Deuteronomy chapter 12. Deuteronomy
chapter 12. I had Matt read that portion
of scripture and if you noticed, it was mentioned quite a few
times where God shall choose to cause His name to dwell. God shall choose His name. So Deuteronomy chapter 12 verse
11 is the main scripture we'll be looking at. In the name of
the messages where God has chosen to place his name. God has chosen
to place his name. Now God took Israel out of Egypt
and he brought them into the promised land. He brought them
into the promised land. The land where he had chosen
to place them. He was the one who made the choice.
He chose to place them there. A land that he promised. A land
where his temple would be built. A land where he would be worshipped
and praised. A place where he would dwell.
What a picture of the church, beloved. What a picture of the
church. Look at Deuteronomy chapter 12,
verse 11. Then there shall be a place which
the Lord your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there.
Thither shall ye bring all that I command you. your burnt offerings
and your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offering of your hand
and all your choice vows, which you vow unto the Lord. About
two months after I got here, I went home for lunch and I came
home to a very excited wife. She was very, very excited. And this is the verse she showed
me. She had been reading scripture and she said, look at this. I've never seen this before. For your God shall choose to
cause his name to dwell. Now I've been chewing on this
for about eight months, desiring to preach upon it. And I felt like the Lord led
me to this verse today, and it ties right in with our Sunday
School message too, which was about how God's name is important
to him. And we see here, your God shall
choose to cause his name to dwell there. This place, spoken of
in our text, is the place where God, the Eternal One, Jehovah,
the Self-existent One, chose to cause His name to dwell there. And it was His own choosing.
It was His own choosing. Again, note where He would choose. where he would cause his name
to dwell. Men don't naturally worship God
in our fallen state. None of us seek God in our fallen
state, but he chose a people in eternity in Christ. And they would worship and adore
his son, and they would be redeemed by his precious blood. He chose his people in eternity
and the Holy Spirit dwells within us and beloved. It is all because
of God's choosing. Scripture says there's none that
seek it after God, that means we don't choose God. But Scripture says thy people
shall be made willing in the day of thy power. Not the Holy
Spirit regenerates us and we are willing. And we rejoice that
He has caused His name to dwell amongst us. And it's all according. Now let
this just sink in. You who are redeemed by the blood
of the Lamb. Just let this sink in. It's all
according to His will. Folks always pop off about free
will, about will. Our wills are bound to our nature.
And when we come into this world, we have a dead nature. And our
wills are bound to that nature. But God is the only one with
free will to do whatever He pleases to do. Whatever He pleases to do. And
if we're saved, if He's caused His name to be amongst us, if
He's chose that we would be recipients of the grace of God in Christ,
it's all according to His purpose. All according to His purpose,
the purpose of His will. his good pleasure, and we are
recipients of this wondrous grace. Recipients. Blessed be the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with
all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. There's the
key, in Christ. Accordingly, He has chosen us
in Him, in Christ, before the foundation of the world, that
we should be holy and blameless. are holy and without blame before
Him in love, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children
by Jesus Christ to Himself according to the good pleasure of His will.
You see, this is all His choosing. To the praise and the glory of
His grace. It's to bring Him glory. To the praise and the glory of
His grace, wherein He hath made us. He hath made us accepted
in the beloved. My goodness, this is wonderful
news for sinners who will never come to Christ. This is wonderful
news. And that we have redemption.
We're purchased, how? Through His blood. The forgiveness
of sins. How many sins? I hit this this
morning. How many sins? A-L-L. All your sins. There's
nothing left. As far as the east is from the
west. Believers sins are paid for in full scripture declares. We are complete in Him in Christ. Oh, it's wonderful the gospel
so wonderful for sinners In whom we have redemption through his
blood. There's the price the forgiveness of sins There is
the result and it's all according to the riches of his grace wherein
he hath abounded towards us, he hath abounded towards us in
all wisdom and prudence, having made known unto us, we didn't
know it, the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure,
which he purposed in himself. He's Jehovah. He's the self-existent
one. He's the eternal one. That in the dispensation of the
fullness of time, he might gather together in one. All things in
Christ. In Christ alone, beloved. That's
why we proclaim that salvation's only in Him. Nowhere else. Both which are in heaven and
which are on earth, even in Him. In whom also we have obtained.
