If you wish to follow along,
turn to Exodus chapter 17. Exodus chapter 17. Now there was something I wanted
to bring into my message this morning. God may give it to me
later on, but I'm not gonna mention it right now because I just don't
know that it's gonna appropriately fit. But one of these days, I'm
gonna try to work something into a message. Now if that intrigues
you, then you better start listening all the time. Because you may
miss it if you bind wonders. And I'll tell you, I seen it
from a cartoon last night on TV, as me and Penny and the granddaughter
was watching. But anyway, so now you think
about that. Exodus chapter 17, verse eight. I will read our
text this morning. And then, then came Amalek, and
fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose
us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will
stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand. So Joshua did, as Moses had said
to him, and fought with Amalek, and Moses Aaron and her went
up to the top of the hill. And it came to pass when Moses
held up his hand that Israel prevailed. And when he let down
his hand, Amalek prevailed. Moses' hands were heavy. They
took a stone. and put it under him and he sat
there on. And Aaron and her stayed up his
hands, the one on the one side and the other on the other side. And his hands were steady until
the going down of the sun. Now, let me just say this. I
do not believe that in the text it kept going one way to Israel,
then back to Amlek. One way to Israel, then back
to Amlek. One way to back, I believe Aaron and Herb began to realize
what was going on after a couple times, and said, all right, it's
time for a rock, and somebody lift up his hands. Understand
what I'm saying here do not see this as something that continued
going on all day long well this says that they won on this and
his hands were steady until the going down of the Sun and Joshua
disconfitted Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword the
Lord said unto Moses write this for a memorial in a book and
we are reading a Moses writing of this in the book God meant
for Moses to write Right here is we're reading our English
translation of that we're reading the Lord said unto Moses write
this for a memorial in a book and rehearse it in the ears of
Joshua for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek
from under heaven. And this is evidenced by this.
Who is Amalek? Where is he at today? Where are
they at today? Ask most anybody you work with,
or when you go to Walmart tomorrow, ask everybody you meet, who's
Amalek? And see if they can give you the answer for that. Now,
if you ask them who the Russians are, they probably give you some
idea. They ask you who the Australians are, they give you some idea.
But ask them who the Amalekites are. Well, I have no idea who
you're talking about. There's a reason for that. Moses built an altar and called
the name of it Jehovah Nisi. For, he said, because the Lord
has sworn that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation
to generation. And listen to me, Amalek still
exist. People just don't know they are
one. Amalek, the Amalekites still
exist today. And they make up the vast majority
of the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve on this earth. They
just don't know they are one. What I want to try to speak about
this morning, and I'll give this as a title, and I pray God make
it all come together, here's my title, here's my message,
God's Law Honoring Gospel. Now there is but one gospel. But that gospel honors fully
God Almighty's holy law. If any man or a woman, for that
matter, in this day and age, seems to be the big fad today,
if any man or woman preaches any message that does not fully
honor God's holy law, it is what Paul calls a perversion of the
gospel of Jesus Christ. As I text probably most everyone
here, earlier yesterday, what a unique passage this is. It's
unique. Let me give you at least three
ways in which it's unique, and I want to move through this briefly
on these. There is no historical Israelite
equivalent to this anywhere else in the historical account of
Israel moving to the promised land or when they're in the promised
land. In other words, I'm saying this is not a command of practice.
Every time they have a battle after this, you don't find Moses
going up on some hill and holding up the rod, do you? You find
Aaron's name mentioned over and over and over again. You don't
find much else mentioned about her whatsoever. So it's a unique passage. This one time, this thing happens,
and it's kind of like that's it. But God tells Moses, write
it down in a book, and then you rehearse it in Joshua's ear.
