Our scripture reading, Psalm
number 1 beginning at verse 1, we read these words, Blessed
is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor
standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat But his delight is in the law
of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted
by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his
season. His leaf also shall not wither,
and whatsoever he doeth shall profit. The ungodly are not so,
but are like the shaft which the wind driveth away. Therefore
the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in
the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way
of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish. Would you turn in your Bibles
please to Luke chapter 7. Have you ever noticed how often
the Scriptures portray our Lord as our shield, our defense? Particularly in the Psalms, we
see our great God spoken of in this very way by David. How often
we see the man, after God's own heart, running to his Savior
for an event, hiding in Him for refuge, seeking protection behind
the mighty God of Jacob as his shield. Solomon, the son of David,
he learned some very valuable lessons from his father. Listen
to this psalm in 119 verse 114. Thou art my hiding place and
my shield, I hope in thy word. I hope. Isn't that wonderful?
That God draws us to turn away from what we have in this flesh
and have a hope in His Son. That's what this Word is all
about. Everything in this Bible is about Him. Him who is the
Word as it says in John 1. In Psalms 144 verses 1 and 2
we read the psalmist write these words, he says, My goodness and
my fortress, my high tower, and my deliverer, my shield, and
he in whom I trust. Isn't it wonderful that God brings
his people to trust in him? Isn't it wonderful that He teaches
us through trials and tribulations that we can't trust in anything
of this flesh? Our only trust is in His Son,
the Lord Jesus. Proverbs 18.10, we read these
words, the name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous
runneth into it and is saved. Those who are righteous in Jesus
Christ, the Son of God, those who are in Him, they run to that
high tower. We run to our Lord Jesus over
and over and over and over and over again. Don't we? Oh Lord, help us if we don't. If He loves us, we will. My people shall come to me. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me. Proverbs 30 verse 5, we read
these words, every word of God is pure. He is a shield unto
them that put their trust. So we see just in those four
different verses, and there's many, many more, where our Lord
is our shield, He's our protector. We can run to Him in our needs. We can run to Him with our joys. Thank you, Lord. What joy Kathy
and I had visiting with our daughter last weekend, or last week. What
joy we were able to enjoy with her in traveling the distance
that it is. Folks, I'll tell you, that highway
out there is a lot crazier than it was when I was a truck driver.
A lot crazier. And God protected. I pray for
you a lot, brother. You're still out there driving
that big semi around. He's our shield. He who is our shield
and hiding place. He who is our defender. The psalmist
sang with joy, singing, God is my defense, in Psalm 710. The
Lord Jesus Christ, our God and Savior, is the great mediator.
You know what that means? He's the great go-between. He's
the protector. When somebody comes and accuses
of you and I of what we are, he stands up and he says, wait
a minute. He becomes our shield, our protector. Wait a minute. I've paid for that. Don't you
charge that one with that anymore. In Psalm 62, verses 1 through
8, allow me to read for you, truly my soul waiteth upon God. Not as well as I'd like it to.
Not as well as it's going to the day the Lord takes me out
of this world. But for now, my soul truly waiteth on God. From
Him cometh my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation. He is my defense. I shall not
be greatly moved. How long will you imagine mischief
against a man? Ye shall be slain, all of you,
as a bowing wall shall you be, and as a tottering fence. They
only consult to cast him down from his excellency. They delight
in lies. They bless with their mouth,
but they curse inwardly. My soul, wait thou only upon
God, for my expectation is from him. He only is my rock and my
salvation. He is my defense. I shall not
be moved. And God is my salvation and my
glory, the rock of my strength. My refuge is in God. Trust in
Him at all times, ye people. Pour out your heart before Him.
