Thy mercy, my God, is the theme
of my song. One of the clearest doctrines
taught in the scriptures is the absolute sinlessness of Jesus
Christ, who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth.
He is that one who was in all points tempted like as we are,
yet without sin. And yet there has never been
a man more justly condemned and rightly sentenced to death by
the holy law of God than this man Jesus of Nazareth. For he
hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might
be made the righteousness of God in him. Jesus Christ came
into this world with the sentence of death upon him. The angel
was sent to tell Joseph that his wife would bear a son, and
thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people
from their sins. This was the manifestation of
the prophecy of Abraham to Isaac, my son God will provide himself
a lamb for a burnt offering. This child Jesus came into the
world with the sentence of death upon him. Though Christ healed
the sick and raised the dead and thereby fulfilled righteousness,
going about doing good, his chief mission in coming to the earth
was to bear the sin of his people as their substitute. "'I am the
good shepherd. "'The good shepherd giveth his
life for the sheep. "'As the father knoweth me, even
so know I the father, "'and I lay down my life for the sheep. "'Therefore
doth my father love me "'because I lay down my life, that I might
take it again.' "'Sin produces the necessity of law, "'and the
law demands death for sinners. "'The Lord told Adam not to eat
of the tree "'of the knowledge of good and evil, "'and then
prophetically declared to him, "'In the day that thou eatest
thereof, thou shalt surely die. God created the world to fulfill
his exact purpose, and that purpose included as its centerpiece the
redemptive work of Christ, in the behalf of a people whom the
Lord chose and him before the foundation of the world. Sin,
as heinous as it is, was a necessary part of that equation, in order
that the glory of God might be seen in the redemption of sinners.
This is even a wonderment in the heavens, as the angels desire
to look into these things, but cannot. This display of mercy
is beyond their comprehension, since they had only seen displayed
the swift judgment of God upon one-third of those who occupied
their own place, and now before their very eyes is the manifestation
of Christ as the Redeemer of wicked sinners. This same one
whom John saw, and the four beasts had each of them six wings about
him, and they were full of eyes within, and they rest not day
and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which
was, and is, and is to come, is the one who took upon himself
the likeness of sinful flesh. His purpose to redeem sinners
from the condemnation of the law, which he subjected them
to, required that he take upon himself not just their adjudication
as guilty, but to actually take their guilt as his own and suffer
their death. It is his purpose to be both
just and the justifier of his people, who are described in
the scripture as those that come unto God by him. He has ordained
a law which demands justice against all who break it. The law demands
the death of the sinner. The man Jesus, being without
sin, yet willing to die for those who were chosen in him before
the world's foundation, is indeed the only one able to complete
the transaction of redemption. Only a lamb without blemish was
an acceptable sacrifice. Jesus Christ is that lamb ordained
of God as the perfect sacrifice. But Christ, being come in high
priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect
tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building,
neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood,
he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal
redemption for us. He carried out his entire ministry
under the sentence of death, with far greater weight of sorrow
than has ever been experienced by even the worst male factors
facing an instrument of execution. Though he came into the world
under this very sentence, yet the scripture says, who for the
joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame,
and is sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Never
has there been such a mixture of joy and sorrow as that which
was experienced by him. As the perfect son of God, his
chief desire was to please his heavenly father. Yet he understood
that the only way that he could fulfill the will of his father
was to become disgusting in his father's sight. This is that
which brought sweat drops, as it were, blood upon his brow
as he wrestled with this very thought. And as the obedient
son that he was, he acquiesced to the will of his father, knowing
the rejection which was to be his, as he later hung upon the
cross and cried out, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken
me? He knew the answer and he willingly
paid that awful price for us. A death sentence indeed, which
he gladly bore. If you would like a free transcript
of this broadcast, email us at forthepoor at windstream.net.