Turn with me to the book of Luke,
chapter 24. Luke 24. Luke 24. I like to read
verses 36 to 39. And I'm actually going to be
preaching now to verse 39. The scripture said, And as they
thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith
unto them, Peace be unto you. But they were terrified and affrighted,
and supposed that they had seen a spirit. And he said unto them,
Why are you troubled? And why do thoughts arise in
your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet,
that it is I myself. Handle me and see, for a spirit
hath not flesh and bones, as you see me have." It was Sunday morning, it was on
that first great Sunday morning, the Lord was raised from the
dead. And some women came and the stone
was rolled away and they looked inside and the Lord wasn't there. And Scripture said that two men
in shining garments Ask them, why seek ye the living? Why do you seek he that liveth
among the dead? He's not here. He's risen. And these women went back and
told the eleven what they had seen and heard. And Scripture
said that it sounded like idle tales. to them. They couldn't believe that. Peter
ran and saw for himself that truly the Lord was not in the
tomb. Well, there were a couple of
guys that were walking down the road to Emmaus and the scripture
said that the Lord appeared to them. But in Mark chapter 16
verse 12, it says He appeared in another form. They didn't
recognize Him. Their eyes were holding. And
as they were talking, the Lord asked them about their conversation. He said, What are these things that you're
talking about? And they said, A stranger in Jerusalem? You've
not known these things that have come to pass in these days?"
And the Lord said, What things? And they said, Concerning Jesus
of Nazareth, the prophet, one that was mighty in deed and word
before God and all the people. They said, Our chief priest and
rulers, they had him condemned to death. They crucified him. Today is the third day since
these things were done. And the Lord said, O fools, slow
of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. Ought
not Christ, who has suffered these things, to enter into His
glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded
unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. house, and the Lord made it as
if he were going to keep going, and they asked him to abide with
us. The day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with
them, and the scripture says that they sat down to eat, and
the Lord took bread and broke it and gave it to them. And when
he broke that bread, their eyes were opened. and they knew Him. It's the Lord. It's the Lord. And He vanished out of their
sight, Scripture says. Well, after those things they went
back and told, now I'll pick up right here, let's look at
Verse 34, it says, They rose up, these two, the same hour,
and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together,
and them that were with them, and saying, The Lord is risen
indeed. And he appeared to Simon, and
they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known
of them in breaking of bread. And while they were talking,
while they were talking. The Scripture says, And as they
thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and said
unto them, Peace be unto you. But they were terrified, affrighted. Suppose that they had seen a
spirit, and he said unto them, Why are you troubled? And why
do thoughts arise in your heart? Why are you questioning that
which is true? That's what he said. Why do these
restless dreads, these thoughts, arise in your heart? It's me. He said, The Spirit touched me. Touched
me. He said, I'm real. Then he said, behold my hands
and my feet, that it is I myself. I want you to look, he said,
at my feet and my hands. Now I want us to consider for
just a few minutes the Lord's words to his people when he told
them, behold my hands and my feet, it's me. In those hands and in those feet,
no doubt, were the scars the prince of the nails. He had a
reason to tell them, I want you to look at my hands and my feet.
That's where those soldiers put those nails. They nailed him to a cross. Those
scars, I don't for one second doubt, are still born right now. The Lord ascended into heaven
and he's going to return in like fashion. But do you know when those scars
were first seen? Before the foundation of the
world. Revelation 13, 8. This is when God the Father beheld
those marks. Revelation And all that dwell upon the earth
shall worship whose names are not written in the book of life
of the Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world. The Father has ever seen Him
as the Lamb, slain. The marks in His hands and His
feet bear witness to them then and to us now by faith of some
beautiful, marvelous, mighty truths. He had said unto them,
Peace be unto you. Peace. It's okay. It's okay. Peace be unto you. Behold my
hands and my feet." I'm going to just, for a few minutes, just
ask you a couple of questions here on what did the vision,
the looking, the beholding of His hands and His feet, what
did they bear witness to? Well, first of all, knowing that
He had laid down His life for the sheep, That's what he said. No man takes my life from me.
He set his face as a flint to the cross. He said, my meat is
to do the will of Him that sent me and finish the work. He laid down his life willingly,
obediently, as the lamb. God, my son, will provide himself
a lamb. Here's the lamb. Here's the lamb.
Here's the sacrifice. And he laid down his life upon
a Roman cross. It had been prophesied. He was
going to be nailed to a cross. As Moses lifted up the serpent,
Even so, must the Son of Man be lifted up? He's going to be
lifted up. He laid down. He said, Behold my hands and
my feet. Those scars in His hands and
His feet bore witness to this truth. Having cried from the
cross, having been made sin, and crying from the cross, it's
finished. It's finished. He said, you look
at my hands and my feet. There is therefore now no condemnation
to them that be in Christ Jesus. It's finished. The Lord, being
made sin, bore in His own body the guilt and sin, mine iniquities,
have taken hold upon me. They are more than the hairs
of my head. Being made sin and dying under the judgment of God
Almighty in the stead of His people, He has suffered and died for
His sheep. And there is now no guilt for
them to bear. Peace be unto you. It's finished. Behold my hands and my feet. Those marks in his hands and
his feet bear witness to this truth. God is just. God's just. Where sin was found
upon the Lord Jesus Christ, when the law beheld sin, and he was
made sin, He who knew no sin, you know my thoughts on that.
As I've said before, I would never want to be disrespectful.