God is a refuge for us. Shalom. In this passage before
us in Luke chapter 7, The Holy Spirit holds before
us an instructive example of Christ our God defending one
of His own. Look with me if you would, beginning
at verse 24. Luke chapter 7, beginning at
verse 24. We read, And when the messengers of John were departed,
remember, John had sent a couple of his disciples to go hear about
this one They had come to John and said, hey, have you heard
about this guy that people are talking about? Remember back
in verse 17 it said, and this is the rumor of him went out
throughout all of Judea, throughout all the region and round about.
And these disciples had come to John and said, hey, have you
heard about this guy? Is that the one we're supposed
to be looking for? And instead of John telling them with his
own lips, which he had already done several times, he said,
go. And he sent his disciples to go see this man. who is Jesus. That's what I tell you to do
today. Go. Don't take this man's word for
it. Go to his word. Go to where you see and hear
his word in his Bible. Be as noble Bereans. Check the word to be sure whoever
stands before you is speaking the truth. So he sent his two
disciples, and after they had left and gone back, now, remember,
everybody around had heard what was going on. They knew that
John was in prison, they knew that two disciples had come,
they know the Lord said, go your way and tell John these things,
and they're wondering to themselves, now wait a minute. Wait a minute. What's going on here? Wasn't
John the Baptist? Wasn't he one of God's people?
I wonder. What happened to him? Is he really
one of God's people? Is it possible he's not? He's
in prison. Surely one of God's men didn't
do something to be thrown in prison. Sure, sure, sure. So
when these messengers said that John had departed, our Lord began
to speak to the people concerning John. He began to speak to those
around about who this man John is. I'm talking about our intercessor,
the one who intercedes on our behalf. He says, what went ye
out unto the wilderness to see? A reed shaken in the wind? Is
that what you went out to see, some man who is in the flesh?
I read these words, and I can't help but think to myself, how
many came to this very church just to hear Don Forger? How
many used to come here just to hear Him? There were those who
all they wanted in an entire conference with four different
preachers, eight different messages, they only wanted Don Forgers.
Even though all the preachers preached the same message. Even
though our minister, our pastor, Gene Harmon, preached Christ
and Him crucified. What did you come out to hear?
A read? Something in the flesh, verse
25, but what went ye out to see? A man clothed in soft remnant? Did you go out to see a guy dressed
up in robes? You know, some churches have
guys all dressed up. Have you ever seen the Pope dressed
up in what he dresses up in? Whoo! That's some fancy stuff. Behold, they which are gorgeously
appareled and live delicately are in kings' courts. Speaking
of kings of this world. But what went ye out for to see,
a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much
more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written,
Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare
the way before thee. For I say unto you, among those
that are born of a woman, there is not a greater prophet than
John the Baptist. But he that is least in the kingdom
of God is greater than he. Imagine that. Our Lord knows
the hearts of all of those that were standing around listening.
He knew the hearts of those who were watching him speak to the
disciples. He knew that there were folks
who doubted those very thoughts that I gave to you a moment ago.
Is that man really a man? Look what he does. He drinks
beer. Is that man really and truly a man of God? Look what
he does, he smokes cigarettes. Did you hear what that man said? He said the S word. Is he really
a child of God? Oh, how quick we can judge another
person. Do not think God is just talking
about these people alone. He's talking to you and I. Everything
in this book Everything God inspired men to write in this book was
so that His people would hear His word. If you're a child of
God, this is a letter to you. This is a letter to me. This
is a letter to us. Sinful men are prone to assume
the worst of what they hear, don't they? How quick are you
to judge a man in the news that has been charged with something? I am ashamed to say that I am
very quick at it. I am very quick at it. Our Lord
could read the thoughts of their hearts, and what he read was
not good. He knew that thoughts were going
through the minds of those people about John the Baptist, so he
declared his son, his prophet, to be who he is. Did you know
that the Lord declares that with you and I, with His Father? You're
just as righteous as the Son of God if you belong to Him.
You're just as righteous as the Son of God if you belong to Him.
despite what we see in this flesh. Despite what we see in this flesh.
