Well, we're coming back this
week to Isaiah chapter 42. Last week, if you remember, we
didn't cover all I intended to. I fell short of verses 5 to 9,
and I said we would come back this week. And in verses 5 to
9, we have the commission of the Son of God, the Father's
commission of the Son of God, His instructions to Him, if you
like, as to what the mission was that He was to come and accomplish. And obviously I've been thinking
more about this through the week. And as you go about in the world,
you see and hear things which prompt ideas. And we were in
the center of town the other day, and there's a church there
that is called the United Reformed Church. It's near to Sainsbury's.
And I could make a point about all three of those things being
a misnomer in that case. United, Reformed. But anyway,
there's a great big sign outside that says, Jesus welcomes you
here. Jesus welcomes you here. Oh,
I'm interested in this Jesus person, let's go and see. The
thing is, who is the Jesus that welcomes you there? Who is the
Jesus that's on their notice board? I wonder if the Jesus
that's on their notice board is the one who speaks in verse
8 of Isaiah 42. I am the Lord, that is my name,
and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise
to graven images. Is it that Jesus? Is it that
one? Is it the servant of God in verse
1? Behold my servant, whom I uphold,
mine elect. Is it the elect servant of God
Almighty? Is it that Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth,
who came? Is it that Jesus or is it an
idol? Look at verse 17. They shall
be turned back. They shall be greatly ashamed
that trust in graven images. You know the graven images don't
need to be real physical icons. They can be graven images in
the darkened minds of men and women. They have idols there. They have that which is not true,
claiming to be the truth and not being true. Graven images
of religious people's minds that are not in accordance with this
word. What does Isaiah 820 say? To
the law and to the testimony. If they speak not according to
this word, why is that? It's because there is no light.
There is no light of God. There is no light of truth in
them. And you say, well, does it really matter, so long as
they're trying hard? I mean, do you know, somebody said to
me the other day, you know, there's lots of interpretations of the
Bible, of the Koran, and the Bible's just the same. Any number
of people have got their own interpretations of it. Does it
really matter which one, so long as there's sincerity, so long
as there's an intention to do some good? Well, I tell you,
it matters enormously. I'm going to take you to some
scriptures. Matthew 24 and verse 23. Matthew 24 verse 23, this is
the Lord Jesus Christ himself in his earthly ministry speaking
to his disciples, to the people. And he said, if any man shall
say unto you, lo, here is Christ, or there, our Jesus welcomes
you, believe it not, he says. Jesus said this, believe it not,
for there shall arise false Christs and false prophets and shall
show great signs and wonders, insomuch that, if it were possible,
they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before.
Wherefore, if they shall say unto you, Behold, he that is
the Christ, Jesus, is in the desert, go not forth. Behold,
he is in the secret chambers. Believe it not. Beware of falsehood. Beware of false teaching in religious
things. Turn also to 1 John. In 1 John,
chapter 2, and verse 18, the first epistle of John, chapter
2 and verse 18, where John, the elder, he's an old man, he's
the one remaining apostle, the one who leaned on Jesus' breast,
the one who was so close, one of the inner three, and here
he is, this old man who was given the revelation that Peter read
from earlier, and then in verse 18 of his first epistle, chapter
2, he says, little children, term of affection to believers.
It is the last time. That's nearly 2,000 years ago,
it's still the last time. In other words, there's the time
before Christ and the time after Christ, the first time and the
last, this is the last time. And as ye have heard that Antichrist
shall come, even now are there many Antichrists, whereby we
know that it is the last time. Don't be surprised at false Jesuses,
at false Christs. It's what has been known right
from the beginning. Look at verse 22. Who is a liar
but he that denieth that Jesus, the man born in Bethlehem of
Mary and raised in Nazareth, Jesus of Nazareth, he is the
Christ. He is Antichrist that denieth
the Father and Son. Those who deny Him, deny what?
