Well, we're still in the book
of Zechariah. We had one message from it earlier,
and I want to come into chapter six this week. I think these
are some of the most profound words that you will find anywhere,
and the more you dig, the more you discover that there's yet
more to find. You know, it's a characteristic,
a trait of man that separates man out from the animals, from
creatures that are not made, as the Bible says about man,
in the image of God. Because man seeks to find out
about what's the reason for his existence. Philosophy, for example,
I got the Oxford English Dictionary definition of it, and I won't
read it all, but it says it's the use of reason and argument
in seeking truth and knowledge of reality. And it talks about
exploring the principles governing existence. And it's a high aspiration
to aspire to that sort of knowledge. The knowledge of who we are,
why we are, where we're from, where we're going, it's high.
It's a characteristic of sentient beings made in the image of God.
It's high reasoning, and there is undoubtedly some wisdom in
philosophy and the wisdom of this world. Undoubtedly there
is some wisdom in it, don't dismiss it, but it will always fall short
of divine truth. Divine truth is the truth. All
human truth is tainted by sin and corruption from the fall
in the Garden of Eden. It's tainted from that. Where
there was perfect communion with God without any sin between,
there was perfect knowledge, but sin has brought in a corruption
of that. And so now, the best, the highest
of human wisdom will fall short of divine truth. As 1 Corinthians
2.14 says, the natural man doesn't receive the things of the Spirit
of God, God's truth. Why? Because they're foolishness
to him. Neither can he know them. Why?
Because they are spiritually discerned. Where do you get spiritual
discernment? It is the gift of God. It is
the gift of God. O Lord, give me spiritual discernment. Give me that which the natural
man doesn't have naturally. I can't attain it unless you
give it. Give me that spiritual understanding,
I pray. Because you see, when he does,
we see that other Corinthians verse, 2nd Corinthians chapter
4 verse 6, which tells us, that the God who caused light to shine
in the darkness, when in the beginning, in Genesis, God said,
let there be light, and there was light, and God saw the light,
that it was good. God who caused light to shine
in the darkness, we read there, has shined in our hearts to give
us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, where? In
the face of Jesus Christ. That's the highest. attainment
of knowledge, is to know God in Jesus Christ, because there
you see the light of the knowledge of the glory of God. Truth, real,
objective truth, truth is that which is God by definition. You know, there isn't some subjective
standard, it is God, truth is God, and truth is revealed by
the Spirit of God. in the soul of God, through the
Word of God. Oh, thank God for His Word. 2
Timothy chapter 3 and verse 16 says this, all Scripture is given
by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for
reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all
good works. It's profitable. It's profitable. It's a profitable thing, is to
get this knowledge from God. It's profitable for eternal life. Would you have eternal life?
Would you? This Word, this Scripture, it's
profitable for all those things that show us eternal life. It
shows sinners. This Word shows sinners by that
which it reveals of the truth of God. It shows sinners who
are aliens from God, who are enemies of God by nature. It
shows the answer to the question posed by Job. Job chapter 9 and
verse 2. How should a man be just with
God? How can a man who is a sinner
be counted just and acceptable? In the eyes of the one who is
infinitely perfect. How should he do? It's in this
book. This is where it is. revealing where we find what
we're told to pursue, to follow after, the holiness without which
no man shall see the Lord. Would you see God in glory? Would you live for eternity with
the God who made this universe? You must be holy. Where are we
going to find that holiness? We're told to pursue it. Answer?
