I've got three verses, passages
I want you to look at. This is for this morning. Luke chapter 24 is the first
one. Luke chapter 24, starting in verse 13, so we're
familiar with this story. The two believers on their way
to Emmaus, they're walking, taking a journey, and Christ comes and visits them. Starting verse 13, And Pilate,
when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers,
wait a second, I'm on the wrong chapter. 24, Luke 24, 13. And behold, two
of them, Christ's disciples, went the same day to a village
called Emmaus, which from Jerusalem was about three score furlongs.
And they talked together of the things which had happened, that
is the death and burial of Christ the Lord, that's what they were
speaking about. And they it came to pass that while they communed
together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near and went with
them. But their eyes, these two disciples,
or two brethren, their eyes were holding that they should not
know him, know Christ. And when he said unto them, Christ
said unto them, what manner of communications are these that
you have one to another as you walk and are sad? And one of
them, whose name was Cleophas, answered and said unto him, Art
thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and not known the things which
are come to pass there in these days? And he said unto them,
What things? He knew, but he wanted to see
what they were gonna answer. And they said unto him, concerning
Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet, mighty indeed, and
word before God and all the people, and how the chief priests and
our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death and have crucified
him. But we trusted that it had been
he which would have redeemed Israel. And besides all this,
today is the third day since these things were done. Yea,
and certain women also of our company made us astonished. which were early at the sepulcher,
at his gravesite. And when they had not found his
body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels,
which said that he was alive. And certain of them, which were
with us, went to the sepulcher and found it even so as the woman
had said. But him, that is the dead body,
they saw not. Then Christ said unto them, O
fools, and slow of heart to believe all the prophets have spoken.
Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into
His glory? Turn with me to Colossians chapter
1. Colossians chapter 1 verses 19 and 20. For it pleased the Father that
in him, that is in Christ, should all fullness dwell. And having
made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile
all things unto himself by him I say whether they be things
in earth or things in heaven Christ did this by the blood
of his cross Acts chapter 3 Acts chapter 3 and verse 18 Acts
3 and verse 18 those things which God before
had showed by the mouth of all his prophets that Christ should
suffer, he has so fulfilled. I'd like to speak this morning
briefly on Christ the sufferer, Christ the sufferer. Our Lord was a sufferer. He's the great martyr lamb He's
the prince of sufferers. He's the true scapegoat. He's
of those three malfactors that were hanging on the cross. He's
the main malfactor, we could say. The scriptures tell us of
one who was marred more than any man. Turn to Isaiah 52. Isaiah
52. Verse 13 and 14, behold, the
prophet speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ, my servant shall
deal prudently. He shall be exalted and extolled
and be very high. As many were astonished at thee,
his Christ's visage was so marred more than any man and his form
more than the sons of man. This is our Lord Jesus Christ
he's speaking of. Again, he is styled a man of
sorrows and acquainted with grief. Why? Because he bore our sorrows
and carried our griefs. This morning, I would like us
to review, by the aiding and convincing power of the Holy
Spirit, our Redeemer's sufferings and truly behold what Christ
said in Luke 24, ought not Christ to have suffered? Let's consider
a few points. First, the sufferings of Christ
were necessary in order to accomplish the eternal purpose and counsel
of God. To say the things that played
out in the scriptures, specifically the sufferings of Christ, in
his birth, in his life, and in his death, were pure coincidence,
or happened by chance, or even luck, is to disarm the glory
due his name. These things, as they said in
another place, these things didn't happen in a corner. Everybody,
everybody knows about the history of Christianity, the history
of the suffering of Christ. Everybody knows about it. And
I know they've tried to move away from it, but we're in 2024,
the year of our Lord, some say, 2024 AD, after death. And I know that the scientists
and these people who think they know something, they're trying
to eliminate those terminologies, but everything goes back. AD,
BC, before Christ, after death. So to say that this stuff just
happened, it's coincidence, is not honoring to God. Peter, I
suppose, had the best view, he had the correct view and the
biblical view, when on Pentecost, the Holy Spirit enabling him
to say in Acts chapter two, which is right across the page from,
excuse me, Acts chapter three and verse 18, Acts chapter two,
verse 22 and 23 he's standing up at the time of Pentecost and
he says you men of Israel hear these words Jesus of Nazareth
a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs
which God did by him in the midst of you all as you yourselves
know him Christ being delivered by the determinant counsel and
foreknowledge of God, you have taken and by wicked hands have
crucified and slain." He's speaking of the sufferings of our Lord
Jesus Christ. Peter did not shrink, nor does
any gospel preacher shrink back, as many are wont to do, when
we talk about predestination and foreknowledge. We don't want
to talk about those things, but this is what Peter is saying.
