Brother Mahan gave me some advice
as a young man. Gave me a lot of advice. And
I needed it. I said, Brother Mahan, I'm an
ignorant man. I'm not well educated. I'm just a poor sinner. And I said, a poor preacher. And he said, well, if you're
a poor preacher, pick a strong text. Preach a text that will preach
for you. And you'll have to say a little
about it. Turn with me to Hebrews chapter 10. I want to thank your pastor and
his wife for their hospitality. And I want to thank this church
for this gracious invitation to come here. I count this a great privilege.
Somebody calls me, I don't care if there's ten of them, if they
call me and want me to speak. Think what a privilege it is if the God of glory but let you
stand before his sheep and say anything. And I want to thank our God especially
for his merciful calling in the open door of the gospel which
he's given to me and given to this church and his churches
all over this country. The title of my message this
morning is Who, Why, What, and Where? One of the best outlines
I ever heard was given to me back in 1979 by my pastor, Henry
Mahan. It was given to me as an example
of how to outline a message. He said, who is this man? Why
did he come? What did he do? And where is
he now? And my fingers had cramps. I was writing so fast, I couldn't
wait for the opportunity to preach that outline. Unless I've missed
it all together, this is what every preacher, son of God, aims
to say. This is what I aim for. I aim for this. I want to exalt my Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ. Now if he blesses you with it,
that's an extra blessing. If he calls you out of darkness
with it, that's an extra blessing. But if he don't do anything with
it, I want to honor him with what I say. This is the Lord Jesus Christ
who is himself the gospel. Men are arguing today over who's
preaching the gospel and who's not preaching the gospel. Jesus
Christ is the gospel. His glorious person and His appointments
and His accomplishments and His seat in glory. He's the gospel. While you take Jesus Christ out
of this thing, there's no good news. There's nothing to rejoice
in. There's nothing to prompt us
to worship. You take Him out of the picture, He's all. He's
all. In Romans chapter 10 and verse
13, just hold your place there in Hebrews 10. It said, Whosoever
shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Saved from
what? They're going to be saved. You
call on His name. Now there's a name manifested
in the Son of God. A saving name. Saving knowledge. And he said, Whosoever shall
call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Saved from the
impending doom of this race. This race is doomed. I don't
know if you know that or not. Saved from the nature of sin
and the depravity which we received as an inheritance from our father
Adam. Born in sin. Saved from the lies and deceits
of worldly religion. Saved from the rulers of the
darkness of this world. Saved from the multitude of our
sins and saved from the judgment of God. Whosoever shall call
upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they
call on him in whom they have not believed? How are you going
to do that? you just don't call on the name
jesus that's what really didn't know they call on the name jesus
mexico's polities everybody down there ninety who you don't call how you don't
call on him in whom you have not believed in how you don't
believe in him of whom you have not heard and how you go here
they're pretty and how on earth if he don't break it dot don't
see There is in this majestic and
glorious person a name manifested to men, a name upon which the
living God will hear your prayers through His name. Can you imagine? I know we pray,
and I pray, and I'm ashamed of how I pray, and as often as I
pray. But you think what a privilege
it is to come into the holiest of all through His name and call
upon God as your Father. Huh? There is in this majestic and
glorious person a name manifested to men, a name upon which the
living God will hear your prayers, give you light, give you light, O my soul, and lead you to repentance and
faith in Him. Peter said to his kinsmen on
that Pentecost morning, he said, this is the stone, that's who
I'm talking about, that's who I'm preaching. This is the stone
which you builders laid aside, you called him out. He had no place in your temple.
