So we get the context of where
the, the context of where the verse
is from that we'll be preaching from today. Romans chapter 9. The name of the message is divinity
of Christ. The divinity of Christ. Romans
chapter 9 verse 5 is where we'll be. Whose are the fathers and of
them as concerning the flesh? Christ's King. There we have
His incarnation spoken of, beloved. And here is His divinity. In
the preceding words, His divinity is declared. Who is over all? God, blessed forever. So we see His incarnation spoken
of here. And we see His divinity in the
fact that He is God. He is God. A very clear declaration
here before us of the divinity of Christ. As concerning the
flesh, Christ came, who is over all, God blessed, forever. We have here in our text again
the incarnation spoken of. That which was prophesied of
old. That which was prophesied of
old in the Old Testament. Those passages that spoke of
the Messiah, the King. The King of Israel. The Deliverer
of His people. Now, we're going to be going
a lot back and forth today. Old Testament and new. And I
love to do that because we see the prophecies fulfilled right
before our eyes in the Scripture. God incarnate in the flesh. The
Lord Jesus Christ. The Deliverer of His people.
And think on this, beloved. The Eternal Son of God. The Eternal
Son of God. The Word, He's called the Word
in Scripture, became flesh and dwelt among us. This verse proclaims
it. In His hymn, Concerned in the
Flesh, Christ came. There's His incarnation. Now
Christ is interpreted from the Greek, anointed. The Christ,
the anointed one, the Messiah. The Old Testament proclaimed
His coming. Turn, if you would, to Genesis
chapter 3. The Old Testament proclaimed His coming. Now, in
types and shadows, they proclaimed Christ, didn't they? All the
sacrifices. We know that. We've studied that. All the sacrifices
in the Old Testament, they were for shadows of Christ. They were
shadows, but He's the substance, isn't He? Colossians tells us
that, that these were shadows, but He's the substance. He's
the substance in Genesis. He's spoken of as the seed of
the woman. Genesis 3.15. And I will put enmity between
thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed. It shall
bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Turn over, if
you would, to Isaiah 7.14. It's proclaimed that our great
King, that the Messiah would be born of a virgin. Born of
a virgin. We know the Lord Jesus Christ
was born of a virgin, right? Married. It's prophesied in the
Old Testament. We see there in Genesis the seed
of the woman. In Isaiah 7.14, Therefore the
Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold. Be aware. Behold. Take note, a virgin shall
conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel. That means God with us. God incarnate
in the flesh. And we know in our text today,
it says, and of whom is concerning the flesh Christ came. There
he is, beloved, born of a virgin. who is overall God-blessed forever. He's declared to be God. He's
declared to be God. Turn, if you would, to Micah
chapter 5. In Romans 9.5, again, we see
that the one spoken of in Isaiah 7.14, Immanuel, God with us, is none
other than the Lord Jesus Christ. Now it's told that the Messiah
would be born in Bethlehem after stepping forth from eternity.
Remember that. The eternal Son of God stepped
forth from eternity. God dwells in eternity. The Lord
Jesus Christ is God. And he stepped forth from eternity
into time and space to redeem his people from their sins. Look at Micah, chapter 5, verse
2. But thou, Bethlehem, Ethra, though thou be little among the
thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall come forth unto me, that is to be ruler in Israel,
whose going forth have been from old, from when? From everlasting. From everlasting? This is a biblical description
of God. The Messiah would step forth from eternity. From everlasting. This is no mere man. This is God. God incarnated in
the flesh. Turn, if you would, to Psalm
90, verse 2. And we know that God is spoken
of also to be from everlasting to everlasting, because He dwells
in eternity, doesn't He? Look at Psalm 90, verse 2. And
remember, I'll read our text again. Part of our text is concerning
the flesh Christ came. Well, where did He come from?