We're receivers. We've obtained this. We didn't
earn it. We didn't even desire it. Surely He made us willing, eh?
Then we ran to Christ, but we've obtained this beloved. We've
obtained this. It's been given to us being predestinated according
to the purpose of him again, of him who work with all things
at the council of his own will, that we should be to the praise
of the glory of his glory. Who first trusted in Christ Ephesians
chapter one, verses three to 12. Do you see how that ties
in with, with where God shall choose to cause his name to dwell?
It's all His work. It's all His work. It's all what
He does. And it says here, back in our
text, then there shall be a place which the Lord your God shall
choose to cause His name to dwell there. He shall choose to cause
His name to dwell there. He dwells there according to
His choosing. Do you see how religion's got
it all mixed up? This is where his name is called
upon, beloved. And think of that. We're gonna
look at this later, but God has chosen. He has chosen that his
name would go forth from this place here, Elmont, Michigan,
from this work. He's chosen. where the gospel
is preached and proclaimed. He dwells where He dwells according
to His choosing, where His name is called upon. This is where
He will be worshipped. And in our text, this will be
where He will be the center of unity in this place that's spoken
of. He would be the focus. He would be the focus in the
land of Israel. He would be praised in this place. And is it not
so wherever He chooses to place His name? They are commanded
to bring burnt offerings and sacrifices to this place that
God would choose. And they shall bring their burnt
offerings. The flesh and blood must be offered upon the altar
of the Lord. And this is commanded by God.
Look at Deuteronomy 12, verse 14 and verse 27. But in the place which the Lord
shall choose in one of thy tribes, there thou shalt offer thy burnt
offerings, and there thou shalt do all that I command thee. And
in verse 27, and thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings, the flesh
and the blood upon the altar of the Lord, the altar of Jehovah,
thy God. And the blood of thy sacrifice
shall be poured out upon the altar of the Lord, and thou shalt
eat the flesh. The blood was to be poured out
upon the altar. Was to be poured out upon the
altar. These sacrifices were accepted by God. The blood in
the altar picturing Christ. Pointing right to Christ, beloved. His blood was shed for us and
He's the altar. He's the altar too. He offers
Himself up as a sacrifice. The blood in the altar. And this
was all of God's choosing. all of God's choosing. And this
points to none other but Christ, in whom all spiritual blessings
are in Him. He is the name above all names.
The place where God would choose is said to be a place where He
would put His name. In Christ's name is the name
above all names. The name that at every knee shall
bow and every tongue will confess one day that Jesus Christ is
Lord to the glory of God the Father. His name is precious. And we saw this in Sunday School,
that God's name is very important to Him. It tells us who He is,
and where He is, and what He does. It identifies who He is. It identifies Jehovah, the Self-existent
One, the Eternal One. And here in our text, this place
of God's choosing, where He has chosen to place His name, is
where He would manifest Himself to His people. where he would
make himself known and they would praise and they would worship
him. This place where he would make
himself known as men do by their names is where he would be praised
and called upon. It is to be his habitation, where
as king of Israel he would keep court and be found by those who
reverently sought him. The ark was a token of God's
presence. And where that was put, there
God put His name, His majesty, His glory, His worship, and His
service, His special and gracious presence would be there. The
place which God first chose for the ark to reside was in Shiloh.
In David's time it was fixed at Jerusalem. And God said concerning
Solomon's temple, more expressly than He had ever said concerning
any other place, this I have chosen for a house Of sacrifice,
2nd Chronicles 7.12 says this, And the Lord appeared to Solomon
by night and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and have chosen
this place to myself for a house of sacrifice. It's a place of
God's choosing. It's a place of God's choosing.
Turn, if you would, to John chapter 4. Now under the gospel, we have
no temple that sanctifies the gold, no altar that sanctifies
the gift. But Christ, it is Christ, and
in Christ we are sanctified, right? It's only in Him. John
chapter 4, look at this. Our Savior has declared that
those who are true worshipers worship God in spirit and truth.
Look at John chapter 4, verses 20 to 26. A Samarian woman is
talking to the Lord, and she says, Our fathers, verse 20,
worshiped in this mountain, and you say that in Jerusalem is
the place where man ought to worship. Jesus said unto her,
Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this
mountain nor at Jerusalem worship the Father. Ye worship ye, know
not what. We know what we worship, for
salvation is of the Jews, but the hour cometh, and now is.