They deny that He is the Promised One of all the Old Testament
Scriptures who came to fulfill exactly what the Old Testament
Scriptures said He would fulfill in terms of saving His particular
people from their sins. Saving them to the uttermost.
In chapter 4, where we're told to test the spirits, test the
preachers, whether they're preaching the truth. And in verse 3, every
spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh
is not of God. And this is the spirit of Antichrist.
What is the spirit of Antichrist? It's saying that their Jesus
is not the one, the same one, as is throughout the Old Testament.
The Old Testament said that God would send his servant, his elect. Behold my servant, mine elect.
He would send his Messiah, his substitute for sinners, to save
sinners, his people, his elect people, from their sins. To preach
the truth is to preach that Jesus, born in Bethlehem, and that Jesus
of Nazareth, who grew up the son of a carpenter, as it were,
there in Nazareth, seen by all those people there, seen by the
other children born to Mary and Joseph, his brothers and his
sisters, seen by all of them, that this one is the very one
of whom the Old Testament Scriptures all speak. He is the one that
all of the scriptures speak of. Because when he rose from the
dead, he preached to those disciples on the Emmaus Road. Beginning
at Moses and the prophets, he preached to them the things concerning
himself in the Old Testament scriptures. This is it. These
scriptures are they which speak of him. They that don't say that,
they that say that their Jesus is a nice friendly example of
how we should all live for one another, it's antichrist. That
is the spirit of antichrist. Antichrist is not something that
looks absolutely dreadful and is full of evil on the surface,
It's lying signs and wonders that would deceive even the elect
if that were possible. It's very deceiving. It's very
alluring. It's very attractive. Don't think
that Antichrist will immediately have flashing lights and horror
all around it. No, no, no. Very, very, very
subtle. Comes with a very deceiving, alluring, message, that message
of modern so-called Christianity, which is in truth anti-Christianity. That's the title I've given to
this message, True Christ or Antichrist. True Christ or Antichrist. You see, it matters so much So
how do we tell the difference? The true Christ is the only one
who is able to save his people to the uttermost from their sins.
You need to know when you buy something, when you buy goods,
that's one of the big dangers of shopping on the internet isn't
it these days, that because you can't see it and touch it and
feel it until it arrives in the post. You're not absolutely sure.
Is this the thing that is going to do the trick? And we rely
on reports of other people that say, yes, this trader's an honest
trader, you'll get the right thing. But, you know, there's
always that aspect of, do I know that I can believe this before
it actually arrives? Can you believe the claims? Well,
the Christ the Jesus that so many religious people promote. Is that Christ, true Christ,
or is it in fact anti-Christ? We're going to Australia three
weeks tomorrow. Gosh, doesn't time fly? And we'll
need passports, and we'll need visas, and there'll be immigration
checks. And one of the questions that
will be asked will be our identity. Who are you? And what's the purpose
of your visit? What are you coming here for?
Why are you here? What's the purpose? What's it
for? I remember when I went into JFK
Airport in New York many, many years ago, best part of 30 years
ago for the first time, and I remember a New York cop on immigration
in front of me saying to a very poorly spoken Eastern European,
He asked him his name and then he said, what kind of business
are you in? And it was very, very aggressive. He wanted to
know what's the purpose of your visit? Winston Churchill famously
once wrote on the little Visa waiver card, you know, it asked
a silly question. Do you have any intention to
commit terrorist acts whilst in the United States? And Winston
Churchill wrote, sole purpose of visit. You see, we need to ask similar
questions of the Christ. Remember what I said about that
Jesus welcomes you here. Who is he? What was the purpose
of his visit here? Is there Christ, the God of Scripture,
Or is he the antichrist of Satan's false kingdom? Because Satan
with his kingdom of antichrist attempts to mimic everything
in the kingdom of God. It's quite remarkable when you
read the book of Revelation how much Satan tries to mimic, but
it's all false because it never ever requires the satisfaction
of the justice of God. And there's only one thing satisfies
the justice of God. There's only one thing that makes
Atonement for the sins of a people and that is the blood of Christ.
