produce anything, can you? You can't produce any righteousness,
can you? You can't produce perfection,
which God demands, which God requires. God is holy. He requires
holiness. Be ye holy, I'm holy. If it's
not holy, you can't do it. He looks on the heart. How, then,
can we be holy? How can a man be just? with a
just and holy God, by a justice or a holiness given to you, the
holiness of another, the holiness of a substitute. When is a man
saved? When is a person saved? When
will a person be saved? When they decide? No, sir. Not of the will of the flesh,
the will of man, but the point of God. Look at chapter 1, verse
16. Verse fifteen, he says, when it pleased God. When is a person saved? When
they're pleased to accept Jesus. Now that's not in the Bible anywhere. They're saved when it pleases
God. Read on. When it pleased God who separated
me from my mother's womb, called me by his grace, when it pleases
God to send the gospel, and his sheep will hear his voice, the
gospel. They're all called. For no, he predestinated and
he predestinated. He called him. He called him.
He justified him. He justified him. He glorified
him. Let me please God who called me by his grace to reveal his
Son. How? In me. In me. Oh, Manoah and his wife were
barren. Nothing in them. No goodness
in them. So are we. When will we be saved? when God
reveals Christ in you. Not just to you. Salvation is
not an intellectual pursuit. For A plus B equals C. It's a
hard work. It's a hard work. Christ in you,
the scripture says, the hope of glory. The hope of glory. Please God. That's when we'll
be saved. Please God to send an angel of
this mercy and his message to this certain man and his wife,
common ordinary couple, nobody's from nowhere, with this message
from heaven itself of the deliverer and to plant this miracle seed
in the heart or in the womb of a barren woman and give it to
her husband. What a picture of salvation it
is. And you have he quickened, who were dead, barren in trespasses
and sins." Quickened together, how'd they do it? How'd they
give life? With Christ. The seed. Christ is that seed,
the woman's seed, that is planted in the heart of every one of
his certain wants. God must get the glory and the
choice and the act. In our text, Judges 13 verse
4, it says, now the Lord said to them, I've got to hurry. The
angel of the Lord said to this man or this woman, now, therefore,
beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine, nor strong drink, and
eat not any unclean thing. Beware of wine. This woman is
pregnant. You know, modern science and
medicine will always eventually whether they know it or not,
agree with what God has set forth years ago. Right? It's funny. It really is. It
takes men thousands of years to come up with what God wrote
a long time ago. I mean, just read it. We remarked
one time how that, you know, men and women used to think the
world was flat. I think just read Isaiah, they'd
have seen. It's a long time ago. He sits
on the circle of the earth. But all men won't listen to what
God has said. Well, this is a pregnant woman.
He says, don't drink wine. Well, that's just good practical
advice. The Surgeon General has determined.
Well, the great physician said a long time ago, don't do it.
But it's a lot deeper than that. God's word is not merely practical,
as we were saying, although it is. Look at Revelation 14 with
me. Revelation 14, you know the Lord
doesn't forbid wine. The apostle told young Timothy,
drink wine, a little wine, not too much, but a little for your
stomach's sake, and you're often infirmative. Well, modern medicine
has concluded that. Well, this has a spiritual meaning. Revelation 14, Revelation 14,
look at verse 8. It says, Now therefore, there
followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, that great
city, because she hath made all nations drink of the wine of
the wrath of her fornication. And the false religion, the false
church, is called the great whore, very bluntly, very plainly. is
in bed with false religion. Wine, it intoxicates. Religion
is a very enticing, intoxicating thing. It looks good, sounds
good, feels good. That's what they're trying to
entice people with. You'll read Proverbs 7 for yourself. It's very, very clear how she
decks herself and adorns herself and woos simple, ignorant people
and come and come. Listen, it looks good, sounds
good. Don't get intoxicated with that, the Lord said. And the Lord tells to this woman,
now that the sun has been revealed in you, now that the sun has
been planted in you, don't be, don't partake of the wine of
this world. Are you understanding what he's
saying now to the believer? Now that Christ has been formed
in you, be not drunk, that is, intoxicated with this world,
anything. You can get intoxicated with
riches and so forth, and career and so forth, right? Be totally
inebriated with it, where you can't even think straight. Don't
be sober. He said, be sober. Don't be intoxicated
with anything, any wine or anything. Be not partakers of the wine,
especially of this religious world, the wine of man's will
and works and his worth." Men are so intoxicated with their
own sense of worth and power. Man doesn't need power at all. Look at verse 10. Verse 10 of
Revelation 14 says, "...the same shall drink of the wine of the
wrath of God." So go back to our text. Do you
see? God's word is spiritual. Our
Lord said that my words are spirit and life. Primary application is spiritual.
