Exodus chapter 21, turn there
with me, Exodus 21. I also was thinking about children
in the nursery and those who keep it. I pity them both. I tell our ladies that keep the
children, I say, thank you for pulling time. It's a tough job. I'm glad we've
got a nursery, aren't you? I remember growing up, there
were no nurseries and churches. And Buddy, you couldn't hardly
hear a word it was saying. It was screaming babies. It was
bad. Exodus 21. Read with me verses 1-6. Just
six short verses. Oh, what a message. If you've never heard this, I
envy you. If you have, may we hear it as
if it were the first time. Now these are the judgments which
thou shalt set before them. That is, Israel. If thou buy
a Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve. In the seventh,
he shall go out free for nothing. If he came in by himself, He
should go out by himself. If he were married, then his
wife shall go out with him. If his master hath given him
a wife, and she hath borne him sons or daughters, the wife and
her children shall be her master. They belong to him. He shall
go out by himself. The servant shall plainly say,
I love my master, my wife, and my children. I will not go out
free. Then his master shall bring him
unto the judges. He shall also bring him to the
door, or unto the doorpost, and his master shall bore his ear
through with an awl, and he shall serve him forever. I've read this several times
preparing for this. It just blessed me immensely
reading that. Our Lord said of the Old Testament,
they are they which testify of me, Christ. Simon Peter said, to Him give
all the prophets witness. This is another marvelous story
of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. The servant of God, Christ the
servant of God, sent to save his people, to bring them out
of bondage, because he loved them. And this is also the story
of God's people who are willing in the day of his power. As he
is, so are we. Now look at verse 1. Let's get
right into it. These are the judgments which thou shalt set
before them. These are God's commands. These are God's dealings to set
before Israel. This was given to the sons of
Jacob. Oh, how blessed it is to be a
son of Jacob. He made known His ways to the
children of Israel, the sons of Jacob. He has set His judgments
before us. His Word before our eyes. Oh,
the dealings, the judgments, the dealings of our God for His
people, the wonderful work. Oh, that men would praise the
Lord for His wonderful work to the children of men. And we do,
don't we? And I want to set before you
again this morning, and again, I'm going to set before you what
God has done for us in Christ. I'm going to set Him forth. I
hope to lift Him up. If He'd be lifted up, He'll draw
you to Him. These are the judgments. This is what you are to preach,
he said. This is what you are to do. Set these before the people.
Verse 2, If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve,
and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing. A Hebrew
servant. This is to the Jews. Sons of
Jacob, as I said. Israel. Who is Israel? God's elect. Yeah, I said it
again. I'm going to keep saying it because
God's Word says it. Because it's God's glory that
He chose a people. Nobody would choose Him if He
didn't choose somebody. Israel. God's elect. Loved by
God. Jacob have I loved. Buddy, if
He loves you, if God loves you, if God loves you, He's going
to love you forever. If God loves you, He sent Christ
to die for you. If God loves you, He's going
to accept that payment Christ made. If God loves you, He sent
the Holy Spirit to bring you out of bondage. If God loves
you, you're loved forever. And you'll be saved. You'll be
redeemed. Doctrine? This is God's glory. And it's our hope. God's love
that men so blaspheme is my hope. of salvation, not my love for
him, his love for me. Charity never faileth. God's love will not fail his
people. Israel, God's elect. This story
is a command. This story is The judgments of
God, the dealings of God originate with God then. Who wrote this?
Who put this purpose forth? Who made this command? God did. The gospel is according to God.
It's the gospel of God. The gospel started with God.
When did He make this gospel? When did He purpose to save a
people? When did God Decide all that. Determine all that. Before
the world began. The people, the children being
not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the
purpose of God according to election might stand. God said, this is
the way it's going to be. Doctrine. This is God's glory. This is our hope. A covenant-keeping
God. A covenant-making and a covenant-keeping
God. Brothers and sisters, Salvation
is not dependent on you. Not for nothing. Let me talk
like a Franklin County. It ain't up to you. It ain't
dependent on you. It ain't what you do. It ain't
what you did. It's what Christ did and does.
That's what this story's about. About a servant that's going
to come and redeem. And do what? Bring them out. If you were preaching this, you'd
get excited too. You would. I'm telling you. If you love
His salvation, you'd get them. The zeal of His house, His glory,
it'll eat you up. I want it to. I want you to. This is my story. This is my
song. Praising my what? Savior. Now
if He didn't save me, He's not worthy of praise, is He? He did. He does. Alright? It says in verse 2,
the servant, the Hebrew servant, the slave. That's the word slave.
