Evening, everybody. If you want
to turn to Exodus chapter 21. Exodus 21. This evening we're going to consider one of
the Hebrew civil laws. This is the law of the Hebrew
bond slave. This is my thought on this. This
is my prayer for tonight. is that we would see Christ in
this. And because we don't, we've just missed it. I'm gonna read
it once, make some comments, and work through it, and pray
the Lord would show us Christ in this scripture. Pick up in
verse one of Exodus chapter 21. Now these are the judgments which
thou shalt set before them. This is the Lord speaking to
Moses. In chapter 20, The Lord had given the Ten Commandments
from Sinai. He'd done it by himself. It was
his voice, the Chakat that cried from the mountain. And there
were thunderings, and there was fire, and there was a trumpet.
And at the end, the people went to Moses and they said, don't
let him speak to us anymore. You speak to him. And you come
back and you tell us what he has to say. We can't bear his
voice anymore. It's terrifying. We're afraid we're going to die.
He gave the commandments from Sinai, and then he went on, and
through Moses, he gave the civil law. That's what we're gonna
see in the 21st chapter. And the very first civil law
he gives is this law of the Hebrew bond slave. Now go down to verse
two. It says, if thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he
shall serve, and in the seventh, he shall go out free for nothing. Now there were two circumstances
under which you could end up a Hebrew bond servant. Number
one was this, you had accrued a great debt and you could not
pay your debt. And the second one was this,
if you'd stole a man's livestock and when the restitution came,
it came to court, they said, you owe him a hundred bucks,
you couldn't pay the restitution. If one of those two circumstances
arose, then you were sold as a slave and you served for six
years. And at the end of that six-year period, on the first
day of the seventh year, you were free. Free from nothing. Now look down at verse three.
If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself. If he
were married, then his wife shall go out with him. If his master
hath given him a wife, and she hath borne him sons or daughters,
the wife and her children shall be her masters, and he shall
go out by himself. If he came into this state of
bondage, this Hebrew bond slave, if he came in by himself, and
his master gave him a wife during that period, and she bare him
children, a Gentile wife, when the seventh year came, that first
day, and he said, I want my freedom, I want to leave, I want out of
here, that wife, that wife that his master gave him, the children
that she bore him, that was considered property of the master. And if
he wanted freedom at the beginning of that seventh year, he could
leave, but he couldn't leave with his wife and children. I
go now to verse five. And if the servant shall plainly
say, and that statement, plainly say, what that means is free
of coercion, completely and utterly voluntary, nobody twisting his
arm, this is truly what he desires. And if that servant shall plainly
say, I love my master, my wife, and my children, I will not go
out free. Then his master shall bring him
unto the judges. He shall also bring him to the
door, or unto the doorpost. And his master shall bore his
ear through with an awl. And he shall serve him forever. Now here's my question. Pre-eminently,
this Hebrew bond slave, who does this typify? Who does this represent?
I'm gonna give some scriptures to show you this. I'll tell you
this one. This is Luke 24, verse 27. This
is after the Lord was speaking with his disciples. There's a
commentary on it. It says, in beginning at Moses
and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures. Don't miss that. In all the scriptures,
the things concerning himself. Now, last time I was with you,
we talked about this. We read this book, and there's several
things I read in here I just don't understand. I do not know what
it means. But folks, we know exactly what
it means. In all the scriptures, in every scripture, it all concerns
one person. It concerns Christ. That's it.
Now, let me give you this scripture. Turn over to Psalm chapter 40. This is David speaking, but this
is David speaking in the Messianic. These are the words of the Lord
Jesus Christ. Psalm 40, and I want you to look
at verse six. Verse six says, sacrifice and
offering thou didst not desire, mine ears hast thou opened. Now, folks, I want the Lord to
open my ears. I want the Lord to open your
ears. I want him to grant the hearing ear because that's the
only way we will hear the gospel effectually and prick us in the
heart. But that's not what that's talking about. That is talking,
that is the Lord's declaration that he is the Hebrew bond slave.
He is the servant. He said, I'm the one who said,
I love my master. I love my wife, I love my children. He's the one who walked over
to the door and said, Father, bore my ear through with thee
all. Do it, I'm the servant forever. That is his declaration. If there's
any question about who's speaking here, look down at verse seven.
