The passage that we consider
this morning, as always, overflows with the glory and majesty of
our precious Lord and Savior, and the revelation of that majesty
by the Holy Spirit of God. I know, and you know, that every
scripture speaks of him. Every scripture. Some say, well,
how about a scripture that talks about man's depravity? That scripture
is saying, you have a need. You need a sage. glory of the Lord Jesus Christ,
and it is only by the Spirit of God's revelation that we can
see it. Eyes to see, ears to hear, heart
that understands. 2 Timothy 3.16, all Scripture
is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine righteousness, that the man of
God may be perfect, that is, complete, throughly furnished
unto all good works. Our Lord on the road to Emmaus,
remember he talked to those two disciples, and beginning at Moses
and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the things concerning
himself." Wouldn't you like to have heard that conversation? John 5.39, "...search the scriptures,
the Lord told the Pharisees. For in them you think you have
eternal life, but they are they which testify but me." The scriptures,
holy, blessed scriptures. Every time we look into the Word
of God, we're looking for Him. We're looking for His honor,
His glory, His praise. Knowing that He is the subject,
author subject of these scriptures, I'd like to look into this passage
of scripture that our dear brother just read. It's a passage of
scripture He talks about a payment that needed to be made and how
our Lord dealt with it. There are four things that I
want us to look at in that passage of Scripture of Brother Carver.
There are four things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ that I
know absolutely certainly Four glorious things. Number one,
I know this concerning our Lord. Our Lord is omniscient. That means He knows everything.
Knows all things. The Lord Jesus Christ came into
this world for the purpose of redeeming the sheep the elect, the church, the bride,
his own. He came into this world to redeem
and to save all that the Father had given him in everlasting
electing grace. God has to save them, to redeem them. He knew them before they fell. He knew them in the fall. He knows them in regenerating
grace. He knows them. There was one
way that he could save his people. He had to pay the debt that they
owed to the broken law of God. God's law is holy, just, good. But the keeping of that law is
something that man cannot do. So he came into this world. He
came into this world to seek and to save that which was lost.
And his betrayal, his crucifixion and his resurrection was not
something that was obscure to him. It was absolutely sure. He knew that was going to happen.
Verse 22, While they abode in Galilee, Jesus saith unto him,
The Son of Man shall be betrayed into the hands of men. They shall
kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. They were
exceeding sorry. Notice how in Now in the accomplishment of
the salvation of God's elect, our Lord, His eyes, His knowledge,
His omniscience is absolutely set forth in the Holy Scriptures. God Almighty knows everything. Look at verse 24-25, And when
they were come to Capernaum, They that received tribute money
came to Peter and said, Doth not your master pay tribute?
And he said, Yes. And when he was come into the
house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? Of
whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? Of their
own children or of strangers? Now, when it says that the Lord
saw Peter, coming in, and he prevented him. What he did is
he spoke before Peter said anything. He prevented him. And the Lord
prevented him. He spoke to Peter about something
that Peter had previously spoken to some fellows taking some tribute
money. Now I want you to turn to Exodus
chapter 30. Let me show you where this started.
Exodus chapter 30. When thou takest the sum of the
children of Israel after their number, then shall they give
every man a ransom for his soul unto the Lord. When thou numberst
them, that there be no plague among them, when thou numberst
them, then this they shall give every one that passeth among
them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of
the sanctuary, a shekel is twenty years, and half a shekel shall
be the offering of the Lord. Everyone that passeth among them
that are numbered from twenty years old and above shall give
an offering unto the Lord." Now, that was a, that tribute, that,
it was called a ransom of the soul. Actually what it was, I
read that it was a gift that was to be given for the thanksgiving
of God's covenant mercies to Israel, to his people. That's
what it was. It was for the maintenance of
the sanctuary. That's what it was originally
given for. And this keeper of the Tribute
money, I guess you'd say. This Jew, whoever this was, came
to Peter and he asked, you know, does your master pay tribute?
He said, well sure, sure he does. Sure he does. Peter knew that
whatever was due, whatever was right to pay, he knew. The Lord, the Lord paid that.