You know, evil men have taken these verses of Scripture and
used them to condone slavery in this country. You know that?
That's how wicked men can be. It's okay to go over there and
get somebody. That's a men's stealer, isn't
it? Capture somebody against their
will and bring them over and make them your slave. And the
scripture says God's going to judge people like that. John Newton, who wrote Amazing
Grace, was a slave trader. He had it on a ship and he went
over to Africa and took men away from their families and children. That's the reason he wrote Amazing
Grace that saved a wretch like me. When he realized you were
a slave to this world, to sin, to the God of this world, but
I redeemed you. When you realize you're not worth
saving, John Newton realized, I'm not worth saving, I'm worth
damning. So he wrote not just grace, amazing
grace that saved a wretch like me. A Hebrew servant, here's the
story. A Hebrew would become a servant or a slave, that's
the word. And the definition of slave is
a person who's the property of another. A person who's subject
to its owner completely, legally owned, with no freedom, no rights
to own anything. A slave is a person completely
under the dominion and ownership of another. You know, Paul called
himself a bond slave of Jesus Christ. But in Hebrew, how could a Hebrew
become a slave? Two ways. A Hebrew, God's people. If you owed a debt you couldn't
pay, they'd put you in debtor's prison. And you couldn't come
out until it was paid or somebody else paid it for you. And the
next thing was crime. You commit a crime, you go on
to jail, back to jail, go to prison. That's how a Hebrew could
become a slave. Well, look at Isaiah 42 with
me. Isaiah 42. You know, we're all, by nature,
slaves. We're all in bondage, captivity
to the God of this world. We're all born in sin. We all
owe a debt to God that we cannot pay. A debt to His glory. A debt of thanks. A debt to His
law. We're supposed to keep the law.
We break every one of them. It's a debt we cannot pay. No believer can make amends for
anything he's done against God. He can't do it. There's only
one person who makes amends, and that's Jesus Christ. This
is all of us. We're in debt under the law. What's our hope? That God sent
somebody to pay this debt. That God sent somebody to pay
for this crime that we committed. And he did. Look at Isaiah 42. Behold, my servant, whom I uphold,
mine elects. See, we're chosen in him. In
whom my soul delighteth, I have put my spirit upon him. He shall
bring forth what? Judgment to the Gentiles. Justice. He shall not cry or
lift up his voice in the street. He's not trying to get anybody
to believe on him. He came to save. He didn't come to try to
do anything. He came to save. A bruised reed
you'll not break, a smoking flax you'll not quench, shall you
bring forth judgment or justice unto truth. He shall not fail. Look down at verse 7, verse 6. This is God speaking to Christ.
I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will uphold
thine hand, will keep thee, and give thee, you're the covenant
of the people, for a light of the Gentiles, to open the blind
eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison. Listen to this,
Psalm 45. Listen to this. Couldn't wait
to read this. Scripture says, I have raised
him up, talking about God raising up Christ in righteousness. I
will direct all his ways. He shall build my city. He shall
let go my captives. Not for price, nor reward, said
the Lord. So Christ came. Now look at our
text in Exodus 21. Look at it. That's our Lord Jesus
Christ, God's servant. God's servant. Behold my servant.
He is willing Slave. Yes. It says in verse 2, if you
buy a servant, six years he shall serve. In the seventh, he shall
go out free for nothing. If you buy a servant, six years
he shall serve. Now did not Simon Peter say,
Brethren, be not ignorant of this one thing. A day is as a
thousand years, and a thousand years as a day. And God is not
slack concerning you from it. God created the world in six
days, actual day, 24-hour day, the morning and the evening,
the one day. On the seventh day, what did He do? He rested. Alright? Who's been running this
world from the beginning? Jesus Christ. He's always been
Lord of this world. God made Him. Psalm 2, didn't
He say, This is my King. I've set Him on the hill. He
reigns, He rules. 6,000 years our Lord has been
the King of kings and Lord of lords. Yes, He has. Reigning
and ruling. He came once in the last day
to put away sin. How? By the sacrifice of Himself,
made of a woman, made under the law, to what? Redeem. Pay the debt. Pay the price. Pay the penalty for their sin. To bring them out. And one of
these days, real soon, He came the first time to pay the sin
debt by the sacrifice of Himself. He's coming again to do what? And it cost us nothing. Free. It's free. Year of Jubilee. That's what this is, those of
you who know. The seventh year, God commanded it. He commanded
it, didn't He? After 6,000 years, the seventh
year, they're going free. For nothing. It cost somebody.