You specifically tell Joshua, remind him about this circumstance. Second thing that it's unique,
it was to be recorded but rehearsed to one man. Now you think about
that. Now who do you think that really
speaks of? is to be recorded but rehearsed
in the ears of one man. You see that in chapter 17, the
first part of verse 14. Here's the third thing that makes
it unique. Moses was moved to build a place
of worship. This is the first place of worship
you'll find Moses being moved to build after they are moved
out of slavery from Egypt. And you actually don't find Moses
building too many places of worship. Now Abraham would build one here,
or one there, did he not? And this is the first one. And
here's what it says, and you'll go back and read it again, chapter
17, verses 14 and 15. Here's what it meant. Here's
what Jehovah Nisi means. The self-existent one is my flag. That doesn't sound like much,
does it? The self-existent one is my flag. Earl gave an illustration years
ago which helped me, and I'll try to reiterate that illustration
again, something more modern that we might relate to. During
the Civil War, especially during the Civil War and wars that were
fought like that war, even the Revolutionary War for that matter,
there were hordes of men, and they usually lined up in battle
facing army against army, and they had what they called banners
or flags. and these banners or flags meant
something. Those flag people weren't there
just for decoration. The noise and the heat and the
chaos and the danger of battle made it difficult at times to
even hear the bugle being sounded. And if you were in your, and
you forgive me if I have the wording wrong, if you were in
your troop or your squad or whatever it was, you were to act as a
unified whole. One way they could do that is
if you were to retreat, they held up that banner, that flag,
that meant what? You look over there. All the
war, death going on around you. Retreat, right? But if someone
blowed the horn to move forward and charge, you might not hear
that, but what happened? See that flag raised up. And
all of a sudden, the horde begins to move forward. So think about
it. What the name means is that God
Almighty dictates my course of action. That's what it means. Now we could, there's a lot of
other things that it could mean, but this is, God Almighty dictates
my course of action. And that course of action affects
other men and women as well. You remember that herd of swine?
I've mentioned this before, but that herd of swine that Christ
cast the devils into? They ran violently down a steep
bank and fell over a cliff, evidently ran off that cliff, and were
drowned in the water? There were people whose livelihoods
were coming from those pigs. Now just think about that. He, that is the self-existent
God, dictates my courses. He's my banner. When he holds
up his flag and says, do this, what do we do as his soldiers?
We do that. We do that. It may mean I take
a bullet in the head, Matt, but so be it. Now you understand
I'm speaking illustratively, but one day it could come to
that. It could come to that. So this
passage is unique. You would think, well, why didn't
they practice this every time they had a battle? Easy enough,
right? Sock Moses down on a rock, hold
his hands up with a rod, everything will be fine. That's not what
God's talking about here. God was teaching Israel Specifically
Joshua and us too that he has an ordained way of doing things
Where in his law is actually honored by the gospel of his
son Now there are several applications here I understand that and I
am criticizing none of the applications just a few we give you three
of them always support God's sent messengers. I've heard that
preached from this, and I can see it here. And I mean support
them physically and spiritually. You wanna see about it? Turn
to 1 Corinthians chapter nine and read about it. Don't you
muzzle the mouth of the ox. Now what does that really, I
mean you feed him every day like he's supposed to be fed, what
does that really matter? That was a law in Israel. But
Paul applies it to something far more important than some
ox, some beast treading out the corn. No man goes to fight a
war and has to pay his own way. You understand? So this thing
of supporting the gospel ministry is a whole lot more, well as
long as the preacher got a little bit of gas money, everything's
fine. It's a whole lot more than that. But that's not what I'm
going to deal with here. Because let me, Joe already mentioned,
we are but clay pots. Even when God enables us to raise
up our arms, metaphorically speaking, eventually they're going to sag
down. Our legs will get tired and we need a place to sit. You
understand what I'm saying? That's certainly an application
here and I can see it quite well. There's also the battle, not
physical war, but the battle is the Lord's to win. but don't
ever disdain God Almighty's way of doing it. Now I think, I kind of think,
Mason, that Aaron and Herb kind of figured this out as they was
going along. Moses was like this, holding up that rod. He'd get
tired and probably wasn't even really thinking about it. And
all of a sudden, what happens? Abulek starts to get the wood
up. And I think Moses and Herb probably
said, Leave a place to sit. Wait a
minute. Lift his arms up. Hold him up. The battle is the Lord's to win,
but never disdain God's way of doing it. His means. There's a third application.
