So I want to bring you to Isaiah
63 this week. Now it's been quite a week of
turmoil in this country in the midst of election news. You might
say, people are saying, it's one of the most landmark elections
that there have been. There were only four in the last
century, some say even only three really major ones and they're
accounting this one being up there with it. In terms of the
shock of the news, the importance of the news, the significance
of the news and you say well that's the most important news
you'll ever hear but I'm here to tell you this morning it's
not. In fact it's trivial by comparison. By far the most important
message you will hear today is the message of this book, the
Bible. It's the message of Isaiah the prophet and it's a message
which doesn't tell us how to live, though it does, but it's
a message about the Messiah, the Christ, the promised one
of God, coming into this world for a purpose, to save his people
from their sins. And I tell you, I tell you, with
all the passion I can raise within me, that there is no message
that is more relevant to you. Not one solitary message more
relevant to you. Whatever stage of life you are
at, It concerns your life, your future, your eternal destiny. The words that we read in Isaiah
63 are not just 2,700 plus years old history, but they're urgent
for you now. urgent now. Last week, in Isaiah
62, we saw God's urgency regarding his kingdom, the kingdom of God,
that which Jesus Christ came preaching. He came preaching
the kingdom of God. He said he taught his disciples
to pray. What? Thy kingdom come. Thousands
recite it in their churches every week as if it's the something
that they absolutely must do if they don't do anything else.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done. Thy kingdom come. The kingdom
of God is the key message that Christ brought. What is the kingdom
of God? It is also known in scripture
as Zion. Zion, the city of the living
God. Glorious things of thee are spoken.
Zion, city of our God. It's the church of God. The church
is not the building with stained glass and with priests in robes. The church is the believing people
of God. Where is the church? It's in
the hearts of God's people. the people of God, also known
in Scripture as the Body of Christ, the Body of Christ, his members
here on earth, the Body of Christ, also known in Scripture as the
Bride of Christ, the bride for whom Christ himself is the Bridegroom,
and The objective of history is to go towards that final end
of this world and the coming of the Kingdom of God in glorious
judgment and triumph and there's the marriage supper of the Lamb.
The Lamb of God is the Lord Jesus Christ and the marriage is when
He is finally, that betrothal throughout history of Christ
to His people is consummated in that marriage supper of the
Lamb in eternity in heaven. when they shall forever be with
the Lord. And in chapter 62 we saw not
only the urgency of God concerning Zion, but the urgency of the
watchmen he raises up. Watchmen, in verse 6, he raises
up watchmen. What are they? They're the preachers,
they're his prophets and his preachers, who declare, preach,
the message of salvation. And it's a message not of possibility,
but of accomplishment. It's a message not of perhaps,
but of certainty. It's a message of salvation accomplished
by this glorious person who would come, the Messiah. And he gives
us a glorious prospect of heaven. He gives a glorious prospect
of heaven. You know when Christians talk
about, I have a good hope? I tell you, it is a good hope.
In this world of uncertainty, in this world where things go
up and down through the different cycles of political movements
and changes There's this solid certainty for the people of God
which is a glorious prospect of heaven in contrast to the
despair and hopelessness of the world. For the world at its very
best, what is the world at its very best? It's a few fleeting
moments of happiness. It's a few fleeting years of
happiness with your family and your career and things like this.
And then? And then what? And then what?
And then what? Think about it. I remember the story being told
of a young man who was such a bright young fella and he was going
to read law and he was doing so well and he talked to his
uncle about it and his uncle was a believer. and his uncle
said, what are you going to do? Well, I'm going to go off to
university. And then what are you going to do? Well, I'm going to really
study hard. I'm going to come out top. I'm coming out with
a first. I'm coming out with the top marks. That's what I'm
going to do. And then? Well, I'm going to join the best
law firm in London. And I'm going to rise to the
top of that law firm. And I'm going to do all of these.