The precious blood of Christ is the only thing and the Christ,
the Antichrist of Satan's kingdom has no need for that. I ask you,
is he your Christ? Is he the one who has saved his
people from their sins? Isn't that what Joseph was told?
You stay with Mary and the baby that's born, you call his name
Jesus, for why? That name, as all biblical names,
is resonant with meaning. Call his name Jesus, Joshua,
because he shall save his people from their sins. Or is your Jesus
just a shining example for worldwide peace and unity that has no need
for the satisfaction of divine justice? If it's the latter,
that is antichrist. Isaiah 42 declares to us the
truth. Let me just remind you, and I'm
not going to spend long on this, But in verses 1 to 4, we see
God's elect servant. This is the one that the Godhead,
the Father, chose to fulfill this mission. Behold my servant,
the one that you read about it in Philippians 2. We won't go
over those verses again, 5 to 8. God the Son who laid His glory
aside that He might come to be that suffering servant of God
to accomplish the mission that the Father gave Him to do. Servants
do the will of their masters. Is that not right? That's what
servants are for. Those that don't, whether you're called
an employee servant, you're still a servant. And if you don't do
the will of your master, your employer, then they'll take steps
to get you fired. Because God gave His servant,
who is His Son, a job to do. And in John 6, verse 39, Jesus
said this to the crowds that were hearing Him. This is the
Father's will that sent me. This is what the Father, God
the Father, wanted me to do, required me to do. That of all
which He hath given me, He means of all the people that the Father
gave to the Son. Out of the whole of humanity
the Father gave a multitude that no man can number without any
distinction of race. God so loved the world, as in
not everybody in the world, but a multitude of people from throughout
the world without distinction of race. Of all of those that
He has given me before the beginning of time, I should lose nothing. Why would they be lost? Because
they're sinners. And because the justice of God,
God cannot overlook sin. He will by no means clear the
guilty, we read in scripture. That penalty must be paid. The
law of God, the justice of God must be satisfied. But in Christ,
He says, I will not lose any of them. I will not lose any
of those the Father gave me, but will raise it up again at
the last day. That means every one of those
given by the Father to the Son before the beginning of time
will be raised up to eternal glory in heaven with the Son
at the last day, at that day of judgment. You see, for the
sin of the people of God to be justly put away, infinite God
must become flesh as their substitute to make satisfaction. And he
came with single-minded purpose. He wasn't distracted by the bruised
reeds and the smoking flaxes which were the Pharisees all
around him, making a fuss and having nothing truly of any substance
to say. No, he wasn't to be distracted,
he was single-minded. It says in the Scriptures that
he set his face as it were as flint. He was determined, solid,
solid, absolutely, nothing would cause him to waver from it, to
go to Jerusalem. Why? To die, to die. Wasn't a tragedy. It was a triumph. The death of Christ isn't a tragedy.
It's a triumph. It's not, oh, what a wicked thing
people did. Oh, you know, here's the best
man that ever lived and they went and crucified him. Well,
yes, in a sense, but it's by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge
of God. It's in his purpose that he did
that. Why? For the purpose of saving his
people from their sins. When he was telling the disciples
this, Peter said to him, oh not so Lord, you will never go to
that cross. No, no, absolutely not. And do
you know what Jesus said to Peter? That beloved disciple, he said,
get thee behind me Satan. You don't understand the things
of God. I must go to that cross. I must
die. If I don't die, then there is
no salvation. So his mission was one that was
guaranteed to be successful. He shall not fail nor be discouraged
till he have set judgment in the earth. And the isles shall
wait for his law. That means the world in general,
not just the Jewish world. The isles shall wait for his
law. His law? His gospel testimony. Read it
like that, his gospel testimony. His gospel testimony. So then,
in verses 5 to 9, we have the commissioning of the Christ of
God, the true Christ, commissioned. And what we have here is quite
remarkable in these few verses. You've heard the expression,
a fly on the wall. You know, if you work in a company
and things are going on, and you know the top people go into
a boardroom and they close the door and there's great secrecy
around it. And how many times have you heard the expression,
oh to be a fly on the wall in there. In other words, you barely
notice because you're so tiny, but you're on the wall and you
can hear everything that is going on. in political meetings, in
business meetings, commercial meetings, well here God gives
us a fly on the wall account of the commissioning of the Son
before the beginning of time. God the Father speaking to God
the Son before time began. And the subject is the covenant
of salvation. Salvation of the objects of the
gracious love of God. That's it. It's the covenant,
it's the agreement, it's the deal The deal. We hear a lot
in this country about deal or no deal regarding Brexit. Is
there going to be a deal? Is there going to be no deal?