Great spiritual blessing. And we see that in chapter 17,
verses one through six. Even with Israel complaining,
God gave them a rock that Moses was told to smite once, and that
rock gushed out living, I mean real life water, real water that
kept these people alive. Even in spite of their complaining.
And that rock followed them around for 40 years. for 40 years, but great spiritual
blessing is often joined with great spiritual conflict. That's
what we see our text. Here they are drinking of the
rock, right? Look at 17 verse, they're at
Rephidim. Now there's a rock in Horeb.
You smite that rock, but that rock, whatever, it was at Rephidim. And that's where Amalek came
to fight. Now think about this, the gospel
of Jesus Christ and his accomplishment at Calvary is where the battles
always really fought. The reason men don't believe
in total depravity is because they really don't know what Jesus
Christ had to do to save a soul when he died on that cross. The
reason men and women reject unconditional election is because they actually
think they deserve it And Jesus didn't have to really die in
my place to save me. That's why. I mean, if God ever
lets you see what Jesus Christ actually had to do when he suffered
in the garden and on Calvary's tree, you will begin to be a
Calvinist. God will convince you that it
took an act of God Almighty dying under God Almighty's judgment
for you to be saved. And you'll have no problem with
perseverance either. Because you'll know unless God
Almighty preserves you, you'll never persevere. You'll have
no problem with irresistible grace because you will have experienced
it and you'll say, I didn't know the name of that, but that's
what happened to me. I didn't know the name of that, but that's
what happened to me. Again, remember, great spiritual blessing is often
joined with great spiritual conflict. When things are going good, the
battle, don't think things about, this is not a bad thing. Now
I'm sure that the Israelites who were disconfitted by the
Malachites didn't feel very well about it, but Israel won the
battle. Did they not? Israel won the
battle. So where great spiritual blessing
is often joined with great spiritual conflict. That's another application.
I see it there. But I see more here. I see more. I've already mentioned it to
you in my title. Where the law is honored, listen to me, where
the law is honored, the Savior always prevails. Because the story here, the account
here is not to point out when Israel didn't prevail. but how
they did prevail. You see what I'm saying? You
see what I'm saying? And you'll see that clearly if
you go back and read again, verses 11, 12, and 13. Now, granted,
this is true of gospel preaching. If preachers would honor God's
law when they preach and declare the law to be what it really
is, a glorious condemnation of death. Yes, the law says this do and
live. But you and I can't. We can't. Christ did the law, but he didn't
do the law to live. He was life. And therefore he
had no trouble doing the law. He didn't do the law to get life.
He is life intrinsic. Therefore he had no trouble with
God's law whatsoever. And again, I say this is true
in gospel preaching. If we dishonor the real meaning
of God's law, the real purpose of God's law, the law was given
that the offense might abound, that sin might become exceedingly
sinful, that we would see sin for what it really is, and it
be spelled out to us in no uncertain terms. The law's not black and
white, or I should say gray. The law's black or white. It's
not gray. You got a son, he's a rebellious
drunk, what's it tell you to do? Take a rock and bash his
brains out. Now there's your law. There's
God's law. And it's holy, just, and good. Your son's a rebellious drunk,
bash his brains out with a rock. Is that what the law says or
not? That's what it says. Sabbatarians and Everybody else,
go ahead and take it all. You want your law, you want one
part of the law, take it all. Paul said if you don't continue
in all things which are written in the book of the law to do,
you're under the curse. The curse. So again, I say this
is true in gospel preaching. This is true in a believer's
conduct. You don't honor God's law. I didn't say you can keep
the 10 commandments. You can't keep the 10 commandments.
