Good evening, everyone. Let's
open tonight's service with hymn number 53 in your hardback hymnal,
number 53. How sweet the name of Jesus sounds.
The hymn we'll sing this to, or the tune, we'll repeat the
last phrase in each verse twice. Let's all stand together. Thank you very much. How sweet the name of Jesus sounds
in a believer's ear. It soothes his sorrows, heals
his wounds, and drives away his fear, and drives away his fear. Dear name, the rock on which
I build my shield and hiding place, my never failing treasury
build with boundless stores of grace, with boundless stores
of grace. Jesus, my shepherd, brother,
friend, my prophet, priest, and king, my Lord, my life, my way,
my end, accept the praise I bring, accept the praise I bring. Weak is the effort of my heart,
And cold my warmest thought, But when I see thee as thou art,
I'll praise thee as I ought, I'll praise thee as I ought. Till then I would thy love proclaim
with every fleeting breath. And may the music of thy name
refresh my soul in death. Refresh my soul in death. Please be seated. For our call to worship tonight,
we're going to be in Psalm Chapter 40. Psalm Chapter 40. In Psalm Chapter 40 in verse
one, it says, I waited patiently for the Lord. And he inclined
unto me and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of
an horrible pit out of the miry clay and set my feet upon a rock
and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in
my mouth, even praise unto our God. Many shall see it and fear
and shall trust in the Lord. And look at the last verse number
17 with me. And it says, but I am poor and needy. Yet the Lord thinketh upon me. Thou art my help and my deliverer. Make no tearing, oh my God. We've come into this house tonight
and gathered in his name to worship him. We are poor and needy. Let's call out into him and ask
him to send his spirit and bless his word tonight. Heavenly Father,
we are thankful that you've assembled us together once more in order
to hear the proclamation of your finished work in the precious
blood of Christ. Lord, we are poor and needy,
and we are thankful, Lord, that you think upon us. We ask that
you would send your spirit to this place and bless your word
according to your will. Make no tarrying, Lord, save
us, we pray right now. We ask these things in Christ's
name, amen. Number 258 from the Hardback
Tymnal, 258, and let's stand together. A wonderful Savior is Jesus my
Lord, a wonderful Savior to me. He hideth my soul in the cleft
of the rock where rivers of pleasure I see. He hideth my soul in the
cleft of the rock that shadows a dry, thirsty land. He hideth my life in the depths
of His love and covers me there with His hand. And covers me there with His
hand. A wonderful Savior is Jesus my
Lord, He taketh my burden away. He holdeth me up and I shall
not be moved, He giveth me strength as my day. He hideth my soul in the cleft
of the rock that shadows a dry, thirsty land. He hideth my life in the depths
of his love and covers me there with his hand, and covers me
there with his hand. With numberless blessings each
moment He crowns, And filled with His fullness divine. I sing in my rapture, O glory
to God, For such a Redeemer as mine. He hideth my soul in the
cleft of the rock that shadows a dry, thirsty land. He hideth my life in the depths
of His love and covers me there with His hand, and covers me
there with His hand. When clothed in His brightness
transported I rise to meet Him in clouds in the sky. His perfect salvation, His wonderful
love, I'll shout with the millions on high. He hideth my soul in the cleft
of the rock that shadows a dry, thirsty land. He hideth my life in the depths
of his love and covers me there with his hand. And covers me there with his
hand. Please be seated. He hideth my soul in the cleft
of the rock. That is our hope. I hope this evening is that the
Lord would reveal his son to us by his spirit and show us
that Christ truly saved his people from everlasting to everlasting.
I pray that he will cause us to see how he satisfied the demands
of the father. Conquering death, hell in the
grave. May we find a moment of rest in him this evening, according
to his will. You like to turn with me to our
text, it's found in Psalm chapter 88. The book of Psalm chapter
88. Titled this message, Everlasting
Hope. And Christ said in Psalm 88 and
verse one. O Lord of my salvation, I have
cried day and night before Thee. Let my prayer come before Thee.