And yes, and then? And then I'm going to have this
wonderful career. And then? And then I might get married
and have a happy family and all of these. Yes, and then? And
I'm going to enjoy the fruits of my career and all of those
things. And then? I'll probably grow older. Yes,
and then? And I'll probably grow more infirm. And then? And I'll probably drop
down into old age and my body won't work properly and I might
have to go into a home. And then? And then I'll probably
die. And then? And then what? And
then what? You see? It's important. But
for the believer, there is the prospect of eternal glory in
contrast to the despair and hopelessness of this world. And those preachers
in chapter 62 are commissioned to build the road to Zion. Verse
10, go through and prepare the way of the people. Build the
road to Zion. Build that road. What's the road
that the preachers are to build? Jesus said, I am the way, the
truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father. If
you would know the ultimate essence of life, what this life means,
what it is about, you must come to the Father. Guard the Father.
And how do you get there? Only one way. For our God is
a consuming fire. And it is a fearful thing to
fall into the hands of the living God on your own, but in the Lord
Jesus Christ He is the way, the truth, and the life. And no man
comes to the Father but by Him. And those preachers are to build
that road and to point to Christ, and it says to gather out the
stones. What's that? It's to clear the
obstacles from that road. What are the obstacles? They
are those things that would prevent you from believing, and I mentioned
a few last week. If you want to look at it, it's
there, it's available on Sermon Audio, go and look at it. But
now we come to Isaiah 63, and there's more about the need for
the Messiah, because Messiah is the Hebrew name for Christ,
which is the Greek name. The Messiah had to come. The seed of the woman that God
promised in Genesis chapter 3 15 in the fall in the garden of
Eden and you know when they believed Satan and they'd fallen and they'd
sinned against God and they'd rebelled against the rule of
God and God said you're going to be cursed from now on but
he said there's a seed coming, the seed of the woman and that
he was referring to Christ, to his son, the son of God who is
God manifest to people. God dwells in unapproachable
light. God the Father, no man has seen God at any time, says
John. But the only begotten Son, who
is in the bosom of the Father, He has made Him known. He has
declared Him. He has manifested Him. We saw
his glory, says John, the glory. When they walked with Jesus of
Nazareth, he said, We saw his glory, the glory as of the only
begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Paul the
apostle tells us that in him, in Jesus of Nazareth, in that
man, in whom there was no comeliness that we should desire him, says
Isaiah in chapter 52. No comeliness. He didn't stand
out with a great big halo on his head. No, that's a falsehood. You go to the art galleries and
see that. That's not true. No, there was no comeliness that
we should desire him. But, says Paul, in him dwelt
the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And that's what we've just been
singing about. He who thought it not robbery to be equal with
God, says Paul to the Philippians, He left that glory, he exchanged
sapphire-paved courts of heaven for a stable floor. The glory
of heaven and the glory of the Godhead for the manger of Bethlehem. God contracted to a span. He came for that purpose, to
come into the world to accomplish the eternal purposes of God.
Not in the hope he might make it possible, but to accomplish
it, to finish it. What did he cry on the cross
when he died on the cross, his final words? It is finished. The work of redemption, the work
of justification of his people from the curse of the law. It
is finished. Now the core of the message concerning
Messiah in this chapter I find in verse 9. In all their affliction
he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them. In
his love and in his pity he redeemed them, and he bared them and carried
them all the days of old. In that verse we see what the
Messiah came to do, but the earlier verses of the chapter set the
context, and so I want to look at those with you now. In verses
1 and 2, and right the way down to verse 6, we see Messiah coming. Look at this. Who is this? There's
a question mark. There's somebody coming. Who
is this that is coming from Eden, with dyed garments from Bozrah? It talks about him being a glorious
person. a strong person, this glorious
in his apparels, travelling in the greatness of his strength,
speaking righteousness, mighty to save. Who is this strong,
glorious person, coming in blood-stained, pictured as wine-stains? You
know, red wine is very staining, isn't it? The one thing that
I dread is that one of these days I'll spill a glass of red
wine on the living room carpet because there's not much coming
back from that. It's a pretty permanent stain, and it pictures
the bloodstaining that this is speaking of. Comes from Edom. Where does he come from? He comes
from Edom and Bosra. You know, that's a place today
in the Middle East, isn't it? You heard about fighting in Bosra.