You called him, this is the stone you builders rejected. You cast
him aside. Set it not, you builders. But
he'd become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in
any other. Now listen to this. There's none
other name under heaven given among men whereby you must be
saved. This name is a name above every
name. You'll call on that name or go
to hell, one or the other. This is the only name given among
men whereby we must be saved. If I'm going to be saved, I'm
going to have to hear who He is. It is the Lord Jesus Christ and
in particular that name which is manifested in Him that I hope
to preach to you this morning. And concerning him, I want to
do my best to answer these four questions. First of all, who
is this man, Jesus of Nazareth? Who is he? Who is he? Well, the book of Hebrews is
a letter Paul wrote to the Jews declaring that Jesus is the Christ. And as the Christ, the promised
Redeemer, He has come and fulfilled all the types All the symbols,
all the pictures, all the shadows, all the figures. He's fulfilled
all these things. All these holy days and feast
days and sacrifices, the priesthood, the tabernacle, the altar, and
even the holy of holies, and the ark and the mercy seat beyond
the veil. He's fulfilled all of them, all
of them. Now look at these verses with
me here in Hebrews chapter 10. Let's see if we can find out
who this man Jesus of Nazareth is. He said, for the law having
a shadow of good things to come, kind of a vague outline, a rough
draft, but not the very image of those things can never with
those sacrifices which he offered year by year continually make
the comers thereunto perfect. I read the other day by an old
writer that that word meant mature. No, it don't. It means perfect. In order to be saved, you have
to be made perfect. Huh? And later on, Hebrews chapter
10, he said that's exactly what he did when he died on that cross. He perfected us forever. He says in verse two, for then
would they not have ceased to have been offered? If these things put away sin,
if these things manifested the glory of God, if these things
accomplished the will of God, wouldn't that have been the end
of it? But in those sacrifices, verse
three, there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. Why? For it is not possible that
the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sin. And if
you'll grant me a little leeway here, neither will our professions,
neither will our owl walking, neither will our kneeling before
an altar of prayer, neither will our experiences coming to the
front, joining the church, going into the pool there'll be a remembrance
of scenes that you remember and so we've got because it is not
possible that these things can put away your saying where for
respect when he he who he who now i will tell you something
if you don't learn who he is The why, what, and where goes
out the door. It'll never mean anything to
you until you learn who He is. When He cometh into the world,
that is the fact of it, the appearance of it, the manifestation of it.
This appearance says to us, sacrifice an offering thou wouldest not,
but a body hast thou prepared made. here's the land and that
what john said greatest preacher born warm here you don't know
that well i can't wait to hear you talk about intellectual message
here it comes behold the land they grow you have a report that
that's all you have to say this is the greatest preacher born
behold When he cometh into the world,
that's what he said, a body hast thou prepared made. Now listen
to this, verse six. In burnt offerings and sacrifices
for sin, thou'st had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come. Who came? Who came? I come. You wanna know who he
is? In the volume of the book. It's
written of him. Want to know who he is? Read
your Bible. That Bible shed a lot of light
on them commentaries. Read your Bible. You find out
who this is. I come in the volume of the book
it's written of me to do thy will, O God. Who is this man of whom the whole
book of God bears witness, whose very appearance manifest the
insufficiency of ceremonial sacrifices and to give them that perfection
which God demands. Who is this man? Jesus of Nazareth. Well in chapter one of the book
of Hebrews Paul begins to tell us who he is. He said he's the
heir of all things. He's the heir of everything that
You can see everything that you can even imagine is his. Belongs to him. David said, I'm
going to build you a house. He said, build me a house. He said, if I was hungry, I wouldn't
tell you. The earth is mine and the cattle
on a thousand hills. He's the heir of all things.
You know our generation feels sorry for Jesus. He's the heir. He's the heir of all things. Through Him God has spoken to
us in these last days, spoken of the old prophecies, spoken
of the law, spoken of His elect and the way of their salvation.
spoken to us of how our sins are put away and our persons
brought into perfection and to that perfection of righteousness
which we have in Him. And this One by whom He speaks,
Hebrews 1 chapter 2, is His Son. His well-beloved Son, whom He
has appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds.
He just kind of throws that in. I could camp there for a while
and talk to you about creation who created it and why it was
created. Who is this man, Jesus Christ? He's God our Savior. He's God
come into the flesh. He's the eternal mediator, the
covenant surety of all those given to Him by the Father. He's the brightness of the Father's
glory, Paul said, to express the image of His person, Hebrews
1 verse 3. He's better than the angels well
i'll tell you angels according to scriptures a little higher
than man angels you're talking about last night hovering around
the throne of god well there's something ain't there angels
angels but he's better than the angels god never said to the
angels not to any angel thou art my son this day have i begotten
thee he never said that to an angel He never charged the angels
to worship another angel, but He charged the angels to worship
His Son. And He never said to any angel,
Thy throne, O God, is forever. He's better than the angels.
