We'll read a few verses from
Matthew 27 in just a moment. Over the last week or two, I've
read from several different sources the thought expressed that men,
women, at this time of the year, the Christmas season as it's
called, that they have no choice. Because it being the Christmas
season, they're somewhat compelled to acknowledge the fact that
Jesus Christ was born. Spurgeon said this, I am glad
that at least one day out of the year folks actually think
upon the one named Jesus who came 2,000 years ago. Now, I hope that's so. I hope that's so. Honestly, I'm
not so sure about that. I am sure of this, people will
think about giving gifts and receiving gifts, about shopping,
about parties, and a whole lot of other activity. But as far
as Christ is concerned being in their thoughts, I'm afraid
that most people, most people will treat him at this time of
the year the way they've treated him all the rest of the year.
Give him very little thought. There were very few. I'm going
to make good on this, as Brother Henry used to say. Let's see
if we can make good on what we just said. By remembering, when
Jesus Christ was actually, literally, born in Bethlehem that night,
there was very few that rejoiced in that glorious event. Very
few. But now, if you compare, you
probably have, when he left this world, when he was expiring on
Calvary, 33 and some odd years later, there was a lot of rejoicing. They had a party. Is that not
so? Although few rejoiced when he
came into this world, there was a whole lot of people who rejoiced
when he was going out. And the religious leaders of
the day, the teachers, the scribes, the Pharisees, the builders our
Lord referred to them as being, they led the procession. They
did the cheerleading on Mount Calvary that day while the Son
of God was dying. That's why I wanted you to look
at Matthew chapter 27. The folks, except for the exception
of a few, and there was a multitude on the mount that day where execution
took place, they took great delight in mocking, insulting the Son
of God that was dying. Are you there with me? I want
you to look at it with me. Matthew chapter 27, look at verse
35. Matthew 27 and 35. And they crucified
him, the Son of God, and parted his garments, casting lots. This is exactly what was prophesied
in Psalm 22, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by
the prophet. This is almost a verbatim quote
from Psalm 22, 18. They parted my garments among
them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots. And setting down,
they watched him there, and set up over his head his accusation
written, This is Jesus, the King of the Jews. Then were there two thieves crucified
with him, one on the right hand and the other on the left. Isaiah
53 prophesied that 700 years before. Verse 39, And they that
passed by reviled him, wagging their heads again, Psalm 22.
and saying, thou that destroyest the temple and buildest it in
three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come
down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priest
mocking him with the scribes and elders said, he saved others. Himself he cannot save. If he
be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross,
and we will believe him. No, they wouldn't have. He trusted
in God. Can you imagine this? Here is
a man being executed and they're mocking him. He trusted in God,
let him deliver him now. If he will have him, for he said,
I am the Son of God. Can you imagine that? Have you
ever known anybody, anybody on their deathbed, so to speak,
the worst criminal that is strapped into an electric chair or strapped
to that gurney and being ejected with some poison that would take
his life? Can you imagine people standing around and mocking him?
and making fun of him, and laughing at him. Save yourself. Let's
see a miracle. That's what they did to the Son
of God. They had a party while he died. But compared to his
birth again, unlike his death, there was very few, comparatively
speaking, that rejoiced in it. Most people didn't even take
notice of it. It wasn't worth their notice.
And we're told that exact thing in John's Gospel, Chapter 1.
You know these verses. He was in the world, that is
Christ, and the world was made by Him and the world knew Him
not. He came unto His own and His own received Him not. As
it was then, so it is now. The world by wisdom knows not
God. No man seeks after God. I used
to hear and sort of thought it was so until One day I thought,
that's not right, that there is in man a natural hungering
and thirsting after God. John, that just ain't so. That
just ain't so. That all men have a longing inside
and only God can fulfill that longing, that just ain't so.