You hear about that today. It pictures, you see, Edom were
the descendants of Esau, who was the brother of Jacob. Isaac had two sons, Isaac and
Rebekah had two sons, Esau and Jacob, twins. And they went their
separate ways. And Esau's descendants, Esau
sold his birthright. He rejected the gospel of grace
that his parents taught him. And from him came the people
of Edom and Bozrah, and that is the chief seat. And they became
the enemies of the people of God. They always treated the
people of God badly. And this picture, this metaphor
here shows him coming from the chief seat of the enemies of
God's people who were Israel. Now, you know, I've taught you
so many times, whenever you read the Old Testament and you read
about Israel, yes, there's the historical fact of that people
who lived in that part of the world in those days, but how
we interpret it in New Testament times, in the light of the gospel
of God's grace, is it's the church. It's what Paul calls in Galatians
6.16 the Israel of God. The church of God is the Israel
of God. And the Israel of God is not
just the Jewish people, it's people of every nation. Every
nation. John saw a multitude that no
man can number of every tongue and tribe and kindred. Much people
in heaven. He saw this in his vision in
the Revelation. Much people in heaven of every
nationality. It is an innumerable multi-ethnic
multitude. It is also called the elect of
God. Those who are the believers in
the Lord Jesus Christ. How did Paul know the Thessalonians
were among the elect of God? Only one way. Only one way, he
said, through sanctification of the spirit, God's clearly
set you apart, and your belief of the truth. What truth? The
truth of the gospel. Not the gospel which is no gospel,
peddled by religion, the gospel of this book, the gospel of sovereign
grace and particular redemption. And look, he asks, why, verse
2, wherefore, why are you red in your garments, in your clothes?
Your garments, like him, that treads in the wine vat, you get
splashed. If you did the grape treading
in the ancient East, in the great big vats, I think they still
do it in some places to try and get the authentic taste. of people's
feet mixed with grape juice but they tread it and they hutch
up their clothes but nevertheless treading the grapes it splashes
and they get covered in red dye, the red dye of the grape juice
and he says, I have trodden the wine press alone and of the people
there was none with me for I will tread them in mine anger and
trample them in my fury and their blood shall be sprinkled upon
my garments and I will stain all my raiment. Do you know that
this echoes in Revelation chapter 14, speaking of the judgment
at the end of time. At the end of chapter 14 of Revelation,
we see the idea of the judgment falling on sin. Why does judgment
fall on sin? What is sin? It's opposition
to the perfection and holiness of God, who is above all, and
in all, and created all, and upholds all, and is the judge
of all. And yet sin is that which is
in opposition to the character of God. And therefore sin is
vile in the sight of God. It is that which must bear a
penalty. God cannot remain God and allow
sin to go unpunished. God never allows sin to go unpunished. He never, ever does. Don't ever
think it. We might let people off things
they do wrong to us, but God doesn't. God cannot, cannot overlook
sin. God must punish sin. He says,
the day of vengeance is in mine heart. And if you read in Revelation
14, and I'll leave you to do that for yourselves, you'll see
it speaks of a great sea of blood, speaking metaphorically of the
judgment, the vengeance of God being poured out on sin. And
he says, and the year of my redeemed has come. Whilst vengeance is
poured out on sin, of the redeemed has come, those who are brought
from their slavery to sin. And he says, And I looked, and
there was none to help, and I wondered that there was none to uphold.
Therefore, mine own arm brought salvation. If you turn back one
chapter, you don't need to, but I will, to chapter 59. Chapter 59, verse 16, God looked
and he saw that there was no man and wondered that there was
no intercessor. So what did he do? He brought
forth a savior. He brought it, and it says exactly
the same here. I looked and there was none to
help. Therefore, mine own arm brought salvation unto me. And
my fury, it upheld me. and I will tread down the people
in mine anger and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring
down their strength to the earth." This is speaking about Messiah
coming twice. Twice. Firstly, to redeem his
people from the curse of the law, that he might save them
from their sins, that he might satisfy the justice of God regarding
the sins of his people, and then his second coming, which is yet
to happen in time, when he comes to execute final judgment on
all sin. You see, God is creator, upholder,
life-giver, holy. He cannot tolerate sin. It must
bear a penalty. There is a debt to be paid. But
the kingdom of God, he said right from the start, must be populated
with a multitude of people. How's that going to be when all
people are sinners, all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God? There is none righteous, no not one, says the scripture.
