All righty, if you have your
handouts available with you there, we'll be looking at Matthew chapter
8, verse 18 through 22. Look with me with your handout. I've listed the first opening
with a Psalm 92, verses 1 through 5, and it says, It is a good
thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto
thy name, O Most High. to show forth thy lovingkindness
in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night, upon the instrument
of ten strings, and upon the psaltery, upon the harp with
a solemn sound, for thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy
work. through the works of what he
has done for us, through the works of what he has done out
of love for his people. I will triumph in the works of
thy hands. Notice the psalmist writes, of
thy hands. Our triumph is not in what we
do. It's not in the good works that
the Lord produces in us. It's in the good works of his
hands, thy hands. Lord, how great are thy works
and thy thoughts are very deep. Now look over at our text in
Matthew chapter 8 beginning at verse 18. Now when Jesus saw
great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto
the other side. And a certain scribe came and
said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou
goest. And Jesus saith unto him, The
foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the
Son of Man hath not where to lay his head. And another of
his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and
bury my father. But Jesus saith unto him, Follow
me, and let the dead bury the dead. Now, back in our handout,
mid-page, we'll begin our study tonight. We'll stay with our
handout for the rest. I put the rest of our scripture
references tonight in the handout. These few verses should give
one who is seeking the ministry for Christ much to think about
in the cost of discipleship. When I open up the scriptures
in my e-sword, the King James Version, it gives a little heading
across. Some lettered Bibles have the
same. It's the cost. This section of
scripture is titled, The Cost of Discipleship. And it would
be good. It says, the disciple, in Matthew
10, 24, these are good words for those who want to be a disciple.
It says, the disciple is not above his master. That's what
the Lord is saying there. Be ready, the foxes have holes,
the birds have nests, the son of man hath not where to lay
his head. Beware, beware if you're going
to follow me. Everything around you has what
it needs and sometimes you don't you don't have what you think
you need there It's not it's not a simple task and that's
what we read here in Matthew 10 24 The disciple is not above
his master nor the servant above his Lord if we would be faithful
to God And to the souls of men, we must never hold back from
those who say they want to follow Christ. Never hold back the truth.
Never make it sound pretty. You know, there's a lot of people
on TV who say, if you'll just turn your life over to Christ,
all things will be so much better. If you'll just send me $20, God
will reward you tenfold. They'll make it so much better. We talked a little bit about
that. Those are those who they we call them self-help ministers
They pump you up, you know, let all who would follow Christ sit
down first and count the costs We must never enlist I missed
a sentence here We must never enlist the souls in the cause
of Christ under false pretenses Let all who would follow Christ
sit down first and count the costs count the costs Before
any can wear the crown of glory, they must daily take up their
crosses and follow the Master. That could mean giving up earthly
comforts. It could mean neglecting ordinary
but necessary duties of life. It could be giving up close friends
and close families and close relatives, those that you love. I'm not saying that you wouldn't
love them anymore, but you'd be surprised. Some of you who've
been Christians, who've known God longer than I have, know
this for a fact as well. There's people who don't want
to have anything to do with me anymore. I still love them. You know, my kids, they don't
want to hear anything about the God that I serve. So in a way,
it's kind of giving them up because they don't want to hear about
it. I'd love to tell them, and if God ever brings them to their
knees to the desire to hear the Word of God, I'll be the first
one there to jump in and begin telling them about it. But we
have to be We have to be honest with those who, I'm going to
follow after Christ. Okay, but just understand that
this means that the road doesn't get any more comfortable. It
doesn't get any better. In fact, if anything, to be honest
with all of those that we love, the road gets rougher. What do
you mean the road gets rougher? Well, that sin that is steeped
within us, becomes more apparent. We grow in the knowledge and
the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Our sin is ever before our face. That troubles us all the time,
bringing us to the joy of knowing our Savior. They must daily take
up their cross and follow the Master as we continue on in our
handout. That could mean giving up earthly
comforts, neglecting ordinary and necessary duties. Somebody
will bury the dead. Discipleship means that Christ
is all and Christ is first. There's one thing in this text
that jumps out at me. It is the phrase, son of man. It is of much importance to head
to the words of wise men before me who declare this, you can't
go wrong. with finding the path to Christ
in your text and getting on that path as fast as possible. And
here, in these verses, we see the phrase for the first time
in the New Testament, Son of Man. Now, I didn't put this in