Incline Thy ear unto my cry, for my soul is full of troubles,
and my life draweth nigh unto the grave. I am counted with
them that go down into the pit. I am as a man that hath no strength,
free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave,
whom Thou rememberest no more. And they are cut off from by
hand. This is Christ's words. He was
cut off from the father. And like those whom the father
never remembers anymore, he was placed in a grave, but it doesn't
end there. The Lord fulfilled his promise
in the resurrection of his son. Psalm chapter 16 and verse 10
says, for thou wilt not leave my soul in hell. Neither will
thou suffer than holy one to see corruption. We see this illustration
given in the book of Daniel chapter six. If you'd like to turn there,
please. Daniel chapter six. We see that
King Darius had set over all the kingdom, 120 princes. And
over these princes, he set three presidents, Daniel being the
first, and he was preferred over all of them. And you know how
the story goes, the other princes were envious of Daniel. And they
realized the only fault that they could find with Daniel would
be with his God. So they devised a solution to
the problem and the king signed it into law. Once Daniel had knowledge of
the consequence of this law, he still prayed. Christ knew
the consequence of taking our sin unto himself and he still
drank from the cup. He prayed as our intercessor
in John chapter 17. Christ confessed me before the
father. This is what it means to say
he prayed for me. Christ said his heart like a
flint to the cross to honor his father's will and fulfill the
covenant of grace in perfect obedience. Like Peter said in
Acts chapter two, Verse 23, him, which is Christ, being delivered
by the determinant counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have
taken and with wicked hands have crucified and slain him. The
Lord ordained that wicked men should crucify and slay the Lamb
of God. And these men thought that they
were the ones slaying the Lamb of God. But the father is the
one that put his son to death because of the elect's sin that
he was bearing. The father is the one who saw
my sin and executed his son with the sword of justice. Why did
the father have to put his son to death? So that the law could
be satisfied, so that the covenant of grace might be fulfilled,
and so that all those that were elected in eternity would be
made righteous. We can clearly see throughout
all of scripture that the covenant of grace is eternal. The covenant
of the law was given in time. The covenant of grace did not
change because the law was given. Paul said in Romans chapter seven,
verse nine, for I was alive without the law once, but when the commandment
came, sin revived and I died. The law demands justice for transgression. King Darius had to honor his
law by throwing Daniel into the lion's den because of the transgression
of that law. This is why Christ had to come
to where we were because we cannot keep God's law. Notice the wording
in verse 17. And it says, and a stone was
brought and laid upon the mouth of the den and the king sealed
it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords. that
the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel. The king sealed
it with his own seal, that the purpose might not be changed
according to Daniel. We see that God's covenant had
seven seals, the Lamb's book of life. It was fulfilled by
the death of his son, that the purpose might not be changed
concerning Christ. In Galatians chapter four, verse
four and five, it says, but when the fullness of time was come,
God, sent forth his son made of a woman, made under the law
to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive
the adoption of sons. There is only one day in time
that had any effect on anything that is in eternity. If Christ
had not died, we would not have been redeemed. This is why he
is our everlasting hope. Romans chapter five in verse
12 says, wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world
and death by sin. And so death passed upon all
men for that all have sin. And then in verse 17, he says,
for if by one man's offense, death reigned by one much more,
they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness
shall reign in life by one Jesus Christ, a man called separation
broke communion with the father because of his sin. Therefore,
man had to be the one that redeemed. For this need, God became a man
because we could not go to him, he came to us in Philippians
chapter two and verse 80 says, and being found fashion as a
man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the
death of the cross. Is there any man that can present
himself before the father as perfectly righteous in death
outside of Christ? The answer is no. Job said in
Job 25, four, how then can man be justified with God? Or how
can he be clean? That is born of a woman. Only
one man was ever worthy to present himself to the father and it's
Jesus Christ. Remember in revelation chapter
five, that none was found worthy. He said he looked in heaven and
in the earth and under the earth and none was found worthy to
lose the seals. And John said in chapter four or in verse four
of chapter five, and I went much because there was no man was
found worthy to open and read the book, neither look there
on. And one of the elders said unto me, weep not behold the
line of the tribe of Judah, the root of David hath prevailed
to open the book and to loose the seven seals thereof. And
I beheld and low in the midst of the throne and of the four
beasts. And in the midst of the elders to the lamb, as it had
been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the
seven spirits of God sent forth into the earth. And verse seven
says, and he came and took the book. out of the right hand of
him that sat upon the throne. That's our hope. Christ came
to where we were and lived a perfect life, fulfilling the law's demands
in life. Then he offered himself to the
father as our surety, fulfilling the law's demands in death for
his people. The father rewarded him by resurrecting
his son from the pit, as we read in our call to worship. He hath
raised me from a pit and put my feet upon a solid rock and
established my goings. Yes, that's us, but that was
never. We was resurrected with him. Therefore, it is finished. His work is finished. In Daniel
chapter six, we see that the king spent all night fasting
and sleepless. And as soon as the first light
came, the law had been fulfilled. Justice had been satisfied and
the king ran And look in verse 20, he says, is that God whom
now service continually able to deliver thee from the lions?