Eternity. He came from eternity. He came
from where God dwells and became a man, the eternal Son of God. Look at Psalm 90, verse 2. So
God is spoken of as being from everlasting. Beloved, our Redeemer
is God. God from everlasting. to everlasting, and He will never
cease to be God. And again in our text we clearly
see, boldly proclaims the deity of Christ is concerning the flesh
Christ came who is over all, God blessed forever, Amen. Now we go to Scripture as our
final authority, don't we? And we will see today that the
Scriptures proclaim that the Lord Jesus Christ is God. He's God. Now many in the past have denied
the deity of Christ and many still do today to their eternal
doom. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
Eternal Son. The Eternal Son of God. The Holy
Spirit is the Eternal Spirit. The Father is the Eternal Father. In these three persons, as John
Gale comments, are one. Turn, if you would, to 1 John
5, verse 7. 1 John 5, verse 7, clearly presented
here. John Gale comments that this
passage here holds forth and asserts the unity of God. holds
forth a trinity of persons in the Godhead, the proper deity
of each person and their distinct personality, the unity of their
essence in that they are one, a trinity of persons in that
they are three, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. Look
at this, 1 John 5.7, For there are three that bear record in
heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. And these
three are one. So keep in mind there, when we
see the Word, we're going to see that further on, too, in
the study. The Word. The Father is God,
the Word is God, and the Holy Ghost is God. Scripture declares
the three are one. The three are one. Turn, if you
would, to Proverbs 30. Proverbs 30. And our text today speaks of
the one who is called the Word. The Lord Jesus Christ, the Second
Person of the Trinity, the Eternal Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ,
who is God incarnate in the flesh, Emmanuel, God with us. Again,
I'll read our text as you turn to Proverbs 30, verses 3 to 5. And note in verse 4 the tie-in
to our verse. Romans 9.5 says, "...whose are
the fathers, and of whom is concern in the flesh Christ came, who
is over all, God blessed forever. Amen." Now keep that in mind
as we read this in Proverbs 30, verses 3-5. "...For I neither
learned wisdom," verse 3, "...nor have the knowledge of the holy,
who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended, or hath gathered
the wind in his fists? Who hath bound the waters in
a garment? Who hath established all the
ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is
his son's name, if thou canst tell? Every word of God is pure. He is a shield unto them that
put their trust in him. And note, in what is his son's
name? What is his son's name? Proverbs 34 speaks of the Father
and the Son, beloved. What is His name? Well, in verse
3 we have identified the Holy. That's speaking of the Father
in verse 3. But what is His Son's name? Look
at the latter part of verse 4. What is His name and what is
His Son's name if thou canst tell? This is speaking of the eternal
Son of God, Emmanuel. Beloved of God, our Savior, the
Son, the Word, has many names given to Him in the Old Testament,
such as Shiloh, Emmanuel, the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty
God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, the Lord
our Righteousness. Oh, my. And the Man, the Branch,
And he's also called this. And think of this. He stepped
from eternity, right, into time and space to redeem his people.
And he is called the Ancient of Days. The Ancient of Days. The Everlasting One. In the New Testament, He's called
Jesus, the Savior, the Anointed, the Head of the church, Messiah,
the Judge of the world, the Word of God, the King of kings, and
the Lord of lords. And here in Proverbs, we have
proof of Christ's divinity as He is the eternal Son of God.
Here proclaimed is His equality with the Divine Father. And they
are one in name and nature They are one, one, and the Holy Spirit
is one with them. The three are one. The three
are one. And here in Proverbs we see Christ's
coexistence with His Father. This speaks of His omnipresence
and His omnipotence, which is expressed by the phrases here
used of ascending up to heaven. Look at verse 4. Who hath ascended
up to heaven? Or descended? It's expressed by the phrases
here used of ascending up to heaven or descending here to
earth in His birth. And this speaks of His distinct
personality, beloved, from the Father, as the same question
is distinctly put of Him as the Father. Note the end of verse
4 in Proverbs 30. What is His name and what is
His Son's name? Thou canst tell. And all of God's
people, all of God's people throughout the years have proclaimed the
divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ. From the Old Testament, which
proclaims it, and the New Testament, where His divinity is manifest.