It didn't cost them anything. It cost the servant. It cost
Christ. Look at verse 3. Are you with
me? I'm going to keep saying that
until everybody's with me. Alright? If he came in by himself,
he'll go out by himself. If he were married, his wife's
going with him. Now our Lord did come into this
world by Himself, didn't He? He came to do this work. Anybody
help Him? He did it by Himself, completely. By himself. A single, solitary
man redeemed every single sinner that God chose by himself. Nobody helped him do it. He did
it all. Jesus paid it all. All the what? The debt I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain.
Left me in debtor's prison. A captive. He washed it away. He came by Himself to pay the
price, pay the price, and He freed God's people. The little
book of Hosea, I told you to keep it, but for the sake of
time. And the Lord said, this is the story of God's love for
His people of Israel. He said, I've sent you to love
this woman in adultery and buy her and bring her out to pay
for her. And that's what Christ did. And
the whole book of Hosea, it begins with God saying about
Ephraim, leave him alone. He's gone to his idols. That's
what he loves. Just leave him alone. And then
a little while later it says, I can't give you it. And he didn't. And he saved him. And one of
the very last words in Hosea is Ephraim said, and this is
what God's people say, what have I to do anymore with idols? I've
heard Him. So He made him His. So Christ
came into this world alone. Yes, He did. Yet, but hold on.
God gave Him a bride before the world began. God gave him a wife. He came by himself, but he had
some people on his heart, in his mind, engraving on the palms
of his hands, and on his breastplate, and on his shoulders. He had
his bride. That's it. His bride, his children. He came into this world alone,
but he came to save his people. And He's coming again. And boy,
Scripture says when Christ comes again, there's going to be a
whole lot of people go out with Him. Free. For nothing. A bunch of good-for-nothings,
free for nothing. Nothing they pay. In my hands,
no price. Look at verse 4. I'm going to
make this short. If His Master has given Him a
wife, And she has borne him sons or daughters. The wife of her
children shall be her master's, and he shall go out by himself.
Sons and daughters given, a wife given, they belong to the master,
the one given. Right? God's people are called
His people. Aren't they? They're God's chosen.
They're God's people. They're God's children. Okay?
They belong to God, but they belong to Christ too. Didn't
He say that in John 6? All that the Father hath given
me shall come to me. And him that cometh to me, I
will no wise cast out. Didn't He say, this is the Father's
will. Of everyone which He hath given
me, I should what? Somebody say it loud. Lose nothing. But raise them up, take them
out. Oh, He came to do this work by
Himself, but He came with a people on His heart and His mind. He
came with you. Have you ever thought of it that
way? That Christ came into this world
just to save you? Brothers, if we thought of it
like that, people have to tell us to lower our voice singing.
Me? Yeah, they did. And he's not going out without
them. He's coming back, coming back
to take them home. And I was going to have you turn
to Hebrews 2, but oh my, it says that the people, the children,
Christ came because they were partakers of flesh and blood.
He took part in the saying that what? He through death should
deliver them from the fear of the death and pay that price
to them. He had His bride. He had His
people on His mind. His children. In the end, you
know what it's going to say? Behold, I am the children that
thou hast given me. All present and accounted for.
Every one of them. Not going to lose one. His glory, what if somebody who
God chose and purposed to save and Jesus Christ died for perished
someday? Wouldn't that dishonor God? Wouldn't
that make His love worthless? Wouldn't that make the blood
of Christ worthless? Listen to me. If God fails to save one
person He's chosen, one person He loved, one person Christ died
for, God's a failure. It says, what does it say? He
shall not fail. Let me give you an illustration.
And most of you have heard this. When Hannah was in about the
sixth grade, she had a birthday party, a pool
party at a YMCA in Roanoke. This was before our Y was built,
I think. Yeah. It was a pool party, all
right? And she invited about nine kids, male and female, to that
pool party, all right? Nine scallywags. Anyway, I was
in charge of all of these children. And they were swimming in water
over their heads. And the whole time they were
swimming. I'm talking the whole time. I did not enjoy that outing one
bit. The whole time I'm counting here.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. The whole time. What if the parents
came? Where's my son? Oh, I don't know. I lost him. But what's one out
of nine? That's my son. I love him. You're
supposed to be watching him. Huh? God's glory is at stake. This ain't doctrine. It's His
glory. It's our salvation. Sister Sally, it's our salvation.