our handout, but I'll just give you a figure of that. In the
Old Testament, the Lord uses the word Son of Man. We're talking
about Son of Man with a capital S. And we know who that's speaking
about. It speaks about our God. 102 times, according to the Esaurd
Concordance. In the Old Testament and the
New Testament, it's used 84 times. So we see that the Lord is, this
is a pretty important phrase, isn't it? I mean, over 200 times
the Lord uses the phrase, Son of Man, with a capital S, referring
to His Son. So it's gotta be something pretty
important. Robert Hawker wrote this, he said, this is top of
page two, and as this is the first place in the gospel we
meet with this phrase, son of man, in reference to the person
of Christ, and especially as it is to the phrase the Lord
Jesus was pleased frequently to make sure, make use of, and
delight in. Robert Hawker writes these, he
says, I beg the reader not to pass it by hastily. I do not presume to speak decidedly
upon it, but yet I would humbly ask, did not the Son of God take
pleasure in showing thereby his wonderful condescension and his
wonderful love to our nature? Think, reader, what an endearment
of character it is in Jesus. You and I might well exceed Solomon's
surprise. He thought it a matter as well
as he might of infinite surprise that the Lord should condescend
to dwell by his gracious presence in the temple. But had Solomon
lived to see as you and I have done God tabernacling in the
substance of our flesh, what would he then have said? possibly
precious Jesus, dwell in me and reign and rule in me and be my
God and cause me to be thy servant. Isn't that our cry, each and
every one of us? What a statement shrouded in
mystery that God would condescend to be made flesh We read in John
1 verses 1 through 3, in the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the
beginning with God. All things were made by Him,
and without Him was not anything made. That's in reference to
the entire Bible, the entire scriptures that we have and hold
in our hands. This is the Word of God. Folks,
we don't hear from God with an audible voice. We don't get visions
as God spoke to the prophets of old. He speaks to us now through
His Son, the Lord Jesus, through His Spirit, through His Word. And that's what that's saying
there, in the beginning was the Word, the Word of God. And then verse
14, And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld
His glory. The glory is the only begotten
of the Father, full of grace and truth. Philippians 2 verses
5 through 11, we read these words, let this mind be in you, which
was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, thought
it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation,
and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the
likeness of men, being found in fashion as a man, he humbled
himself, and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly
exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name, that
at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in heaven,
and things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every
tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of
God the Father. Page three. That's what this
statement, the Son of Man, is about. It's a statement of the
Holy One of God being manifest in the flesh. 100% God, yet 100%
man as well. What a wondrous work that the
sovereign creator of all that is would humble himself and become
as the created. Have you ever taken much thought
to that? Why did he, who is above all
things, manifest himself as one of his creation? What cause did
he have to walk in the flesh as bone of our bones and flesh
as our flesh? What was the result of his humbling
himself in the form of a servant? Let's consider these questions,
and may our great and loving God give us answers from his
word. God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Holy Spirit are eternal. They have no beginning and no
ending. And as the scriptures say, there
is one God, not as one God, but one God. We refer to him as the
Trinity, the great three-in-one, the greatest mystery to man.
Who can explain that? None can. How dare any mortal
man try? Scriptures tell us, for my thoughts
are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith
the Lord, Isaiah 55.8. The Lord does not say, you must
understand, you must explain. He says, believe, and thou shalt
be saved. Acts 16, verses 30 through 31,
the Philippian jailer said, sirs, what must I do to be saved? And
they said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt
be saved. Romans 10 verses 8 through 14,
but what saith it, writes Paul, the word is nigh thee, even in
thy mouth and in thy heart, that is the word of faith which we
preach, that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus
and shalt believe in thine heart. that God hath raised him from
the dead, thou shalt be saved. Page four. For with the heart
man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession
is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, whosoever
believeth on him shall not be ashamed, for there is no difference
between the Jew and Greek. For the same Lord over all is
rich unto all that call upon him. For 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? And how shall they
believe in him in whom they have not heard? And how shall they
hear without a preacher? I cannot explain how God can
be one, yet three distinct persons. I can only declare as it is written. And I've given some verses where
it is written that these truths are sure. In John 10.30, our
Lord speaks and he says, I and Father, that word my is not in
the original language. It's not in the original writings.