You can't even start to keep the first one. And you can't
keep the one that says to love your neighbors yourself and our
Lord Jesus Christ said all of it hangs on these two. If you
could do those two, you're doing everything else. You will do
everything else. We can't even do those. But here's how a believer's conduct
honors God's law. God's law rightfully shows me
my damnation before God. I deserve to be condemned. That's what it shows me. And
don't ever grow above that. Because when you think you've
grown above it, you've not grown. You have went into apostasy. You've went the wrong way, not
the right way. But when it comes to Jesus Christ,
person, and work, this account here is absolute. It's absolute. God's law honoring gospel. is seen only in the true message
of the person and work of Jesus Christ. Consider this, Joshua. Joshua
equals this, God my Savior. That's what the name means, God
my Savior. You could say Jehovah is our
Savior, or our Savior Jehovah. You know the passage. I think
it's Matthew 121. Call his name Jesus, which is
the Greek equivalent to the Hebrew Joshua. Call his name Jesus,
for he shall save his people from their sins. And who is this
Jesus? He's going to be Emmanuel, which
is God with us. Not God with him. God himself
with us. But Joshua, in the context here
is much more than just that. It's defined. He is God the soldier. He's in a hut. He's God the leader. He is God the deliverer, verse
13. And Joshua, well I thought he
chose out some other folks too. No, but he got all the credit.
Because he's in charge. You understand that? Go through
the book of Joshua. Maybe we'll get there, maybe
we won't, I don't know. But it keeps talking about how
Joshua whipped all these people. Wait a minute, I thought he had
thousands more with him. He did, but he gets the credit. He gets
the credit. And Joshua disconfitted Amulek
and his people with the edge of the sword. He has got our
soldier, he's got our leader, he's got our deliverer. Joshua
chooses his companions. Not otherwise. First part of
verse nine, Moses said unto Joshua, first thing, will you people
hold that doctrine of election in such high esteem? Because
that doctrine of election speaks of our God, who he is, and what
he does. And if you deny who he is and
what he does, you don't know him. You're a rebel against God. We don't believe that in our
church, then your church is lost. Do you hear me? You're lost.
You're under judgment. Of course, this is who God is.
This is who Joshua is. Moses said unto Joshua, choose
us out, men, and go out, fight. You see that? Fight. Well, what
does Moses equal? You know what Moses, even before
the law was given, Moses equals the law. He is the law. And the law held Christ's being.
Did you know that? It held his being. He said these
words, what we call the Sermon on the Mount. You can read it
later if you wish. Matthew 5, verse 17. Think not
that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets. I'm not come to destroy them.
I am come to what? Fulfill them. This law, who was in charge here? Moses was in charge. He tells
Joshua what to do. Let me tell you something, our
Lord Jesus Christ, though he was God Almighty, submitted himself
to God's law. And he did it lovingly, willingly,
knowingly, justly, perfectly, fully, all together. I need somebody like that, don't
you? I want somebody like that choosing me and putting me on
his side. Don't you? Now if you don't, then you take
your side. Go ahead and pick. Act like you're on a grade school
basketball court and you pick who you want and who you don't
want. I want to be on this team. And I know if I'm on this team,
he got to pick me. He even told 11 men, now there
was a 12th one there, but he was of the devil from the beginning.
And he told 11 men, he said, you didn't choose me, I chose
you. I want to be in that kind of group. I want to be in that
kind of group. Joshua, Moses, Aaron and Hur. Aaron's this, now we can come
up with all these words, but we come up with these words because
it makes us feel pretty good about ourself. Are the words
I'm using going to be understood by the person I'm talking to?
And if I'm talking with more than one person around, don't
try to just impress one person. Talk with words that you have
reason to believe everybody else gonna understand what you're
saying when you say them. And I'm gonna make it simple.
Who does Aaron equal? Aaron is this, more than dos
and don'ts must apply. Think about that. Who is Aaron?
Aaron's a part of the law. But he's part of the law that
declares God's mercy and compassion through blood sacrifice. You
see? Yeah, Aaron was a part of the
law. But it's that part of the law
that declares God's mercy and compassion through blood sacrifice. Yes, it is. Do this and live. But somebody did that for me.
Somebody did that for me. But it's more than that. The
soul that sinneth, it shall die. Somebody did that for me too.