When a true worshiper shall worship the Father in spirit and truth,
and we know we do that in Christ. Look at what he says. For the
Father seeketh to worship him. God is spirit, and they that
worship him must worship him in spirit and truth. The woman
saith unto him, I know that Messiah cometh, which is called Christ,
who, or when he is come, he will tell us all things. And look
at these words from our master. Jesus saith unto her, I that
speak unto thee, am he. He's just revealed himself to
her. She wasn't seeking him, was she? He sought her. I must needs go
to Samaria. And so with every one of God's
people, every one of God's sheep. He reveals himself, who he is.
Turn if you would back to Deuteronomy. We're going to chapter 14. We're
going to look at a few places where our Lord, where scripture
declares that God will is pleased to place his name. Deuteronomy
14 and Deuteronomy 16. Deuteronomy 14, verse 23. Thou shalt eat before the Lord
thy God in the place which he shall choose to place his name
there. The tithe of corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and
the first things of thy herds and of thy flocks, that thou
mayest learn to fear the Lord thy God always. and the place
which he shall choose to place his name there. And turn, if
you would, over to Deuteronomy 16. Deuteronomy 16. Verses 1 to 8. Observe the month
of Abib and keep the Passover unto the Lord thy God. For in
the month of Abib, the Lord thy God brought thee forth out of
Egypt by night. Thou shalt therefore sacrifice
the Passover unto the Lord thy God of the flock and the herd
in the place which the Lord shall choose to place his name there. Thou shalt eat no leavened bread
with it. Seven days shalt thou eat unleavened
bread therewith, even the bread of affliction. for thou comest
forth out of the land of Egypt in haste, that thou mayest remember
the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt, all
the days of thy life. Never forget the rock you were
hewn from. Never forget the pit you were dug out of, Father Lord.
And there shall be no leavened bread seen with thee in all thy
coasts seven days, neither shall there be anything of the flesh
which thou sacrifices the first day at even remain all night
until the morning. Thou mayest not sacrifice the
Passover within any of thy gates which the Lord thy God giveth
thee, but at the place which the Lord thy God shall choose
to place his name in." There it is again. "...there shalt
thou sacrifice the Passover at even, at the going down of the
sun, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt, and
thou shalt roast and eat it in the place which the Lord thy
God shall choose. And thou shalt turn in the morning
and go unto thy tents. Six days thou shalt eat unleavened
bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a solemn assembly
to the Lord thy God. Thou shalt do no work therein."
So the Passover was to be sacrificed in the place that the Lord chose
to place His name. Turn if you would to 1 Corinthians
5. the place where he chose to place the ark, the mercy seat
with the cherubim over them, which pictures Christ, we know
that. And here before us, the Holy Ghost has evidently set
before us a typical representation of Christ. Christ's sufferings
and death is our Passover lamb by the frequent mention of it.
And it's sweet to the believer to reflect upon this, that in
ages past and at a time so long before the coming of Christ,
that the representation of deliverance by him, by Christ, should be
shadowed out to the church, right? The Passover. It was a picture
of Christ. Look at this. First Corinthians
chapter five, verses seven and eight. First Corinthians five,
seven and eight. Purge out therefore the old leaven,
that you may be a new lump as you are unleavened. For even
Christ are what? Passover. He's our Lamb. He's our Passover Lamb. Is what?
Is sacrificed for us. He knew no sin. He's perfect,
spotless. The perfect Lamb of God. The
perfect Passover. Is sacrificed for us, sinners.
For His people. Therefore let us keep the feast
not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and
wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
That's only in Christ. So the place where He chose to
cause His Shekinah glory or His Divine Majesty to dwell was at
Jerusalem, in the temple, which was built by Solomon, which pictures
the church of the King of Heaven, His people. Remember, He's the
foundation. We looked at last Sunday night.