Through His mighty works of redemption, His work of redemption, and also
through the miracles that He wrought. Turn, if you would,
to John chapter 1, and remember, remember in Remember we saw, for there are
three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the
Holy Ghost. These three are one, right? Look at John chapter 1,
verses 1. In the beginning was the Word,
the same Word that's spoken of in that text where it said the
Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and they're one. One God,
three distinct personalities, but one God. One God. Look at this though. In the beginning
was the Word. The same one spoken of in 1 John. And the Word was with God. And the Word was God. Was God. And then look at verse
14 of that same chapter. And the Word. There He is. Emmanuel. God with us. And the Word was
made flesh and dwelt among us. And we beheld His glory, the
glory of the Only Begotten, the Father, full of grace and truth,
full of grace and truth. Turn, if you would, over to John
chapter 20, and let's see what Thomas proclaims about Christ.
Look at this. So the Word, the Word, the Eternal
Son, becomes flesh and dwells among us. Why did he come? Why
did he come to this earth? Why did God himself come to this
earth? To redeem his people from their
sins. To save us from our sins. We
can't save ourselves. There's not a person in this
room who can save themselves. We cannot save ourselves. But
Christ saves sinners. Oh my. He came to save sinners.
And we're sinners. I pray that if you don't think
you are, that God would show you you are, because we're all
just a bunch of sinners in desperate need of Christ. In desperate
need of Christ. Look at John 20, verses 26-28. And after eight days, again,
his disciples were within, and Thomas with them. Then came Jesus,
the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace
be unto you. Now, we know Thomas was doubting about the resurrection,
wasn't he? Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and
behold my hands, and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it in to
my side, and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered
and said unto him, Look at this declaration, My Lord and my God. He'd been taught of God, hadn't
he? Who Christ was. My Lord and my God. Is that not what we say? We who
believe, is He not our Lord? We don't make Him Lord, do we?
He's already Lord. We acknowledge His Lordship.
My Lord and my God. Oh my. The Word Himself becomes
flesh and dwells among us. And keep that in mind again as
we look at our text. Whose are the fathers and of
whom is concern in the flesh? Christ came. Who is overall?
God blessed forever. He is God. He is God incarnate
in the flesh, beloved. Think of this, my hope doesn't
rest in anything I do. My hope rests in Christ who's
God. My salvation then is in Christ
who's God. God himself is Satan. The God
man, he was fully man and fully God. Absolutely sinless, born
the seed of the woman. Now we are tainted with sin and
born into this world with sin because of our fathers, aren't
we? Right? He is the seed of the woman.
Virgin born. Virgin born. Oh, the Word was
made flesh and dwelt among us. Now look over in Titus, chapter
2, and in Hebrews 1, verse 8. Titus proclaims this. So we saw
Thomas proclaim, we saw Thomas proclaim, my Lord and my God. Look in Titus, chapter 2, verse
13. looking for that blessed hope
in the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior,
Jesus Christ. That's speaking of Christ's return. And it says right there in the
text, the glorious appearing of the
great God. The Lord Jesus Christ, God, and
our Savior Jesus Christ. And then Hebrews 1 verse 8 proclaims
this, But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God. He says, the
Father says to the Son, Thy throne, O God, is forever. He's God. He's God. A scepter of righteousness
is the scepter of thy kingdom. And then Peter, 2 Peter declares
this in verse 1, Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus
Christ to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through
the righteousness of God and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Through the righteousness of
God, the believer is clothed in the righteousness of Christ.
There is his divinity proclaimed again. Emmanuel. Turn if you would to Isaiah chapter
6 and then put your finger in John chapter 12. This is where
we're going to start going for a little bit from the Old Testament
to the New here. Look at Isaiah chapter 6 and then John chapter
12. The deity of Christ is clearly
proclaimed. Look at Isaiah 6, verses 1-5. And I won't comment on this,
we've looked at this many times. But I want to bring us over to
John 12, where our Master says, These things saith Isaiah when
he saw his glory and spake of him, speaking of God on his throne,
being Christ Jesus, our great King. Look at this in Isaiah
6, verses 1-5. In that year, King Uzziah died.