As Brother Scott told me, don't you ever try to water down the
substitutionary work of Christ. Don't you ever try to tiptoe
through the tulips. walk on, you know, thin ice and
stuff. He said, you declare what God's
Word declares. He hath made him sin, who knew
no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Those hands and feet of the Lord
Jesus Christ when those disciples beheld Him said this, the broken
law's demand for justice has been satisfied for all for whom
Christ died. This is what those hands and
feet declared. Every word and commandment for
all found in Him has been satisfied, that law said do and live. And he did and now he lives and
we live in him. Because of the weakness of our
flesh, we know this, we couldn't do that. But he bore our guilt
in his own body and suffered the penalty of our sins made
to be his own. And now beholding, I want you
to look at Psalm 32, 1 and 2 if you want to. I'll just read it
if you want to just listen. He said, you look at my hands
and my feet. And for my people, listen to
this word. Psalm 32, 1 and 2, blessed is
he whose transgression is forgiven. whose sin is covered, has been
atoned for. Blessed is the man unto whom
the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is
no guile. Blessed are you that Almighty
God has made new in Christ, regenerated by grace. You behold my hands
and my feet. Here's the second thing. His hands and His feet are witness
to the everlasting security of His people. Peace be unto you. Behold My hands and My feet.
Psalm 17.7 says this, Show thy marvelous lovingkindness, O thou
that savest by thy right hand them which put their trust in
thee, from those that rise up against them. Lord, save by your
power. He said, look at my hands and
my feet. These are the hands and feet
of God Almighty. One who had power to lay down
his life, but to take it again. He said, I have power to lay
down my life and I have power to take it back. And that's power. He said, I lay down my life for
you. I was raised in power. Isaiah 59 verse 1 says, Behold,
the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save, neither
His ear heavy that it cannot hear, The Lord said, my sheep
hear my voice, and I know them. Here's a marvelous thing. The Lord said, I give the hearing
ear, I give the seeing eye. We were talking last night, and
it's a marvel of all marvels that God's people They hear the
Word of God, they hear the Word of God, but they hear it. And
the Spirit of God bears witness to their heart that they are
the sons of God. How do you know? Well, by the
grace of God, I believe God, but the Lord has borne witness
to my heart that I'm His child. What source of foundation do
you have? I've got His Word. I've got His
Word. I've got His Word that says salvation
is of the Lord. I've got His Word that, you know,
I give unto them eternal life and they'll never perish. Is
that all you've got? That's all I've got. That's all
I've got. That's all I need. That's all
I need. I heard someone say one time,
if one person dies and goes to hell trusting the Lord, then
the Lord was a failure. His word couldn't be trusted. The Lord cannot lie. He said,
I give unto them eternal life. And I'm telling you, Frank, I
believe that. I believe that. That's all I've
got. Peace be unto you. Here's all
your security. Here's all your security. Here's
all your hope. Here's everything you've got
right now. I'll never leave you. I'll never forsake you. My sheep
hear My voice. I know them. They follow Me.
I give unto them eternal life. They shall never perish, neither
shall any Man is in italics. Neither shall any man pluck them
out of my hand, but hold my hand and my feet. These are the hands
of Him who has conquered every enemy that we've got. Here is
Jehovah, the fullness of the Godhead, In Him, He said, you
look at Me. You look at My hands. Look at
My feet. And then lastly, these are the
hands and the feet of assurance. Assurance. I just want to read. I want you to turn to John 20.
I got to looking at my notes. the comments I was going to make
on this, and I thought, no, I don't think I'm going to comment on
this. I think I'm just going to read what the Lord said. What He has to say is everything. John 20, now here is assurance. Behold my hands and my feet.
Here's the assurance right here. John 20, verse 19 to 31. Then the same day at evening,
being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut, where
the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus
and stood in the midst of them, stood in the midst, I'm sorry,
and said unto them, Peace be unto you. And when he had so
said, he showed unto them his hands and his side. Then were
the disciples glad when they saw the Lord. Then said Jesus
to them again, Peace be unto you, as my Father has sent me,
even so send I you. And when he had said this, he
breathed on them and said unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whosesoever sins ye remit, they
are remitted unto them, and whosoever sins ye retain, they are retained. But Thomas, One of the twelve
called Didymus was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples
therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto
them, Except I see in his hands the print of the nails, and put
my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into
his side, I will not believe. And after eight days again his
disciples were within, and Thomas with them. Then came Jesus, the
doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be
unto you. Then said he to Thomas, Reach
hither thy finger, and behold my hands, and reach hither thy
hand, and thrust it into my side, and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said
unto him, My Lord and my God, Jesus saith unto him, Thomas,
because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed. Blessed are they
that have not seen, and yet have believed. And many other signs
truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not
written in this book. But these are written that ye
might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that
believing ye might have life through his name." Beholding his hands and his feet, they saw, they looked, and he said, blessed because
you've seen. Thomas The Lord told him, he
said, Thomas, I want you to put your hand right here. Put your
hand in this nail hole right here. You feel that? He said, it's me. Put your hand
right here on my side where they put that spear in. It's me, Thomas. Blessed are you, because you've
seen. Oh, but blessed are those that
haven't seen, but they believe by faith. We look this morning. By faith we see His hands and
His feet. And in our heart know when He
died, by faith, I believe He died for me. I trust Him. That's all I have. That's all
I want. I don't want anything else. I
don't want anything else. He is our all and in all. Lord,
bless the word to our heart. For Christ's sake we pray.