Look at verse five with me in our text. He said, Lo, thou shalt
conceive and bear a son, and no razor shall come on his head,
Child should be a Nazarite unto God from the womb and he shall
begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistine. Now the law of the Nazarite was
found in Numbers chapter six. Nazarite, it could be a man and
a woman. Nazarite. But what the law of the Nazarite
was, was total consecration to the service of the Lord himself.
Total consecration. And so that involved, because
man is weak, that involved total abstinence from all things. Men and women were to let their
hair grow. Often throughout the scriptures,
the Lord told men to shave their heads. Even women who were found
guilty of certain things were to shave their heads as a sign,
as a mark of sin. A shaved head. The Jews did it
often. Paul, the apostle, shaved his
head a couple of times. A head shaved in repentance. Because the hair is a crown of
glory. The hair, the Lord said that
in his epistle to the Corinthians. A woman's hair is her glory.
It's a crown of glory. It's a natural covering. You
don't have anything to do with your hair growing or falling
out. No, you don't. The Lord numbers,
the scripture says, every hair and every head. He determines,
don't be proud of your hair now. Don't you do it. It could fall
out. And it'd do you good. Like Barbara
said to me one time, she meant it as a compliment. She said,
the Lord removed all your hair so you wouldn't be proud. I said, well, thank you, Barbara.
Thank you. I feel better. But the hair is the crown of
glory. Women, especially their hair
is beautiful. Natural covering, which you have nothing to do
with. It just grows. It just grows. And that's the law of
the Nazarite. OK? The Lord Jesus Christ wasn't
a Nazarite in that sense. He drank wine. He did not have
long hair. He did not have long hair. There's
not a physical description of the Lord Jesus Christ in the
scripture that says he has long hair. Scripture says it's a shame
for a man to have long hair. And idiots have come up with
some depiction of some fellow with long hair. He didn't have
long hair. He wasn't a Nazarite. He's from
the tribe of Judah. He wasn't a Levite. He's from
the tribe of Judah. He drank wine. He did not follow
that perfect law of the Nazarite. He didn't have to. He wrote the
law. But he was a Nazarite under God. He was totally consecrated
under God, although he drank wine. They called him a glutton
and a wine-bibber. Oh, my. He was not given to anything. He was not liberated with or
taken with anything in this world. He did not eat any unclean thing.
In him is no sin whatsoever. No sin. And he's our head. And is he not the crown of our
glory? In his own nature? Does he not
have within his nature glory that exceeds all glory? Our head?
Man's not to cover his head. That's the picture of Christ.
The head is to be. shown forth in all his glory.
This is a picture of Christ, Christ. Well, this blessed man
and woman, go back to the text, this blessed man and woman whom
God revealed the deliverer to. He gave these specific instructions
how he was to be. Look at verse six. Now, she went and told her husband,
a woman came and told her husband saying, a man of God came to
me and his countenance It was like the accountants of an angel
of God. Very terrible, but he's full
of terror. He wasn't a sweet little syrupy little feminine
little fellow, you know. Oh, what a sweet little preacher. Our Lord said that of John the
Baptist. What did you go out to see? A reed shaking with the
wind? A mealy-mouthed little fellow that'll just bend and
shake to everybody that comes along? No, man. Sons of Thunder,
John and James were called. Sons of Thunder, real men. Samson
was a man, wasn't he? Elijah stood face to face with
eight hundred and fifty. She said, he's like an angel
of God. Very terrible. But I asked him, not which he
was. You know, when God reveals things, reveals himself to people,
they quit asking too many questions. When God sends the word truly,
what it does is shut people's mouth. Everybody's got such an
opinion of things. But as a man, there's a way which
seemeth right under the natural man, which is all wrong. God's
got to shut our mouth in order for these to work. I didn't ask
him. I didn't feel like I had to. She's talking about the Lord.