He knew that. Now, we can't be reminded enough
concerning our Lord's omniscience. His knowledge. He knows all things. He hears all things. And he had
heard the conversation that Peter had with the collectors of that
tribute money. He heard it. He knew it. Hebrews
4.13 says, Neither is there any creature that is not manifest
in his sight. But all things are naked and
open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do." Nothing
is secret with God. We never hide anything from him. Opposition, falsehood, disputings,
reasonings, whatever. I read where one man said, we
ought to always walk in remembrance of this one thing. Everything that we say or think,
we ought to think it with this realization. We're in the presence
of God. From this passage of Scripture,
Peter never said anything to the Lord. The Lord, the Scripture
says, prevented him. Spoke before Peter spoke. Here's
the second thing I know out of this passage. Almighty God is
omnipotent. The Lord Jesus Christ asked Peter,
who is required according to the kings of this earth? to pay
custom. That's what the Lord said, custom
or tribute. Who is required to pay taxes
on goods and individual tax on your person? Who's required? You know, personal property and
income tax, numbering tax, whatever you want to call it. Who's required
to pay according to the kings of this earth? Who pays? Is it the king's kids, or those
who aren't his kids? Who pays? Peter's answer was
said in verse 26, of strangers. That is, those that are not members
of the king's family, is what that means. Not strangers that
they don't know who they are, but it's just those that are
not members of the king's family. And the Lord said unto him, Then
are the children free. The children of the king are
free. Who is the Lord of the sanctuary? Now you think about this. Here
was our Lord speaking to Peter concerning some things that Peter
was not really thinking about. That sanctuary that they were
talking about keeping up, That building, that stone structure,
wood, whatever it was made out of. The keeping up, the sustaining,
the maintenance of that temple. That's what that tribute money
was for. The maintenance of the temple. Now here, Peter is talking
to the Lord of the true sanctuary. The sanctuary himself. He who is the actual Master,
the Lord of Glory, the Son of the Living God. Here is God's
only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. According to Him in His divinity,
truly, according to Him being divine, God's only begotten Son,
that's God's Son. as Almighty God's Son. Did he really owe anything? No. He is the sanctuary. He is the Lord. Did those in
him, represented by him, Those chosen and placed in Him from
before the foundation of the world, joined with Him in electing
grace, answered for by Him. Those who were in perfect, complete,
and total union with Christ. Those that when He did something,
they did it too, being joined with Him. Did they know anything? before
God? No. I spirit you. I spirit you. The
Lord asked Peter, What thinkest thou? Of whom do the kings of
the earth take custom of tribute? Of their own children or of strangers?
Peter said unto him, Of strangers. Jesus said unto him, Then are
the children free. You're free. You're free in Christ. They'll find a piece of money,
that take, and give unto them for me and thee. Did our Lord actually owe anything
for himself or for those in him before God Almighty? No. This is the beloved Son in whom
God is well pleased. He is absolutely omniscient. He is proven here to be absolutely
omnipotent. The scripture says, Ephesians
1.11, we have obtained an inheritance being predestinated according
to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel
of his own will. Now here's what we know so far.
You know that God is omniscient. You know that He is omnipotent
because we just read about something that He told Peter to do because
of not offending them. I'm going to show you why. He
said, do we truly owe anything in Himself? Did He owe anything
in Himself being perfect? No. But He made Himself answerable. He made himself answerable to
that law that said, you'll pay tribute. There's the law. There's the law. Do we truly
owe a thing? No. In him, no. But, lest we
should offend him, he said, I want you, Peter, to go down and go
fishing. I want you to cast your hook
in there. I want you to take up the first
fish that comes out. There's going to be a piece of money
in that fish's mouth. I want you to take that piece
of money and I want you to go down and pay. What's due? The Lord Jesus Christ made the
metal that that piece of metal, that piece of money was coined
from, and he caused a stater. That was the actual denomination. of the money. That stater found
out was exactly the amount that was due for two people. The Lord told me, he said, you
take it and you go down and pay for me and you. That stater had been dropped,
placed, thrown. I don't know how it got in the
water. We're not told that. But the scripture says that a
fish came and picked up that coin. Picked it up, got it in
his mouth, and the Lord God of glory caused the fish that he
made to scoop up a coin and swim over to a hook. And Peter had dropped into the
water, and Peter was to pull a fish out of the water, take
that coin out of his mouth, and go pay the ransom, the tribute. The same power that it took to create this universe, to speak
this world into existence. The same power that made that
fish ordered that fish to do just exactly what God Almighty
told him to do. And Peter went and he absolutely
caught what God Almighty told him he was going to do. Now from
this scripture I know that Christ is omniscient, I know that he
is omnipotent. Here's the third thing I know.