How is it that a multitude of people, the church of God, is
going to be qualified Even though they're sinners, how are they
going to be qualified for the perfection of God's presence?
Answer, their sin debt must be paid. But it's too big for them
to pay themselves. Could my zeal know respite? No.
Could my tears forever flow? None of it for sin could atone
thou must save and thou alone says that him they can't pay
it themselves there must be a Substitute to come and bear it for them
there must be a surety One who is a guarantor must come and
God says this through Paul in Galatians 4 and verse 4 you've
heard it once or twice I know but it's good isn't it when the
fullness of the time was come and God sent forth his Son, made
of a woman, made under the law, in flesh and blood like a...
God contracted to a span. God contracted to the body of
a little baby. Yes? God contracted to a span. Why? That he might redeem those. Redeem? pay the purchase price,
pay the liberty price, pay the ransom price for those who are
the slaves of sin and its clutches with Satan saying you can't let
these into heaven for they're sinners, they're mine. And he
comes and as the surety he pays the penalty for sin. God sent
forth his son made of a woman, proper flesh and blood, made
under the law, subject to his own law to prove that he was
a perfect lamb of God. that he might redeem those who
are under the law, and thereby give them the adoption as sons. Adopt them as sons, whereby we
cry, his people cry, Abba, Father, Abba. That's the Jewish word,
Daddy, Daddy. People calling the fearful God
Daddy. Why? Because in Christ the sin
debt is paid. The incarnation of God. Do you
know what incarnation means? Carne is meat. You've had chili
con carne, haven't you? Chili with meat. Meat. Flesh.
Flesh is what it's talking about. The incarnation of God is God
coming in flesh. In human flesh. This is true
Christmas. As I say, I'm not doing this
because it's less than two weeks till Christmas Day, not a bit.
In fact, I don't even think that Jesus was born on the 25th of
December. In fact, I'm pretty sure it was
any day other than the 25th of December, but never mind. If
people have chosen to remember it then, so be it. But the true
believer rejoices in the incarnation that God who is Spirit became
flesh, became man, to redeem men, and whenever I say men,
don't worry, we're not in this silly politically correct age,
you know I mean man and woman, I mean mankind, he's people,
men and women. boys and girls, all of them,
he came to save from the curse of the law. This is true Christmas.
This is true incarnation. God became man to stand as a
substitute for men and women, to redeem them from the curse
of the law and adopt them as children. Who is it? The only
one qualified. Who is this? It says in verse
1. Who is this that comes from Eden? Dyed in garments from Bosra. The glorious person. Who is it?
There's only one who is qualified. I'll just have one little diversion
and then I must speed on. But you know in Revelation 5,
do you remember that when we did that those three or four
years ago? John is in heaven, and there's a scroll in the hand
of God on the throne. And it's a seven-sealed scroll. And nobody is found worthy to
unleash the seals. Why? Because the scroll is the
plan of God for the population of his kingdom with a justified
people, a justified multitude. Who is worthy? to implement the
plan of God, to unloose the seals of this seven-sealed scroll.
And he looked and none replied. The whole creation was asked,
the devil and his angels, the kingdoms of this earth, the politicians
of this earth, the rich of this earth, the movers and shakers
of this... Who is worthy? Not a solitary
one of them was worthy. Not one. And John wept. And one of the elders said to
him, don't weep, John. Look, in the midst of the throne, there
is the lion of the tribe of Judah. Ah, that's the Messiah, the lion.