Neither told me his name. Like a true servant's not interested
in you knowing his name or his position or so forth and building
a reputation for himself. What he has come to tell you
about is the deliverer. But he said unto me, verse seven,
Behold thou shalt conceive and bear a son. Not if, maybe not
if you will, you shall. This is the message of God's
Word. God sends the Word, says, this is what I'm going to do,
and this is what you shall do. Not, if you will, I will. No.
I will, and you shall. That's the God of this Bible,
that very few people know about. But certain wants, he sent to
reveal himself to. Now, she said to her husband,
he told me not to drink any wine or strong drink, neither eat
anything unclean. For the child shall be a Masorette
to God from the womb to the day of his death." She went and told
her husband what great things the angel of the Lord did to
her. She went and told her husband
what great things she heard from the Lord. And that's exactly
what the Lord tells us to do. Doesn't it? He said to the people,
to that leper and others, He said, you can return to your
own house and you show how great things thy God has done today. Witnesses of his glory, his honor,
his power, him. Not what you've done for him,
what he's done to you. His sovereign mercy and power
and grace. You go to your house. A young
man asked Charles Spurgeon one time or told him, he said, I
want to be a missionary. I want to be a missionary. I want to
go to foreign lands and be a missionary." He said, well, first son, you
go across the street to your neighbor. Before you cross the
ocean, you go across the street, or go home rather, and you tell
what great things. You're not sent to theologize
and so forth, expound the mystery. This is how he tells us. You
just tell them what the Lord's going to teach. And that's what she did. Told
her husband. Told her husband, honey, he's
going to believe what I heard today. You don't believe. But the eye of the Lord spoke
to me. He revealed himself to me, honey.
And he said he's going to do something wonderful for me. Well,
bless God, her husband starts seeking the Lord. That's what
Peter said, didn't he? Could be. May be. The Lord will
use you. Verse 8, Manoah. Then Manoah entreated the Lord. Manoah began to call on the Lord
and said, Oh my Lord, let the man of God which thou didst send
come again unto us and teach us what we shall do unto the
child that shall be born. Oh Lord, would you send that
man to me too? You reckon he will? Oh, ask and you shall receive.
Seek and you shall find. The Lord sent a man. Send him again.
Teach us. Verse 9, God hearkened to the
voice of Manoah. Brother Stan, that just struck
me when I read that. God heard Manoah. Who? Heard who? Manoa. Had you ever
heard of Manoa before this story? Who is Manoa? He's a nobody. You know how many
people were in that place, Zora? Thousands. Hundreds of thousands,
perhaps. But a certain man. Who? A king? No. Just a common
man. A man unheard of by men, but
heard by God. You reckon this man is going
to value what he heard? He sure is. God heard him. God hearkened
unto Manoah. Think of it. Heard by God. You know, this religious generation
is so brazen and so blasphemous and so blaspheming God. so flippantly and carelessly
talk about things like prayer, you know, why should God listen
to anybody? Is God obligated to hear a human being? No, sir. Is a king, is a king, a despot,
a monarch, obligated to listen to any of his subjects? No, sir. It's mercy and grace, and it's
a wonder and a marvel if the king would have an audience with
a peasant. It's of his will. But men and women of soul, he's
up. God heard this man. Scripture
does say, whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall
be saved. Whosoever. The emphasis is not
in your will or your calling. The emphasis is whosoever. The
emphasis, in other words, is no matter how lowly, no matter
how sinful. Thief on the cross. Whosoever! The thief on the cross
is the most wicked, vile man that you could imagine. You wouldn't
have anything to do with it, but God heard him. Whosoever
shall call. The emphasis is not on man's
will or his worth or his power and where it's the marvel that
God would have anything to do with the lowest of the low, worst,
cheapest. You understand that? That's the marvel God gets the
glory and whosoever the Lord is mine to them that call on
him. He's near all that call upon him in truth from the heart. I'll have a watch. I don't have
a watch on, so I don't know how long. There's a clock. I was
going to have you turn to Acts chapter 10, but there was a man
named Cornelius, a Gentile. The Jews didn't have anything
to do with the Gentile. The Lord sent them to the apostles to
the Jews. and a man named Cornelius was
praised as a just and devout man seeking the Lord, a centurion,
a Roman. And God didn't have to do anything,
have anything to do with those Romans, but it says God came to Cornelius
and said, you've been hurt. You've been hurt. Your prayers
have come up, and we've heard you. I've heard you. I'm going
to send a man to you." And he sent Peter. To do what? To preach
Christ to him. To preach the Deliverer to him. And oh, look at, look at, I'm
going to hurry down here, verse 9. Manoah, God hearkened to the
voice of Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman.