So see, he fulfilled the positive aspects of the law. He did what
it demanded. And he didn't do the things the
law forbids. But then Mason, he come along and then placed
himself willingly under that law's judgment for not doing
what you're supposed to do and doing what you're not supposed
to do. And he suffered both, not suffered, he fulfilled both
sides of that law. In his positive precepts and
in his condemnation of us all. His soul was made an offering
for sin. So Aaron equals more than do's
and don'ts. What did Paul say in Romans 3,
19, 20, and 21? That there's a righteousness
that even the law and the prophets give witness to. You know what
I'm talking about? Let me read it. There is a righteousness
that even the law and the prophets give witness to. Romans chapter
three, verse 20, therefore by the deeds
of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight. Why?
Because that's not the law's purpose is to justify a man or
a woman. For by the law is the knowledge of sin. The law tells
you what's right and what's wrong. But now the righteousness of
God without the law, now that's without the law on your part
or on my part. but not without the law on anybody's
part. The lawgiver fulfilled his own
law on the behalf of the people that he chose. Even the righteousness
of God, which by the faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon
all them that believe. See there are, it's the same
faith, but it's spoken of in two different ways. One, it talks
about its source. Christ's faithfulness. The faith of Christ, and that's
what? Put to. Imparted to. First of all, because
you've got to hear the good seed's got to fall on good ground, and
that only comes from God. And there's also imputed righteousness.
But look, but now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested.
being witnessed by the law and the prophets. You see, the law
says something else has to apply. If you read God's law, and notice,
once you give the law, the rest of the whole book of Exodus is
just talking about the law. Isn't it? Once you get the law,
the rest of the book is basically talking about the details of
that law. The next book begins to talk
about that. We don't even get into the historical moving about
in the wilderness much yet. The next book gives you what,
detail after detail, and people say, and I understand, the boring
details. Unless you see that this law
is saying something else must apply. Someone is coming that
can do all this for you. Now when you begin to see that,
you'll say, let me probe into this a little bit. Maybe I might
get a little idea about who he is. What he done. But what about this her? There's
not much about old her. I mean you think this unique
passage is put right here in the text. But just before we
see them moving the next few days later to Sinai, you'd think
old Herb would be at the forefront some more, wouldn't you? He ain't.
But here's the amazing thing. His name means whiteness or purity. That simple. God may have just
picked that man, Joe, just because that's what his name means. I
don't know much else about him. A little bit, but not much else
about him. Purity. Now, let me just, I'm not even
gonna, I'm not gonna tell you what it is. You'll know it when
I begin to read it. See, I almost said it, because
I'm so used to saying it before I even go to one. Now listen
to what the Word of God says. Written by the Apostle Paul under
the inspiration of the Spirit of God. Wherefore, the law is
holy. And the commandment holy, and
just, and good. That's whiteness. That's absolute
purity. You see, the law of God, holy, don't look for another
word, holy, just, and good. Why? because it comes from the
heart of God. It comes from who God is. It is a reflection of what we
ought to be as his image. But we fail. And we no longer
reflect that image. As a matter of fact, we stain
that image at best. At best. Wherefore the law is
holy, and the commandment holy and just and good. Was then that
which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, see the real problem
ain't the law. The problem's me. Because I am
sin. He's just told us in chapter
five, by the disobedience of one, many were made sinners.
So what do sinners do? A dog, what, barks. A cat meows. What do sinners do? They sin.
Right, that's what sinners do. That's their nature. Was then
that which is good made death in me? God forbid, but sin, that
it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is
good, that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. For we know that the law is what?
It is spiritual. Why? Because it comes from him
who is the sovereign spirit being. For we know that the law is spiritual,
but what about me? I'm fleshly. I'm Adamic. I'm fallen, but I am carnal. Sold. Sold under sin. But here's Aaron and her both
taking a stone, setting it there for Moses, putting it there for
Moses to sit on. And then they hold up his hands. You see both
sides of the coin here holding up his hands. And what happens?