Only in God himself. I'm going to turn you to some
scriptures this morning. You can note them down and look them
up later if you like, but try and stick with me. Jeremiah 33
verse 15. Jeremiah 33 and verse 15. We read this. We read this. In those days, and at that time,
I will cause the branch of righteousness to grow up into David, and he
shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. In those days shall
Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely. And this
is the name wherewith she shall be called, the Lord our righteousness. Where do we find the righteousness
that we must pursue, follow after, if we're to see the Lord? Only
in God himself, who is the Lord our righteousness. He is revealed
as the branch, the branch. And it's only in God himself
who is revealed as the branch, are we who by nature are God's
enemies as sinners from birth, only in Him are we made His temple. What's His temple? It's the place
where God dwells with His people. He dwells with them in perfect
communion, and His people are His temple. And how is the branch
revealed to us? How is he revealed to us, the
one in whom we have the righteousness that God demands, the one in
whom we are part of the dwelling of God by his making? How is
it, how is he revealed to us? In the Bible, in this book, in
these 66 books of the Bible, miraculously preserved down the
generations for us. In John chapter 5, 39, John records
the words of Jesus. When he was speaking to the Pharisees
who disbelieved him, he said to them, you search the Scriptures,
for in them, the Scriptures, you think that you have eternal
life. Well, you're dead right in that. You won't find the answer
to the quest for ultimate knowledge outside of the Scriptures. He
said, these scriptures are the ones that speak of me. What an arrogant claim, if he
were not who he said he was, the Son of God. In Luke chapter
24, just turn there, just for a moment, I don't want to spend
too much time, but just look there. In Luke chapter 24, we
have the account of the risen Lord Jesus Christ. walking along
the road to Emmaus, a village not far from Jerusalem, with
two of the disciples who were sorrowful in heart that their
Lord had been crucified and buried, and they were so downcast about
it, and a man comes alongside them, and it's the risen Lord
Jesus Christ. And in verse 27 we read that
this man, the risen Lord Jesus Christ, beginning at Moses in
the Scriptures, the books of Moses, the five books of the
Pentateuch, and all the prophets, he expounded to them in all the
Scriptures the things concerning himself. The key to truth is
him, the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. Look at verse
44. He then goes and he meets with the disciples when they're
gathered together after his resurrection. He said unto them, these are
the words which I spake unto you while I was yet with you,
that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law
of Moses and in the prophets and in the Psalms concerning
me." This is a man speaking to them. This is a special man.
This is God. This is the God-man. Then he
opened their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures. Oh, that God today, if you're
listening to this now, watching this now, oh that God would open
your understanding, that you might understand the Scriptures
and how they reveal the Lord Jesus Christ to us. This is soul
quickening, giving life to your soul, your immortal soul. It
concerns the revelation of sin, for God reveals what you truly
are compared with Him. How great is the gulf and the
chasm between God who is holy and us and what we are by nature
in thought and word and deed from our birth. What we are is
sin. And how His justice, His holiness,
His righteousness, His unchangeable character cannot abide sin. He
tells us that. And yet how, in His Son, in this
one that we've been speaking of, in the Lord Jesus Christ,
He accomplished redemption from the curse of sin. Redemption
is the purchase price, to pay the purchase price for the sin
debt. And He brings us to belief. And
bringing us to belief, He opens our eyes to look and to behold
the Lord Jesus Christ in all of His saving grace and glory.
And that gives us life. I am come that they might have
life, said Jesus, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Would you not want that abundant life that is found in the truth
of God? So as we look at this, can I
ask you to come to it as the noble Bereans. In the Acts of
the Apostles, Paul the Apostle was treated terribly most places
he went. He was stoned, he was whipped,
he was put into prison, he was treated badly many places that
he went. But there was a group of people
called the Bereans who were noble. In what sense? They examined
the Scriptures. They said, we're hearing this
man, Paul, tell us these doctrines. What are we going to do? Are
we going to stone him for it? Are we going to put him in prison
for it? No. Let's open our Bibles, the Scriptures that they had,
and let's examine what he is saying to see whether it's in
accord with what the Scriptures reveal. And you know, they found
it was. They searched the Scriptures.
So, back to Zechariah chapter 6. We read in verse 12, In the
middle of verse 12, speak to him, saying, Thus speaketh the
Lord of hosts, Behold the man whose name is the branch, and
he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple
of the Lord. Even he shall build the temple
of the Lord, and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and
rule upon his throne, and he shall be a priest upon his throne,
and the council of peace shall be between them both. Remarkable
words, as I've said. Remarkable words. The prophecy
of Zechariah is at the time of the return from the 70 years
of Babylonian captivity. And the prophet Haggai says the
same, it's the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, it's that time of rebuilding
at the command of Cyrus and then of Darius, these Medo-Persian
emperors who took over from the Babylonians at the end of that
period. The Chaldeans were punished for
their sin, but the Medes and the Persians took over from them,
and at their order, by God's determined counsel and foreknowledge
and intent, they were sent back to rebuild the Temple and to
rebuild Jerusalem, and yet they were flagging. And so these prophets
were raised up, Haggai and Zechariah, to encourage the people to complete
the work of building the Temple 400-500 years before Christ would
come, because it was such a picture of Him who would come in whom
we might have eternal life. And There were two leaders, there
was Zerubbabel who was the rightful king in Judah, he had the line
of descent from the kings of Judah, and then there was this
man Joshua the high priest. Do you know Joshua is the Old
Testament name for Jesus? There was another Joshua who
took over from Moses, after the coming out from Egypt and through
the wilderness wanderings and into the promised land, that
Joshua. It means Savior. Joshua is Savior. And here's another one. Joshua.
