Well, good morning, everybody.
Let me welcome you to our service this morning. It is good to see
you here, especially our guests. We're glad to have you with us
and pray that the Lord will bless us all as we look into his word
this morning. And we're going to do that in
the 125th Psalm. So if you turn there. Talk about
the lot of the righteous. The casting of lots has been
widely used throughout history when the right course of action
was in doubt. The scriptures confirm that God
sanctions the practice of casting lots on the nation of Israel,
and numerous verses in the scriptures state that they cast their lots
before the Lord. There are 70 references to casting
lots in the Old Testament and 7 references in the New Testament. We don't see a lot of casting
lots today, and one reason for that is because we have a completed
canon of scripture today that the early church didn't have.
If you remember, all they had was the Old Testament. They didn't
have the New Testament as we do, and they were left in the
dark in many instances, in many cases, as to what the will of
God really was. Well, even with a completed canon
of scripture that we have today, many questions remain unanswered.
We don't have all the answers that are raised through the study
of the scriptures, but we only have the word of God to go by.
We search the scriptures and wait on the Lord to decide what
his will is for us today. The word alone is our only authority,
and we are commanded to look no further than thus saith the
Lord. Isaiah chapter 8 in verse 20,
the prophet says this concerning the casting of lights. To the
law and the testimony, if they speak or act not according to
this word, it's because there's no light in them. What he's saying
is we have the word of God alone as our sole authority for what
we do, what we believe, and how we preach. Well, men cast lots,
but the outcome is in the hands of God alone. Listen to what
the writer of Proverbs said in Proverbs 16, 33. The lot is cast
into the lap, but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Whether
we roll the dice, as it were, whether we draw straws, whether
we flip a coin or whether we cast lots, the outcome is of
the Lord's determination. We do cast lots. Every two years
we cast lots to select our congressmen and senators who will represent
us in the United States Congress. But listen to what the writer
of Romans says in chapter 13 verse one. Even though we cast
the lot, he says this, let every soul be subject unto the higher
powers, for there is no power but of God. The powers that be
are ordained of God. We cast the lot, but God determines
who the who will be selected to serve us. We cast the lot,
but that only reveals what God's determinant will was and is. And if you think about it, whatever
the outcome of our casting lots, that is the will of God, because
God himself disposes of all things. We worship a sovereign God who
controls everything, even that sparrow which falls to the ground.
does not go unnoticed, and it does not happen outside of His
will. Everything that happens is within
the will of God. In fact, He even wills that which
does not happen. If you think about it, that's
how our sovereign God is. And those of us who know and
believe in a just God and a Savior are gladdest this way. Consider
this, that God is not in control of everything. What if man was
in control of some things, one thing, anything? Well, think
about what happened with the only perfect man that ever lived,
Adam. By his one sinful act, he plunged
the world into chaos. Think of how much more chaotic
it would be if we had control as sinners over some things. So we're glad that God is in
control of everything. Men cast lots, but the outcome
only revealed what God's foreknowledge and predestination is. It is
said in Jonah chapter 1 verse 7, they cast lots and the lot
fell upon Jonah. It is said in Acts 1 26, they
gave forth their lots and the lot fell upon Matthias and he
was numbered with the 11 apostles. It is said in Joshua chapter
18, And Joshua cast lots before them in Shiloh before the Lord. And there Joshua divided the
land unto the children of Israel according to their divisions,
according as God determined it would be. So the lot was cast
for Jonah. The lot was cast for Matthias.
The lot was cast for Israel. And the lot has been cast for
the righteous. Now look at this little Psalm
125 in verse three. For the rod of the wicked shall
not rest upon the lot of the righteous, lest the righteous
put forth their hands unto iniquity. I've titled this message this
morning, The Lot of the Righteous, and we'll look for a few minutes
on what it means. What are we talking about, the
lot of the righteous? What is a lot? Well, the Hebrew word
lot is the word goral, and it means pebble, a small, smooth
stone like one of those from a riverbed. It also means portion,
a pebble and a portion. So a lot then by definition is
a portion determined and assigned by the casting of stones or the
casting of lots. I did a little, I tried to do
some research on the casting of lots and not much is written
about the way the lots were cast in the time of Israel. There's
not a lot to be had on it. But it seems that a predetermined
number of small, smooth stones marked appropriately, depending
on what kind of decision was being sought for, with an X or
an O or a long one dot or two dots or something to determine
the nature of the decision, so they were mixed together. And
those casting those lots would reach into a bag that was concealed
and pick out one of those stones and cast it into the lap of a
man who held his skirt up so they could catch the stones.