Israel prevails. Oh, more importantly, Joshua
prevails. And because Joshua prevails,
guess who's gonna prevail with him? Israel's going to prevail. But there's also that stone,
right? What was the stone? That's simple enough. It was
a place for Moses to rest. For Moses, Joshua wasn't resting. Bless God, when our Lord came
into this world, I don't know if he ever had a full, what we
call a full, peaceful, and I know these words are not going to
be the best, I'm sure that his mind was always about his father's
business, even in his dreams. My dreams often go contrary to
my father's business. I guarantee you, he just didn't. A stone, a place of rest. You
wanna hear about the New Testament's declaration of this place of
rest? Turn to Galatians chapter three. Actually, Paul's already
read it for us, but I'm still gonna read it again. Galatians
chapter 3 let me move along Galatians 3 Look at verse 10 For as many
as are of the works of the law they're under the curse Moses hands were heavy the law
is heavy now. It's wholly just a good, but
it's heavy Peter calls it a burden we weren't able to bear You know
what he calls it? Paul calls it bondage. Really? Doesn't he? A glorious, glorious
yes, but it's a glorious condemnation of death. But look, for as many
as are of the works of the law are under the curse, for it is
written, cursed is everyone, that's a whosoever. It's a whosoever,
same exact meaning of words here. Of course it is everyone that
continueth not in all things which are written in the book
of the law to do them, but that no man is justified by the law
in the sight of God. Paul says it's clear. It's evident. So we don't have
to debate this with men. Just declare it, because if they
ain't got eyes to see it, they ain't gonna see it. But if they
got eyes to see it, just say it, because it's evident. It's
clear. Four. The just shall live by
faith. And the law is not of faith,
but the man that doeth them shall live in them. Look, so where's
the stone? Where's a place for Moses to
rest? Isn't it amazing it wasn't a
log? Was it? It was a what? A rock. Now we
just read in the few verses before about a rock. Now, I'm not saying
it was the same rock. I don't think so, but that really
don't matter, because I don't know. I don't know, but it was
a rock. What's a rock? Solid. Sit that
thing down there. Moses wouldn't have to worry
about scooting that thing around, as he wiggled and squirmed. Look at it, here it is. Christ
hath redeemed us from the curse of the law. Now, here's the real
rock. being made a curse for us. Christ is the rock that gives
the law the place to rest. Yes, we rest in him. Oh, what
a glorious rest. But if God's law don't find rest,
we're damned. We're damned. We'll be a part
of the Malachites. And some say they actually are
the descendants of Esau. Now guess who Esau was? The reprobate. those rejected of God. And they're
always gonna fight God's people at Rephidim, because Rephidim's
where the rock's at, both of them. The rock that gives you
the living water, and the rock that satisfies and gives rest
to the law. That's where the enemy always
attacks. You want to get to the end of a conversation quickly.
Just tell people what Jesus Christ really did when he died on that
cross. That's all you gotta do. You
don't even have to start with total depravity. Just go there first.
Go to limited atonement first. And the conversation will either
die right quick or somebody will be intrigued and maybe listen
for a little longer. One or the other will happen.
One or the other will happen. Oh, for Christ hath redeemed
us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us, for
it is written, cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree, and he
did that so that the blessing of Abraham would come on men
and women. Even Gentiles. That's what he says right there,
doesn't he? That's what he says. You see, Christ in his life,
in his actions, and in his death, all together, honored the law,
not just in one part. He lived for us in perfect righteousness,
all his life, and then merely died the death of all men by
laying down and falling asleep, dying in his sleep. Mason would
have still went to hell. because our positive disobedience
to the law, the law had not yet rested. He had to be made a curse
for us to deliver us from the curse of the law. But think about
this, is that not what Paul says when he says to husbands, love
your wives? Ephesians 5, 25, now I've mentioned this about
the women being subject to their own husbands being submission,
like the church is to Christ. That's what it says, but it also
says husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church
and died for it. Is that what it says? Uh-uh. Now it means that, but it means
much more. And gave himself for it. Now you as a husband, so I die
for my wife. That's good, that's a part of it. But you're also
to give your life for her. What you do is to be for her
benefit, not yours. That's a tall order, fellas.
How often I fail. But our husband didn't fail. His life, his actions, even when
he is 12 years old, He was about his father's business.