And what did Daniel say in verse 21? And he said unto the king,
Oh, live forever. In verse 22, my God has sent
his angel and has shut the lion's mouth that they have not hurt
me for as much as before him, innocence, he was found in me.
And also before the king, I have done no hurt. The teeth of death
was closed. The mouth of death was closed
because Christ was found worthy. And every elected believer found
in him was presented perfectly righteous before the father.
But for those that add to or take away from this finished
work are cast into the den of lions without a substitute. They
will hear I never knew you. Isaiah 28, 15 says, because you
have said, we have made a covenant with death. In hell we are at
agreement. When the overflowing scourge
shall pass through, it shall not come unto us, for we have
made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves.
The king cast every false prince into the den of lions, and they
were devoured before they hit bottom. This covenant with death
is all that these men had. They are vows made, all those
so-called good things that they think they're doing, to recommend
themselves above their fellow man, the wicked heart that they
thought they gave to Jesus, that prayer they prayed, the choice
that they made, it will all burn up and they will hear the Lord
say, I never knew you. Only the believer thinks of death
in this manner. Only the believer has nothing
to fear. The believer's prayer is, Lord,
please know me right now. Right now, please cause me to
be found in your precious son so that when he died, I died. When he was resurrected, I was
resurrected. Make him my everlasting hope.
Look back in Psalm 88 with me, please. In verse four. Verse four, he says, I am counted
with them. that go down into the pit. We
just saw that in Daniel. I am as a man that hath no strength,
free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave,
whom thou rememberest no more, and they are cut off from thy
hand. Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the
deeps. Thy wrath lieth hard upon me,
and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. We can clearly
see a top and shadow of these words in the book of Jonah. If
you'd like to turn with me to the book of Jonah, please. You all know the story very well.
No doubt. The word of the Lord came into
Jonah and told him to go to Nineveh, that great city and cry against
it for their evil had come up before him and the Lord was going
to destroy them. But Jonah flees from the presence of the Lord,
doesn't he? And the scripture says that he went down into Joppa
and got on a ship bound for Tarsus. As we have seen already, the
Lord had to leave his throne in glory and become a man. He
condescended from the threshold of eternal life to walk among
the living dead. That's what we are as living
dead men. To bring salvation to wretched, decaying sinners
such as you and I, he did this. After Jonah ran from the presence
of the Lord, he boarded a ship and went down to the sides of
it and he fell asleep. The Lord then sent a great tempest. And
as I was teaching in the class there Sunday, I was talking to
him about what a tempest was and how scary and terrible that
must be. And as soon as this tempest arose,
these men started casting lots and blaming one another, whose
fault is it? And everybody began to point toward each other. Everyone
said, it's not my fault. I'm not as bad as this person
beside of me, or I'm not as bad as that person over there. And
everybody justified themselves, but nobody knew who Jonah was.