If God says, I'm going to save you, He's going to save you.
Yes, He is. If God's promise said, the blood
of Jesus Christ cleanses from all sin, it pays every debt,
it sets you free. You know what He means by that?
He means what He says. You can trust Him. You better
trust Him for your peace, for your comfort. Sarah, Kate, Deborah,
Wesley. This ain't doctrine. This is
our salvation. This is Bible. This is truth.
Salvation depends completely on Jesus Christ, not man. I'm so glad. If he comes in,
he pays his price. Look at verse 5. If the servant
says plainly, I love my master. I love my wife. I love my children. I'm not leaving here until I
pay every penny. Until I pay the debt. Behold what manner of love Herein
is love, not that we love God, but He loved us and sent His
Son to be the propitiation, the payment, the penalty for our
sin. Look at verse... So Christ said, I love my God,
my Father, I love my bride, I love my people, my children. Isn't
that what He calls us? His children? He said, I will
not go out free. So what did He have to do? He
had to become a slave. He had to become a bondservant,
a willing bondservant. He had to be under the law, didn't
He? He had to be made sin for us
who do no sin. He had to be under His own law
that He wrote. to pay the penalty. And this was his love. And brothers
and sisters, let me say this to you, okay? Let me say this
to you. Salvation is for Christ's sake.
Listen to me. It's for Christ's sake. And we know that, don't
we? But God so loved the world, the people of the world. You
know that God loves, if you're a believer, God loves you as
much as he loves his son Jesus, right? You know that? You know
that God loved you, if you're a believer, he loved you before
you were even born? And he had the purpose to save you. Yeah. He loves you right now. I'm a
sinner. Even while we're yet sinners,
he died for us. God loves his people as much
as he loves Jesus. Can you get a hold of that? This
is what he said. He said, The Father himself loveth
you. I go to my father and your father. Didn't he? Didn't he? God so loves his people. He loves you. That's why he came. He says, For Christ's sake. Yes,
it is. But for the great love wherewith he loved us. Somebody smiled. I know what religion is saying
about the love of God. It says He loves everybody. No,
He doesn't. But whoever He loved, people He loved them. He loved
you before the world began. You know why you believe Christ?
Because God loves you. You know why you're going to
be saved someday? Because God loves you. Not you, Him. I have a hard time believing
that myself. How could He love me like Christ? Because He's
God, that's how. Because He's God. My, my, my. My, my, my. My, my, my. Behold
what manner of love. So where am I? Exodus 21. So he says in verse
6, this is what you're going to have to do. The Master will
bring him, the servant, to the judges. He'll bring him to the
door and the doorposts. And his master is going to take
an awl, a big nail, an awl, and he's going to bore his ear through
with this awl. Blood's going to be shed. Right? And he's going to serve forever. Now turn with me to Isaiah 50
and I'll close. Okay? Isaiah 50. Go over there. This is marvelous. You know,
if you'll start reading Isaiah 49, it leads all the way up to
53. Start reading it. You'll see. It's amazing. It just builds and builds and
builds. Well, go back further than that. Chapter 42. But chapter
50, look at this. Chapter 50, look at verse 2.
When I came, was there no man? No, there wasn't. When I called,
was there none to answer? Is my hand shortened at all that
it cannot redeem? Have I no power to deliver? Behold,
at my rebuke I drive the sea. I make the rivers a wilderness.
Verse 3, I clothe the heavens with blackness. Verse 4, the
Lord has given me the tongue of the learning to speak a word
in season. Verse 5, the Lord hath opened
mine ear. Meaning? Son, this is God speaking
to Christ. This is the work that you must
do. This is the covenant. This is
the work you must do. Listen to me. This is what you
must do to save my people. Verse five. He opened my ear. I was not rebellious, neither
turned away my back. I gave my back to the smiters. He opened my ear. And I gave
my back to the smiters, my cheek to them that plucked off the
hair. I hid not my face from shame and spitting." The Lord Jesus Christ, in that
covenant with the Father, He heard what He must do. He heard,
and all the Scriptures bear witness of the sufferings of Christ on
Calvary's tree. All of it. This whole story is
about Christ and Him crucified. You see, it's leading up to blood
being shed to pay the penalty. Blood being shed. And Christ
said, I was obedient unto the call to save my people. And did
you notice it says, bring him to the door. And the doorposts. When the judges, God is the judge. Christ stood before God the judge.
