I'm reading from the Gospel of
Matthew chapter 12 this morning, Matthew 12. And let me read to
you, and if you want to follow along, you may read with me,
verses 14 through 19. Matthew 12, verses 14 through
19 reads this way. Then the Pharisees went out and
held a council against him, how they might destroy him. But when
Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence, and a great multitude
followed him, and he healed them all. And he charged them that
they should not make him known, that it might be fulfilled which
was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, Behold my servant, whom
I have chosen, my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my spirit upon him,
and he shall show judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not strive
nor cry, neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets."
The Lord Jesus Christ had many run-ins with the Pharisees. Who were the Pharisees? The Pharisees
were the religious leaders of their day. They were the doctors,
those with degrees of doctor divinity behind their name. They
were the reverends who thought they were righteous. Men who
thought they were righteous. In other words, they were self-righteous. Men who thought they knew everything
about God and were teachers of God's law. Men who pretended
to be looking for the Christ, but in fact, they didn't know
either God or Christ. You see, God had hid these things
from these wise and prudent or self-styled wise and prudent
men and revealed them unto babes. What things? The things of God,
that is, who God really is, who Christ really is, what salvation
really is. And it is the same today. God
had hid these things, the truth, salvation, from the self-professed
wise and prudent and revealed them unto the hungry, the thirsty,
those who want to know the truth. Well, these Pharisees held a
council, it says. They went out and held a council
against him, how they might destroy him. They got together and had
a big meeting, a synod, to see what they were going to do with
this Jesus. And you know what God thinks
of the councils that men hold. In Psalm 2, verse 2, it says,
The kings of the earth set themselves. The rulers take counsel together
against the Lord and against his anointed. In verse 4, it
says, He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh. The Lord
shall have them in derision. God Almighty laughs at man's
counsels and their counselors. One counsel was held by God before
the world began. One counsel, and no one was there
but God. And all things were determined
then. All things were purposed by God
then. God says in Isaiah 46.10, My
counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure. Ephesians 1.11 says, God worketh
all things after the counsel of his own will. Well, he laughs
at the councils, the meetings, the gatherings of men, of what
they are going to do with God. Well, verse 15 in our text of
Matthew 12 says, When Christ knew they were holding this council,
he withdrew himself from them, and some great multitudes followed
him, and he healed them all. All who follow Christ, the counselor,
Yes, Isaiah 9, 6 says His name shall be Wonderful, Counselor. All who truly hear Him and believe
Him and follow Him will be healed of the disease of all diseases,
sin. Verse 16, it says, He charged
them that they should not make Him known. He charged them all
to not publish abroad, not sound out that He was the Christ. Why? Why would He tell them to keep
silent? and not publish his name. Well, there will be a time for
that later on, but at this time he says this, verse 17, that
it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet,
to fulfill scriptures in other words. Everything Christ did
was to fulfill scripture. All the Old Testament speaks
of Christ. Christ said, they are they which
testify of me. The Christ of the New Testament
is the Christ who was promised and prophesied and typified in
the Old Testament. He must fit the character described
in the Old Testament. And this is in fulfillment of
Isaiah 42. which goes on to read, ìBehold
my servant,î and goes on to say, ìHe shall not strive nor cry,
neither shall any man hear his voice in the street.î Letís consider
this just a moment. The word ìbeholdî means just
that, to look, to see, stop and consider. Here is the glory of
the Lord Jesus Christ. ìBehold,î God said, ìstop, Consider,
look at, behold, my servant, my servant. Now, God is speaking
through the prophet Isaiah, and he calls the Lord Jesus Christ,
my servant, as if he's the only one. Now, there were many servants
of God, and yet he calls Christ, my servant, as if he's the only
one. just as he said that Christ was
that prophet. He said that through Moses, that
God would raise up a prophet, that prophet. Now, God had many
prophets, yet Christ was that prophet, the one to end all prophecies. Christ was his messenger, the
messenger of the covenant Malachi spoke. God had many messengers,
but yet Christ God spoke of Christ as if he were the only one, his
witness, the true and faithful witness. Though he had many,
yet Christ was spoken of as being the only one because he is the
one true original, the one to whom all the others give witness,
bear witness, the one who is the message of all other messengers.
All others are imitations. This is the true and original. My servant, God said. Behold, my servant. Now, if I may illustrate in this
manner so you will know what God is saying here of Christ.