The lion of the tribe of Judah. That's where the Messiah is coming
from. When he comes into history, he's the lion of the tribe of
Judah, David's greatest son. He's going to come into history
and he is going to accomplish all things. And John looks and
what does he see? He doesn't see a lion. he sees
a lamb as it had been slain. For the lion of the tribe of
Judah only in the role of a lamb that was slain is able to implement
the plan of God for the population of his kingdom with redeemed
justified people. How? Because only the blood of
a perfect substitute sacrifice can clear the sin debt which
would bar them all from that citizenship of the kingdom of
God. What these verses speak of is two things, Christ coming
to pay redemption's price at Calvary, to redeem with his lifeblood,
and secondly, to establish God's kingdom finally triumphant at
the end, when the sin for which he didn't die, that's my message,
that's the message of this book, it's not the message of the rest
of religion, Do you know, Christ died for the sins of his people,
the people that God the Father chose in Christ before the foundation
of the world. Oh, that's not fair. Well, take
it up with God, because that's what his word says. A multitude
that no man can number, and the rest he left to himself. That's the message of this book.
and those for whom Christ didn't die will bear their own sin at
the end. That's what this book says. Both
these comings are needed for the salvation of his people,
for the year of my redeemed to come as it says in verse four.
God must continue to be perfectly holy and just so he must justify
his elect and also execute strict justice on the rest. Hence there
are two comings. What that results in, Messiah
coming, is blessings on the house of Israel in verses 7 and 8.
I will mention the loving-kindnesses of the Lord, and the praises
of the Lord, according to all that the Lord has bestowed on
us, and the great goodness towards the house of Israel, which he
has bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according
to the multitude of his loving-kindnesses. Loving-kindnesses, electing mercy. For he said, surely they, specifically
this particular people, they are my people, children that
will not lie. So he was their saviour, not
the saviour of everyone without exception, the saviour of his
people, the saviour of his people. You see, that's the message of
this book. This and nothing else is the message of this book in
truth. about the people of God that he came to save. Why was
Jesus called Jesus? The angel said to Joseph, you
will call his name Jesus for he shall save his people from
their sins. It couldn't be clearer, could
it? their Saviour. God assures His loved people
how He has acted as their substitute Redeemer. And in verse 9, God's
gracious dealings with the people He loved are made clear. First
of all, there is empathy. In all their affliction, He was
afflicted. Then there is salvation. The
angel of His presence saved them. Then there is redemption. In
His love and in His pity, He redeemed them. And then there
is support. He bared them. He carried them.
all the days of old, his people. It's referring in the context
specifically to the people of Israel in Old Testament days,
but we have absolute clear apostolic authority from the New Testament
to interpret all of this as relating to the Church of God. So let's
just look at probably just the three of them. I'll briefly mention
the fourth of those. But first of all, empathy. The
Messiah, Christ, in coming on his earthly mission was, it says,
a partaker of all the human condition. Look, it says there, in all their
affliction. The affliction of what? The people
that he loved before the beginning of time. The people he came to
save by the shedding of his precious blood. The people whose sins
he took upon himself in order to pay their penalty. In their
affliction, the affliction of his people, he was afflicted. He bore it all. In coming on
his earthly mission, he was a partaker in all the human condition. Apart
from sin, which he had none of, for he was perfect, he was the
son of God, not the son of a man, or sickness. As a sinless person,
he didn't have sickness. But the sin debt required payment. And what is the payment that
the law of God requires? The soul that sins, it shall
die. Well, what is it to die? The
life, we read, is in the blood. without the shedding of blood,
there is no remission of sins. He came as a man to shed blood,
the sinless substitute of infinite capacity. God as a spirit in
heaven cannot suffer affliction for another. He had to become
man. Turn with me, if you can please,
to Hebrews chapter 2. Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 10. In Hebrews chapter 2, And in
verse 10, speaking about our Lord Jesus Christ, I believe
it's Paul that's writing, though many people don't believe that,
but then I think they're wrong. In verse 10, it says, it became
him, it was appropriate for him, Christ, for whom are all things
and by whom are all things in bringing many sons into glory. populating the kingdom of heaven.
To make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings,
Christ came to suffer. For both he that sanctifies and
they who are sanctified. Sanctify means set apart for
holiness, for the purpose of God. He that does it is God and
they who are sanctified are his people. And he says they're all
one, they're united together. For which cause he who is God
in flesh is not ashamed to call them brethren. Though they're
sinners, the Lord Jesus Christ said to his disciples, I call
you no longer servants, I call you my friends. I've told you
everything, I've told you all the secrets of heaven. He says,
I will declare your name to my brethren. In the midst of the
church will I sing praise to you. And again, he says this,
this is all quoting from the Old Testament, I will put my
trust in him. And again, behold I. and the
children which God has given me. I remember I quoted last
week Psalm 24, lift up your heads O ye gates and be ye lifted up
ye everlasting doors and the King of glory shall come in.