And they were then counted, and the majority marked stones determined
the course of action that would be taken. And whatever the outcome
was, that's what stood. Immediately, several questions
are raised. First of all, who are the righteous?
What is the lot of the righteous? Who cast lots for the righteous? Was the lot of the righteous
predicated on the luck of the draw? Since the outcome of casting
lots is unknown until the casting is completed, is the lot of the
righteous by chance? Well, we'll examine these questions
and see if we can find some answers to this this morning in our message. I want us to look at three things
this morning. First of all, the lot or the portion of the righteous
is threefold. According to this little five
verse psalm here written by David, the lot of the righteous is first
of all, we have an unchangeable position in the family of God.
Secondly, we have an unconditional promise by our faithful God. And thirdly, we have an unending
peace from an infinite God. So let's look at these for just
a few moments this morning. First of all, the lot or portion
of the righteous is that we have an unchangeable position in the
family of God. Who are the righteous? Who among the sons of Adam does
God declare righteous? Listen to what he says in Romans
3.10, for there is none righteous, no, not one. As it is written,
there is none righteous, no, not one. Well, who of this state
can God declare, as he does in Colossians 1.22, holy, unblameable,
and unreprovable in his sight? The righteous are those who stand
unchargeable before a holy God. They are those against whom the
law of God has no claim. In fact, they are those whom
the law of God pronounces just and righteous. They are simply
stated in verse one, they that trust the Lord. Let's read these
verses, verse one and two. They that trust in the Lord shall
be as Mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abided forever. As the mountains are round about
Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people from henceforth,
even forever. They that trust the Lord, these
alone are the righteous. Do you trust God? Well, two questions
need answering. Which God do you trust? And for
what are you trusting him? Let's look at these questions.
First of all, which God do you trust? What do you mean? There's only
one God. That's the response of the natural
mind. What are you talking about? Which God? There's only one.
Well, if this were so, why is the first commandment given by
God to Moses on Mount Sinai in Exodus 20 verse 3, thou shalt
have no other gods before me. There would be no need for that
commandment if there were not other gods. It is true, there's
only one true and living God, but there are many gods and we'll
see that as this lesson unfolds. The truth is this, that every
one of us by nature worship a god of our imagination, not the true
and living God. We do so because we don't know
the true and living God. Romans chapter 10 and verse 3
says we're ignorant. of the true and living God by
nature. And this is evident not only in our lives, but in the
life of the nation Israel. You remember when Moses went
up on Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments? The first commandment being,
Thou shalt have no other gods before me. What was the nation
Israel doing? They were at the foot of that
same mountain fashioning a god out of gold and bowing down to
worship Him. And guess who led the charge?
Aaron, God's appointed high priest over Israel. So we're all guilty
by nature of worshiping a God of our imagination. We today
are more civilized than to fashion an idol out of wood or gold,
but we nonetheless fashion idols in our mind and in our imagination. If we fail to attribute to God
those qualities of character that belong to him and his redemptive
glory, Or if we attribute to him qualities of character that
don't belong to him, we have an idol in our mind. That's how
serious this thing is. And the Apostle John said this
in 1 John 5, 21, little children, keep yourselves from idols. Little
children, he's talking about the church, those redeemed ones.
Keep yourselves from idols. There are many idols in the world
today. The idols of man's imagination are as numerous as the stars
in the heaven, but there's only one true God And we know him
to be a just God in the same you look with me if you would
to Isaiah chapter 45 And let's see who this true and living
God that we're commanded to worship and no other Let's see who he
is Isaiah chapter 45 in verse 20 Isaiah writes, Assemble yourselves
and come, draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations.
They have no knowledge, they're ignorant. They set up the wood
of their graven image and pray to a God that cannot save. Underline
that, pray to a God that cannot save. Tell ye and bring them
near, yea, let them take counsel together. Who hath declared this
from ancient time? Who hath told it from that time?