Christ, by the determined, determined, being delivered by the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God, you've slain. It was all predetermined. No,
let us embrace the whole counsel of God. God, before determined
the way, the means, and the method of our eternal salvation and
God's ultimate glory. This thing didn't happen by accident. It didn't surprise God. He determined
that this was to be. This is the only way the sinners
could be saved. His law could be honored and justice served. Let us give, let us do as David
says in Psalms 29, two, you don't have to turn it. Let us give
the Lord the glory, do his name. And so when people preach a accidental
substitution, a coerced redemption, your free will must be involved.
When they preach such thing, they robbing God of his glory.
They're robbing God of his glory. Did not our Sovereign Lord use
these truths, the eternal purpose and counsel of God in His sufferings?
Did He not use these truths, such language, to awaken 3,000,
this is in Pentecost, 3,000 souls? Go back to Acts chapter 2 and
start in verse 41. Then they that gladly received
the word of substitution, of sacrifice, of suffering, of predetermination,
of foreordination. They heard these things, they
gladly received the word and were baptized. And the same day
there were added unto them about 3,000 souls. Wouldn't that be
something? Wouldn't that be something if
we had to enlarge this place? That would be quite something.
Indeed matter of fact let me Bruce. I think it was a song.
Yeah, Psalms 51 weren't you in Psalm 51? Yeah, there's I got
something to make a lot of notes in the margin of my Bible I Got
Jackson question mark on this one Psalms 51 per with me to
verse 18. I just want us all to look at
this and I was talking to Melinda and I know we expect things of,
you know, some people, as humans, if somebody's good at their job,
you expect them to do good at their job. We expect things,
but why don't we expect that or more from God? Because it's
just, we can't see Him, we can't touch, but that's where faith
comes in. Look at verse 18. Do good in thy good pleasure
unto Zion. That's the church. Do good in
thy good pleasure unto Sovereign Grace Church in Jackson. Build
thou the walls of Jerusalem. That's expanding the walls. He
calls it expanding the coasts in another place. He calls it
enlarging the borders in another place. Look at verse 19. Then, when
this happens, when we expect the Lord to do something for
us, when this happens, then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices
of righteousness and the burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings,
then shall they, that's those who have had the good pleasure
upon them by the Lord, offer a bullocks upon thine altar. Acceptable worship, acceptable
sacrifices. That's, I got Jackson and unfortunately
I got two question marks behind it. Why? Why? I've made a comment this morning.
If we were as concerned and the Lord has to do it about
getting numbers here as we were about people showing up for a
sporting event or the theater or whatever. If we were as concerned
about that, Maybe things would happen. We
need to walk by faith. The just shall live by faith.
And I'm not saying don't be involved in that stuff, but I'm saying,
well, that should be so far down the list. That should be so far
down the list. So the Lord used the doctrine,
the teachings of forward nation, predetermination, according to
the counsel and eternal purpose of God. Matthew, turn to Matthew 26. Matthew chapter 26, we're speaking
of the sufferings of the Lord of Christ were necessary in order
to accomplish the eternal purpose and counsels of God. Matthew
chapter 26, and look at verse 24. The son of man goeth as just like it is written of
Him. Now look at, if you have a title
up in the upper portion of your Bible, it's talking about He
eateth the Passover, His agony in the garden, His sufferings,
the suffering of Christ. And as He, the Son of Man, that's
Christ, goes as it is written of Him. As it is written of Him. Yes, all according to the counsel,
the decree, and the purpose of him who sits on the throne. Our
God sits on the throne and rules and reigns. These and this truth
doctrine or teaching is perhaps, I feel, and I will agree with
Octavius Winslow, the fountainhead of all of it, of the sufferings
and the glory and honor of Christ. This is perhaps the fountainhead. His eternal purposes, God's eternal
purposes, eternal counsel, and all the precious streams of covenant
mercy flow to us word to help bless or save his dear people. He is the lamb is he not in revelations
13 verse eight is he not the lamb slain from before the foundation
of the world. Slain should depicts his sufferings. What love what pity what soul
quickening power to sinners. This should cause us to be ever
thankful, grateful, and content with our everyday circumstances
that God sent his son on purpose to quicken and redeem us. Not
that we may get more stuff. Not that we may have more things.
Not that we may make it easier for ourselves or for our children.