Christ stood before the law, didn't He? Christ stood before
false judges and bad men, and everybody found Him guilty. Though
He did no sin, He was made sinless. Though He Himself was not guilty,
He took our guilt and our sin. He brought Him to the door. That
door ended up being covered with blood, didn't it? The blood of
the servant, didn't it? Christ was covered with His own
blood on Calvary Street. Christ is the door. Where else
have you heard about blood being on a doorpost? Anybody? Didn't it all start in Exodus
12? He's going to bring the people out. How are they going to come
out? The blood of Lamb. He said, you bring the blood
of that Lamb to the doorpost and you cover it. The houses
wherein the people are with that blood. And God said, when I see
the blood. You ever heard anything like this?
Yeah, we have. In every book of this Bible.
Just one more glorious story. God's servant. Christ is the
door. Christ is the Redeemer. Christ
is God's servant. Christ is the Savior. And it
says, the last line, He shall serve Him forever. Oh, my. We're going to see on
the throne of God a Lamb as it had been slain. One who served
God's purpose to save His people forever. We're going to see Him
forever. as our Redeemer, as our Savior. And we're going to be singing
forever, redeemed, how I love to proclaim it, unto Him that
loved us. And the last verse is the same as the first throughout
heaven. Now, as He is, so are we in the
world. Right? Doesn't He call God's
people servants? Doesn't He? Let me read this
to you, and I'll close. Alright? We came into this world
pretty much by ourselves. The sin we commit is by ourselves.
Can't blame it on Adam. We did it. Alright? But he's
given us a family. He's made us a part of his bride. Came in alone, but we ain't going
to be alone. And we ain't going out of here
alone. And we have a family. Christ's bride is mine. God's
children are mine. We're together in this. And the
servant, when he realizes that, will you go away? Go away. Go away. What does the servant
say? No, no. To whom shall we go? What shall
we go? And here's what God's people say, just like Christ
did. I love my Master. I love my God. I love his kingdom. I love my wife, his wife. I love his bride. I love his
church. I love thy kingdom, Lord, the house of thine abode, the
church, my blessed Redeemer, saved with his own precious blood.
No, no, no, I'll lay down my life for my brethren. I love
his children. I will not go free. I don't want
to be free. I was free before. He didn't realize I was a slave
to sin. I will not go free. So what does
the Master do? Bring him to the door. Bring
that believer to the door. He says, I stand at the door
and knock. What's he going to do? He's going
to bore your ear. With what? A nail. Sure, buddy. Rise out of Irene. Christ is
that nail in a sure place. What you're going to hear is
Christ and Him crucified. Blood shed for the remission of your
sins. He's going to drive that home through your ear into your
heart. It's going to be a sword in your
heart. A two-edged sword. It's going to wound you. It's
going to heal you. It's going to kill you. It's going to make
you alive. And you're going to say, when you hear what Christ
did for you, when He causes you to love Him because of His love
to you, and causes you to love his brethren and makes them your
family, you're going to say, I'm not going anywhere. I'm not leaving the house. This is my wife. These are my
family. This is my God. This is my gospel. This is my hope. You can't run
me out of here. I'm staying. And they'll be a
servant forever. I'd like to see a show of hands
now. That's what I believe. The Lord
make it so. And the only thing that's going
to drive this home to your heart is Christ. You won't get offended at your
brethren when you realize what you've done to offend God, to
cause Him to send Christ to that cross for you. When you realize it's only the
blood that will shed for the remission of your sins if you
get out from under the blood, but you won't be out from under
the gospel. You'd be afraid to. I'd be afraid
to get out from under the gospel because there remaineth no more
sacrifice for sin. What do you say? I will not go
free. I don't want to be free. I want
to be his bond slave, willing servant, after what he did for
me. Man, as Bruce would say, that's
good preaching. The reason being, not me, I stand amazed. When I read this
and I see things with you while we're... I'm at a loss for words. God did this. For me, for us. What a blessed fellowship, family
we have. What a blessed hope. What a blessed
redemption. What a blessed Savior. Blessed
be His holy name. Alright. Let's stand. I'll dismiss
us in prayer, okay?