Unless God gives them a thirst, they'll never be thirsty. Unless
God creates in them a new heart that wants to know the true and
living God, they'll be content to go through this life in darkness
and die in darkness and enter into eternity in darkness unless
God does something for them. As it was then, so it is still. But here's the glorious thought
I'm coming to. We're not going to pitch tent
there. No, we're going to the good news. As it was then, so
it is true now, there are exceptions to that rule. There are exceptions. Yes, the majority of people did
not rejoice when Christ was born, but a few did. A few did. And the reason they did was this,
again from John's Gospel chapter 1. But, but, he came unto his
own, his own received him not. He was in the world, made the
world, and the world knew him not. But verse 12 of John 1,
but, don't you want to rejoice at that? But, that's not true
of everybody. Everybody didn't do that. Everybody
didn't treat him that way. Everybody didn't say, we won't
have this man rule over us. Everybody didn't shout, crucify
him and make fun of him at his death. But as many as received
him, some received him. Some received him. Some embraced
him. Some bowed before him. Some cried
for mercy. My soul, what made them to differ
but? But God made them to differ. The same reason anybody receives
Christ and bows to him today. God makes them to differ. But
as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons
of God. John in his epistle. said, O
behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us,
that we, we of all people, look around, that we should be called
the sons of God. How about that? Gave them power
to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.
Why? Why did they do that? Most people
didn't. Most people hated Him without
a cause, without a reason. Why did these receive Him? Why
did they believe? Why did they embrace the Son
of God? Here's the reason. Which were
born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the
will of man, but of God. But God did something for them. God rebuilt His Son to them.
And then as now, even though the world by wisdom knew not
God. That is from 1 Corinthians 1. This is also true from 1 Corinthians
1. For you see your calling brethren,
how that not many, not many, not everybody, but not many,
wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble,
are called. That's true, yet. That will always
be true. Oh, but looky here. The next
verse in 1 Corinthians 1, verse 27, But God, but God, oh, glory
to His name, but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world
to confound the wise. And God hath chosen the weak
things of the world to confound the things which are mighty,
and base things of the world, and things which are despised.
have God chosen, yes, and things which are not, to bring to naught
things that are. There was that night when the
Son of God was made like unto his brethren. That night a few
rejoiced in it. My soul, from that day to this,
angels have not gotten over that mystery. In that manger, in the
arms of his mother, that little dark-skinned Jewish baby boy
is God in the flesh. And the angels are still marveling
about that. And preachers for 2,000 years
have been preaching about the mystery of that. But most people
at the time didn't even take notice, just like today. But
there were some, some few who rejoiced at that great wondrous
mystery. Look! God! God! Look! Stop! Get aside! Think about this! Bow down and
worship! Look at this! God was manifest
in the flesh! The best commentary I can make
on that fact is, wow! Wow! I can't explain it. Can you? I'll take places with
you if you can. I can understand it. This I can
do by the grace of God. I can bow down and worship. Worship. Yes, there were a few. And God was pleased to reveal
his son too. Luke chapter 2. Luke chapter
2. Turn there if you will. Luke
2 verse 7. Concerning the birth of Christ.
Speaking of Mary, his mother. Luke 2 and 7, and she brought
forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes,
and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in
the inn. And there were in the same country
shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock
by night. Well, that wasn't unusual. That
was a common thing. And I'm sure nobody even noticed
them. Nobody paid any attention to them shepherds. You know,
they're out there with their flock, watching over their flock,
protecting their flock. Big deal. Nobody noticed except
God. Nobody paid those lowly shepherds
any attention but God Almighty. That's exactly right. Are you
still in Luke 2? Look at verse 9. And lo, the
angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone
about them. And they were sore afraid, and
the angel said unto them, Unto these lowly shepherds, fear not,
for behold, I bring you good tidings, good news, of great
joy, which shall be to all people. is born this day in the city
of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a
sign unto you, not everybody, not most, but unto you. You shall
find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. God sent his angel to them to
reveal this wondrous, blessed event to them. He didn't send
the angel to Herod sitting upon his throne. He didn't send it
to Caiaphas, the high priest in the temple with all of his
religious garb. No, he sent this message, this
wondrous news to a few lowly shepherds. He sent them with the message
that he who was the shepherd of his sheep, That one that David