We're the building. We're living stones. And He dwells within us. And he chose to dwell there. It's marvelous. What a picture
of Christ. Turn, if you would, over to Deuteronomy
again. Look at verse 11 of 16. And thou shalt rejoice before
the Lord. Thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God, thou,
and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant,
and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger,
and the fatherless, and the widow that are among you, in the place
which the Lord thy God hath chosen, the place is named there." God
has chosen that the sacrifice of the Passover, which typified
Christ, would be offered at Jerusalem. A place where God had chosen
to place His name. He chose to place His name there.
And God's people rejoiced. Look it. And thou shalt rejoice
before the Lord. God's people rejoiced because
it's heartfelt joy that we've been redeemed by the precious
blood of the Lamb. That Christ our Passover was
sacrificed for us. For us. For His people. And He was offered
a sacrifice upon the cross for us. For His sheep. He says, I'll lay down my life
for the sheep. What a Savior. What a Savior. What a Redeemer. That He would die for the sinner.
But Scripture declares this. Christ our Passover is sacrificed
for us. And God's people rejoice. We
rejoice that all our sins are purged. That all our sins are
paid for. That all our sins are redeemed.
That God's wrath and justice is satisfied in our place. And
it's all by Christ in Him alone. It's all by what He's done. And
the only reason we know that is because He redeemed us at
Calvary's Cross and the Holy Spirit's regenerated us. We're
born again. We've been granted faith and
repentance. And we love the Savior now. We're made well in the day
of His power. Turn, if you would, to 1 Kings,
chapter 9. 1 Kings, chapter 9. And we'll
look at another place where Scripture declares He has placed His name. He has put His name here forever.
Look at this, 1 Kings 9, verses 1 to 3. And it came to pass when Solomon
had finished the building of the house of the Lord, verse
1, in the king's house, and all Solomon's desire which he was
pleased to do, that the Lord appeared to Solomon the second
time as he had appeared unto him at Gibeon. And the Lord said
unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication that thou
hast made before me. I have hallowed this house which
thou hast built to put my name there forever. What a picture
of church. He's put his name amongst his
people. Forever. Forever. In my eyes, in my heart, look
at that. Now this will bring us great peace. Because we go
through trials and we go through sorrow and we go through tribulations. And look at this. He's put my
name there forever, and my eyes and my heart shall be there perpetually,
ever upon His people. He's put His name there forever,
and His eyes and heart will be upon it perpetually. His eyes
of providence is upon the church, as it is in Christ and Him alone.
And He watches over it, and He protects it. And this is the
place where His name is praised and adored amongst His people,
where He has chosen to place His name. In Jesus, His church is eternally
and everlastingly beheld and accepted. Turn, if you would,
to Zechariah, chapter 6. But keep your finger in 1 Kings,
because we'll be going back there. Zechariah, chapter 6. In Christ
the church is eternally and everlastingly beheld and accepted. And this
is proclaimed in Zechariah 6, verses 12 to 13. Let us see how
sweetly the prophet describes, Behold the man whose name is
the branch, and he shall build the temple of the Lord, and he
shall bear the glory. Look at this. Zechariah 6, verses
12 and 13. And speak unto him, saying, Thus
speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold, the man whose name is
the branch, that's Christ's beloved, and he shall grow up out of his
place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord. It's his
doing. And he places his name wherever
he chooses. The church is He builds the church,
beloved. We must faithfully preach and
proclaim the gospel, but He is the one who adds to the church.
He's the one who does the work. He's the one who places His name
where He chooses. Even He shall build the temple
of the Lord, and He shall bear the glory. He doesn't share His
glory with anyone. No one. And shall sit and rule
upon His throne, and He shall be a priest upon His throne,
and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. So let's
go over to 1 Kings again and look at chapter 11 this time
in verse 36. And we'll see again, He's chosen
to place His name. 11, 1 Kings 11, 36, And unto His Son
will I give one tribe, that David My servant may have a light always
before Me in Jerusalem. The city, which I have chosen
Me to put My name there." Again, He's chosen to put His name. God has chosen to put His name
in Jerusalem, and let us remember that God chooses to put His churches
and His gospel preachers wherever He's pleased, and His people
wherever He's pleased. God's churches, God's preachers,
and God's people are all where they are by the will of God.
By the will of God. By His will. And He's chosen
to have a work right here. Right here in Elmont, Michigan.