And so the lot fell upon Jonah, naturally. Now, the believer
knows that he is the man, just like Nathan said to David after
his sin with Bathsheba, you are the man, David. We see Jonah
here at this point represented as both sinner and surety for
his people as Christ, the surety, both us and Christ, because then
he tells them that the only way for them to be saved, Jonah says,
you have to cast me overboard. You have to cast me into the
sea, into the sea of God's wrath. As soon as they did that, immediately
the sea was made calm. Justice was satisfied. The well
of death swallowed up our precious Savior. This is why we confess
Christ in baptism. It symbolizes being buried with
Christ in death and raised again to live a new life in Christ
Jesus. Listen to Christ's words regarding his death in Psalm
88, verse six and seven, where a text is says thou has laid
me in the lowest pit in darkness, in the deeps, thy wrath layeth
hard upon me. And thou has afflicted me with
all thy waves. And there's a word after that
called Selah. And that just means think about that for a little
while, ponder upon these things. Our substitute was afflicted
with the waves. wave after wave after wave of
the wrath of God for the sin of His people, until the sea
was made calm forever for His elected bride. In Jonah chapter
2 and verse 1, look there with me. It says, Then Jonah prayed
unto the Lord his God out of the fish's belly, and said, I
cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and He heard me.
Out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou hearest. Hurtest
my voice because of the father forsaking his son on the cross.
He tells us he will never leave us nor forsake us. He promises
to hear us when we cry into him because the father would not
hear him on the cross. According to Psalm 22, because
we died with him and was risen with him. The father hears us
when we cry unto him. Christ takes my sinful, selfish
prayer and makes it perfectly righteous and presents it to
the Father. Just like a baby cries in the darkness because
of fear it needs its mother, nobody else's face will do, just
the mother or the father. There is one face we long to
see as believers. One face. Therefore, we cry unto
our Savior in this dark and desolate world of sin and grief. And Christ
give us a promise in Luke chapter 11 verse 13 for this. He says,
if ye then being evil know how to give good gifts unto your
children, how much more say your heavenly father, give the Holy
spirit to them that ask him Lord, give us Christ. That's our prayer. You know what happened to every
single person that was on that ship. They made it safely into
port. All because Jonah was cast into
the black abyss of death to be left alone for three days and
three nights. Not one sheep will be lost that the Lord died for.
On the third day, the Lord spake to death the well and made it
nauseous and caused it to vomit Jonah upon the dry land. Death
could not hold the perfect lamb of God. It had no claim on him. The father would not see his
holy one. The father would not suffer his
holy one to see corruption. We know the father was satisfied
because he resurrected his son from death. This is why he is
our everlasting hope. And back in our text, Psalm 88. In verse eight. He says, thou has put. Away,
mine acquaintance, far from me. Thou hast made me an abomination
unto them. I am shut up and I cannot come
forth. Mine eye mourneth. By reason
of affliction, Lord, I have called daily upon thee. I have stretched
out my hands unto thee. Wilt thou show wonders to the
dead? Shall the dead arise and praise thee? In verse eight,
who was Christ's acquaintance? Yes, it's his people. But Christ
had always had his father. He was made for his elect sin
who knew no sin. He was made, as we see here,
an abomination. That we might be made the righteousness
of God in him. Now, the last place I'd like
to look tonight is in Daniel, chapter three, if you'd like
to turn there. You know, these stories, we've heard them from
our childhood up, no doubt. But it's amazing to see how the
Lord parallels these things to from Genesis to Revelation. Christ
is all and he shows us these in his stories. And Daniel three, we see Christ
conquering hell for his elect King Nebuchadnezzar had made
a god of himself out of gold. Then he said, when you hear the
music, bow down and worship. This is the same God that is
ever present by nature. And every person ever born except
Christ, it is the God of self-worship driven by power, popularity,
and pleasure. This is why the believer. According
to it is the God of will worship that man has a free will to choose
God. This makes man God instead of
looking to Christ is all we need. This is why the believer does
not clap his hands in church. We don't shout or wave our hands
around during the message or when we hear an emotional song
because that's not worship. Worship is looking to Christ
through the eyes of faith that he has given to you. Worship
is coming to Christ without moving a muscle. Worship is bowing the
knee of the heart in adoration to his electing grace. Our Lord