spoke of when he said, the Lord is my shepherd. The shepherd
of the everlasting covenant of God's grace. That shepherd who
would afterwards say, I know my sheep and they know me. And other sheep I have which
are not of this fold, he would say, them also I must bring. To these lowly shepherds, God
sent the angel with the message that the great shepherd was born
that night in Bethlehem. Bethlehem, the house of bread. Bethlehem means the house of
bread. And that night in Bethlehem, in the city of David, the bread
of life, the bread of life came down from glory. The bread of
life, he would say. has come down from heaven. You
eat of this bread. Unlike that bread that God provided
for Moses in the wilderness, you eat of this bread and you'll
never die." Wow! The shepherds were told about
Him. And may God be pleased to enable us, because unless He
enables us, we won't. May He be pleased to enable us
to do what these shepherds did. I'm still in Luke chapter 2,
verse 15. And it came to pass As the angels
were gone away from them, that is, from the shepherds back into
heaven, the shepherds said one to another, let us now go even
unto Bethlehem and see this thing which is come to pass, which
the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste
and found Mary and Joseph and the babe, oh my soul, the babe,
lying in a manger. And the shepherds returned, glorifying
and praising God for all the things that they had heard and
seen as it was told them." Oh, may God enable us to do the very
same thing. Hear of His Son and praise and
glorify our God. There are three places, and I'm
going to be brief at all three places. In God's Word that I
want to read, and speak about briefly concerning this glorious
mystery of Christ leaving the glory He had with the Father
before the world began and coming here as the Savior of His people. And the first place, and I want
you to follow along with me, the first place is in Galatians
chapter 4. Galatians chapter 4. I'll give
you a moment to find that place. Just two verses. Oh, but how
full they are. As all of God's Word is. Someone
said, oh, I love the affinity of God's Word. And so it is. My message is this. Our sovereign
Savior. How does that strike you? How
does that sound? Our sovereign Savior. The first
text here is in Galatians 4, verse 4. Verses 4 and 5. When
the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son
at God's appointed time. And His Son came like this, made
of a woman, made under the law. I didn't come to destroy the
law Christ set, I come to fulfill it. God's law must be fulfilled.
Verse 5, to redeem them. to redeem them, O our sovereign
Savior, to redeem them that were under the law that we might receive
the adoption of sons. He became what he had never been
before, John. Never been before. God in flesh. God came down to man. And ever since that time, He'll
never cease to be. One may liken to his brethren."
Isn't that something? Ever since God became man, God
is still man. In glory, the Lord Jesus Christ. Mr. Spurgeon, this is the quote
from your bulletin. The birth of Jesus is the grandest
light in history, the sun in the heavens of all time. It is
the pole star of human destiny, the hinge of chronology, the
meeting place of the waters of the past and the future. The
birth of Jesus Christ, God coming down to man for the salvation
of his people is the hinge upon which the doors of eternity turn. Eternity back, past. Eternity, future. All revive
on this glorious, glorious truth. God became man. for the salvation of his people,
the best I think I can do. Because I'm over my head. I'm
way over my head trying to think about this, God manifest in the
flesh, and I'm going to look for some help. And I looked no
further than your bullet. Mr. Hawker, good tidings from
heaven, for unto you is born this day in the city of David
a Savior, we read that, which is Christ the Lord. Mr. Hawker wrote, turn aside my soul
this day. I'm praying that we will, as
we read this. Turn aside my soul this day,
and from every vain and worldly thought, as Moses did at the
bush, and behold by faith the accomplishment of what he then
saw in type and figure. Of this great sight which the
Lord hath made known unto us, the Lord, the uncreated word,
the word rather, the uncreated word, even the eternal Son of
God, taking up on Him the nature of man, and uniting both in one
person, that by the union He might be a suitable Savior for
His people." Thank you, Mr. Hawker. I needed that help. And
now I'm going to look to my pastor for more help. Emmanuel, his
brother Don's article, And his text, of course, is Isaiah 7
and 14. Therefore the Lord himself, this
was written 700 years before, before the Lord's birth. Therefore
the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall
conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel. That
means God with us. Immanuel, God with us. Think
about that. Don said his name is God with
us. The Lord Jesus Christ is God with us. And I love these
next thoughts that Don wrote. God is with us by incarnation
to redeem us. God is with us by His Spirit
to protect and guide and comfort us. God is with us in our assemblies
to bless us. God with us is hell's terror. God with us is his servant's
strength. God with us is the suffering
believer's consolation. Isn't that so? God with us is
the dying believer's hope. God with us is the song and joy
of heaven. Oh, I want to shout like Elijah. Elijah did to his servant when
he said, look, look, look, look. Lord, open his eyes that he may