I know that's what we commonly think. No, he didn't do any of
that for that. That may be a partial byproduct.
because he does bless us temporarily and spiritually, but spiritual
matters is what I'm speaking of. The sufferings of Christ. I can't even think of the sufferings
of Christ and put it in the same context about me having things. It has nothing to do with it. as a ransomed soul, every time
we gaze up on Calvary's tree and look at Calvary's victim,
we should remember our Father in eternal decree, foreordained
for Christ's sufferings, this all for us, his chosen, his elect,
his saved people, his precious bride. Secondly, when we speak
of the sufferings of Christ, necessarily we speak to the fulfillment
of all types, and He made good the prophecies regarding Himself. That's what I'm saying. The scriptures,
as one old writer said, are Christocentric. He's the hub. Everything emanates
to Him and from Him. The sufferings of Christ were
necessary to fulfill the types and make good the prophecies
regarding Him. All scriptures speak of Him and
all that He must go through on our behalf. We can see this in
Deuteronomy 8, John 5, Luke 24, Acts 8, Deuteronomy 8, 18, Isaiah
53. All these passages speak of the
sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ as He was fulfilling types
and it was prophesied. If you turn to any place in this
sacred volume, and God has your heart, you will see this to be
so, and not only that, but you and I will greatly benefit from
him. Search the scripture and search
for Christ, and you'll see him in his glory, but that glory
came at a price, by his suffering. asking for more light from him,
we will be flooded with the reality of the suffering Messiah. I had
never seen this until last night, actually. John chapter, turn to John chapter
20. I never really saw this at all. John chapter 20. John 20, starting in verse 24. You remember doubting Thomas?
He wasn't there when Christ appeared to his disciples the first time?
But Thomas, verse 24, John 20, one of the 12 called Didymus
was not with them when Jesus came. First time. The other disciples
therefore said unto him, we have seen the Lord, but Thomas said
unto them, except I see in his hands the print of the nails
and put my finger in the print of the nails and thrust my hand
into his side, I will not believe. That's a bold statement of unbelief
there from a believer. Lord help our unbelief. Look
at this, after eight days again, his disciples were within and
Thomas was with them. Then came Jesus, the doors being
shut, and he came through the doors, however we don't know,
and stood in the midst of them and said, peace be unto you.
Then he said specifically to Thomas, reach in hither thy finger
and behold my hands, reach in hither my hand and thrust it
into my side. Be not faithless, but believing. What is he saying? Behold my
sufferings. He didn't say, look at how I
walked through the door and didn't open it. Don't behold miracle. He didn't say that. He showed
him what he suffered. He fulfilled all types, all prophecies,
according to the eternal purpose and counsel of God. That's what
he's referring to. What happens when we see Christ
in his sufferings? Look at the next verse. And Thomas
answered, said, my Lord and my God. One man said years ago,
Whitfield, I don't remember, but he says, we preach a bloody
religion. Christ must suffer. Look on my
sufferings, the nail prints. It was absolutely necessary that
Christ should humble himself. be a man of sorrows, drink the
cup of God's wrath in suffering, be lifted up upon the cursed
tree, die and raise again in order to authenticate and validate
his claims as to who he was and what he came to do. Like Peter
said, he suffered the just for the unjust. The third turned
to Isaiah chapter 3 regarding the sufferings of Christ. According to the eternal purpose
and counsels of God, he suffered according to type, to fulfill
all the types, all the prophecies, but he suffered for our, the
elect's sins, bruised and afflicted for us. Oh, wonder of wonders. Isaiah 53 verses one through
six. Who hath believed our report?
That's what I'm speaking to you. I'm telling you a report. I'm
telling you a report that I'm just reading out of the scriptures.
and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed. For he, Christ,
shall grow up before him as a tender plant and as a root out of dry
ground. He, Christ, hath no form nor
comeliness, and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that
we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of
men. a man of sorrows and acquainted
with grief, and we hid, as it were, our faces from him. He
was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely Christ hath borne
our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem him stricken,
smitten of God, and afflicted. But Christ was wounded for our
transgressions. Christ was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace
was upon Christ and with Christ's stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his
own way and the Lord has laid on Christ the iniquity of us
who the sheep are. I've got not much more to say
other than this is the testimony of God Do we, do I, do you believe
it? The question still is, what think
ye of Christ? What think you of Christ? In
this matter of Christianity, what think you of Christ? Not
the stock market, not any of this stuff. It may be important
in our For our savings account, it may be important for our 401k,
it may be important, but it is not really that important. What
think ye of Christ? Think what the scriptures say
about him. Be at peace amongst yourselves. Bruce, would you close this please?