I also saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up,
and His train filled the temple. Now remember, a massive train
means He has dominion over many things, over all. The bigger
the train on a king, the bigger the train that followed them,
the more domain they had. Well, this train fills the temple. Oh my. Above it stood the seraphims,
each had six wings. With Twain he covered his face,
and with Twain he covered his feet, and with Twain he did fly.
And one cried unto another and said, Holy, holy, holy is the
Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his
glory. And the post of the door moved at the voice of him that
cried, and the house was filled with smoke." Look at Isaiah's
response to seeing God. Seeing Christ. This is a pre-incarnate
seeing of Christ. Look at this. Then said I, Woe
is me, for I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and
I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. For mine eyes
have seen the King. Seen the King, the Lord of hosts.
And then turn, if you would, over to John chapter 12. And this is applied to Christ,
who is the Messiah. These things, John 12, verse
41. And this is speaking of that
section we just read in Isaiah. These things, John 12, 41, these
things said Isaiah when he saw his glory. And we just saw that
he saw, Isaiah saw the glory of Christ, didn't he? He saw
Him high and lifted up. He saw Him upon the throne, the
King of kings and the Lord of lords. These things said Isaiah
when he saw His glory and spake of Him. Speaking of the Messiah,
speaking of the King, Emmanuel, God with us. Turn, if you would,
to Isaiah 45. Isaiah 45. Isaiah 45, verse 21. Oh, Christ is both Lord over
the dead and the living, and there's no Savior beside Him.
Tell ye, and bring them near. Verse 21. Yea, let them take
counsel together. Who hath declared this from ancient
times? Well, Christ is the Lamb slain
from the foundation of the world, isn't He? From ancient times. He's the Ancient of Days. Who
hath told it from that time? Have not I the Lord? And there
is no God beside Me? Just God and a Savior. And there
is none beside Me. We know from Isaiah 7, right,
that Emmanuel, God with us, is the Messiah. And this is speaking
right here in Isaiah 45, verse 21. There's no God beside me,
a just God and a Savior. And there is none beside me.
Who is Christ? He's the Savior of His people,
isn't He? He's the Deliverer of His people. And then turn
over to Isaiah 40, verse 3. Look at this. This talks about the forerunner
of the Messiah. Isaiah 40, verse 3, the voice
of him that crieth in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord,
make straight in the desert a highway for our God. And then turn over
to Matthew chapter 3, and here it is, John the Baptist, the
very one that Isaiah was proclaiming about in Isaiah 43. Here's John the Baptist, the
forerunner of Christ, the forerunner of the Messiah, preaching Christ. Matthew 3, verses 1-3, In those
days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and
saying, Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken
of by the prophet Isaiah, saying, The voice of one crying in the
wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his path straight.
So John the Baptist declares Christ to be Messiah. And in John 1.29, the next day
John seeth Jesus coming unto him and saith, Behold the Lamb
of God. There he is. There's the Lamb
of God. There's the Messiah. The Lord
Jesus Christ. God incarnate in the flesh. Behold
the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. This
is He of whom I said, after me cometh a man which is preferred
before me, for He was before me." Yeah, He was, wasn't He?
He's the Ancient of Days. He's the Ancient of Days. Turn,
if you would, to Joel 2, verse 32. Joel 2, verse 32. The deity
of Christ is seen when comparing Scripture with Scripture. The
book of Joel proclaims this. In Joel 2, verse 32. And then
put your finger in Acts 2 for the corresponding Scripture.