Maybe John, maybe the fact that John was imprisoned caused the
multitudes to look upon him with suspicion. Whatever the reason
was, our Lord Jesus immediately took up his case. He took up
his cause without a moment's hesitation. Like a faithful friend,
the Son of God takes upon himself the defense of his faithful servants.
Proverbs 18 verse 24, we read this, a man that has friends
must show himself friendly, and there is a friend that sticketh
closer than a brother. I can't imagine my brother Lee
ever turning his back on me, but I know that my Lord Jesus
Christ would never, ever, ever do it. He gave himself for me. If you belong to Him, He gave
Himself, He gave His life for you. Why would He ever turn His
back on you? Why would He ever let somebody slander you? Our Lord Jesus pleaded His cause
with a strong, firm, and unquestionable language of loyal, faithful friend. He took it upon Himself to silence
the suspicious thoughts, the doubts of the minds, and those
around Him about John. He said that John was no mere
reed in the wind to be shaken. He was not a man unstable, wavering
in character, but he was a prophet, and he was not just a prophet,
but a great prophet. What a blessed picture we have
before us. Do you not find it sweet beyond
expression that our Lord does the same for us When it comes
to the judgment seat, our Lord will stand before God as our
friend and He will say, No! That's not who He is! That's
not who He is! Have you ever been held in suspicion? Has anyone ever doubted who you
are? I have a couple of family members
who would not bring my mother to this church for her services.
would not have services in this church because of something I
had done that I had done out of love. I had relinquished the
paperwork my mom had given to me, the responsibility that mom
had given to me, because I loved my brother. And I knew what he
was doing was out of love for my mother. And because of that,
he thought evil of me. And because of that, he said,
I'll not come to that church for your services. Even though
he knew that that was my mom's desire. Instead, they went off
to some other hall and had a family meeting there. I know what it's
like. Do you? Do your friends come
and say, what kind of a Christian are you that would do that? What
kind of a child of God are you that would do that? I'll tell
you what kind of a child I am. A sinful one. A weak one. One who falls all the time. Look
in your bulletins, will you? Open it up. They're right underneath
the announcements. This is your pastor, friends. This is me. It is in honor of our Lord Jesus
Christ that his cause and his gospel survive all the sins and
follies of his people. Brother Moosey once said, one
of the proofs that the gospel is true is the fact that through
the ages it has continued in spite of such poor preaching. Spurgeon wrote these words, he
says, taking ministers all around, I find them more likely to destroy
than to build up the cause of Christ. Henry Manning writes these words,
he says, the master's kingdom has survived the blunders of
his disciples. His wisdom stands in spite of
our folly. His power is not lessened by
our weakness, and the glory of his righteousness has not been
clouded by our unrighteousness. The king of kings still conquers
using such poor followers as soldiers as us. Have you ever
been charged? Has anyone ever been suspicious
of you? Noah's son, Ham, sought to mar
his father's name among all of his own brothers. Moses was the
object of much slander in Pharaoh's house, but the slander in the
house of Israel was even more bitter than that. Do you remember
the story of his wife Miriam? Even her and his own close friend
Aaron were suspicious of Moses. Joseph's own brothers, we just
read, spoke evil of him. John the Baptist was praised,
this very one. We just see our Lord lifting
up, declaring him as a faithful servant. He was praised as a
great prophet one day and then accused of being possessed of
the devil's neck. Our Lord Himself was slandered. falsely accused, betrayed, and
looked upon by the multitudes, those who would not hear him
as a vile man, a glutton, a drunk, a constant companion of sinners. Paul was accused of being a self-serving
false prophet, a promoter of licentiousness, a man of wicked
words. Look with me at verses 36-39
of our text. Luke chapter 7, verse 36. And one of the Pharisees desired
him, the Lord Jesus, that he would eat with him. And he went
into the Pharisee's house and sat down to eat. And behold,
a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that
Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box
of ointment, and stood at his feet behind him weeping, and
began to wash his feet with tears, and had wiped them with the hairs
of her head, and kissed her feet, and anointed them with the ointment." Now look at what we see in verse
39. Now when the Pharisees which
had been in him saw it, he spake with himself, saying, This man
is he, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what
manner of woman this is that toucheth him, for she is a sinner."