This is His church. This is His work. And He has
churches placed wherever He's pleased to place them. And what do we do? We rejoice
that He's allowed us to be here. We rejoice that we're allowed
to be part of the body. That we're the people where he
chooses to place his name. Because it's his doing. It's his doing. It's his work. He keeps the work going as he
pleases. He keeps the gospel going forth as he pleases. And
we rejoice at his providential works. We rejoice that he saved
us, don't we, Brother Newell? We rejoice that he didn't leave
us where we were. That he saved us. So God chooses to place His
name in His church. Turn, if you would, to Psalm
78, verse 68. God chooses to place His name
in His church, His people. And His love is set upon, His
love is set upon His people in Christ for eternity. We know
that because God chose us in Christ. before the foundation
of the world. But look what Psalm 78 now. Now
we were studying Psalm 48. And as we look through Psalm
48, we saw that Zion is the church. Look at Psalm 78, verse 68, but
choose the tribe of Judah, the Mount Zion, which he loved. God's
love is set upon his people from eternity. The choice of this
place where he has placed his name, the church, his elect,
the choice of his people, where he has placed his name, is all
for his purpose, beloved. It's all for his purpose. And
it's all of his choosing. And it's the result of his love
for us from eternity. From eternity. I marvel that
God's love was set upon me in eternity. I marvel. I don't think
I'm ever going to get over that. It's incredible. Psalm 87.2 says
this, The Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings
of Jacob. The Lord loveth the gates of
Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. What a picture of the
church. The choice of God, love, and Zion arises from the everlasting
and unchangeableness of God and who he is and the love of God
to his people in Christ. Second Chronicles 6.6 says this,
but I have chosen Jerusalem that my name might be there. And have chosen David to be over
all my people, Israel. What a picture of the church
and what a picture of Christ. I'll read it again. But I have
chosen Jerusalem that my name might be there and have chosen
David to be over my people, Israel. Who's over us? Christ. Second Chronicles 6.6. David
pictures Christ, who is our glorious King, and he's over all the people
of Israel, which pictures Christ in his church. He's the head
or the body. Here, his name is proclaimed. In the body of
Christ, his name is proclaimed. Here his name is proclaimed,
the Lord Jesus Christ, the only savior of sinners. Here his name
is worshiped and adored, the Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation
is in no other name except the Lord Jesus Christ, only in him,
only in Christ. And we seek to publish and proclaim
the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. He's the one we look to for our
salvation. He's the one we look to for our
entire acceptance before God, the Lord Jesus Christ. And His
name is published, and His name is proclaimed, and His name is
praised. And that's why we say we seek
to give Him all the glory, and all the honor, and all the praise,
because it's all what He's done, beloved. And He has chosen, if
you're saved, You're one of the elect of God. He's chosen to
place His name amongst all His people, His elect. And it's marvelous. We just marvel at this. Turn,
if you would, to Isaiah, chapter 45. All Jehovah's gracious purposes
are accomplished in Christ and Him alone. And we see this in
Isaiah, chapter 45. All Jehovah's gracious purposes
towards His people are accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. Isaiah
45, verse 13. I have raised Him up in righteousness,
and I will direct all His ways. He shall build My city, and He
shall let go My captives, not for price nor reward, saith the
Lord of hosts. Again, I have raised Him up in
righteousness. Christ is our righteousness.
He's all our righteousness before God. And I will direct all His
ways. He shall build my city, and He
shall let go my captives. We are free in Christ, beloved.