Joel 2, verse 32. And it shall come to pass that
whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant
whom the Lord shall call. Now we've seen in our study in
Psalm 48 that Zion and Jerusalem is the church, is the elect of
God from all the ages who will be delivered by calling on the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Turn, if you would, over to Acts
chapter 2. Acts chapter 2. Look at verse 21 to 36, we'll read. And it shall come
to pass that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord
shall what? Be saved. Ye men of Israel, hear these
words, Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by
miracles and wonders and signs which God did by him in the midst
of you, as you yourself also know. Him being taken by the
determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken him by
wicked hands, have crucified and slain. Whom God hath raised
up, have enloosed the pains of death, because it was not possible
that he should be holden of it. For David speaking concerning
him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on
my right hand, that I should not be moved. Therefore did my
heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad, moreover also my flesh
shall rest in hope. Oh, our hope is in Christ and
Him alone, because Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither
wilt Thou suffer Thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou hast
made known to me the ways of life. Thou shalt make me full
of joy with thy countenance. Men and brethren, let me freely
speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and
buried in the sepulcher, is with us unto this day. Therefore our
prophet, knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that
of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would rise up
with Christ to sit on his throne. He's seeing this before he spake
of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in
hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. Thus saith, thus
this Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we are all witnesses.
Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted in heaven
received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost He has shed
forth this which he Now see and hear. For David is not ascended
into the heavens, but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my
Lord, Sit thou on my right hand until I make thy foes thy footstools. Therefore let all the house of
Israel know assuredly that God hath made the same Jesus whom
ye crucified, both Lord and Christ. But note verse 21. And it shall
come to pass that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord
shall be saved. Those who do not call on the
name of the Lord shall perish. Shall perish. Scripture plainly
declares. And it shall come to pass that
whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Now
Paul proclaimed the deity of Christ in our text and he also
did it again in many other places. 1 Timothy 3, verse 16, and put
your finger in Titus 2.13, and I'll read 1 John 5.20. The Apostle
John declares the eternality as the Son of God. And we know
that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding,
that we may know Him, that is true, and we are in Him, that
is true, even in His Son, Jesus Christ this is the this is the
true God and eternal life Eternal life is only in Christ in him
alone look at Titus 3 16 and without controversy Great is
the mystery of godliness now. Here's the incarnation again.
Here's the incarnation again right before us God himself becoming
flesh without controversy Oh, I'm sorry, it's 1 Timothy 3.16,
I'm sorry, and then Titus 2.13. 1 Timothy 3.16, and without controversy,
great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh. God was Emmanuel, God with us. God himself, the Ancient of Days,
was manifest in the flesh. Manifest in the flesh. justified in the Spirit, seen
of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the
world, and received up into glory. And in Titus 2, verse 13, look
at this, looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing
of our great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ. His deity is plainly,
plainly proclaimed who He is. And we looked at earlier in John
1, 1, John declared the Word who was with God and the Word
who was God. And then he declared in verse
14 that the Word was manifest in the flesh, which ties into
our Scripture in 1 John 5, 20 again. And we know that the Son
of God has come and has given us an understanding that we may
know Him that is true. Now, without Him having given
us an understanding of who Christ is, we'll never know Him, will
we? Without us being born again by
the Holy Spirit of God, We'll never know Christ. But oh, when
God the Holy Spirit regenerates a sinner, when he becomes born
again, oh, he's given an understanding of who Christ is. He's my Savior. He's my Redeemer. I've got no
hope in myself. Do you? If you're hoping in yourself
and you die in your sins, you're going to perish and go to hell
for eternity. There's only hope in Christ.
There's only hope in Christ. There's no hope anywhere else.
Turn, if you would, to Exodus chapter 3. And then put your
finger on John chapter 8. Here, to me, these two portions
of Scripture so plainly declare the deity of Christ. People who are Christians and
people who aren't have all heard the story of Moses and the parting
of the Red Sea. I haven't found too many people
that don't know about that narrative and don't know about that story.
Look at this. Because this really happened.