was the only one who ever had a free will, and he chose to
only worship his father in perfect obedience and honor. Therefore,
the father hath highly exalted him and given him a name which
is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee
shall bow and tongue shall confess Christ him. confess that he is
all to the glory of the Father. We read that the three Hebrew
men did not bow, therefore they transgressed the law. The punishment
was death with a fiery furnace. The king was angry and heated
the furnace seven times hotter than normal and cast them forth
into the fire to be consumed. As we already read in Revelation,
because Christ was perfect, he could loose the seven perfect
seals to satisfy the Father. We see the picture here of the
precious lamb of God being offered up with perfect submission to
his father, feeling the seven times or perfect judgment of
God upon his soul. The eternal wrath of God owed
to us being poured out upon Christ for his Alex sake, the sort of
justice pierced his heart. Then he cries, my God, my God,
why has thou forsaken me? The father would not let anyone
look into what he was doing as he dealt with our sin in those
hours. In Luke 23, verse 45, he says,
and the sun was darkened and the veil of the temple was rent
in twain from top to bottom in the midst. And when Jesus had
cried with a loud voice, he said, father, into thy hands, I commit
my spirit. And having said thus, he gave
up the ghost. He did this in full assurance
and faith that the father would raise him from the dead. After
the king threw these men into the furnace, look at what he
says in verse 24. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king
was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto
his counselors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst
of the fire? They answered and said to the
king, True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see
four men loose, walking in the midst of fire, and they have
no hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.
Then the king called them forth in verse 27. He says in the princes,
governors and captains and the king's counselors being gathered
together, saw these men upon whose body the fire had no power,
nor was a hair of their head singed. Neither were their coats
changed or the smell of fire had passed upon them. Now we've
all smelled smoke before in fire and know how easy it is to get
upon our clothes. Have you ever smelt death before?
I'm sure you probably have driving down the road, smelled a dead
carcass. It's something that has a putrid smell. We cannot
imagine how horrid this body of death smells to our Lord,
our sin. We can't imagine what we smell
like to him. But Christ, but Christ, he smells as a sweet
smelling savor unto the father. and was resurrected because the
father was satisfied with his son. Oh, what a savior that can
bring us through the fire with no smell of smoke, no hair singed,
no burns, and present us perfectly righteous to his father. Now
we smell just like him. In Luke chapter 24, they came
to anoint the body of Christ and the angel of the Lord appeared
unto them and said, in verse six, he is not here, but he is
risen. The father resurrected his son
because he satisfied all that the father required. All the
father requires for our salvation. Christ provides for all whom
he died for, and he only died for his elect. John said it like
this in first John 3, one behold, what manner of love the father
hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of
God. Now to us in the flesh. Death. is our consequence of
being sin. It is the wages for sin. But
death hath no victory because he conquered it. To die is to
be face to face with him. The sting of death has already
died for those who are his chosen bride. The sting of death is
sin, which is separation from the father. The grave is the
place where broken or discarded objects lie. and that is all
that this flesh is in death is broken and discarded. Hell is
the eternal wrath of God upon sin. The scripture says there
is now, right now, no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. Therefore, the grave hath no
dominion on us who are in Christ because he holds the keys of
death, hell, and the grave. We will never see hell because
he endured the full wrath and separation from the Father on
the cross. Just as Samson took the gates
of the city, Nob, Locke, and all in Judges chapter 16, so
Christ brought the gates of hell back to glory with him, conquered
forever for his chosen people. When death lays hold upon us,
our cry is that the Lord would lay hold upon us and declare
that we are his. May death always remember when
it became nauseous and was defeated by the great I am. Death has
been laid to rest. Hell's flames have been extinguished
for the elect of God, and the grave has no dominion because
it is finished. This is why he is our everlasting
hope. In Psalm 89, verse 46 through 48, he says, How long, Lord,
will thou hide thy face forever? Hide thyself forever? Shall thy
wrath burn like fire? Remember how short my time is.