He came first to accomplish redemption, then he comes the second time
to take his children into their internal inheritance. For as
much then, verse 14, as the children, the church, the people of God,
Zion, are partakers of flesh and blood, I was, last time I
looked, last time I cut myself, blood came out. Partakers of
flesh and blood, he, God in Christ, also himself, likewise, took
part of the same flesh and blood. Why? So that when he died, through
his death, he might destroy him that had the power of death.
Who is that? That is the devil. And deliver them, who through
fear of death, are we not all inherently afraid of dying? but
he delivers his people who through fear of death were all their
lifetime subject to bondage for verily he took not on him the
nature of angels when he came to save but he took on him not
the seed of Adam not the seed of all men without exception,
but the seed of Abraham. Abraham is the one who had the
faith which was the gift of God. Those who have the same faith
of Abraham are the children of Abraham. Wherefore, in all things,
it behoved him it was needful to be made like to his brethren
that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things
to pay pertaining to God to make reconciliation for the sins of
the people that's what he came to do to pay the price of sin
for in that he himself has suffered being tempted he is able to succor
them that attempted is not that a clear glorious picture that
without the incarnation there could be no redemption no redemption
at all. We have not an high priest, it
says later in Hebrews, which cannot be touched with the feeling
of our infirmities. He is God in Christ because he
came in human flesh and blood. He is touched with the feeling
of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we
are, yet without sin. He laid aside that eternal glory
to become man and experienced in reality in this empathy with
us. A lowly birth? He experienced
a lowly birth, in a stable, laid in a manger. Poverty? He grew
up in poverty. The world we live in is rich
by comparison to what he experienced. Do you suffer scorn and rejection
of others? He suffered scorn. the scorn
of the Jews, of the Pharisees, of the high priest, of the jumped
up court, of Pilate and the Roman soldiers. He suffered treachery
because one of the twelve, one of the twelve, Judas Iscariot
rose up against him. He suffered, he experienced hunger. He experienced thirst in the
body. He experienced tiredness. He
experienced on that cross of Calvary the thing that was the
most painful for him. spiritual desertion by the Father
who loved him. When he was made sin, the Father
turned his back on him. My God, my God, he cried, why
have you forsaken me? In him we see empathy with the
lowest human condition, but also sympathy where he couldn't experience
sickness. We read in Matthew 8, 17 that
he healed all their sicknesses and it says he bare our sicknesses,
like a parent. bears the sickness of a sickly
child. I remember incidents with some of you that are my grandchildren,
when you were little tiny tots, being very, very sick, and how
your parents, well, we did ourselves with our children, but the parent
bears the sickness of the sickly child, and so did he. Our Lord
Jesus Christ wept at the grave of Lazarus. He wept there. Jesus wept at the grave of Lazarus.