Was he not? Now he was subject unto his parents,
but he had one parent that superseded them in every way. And when they
were in a big caravan and they decided to leave Jerusalem, Joseph
and Mary thought, well, evidently they trusted the young boy. Don't
you think they had reason to? As Tim James says, we're not
told much about Christ from the time he was born to the time
he was around 30 years old. He said, but I know what he was
doing. He was being perfect. He was being perfect. I like
that. That's a good way to sum it up. And I think they just
trusted he was a decent kid. He's with somebody else, but
where was he at? They had traveled a good distance. They come back,
and for three days, looking for him. So where's he at evidently
for three days? He's in the temple, talking about
the word of God. 12 years old. We took our granddaughter
to the pool yesterday, None at Dublin? I seen a lot of 12-year-olds,
12-year-olds running around. I don't think not a one of them
would have rather been in the temple or the synagogue or the
church building. I bet you I could have won a
couple hundred dollars to bet anybody how many of these 12-year-olds
here today would rather be in the temple or the synagogue or
in the church building. However, one of them just chose
to stay right there at that pool. Huh? I'd like to lose a hundred
dollars if they'd have found one that wasn't. But you understand,
he was 12 years old, and he looks at his mother, she said, don't
you know that myself and your father were worried about you?
He said, wish you not that I must be about my father's business.
And I'm sure Mary thought, uh-oh, I misspoke there. Because she
knew Joseph wasn't his daddy. I don't care whether you believe
Joseph wasn't his daddy or not, Mary knew it. Mary knew it. Now consider another morsel.
Remember, Amalek fought Israel at Rephidim. And I've already
mentioned it. Christ's smiting is the place
of contention. The preaching of the cross is
a stumbling block to the religious and mere stupidity to the really
educated. Now I'm paraphrasing what Paul
said in 1 Corinthians chapter one. To the Jews it's a stumbling
block, to the Greeks it's foolishness. That's right, but that's where
the battle's at. Paul said if I preach circumcision,
then is the offense of the cross ceased. God's law-wondering gospel is
summed up in the person and work of his holy son. That's where
the law is satisfied. Now there's a song we sing, and
I'm not criticizing it. It's by Isaac Watts. In the third
verse, second part of that verse says this, and if my soul were
sent to hell, thy righteous law approves it well. And that's
true if my soul were sent to hell. And if you're a believer,
your soul will not be sent to hell. And if you're a believer,
I'm talking about a blood-bought, born-again, spirit-led believer. That's the kind I'm talking about.
If you're one of those, God's law doesn't say, well, he ought
to go to hell. God's law says, I'm rested. My
hands are held up. You see what I'm saying? That's what he's saying. You
know, I gotta give you this. Listen to this, I had a few other
things to say, but I've got to give you this. John chapter five,
think about this. Remember, there's the last morsel
and I'll end with this. It was to be wrote in a book,
we have it right here. We have it right here. But it was to
be what? Rehearsed in one man's ears, right? Turn to John chapter
five, verse 30. This is Christ speaking, I can of
my known self do nothing. Let me put it to, Jesus Christ
was no freelancer, nor was he a mercenary. You understand what
I'm saying? Christ was not independent. He came to do the will of the
Father. So evidently, Mason, sometime
or another, he knew what the will of the Father was. But look
what it says, I can of mine own self do nothing as I hear. You see that? As I hear, I judge,
and my judgment is just, because I seek not mine own will, but
the will of the Father which has sent me. And that's in light
of what he just had said previously in verse 19, because they sought
to kill him. Verse 19, then Jesus said, then
answered Jesus and said unto them, truly, truly, verily, verily,
I say unto you, the Son can do nothing of himself, but what? He seeth the Father do. See that? As I've given you this
before. There is a distinction here that
Christ makes between himself and his Father. But it's not
a distinction of priority of position. It is a distinction
of priority of position, not a distinction of inferiority
of nature. He said, I am my father of one.
That sounds to be exactly contradictory to this. But you understand,
he took a subservient place as the incarnate son. See that? I need somebody like
that on my side. Do you? Do you? Father, oh God, teach us these
things. They're so dull, so easily distracted. The cares of this world sometimes
bother us just like they do that thorny ground, Lord. Oh God,
help us in Christ's name, amen.