He's the high priest. And there's a ceremony takes
place. And the ceremony is there in verse 11, Take silver and
gold, and make crowns, And set them upon the head of Joshua
the son of Josedek the high priest, And speak unto him, to Joshua,
saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the
man whose name is the branch, Behold the man whose name is...
Look at this man believing in the Messiah to come. Effectively,
Zechariah is saying, look at this man, this high priest Joshua,
crowned with a crown of silver and a crown of gold, And in him
see a picture of the Messiah who is to come. The true man
from God. Look at him believing in the
Messiah to come. This is a call from God to you
and to me. To believe. To believe. Behold the branch. Believe in
the branch. Believe in what this man Joshua,
with his crowns on his head, represents. Believe in what?
Answer? A man. Believe in a man. A true man, pictured by Joshua,
crowned with crowns. Not Joshua, but pictured by Joshua. He has a crown of silver, which
speaks of the priesthood. Priesthood speaks of interceding
between fallen man, sinful man, and holy infinite God. Interceding,
bridging the gap. He speaks of intercession, the
priesthood, and he speaks of gold. The crown of gold speaks
of kingship and sovereignty. He is king of kings and lord
of lords. The one who will come is the
king of kings. The kingdom of this world is
become, says Revelation, the kingdom of our God and of his
Christ. He's king of kings, a crown of
gold. Believe in a unique man who is
sovereign ruler is the call from God. He is the one revealed in
the New Testament as the one who is made for his people, as
1 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 30 says, he is made for his people
Wisdom from God. Ah, you might seek after wisdom
in this world, but wouldn't you want wisdom from God? wisdom
from God, and righteousness. Where do you get the righteousness
that you need, without which no man shall see the Lord? Christ
is made unto us, wisdom from God, and righteousness. And we
need to be wholly set apart for the service of God. He's made
sanctification to us, and He's made redemption, that the price
for sin which separates us from God is paid and discharged. Basically, Behold, the man whose
name is the branch is a call from God to sinners to trust
his Son, whose name is the branch, whose name is the One who is
God, growing in his own creation as a tender plant. If you look
at Isaiah 53 in verse 2, don't turn there now, but Isaiah 53
is that great chapter of Isaiah that talks about the redeeming
suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ, the servant of God, who comes
in the place of his people to bear the punishment of God's
justice for sin in their place. By his stripes we are healed. He opened Notti's mouth, he was
led as a lamb to the... all of that's there, but in verse
2, right at the start, he talks of him saying, he grows up as
a tender plant, as a root out of dry ground. This is God, formed
in the womb of a virgin, growing up as a root out of dry ground.