see greater. Greater are those that be with
us than those that be with them. God with us. Oh, my soul. What a wonder. What a comfort. And then, last of all under this
1st Tech, Galatians 4, 4 and 5. Brother Henry Mahan, also
in your bulletin. He helped me. He helped me. And
the word was made flesh, John 1 to 14. And I love what Henry
wrote. My friends, if you will carefully
consider it, this is the most extraordinary fact ever declared
in human language. God became a man. and took upon
him the likeness of simple flesh. The ancient of days became an
infant of days. The son of the Most High God
became a man of sorrows. He made the world, but as a man
he had no place to lay his head. He who made the rivers asked
the woman to give him a drink of water. He who cast out devils
was tempted of the devil. And the author of life died and
lay in a tomb. Martha, I'm the resurrection
and the life. Whoever liveth and believeth
in me shall never die." And he proved it when he called Lazarus
from the dead. But he who spoke those very words,
not long after that, bows his head upon the cross, the resurrection
and the life dies. I love the little poem that Henry
included. The sun that hid from him its
face by his own hand was hung in space. The sky which darkened
o'er his head by him above the world was spread. The spear that
shed his precious blood was tempered in the fires of God. The grave
in which his form was laid was union rocks his hand had made. Isn't that amazing? Isn't that
amazing? Here's the second text. Look
at it if you will. Luke chapter 1. Luke chapter
1 verse 26. Luke 1 and 26. And in the sixth month the angel
Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee named Nazareth
to a virgin and spouse to a man whose name was Joseph of the
house of David and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel
came in unto her and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored. The Lord is with thee. Blessed
art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was
troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what matter of salutation
this should be. And the angel said unto her,
Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favor with God. And behold,
thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt
call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall
be called the Son of the Highest. And the Lord God shall give unto
him the throne of his father David. And he shall reign over
the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there shall be
no end. Jesus, he shall be great. What did Angel mean, he shall
be great? Was he not already great? Yes,
as the mighty God, as the everlasting Father, as the Prince of Peace,
he was great. Oh, but he shall be great not
only as God, which he already was, he shall be great as the
God-man. Unto us a child is born, unto
us a son is given, and in doing so he became a great God and
Savior, a mediator between God and man, which he could not do
otherwise. He must be great if he has to
fulfill all righteousness. He must be great to satisfy all
the requirements of God's law. Nobody else ever done it. No angel could do it. No priest
could do it. Moses couldn't do it. David couldn't
do it. Abraham couldn't do it. Nobody
had ever done that except the Lord Jesus Christ. I come to
do thy will, O my God, he said when he came into this world.
Nobody had ever done that before. Nobody had ever perfectly kept
the will, the purpose, the law of a holy God. It had never been
done. until He came. He came. He must be great to obey perfectly
every precept in God's will. How great must He be to die as
the substitute in the place of His people and by doing so enable
God to be just and justify a sinner. He does it now on righteous grounds. People have the strange idea
which is wrong, like they are about most things concerning
the Word of God, that when God shows mercy upon a sinner, He
kind of sets aside His justice. No, no, no, no. No. Mercy always comes to the sinner
on the wings of satisfied justice. God is perfectly just when He
justifies a sinner because He does so in the light of what
His Son did on the behalf of that sinner. This is what Peter
wrote in 1 Peter 3, verse 18. For Christ also had once suffered
for sin, just once, once was enough, the just for the unjust. He's just, I'm unjust, we traded
places. He took my place. That he might
bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened
by the Spirit. And I love these verses in Hebrews
chapter 9, verse 11. But Christ being come, a high
priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect
tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building,
not like the earthly tabernacle, neither by the blood of goats
and cats, but by his own blood, Let me read that again. But by
his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained
past tense, having obtained eternal redemption for us. If the blood
of bulls and goats and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean
sanctify it to the purifying of the flesh, How much more? How much more shall the blood
of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself without
spot to God, purge your conscience? Purge your conscience from dead
works to serve the living God. Oh, a guilty conscience. What
a terror, what a torment that is. Oh, but for every child of
God, that comes to God through Jesus Christ, sprinkled with
that precious blood of Christ, his conscience says to him, you're
not guilty? You don't need to be afraid.