Our Lord has been pleased to use means in the accomplishment
of his purpose. Christ could have summoned a
coin to appear out of nothing. He made this
world out of nothing. You think he could make a coin
appear? But according to his eternal
purpose and wisdom, Peter was instructed to go fishing. Catch a fish, take a coin, go pay the tax. What was owed? I know this. Peter couldn't make
the fish come to the hook. Peter couldn't make the fish
bite, but Peter could go fishing. It's not our calling to question
God's Word. Our calling is to obey. Peter didn't say, Lord, you made,
took five loaves of two fish and fed 5,000 men plus the women
and children. Why don't you? Turn to Philippians chapter 2. Philippians 2 verse 12. We've looked at Christ's omniscience,
his omnipotence. We know that he used his means.
Look at this. Philippians 2 verse 12. My beloved, as you've always
obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my
absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For
it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His
good pleasure. Do all things without murmurs
and disputes. I know this for a fact. I know
that salvation is all grace. If Almighty God is going to save
a man, save a woman, He's going to save them by grace. And they're going to know it
through faith. Faith does not save. Christ saves. Faith is the grace by which Almighty
God tells you something. You believe something concerning
His Word. Faith is the absolute evidence. Somebody said, you can't prove
this. Oh yes I can. Faith is the evidence. It's the evidence, the evidence. It's substance. Somebody say,
you can't see it. Evidence, substance. Only a believer
knows that. Only a believer believes that. Work out your own salvation. Well, if salvation is all of
grace through faith, and that not of yourself. It's the gift
of God, not by works of righteousness that we've done according to
His mercy and His sameness. What do you mean, work out your
own salvation? The word work out there means
this, fashion yourself. Fashion yourself. Fashion your
life according to His Word, according to His working, His power, His
guidance, with respect and serious caution. Work out your own salvation
with fear and trembling. This is serious. This is serious. And that's one of the things
I notice about gospel people. This is serious. This is serious. It's not take it or leave it
with them. Serious business. There is a work of faith, a labor
of love, of patience, of hope. Almighty God has been pleased,
the scripture says, through the foolishness of preaching to save
them that live. It's not my place to say, well, if God is sovereign, or since
God is sovereign, and He's going to save whosoever He will, and
that's true, well then, if He's going to save whosoever
He will, Why? It's pleased God through the
foolishness of preaching. It is my responsibility, it is
my calling, it is my privilege, it is my duty to get into this book and to
ask God Almighty to direct my heart, teach me, and bless I know this, that he's going
to save his elect through preaching. Well, if the Lord is going to
keep his church, that's right. And he's going to keep it according
to his means. As the Lord has prospered a man,
let him give! Let him give! Let me tell you
this, God's people are giving people. They give their time,
they give their love, they give their money, they give, they
give. That's just the way it is. God's people The children are free, but lest we should offend them,
lest they be offended. And the Lord was not doing anything
that was just, well, there's no reason for this. There's a
reason, I'll show you in a minute, because there's one more point
to this message. But lest we should offend them.
You go fishing. Can you imagine? I'm talking
about he that spoke to a dead man. Lazarus! Come forth! I'm telling you,
Lazarus walked out of that tent. Peter's mother-in-law, blind, bald, deaf. He spoke and it was. And here,
he told Peter to go fishing, go fishing, take a fish. Do you believe that the gospel
is the power of God on salvation. Do you believe that? Yes, I do. And support it. God doesn't need me. That's not
the issue. That's not the issue. The issue
is, Almighty God has commanded us in the light that we have,
if we believe that this is the gospel, then support it. And by the grace of God, make
everything else second. It's for our good and His glory. We can't save anybody. If I could
save men by convincing them, by eloquence, if I could save
them, I couldn't. I can't save them. I can't save any. But I can preach,
and I can ask, and I can seek, and I can knock. I pray the Lord save somebody.