She sat in the field, but Manoah, her husband, was not with her.
Angel came to the woman. Now, stay with me, all right? The Manoah wasn't there, but
the angel appeared to the woman. Why is that? Why does he keep...
There's a reason for that. To the meek. The scripture says,
to the meek, the meek he will guide in judgment. The meek will
he teach his way. Psalm 25 and 9. The Lord appeared
to this man's wife twice. Not him, his wife. He heard it
from her. That humble a fellow with. It
ought to. Man who is so proud, especially
back then, you know, Jewish men, women were nothing, at least
property. The Lord appeared to this woman
twice, and if he's going to hear it, he's going to hear it from
her. And it's humbled him, the woman, the weaker vessel, Scripture
said. That's who the Lord reveals himself to. See that? So the Lord salvation is meant
to humble us. We're humbled before we're exalted.
We're brought down before lifted high. So God revealed. Do you wonder now if you number
in this crowd? I didn't do it. I don't ever
do it, but you would probably find more females than men. It seemed that there were more
women around the Lord than men. Philip. Peter went. Paul went there and it was a
bunch of women. The Lord started that church for a bunch of women
down by the river praying. Why is that? Pride. Listen to me, pride keeps. Fellas from listening to this
wicker vessel. When the Lord arose, he first appeared to who? A woman. And the disciples, she
went running to the disciples and said, he's appeared. He said,
we don't believe you. It's meant to humble us. Well, I believe Manoah was thoroughly
humbled. I haven't heard from him. And
you have. She said, well, come on, come
see a man that told me all things. Does that sound familiar? The
woman at the well, come see a man. We don't believe you. Well, you
will if you hear from him yourself. Come see a man. Look at verse
eleven. The Lord used this woman, this
young lady, young lady of forty-five and about a week or two, to bring me to hear the gospel.
I was after her. I wasn't seeking the Lord. But bless God, He used this weaker
vessel. Honey, you know what I'm talking
about. Not weaker. You're smart. But that's that's what scripture
says, and the Lord used her to bring me here. Anybody else?
I know it is. Well, verse 11 and 12, Manoah
rose and went after his wife. I thought about this very clear.
I thought about Adam because he hearkened to his wife in the
beginning. The Lord cursed him. And now, if men won't hearken,
they're cursed. Isn't that ironic? Manoah, going
to have to hear it from his wife. He followed her. We got some
of Manoah's wives in here, buddy. Women that people would do well
to listen to. They can tell you the gospel. I get great illustrations and
points of doctrine from them. Verse eleven, he arose, went
after his wife, came to the man, said unto him, Art thou the man
that spake unto the woman? And he said, I am. Now, who is this? It's the angel
of the Lord. It's the preacher of the gospel.
Is that it? Is that who they're hearing from? Well, if that's all they hear
from, they're not going to hear from God. Our Lord said, when
they hear you, They'll hear me. It's not your words. It's my
word. When I speak, take no thought
what you say. I'll speak through you. But my
word is what you're going to hear. It's going to be from me.
Verse 12. And Manoah said, Now let thy
words come to pass. That's who will hear the word
of God. Those who are interested in the word of God, not those
who want to see signs and miracles and wonder. The Lord said no
sign will be given. But those who don't want to hear
from God will hear from his word. And he said, How can we order
the child? How can we do under him? Well, the name of the Lord
said. All I said to the woman. Tell me. Well, everything I said
to the one. That's what you need to. See,
the Lord doesn't give a different message to different people. You follow me? There's one message,
there's one Lord, and so there's one faith. Ephesians 4 says,
one faith. The Lord gives us one message.
Paul wrote in Philippians 3, he said, to write the same things
to you, it's not grievous to me, but for you it's safe, it's
salvation. Same thing. He's going to hear
the same thing his wife heard about the son, about the deliverer. God saves all men. Even the Old
Testament people were saved by looking to the Christ who was
coming. They weren't saved by their works. They weren't saved
by keeping the law. They were saved by the one of whom those
things spoke of. And the New Testament saints
were saved by looking to Him, back to Him, or at Him, and to
Him who is to come again. Salvation is looking to Christ.