He saw the widow of Nain who had everything taken from her
when her son, her fit young son died and he comes across the
funeral procession and there is the body lying on the funeral
carriage and the widow of Nain in great grief and he had pity
on the widow of Nain whose son had died and he raised him from
the dead. He shed tears over Jerusalem, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
how often would I have gathered you as a hen gathers her chicks
and you would not for its unbelief. But that alone Him having empathy
with us and bearing with us and showing us that he's a fitting
saviour did nothing to help our plight as sinners facing judgement. Oh you know you can go and if
you've got no money and there's somebody that's facing a colossal
debt and you go and put your arm around them and say oh I
do feel so sorry for you but if you haven't got the finances
with which to clear their debt for them it doesn't do much for
them does it? because they're still, still
condemned for their lack of resources to pay. And so that's why he
came in the flesh. Why? That he might die for the
purpose of death, that he might destroy him who had the power
of death. He came in flesh in order to redeem. Without the
incarnation there can be no redemption. In love and in pity, it says,
he redeemed them. I'm doing redemption before salvation
because I think you need redemption for salvation. In love and pity,
he redeemed his religion. You listen out to false religion,
you know I always say I listen to the service when I'm pottering
around in the kitchen on a Sunday morning, and there he was again
this morning in the Archbishop of Canterbury's presence, you
know, the national church stating the truth of God. Really? Really? You know what there wasn't? there
was not the slightest hint of redemption. There wasn't the
slightest acknowledgement of sin or the need to be reconciled
to a holy God and of the way that that reconciliation is accomplished
by the redemption that Christ purchased with his shed blood
on the cross of Calvary. False religion, whatever its
name, whatever its name, has no redemption other than worthless
self-redemption. But God in Christ loved his people
despite their sin. It says in Romans 5.8, God commends
his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us. How we need to apprehend this
truth. Paul says to the Ephesians that
you might be able to comprehend, and what he really means is not
comprehend, because we can't understand, what he really means
is apprehend, which means grasp, clutch onto. That we might be
able to apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth. and
the length and the depth and the height and to know the love
of Christ, the love of Christ, the pity of Christ. The pity
of Christ is pictured in Ezekiel 16 where a picture is given of
a newborn baby abandoned in a field, abandoned to die, not washed
just left in the blood of its birth, it's left there in a pitiful
state, and God says I looked upon you, He's saying this is
what my people were like in their sin, they were helpless children,
like that newborn babe, and He says it was the time of love.
and I loved you and set my affection upon you and I washed you and
I cleansed you and I wrapped you and I swaddled you and I
cared for you. This is what God says to his
true people. Christ came in sinless human
flesh and was made sin so that he might bear the penalty by
substitution for his people in order to pay the price of redemption,
release the ransom price from slavery. God's compassions do
not fail, says Jeremiah. He is compassionate in love and
pity. He paid the price with his lifeblood. He accomplished salvation from
sin in the power of an infinite God. You can be sure, you believe
in the Lord Jesus Christ and you know you are destined for
eternal glory at calvary at calvary when jesus died and shed his
blood and satan thought he was triumphant there he disarmed
satan from all his accusations against the people of god for
their sin he took the role in the law there's the role of the
kinsman redeemer he took that role of the kinsman redeemer
he suffered as a man but his sufferings merited the liberty
of his people from the curse of God. You know, the one that
had sold himself into slavery? If he had the means later, he
could redeem himself, but in this we cannot redeem ourselves.
It needs a kinsman to come and redeem us, to buy us back, and
that provision was made, and he is our kinsman-redeemer who
comes to buy us back from the curse of the law. So without
redemption, There can be no salvation. And without the incarnation,
there can be no redemption. And salvation is here too. Here
is salvation too. The angel, the messenger of the
covenant. I'm going to be very quick. The Lord whom you seek,
we read in Malachi 3 verse 1, shall suddenly come to his temple,
even the messenger of the covenant whom you delight in. Behold,
he shall come. He's talking of Christ. The angel
of his presence, the angel who reveals the face of God, we see
the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face
of Jesus Christ. As Jesus himself said, John 16,
28, I came forth from the Father and am coming to the world. He
came to save his people from their sins. He in whom dwelt
the fullness of the Godhead bodily, he who is the way, the truth,
and the life, that no man comes to the Father but by him. He
that, as he said to Philip, he who has seen me has seen the
Father. He who is the express image of
the invisible God, he came to save his people from their sins. How? By paying redemption's price. And of course, he keeps his people.
So then, let's finish the conclusion of this. This is the message
of Christ coming to save his people, and it's the most important
message. Our brother Don Faulkner is very
sick and very weak. He says he feels fine, but I
think we know better. He's not in good health at all. But do you know something? When
it comes to the prospect of leaving this life, he is totally, totally
relaxed. He has no qualms. His only qualms
are for his dear wife, who will be left behind. But he has complete
confidence and that is the confidence that all the children of God
who believe Christ for salvation have. What about you? What must
I do, you say? That's what the jailer asked
Paul. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and you shall be saved. It doesn't say understand, just
believe. Saviour, dear Saviour, hear this
humble cry. Whilst on others you are calling,
please do not pass me by. Amen.