If you're guilty, you feel guilty and afraid, it's because you're
looking at yourself and not looking at your glorious substitute.
How much more shall the blood of Christ purge your conscience
to serve the living God? The hymn writer, we sometimes
sing this, Man of sorrows, what a name. For the Son of God who
came, ruined sinners to reclaim. Hallelujah. What a Savior. Hallelujah. What a Savior. Guilty, helpless, lost were we.
Blameless Lamb of God was He. Full atonement? Can it be? Oh yes, hallelujah, what a Savior. Yes, He shall be great. He must be great to bring in
such a great salvation at such a great cost to such
a great God for such great sinners. Yes, He shall be great. Left it up was He to die. It
is finished, was his cry, now in heaven, exalted high. Hallelujah! What a Savior! Here's the last place, Matthew
chapter 1. Matthew chapter 1. We'll finish
up with this though, from this verse of scripture. Matthew 1
verse 18. Now the birth of Jesus Christ
was on this wise, this is how it happened, when as his mother
Mary was espoused to Joseph before they came together, she was found
with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph, her husband, being
a just man and not willing to make her a public example, was
minded to put her away privately. And while he thought on these
things, behold, The angel of the Lord appeared unto him in
a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take
unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her
is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son,
and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his
people from their sins." There's my sovereign Savior. In the Scriptures,
There was reason for giving a particular name to someone. The name meant
something. I don't think that's so much
true today. I don't have a clue what Larry
means. I probably don't want to know. But Adam, for example,
means earth. God named him Adam. It means
earth because he was taken from the dust of the earth. Abraham,
his name means father of many, father of multitudes. Abram,
father exalted. Moses means drawn out, of course,
because he was drawn out of the water when Pharaoh's daughter
saw him. And this name, Jesus, is the Greek word taken from
the Hebrew, Joshua. And it means the salvation of
Jehovah, or Jehovah saves. Our Joshua. Billy, he lived up
to his name. He lived up to his name. Child
of God, can you by faith see that babe being brought to the
temple to do after the manner of the law by Mary and Joseph?
Can you get in the shoes of that poor old man named Simeon, whom
God promised you won't see death till you see my salvation? And as he comes in, the same
moment they come in, God whispers in his ears, says, there he is.
There's my salvation. And can you, by faith and amazing
grace, take him in your arms and say, oh, I see thy salvation. I see thy salvation. Oh, if you can. You are a blessed,
blessed individual. When I was a boy, before the
days of all these electronic, what do they call them, devices?
Sometimes, Lester, I want to take one of those devices and
throw it up against the wall. Devices. Oh, they just mesmerize
folks, don't you? I have a pet pea. When I'm trying
to have a conversation with someone, and they won't take their eyes
off of their device, like to throw theirs up against the wall.
But back in the old days, John, when I was a boy, we didn't have
devices. If there had been such a thing
as a smartphone bobby, I could have never afforded it. But there
was books. And that little school I went
to, they had a small library. And this is when I lived back
up that hollow. So I would check out books. And I found me a quiet
place in the spring or summer under a tree, away from those
four brothers and four sisters, and I would read about Daniel
Boone. And man, I was Daniel Boone.
I was going to be Daniel Boone. Davy Crockett. Man, I just loved
reading about explorers and inventors. Let me tell you something. I've never read anything. in
my life that compares to this. I've never read anything like
this. Call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from
their sins. Jesus the Savior, because He
was sent of God to save His people, that's why He was given the name
He shall save. No one else, no one else, People
say, oh, shouldn't we be more gracious? Don't you think it's
rather narrow-minded and bigoted? I've had people in my own family
say that about me. And you know why they say it?
Because I won't agree with them that there are different ways
to God. Oh, don't you think, my baby sister told me one time,
but Larry, Larry, don't you think, I mean, don't you think that
God is so loving that, you know, these people that, this religion
and that religion, but don't you think if they're sincere
they're all going to heaven?" I said, no. No. Christ said,
I'm the way. Anybody that's going any other
way but Jesus Christ is not going to heaven, they're going to hell.