And this man I'm talking about today, Hebrews 1 verse 10, In
the beginning laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens
are the work of His hands. I want to ask you something.
What is the foundation of the world? I know I, scriptures I
can quote to you, talk to you about before the foundation of
the world, but here he laid the foundation of the world. What
is the foundation? What holds everything in place?
What is the foundation of the world? He's the reason for it. He's
the creator of it. He's the sustainer of it. And
when the time comes, He'll fold it up. Isn't that what Paul says
there in Hebrews chapter 1? In the beginning He laid the
foundations of the earth. All things were made by Him and
for Him and He's before all things and by Him all things have a
continuance. Who is this man Jesus of Nazareth? He's the fourth and the firstborn
of every created thing. God appointed him and then everything
else. He's the head of the body of
the church, the federal head, the representative of his church.
He's the saving head in whom we've been put in covenant union
with before the world was. His church is in Him, chosen
in Him, predestinated under the adoption of children in Him,
accepted in Him, redeemed in Him, justified in Him, and glorified
in Him, seated together with Him in the heavens. Who is this
man Jesus of Nazareth? He is the beginning before the
beginning. He is the reason for the beginning.
he's the one into whose hands god trusted all things everything listen to this john three thirty
five this john baptist he he had some more time he said the
father love with the show and given all things in his hand
yourself your children, and mine. Your wife, and mine. Your job, and mine. Your church, and mine. All right, put it in his hand. Who is this man? He's the promised
seed of God. He's the seed of the woman, he's
the seed of David, and he's the seed of Abraham. The Scripture
said, Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made.
He saith not unto seeds as of many, but as unto thy seed, which
is Christ. He's the earnest expectation
of creation, creation expecting the manifestation of the sons
of God. It's expecting to be used exactly
as God created it. The expectation of creation. The reason for its preservation,
it waiteth, Paul said, for the manifestation of the sons of
God. Who is this man? He's the lamb.
He's the scapegoat. He's the sin offering. He's the tabernacle. He's the
laver. He's the temple, He's God over
all, blessed forever, the scripture said. To Him give all the prophets
witness that through His name, whosoever believeth in Him shall
receive remission of sin. Can you see what this is saying?
This is about who He is. You want to tell folks something,
tell them that. Tell them who He is. All right, why did He come? He
tells you right here in Hebrew. In the volume of the book, it's
written of me, I come to do thy will, O God. Now let me tell
you something about the Christ of God. There's only one reason
for the Son of God to robe himself in human flesh
and condescend to become a man and walk on this earth. Only
one reason. And that is to accomplish the
redemptive will of God. You can't find another reason. The Son of God, the God-man mediator,
He created this world and not even raised from His throne. He sat back in His throne and
commanded and it stood fast. He spoke and it was done. He
didn't rise from his throne. He didn't condescend. He didn't
do anything. He just sat right there in his
throne and created everything that is. He judged this world
and our father Adam never rose from his throne. He didn't get
up. He didn't get up. He covered this world with water
and only saved eight souls and never rose from his throne. He worked His will in His way
in providence and never one time rose from His throne. He didn't
move. But to redeem those given to
Him by His Father, He must rise from the throne. He must lay
aside the robe of His glory. He must lay it aside and put
on human flesh and be born of a woman. I can't even imagine
the Holy God being born in the womb of a virgin. How can you? And He did it to redeem those
given to Him by His Father. And to do that, He must rise
from His throne and condescend to become a servant and take
on Him the form of a man and become obedient unto death, even
the death of the cross. He said, I come to do thy will,
O God. What will? The only will that
God has ever made known to man. I'm so sick of hearing them TV
preachers saying, God revealed his will to me, and I'm supposed
to build a 400 foot high statue of Jesus, and every one of you
is supposed to send me $1,000. That's not God's will, God's
name. The only will that God has ever revealed to man is His
redemptive will. His redemptive will. What is it that the eternal and
living God has willed to do? Ephesians 1, 4, and 5 said that
He chose us in Christ. He predestinated us under the
adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself. according
to the good pleasure of His will. Wasn't your will, wasn't my will,
it was His will. I wasn't even thought about yet.