Then said I, lo, I come in the volume of the book it is written
of me. I delight to do thy will, O my God, yea, thy law is within
my heart. Can David say that? Lo, I come
in the volume of the book it is written of me. Who's the only
one who can say that? That's Christ. He is the Hebrew
bond slave. Now let me give you this last
one. Turn to Matthew chapter 20. Matthew chapter 20 and pick up
in verse 20. Then came to him the mother of
Zebedee's children with their sons, worshiping him and desiring
a certain thing of him. And he said unto her, what wilt
thou? She saith unto him, grant that these my two sons may sit,
the one on thy right hand and the other on thy left, in thy
kingdom. Now before we are too hard on
this woman, I don't blame her in a bit. That's exactly where
I want my kids to sit. I want them to be as close to
the Lord Jesus Christ as humanly possible. And the Lord does not
harshly rebuke her either. Look here in verse 22. But Jesus
answered and said, ye know not what ye ask. Now he's turned
to the boys, these two sons. Are you able to drink of the
cup that I shall drink of and to be baptized with the baptism
that I am baptized with? What he's saying there is here's
the cup that I'm going to drink your sins. I'm going to be made
your sins. I'm going to be made the sins
of the elect. In that cup is your sins and
in that cup is the wrath of God and I'm going to drink it. I'm
going to be baptized under the fiery wrath of God. But for the first
time in history, This sacrifice, this sacrifice of myself, it's
going to swallow up the wrath. It's going to swallow up the
fire. Can you boys do that? And listen to how they answered.
They said this. They said unto him, we are able. They had no
idea what they were talking about. Once again, the Lord is gracious.
He does not rebuke these boys. Look what he says, verse 23.
And he saith unto them, ye shall drink indeed of my cup and be
baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with, but to sit
on my right hand and on my left It is not mine to give, but it
shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father."
He said, boys, that's exactly what you're going to do. Because
you're in me, because we share this eternal union, it's your
sins in that cup that I'm going to drink. It's that wrath that's
saved up for your sins. You're in me, and when I go to
the cross, when I bear your sins, I'm bearing you. You indeed will
drink this cup. You indeed are going to be baptized
under the fiery wrath of God, because that's where I'm going,
and you're going with me. He says you're exactly right. You
have no idea what you're talking about, but you're right. Look
at this, verse 24. And when the ten heard it, this
is the disciples, they were moved with indignation against the
two brethren. And what they were thinking was
this, is like, who do these guys think they are? Where do they
get off? You want to sit on the right, you want to sit on the
left. And all they're exposed by that is this, they thought they
were supposed to sit there. That's my seat, that's where I'm supposed
to sit, right there. Look at how the Lord deals with
it. Verse 25, but Jesus called them unto him and said, ye know
that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them and
that they that are great exercise authority upon them. What he's
saying this, he goes, you remove the restraints, give a man some
authority, you know what he's going to do? He's going to exalt
himself. He's gonna step on the head of whoever's below him,
and he's gonna exalt himself. Remove the restraints, that's
what man does every single time. Just give him a little authority.
Look at this, verse 26. But it shall not be so among
you. But whosoever will be great among
you, let him be your minister. And whosoever will be chief among
you, let him be your servant. Even as the son of man came not
to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life
a ransom for many. Now, folks, among the brethren,
the children of God, who is the greatest and who is the chief?
That's Christ. And what office does he declare
himself to hold right here? He says, I'm the servant. Now,
if you want to know what the Hebrew bond slave is all about,
here's what it is. It is how the Lord Jesus Christ
voluntarily became the servant forever to his father, and how
the Lord Jesus Christ voluntarily gave his life as a ransom for
his people. That's what the whole law illustrates. Now, I got six things for you here.
This Hebrew bond slave, this is Christ, but in what way, what
are the parallels? I have six points. First one
is this, the Hebrew bond slave had to be bought. Look at Exodus
21 verse two again. First couple words says, if thou
buy in Hebrew servant. Now that word buy, I looked it
up. The very first time it is used is in Genesis chapter four
and I'm gonna read it where it's used here. It says this, Genesis
chapter four verse one, and Adam knew Eve, his wife, And she conceived
and bear Cain and said, I have gotten. That's how that word
is translated the very first time it is used. I have gotten
a man from the Lord. She believed she had the Christ.
She believed the cane was the fulfillment of that prophecy.