Praise God there was a deal before the beginning of time. The covenant
of grace is the deal between the persons of the triune Godhead
for the salvation of the people who were the objects of their
love. Look at verse 5. Thus saith God the Lord. He that created the heavens,
and Lord there you see is in small capitals, so it's Jehovah,
it's Jehovah. It's the name that in the original
Hebrew is unpronounceable. It's the I am that I am name.
He that created the heavens and stretched them out. He that spread
forth the earth and that which cometh out of it. He that giveth
breath unto the people upon it and the spirit to them that walk
therein. This is God the Lord speaking,
Jehovah, the creator and the giver of life. But just pause
for a minute. Who is it that created? Who is
it? God. Genesis chapter 1 verse
1, very first words of the scripture, what do they say? In the beginning,
God created the heavens and the earth, and the earth was without
form and void, and there was darkness on the face of the deep.
We also then read, in verse 2, the Spirit of God. Oh, the Holy
Spirit was there, involved in creation. The Spirit of God moved
upon the face of the waters. The Spirit of God moved there.
John's Gospel, chapter 1 and verse 3, speaking of the Word
who was in the beginning with God and who was himself indeed
God. The Word meaning the expression
of the being of God in comprehensible form, the Word. And it says of
Him, the Word, who is Christ, who became flesh, it says, all
things were made by Him. And without Him was not anything
made that was. Who made? Who created? Who is
the Lord that created? All the three. persons of the
triune God. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
are the ones who created. All of them created. You say,
I don't understand this. Well, that's because you're trying
to apply human logic to it. But believe what the Scriptures
declare. What I'm trying to show you is that the Jesus of the
Scriptures is very God of very God, is true God. In Him dwelt
the fullness of the Godhead, bodily, in Him, in Him. all things made by him. Hebrews
chapter 1 and verses 1 to 3, this is language that you ought
to try and commit to memory. God, who at sundry times and
in diverse manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the
prophets, has in these last days spoken unto us by His Son. Because Christ had come then,
and had walked the earth. And it wasn't just prophets walking
the earth that spoke the Word of God, it was the very Son of
God who spoke the Word of God. Listen what it says about this
One, whom He hath appointed Heir of all things. Christ, the Word,
is the heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds,
who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image
of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his
power. You see, all things hold together now, the laws of science
hold together now, by the word of the power of the manifestation
of God to us, the Word of God. When He by Himself had purged
our sins, He sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on
high. This is the one. By His Son,
God made the worlds. It's the triune God speaking
there in verse 5. Although it's the Father commissioning
the Son, yet the whole thing is the word of the one God. If
your Jesus is anything less than very God of very God, he is not
the God of Scripture, he is not the Christ of Scripture, he is
Antichrist. Look what we read in Revelation,
Revelation chapter 1, just turn over there with me now, Revelation
chapter 1, And verse 5, it says there that this revelation
is from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the
first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the
earth, unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in
his own blood. Right? This is the one. Then
look, verse 8. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning
and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and
which is to come, the Almighty. Who is? God. God is the Alpha
and the Omega. I think we'll all agree on that.