Wherefore hast thou made all men in vain? What man is he that
liveth and shall not see death? Shall he deliver his soul from
the hand of the grave? The Lord is the only one that
ever. The Lord has only ever offered
himself up one time. And that was on the cross when
he was made sin. Men like to boast and say that the Lord is
making an offering for salvation and to them. This is blasphemy. Christ only offered himself up
one time and that was to the father. He was bearing the sin
of all the elect of God. He was offering himself into
the father and the father saw my sin and executed his son for
it. Therefore, whomsoever Christ
died is perfectly righteous. Seated at the right hand of the
father right now at this moment. I had an experience recently
that caused me to really be afraid of death to
really be. I thought I was dying is what
I've had a panic attack. Just being honest with you. I
really thought I was dying. I thought my time had come. And
as I begin to study for this message, I thought I want to
give hope to the Lord's people because our our king has conquered
death. We do not have to fear death.
And I realize if we're honest with ourself, brethren, we don't
really fear death itself. We fear not being found in Christ
when we die. We don't really fear hell. We
fear being found outside of Christ who extinguished the flames of
hell. and satisfied the eternal wrath of God. We know we're afraid
of that because that's what we deserve. We don't fear the grave. We fear being left to ourself
as a discarded, broken object, because that's all we are, is
a broken object. And we need the Lord to make
us whole. To the believer, the knowledge
of our depravity An understanding of this brokenness is what drives
us to our Savior. And only the Lord can show a
man that he's a sinner. Only the Lord can give a man
this need. The world goes to and fro every day, not fearing
death, not fearing the God of this world, living life to its
fullest. The believer thinks on these
things because we know that if we are not found in him, we have
no hope. We have no hope. Lord, put me
in Christ right now. That's my prayer. That is the
only thing truly needful. The only thing needful. Leave
me not to myself. Save me right now. And when the
shadow of death compasses me. The darkness shrouds the very
breath I take. Lord, let me see thy face. When
the accuser whispers in my ear and reminds me of my sin and
the heaviness of my sin comes upon me and it's brought back
to my memory, all the things that I've done and all that I
am, Lord, remind me. that you have put them all away.
When hell opens up its mouth and says, I have no hope, Lord,
take my hand, deliver my soul. When the grave fixes its eyes
upon me, ready to claim me as its own, Lord, claim me as your
own. When my eyes begin to fade, cause
me to say by sight, oh, death, where is thy sting? Oh, grave,
where is thy victory? Cast me not from your presence,
Lord. This is the believer's prayer. Only in Christ can we
say, O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
When it comes time for us to draw nigh unto the Jordan, which
is the river of death, Lord, draw nigh unto us. When it becomes
my appointed end, Lord, cause me to be found in Christ. We
take hope in Christ alone and have full assurance the law has
nothing to say against the elect of God because Christ put away
our sin. The law can only now declare
perfectly righteous because of the success of the Lord Jesus
Christ. It has to declare perfectly righteous.
Wrath has nothing to say now because the sword of justice
pierced the heart of the son of God and justice is satisfied
because of the accomplished salvation of the elect of God. Wrath has
been turned to peace because the prince of peace did it all
in the salvation of his bride. It is finished. when my eyes
close in death, awake me in Christ's likeness, oh Lord. May the Lord
be pleased to reveal himself to us in life so that we need
not fear death. May the Lord cause us to look
to him and live looking to him always. Lord, give us Christ,
our everlasting hope. Amen. Brother Tom? Number 22. Number 22 in the spiral
handbook. We were ruined by the fall, Adam's
sin defiles us all. By our deed as by our birth,
we deserve the law's great curse. Helpless, hopeless sinners we,
never can our souls retrieve. But the blessed Son of God Came
as man in flesh and blood He fulfilled the law's demands And
in death stretched out His hands On the cross of Calvary Christ
redeemed and set us free In the time which God had set, the Spirit
came for His elect, to regenerate and call from the ruin of the
fall. By His power and by His grace,
we were born for God's own praise. Now your purpose we fulfill,
Saved according to your will. Sing this song of joyful praise,
For the glory of your grace. Blessed, holy, triune God, Hear
our praise through Christ our Lord. Before we all depart, I
almost forgot to make this announcement. This Friday, Grace Weishi will
be planting shrubs all around the building. You saw the irrigation.
If you're free Friday, contact her to see what time she needs
help. I'm sure that she'll need some help. So contact Grace to
help her plant the shrubs this Friday. Thank you.