And look at this. Look at what God says to Moses. This is beautiful. And our King and Savior, the
Lord Jesus Christ, declares His deity of who He is in John chapter
8. Look in Exodus 3, verse 14. And God said unto Moses, look
at this, I am that I am. Now the Israelites knew that
the great I am was God. I am that I am. And He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the
children of Israel, I AM has sent me unto you." Now really,
I like what Brother John says. He says people ask him who he
worships. He says, I worship the great I AM. And that's who
we worship. And people, John was saying,
people say that they, sometimes they say he thinks he's worshipping
himself. He says, no, I'm not worshipping myself. I'm worshipping
the great I am. And this is what this verse,
this is the one who this verse speaks of. Now turn, if you would,
over to John chapter 8. Look at this. Look what our Lord,
this, I remember the first time the Lord revealed this portion
of scripture to who He really is. Look at, this is magnificent.
And these Jews, these Jews, they knew. They absolutely knew. What
he was saying. They knew who he was declaring
himself to be. They didn't believe it. But look
what he did. And think of this, as we read
this. Remember, the I am is God, who dwells in eternity. The ancient
of days. Look what he says in John chapter
8, verses 56 to 59. Look at this. Your father Abraham
rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it and was glad. Then said
the Jews unto him, now the Jews are looking at the Lord, and
they're thinking, you're just over 30, and you're saying you
knew Abraham? Ah, they don't know who he is,
do they? This is none other than the ancient
of days. God incarnate in the flesh. And look who he identifies
himself to be. This is magnificent. This just
magnifies the deity of Christ. Then said the Jews unto him,
Thou art not fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus
said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham
was, I am. He just identified who he was.
The very one who Moses talked to in the bush. I am that I am. Look at their response. Then
took they up stones to cast at him, but Jesus hid himself and
went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and
so passed by. They knew exactly what he was saying, and they
hated him. He is none other than the Ancient
of Days. And immutability or unchangeableness
is spoken of as our God, of who He is. And the fact that He does
not change is also applied to Christ. Now Malachi 3 says this,
and think of this, beloved, as I read this. Think about this,
we who are redeemed. Think of this. For I the Lord,
for I am the Lord, I change not. Therefore, ye sons of Jacob are
not consumed. Oh my. Oh, the reason the wrath
and justice of God shall never fall upon me is because of the
Lord, not because of anything I did. And I praise God that
He doesn't change. Now, we change all the time,
don't we? But He doesn't change. He doesn't
change. And then it's spoken of in Hebrews
13.8, Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever. I'm trusting
in the one who never changes. Therefore, my salvation is secure
in him. When I was in religion, I was
trusting in myself, trusting in what I could do. Oh, my. Thinking that my good works would
outweigh my bad. I had all bad works. Everything
was tainted with sin. Oh my. But I look to the sinless
One. I look to the sinless One who
died, who died in my room instead on Calvary's cross. And I praise
God that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He's spoken
of in the Scriptures as having all power. All power, the one
who saves us and keeps us has all power, beloved. Isaiah 44,
6 says this, Thus saith the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer,
the Lord of hosts. I am the first and I am the last,
and beside me there is no God. He just declared that He's the
first and the last. Revelation 1, 8, Christ declares, I'm the
Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the ending. Oh, He's God,
God incarnate in the flesh. The beginning and the ending,
saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come,
the Almighty. That's who He is. He is the Almighty. And Christ is all-knowing, as
He knew the thoughts of His disciples and His enemies. In John 2.24
it says, But Jesus did not commit Himself unto them, because He
knew all men. He knew all men. Infinite knowledge
is ascribed to Christ. It's all hidden in Him. All the
treasures of wisdom and knowledge in His deity. His deity appears
in the works which were ascribed to Him. Turn, if you would, to
Colossians 1, 16 and 17. He's the Creator and Sustainer
of all things. He's the Creator and the Sustainer
of all things. So, His deity appears in the
works which are ascribed to Him. Colossians 1, 16 and 17 says
this, for by Him were all things created, by Christ. He's the
Creator, the Word, that are in heaven and that are
on earth, visible and invisible, things we see and things we don't
see. They're all made by Him. Whether they be thrones or dominions
or principalities or powers, all things were created by Him
and for Him. And think of this, the next verse
says, And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist.