And he's always fully God, but as he grows, this is what that
scripture is saying, a root out of a dry ground, growing into
the full revelation of God. If I can put it that way, I'm
treading carefully not to be in any way blasphemous. He is
the revelation of the true God. This man is the revelation of
the true God and he grows from this embryo and he's born in
Bethlehem and he grows into this man in whom we read in Colossians
chapter 2 verse 9, the fullness of the Godhead dwelt bodily in
him. Can you get your head anywhere
near around that? The fullness of the Godhead dwelt
bodily in this man. As various hymn writers have
put it, God contracted to a span. miraculously made man. I can't
remember how the rhyme goes. He was fully God. Philippians
chapter 2 tells us that he thought it not robbery to be equal with
God. He was in the form of God and
thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself
of no reputation. Why? He came down, humbled himself,
for a little while made lower than the angels, that in this
form of a man In the likeness of sinful flesh, he might do
what God, who is Spirit, cannot do, and that's to suffer and
to pay the penalty for the sins of a people he loved with an
everlasting love from before the beginning of time, that they
might be made the righteousness of God in him. There are six
other texts that refer to the branch in scripture. You might
think, what an odd name to call God who came. Behold the man
whose name is the branch. Well if you look back, you don't
even need to turn a page in most settings of the Bible, if you
look back at chapter 3 and verse 8, Hear now, O Joshua the high
priest, thou and thy fellows that sit before thee, for they
are men wondered at, for behold, I will bring forth my servant
the branch. For behold, the stone that I
have laid before Joshua, upon one stone shall be seven eyes,
and so on. Again, it's speaking of Christ. That chapter 3 of
Zechariah, read it for yourself, but it's talking about salvation,
redemption. Here is Joshua pictured with
Satan accusing him of not being fit for heaven, and The Lord
rebukes Satan. And the Lord strips off the filthy
clothing from Joshua. And the Lord plucks him as a
brand. Do you know a brand is a piece
of wood. You get a bonfire going and there's lots of twigs sticking
out. And there's bits that are not burning and the other end's
burning and that's a brand. And you pull one of them out
and you put the fire out. That's a brand plucked from the
burning. Plucked out of the fire. Verse 2 of chapter 3. and he
takes off his filthy garments, and he clothes him. He clothes
him with a change of raiment, and he sets a fair mitre on his
head. He washes him, he strips him
of his filthy clothing, representing sin. He clothes him with salvation
garments. Oh, how the scripture hangs together. Isaiah 61 and verse 10, rejoicing
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he set
a fair mitre of holiness on his head. How was that accomplished? By one sacrifice for sin forever. Read that chapter, we don't have
time now. But back to Jeremiah 33 and verse 15, because as I
read before, shortly, this is the branch, again, in those days,
Jeremiah 34 verse 15, in those days and at that time, will I
cause the branch of righteousness to grow up into David, David
the king, the kingly line, I will set a king over my people. David
represented the Messiah as king over the people of God. And he
shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. In those days shall
Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely. And this
is the name wherewith she shall be called, the Lord our righteousness."
This is talking about substitution. where the Lord Jesus Christ,
the branch, the man, the Messiah, the man from God, the God-man,
he is the one who came in the place of his people to answer
the demands of the law of God, the justice of God, the holiness
of God. What's the demands of the holiness of God? The soul
that sins, it shall die. That's it. Somebody must die
for it. The penalty that must be paid
is death. Either you die yourself for it,
eternally, or one dies in your place. One pays the penalty in
your place. This is the branch. The man whose
name is the branch. We read in the New Testament
in 2nd Corinthians 5 verse 21, God has made him who knew no
sin, oh he was made in the likeness of sinful flesh, yet without
sin. There was no spot upon him. He
said to the Jews, which of you accuses me, convicts me of sin? Not a solitary one of them could
answer him. He made him who knew no sin to be sin. God made him,
his perfect, sinless son, to be sin. Did he ever commit a
sin? He never committed a solitary
sin, yet he was made to bear that sin. He bore the sins of
his people in his own body, on the cursed tree, to pay the penalty
for their sin. He was made sin that we. Who's we? His people. Who's his
people? the ones that believe Him, the
ones that trust in Him, that we, His people, might be made,
what? Here, wait for it, here it is,
the righteousness of God in Him. Have you ever heard better news
than that? A sinner facing death, knowing
that it is appointed to man to die once and then the judgment,
and how dreadful will that judgment be if you bear it on your own.
But He has made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that
we might be made the very thing that God demands of us, righteousness
in Him. So in Him, His people, who are
His people? those who behold the man whose
name is... God calls, behold the man whose
name is the branch, behold him, believe on him. They are named,
according to Jeremiah 33 verse 15, they are named, verse 16
sorry, the Lord our righteousness. This is the name with which she
is called. Jerusalem, the people of God.
Judah represents the people of God. Not just a plot of land
in the Middle East, but the people of God, of all tribes and tongues
and kindreds, as Revelation says. They are named the Lord our righteousness. Now look at 23. Jeremiah 23. Some of you will remember that
we've looked at this before. But Jeremiah 23, verse 5. Behold, The days come, they're gospel
days, they're days of good news from God, saith the Lord, that
I will raise unto David a righteous branch, there it is again, the
branch, and a king shall reign and prosper, king of kings and
lord of lords, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
In his days, Judah, the people of God, shall be saved, and Israel,
the people of God, shall dwell safely. And this is his name. not her name, this is the name
wherewith she shall, no, this is his name whereby he shall
be called, in capital letters, the Lord our righteousness. So all who behold the branch
see him as God, in his obedience, death,
and satisfaction to the demands of the law of God, they see Him
as the Lord their righteousness. In complete unity with Him, from
before the beginning of time, in the sovereign grace of God,
His people are united with Him, so that He is called the Lord
Our Righteousness, but she is called the Lord Our Righteousness.