Back in days of old, rich lords of vast plantations and vast
land holdings, rich lords of old had But one true servant,
though they had many servants throughout their kingdom or their plantation or
their holding, they had servants who
worked in the gardens, servants who worked on the ground, servants
who worked around the house, in the kitchen and so forth,
yet the rich lord of the manor had but one true servant, a butler. And he was the most trusted.
He was the most faithful. He was the loyal, diligent, most
conscientious of all the servants. In fact, he was the one who was
entrusted with the care of the whole manor, the whole house.
with the most important task. He was the one to whom all the
other servants answered, the one whom the Lord held in strict
confidence, that is, told him his innermost thoughts. He was
the one whom the Lord of the manor chose to be his most trusted
servant, his right-hand man, because this man knew what he
did, thought as he did, and held his own convictions. This man
had his best interest in mind. And all of the Lord's holdings
were safe with this one man, the one in charge of the whole
estate. And so God says, of the Lord
Jesus Christ, behold my servant, God's faithful, loyal, diligent
servant, the one entrusted with all, the one in charge over all,
the one to whom all other servants answer. God says, He shall do
it all. He shall do all my will. The Scripture says, Lo, I come,
in the volume of the book it is written of me, of Christ.
I come to do thy will, O God. God's trustworthy servant, servant
of the covenant, to do God's will. Verse 18 says, Whom I have
chosen. My servant whom I have chosen.
Psalm 89, 19 says, I have laid help on one that is mighty. I have exalted one chosen out
of the people. Jesus Christ was a man, yes,
but the God man. Out of the people. Amongst the
people. In the world, but not of the
world. Exalted by God. Exalted. laid help upon, one
that is mighty. All power is given unto me, Christ
said, in heaven and in earth. Over all flesh, God says, mine
elect, Isaiah says, mine elect, handpicked, chosen, exalted,
elevated, put in the highest and loftiest position of all. King of kings and Lord of lords,
yet while on this earth He said, I am one among you that serveth. Servant of God. Now, we do not
make Him Lord. God laughs at that. God made
Him Lord. He said in that same psalm we
read a while ago, Psalm 2, verse 6, I have set my King on my holy
hill of Zion. We don't make Him Lord. God made
Him Lord before the universe was created. My servant. He said, My Beloved, My Chosen,
My Beloved, He says, in whom I am well pleased. The only begotten, well beloved
Son of the Most High God. First Son, first love. It says
in Isaiah 42, that same chapter, verse 21, God is well pleased
for His righteousness sake. As you would be with a perfect
child, an obedient child, a model child, and there has never truly
been one. any human child born without
sin, perfect, but Christ was. To express the image of God,
the holy, spotless Son of the Most High God. Scripture says,
He will magnify the law and make it honorable. God's Word. And He did so, and God said,
He is well pleased. This is my Son in whom I am well
pleased for His righteousness' sake. And the only way God is
pleased with us is by faith in Christ our righteousness. He goes on to say in verse 18,
I will put my Spirit upon him. My Spirit, the Holy Spirit, pure,
spotless, holy, righteous, sinless, sanctified Spirit of the Most
High God. He had the Spirit without measure. Do you know what the name Christ
means? Christos. in the Greek, it means
the anointed one. There is only one man who can
hold that title, the anointed one. No man can ever say at any time,
I am anointed. No man has ever said that, no
true man of God. And anyone who says that today
is an imposter. Anyone who claims, I am anointed,
is an imposter. Isaiah 61 is what Christ read
in that day when they gave him the book as a thirty-year-old
man, and he read from that, The Spirit of the Lord hath anointed
me, it said. And Christ went on to say, This
day is this scripture fulfilled in your ear. Isaiah spoke that
not of himself, but of the Christ, the anointed one. He goes on
to say, I will put my spirit upon him and he shall show judgment
to the Gentile. Judgment to heathen, to Gentile. True, righteous judgment, understanding. And he shall not strive nor cry,
neither shall any man hear his voice in the street. He wasn't
striving with the sons of men. He wasn't trying to get people
to believe him. No, he's looking for his sheep.
Looking for God's chosen one. And he found them all and saved
them all. Behold my servant, God said,
mine elect. Oh, do you know him? Ask God
to reveal him. Until next Sunday, good day.