Verse 10. I was in the spirit of the Lord on the Lord's day.
This is John speaking. And I heard behind me a great
voice as of a trumpet saying, I am Alpha and Omega. That's
the same as the first and last that we just read just a moment
ago, wasn't it? I am the first and the last. I am Alpha and
Omega, the first and the last. And what thou seest, write in
a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia, to
Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.
And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being
turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks, and in the midst of the seven
candlesticks, one like unto the Son of Man." Do you know, we
see him More than once in the Scriptures, in Daniel, Daniel
saw one like the Son of Man. This is the name that Jesus the
man used of himself more than any other in his earthly ministry.
The Son of Man came for this reason. This is what the Son
of Man is going to do. One like to the Son of Man, yet
who is the Son of Man that John sees in heaven, in a glorified
state? It's the Alpha and the Omega.
the beginning and the ending, the Lord which is and which was,
which is to come, see He's Almighty God. And then in chapter 4, in
chapter 4 and verse 11, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive
honour, glory and honour and power, for Thou hast created
all things and for Thy pleasure. They are and were created, God
created, but we've just read that Christ created. Chapter
10 of Revelation. Chapter 10 and verse 6. And this
is the one who is clearly Christ, swearing by him that liveth forever
and ever, who created heaven and the things that are therein,
and the earth and the things that are therein, and the sea
and the things which are therein, that there should be time no
longer. This is the one who created, announcing the end He is the
one that is there announcing the end in chapter 21, in chapter
21 of Revelation. And in verse 6, this is clearly the glorified
Lord Jesus Christ speaking. He said unto me, it is done.
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto
him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. Who gives it? The Alpha and the
Omega. Do you remember what Jesus cried
at that great feast in John chapter 7? Come unto me. You who thirst,
come to the waters of life, come to me, and I will give you living
water. Is it not the same one who is
speaking here in Revelation 21, in chapter 22? in chapter 22, the final chapter
of the Scriptures, verse 12. And behold, I come quickly. Who is coming quickly? Christ
is coming again. That's clear throughout the Scriptures.
And my reward is with me, to give every man according as his
work shall be. Who is coming? I am Alpha and
Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have
the right to the tree of life. and may enter in through the
gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers,
and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever
loveth and maketh a lie. Who's speaking? I, Jesus. Verse 16, I, Jesus, have sent
mine angel, my messenger, to testify unto you these things
in the churches. I, Jesus, am the root and offspring
of David, the promised servant that would come. with the sure
mercies of David, the saving mercies, the bright and the morning
star, and the spirit and the bride say come, and let him that
heareth say come, and let him that is athirst come, and whosoever
will let him take of the water of life freely.' Do you see how
clear that is? The Lord Jesus Christ of Scripture,
the true God, the one who is commissioned to do the will of
the Father, is himself eternal God. He thought it not robbery,
says Paul to the Philippians. Let this mind be in you, which
was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, thought
it not robbery to be equal with God. There was nothing that he
was taking away from God in making claim to the full Godhead. No,
he is fully God. I ask so-called Christian religion,
is the Jesus that you promote and you invite people to come
to, the same one who is infinite God manifested? Manifested means
made known, displayed, showed openly. Is he the same one who
is infinite God manifested? That's what Paul writes to Timothy,
1 Timothy 3.16, great is the mystery of godliness. We mortal
creatures struggle to get our heads anywhere around it. We
can't. Great is the mystery of godliness. And what's the first
thing he says about that mystery? God, the unknowable God, was
manifested, made known, in the flesh. God was manifested in
the flesh. Jesus said, I and my Father are
one. I and my Father are one. That's
amazing, isn't it? That when he's in a room talking
to the disciples, and I know I tell you this every other week
it seems, but nevertheless it's so profound. Philip says, when
Jesus has said, I am the way, the truth and the life, no man
comes to the Father but by me, And Philip then hadn't heard
properly, because he says, well, show us the way to the Father.