His people are called the Lord Our Righteousness. All this is
theirs in Him by eternal union. So that John writes in his first
epistle, chapter 4, verse 17, as He, Christ, Lord Jesus Christ,
as He is, so are we in this world. And so we have boldness in the
day of judgment. Boldness! Come and approach boldly
before the throne of grace. I've used this before, and please
don't take it in any way irreverent. It's meant to convey the true
meaning of what this is. As He is, so are we. He is the
Lord our righteousness, His people are His bride. There's a marriage
supper of the Lamb coming in eternity. There's the consummation
of that eternal betrothal of Christ with His people, the multitude
that no man can number, from every tongue and tribe and kindred
of people that believe Him, that people that behold the Lamb,
that behold the man whose name is the branch. And so, they are
Mr. and Mrs. the Lord our righteousness. Can you get that? Mr. and Mrs. the Lord are righteous. Is that
not what it's saying? There's another text. Keep going.
These texts about the branch. Isaiah 11 and verse 1. There
shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse. Jesse was
the father of David, King David, you know with all those sons
and Samuel said have you got not got another son when he checked
all the older ones oh well there's little David the shepherd boy
but you don't want to see him oh yes I do go and get him and
there he was God's anointed. There shall Come forth a rod
out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch, there it is again,
shall grow out of his roots, and the Spirit of the Lord shall
rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the
Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge, and
the fear of the Lord. There the word is Netzach. Now I'm no linguistic expert,
so I have to believe what others that I trust tell me, but that's
the same word from which we get the term Nazarite or Nazarene. It says, you have to read in
Numbers chapter 6 to see it there laid down. It's total dedication
to the service of God. Total dedication to the service
of God. And in Numbers chapter 6, all
the blessings that God pours on his people are all in the
Nazirite, in the Nazarene. But there's only one. the boy
who grew up in Nazareth, Nazareth in Galilee. Oh, the wisdom of
God. Isn't it amazing how it hangs
together? The Nazarite, all of the blessings on God's people
are via the Nazirite, the Nazarene. And there's only one true Nazarene,
only one, there can only be one, and that is Christ and him alone.
He is from the royal line of Jesse, who was David's father.
He was born, where was Jesus born? Although he was a Nazirite
who grew up in Nazareth, where was he born? in the city of David. The city of David? Jesse's city. Bethlehem. Bethlehem. Bethlehem
of Judea. The house of bread is what Bethlehem
means. In the house of bread came down
from heaven the true manna, the true bread from heaven, the true
bread of life. who came down from heaven to
feed his people spiritual food, for man shall not live by bread
alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
And who is that manna, that bread from heaven? It's the Lord Jesus
Christ himself, of whom the manna in the wilderness was just purely
a picture. Turn back to Isaiah chapter 4.
Isaiah chapter 4 and verse 2 and 3. In that day shall the branch
of the Lord be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the
earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped
of Israel. And it shall come to pass that he that is left
in Zion and he that remaineth in Jerusalem shall be called
holy, even everyone that is written among the living in Jerusalem.