The seed of woman would bruise the serpent's head. She said,
I've gotten, I've gotten a man from the Lord. I've gotten a
Messiah, but he wouldn't come for generations later. But understand
this, the Lord Jesus Christ is the only begotten son of his
father. And I want to read about that
for a second. Turn over to Psalm chapter two. Psalm chapter two, and I want
you to pick up in verse seven. I will declare the decree, the
Lord hath said unto me, thou art my son, this day have I begotten
thee. Notice he did not say this day
I created thee, because that would be inaccurate. The Lord
Jesus Christ had no beginning. He had no end. He never will
have an end. He is eternal. He is the Ancient
of Days, and he will know absolutely no end. He is completely and
utterly independent. He didn't say I created him.
He didn't say I acquired him. There has never been any separation
in the Godhead. The triune God has always dwelled
in complete and utter unity. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
never any separation. He said, this day I have begotten
thee. It means to come forth from.
The Lord Jesus Christ came forth from God. And the point is this,
the Lord Jesus Christ is in fact God himself. Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit dwell in this incarnate man, Jesus Christ. Colossians 2.9 says this, for
in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Everything
God is and every attribute of God is found in this man that
was truly born, this God-man, some 2,000 years ago. He's known
as Jesus of Nazareth. He really is God. And Psalm 2
is gonna tell us some things about him. Look at verse six. It says, yet I have sent my king
upon my holy hill, Zion. That's the first thing they want
to tell us about him is that he's the king. On the day of Pentecost,
in Peter's great sermon, these are his parting words, this is
the last thing he had to say to these people. Therefore, let
all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made
that same Jesus who you have crucified, both Lord and Christ,
King and Savior. What does that mean that he's
the King? It means this, that everything that happens, is simply
and utterly His sovereign will being carried out. He has a will,
He has a holy will, He has a perfect will, and He has the power to
assure His will always comes about. He truly is in control.
But I want to read you something about His will. When the Lord
Jesus Christ was born, it says the whole choir of a heavenly
host cried out. And here's what they said. Glory
to God in the highest, and on earth peace. Goodwill toward
men. He has a will. He has a holy
will, and it's a sovereign will, and it's a will that is always
carried out, but folks, it's a goodwill. Toward his people,
his will is always good. Even in the darkest of things,
even the most terrible trials, we have this promise, folks,
good will toward men. His will, what he is doing with
his people and for his people, even if we can't see it, it's
good. God is good. Our Lord is good
and he's always good, even when we can't see it. It also means
this, if he's king, that means that salvation, it rests in his
hands. That means every man on the face
of the earth that has ever lived, never will live, rests in his
hands, in his sovereign hand, and he can do with him as he
sees fit. He can save or he can damn, and it is completely and
utterly up to him. We deal, folks, with a sovereign
king. That's who we're dealing with.
And that's the first thing scripture wants us to know about this begotten
son, this only begotten, that he is the king. Here's the second
thing it tells us. Look at verse eight. It said,
and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance and the
uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. This only
begotten son, everything he asks of his father, he always gets
it simply because of who he is and what he's done. First John
2.1 says this, my little children, these things write I unto you
that you should not. And if any man sin, meaning when
you do, We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the
righteous. And this advocate, he is different
than any other advocate. He is the son of the judge. And
every time he has a client and he brings him before the judge,
he says, I demand that you declare this man innocent because he
is, in fact, innocent. And the judge says, what is the
evidence? And he holds up his hands with the nail marks in
his hands. And he shows him his side where
the spear pierced him. And every single time the judge
says, that man is innocent, he goes free. That's the advocate
we have with our father. Always gets exactly what he demands
of his father because of who he is and what he's done. This
is the last thing here. Look at verse nine. Thou shalt
break them with a rod of iron. Thou shalt dash them in pieces
like a potter's vessel. This only begotten son of God,
he is in fact all powerful. Matthew 20, 18, and Jesus came
and spake unto them, saying, all power is given unto me in
heaven and in earth. We've touched on this. He has
a will, a holy and a sovereign will, and he has the power to
make his will come about. But, folks, understand this.
This Christ, this Savior, has such power that he can save even
the chiefest of sinner, demanding absolutely nothing from him.