And it's not gracious, and it's not loving to pretend otherwise. No. He shall save his people
because nobody else can. He, not men, not angels, not
churches, not preachers, not priests, not Baptists, not Catholics,
not doctrine, not five points of Calvinism, He shall save His
people from their sins. If He doesn't save, if He doesn't
do that, He doesn't deserve this name Jesus does. He doesn't deserve
that name. It should be stripped from Him.
But glory hallelujah, that shall never happen because He's the
sovereign Savior. Does it sound like they're in
Matthew 1 and 21? Does it sound like He needs our
help? Does it? He shall save His people
from their sin. He'll do it. He'll do it all.
He'll do whatever needs to be done. He'll save His people from
all their sins. When He was on earth, was there
ever a case too hard for Him? I wish God would remind me of
that. I get discouraged. I pray for
my brothers and sisters, and it seems like the more I pray,
the more disinterested they become. My children. Oh, God, forgive me. God, forgive
me. My soul. All the proof I need
that he's able to save an uttermost is to remember he saved this
rebel. And I don't know a greater one
than that. And that's the truth. When he was on earth, did he
ever run across a sinner greater than he was a savior? Was his
grace anything less than reigning grace? Did he ever meet a case? And all those cases of healing
were just pictures of salvation. Did he ever run across one that
he said, well, I can't handle this? Man, 2,000 devils possessing
that man? That's just too much for me!
No! With the ease and the power of
the sovereign savior that he is, he said, come out. And they
came out. Because he's the mighty savior. Sometimes when I was a boy again,
this will probably surprise you, but my big mouth would get me
in trouble. To be honest with you, sometimes
it still does. And we'll say no more about that.
But when I was younger, somebody tied to me as being tough. Tough. That Larry can fight. They called
me lefty. My big brother and fellow. They'd
make us fight. So they convinced me, John, I
was tough. They told me I was tough, so
I thought I was tough. I could whip anybody. But sometimes I'd
found out, no I couldn't. I knew when I was about to get
into a tussle with somebody that I knew I couldn't whip. You know
what I would tell them? You better be careful. I got
a big brother. I got a big brother. He's named
Jimmy. You heard of Jimmy? He's my big
brother. You better not mess with me.
Child of God, you ever feel like this world's just whipping you?
from pillar to post, as they say. Remember, we have an elder
brother. We've got an elder brother. And he's able to save to the
uttermost all of his little brethren. My big brother wasn't always
around when I needed him. And then I was in trouble. Oh,
but my elder brother, my big brother Jesus Christ, he's always
around. He's always there. Nobody can
hurt me. Nobody can snatch me out of his
hand. He's my elder brother. Sometimes
when I'm afraid, sometimes when I feel like the storms are going
to sweep me overboard, then I hear his voice. I did just the other
day, just the other evening. And this is what he said. It
is I. Larry, it is I, your big brother. Don't be afraid. Just last night, I was somewhat
depressed. And this is what my elder brother
said. Larry, hearken unto me. All the remnant of the house
of Israel which are born by me from the belly, which are carried
from the womb, listen. Larry, even to your old age,
I am he. I was with you when you came
into this world. I was with you when you knew me not. And Larry, don't be afraid. I
will be with you when you go out. Even in your old age, I
am He. And even to poor hares, I will
carry you. I have made and I will bear.
I will carry and will deliver you." That's exactly what our
text says, isn't it? He shall save His people from
their sins. Wrap this up. Isaiah chapter
45. The Lord Jesus Christ, this is
him speaking in Isaiah 45, 700 years before he was born. And
he said, why do you pray unto a God that cannot save? In verse
20, a God that cannot save. Oh, sadly, doesn't that sound
familiar? None can ever be saved by looking
to anyone but Jesus Christ. And when I was thinking along
this line, I couldn't help but think about Mr. Spurgeon. As
a 15-year-old boy, that's exactly what he was doing. Looking unto
a God that could not save, he had been looking to preachers,
to instructions, to correct doctrine, could not save. That was Young Spurge. Until
that cold, wintry morning, January the 6th, 1850, he was going to
a strict Baptist church. He was making his way, seeking
peace and finding none. Lost, lost. The storm was so
severe that he couldn't get to where he was going, Billy. There's
a sign. Primitive Methodist Church. So he went in. I think he said
there was probably less than 12 people, 10 or 12 people, about
like it here this morning. The pastor didn't even make it
to the service. He was snowed in, Spurgeon said he supposed,
and a fella stood up, a deacon. History's not even recorded that
man's name. That's okay. But he turned to
Isaiah chapter 45, and Spurgeon was sitting back there trying
not to be noticed. Hard to hide with just 12 people. And the
man read Isaiah 45 and 22. Look unto me and be ye saved.