You see, behold, and you see the beautiful and glorious branch
of the Lord. Those who see it by faith is
everyone that is written among the living in Jerusalem. Isn't
that what it said? Read it again. Everyone that is written among
the living in Jerusalem. Do you know what that's referring
to? it's referring to what we read about in the Book of Revelation,
the Lamb's Book of Life. I won't give you all the references,
read it for yourself. Again and again we read about
the Lamb's Book of Life. The books are opened and everyone's
judged according to their deeds, but not those whose names are
written in the Lamb's Book of Life. The disciples were sent
out by Jesus in his ministry. to cast out demons and to heal
the sick. And they came back rejoicing
because even the devils are subject to us in the name of the Lord
Jesus Christ. And Jesus says to them, rejoice not that the
spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names
are written in heaven. You're in the Lamb's book of
life. You're amongst everyone that is written among the living
in Jerusalem. Then finally, Psalm 80 and verse
5, the branch that God made strong for himself. Psalm 80 and verse
5, if I can find it, hold on. thou feedest them with the bread
of tears, and the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted,
and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself, the vine that God planted in
his church, from whom all the branches of
the vine receive their life-giving sap. Do you remember Jesus talked
about him being the vine and you are the branches? Abide in
me and you'll bear much fruit. The branch is the Nazarite. He's
the Messiah, is how some translate it. He's the, and again here
I'm not a linguist, but he's the XMU however you pronounce
that, which is the sprout, the sprout. the plant of renown. He's the Lord Jesus Christ. In
His face alone do we see, what I read earlier, the light of
the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
In Him alone, by the accomplishment of this man, whose name is the
branch, at Calvary, on that cross, when His blood was shed and His
life was poured out to pay the penalty of the sins of His people,
in Him God can remain perfectly just in that he never, ever lets
any sin go unpunished. Never, ever, ever. God is strictly
just and yet, he's a saviour. He's a just God and a saviour.
He's just and the justifier of those who are sinners because
of what this man, who is the branch, has accomplished. So
that we might know him. and be with him for eternity.
Look at what Zechariah 6 verse 12 tells us about this branch,
and I'll be very quick in finishing. Look what it says there. Behold
the man whose name is the branch. He shall grow up out of his place. He shall grow up out of his place. The words, honestly, the economy
of the Bible, of the inspired Word of God in conveying the
deepest truth. He shall grow up, well first
of all superficially, he shall grow up out of the place of this
man Joshua that you're looking at in this ceremony with his
crowns on. This man's going to die but Christ
shall come in his place, the true, the true priest in the
temple of God, the true high priest over his people in the
true temple of God, which is the church of God, which is the
building made of the living stones of his people. Joshua is just
a picture, but he'll grow up out of the place. Look at this
man and then think on the Messiah and behold the Messiah by faith.
Look at what you see by faith. But it's more than that. He shall
grow up out of his place. He shall grow up out of Bethlehem,
of Jesse, the city of Jesse, the city of David, the house
of bread. He shall grow up out of there,
where he will be born of a virgin's womb. And in that virgin's womb,
you know, we often think of ourselves, as Psalm 139, 14 says, I am fearfully
and wonderfully made. Well, yes, we all are fearfully
and wonderfully made. But do you know who it's really
talking about? Do you know the pinnacle of this
is this man whose name is the branch. Wasn't he fearfully and
wonderfully made? When the angel came to Mary,
she said, How can this be? I'm going to have a child, I'm
going to have a son. How can this be, seeing I know not a
man? The Holy Ghost shall come upon you, and that which is born
in you shall be called the Son of God, said the angel to her.
This is where a body was prepared. In Hebrews chapter 10 you read
about this. Lo, I come, in the volume of
the book it is written of me, to do thy will, O God. A body
was prepared, a body in which God would redeem his people from
the curse of the law. A body was prepared for him,
there, in that womb, in that virgin, born in Bethlehem of
Judea. But not as though his beginning
was there. Look, turn back to Micah, chapter
5. Micah chapter 5 and verse 2,
and here again you see the wonderful wisdom of God's Spirit in revealing
these things. There's all sorts of political
stuff being said, but verse 2 of chapter 5 of Micah, But thou,
Bethlehem Ephrathah, there's more than one Bethlehem, but
this is the one in Judah, down in the south, not far from Jerusalem.
Though thou be little, among the thousands of Judah, you know
any special place compared with other places, yet out of thee,
out of you, Bethlehem, shall come forth unto me that is to
be ruler in Israel, the king of his people. Now listen, he
shall grow up out of his place. What's his place? Whose goings
forth have been from of old, from everlasting. He didn't begin
in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago. His goings forth have been from
old. His goings forth have been from
everlasting. There never was a time when he
was not there. I won't for the sake of time
read it now, but read Proverbs chapter 8, read Colossians chapter
1, read Hebrews chapter 1. The eternal God became man to
accomplish redemption for his betrothed's bride. He grew up
out of his place. Secondly, he shall build the
temple of the Lord. And in case you didn't hear it,
13. Even he shall build the temple
of the Lord. I'm not going to go again in
depth because we've seen it in the several weeks past. We've
seen several times. The temple pictures God in Christ
dwelling among his people. It prefigures heaven, where God
will perfectly dwell with his people, and his people with him.