Salvation is of the Lord. All I said unto you. What did
He say? About the sun. About the sun. It's all about
him. Verse 13. All I said to the woman is she
may not eat of anything that cometh to the vine. I neither
let her drink any wine or any strong drink nor eat any unclean
thing. All that I commanded her let
her observe. The very same thing that he told her he tells Manoah. Well, Manoah is real happy now.
He's thankful to hear it from this man himself. Now he doesn't
know. He doesn't know this is the angel of the Lord yet. He
doesn't know it. Look down at verse 15. And Manoah said unto the angel
of the Lord, I pray thee, let us detain, stay and eat with
us. He thought it was just a man. Stay and eat with us. That's
what gratitude will do, make you hospitable and generous.
Until we've made ready a kid for you. The angel of the Lord
said unto Manoah, though thou detain me, I will not eat of
thy bread. I don't need your food, he said. If I offer a burn
offering must offer it under the Lord. But no one knew not
that he was an angel of the Lord. But he's polite to him. He's
he's he's interested. And this is how the Lord begins.
It really is. The Lord begins to do a work
and makes a person interested in what they're hearing and be
thankful for what they're hearing and and hospitable and so forth. And he entertains this Angel,
unaware. Isn't that what the scriptures
say? Be careful to entertain angels. Some. Be careful to entertain
strangers. Some have entertained angels,
unaware. But this fellow didn't come to
eat his food. I don't need your bread. I'll
tell you what you need. He said, I don't need your bread.
I'm not here to get something out of you, but I'll tell you
what you need. You need a burnt offering. Are you with me? I'll tell you
what you need. Let me tell you what everybody
in here needs, including myself. You need a burnt offering for
the Lord. This is how the Lord reveals
himself to everyone, through a burnt offering. What is a burnt
offering? A burnt offering was a slaughtered
innocent animal, sometimes a bullock, most times a lamb. Innocent animal. slaughtered, butchered, throat
cut and the blood poured out of that body, died. It was killed. An innocent creature as a substitute
for guilty people. Children of Israel sinned against
the Lord. They were told to take a lamb without spot or blemish. Spotless, pure lamb. Innocent. Kill it. A picture of the Lord
Jesus Christ crucified. What were they to do with that
lamb? Burn its body up. A horrible sight, a despicable
sight, repulsive to the natural man. But that's what God said
I need. That's what you must do to appease
my anger and wrath against you. Burn that lamb's body on the
altar, and that's what Christ endured on Calvary's tree on
behalf of his people. The fiery wrath and indignation
of God against the sins of his people. A burnt offering. Symbolic of
what Christ did for his people, a burn off. That's what you need.
It is what you, the angel said, I don't need your bread, but
you need a burn off thing. To worship God. And isn't that
what the true preacher tells everybody? I'm not here to get
anything out of you, but I'm here to tell you something. You
need a burn off thing. Well, look on verse seventeen
and eighteen, Manoah said under the angel of the Lord, What is
thy name? That when thy sayings come to pass, we may do thee
honor. God giveth not an account of himself to men. Scripture
said. An angel of the Lord said unto
him, verse eighteen, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing
it is secret? The margin says, Wonderful. My
name is too wonderful. Oh, who is this? A mere man,
unless a child is born, a son is given, now shall call his
name Wonderful. Oh, he's just Jesus. No, he's
the mighty God, the everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. The
government shall be on his shoulder. The deliverer, that's who he
is. Who is this? Just a man named Jesus. No, sir,
he's God. He's God. But he doesn't have to reveal
his name. But to those he does, it's salvation. Well, Manoah's
curious, but he's going to know as he's been known. He's going
to know the mystery here in a moment. Look at verse 19. So Manoah took
a kid with a meat offering and offered it on a rock unto the Lord. And the angel
did wondrously, wondrous things, wonderful things. When Manoah
and his wife looked on, they stood on and beheld as the angel
of the Lord did wonderful things through this sacrifice. What
did he do? Verse 20, it came to pass when the flame went up,
when the fire, when the body began to be consumed, the flame
was rising high toward heaven from off the altar. The angel
of the Lord got right in that fire. This man, seemingly just
a man, Manoah thought he was a man, but he got right in that
fire, in that flame of fire. Was he consumed? No, sir. He
was not consumed. And he ascended into heaven itself. And that's what this man and
this woman are beholding. This man, they thought he was a man,
but he got right in the fire, that altar, that sacrifice, that
burnt offering, got right in that fire and ascended up to
heaven in a glorious, mighty, and wonderful fashion. A man on fire, yet not consumed. Sounds like a bush, doesn't it?