O the end of the earth, for I am God, and there is none else.
And God opened the eyes of that 15-year-old boy, And he saw Jesus
Christ, the sinner's savior, and the burden of his heart rolled away. Spurgeon said, after
the service, and he was walking home, and it was still snowing,
he said he wanted to tell every snowflake dropping out of the
sky what God had done for his soul. After he got home, he was
at the fireplace, He said he could hear his mother talking
to his father in the next room. And she said, something's come
over Charles. Something's different about Charles. He's changed.
Because he was previous depressed and melancholy. Oh, but now the
glow of the joy of the Lord was on his face. And he said he was
happy to tell them all about the change. Therefore, if any
man be in Christ, he's a new creature. All things are passed
away, all things become new. I repeat that story to you, and
I've used it in the past. And the reason I find it so precious
to me, I can kind of relate to it. I can kind of relate to it. For months and months, I looked
into a God who could not see. I talked to preachers. I talked
to relations. I talked to people who profess
to know God. What must I do to be saved? They
pointed me to everything and everybody but Jesus Christ. Isn't
that sad? They pointed me to the Bible
and said, memorize these verses. They said, go straighten up.
Get your act together. Get a haircut. Quit acting like
a hippie. Come with me. Let's go to the
altar. Why? Pray to a God that cannot say. But God would not let me go.
He wouldn't let me go. Look unto me and be ye saved,
for I am God, and there is none else. And when I fell before Him, the
heap of nothingness that I was, just begging Him to have mercy
on me, He said, Oh, my sovereign Savior, said
thy sins, which are many, are all forgiven thee. And the blood of Jesus Christ,
God's Son, cleanseth us from all sin. Ezekiel 16 and 14, this
describes God's church. And thy renown went forth among
the heathen for thy beauty, For it was perfect through my comeliness
which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord." Child of God, remember that His blood is as
effectual at this moment as if it were shed this morning.
That's right. It's lost none of its power,
none of its efficacy, none of its merit, none of its acceptance
before God. It's as fresh, everlastingly
speaking satisfaction to God Almighty. William Cooper wrote
so many hymns. He wrote, There is a Fountain.
You know he wrote that when he was in a mental hospital? He
tried to kill himself. He had tried before, so they
committed him. A cousin, some relation, came
and talked to him, tried to witness to him, a believer. Cowper says,
Cooper, Cooper. He afterwards said that was the
first ray of hope he had seen in years. He read from Romans 5. or for,
rather, that God had sent for his son to be the propitiation
for our sins and God saved him. Before he got out of there, he
wrote this hymn. There is a fountain filled with
blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins, and sinners plunged beneath that
flood lose all their guilty stains. Dear dying lamb, thy precious
blood shall never lose its power. till all the ransomed church
of God be saved to sin no more. And a part of that great old
hymn are engraved on the monument of Spurgeon's tomb. That was
one of his favorites as well. Where he's buried, it's engraved,
Here since by faith I saw the stream, thy flowing wounds supply,
redeeming love has been my theme and shall be till I die. Then
in a nobler, sweeter song I'll sing thy power to save when this
poor, lisping, stammering tongue lies silent in the grave. Look unto me and be ye saved.
So brothers and sisters in Christ, while the world will be singing
about Santa Claus and Rudolph and a lot of other silly stuff,
may God's people, those Jesus our sovereign Savior came to
save from their sins, may he enable us the seeing of Christ
our King, Christ our King, because there is no name so sweet on
earth, or sweet in heaven, as Christ our King, Jesus. He shall
save his people from their sins. God bless you. Thank you for
your attention.