It pictures eternal communion between his people and their
God, and God and his people. It pictures living stones, not
stones cut from a quarry, but living stones cut from the quarry
of humanity, knit together and founded on the chief cornerstone
as the foundation. Read about it in Ephesians chapter
2 and 1 Peter chapter 2. We've done it before, so I'm
not going to repeat it now. This is his kingdom, his kingdom,
his church, his temple. This is what he will build. He
shall build his church. He shall build his temple. And
the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. This is in opposition
to the kingdom of this world and Satan and his two beasts
that you'll read about in Revelation 13. This is the new Jerusalem
that John saw coming down out of heaven as a bride prepared
for her husband. This is the heavenly city which
has foundations that Abraham looked forward to. A city which
has foundations whose builder and maker is God. Oh, to be counted
a citizen by grace of that city. If the branch has built it, nothing
can destroy it. Next, he shall bear the glory. Just bear with me because I'm
not going to be long. I'm going to be another two or three minutes. That's
all. He shall bear the glory, the glory of God. The glory of
God is grace. Moses said, show me your glory.
And what did God show him? that He is a God of grace, of
sovereign grace. I will be gracious to whom I
will be gracious, and have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
This is God's sovereign grace. That's His chief glory, and it's
found only in the man whose name is the branch. Truly, listen
to what Psalm 21 verse 5 says, the same Spirit of God that inspired
all the rest. His glory is great in thy salvation. Honour and majesty hast thou
laid upon him. Who else is this speaking of
other than Christ, the man whose name is the branch. Next, he
shall sit and he shall rule upon his throne. His work of redemption
is finished. He cried it on the cross at Calvary
in John. When you read it there, he cried,
it is finished, because he had paid the full penalty of the
law for the redemption of the people he loved from before the
beginning of time. And therefore, because it's finished,
His rest is glorious. Isaiah 11 verse 10 says, His
rest is glorious. The Sabbath, of which the day
in the Old Testament was just a picture, is fulfilled in Him. His Sabbath rest is glorious. And there remains therefore a
rest to the people of God, says Hebrews 4 verse 9. He is a priest
upon his throne. Normally kings sit upon thrones,
but he is a priest who is also a king on his throne. Because
there is one mediator between God and man, the man whose name
is the branch, Christ Jesus. The counsel of peace shall be
between them both. Peace with God. I'll just quote
one verse to you, Romans 5. verses 1 and 2, therefore being
justified by faith, by what you see and believe, by what you
see of what Christ has accomplished and believe in of what Christ
has accomplished, therefore being justified by faith we have peace
with God. You who are enemies of God by
nature, What a glorious statement. You have peace with God through
our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also we have access by faith
into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in the hope of the
glory of God. The wisdom of this world, I'll
finish with this, the wisdom of this world versus the wisdom
of God. I'm going to read some verses
from 1 Corinthians chapter 1, because you see, True wisdom
is in this man, whose name is the branch. In 1 Corinthians
1, verse 18, I'm going to read down to verse 24, and then we'll
close. The preaching of the cross, that's of Christ dying on the
cross and shedding his blood for sinners, is to them that
perish foolishness. But unto us which are saved,
it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy
the wisdom of the wise, wisdom of this world, and I will bring
to nothing the understanding of the prudent, those who think
they're prudent in this world. Where is the wise? Where is the
scribe? Where is the disputer of this
world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For
after that in the wisdom of God, the world by its wisdom knew
not God, it pleased God, by the foolishness of preaching what's
going on now and what you're listening to now and others like
it to save them that believe for the jews require a sign and
the greeks seek after wisdom but we preach christ crucified
unto the jews a stumbling block and unto the greeks foolishness
but unto them which are called both jews and greeks doesn't
matter who you are what race you're from christ the power
of God, and the wisdom of God. That's what we preach. That's
what we preach. By this message, and many others like it, God
is calling you, all who hear, to behold the man whose name
is the branch. And in looking to him, you will
find true life for now and on into eternity after your mortal
body has died. Amen.