That Moses stood before. Sounds like Christ crucified,
is what it sounds like. P.S. A man under the fiery wrath
of God, yet not consumed, thou wilt not suffer by a holy one
to seek corruption. And he ascended unto the right
hand of the majesty on high, accepted by God as a man. And
that's the only way men and women can come unto God. is through
him. A burn offering. It's the only
way God is pleased with anybody. Through Christ. We're risen together
with him. Scripture said. Risen with him.
Ascended. Like the three Israelites, Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego. They were in the fiery furnace,
but they were not consumed. They wasn't even a smell of smoke.
If we're in Christ, if Christ is in us, Not one sin will be
held charge to our account. The wrath of God, there is therefore
now no condemnation to them that are what? In Christ Jesus alone. He endured the wrath of God against
them. And ascended to heaven, and we
will too. Not by virtue of us doing anything, but through him.
Through him. And Manoah, he came to pass.
Verse 21, the angel of the Lord did no more appear to Manoah
and his wife, and Manoah knew now, he knows, he knew now, this angel of the
Lord, sent by God. And he said, verse 20, verse
22, Manoah said unto his wife, we're surely going to die. We've
seen God. And why did he say that? Why did he say this? We're going
to die. We've seen God. This man has really seen God.
And what it produced in him was fear. The fear of the Lord. Not familiar, flippant, brazen,
you know, Me and Jesus are buddies. No, sir. The fear of the Lord
is the beginning of wisdom. The fear of the Lord, which very
few have today. Romans 3, 18, there's no fear
of God before their eyes. Now, they haven't seen his glory.
They haven't seen the true God of Scripture. Manoah did. And it produced the fear of the
Lord. He said, I'm going to die. We're going to die. We've seen
a holy and just God consuming fire. Hebrews 12.29 says, Our God,
not all love like men say, is a consuming fire. That's what
the Scripture says. New Testament. This whole world is in for a
shocking revelation of the true God when He comes to destroy
this planet. It's not the love of God that's going to destroy
this planet. It's the wrath of God that is a consuming fire. And Manoah, the Lord revealed
himself to Manoah, who God really is. And he said, I'm going to
die, thank God. Well, listen to what his wife
said. And, you know, we could spend
another 45 minutes. Don't worry. I'm not going to. But we could, right here. Look
at it. Listen. Manoah, listen to this,
would you? Listen to your wife. He said,
she said, his wife said unto him, If the Lord were pleased
to kill us, and he ought to, because we're
one of these sinful children of Israel, right? When it said
the children of Israel did evil, who was that talking about? Manoah
and his wife. But if the Lord were pleased
to kill us, he would not have received that burnt offering.
a meat offering in our hands. Neither would he have showed
us all these things, nor would, as at this time, have told us
all these things. Sammy, you're hearing this. I
can see it on your face. If God were pleased to kill me,
sinner though I be, guilty though I be, he would not have told
me about the Lord Jesus Christ. He would not have showed me his
glory. high and lifted up, and pointed
me, made me look to Him and Him alone. If God was going to kill
me, He'd make me look at myself like I'm really something, and
go into His presence as if I belonged there, and be cast out of His
presence. But no, God said, look unto Me
and be you saved. He says that to everyone that
He purposed to save. If God were pleased to kill me,
He wouldn't have pointed me to Christ, showed me Christ. And
if God were pleased to kill me, He wouldn't have accepted Christ
to sacrifice on my behalf." He said, this is a faithful faith
and worthy of all acceptation. Jesus Christ came into the world
to do what? Save sinners. Well, that's me.
Verse 1 was talking about me. But God, when it pleased God
to reveal His Son in me, show me His glory, and I am accepted
in the Lord. I could just be speaking of anybody
but the Lord Jesus Christ. They are they which testify of
me, the Lord said. I hope that's been a blessing
to you. All right, Brother Gabe, come and lead us.