Have not I the Lord? And there is no God else beside
me, just God and the Savior. There is none beside me. So look
unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth. For I
am God, and there is none else. Jesus said this in John chapter
17, this is life eternal. that they might know thee, the
only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. Men by nature
do not know God, and ignorance truly is the mother of idolatry. Because we don't know the true
and living God by nature, we automatically seek a God in our
mind and fashion one, and that's who we worship. This just God
and a savior identified in Isaiah chapter 45 is unknown to the
natural mind. The attributes of his redemptive
character are hidden until the Holy Ghost, under the preaching
of the true gospel, reveals to his darkened mind this just God
and a Savior. Jesus said to the religious leaders
of his day in John chapter 8 and verse 19, you need to know me
nor my father. If you had known me, you would
have known my father also. So make no mistake, folks, this
is the God with whom we have to answer. And this is the only
God worthy of our trust. Is this the God you trust? I
hope it is. All others are idols. So this
leads me to my second question. For what are you trusting God?
The answer will determine if your God is a just God or if
he's an idol. Are you trusting that God will
do his part in your justification if you will do your part? Are
you trusting that God will save you if you believe and repent
and accept him into your heart? Well, if you are, you're trusting
an idol. Do you trust a God that imputes
righteousness to you, grants faith and repentance simultaneously,
and then saves you? If you are, you're praying to
a God that can't save. This God, you see, cannot save
unless you let Him do something, or unless He does something in
you, or something by you. Well, salvation is not conditioned
on something you do, or something God does in you. It's totally
of Christ's work for you. 1 John 1.7 declares this, that
the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. Where did this
take place? Where did the blood of Jesus
Christ, his son, cleanse us from all sin? At the cross, wasn't
it? Were you there? You weren't even
born. We weren't even born then. How
could we have any part in our salvation if we were not even
there? Salvation was taken care of at
the cross, and we were not even born then. It was his blood that
satisfied law and justice, not our faith. not our repentance. There's nothing in you or me
that will recommend us to God. If we're not saved totally and
based solely upon what Christ did for us without any contribution
from us, we have no salvation. If our God needs our efforts
coupled with his work to redeem us, we have no salvation. God cannot save a sinner as long
as his law has a claim against that sinner. That law has to
be satisfied in order for God to save. God does not save sinners
if they will repent, if they will believe and accept him as
Lord and Savior. Sinners repent, believe, and
accept Jesus as an evidence that they're already saved. If we're
trusting God to do his part after we've done our part, we're looking
at an idol. That's what the scriptures say.
Why? because the true and living God
is a just God and a Savior. As such, he must be just when
he justifies the ungodly. He cannot justify any sinner
at the expense of his holiness and justice. As sinners, we deserve
death. God declares in Ezekiel chapter
18, the soul that sinneth, it shall die. The wages of sin is
death. A holy God cannot overlook our
sin. It has to be dealt with in a
just way, in a righteous way. Cannot be overlooked. The least
sin, think about this, the least of sin and the most moral of
men must be punished with eternal death, nothing less. It has to
be done in me, the sinner, or in a substitute that's suitable
unto God. And thank God there is such a
substitute, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is to Him the Father looks
for all their redemption. It was on Him that the sins of
all His people was laid. It was by Him the debt we all
owe was paid. And according to Acts chapter
17 and verse 28, it is in Him we live and move and have our
being. It was his obedience, his suffering,
and his death on the cross that satisfied every charge against
those for whom he died and earned for them a righteousness which
the Father freely imputed to every sinner he died for. Look at 2 Corinthians chapter
5 and verse 21. This tells us how this transaction
was made, how this ungodly sinner such as me could be justified
before a holy God. For he, that is God the Father,
hath made him, God the Son, to be sin for us. Now how did he
make him sin? He was not infused with sin.