That's the power of this Christ. Are you sinner? The worst man
to ever live? Have nothing to bring before
God? This Christ, this Savior, has the power to save even that
man. And you know what? Even better? He's willing. Second thing. The Hebrew bond
slave was just that. He was a Hebrew. John 1 verse
10 says this, speaking of the Christ, he was in the world and
the world was made by him and the world knew him not. He came
unto his own and his own received him not. The Lord Jesus Christ
was born a Jew. He's born to the tribe of Judah,
and he came unto his own. He came to the Jews, and they
received him not. But understand, folks, those
people are typical. They're just illustrations. They're illustrations
of the entire human race. No man will receive Christ, not
by nature. It says this in Psalm 14, one,
the fool hath said in his heart, no God. And if you read that
in the King James translation, the way they write it is, the
fool has said in his heart, there is no God. But there is in italics,
it's not in the original. The fool has said in his heart,
who's the fool? Every man to ever live. The fool has said
in his heart, no God. Not that he doesn't believe that
there's a God. Go look at a tree. Watch a sunset. Stare in the
eyes of your children and look at the beauty. You know there's
a God. Everybody knows there's a God. That's intuitive. We're
born with that. The fool has said in his heart, no God. I
don't like you the way you are. Sovereign, decision maker, salvation's
in your hands. You hold me accountable. No,
God. You say by grace, you do it all
by yourself. That means all the glory goes
to you. That means I don't get any glory. That means I have
to admit what I and who I am, a sinner and nothing more, worthless,
unable. No, God, no. You see now why
we have to have a savior as described in Psalm 2. Sovereign. His will
overrides mine. All-powerful. Everything he desires
from his father, he gets. We have to have somebody like
that because, folks, this is us. We're the fool. The Hebrew bond slave served
six years. And on the seventh, there was liberty. Now, this
number six, what does that represent? Let me read this to you. This
is Revelation 13, 18. It says, here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding
count the number of the beast, for the mark of the beast. For
it is the number of a man, and his number is 600, three score,
and six. Everybody knows that, 666, the
mark of the beast. The Lord says right here, you
know what that number is? That's the mark of a man. It
represents man. Failure upon failure upon failure. Sin upon sin upon sin. Inability upon inability upon
inability. That's man right there. It's
the number of a man. He's completely and utterly unable.
He can't keep God's holy law. He can't make atonement for his
sins. He can't come to Christ. He can't repent. He lacks all
ability. Failure upon failure upon failure. God won't accept anything from
him. Completely and utterly incapable. But God came in the flesh. I wish I could speak to that
with the appropriate reverence and explain it in some way, but
I can't. God himself came in human flesh. He was born. He came into this
world and he lived like no other man did. He's completely and
utterly unlike any other man, because he's the God man. There
was no failure in him. There was no inability in him.
There was no sin in him. He didn't even have the ability
to sin. All that failure, all that inability,
he knew none of that. And in that, he lived a perfect
life. And he honored God's holy law
in every step he took, in every breath he took, in every word
he said. He believed his father, and he honored his father, and
he kept his holy law. But folks, for the believer,
for those in Christ, that truly is our life. That is our righteousness
before God. When John was going to have to
baptize the Lord, he said, I don't want to do this. This isn't right.
You should be baptizing me. This isn't right. And this is
what the Lord said. Suffer it so for now, for thus
it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Now, we came into
this sinful, wicked, unable state through a man. The Lord always
works through representatives. But we have this beautiful promise
from the scripture, this beautiful vision. If I can be condemned
through the actions of another man, if I can be condemned through
the actions of our first father, Adam, that means I can be exonerated
and I can be saved through the actions of another man. Let me
give you this scripture. Romans 519, for as by one man's
disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall
many be made righteous. His obedience truly is our obedience
before God. But he didn't stop there. He
didn't just live. He stooped first to be made man.
He stooped again to be made sin. He was made the sins of his people.
Second Corinthians 521 says this, 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. In taking on the sins of his
elect, the sins of his people, and suffering under the wrath
of God, and actually dying, he put those sins away and we truly
are righteous in Christ through our union with him. And this
is the end state of it all. This is what Hebrews has to say
is the end state of that offering of himself. It's Hebrews 10,
14. He says, for by one offering he hath perfected forever them
that are sanctified. Completely and utterly perfected
forever. That means there's nothing left
for us to do. There's no works left to perform.
It's complete and utter rest in Christ. Now, what did we just
read about the Hebrew bond slave? Six years he served. And in the
seventh, there was liberty. Seven, what does that represent?