And Jesus, as it were, says, haven't you heard me, Philip?
I've just said I am the way. But nevertheless, have I been so
long with you that you have not known me? He who has seen me
has seen the Father, has seen the essence, has seen the knowable
essence of the Father. I and my Father are one, he said. I always do the works that he
gives me to do. He and the Father and the Son
are entirely unified. They're separate persons, but
they're the same one Godhead. And look in verse 6, now. And
here we have what we might say one person of the Trinity speaking
to another, the Father speaking to the Son. I, the Lord, have
called thee in righteousness. I have called thee in righteousness
and will hold thine hand and will keep thee and give thee
for a covenant of the people for a light to the Gentiles.
He has called, He has commissioned His Son in righteousness. How else could He do it? Because
He's God. Everything that God does must be in accordance with
His righteousness and His holiness. Everything that He does, in complete
contrast to Satan's lie, everything that God does must be completely
in accordance with His righteousness. I, the Lord, have called, I have
commissioned the Son, the second person of the Blessed Trinity,
in righteousness. I will hold thy hand. The very
Godhead will uphold. Why? We thought about it a bit
last week. But when God was contracted to
a span, when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days
of Herod the king, he came as a frail baby in the fragility
of human flesh. You know, that baby couldn't
do anything for itself. Because he was God in flesh,
he was still a human baby, and he still grew as a child. We've
got children here this morning in various stages of ages and
development. But he was still a child with
all the fragility of that. And this is the father saying,
I will hold thine hand and will keep thee. Why do you think Jesus
went aside so often in his earthly ministry to pray to his father?
Because as a man, he felt the weakness of the flesh. Not sin,
but the weakness of the flesh, the inherent fragility of flesh. And yet the Father promises to
keep him, and to give him as a covenant for the people. I
will give you, I will give you. Remember what Jesus said to Nicodemus
when Nicodemus came to him to find out what was really going
on, because he was quite impressed with this man. He said, clearly
you've come from God because no man can do the things you
do except God be with him. And Jesus said to him, verily
I say to you, you can't see the kingdom of God except you be
born again. You can't see the kingdom of
God. And then he goes on. to tell him that verse that is
probably more quoted than any other verse in scripture. God
so loved the world, John 3, 16, that He gave, there it is, gave,
gave for a covenant of the people. He gave His only begotten Son. that whosoever believes in Him
should not perish, but have everlasting life. He gave His only begotten
Son as a ransom for the sins of His people, which is a people
from all around the world, a multitude without number, from every tribe
and kindred and tongue. He gave Him for a covenant of
the people. A covenant. What's a covenant?
A deal. A deal that will pay redemption's
price. A deal that will pay sin's debt. We were reading the other morning
in Exodus and there's the law of redemption, which is the half
shekel for every one of them. They all had to pay a redemption's
price. And it's such a picture of the
fact that the sin debt of the people is a debt that must be
paid. You know, it's not a kind of,
well, we'll just cancel the debt. No, it had to be paid. The sin
debt of the people of God, the elect people of God, had to be
paid. And Christ paid it with his own
precious blood. Such that, we hear the words,
it is finished. He was raised for our justification. It accomplished its purpose.
His death and his shed blood on the behalf of his people,
paid the sin debt for those people, for that multitude which no man
can number, but only for that multitude which no man can number,
for the people. Covenant of, doesn't say all
people, it says a covenant of the people, the people of God,
the people that his name would be called Jesus, because he will
save his people, those same people, from their sins. And that commission
was fulfilled. Look in Luke's gospel. Luke's
Gospel and chapter 1. Take me a moment to find it. Sorry, Luke's Gospel chapter
2. Luke's Gospel chapter 2 and verse 29. And again, this is
when they bring the baby Jesus to the temple to do for him what
was the custom of the law. And there was the old man Simeon
who was waiting to see God's salvation. He had studied the
scriptures. God the Spirit had told him what
was to happen, that the Messiah of God would be born as a baby
and would come. to the temple, and that all things
would be fulfilled, and that through him the sins of the people
of God would be paid for, that his people might be the objects
of his everlasting love and share within that eternal glory. And
in verse 29, Simeon says this, having held the baby child in
his arms, he says, Now, Lord, let your servant depart in peace
according to your word. For mine eyes have seen your
salvation, which you have prepared before the face of all the people,
a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. Is that not exactly what it says?