Isn't that interesting? Right after we see the Lord stand
up and make intercession for John, he gives us an example
of one of his children being Slander. These are not easy things
to bear, slandering. People who say, oh, can you be
a Christian? Don't you first stand up and
start getting defensive? Yes, I am. What do you think
you're saying? How dare you say that about me? That's our nature, isn't it?
That's our pride. Slander is not an easy thing
at all. J.C. Ryle wrote this. He said, slanders are easily
called into existence, greedily received and propagated, and
seldom entirely silenced. Lies and false accusations are
the devil's chosen weapons by which he tries to injure the
Lord's people, but by which he seeks to destroy a person's usefulness
and disturbs our peace. But folks, we have an advocate. Slander me all you want. They
slandered Don Fortner. A whole group of people rose
up against him. Won't even look at his words
of his books anymore, because they thought he should be more
than the sinner that he was. Same thing for Pastor Gene. I'm
not going to go into detail, but I'll tell you, and some of
you know some of the details. Some of you know him, but he
was slandered heavily in many ways for sticking to the gospel
Jesus Christ and him crucified for 38 years. How often have
I shared with you the times where I've been called flapping on
top of the water, never one who would dive deep enough into God's
Word. That's slander. That's okay. I'll take it, for
God's sake, I will take it. We have an advocate in heaven
who knows our sorrow, who is touched with the sorrows that
touch us, and that same advocate who took up the cause of John
the Baptist before this Jewish crowd is our advocate today. How can I be a child of God and
doubt that I am saved? How can I be a child of God and
think those thoughts that just went through my mind? You can
slander me all you want. Let me tell you something, folks.
There's no greater judge of me than the person standing right
before you. I am my harshest critic. Ask her. She'll tell
you. I can walk away from bringing
a message and think to myself, how could I have said those things?
Why couldn't I have done a better job of bringing the message?
How does God use this guy before you to preach him at me? And
she'll tell me, John, quit being so hard on yourself. God's doing
the work, not you. 1 John 2, verse 1 and 2, we read
these words, My little children, these things write I unto you,
that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an
advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He
is the propitiation for our sins. The Son of God will never depart
His own. Our names may be cast into mud,
evil may be spoken of by wicked men, but the world may frown
upon us, but our Savior never changes. Again, can you ever
get tired of hearing this? He gave His own blood for us. I don't care what the world says
about me. My Lord looks upon me with a twinkle in His eye.
He loves His people. He loves you with an everlasting
love. Our Savior never changes. He
has undertaken our cause. He will protect and defend us
in the best of ways. And one day soon, He will plead
our cause before the entire world. Turn with me, if you would, to
the right. Mark your place in Luke. We'll come back to it.
Turn to the right, if you would, to 1 Corinthians chapter 4. Recorded in 1 Corinthians chapter
4, we read in verse 3, but with me, writing Paul, it is a very
small thing that I should be judged of you. That's what I
was just saying a moment ago. Think of me as you will. I have
a mediator in heaven. I have one who will stand up
for me. Maybe not before you, but before the one that counts,
he will. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be
judged of you or of a man's judgment. Yea, I judge not mine own self,
for I know nothing by myself. Yet I am not hereby justified,
but he that judges me is the Lord. Therefore, judge nothing before
the time until the Lord come, who both will bring to light
the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels
of the hearts. And then shall every man have
praise of God. Turn now, if you would, over
to Philippians, chapter 2. Philippians, to the right. Just past Ephesians. In Philippians
chapter 2, we begin reading at verse number 5. Now, before you
begin reading there, let me just share this with you. Without
question, those words that we read there in that verse, in
those verses of Luke, this is He whom is written. He is the
one, the prophet, that is above all. He is that least of the
kingdom. He became less. He humbled himself
and became flesh without question. It's talking about the Lord Jesus,
the Son of God. He became the least of young
men. the very least in the kingdom of God, though He was greater
than all, as we read in 2 Corinthians 8, verse 9, for ye know the grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your
sakes He became poor, that ye, through poverty, might be rich.