The earth wasn't even created yet. And God's redemptive will
determined to put me in Christ, determined by everlasting covenant
of grace to put me in His Son, choose me in His Son, make provision
for me in His Son, and predestinate me in His Son to be His child. And then He came down and made
me accepted in His Son, and put away my sins, and raised me up with Him, and
seated me in glory. He said, I come to do thy will,
O God. He tells us in verse nine, he's
made known unto us in Ephesians 1.9, he made known unto us the
mystery of his will according to the good pleasure which he
purposed in himself. He's made it known. I know what
his will is. Do you? I know what his will is. His
will's to save his people, manifest his glory. that according to
this redemptive will, he'll gather all things together and one in
Christ, things in earth and things in heaven. And that believers,
verse 11, they also obtain their inheritance in Christ being predestinated
according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after
the counsel of his redemptive will. Our Lord talked about the will
of God in John chapter six. They questioned who He was, questioned
why He came, questioned what He was doing. In John 6, verse
37, He said, All that the Father giveth Me will come to Me. And
him that cometh to Me, I know why he is cast out. Four, here
is the basis. I come down from Heaven not to
do My own will, but the will of Him that sent Me. Well, tell
us, Lord, what is this will? that of all which he hath given
me, I should lose nothing, but raise it up again at the last
day." Huh? Well, what about if a man ain't
a theologian? Well, this is the will of God,
too. Every one that seeth the Son, believeth on him, may have
everlasting life. That's God's redemptive will.
Well, how do I know I'm elect? All that is elect comes to Him.
I tell you nothing. Why did he come? He said, I come
to do thy will, O God. Well, what did he do? What did he do? He came to manifest
the glory of God in the redemption of his people, and salvation's
about the glory of God. I tell you right now, if God
don't get the glory, he ain't gonna save anybody. If he saves
a man, it's for his glory. And He saved us in Christ, worked
His sovereign will, and called us to obtain an inheritance as
He purposed that we should, that we should be to the praise of
His glory who first rested in Christ. Everything God has done,
is doing, and yet shall do in Christ is for the praise of His
glory. But nothing in time or eternity
has manifested that glory of God as did the person and work
of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. And that's what he's
talking about here in Hebrews chapter 10. He fulfilled all
the righteous demands of a holy God. And as our federal head
and representative of his people, he made himself of no reputation. Took on him the form of a servant.
and become obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
And in this capacity, as a servant, he accomplished three things.
He, by his obedience to God, made us righteous before God. He didn't just talk to us about
righteousness. He made us righteous. He'd become the end of the law
for righteousness to everyone who believed. Believers aren't
trying to make themselves righteous. Paul the Apostle, probably one
of the most self-righteous men who ever walked this earth, after
God saved him, he said, Oh, he said that I might be found in
Christ not having my own righteousness. But what did you do with your
righteousness, Paul? I threw it on the dung heap. I threw it out there with the
rest of that religious garbage out there on the dome heap. The believer claims no righteousness
except that righteousness freely given to him through faith in
Christ. Ain't you tired of people trying
to tell you how to be righteous? I'm sick of it. I don't hear
it anymore. I just walk away. Walk away. I told this story to our folks.
Kathy and I was up in Washington, D.C., and we went over there
to the big art gallery, big national art gallery. I don't really have a lot of
knowledge about art, but we walked in there, and there were some
paintings in there about five feet long, about three feet tall,
and there was benches out in front of them, and they were
painted by the Dutch masters. is what the little insignia said.
And I sit there, I'm telling you, I never saw paintings like
that in my life. They were something to see. They
were what we call masterpieces. That's what God's righteousness
is. It's the masterpiece. Now over here in the corner,
this thing went around in a big circle, and over here in the
corner is this big old burly man who looked like a bouncer
at some club somewhere. And he's down nowhere like this
looking. You know what he's looking for?
Somebody to open up their watercolors with a little brush and run up
toward that picture. You know what he's going to do?
He's going to take you out. That's what he's going to do.