I and Father are one. Speaking to Doubting Thomas in
John 14.6.11, we read these words, Jesus saith unto him, I am the
way, the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the Father
but by me." If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father
also, and from henceforth, from now on, from this moment on,
ye know him, and have seen him." They're looking upon Jesus. You
can't get any more clear about what the Lord just said there.
That is perfectly clear. If you're looking at me, says
the Lord Jesus Christ, you're looking at the Father. That's
a declaration of what we just read in John 10 30. I and Father
are one. Let me go on if you would there.
Next he says, Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father,
and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, have I
been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen
the Father. There he goes. He repeats that
very same thing to Philip. Has seen the Father. How sayest
thou then, show us the Father? Believest thou not that I am
in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak
unto you I speak not of myself, but the Father that dwelleth
in me. He doeth the works. Believe me
that I am in the Father and the Father in me, or else believe
me for the very works sake. In Colossians 2, verses 8 through
15, we read these words. Paul, writing to the Colossians,
says, Beware, lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain
deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the
world, and not after Christ. For in him, in Christ, dwelleth
all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. and ye are complete in
him, which is the head of all principality and power, in whom
also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without
hands, and putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the
circumcision of Christ, buried with him in baptism, wherein
also ye are risen with him through faith of the operation of God,
who hath raised him from the dead. Page 5. And you, being
dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened,
that means made alive, together with him. having forgiven you
all trespasses, blotting out the handwriting of ordinances
that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out
of the way, nailing it to his cross, and having spoiled principalities
and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over
them in it." So we see Christ and God the Father are one. Three
separate entities, three separate distinct persons, yet one God. Back to my statement, God the
Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are eternal.
They have no beginning and no ending. God the Son has always
been God the Son. He has always been eternal. Yet just over 2,000 years ago,
he was manifest in the flesh. And here's why. The Son of Man,
did you notice that? It starts right off here in these
verses that we're reading from Luke 9, 22. The Son of Man, he
calls himself that again here. The Son of Man must suffer many
things and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and
scribes and be slain and be raised the third day. That's why. The Son of Man, who is the eternal
Son of God, needed a body that could be slain and raised the
third day. Hebrews 10, 5 through 7, and
we just looked at this recently in our Sunday morning studies,
And we looked at that, and for those of you who are able to
be with us on Sunday morning, we looked at that, God prepared
His Son a body that he might sacrifice himself
for his people, but he also prepared his people who are a body of
Christ, who are part of the body of Christ. Read John 17 and see
how as the Son and the Father are one, we are in the Son, therefore
we are part of the Father and the Son in that sense. So we
see there that a body was prepared. in burnt offerings and sacrifices
for a sin that has had no pleasure. Then said I, lo, I come in the
volume of the book as it is written of me, to do thy will, O God."
To do thy will, O God. It was the will of the Father
from the foundation of the world for the Son to redeem a people.
A people dead and trespasses in sin. A people who have sinned
against God and earned everlasting death. A people who He has loved,
though, with an everlasting love. It says in Jeremiah 31.3, another
verse that I use, some may say too much, but that's okay. It's
a good verse to use. The Lord hath appeared of old
unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting
love. Therefore, with lovingkindness
have I drawn thee." What cause did he have to walk in the flesh
as bone of our bones and flesh of our flesh? The Son of Man
must suffer many things, that's what the cause was, and be rejected
of the elders and the chief priests and scribes, and be slain and
be raised the third day. Why must he suffer many things?
Why must he be slain and raised the third day? Go on to page
six, if you would. The Word of God tells us this.