Sin was not imparted to him. It was imputed to him, charged
to his account. My sin was charged to the account
of the Lord Jesus Christ. And he was made sin. Him who
knew no sin, that we, I might be made the righteousness of
God in him. How? By infusion? By impartation of
righteousness? No, by imputation of his righteousness. The only righteousness I have
is seated at the throne of God in heaven. I'm not righteous
in myself. I have a righteousness charged
to me that enables God to look on me with favor, therefore justifying
the ungodly. He, God the Father, hath made
him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might be made
the righteousness of God in him. God the Father laid on God the
Son the sins of every sinner for whom he died, and he punished
those sins in Christ on Calvary. And God raised him from the dead,
which is nothing but a declaration that God was satisfied with what
he did. He was satisfied and declared
his work good. He freely imputed the righteousness
Christ established in his death to every sinner for whom Christ
died. These alone are the righteous,
made so by his work alone, with no contribution from the sinner
as to his salvation or keeping him safe. Listen, if Jesus paid
it all, and that's what we say, Jesus paid it all, all to him
I owe. If he paid it all, what do I owe? Nothing. And if I don't
owe anything, I must be set free. A just God and a Savior cannot
charge me. He cannot hold me. If my debt's
been paid, and I don't owe anything, I'm free. Praise the Lord. Well,
my question to you is this. Is this the God you trust? They
that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion. Is this the
God you're trusting in? I hope it is. Well, if it is,
those who do, they shall be, according to verse 1, of Psalm
125, they shall be as Mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but
shall abide forever. The righteous are unmovable.
These that are trusted in the Lord have always been the apple
of God's eye and the object of his love and always will be. Mount Zion is just another name
for Jerusalem, and Jerusalem was the center religious worship
up through the times of Christ. Christ prophetically spoke of
this rock upon which the temple was built as a type of the rock
when he said, upon this rock I will build my church and the
gates of hell shall not prevail against it. As Mount Zion, which
is just another name for Jerusalem, was the center of worship in
Israel, so the true church is the only place of true worship
in the world today. The Hebrew word forever here
is an oxymoron. That is a word with opposite
meanings. It is the word Olam and means
antiquity and futurity. Always was and forever is. That's what the word forever
here means. Mount Zion, the physical Mount Zion has not always existed. God created Mount Zion when he
created the world. But this Mount Zion has stood,
is standing, and will always stand. It'll always be. This
Mount Zion, the church has always existed and always will. There
has always been a number whose names were written in the Lamb's
Book of Life. Loved of the Father, given to
Christ in that everlasting covenant of grace made before time and
redeemed by the blood of the Lamb in time at the cross. Though we were transgressors
in the fall with Adam and enemies in our minds by wicked work and
deserving of God's wrath, yet we were never separated from
the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Though fallen
in Adam, God's elect did not fall out of Christ. God didn't
love them before the fall. God didn't love us before the
fall, and then hate us when we fail, and now loves us again
after we've been redeemed. No, that's not God. That's a
changing God. And what does He say in Malachi
chapter 3 and verse 6? I am the Lord. I change not.
Therefore, you sons of Jacob. Who was Jacob? His name was changed
to Israel. Therefore, you sons of Israel.
Spiritual Israel. shall not perish. First Peter
1 5 says this. We are kept by the power of God
through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed
in the last day. We're kept by the power of God
through faith. What faith? Not our faithfulness.
Our faith is weak. He's talking about the faithfulness
of Christ to perform and execute his office as prophet, priest
and king. in our salvation. He's faithful
and we're kept by his faithfulness. The Mount Zion which cannot be
removed is the church according to Ephesians chapter 2 and verse
20 that is founded upon the apostles and the prophets, Jesus Christ
himself being the chief cornerstone. It was founded upon the doctrine
of the prophets and the apostles. You remember what Jesus said
to Peter? He said, Peter upon this rock Upon your confession,
upon your profession of me as the Messiah, I will build this
church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
So Christ is the head of his church, believers of the body. If we are in Christ, we abide
forever. Always were, always will be. Always were, forever are. God's
elect. Why is this so? Because God's
elect are shut up to Christ. What do I mean by that? I mean
this, that he has rendered all the obedience they owed. He has
satisfied all the law they transgressed. He has suffered all the wrath
they earned, and he has died the death that they deserve. And he has provided for them
a robe of righteousness, which we had no part in producing,
that when imputed to us, secures us forever in an unchangeable
standing of justification. in the family of God. So the
lot of the righteous, first of all, is an unchangeable position
in the family of God. John the Beloved said this, now,
beloved, are we the sons of God, now. Christ the elder son, we
his brethren. So the lot of the righteous,
first of all, is an unchangeable position in the family of God.