And if he does, I know he's going to be according to his eternal
purpose and goodness and grace and mercy and compassion. But
it does not relieve me of the responsibility that I have to
preach the gospel. Colossians 2 says, As you have
received the Lord Jesus, so walk ye in it. And as we walk in obedience to
the light that we have, He gives more light. Now, I've got God's
Word on this, Proverbs 4, 18. But the path of the just is as
the shining light that's shining more and more unto the perfect
day. God's people grow in grace, and
they grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior. God Almighty
has set forth in this scripture right here that the Lord Jesus
Christ is omniscient. He's omnipotent. He made that
fish do what it did. And He's been pleased to use
means. Now, I'm going to tell you something that's getting
ready to shock you. Hang on. Everything I've told you is absolutely
true. It's true. He's omniscient, omnipotent. He uses means. What I've told you, being the
truth, is concerning the things about Christ. But I have not preached the gospel
to you. The devils know that he's on
mission. The devils know he's omnipotent. The devils know that he uses
men. You have to remember, the demons,
they were with him in heaven. They fell. A third of them fell. They never reached. I told you things about Christ,
and here's where the whole issue, here's where the rubber meets
the road right here. Here's where the paddle meets the water right
here. What's the difference in preaching about Christ and preaching
the gospel? Here's my fourth point. Our Lord
is sovereign in salvation. The gospel, I can tell you a
lot of things about the Lord Jesus Christ and not preach the
gospel to you. And it is the gospel that is
the power of God unto salvation. Do you see how serious it is
to know I've heard the gospel of God's grace. Just as the Lord Jesus Christ
being God Himself. Now here's the difference, and
you're going to hear it. You're going to know it. You're
going to see it. In fact, you already see it. I know you do,
but I'll go ahead and voice it. Just as the Lord Jesus Christ
being God Himself did not owe anything. But lest we should offend them, there was a law, a law that had
been given, and the Lord Jesus Christ made himself. He made himself And therefore all those in him
are answerable with him. Them having fallen in themselves,
but now in him, a payment is going to be made. The law demanded
that some tribute. There's going to have to be some
satisfaction given. There's going to have to be a
payment made to answer to the law. that God had given concerning
the maintenance of that sanctuary. But Almighty God, the Lord Jesus
Christ Himself, spiritually, and here is where the world does
not see what is being set forth. They see a story about a fish,
they hear a story about a miracle, But what about the offense of
the cross? What about that which offends?
Do you know men are not offended at God who knows everything?
He doesn't offend anybody. He knows everything. They'll
say, well, He knew that I would choose Him, so therefore He chose
me. He's omnipotent. They say the
fact that if I give my heart to Jesus, then He can save me. He can keep me. He's omnipotent. They know something about Him. But the offense of the cross.
This is what's set forth when we talk about the offense of
the cross. We're talking about sovereign, saving, electing,
predestinating grace. All of grace. Here's the gospel. He who knew no sin, the children
are free. But he willingly, he who knew
no sin, was made sin, lest we should offend them. There won't
be any offense. A payment is going to be made. The law is going to be satisfied.
He made himself answerable. Did he in himself actually owe
being God himself? No, but he made himself as man
and shall be. Willingly came under the obligation
for the sake of his elect. The children are free, but for
them to go free, payment is going to have to be made. 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 the Son. Somebody is going to pay. That coin that came up, a stater, I found out, a stater,
was exactly the amount they would pay. Half a stater, half a stater
paid for one man. You're going to find a coin,
a stater, and the Lord said, you go pay for me and you. He who made himself of no reputation,
he who took upon himself form of a servant. He who is omniscient,
omnipotent, who is pleased to use men and orders all things
after the counsel of his own will. You say, well, you're just
a man standing here preaching. I agree with you. But the God I serve is a God
Almighty in heaven and He does as He will. And he's going to
bless his word. And he said it's not going to
return void. Peter, you go fishing. Go, you hook in. I'll put the
fish there. I'll put the coins there. You
take the coin. You go pay it. Me and you. That one coin paid the debt. Paid it full. for by one offering
he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified." In conclusion,
let us live in the awareness of his presence and his power.
Let us walk in the light that we have, and let us praise him
who has loved us and saved us by the shedding of his own blood.
The Lord Jesus Christ, omniscient. The Lord Jesus Christ, omnipotent. The Lord Jesus Christ uses means,
men's means. Truth, truth. Many men preach
a lot about Christ, but it's the preaching Sovereign saving grace. Three points. If I would have
stopped right there, I would have told you a lot of stuff.
Stuff that was true. If somebody walked in this building
this morning and they did not know how God saves sinners. They would have known that he
is on mission. He knows everything. And he can do anything. And he
uses means. But how does God put away guilt?
How does God save a sinner? Here's what he did. A debt was
owed. The Lord provided. He provided
himself. Made sin, satisfied God's law,
put away the guilt. Debt was paid. All set forth
in the preaching of the gospel of God's grace. May the Lord
bless these services, bless this message, for the honor of Christ
and the good of his people. Amen.