That is the number of perfection. After Christ came to this world
and he perfected forever everybody he came to save, what is there? Now there is liberty. Complete
and utter liberty for everybody in Christ. The law has nothing
to say to you. The law is fulfilled. The law
says that is a righteous man. He's righteous in Christ. Christ
kept the law. You kept the law. He has no sin.
The justice of God has nothing to say to him. Completely and
utterly just. Justified. I demand nothing from
this man. Completely and utterly at liberty. Now I want to show you the effects
of this completion of salvation. Turn over to Deuteronomy chapter
15. This is the exact same law, it's
just written in Deuteronomy here, and I want you to see this. Deuteronomy
15, look at verse 12. Deuteronomy 15, 12. It says, and if thy brother in Hebrew
man or in Hebrew woman be sold unto thee and serve thee six
years, then in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from
thee. And when thou sendest him out
free from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty. Thou shalt
furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy floor,
and out of thy winepress. And of that wherewith the Lord
thy God hath blessed thee, thou shalt give unto him. And thou
shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt.
And the Lord thy God redeem thee, therefore I command thee this
thing this day. Because of the perfection of
salvation in Christ, we have been furnished liberally. We
lack absolutely nothing, completely and utterly justified. completely
and utterly holy in Christ, completely and utterly sanctified, having
a new nature, a perfect man. Everything God requires is liberally
furnished. We lack absolutely nothing. That means there is nothing to
do. Rest, simply and utterly rest in Christ. That's it. For the Hebrew bond slave, His
freedom came without cost. Now we just read salvation cost
Christ everything. It cost him his relationship
with his father for a time. He was separated from his father
being made man. He was separated from the praise of the angels
being made man. He was separated completely and utterly from his
father when he was made sin. He had nothing but his father's
frown. He had nothing but the wrath of God. It cost Christ
everything for a time. but for those he redeemed, for
his people, it costs us absolutely nothing. Let me read you the
scripture. Isaiah 55, one. Ho, everyone that thirsteth.
Come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money, come ye,
buy and eat. Yea, come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price. Now I want to be as clear on
this as I can possibly be. The Lord Jesus Christ did not
perfect salvation for every man. He did not live for every man.
He did not die for every man, because if he did, every man
would be saved. He died for his elect. He perfected
salvation forever for his elect. That's the truth. That's the
truth of this book. But I don't want you to think about whether
you're elect right now. I just want you to answer your question.
Do you need him to have done this for you? Are you so bad
and are you so unable and such a failure in and of yourself
that the only way you can be saved is if this man lived for
you and died for you and was resurrected again for you? Because
if the answer is yes, ho, everyone that thirsteth, what is the requirement? Thirst, a need, do you have a
need? Doesn't say how thirsty you have
to be, do you have a need or are you a sinner? Then come to
the waters, come to Christ, believe on him, trust him, every step
of the way, nothing doubting. Believe on him, trust him. And folks, that action right
there, that action the Lord gives you, that believing on Christ,
that is the very evidence that you're elect. It is the very
evidence that everything that is written in the story, everything
Christ did, he did for you. Five, the Hebrew bond slave could
enter servitude alone or with his bride, but Christ has never
been without his bride. Now, I have no doubt that this
speaks of the eternal union that exists between the Lord Jesus
Christ and his people. There's absolutely no doubt.
Paul said this concerning marriage. He said, in this thing of marriage,
two actually become one flesh. He goes, you're not your own
anymore. You're not two people. You're one person when you get
married. That's it. And he says, this is a mystery. It's a great
mystery. He goes, but I speak of Christ in the church. This
is the reality of it. The union that exists between
the Lord Jesus Christ and the church. We're one. That's real. There's a story that I think
illustrates that better than anything else. Turn over to Hebrews
chapter 7. Give you the back story on this.
Abraham's nephew, Lot, had been kidnapped. And Abraham had to
go rescue him, formed a small army, and he goes and he slaughters
all his enemies, and he rescues Lot, and when he comes back,
he's met by this high priest named Melchizedek. Hebrews 7,
look at verse 1. It says, for this Melchizedek,
king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham,
returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him.
to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being by interpretation
king of righteousness, and after that also king of Salem, which
is the king of peace, without father, without mother, without
descent, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but
made like unto the Son of God, abideth a priest continually.
Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch
Abraham gave the tenth of his spoils. So Abraham comes back,
and this priest, Melchizedek, and I have no doubt this is a
pre-incarnate version of the Lord Jesus Christ, without father,
without mother, without beginning of days or end of life, abiding
a priest forever, continually. This is Christ. When he came
back from saving Lot, and he delivered Lot safe and sound,
he gave a tenth of his spoils, he paid tithes to Melchizedek. That's what Abraham did. Now,
I want you to see this. Look down at verse nine. This
is very clear language. And as I may so say, Levi also,
Levi is Abraham's son, but he has not been born yet. Levi also,
who receiveth tithes, paid tithes in Abraham, for he was yet in
the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him. Now this
is amazing, folks, but it says he was in the loins of his father.
As long as Abraham was, Levi was. Concerning the elect, every
elect child of God, as long as Christ has been, and listen,
I feel stupid talking about this stuff. This is too high for me
to understand. As long as Christ has been, we
have been in him, a part of him. And consider the language here.
It does not say that when Abraham paid tithes, it was as if Levi
paid tithes as well. And it does not say when Abraham
paid tithes, It was counted to Levi's charge. It does not say
that. It says when Abraham paid tithes, Levi paid tithes. And that's exactly what it says.
And folks, that is true union with Christ. Everything he's
done, we've done, and that's real. When he walked the paths
of righteousness, I can't say this enough, it's real. It really
is ours when he honored God's holy law. When he did that, we
did that. When he believed his father all
the way through the cross, through the fiery wrath of God, and he
never stopped believing his father, we did that. When he suffered
and died and was punished, we were punished in Christ. That's
real. When he was resurrected from the dead, because all the
sin of all the elect have been completely and utterly put away,
as far as the East is from the West, Truly, we were resurrected
in Him. This is real, just as real as
Levi paid tithes in Abraham. Every believer, every elect child
of God, everything Christ has done and everything Christ is,
we are. And folks, that's real. I'll give you this last thing.
Considering the Hebrew servant, to be the servant forever, the
Hebrew bond slave had to have two qualities. Two qualities,
love and willingness. Now go back to your text. Exodus
21, I want you to look at verse five again. And if the servant shall plainly
say, I love my master. That's the first one. I love
my wife. I love my children. I will not
go out free. Then his master shall bring him
unto the judges, and he shall also bring him to the door, or
unto the doorpost. And his master shall bore his
ear through with an awl, and he shall serve him forever. Two requirements, love and willingness. The Lord Jesus Christ, folks,
loved his father. Let me read this to you, John 14, 29. And
now I have told you before come to pass that when it has come
to pass, ye might believe. This is Christ speaking to his
disciples about his death. Hereafter I will not talk much
with you, for the prince of this world cometh and hath nothing
in me. But that the world may know that
I love the Father, and as the Father gave me commandment, even
so I do arise. Let us go hence. What commandment
did the Father give the Son? The commandment and the covenant
of grace. He said, these are my people. I love them. They're
your people. They've always been a part of
you. You love them. And here's what I'm going to have you do.
You go and you do everything that is necessary to save them.
You're going to leave absolutely nothing undone. I am putting
nothing on them. I'm putting nothing on their
shoulders. I won't look to them for everything. I'm going to
look to you for everything I require of them. This is the commandment
God the Father gave the Son. And here's what the son did.
He marched over to the door, he put his ear on the door, and
he said, strike it through. Put the awl through my ear. I
am the servant forever. Because he loved his father.
But there's another love here as well. This is John 13, 1.
Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour
was come, that he should depart out of this world unto the Father,
Having loved his own, which were in the world, he loved them unto
the end. It wasn't just love to the father
that inspired this willingness. It was love for you. It was love
for every member of the elect. And I want to understand this.
He would not endure eternity without you. And out of love,
he marched over to another piece of wood. Not a door, but a cross. And the oil did not go through
his ear. It went through his hands and went through his feet.
And he suffered under the wrath of God. And he did that all out of love. Now, dare I believe that he loves me. And he did that for me. Hope. Everyone thirsteth. Do you have an eat? Are you a
sinner? If so, come. And right now, if
you're a believer, it's exactly what you're doing. You're trusting
Christ. This is your salvation. And folks,
that is the very evidence, once again. that he loved you, and
he did this thing for you, and he became the servant forever.