Secondly, it's an unconditional promise. by our faithful God. Look at verses 3 and 4 of Psalm
125. For the rod of the wicked shall
not rest upon the lot of the righteous, lest the righteous
put forth their hands unto iniquity. Do good, O Lord, unto those that
be good, and to them that are upright in their hearts. God
has made a promise to them that trust in the Lord. He has promised
to show to every heir of grace the benefits and blessings of
Christ person and finish work to secure for us a full, free
salvation based solely upon the merits and obedience of the death
of the Lord Jesus Christ. And he will do this in conjunction
with his promise made to Christ in the everlasting covenant of
grace to save every sinner for whom Christ died. How he will
accomplish this is shown in verse 3. So let's look at this again.
He says here in verse 3, For the rod of the wicked shall not
rest upon the lot of the righteous. What is the rod of the wicked?
It's none other than the law of God. It's the law the wicked
use to hold sinners in obedience or seemingly obedience to the
law. The rod of the wicked is that
which they use to to hold sinners in bondage to
sin. A rod is a scepter, a symbol of authority whereby one governs
in strict justice. The law of God speaks nothing
of grace. It speaks only of inflexible
justice. It says, do this, do and live, disobey and die. For
the wicked, and that being Satan and his followers, all the unrighteous,
it is the medium used to hold sinners in bondage to sin. It
is the law of God used unlawfully to entice the ignorant to seek
justification before God based on their law keeping. In other
words, it says, if you will do this, God will do this. If you
will believe, God will save you. If you will repent, God will
save you. To the righteous, this same law
is a schoolmaster to lead us to Christ. But to the unrighteous,
it's a rod of strict law keeping. The rod of the wicked knows nothing
of a just God and a savior that the scripture identifies. It
speaks nothing of grace and motivates the laws to legalism and dead
works and fruit unto death. Well, he says this rod of the
wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous. Well, what
is the lot of the righteous? More specifically, who is the
lot of the righteous? It's none other than Christ himself.
He is the portion of the righteous. Look at Psalm 16 and verse 5.
It says here, the Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and
of my cup. Thou maintainest my lot. And
then in Psalm 119, 57, thou art my portion, O Lord. I have said
I would keep thy words. The rod of the wicked shall not
rest upon Christ is what he's saying here. It shall not remain
unfulfilled in Christ. It came upon him. He subjected
himself to that law. He obeyed that law perfectly.
He satisfied every precept of that penalty and the precept
and the penalty of the law. And he satisfied it, every jot
and tittle of it. Look at what he said in Matthew
5, 18. Jesus speaking here says, Verily I say unto you, till heaven
and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise
pass from the law till all be fulfilled. And he said this in
Matthew 5, 17. Think not that I am come to destroy
the law. I didn't come to destroy it,
but to fulfill it. Christ honored the law. How?
By obedience to it. He magnified the law. How? By
satisfying its demands. And he is the end of the law.
Romans chapter 10 verse 4, for righteousness to everyone that
believe it. His life and death earned and
established a righteousness the Father freely imputed to every
sinner for whom he died, which is all our salvation. Think about
this. Had Christ not fulfilled and
satisfied all the law's demands against the righteous, we would
be left under the bondage of sin. Had the Holy Spirit not
come and revealed his finished work to us, we would still be
under the bondage, putting forth our hands unto iniquity. That's
what he says here in the latter part of verse three. The righteous
lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity. What
is he talking about here? The phrase simply means we would
still be going about seeking to be accepted before God based
on our law keeping. That's what the phrase putting forth their hands unto
iniquity means. Galatians 3.10 says this, for
as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse,
for it is written, cursed is everyone that continues, not
in all things which are written in the book of the law to do
them. He talks about a rod here. God's law, the rod, is do and
live, disobey and die. In the 23rd Psalm, he speaks
of a rod and a staff. A rod was used to drive the sheep.
A rod and a staff had a crook on one end and was used to lead,
to draw, to guide, to rescue the sheep. A rod and a staff
guided the redeemed. The law and the gospel is what
he's talking about here. The rod and the staff is the
law and the gospel. The rod is just the law, but
the rod and thy staff that the psalmist spoke about in the 23rd
Psalm is the law and the gospel. In the hands of the Holy Spirit
of God, sinners are made to know the utter impossibility of being
justified before a holy God based on anything that proceeds from
them, based on nothing but the imputed righteousness of Christ.
And our anthem is this. God forbid that I should glory,
save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. You remember what
David said in one of the Psalms? Oh, how I love thy law. It is
my meditation all the day long. Why could he say, oh, how I love
the law, except he saw it satisfied, fulfilled in the person of his Savior,
the Lord Jesus Christ. He saw it fulfilled in Christ.