Now, let's join me, if you would, in Philippians 2, beginning at
verse 5. 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. And being found in the 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. He who is God over all things
and blessed forever became a man. He who created everything that
is became a servant of men. He became flesh to serve His
people, to serve as our substitute, to serve as our atonement, to
serve as our sanctification, to serve as our justification,
to serve as our Redeemer, our Deliverer, our Messiah as they
knew of Him in the Old Testament. That's God. That's God in the
Son. He who is holy, who is harmless,
undefiled, and separate from sinners was made to be sin that
we might be the righteousness of God in His Son, the Lord Jesus. He who is life was made to die
the painful, shameful death of the cross that you and I might
live through Him. However, those words that we
read are also talking about his disciples, his people. The word
least that we read there in that last verse of verse 28 back in
our text of Luke chapter 7, read with me again there, but he that
is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. That word
least, that means new, that means small, that means youngest. John
the Baptist was chosen of God to usher in the Messiah, to prepare
the way for Christ the Lord. The Old Testament saints, they
saw the Savior through types and figures. John was blessed to preach the
fulfillment of those types. and figures of the Old Testament
prophets that they preach. And today, the saints of God,
who are the least, the youngest in time, will see and preach
the Lord Jesus Christ Himself through His Word. Look over at
Hebrews. Again, hold your place there
in Luke. We'll come back to that. Turn over to Hebrews chapter
1. We've been studying the book of Hebrews, I believe, for about
seven different weeks now. I want to say something before
we read these verses in Hebrews. I'm not suggesting in any way
that the believers before Christ walked this earth are any less
than you and I. Don't take that. That's not what
we're saying at all. We all have the same belief.
We all believe in the same one. Those folks, though, just looked
forward to what was going to happen. You and I look back on
what has happened. So in that sense, since we see
him as Jesus, we have a better revelation of him than they did.
Since we see what needed to be fulfilled fulfilled, we've seen
the results of our Lord walking this earth. They looked forward
to it. We looked on to it. We have a better revelation of
what happened, of what our Lord declared. So we're not suggesting
that the believers of this age are superior to those of the
Old Testament. Hebrews 11 declares unto us very
clearly that all of those saints, that great cloud of witnesses,
were just as blessed as you and I are, for the same reasons you
and I are. You and I though have the final
complete revelation of God in Jesus Christ inscribed for us
in his written word. Look here at Hebrews chapter
1 verses 1-4. God who at sundry times in diverse
manners spake in the times past unto the fathers by the prophets.
Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son. That's what
he's doing today. He's speaking to us by his Son.
You hear words with these ears from this mouth, but you better
be hearing words from this heart, from his mouth. That's hearing
his words out of his word right here, preach. He hath in these
last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir
of all things, by whom also he made the world. who being the
brightness of his glory, and the express image of his persons,
and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had
by himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the
majesty on high. Being made so much better. That's what you
and I have. We see the Lord Jesus Christ
in a much better way. We see Him in His physical person
on this earth, walking, establishing the righteousness, laying down
His life for us, shedding His own blood, His own perfect precious
blood, and sitting at the right hand
of the Father right now. We have the revelation of a better
sacrifice. Jesus Christ, the God-man. Back
in your text, Luke 7. We have the revelation of a better
sacrifice in Jesus Christ, our righteousness. We have the revelation
of a better sacrifice in Jesus Christ, our atonement. In Jesus
Christ, our Lord. In Jesus Christ, our advocate.