And that's exactly what men are trying to do who keep on trying
to touch up God's masterpiece of righteousness. His righteousness
is sufficient He don't want you to touch it
up. He just want you to receive it. Enjoy it. Rejoice in it. Walk in it. Hope in it. Love
it. Thank God for it. But don't touch
it up. Just leave it alone. Just like
it is. Hebrews 10.10 declares, by the
which will, that is in the doing of the will of God, the accomplishing
of the redemptive will of God, by the which will we are sanctified. declared holy, made holy, and
righteous. Made so by way of our union with
Him by the which we were sanctified through the offering of the body
of Jesus Christ once for all. Heed my sanctification. That's
what he tells us over in 1 Corinthians 1.30. Oh God, Christ is made
unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Then he goes on in Hebrews 10
and 14 and he said, For by one offering hath perfected for ever
them that are sanctified. The Holy Ghost comes and he writes
in the minds and hearts of chosen sinners the law of God. I'll write my law in their hearts
and on their minds. You mean he's going to come down
and write in my mind, Thou shalt not kill? No. He writes that
law satisfied. Exalted, honored in Christ. And he writes that on your heart.
And when he does, you finally see the law for what it is. Here
it is. Here it is. By one offering he hath perfected
for ever them that are sanctified, and then he He comes and He shows
us and He writes in our minds the Law of God, exalted and honored
in Christ. That's what we call the Mind
of Christ. That's how we serve the Law, with the Mind of Christ.
And then He whispers to us with His Holy Spirit through the preaching
of the Gospel. He whispers to the believer and
He says, Your sins and iniquities I will remember no more. Boy, I'm gonna remember. But
he ain't. They're gone. They're gone. Wouldn't it be something if you
woke up tomorrow morning and had no memory of any sin? That's what God's telling you. Oh Lord, today I did this and
I did that. I don't remember that. I don't remember that. Huh? You see what he's saying? And
then he said, this is what the Holy Ghost came to do. He came
to take those things which Christ accomplished. What did He do? He came to take those things
which God appointed Him to do. He did. And the Holy Ghost tells
you He did. And He tells you, He did it for
you. He did it for you. What did He do? He put away our
sins by the sacrifice of Himself. And thirdly, what did He do?
By virtue of His work, He rose from the dead, declaring the
full, free, and complete justification of all His elect. Justify! And having appeared to His people
after His resurrection, He's carried up into glory where He
now sits at the right hand of God making intercession for you. I've heard preachers on TV talking
about His begging the Father to forgive us. Got Christ up
there begging the Father to forgive us, reminding the Father of what
He did. reminding the father that now
you love them and you gave them to me and all these things. And
he's up there just trying to talk the Lord into saving somebody
that the Lord don't want to save. I can't picture that in my head.
And I'm going to tell you something. I believe his presence there
and acceptance of the father is all the pleading he has to
do. I don't think he ever opened
his mouth. Huh? I don't believe he ever
opens his mouth. Under the Old Testament types,
when the high priest went in that tabernacle, he went back
beyond that veil, was he commanded to say anything? No, but that
blood he took with him says it all. And that blood he took with him, in the heaven itself, He walked in with that blood
and never said a word. And he obtained eternal redemption
for us. Huh? Oh, my, oh. He don't have to tell the Father
anything. Father knows. He knows. All right, here's the last thing. Where is he now? After he'd offered one sacrifice
forever, Paul says here in Hebrews 10-12, he sat down, his work's
done. What's he doing up there? He's
not talking, he's not saying anything, just sitting up there
on his throne. What's he doing? He's expecting till his enemies become
his footstool. That's what he's doing. He ain't
patient, he's not worried, he's not crying, he's seated on his
throne. Why can't I expect it? He can. There was a man sent down from
glory. for his people, covenant bound. These are the words of God's
old story, which has been read all around. Jesus gave his life
a ransom, hung and died for sinners bound. And in glory God did raise him. Could no grave hold his body
down. So sinners see what Jesus did
for me. Can you see? what Jesus did for me when he
heard the father's sound he rose up out of the ground could no
grave hold his body down and when that day that glorious day and I've laid long deep in the
ground She shall call, who is the way? Ain't no grave gonna
hold my body down. That was written, not the verses,
but the chorus of that song, old Johnny Cash Made So Famous,
written by a 12-year-old boy dying of tuberculosis. And he
wrote that chorus. He's fixin' to die. They expecting
to bury me. And he said, ain't no grave gonna
hold my body down. Thank you.