So God made a conditional promise to Christ to justify every sinner
for whom he died to the righteous. And who are the righteous? Those
made so by the imputation of his righteousness alone. He made
an unconditional promise that they would not put forth their
hands unto iniquity. In other words, if God saves
you, you can't be lost again. You can't go back under that
system of works that we are all under by nature. 1 John 3 and
verse 6 says this, Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not. But wait a minute now. We're
all sinners. We sin every day. How is it we
sin not? There's one sin we don't commit.
We don't go back under that system. If you have truly repented of
ever thinking that anything but the righteousness of Christ could
recommend you to God, if you've truly repented, God has granted
you that, you're not going back. You can't. The Scripture says
that God keeps you. Look at what it said in Jude
chapter 1 and verse 24. Now unto him who is able to keep
you from falling, and to present you faultless. What does faultless
mean? It means upright in heart. before
the presence of his glory with exceeding joy to the only wise
God our Savior and be glory and majesty both now and forever
amen he said this in John chapter 6 in verse 37 all that the father
giveth me shall come to me and him that cometh to me I will
in no wise cast out God can't lose a one for whom Christ died
paid the debt satisfied law and justice brought up brought in
a righteousness which God freely imputes We can't be lost, folks. You talk about eternal security?
That's about as good as it gets. God's unconditional promise to
his sheep is that every sinner for whom he died shall be made
to see that the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of
the righteous. Call his name Jesus, for he shall
save his people from their sins. What is the sins that he'll save
him from? Seeking to be justified before a holy God based on our
law keeping and not the righteousness of God alone. So the lot of the
righteous, first of all, is an unchangeable position in the
family of God. Secondly, it is an unconditional
promise from a faithful God. And thirdly, it is the unending
peace of an infinite God. Look at verse five of Psalm 125. As for such as turn aside unto
their crooked ways, the Lord shall lead them forth with the
workers of iniquity, but peace shall be upon Israel. The contrast
is obvious here in this psalm, as in other scriptures, between
the righteous and the unrighteous. If the lot is cast for the righteous,
it is of necessity cast for the unrighteous, and the whole disposing
is of the Lord. God has cast his lot with the
righteous. With whom is your lot cast? This is evidenced by the way
you go in verse five here. The crooked ways he mentions
the crooked way. The unrighteous will God lead
away. How? With the workers of inequity
unto their own crooked ways. Salvation based on something
other than the imputed righteousness of God. But the righteous won't
go that way. The righteous enter in at the
straight gate, led of the Lord in paths of righteousness. In
the 23rd Psalm, he said, he leads me in paths of righteousness
for his namesake. And those paths of righteousness
lead to life everlasting. That way, the way of the righteous
is the way of peace. Well, how can I know which way
I'm in? Am I in the crooked way? I'm
in the straight way. We are all right now in one or
the other. We can't be neutral here. We're either walking in
the paths of righteousness or the crooked ways of unrighteousness.
Well, the answer is simple. Are you led by the rod of the
wicked or the rod and staff of the good shepherd? If you think
anything but the imputed righteousness of God is all your salvation,
you're in that crooked way. You're in the crooked way of
the unrighteous. If your plea is Christ's blood and righteousness
alone, Then are you in the way of peace. God has made peace
with Israel, spiritual Israel, Mount Zion, Jerusalem, whatever
you want to call it. He's made peace. Christ has shed
his blood and paid the sin debt they owe, and his law has no
claim against every one of those for whom he died. I stand here
this morning and declare to you that God has made peace with
Israel. Are you at peace with Him? If
your Lord is Christ, He says here in the latter part of this
verse 5, peace shall be upon Israel. It either is now or it
will be if you're one of God's sheep. He has made peace by the
blood of His cross. Make your peace with Him. How?
Be you reconciled unto God. Based on what? Based on that
righteousness He established and nothing else. One other verse
in Alquid, Deuteronomy chapter 32 and verse 9, Moses writing
here says, For the Lord's portion is his people, Jacob. Jacob is
the lot of his inheritance. You can put Israel, Jerusalem,
Mount Zion, either of those there for Jacob. Mount Zion, the church
which cannot be removed, is the Lord's portion. If Christ is
my portion, then I am God's portion. The lot has been cast. The lot
of the righteous has been cast.