We've been set free. Not for price nor reward, saith
the Lord of hosts. So the Lord has chosen to place
His name right here in Elmont amongst His people. And we meet
in His name, don't we? We meet in His name. And where
God's people meet, His presence is promised. I remember someone
telling me a long time ago, some charismatic told me this. They
said, they said, well, if your church isn't three, four hundred
people, then the Holy Spirit's not there. Lies. Nothing but lies. Nothing but lies. Because the
scripture declares this. The scripture declares this. Where two or three are gathered
together in my name. There am I in the midst of them. Two or three. Marvelous. What a Savior. What a Savior. Without His presence, worship
is in vain. So let us always remember this,
that this work is His doing. And we who are redeemed, we're
His work. created in Christ Jesus for His glory. We praise His
mighty name. God places His name amongst His
people. They are His possession. They
are His possession. The name of the Lord Jesus Christ
is precious to the believer, precious to us. We who believe
are baptized in His name. Acts 2.38 says this, Then Peter
said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in
the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, that ye
shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. So God is pleased
to place his name amongst his people. God's people are baptized in
his name, not to the inclusion of the Father and the Spirit,
whose name also This ordinance is to be administered, and we
looked at that this morning in Matthew 28, 19, where it says,
Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, teaching
them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And lo,
I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Gil
comments this. The name of Jesus Christ in Acts
2.38, where it says, Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be
baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for
the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the
Holy Ghost. Gil comments this is particularly mentioned because
of the Jews who had before rejected and denied him as Messiah. But
now, upon their repentance and faith, they are to be baptized
in his name by his authority. according to His command, professing
their faith in Him, devoting themselves to Him, and calling
on His name. And it's so with us, too, isn't
it? It's so with us. This name is so precious to believers
that Christians will suffer for His name. Acts 5.41, if you want
to turn there, Acts 5.41 verses 41 and 42 in Acts 5 says this, to suffer shame for His name.
They were told not to go and preach Christ. And this is after
the man's healed at the gate called Beautiful. And they told
them, do not preach Christ. Look at verse 41. And they departed
from the presence of the council rejoicing that they were counted
worthy to suffer shame for His name. And daily in the temple
and in every house they ceased not to teach and to preach Jesus
Christ. This is why it's vital that we
preach Christ and him crucified, what he is or where he is, what
he's done and who he is. It's vital. It's absolutely vital. So Christians will suffer shame
for his name. They preached Christ for God's
glory and the cause of God, they suffered shame and beatings for
his name, and they counted an honor to suffer for his name.
Matthew 5, the master says this, blessed are ye when men shall
reveal you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against
you falsely for my sake. And we've all experienced that,
haven't we? Some from family members, some from friends. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad
for great is your reward in heaven for so persecuted they the prophets
which were before you. They bore the reproach of men
for the furtherance of the gospel. God had placed His name in their
hearts. And the name is the Lord Jesus Christ. Christians will hazard their
life for His name. Look at Acts 15. Acts 15, verses
25 and 26. Acts 15, 25 and 26. And they
did this for the sake of the gospel. And the gospel is all
about Christ. They hazard their lives for the
furtherance of the gospel. What a contrast to false teachers
who sought only for themselves honor and praise of man. These
faithful men would sacrifice everything for the sake of Christ. Acts 15, 25 and 26. It seemed good unto us being
assembled with one accord to send chosen men unto you with
our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men that have hazarded their
lives for the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. So where God has
placed his name, men will hazard their lives. Men and women will
hazard their lives for him, for Christ. Where God has placed his name,
Christians will die for his name. Acts 21.13 says this, Then Paul
answered, What mean ye to weep and break mine heart? For I am
ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for
the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Where God has placed His name,
men and women will die for His name. Will die for His name. Believers will die for His name.
Paul was ready to die for Christ's truth and His glory. He trusted
and rested in God's absolute sovereignty. As one commentator
said, God had prepared him for this through his various sufferings.
And he gives to his saints dying grace, doesn't he? He does. He
gives us strength and grace in time of need. Where God has placed
his name, Christians give thanks to him. Give thanks to his name. Hebrews 13.15 says this, By him,
therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually.
That is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. See,
He's placed His name there, and we give Him thanks. We give Him
praise. And note, by Him, through Christ,
by Him, Hebrews 13, 15, by Him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice
of praise through Christ. Through Christ. The sacrifice
of praise to God continually. There's no coming to God but
through Christ. No coming to God There's no coming
to God through a decision you make. There's no coming to God
through your works. There's only coming to God through
Christ and Him alone and what He did. What He did. Salvation in no other. No other. That means no other man. That
knocks my works right out the window. Salvation in no other but Christ
and Him alone. Turn, if you would, to Psalm
150. All our mercies and blessings come through Christ, and our
praise and our thanksgiving are only acceptable to God through
Christ. For there is one God and one mediator between God
and man, the man Christ Jesus. And all God's elect are made
priests, and we offer up sacrifice of praise to our great God and
Savior, who fulfilled all the demands of the law for us in
our place, and everything Give thanks, for this is the will
of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 1 Thessalonians 5, 18. And the sacrifice of praise and
thanksgiving we are to do continually. Look at this. This is the condition
of every believer. Look at Psalm 150, verses 1 to
6. Praise ye the Lord. That's Jehovah. Praise God in the sanctuary.
Praise Him in the firmament of His power. Praise Him for His
mighty acts. Oh, His mighty acts of salvation.