Therefore, as by the offense of one judgment came upon all
men to condemnation, even so. The question again, let me repeat
that question to you. The question was, why must he
suffer many things? Why must he be slain and raised
the third day? Therefore, as by the offense
of one judgment came upon all men in condemnation, even so
by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men's
justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience
many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many
be made righteous." Folks, The soul that sinneth, it shall die,
is what we read in Ezekiel 18.20. And all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God, which is what we read in Romans 3.23. And almost all things are by
the law purged with blood, and without shedding of blood is
no remission, as we read in Hebrews 9.22. So if our blood is tainted
in sin, who shall deliver us from this body of death? the
One who is God in the flesh, the Son of Man. For He, God the
Father, made Him, God the Son, sin for us who knew no sin, that
we might be made the righteousness of God in Him, as we read in
2 Corinthians 5.21. This is the story of grace. The
story of grace that we read about in Ephesians 2, 8-9, For by grace
are you saved through faith, that not of yourselves it is
the gift of God, not of works, lest many men should boast. This
is the gift of that grace. The Son of Man, He is the gift
of grace. He is the epitome of grace. The word grace, you can give
Him that title. Listen to Revelation 13, verse
8, And all that dwell, upon the earth shall worship him whose
names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain
from the foundation of the world. The Apostle John wrote under
the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he said, and I saw in the right
hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on
the backside sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel
proclaiming with a loud voice, who is worthy to open the book?
and to loose the seals thereof. And no man in heaven nor in earth,
neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither
look thereon. And I wept much, because no man
was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to
look thereon." Page 7. And one of the elders said unto
me, weepeth not. Behold, the Lion of the tribe
of Judah, the Son of Man. The Son of Man is not in there.
I'm quoting for myself now. But that's who it's talking about.
The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Son of Man, who is also the
Son of God. It goes on to say there, the
root of David hath prevailed to open the book. and to loose
the seven seals. He, the son of man, the lion
of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, he has prevailed to
open the book and to loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld,
writes John, and low in the midst of the throne and the four beasts
and in the midst of the elders stood a lamb. as it had been
slain. This is that very one who calls
himself the son of man that we're reading about here. This is the
lamb who had been slain, the one who had to go up into Jerusalem
and be treated by the scribes and the chief priests and be
killed, be slain. and then be raised again the
third day. Raised to where? Raised to heaven. Raised into
the holiest of holies to sit on the throne. He who is the
mercy seat, he who is the covenant, he who is to his people are all
in all. They saw stood a lamb as it had
been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the
seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came
and took the book out of that right hand of him that sat upon
the throne. And when he had taken the book,
the four beasts and the four and 20 elders fell down before
the Lamb, having every one of them hearts and golden vials full of odors, which are the
prayers of the saints. And they sung a new song, saying,
thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals of the
earth. For thou was slain and has redeemed us to God by thy
blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation. And has made us unto our God
kings and priests. And we shall reign on earth.
And I beheld and I heard the voice of many angels round about
the throne. and the beasts and the elders.
And the number of them was 10,000 times 10,000, and thousands of
thousands, saying with a loud voice, worthy is the land. Oh, remember what we read in
the Psalms. Great and wondrous works. I'm not quoting it properly,
so I'm going to go back and look at it just to be sure I say it
right. Oh, Lord, how great are thy works. and thy thoughts are very deep. And I beheld, and I heard the
voice of many angels, and I skipped down, and every creature worthy
as the lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and
wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing, and every
creature which is in heaven and on earth and under the earth
and such, as are in the sea and all that are in them heard I
saying blessing and honor and glory and power be unto him that
sitteth upon the throne and the lamb forever and ever and the
four beasts said amen And the four and twenty elders fell down
and worshipped him that liveth forever and ever. That's Revelation
5, 1 through 14. Let's close with this last paragraph
on page 7. To those who have been given
the revelation of this one called Son of Man, we see our only hope
of salvation in Him and Him alone. And along with the remnant of
God that we were just reading about, we sing the song of Moses. the servant of God, and the song
of the Lamb, saying, great and marvelous are thy works, Lord
God Almighty, just and true are thy ways, thy King of Saints,
Revelation 15.3.