Let me close with this. Our Lord declares that if I neglect
to give you His warnings, Your blood will be on my head. Look at verses 29-30 of our text
in Luke chapter 7. And all the people that heard
him and the publicans justified God. being baptized with the
baptism of John. But the Pharisees and lawyers
rejected the counsel of God against themselves being not baptized
of him. There are those who don't want me to tell you the
warnings of God. That's all you ever do, John. Warn people about the free will
of man. All you ever do is warn people that God is sovereign
of all things. They don't want me to preach
the warnings from His Word. In Luke chapter 7 verse 29, the
Spirit of God sets before us a very solemn lesson. All who
are privileged to hear the gospel either justify God or they reject
His counsel. All the people that heard him
and the publicans justified God being baptized with the baptism
of John, but the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel
of God. Folks, to some, the gospel is
made of God to be a sweet savor of life and salvation. Being
born of the Spirit, convinced of our guilt and sin, looking
to Christ, all true believers justify God. Allow me to read
for you from the Psalms again. Let me turn there quickly. In the 51st Psalm, we read these
words. Have mercy upon me, O God, according
to thy loving kindness. According to the multitude of
thy tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly
from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge
my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against thee
and thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight,
that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear
when thou judgest. Behold, I was shaped in iniquity
and in sin did my mother conceive me. There is a child of God.
One who accepts, one who believes, one who has been given the gift
of faith to believe God's Word of what we are. Self-righteous
rebels reject God's Gospel. They despise and they cast off
the counsel of God against themselves. Listen to these words in Proverbs
chapter 1. Proverbs chapter 1. We read this
over in verse 23. at my reproof, saith the Lord,
Behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my
words unto you, because I have called you, and ye refused. I have stretched out my hand,
and no man regarded, but ye have set at naught all my counsel. and with none of my reproof.
I also will laugh at your calamity, I will mock when your fear cometh. When your fear cometh as a desolation
and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind, when the distress
and anguish cometh upon you, then shall they call upon me,
but I will not answer. They shall seek me early, but
they shall not find me. I have been accused. I have been
accused. I stand before you accused by
another man. I've been accused of leading
you by fear. By fear. I brought before you
a message the other day where I asked, have you ever wondered? Have you ever wondered if you're
a Judas? I have. I have. If that's wrong of me, I'm sorry,
but I have. And because I brought that before you, I was accused
that I am whipping you with fear. That I have brought the fear
of God upon you. I read for you a moment ago the
warnings that God gives us. Should I neglect those warnings?
Should I just bypass those and not give them to you? Should
I not share with you the weakness of this flesh that stands before
you? That you might sit in your chairs there and say, you know
what? I have that kind of weakness too. I need a Savior too. I was called worse than a Pentecostal.
Okay. Call me what you want. I know
this. that despite my weaknesses of
thinking I might be a Judas, I don't know. But I do know this. I do know this. If I go to hell
as a Judas, that's what I've deserved. That's what I've earned. That's what should be coming
to me. But I also know this, that the Lord Jesus Christ took
what some people have earned and what they deserve. And maybe
I'm one of those. Maybe I have a hope. I have a
great hope that there is a Savior. That when I go through that door
marked death, I would be in His presence. How can I be in His
presence? Not by this Judas flesh that
stands before you, but by our righteous Savior, Jesus Christ. That's the gospel. That's the
good news to a sinner. We have an advocate in heaven
who won't let people charge us because he's already taken our
charges on himself. I'm guilty. I'm guilty of telling
you and using fear. But I'm also guilty of telling
you of the great hope we have. I'm guilty of telling you the
truth about Where is our salvation? Salvation is of the Lord. Of
the Lord alone. And that's the hope of every
sinner saved by grace. I leave you with this. If I'm
a Judas, it's all of me. If I'm a saint, it's all of Christ.
who is my better sacrifice, my better substitute, my better
mediator, my friend, my God. John the Baptist and you and
I could have no better friend than what we have in Christ Jesus
the Lord.