The only reason we breathe is the mercy of God. And His deity is manifest by
His works of providence and the universal government, which is
His domain. By Him all things consist. This
is universal. The universal domain of Christ,
right there. And we know that He upholds all
things by the word of His power, doesn't He? He upholds all things
by the word of his power. Who be in the brightness of his
glory and express image of his person and upholding all things
by the word of his power when he had himself purged our sins.
There's Christ. He's the one who purged our sins.
Sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high. It's finished.
Salvation's done. He's the redeemer of his people.
He alone forgives. And we know from the Old Testament
that this is ascribed to God alone. Turn if you would to Micah
chapter 7. Forgiveness of sins is ascribed
to God alone. And Hebrews 1.3 says, When He
had by Himself purged our sins, sat down in the right hand of
the Majesty on high. Look at Micah chapter 7. Micah chapter 7. Who is a God like unto thee?
Who is a God like unto thee? that pardons iniquity and passes
by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage. Our God pardons iniquity. Our God does not retain his anger forever. Our God delights in mercy. He delights in mercy. Look at,
he retaineth not his anger forever because he delighteth in mercy.
He will turn again. He will have compassion on us.
He will subdue our iniquities. Now, I have billions of sins. And so do you. And I can't pay for one. And neither can you. But look what our scripture says
here. He will subdue our iniquities,
and Thou wilt cast all their sins, speaking of His people,
speaking of all who call upon the name of the Lord, Thou wilt
cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. All my sins are forgiven. It's marvelous. My hope's not in me. Our hope's
in Christ. It's in Christ and Him alone.
What a Redeemer. What a Savior. God incarnated
in the flesh. And only God can forgive sins.
And the forgiveness of sins is only in the Lord Jesus Christ,
God incarnate, who died the sinner's substitute on Calvary's cross.
The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom He slew and hanged
on a tree. Him hath God exalted with His
right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, for to give repentance
to Israel and forgiveness of sins. Acts 5, verses 30 and 31. We have redemption only through
the Lord Jesus Christ and Him alone. Ephesians 1.7 says this,
In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of
sins, according to the riches of His grace. Oh, if you're a
believer, you've received mercy. You've been given salvation. Redemption in Christ,
all according to the riches of God's grace. And our King, our
great God and Savior, all judgment is given to Him. All judgment
is given to Him. John 5, 21-24, For as the Father
raises up the dead and quickeneth them, even so the Son quickeneth
whom He will. For the Father judgeth no man,
but hath committed all judgment unto the Son. So the very one
who came to this earth to redeem his people from their sins is
the very one who will judge. I thank God that I'm clothed
in the righteousness of Christ and not in my own self-righteousness. For the Father judges no man,
but hath committed all judgment unto his Son. He has all power.
So when men stand before God, when it's all over, they will
be standing before none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. The
one who we saw in Isaiah. He will be on a throne. And men
will cry for the mountains to cover them. And all men should honor the
Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son
honoreth not the Father, which hath sent Him. Verily, verily,
I say unto you, He that heareth My word and believeth on Him
that sent Me hath everlasting life and shall not come into
condemnation, but is passed from death unto life. Salvation is
in Christ and Him alone. Nowhere else. So, we've seen
in the Scriptures clearly proclaim the deity of our Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ, and the fact that our text proclaims, over all,
God blessed forever. He is the eternal Son of God.
He alone is the Savior of sinners. He alone. May God give you grace
and faith to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Gracious Heavenly
Father, we come before your throne in awe that the Son of God, the
Eternal Son, the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and
that He shed that you, Lord Jesus, God incarnate in the flesh, fully
God and fully man. died in the room and place of
your people before your holy law and before your holy justice,
which we could never satisfy. But oh Lord Jesus, your appreciation
for our sins, your precious blood cleanses us from all our sin.
And we acknowledge that there's salvation in no other, no other
but thee, Lord. Oh, may you grant faith to your
lost sheep. In Jesus' name, amen.