His mighty acts of redemption. His mighty acts of providence.
There are countless, beloved. We can't number them. His mighty
acts. Praise Him according to His excellent
greatness. He's so great. His greatness is excellent. Excellent greatness. Praise Him with the sound of
the trumpet. Praise Him with the psaltery and the harp. Praise
Him with the timbrel and dance. Praise Him with stringed instruments
and organs. Praise Him upon the loud cymbals.
Praise Him upon the high sounding cymbals. Let everything have
breath. Praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord. Praise Him. and where His name
is placed, God's people praise Him. We praise Him. It's called
the fruit of our lips. The fruit of our lips. And it's
in reference to the offering of the first fruit of the Old
Testament, which distinguishes it from the ceremonial sacrifices
to show in which way we praise God, we're to give Him our first
fruits. The fruit of our lips, the first
fruit. Out of the abundance of the heart,
the mouth speaks. We're regenerated, born again.
We have a new heart. A heart that loves and hungers
and thirsts after righteousness. And we offer up the sacrifice
of praise to God in and through Christ alone. Last point is Christians do everything
in his name. Turn, if you would, to Colossians
3, 17. Where God has placed his name.
Amongst His people, we seek to do everything in His name. Look
at Colossians 3.17. Paul here gives us a common rule
for our actions in worship and in daily life. We are to do all
things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, for His glory,
with thanksgiving to the Father. Look at this, Colossians 3.17.
And whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of
the Lord Jesus Christ, given thanks to God and the Father
by Him. Again, and whatsoever you do
in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,
given thanks to God and the Father by Him. So let us remember that
the object of our faith is Christ. Christ in Him alone. He's the
object of our faith. And let us also remember our
position in Christ and our acceptance in Christ. We who believe. We
who are the ones who the Lord's been pleased to place His name
in. Christ is the object of our faith, isn't He? But we have
all acceptance before God in Him. And in Him alone. We are complete in Christ. So whether it's preaching, or
singing, or praying, or teaching, or in conversation with other
believers, let us do what we do in the name of Christ and
for His glory. Let us be thankful for what God's
done for us. And this will bring unity of
heart and purpose. This will drive out divisions
and strife. If all that we do is not for
selfish purposes, but is for Christ's sake, Oh my, He'll bring
us peace and joy as we think about what He's done for us. Repentance and remission of sins
is preached only in His name. And that repentance and remission
of sins should be preached in His name among all nations beginning
at Jerusalem. The Gospel is all about Christ.
It's all about Christ. The only reason we're here is
to hear about Christ. That's the only reason. to glorify
Him, to magnify Him. He is the Messiah. And repentance
and remission of sins only comes through Christ, not by your own
works. Only through Christ in Him alone. There is only forgiveness
before God in Christ. And by His authority, as the
remission of sin is by His blood, through His blood, He is exalted
as Prince and Savior to give repentance and forgiveness of
sins to all the Israel of God, all His people. and there won't
be one left behind, whether they're Jews or Gentiles. Therefore,
it's fitting and proper that he should be the only one preached
among all nations, where God's elect are. And the Holy Spirit
takes that preaching of the Word and draws lost sinners, lost
sheep to Christ. What a Savior. What a Redeemer. Gracious Heavenly Father, we
come before Thee with thankful and grateful hearts as we saw
in scripture that You are the one who chooses to place Your
name where You're pleased. And, O Lord, we who are saved
are humbled as we contemplate this, as we think of this, as
we consider this, that it's not our doing, that salvation is
all of You, that You're the one who chooses to place Your name
where you're pleased, that you're the one who chooses to draw us
to Christ, and that you are the one who sent our Savior, the
Lord Jesus Christ, and that he willingly came. You willingly
sent him, and he willingly came to redeem us from all our sins. May we marvel at your grace.
May we think about it this week. In Jesus' name, amen.