Verse 7, to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from
the prison, to them that sit in darkness, out of the prison
house. This is what he did. Look again at Hebrews, at Hebrews
chapter 8. Hebrews chapter 8 and verse 3, for every high priest
is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices. Wherefore, it is
of necessity that this man, this Jesus, have somewhat also to
offer. What did he offer? He offered
his own precious blood and it was accepted. In verse 6, now
he has obtained a more excellent ministry by how much? Also, he
is the mediator of a better covenant than the covenant of works, a
covenant of grace, which was established on better promises,
because the first covenant was weak through the flesh, through
the sins of the flesh, but this one is based on the persons of
the Godhead, covenanting together. in chapter 9 verse 14. How much more shall the blood
of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself without
spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the
living God? And for this cause he is the
mediator of the New Testament. There's that new covenant for
which the Father gave him, that new covenant that by means of
death for the redemption of the transgressions, for the payment
of the price of the redemptions that were under the first testament,
they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
And then just quickly over to chapter 10. And verse 7, then
said I, this is Christ speaking, lo, I come, in the volume of
the book it is written of me, to do thy will, O God. To do
what God had commissioned him to do in the passage that we're
looking at in Isaiah. To do your will, O God. In verse
9, then he said, lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He takes
away the first covenant of works that he may establish the second
covenant of grace. By the witch will we are sanctified,
made holy, through the, what makes us holy? The offering of
the body of Jesus Christ once for all his people. And every
priest stands daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same
sacrifices which can never take away sins, but this man. Jesus,
the Jesus of Scripture, very God of very God, after he had
offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right
hand of God. You see there, immediately, you
can see the difference between a Jesus Christ of religion... There's a Jesus Christ of religion,
a very popular religion, despite all the troubles it's had in
recent years, but they offer the same sacrifice for sins every
time they hold the Mass. That's what they do. That's why
they don't understand that Christ offered one sacrifice for sins
forever. When we have communion, it's
not mass, it's not the same thing, not at all. Ours is a remembrance,
theirs is a reenactment. He offered one sacrifice for
sins forever, from henceforth expecting till His enemies be
made His footstool. Listen, for by one offering,
that one offering, He has perfected forever them that are sanctified. Do you feel short of the glory
of God? I know I do, constantly. I am
short of the glory of God constantly, but He has perfected His people
forever. Verse 8, and with this we'll
close. I am the Lord, that is my name, and my glory will I
not give to another. God will not share His glory
with another. John 17, Verse 5 is the prayer
of Christ the night before he went to the cross to die. And
he prays for his people to be kept. And in verse 5 he says
this. Can you imagine the room? Judas has gone out and there's
the 11 left there in the room with him. And they're there,
they can feel, touch, see each other, they've been eating a
meal together, they've been singing, they've been praying together,
they're there together. And Jesus now prays for them
all to the Father, and He says, And now, O Father, glorify thou
me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee
before the world was. God says, I will not share my
glory with another. Who else but very God of very
God, the God-man, could rightfully pray to the Father to share His
glory? The God who will not share His
glory with another is not sharing His glory with another, because
it is the glory of God that is in the Lord Jesus Christ. We
beheld His glory, said John, the glory as of the only begotten
of the Father, full of grace and truth. Who is your Jesus? Is he true Christ or is he anti-Christ? You know, so much false religion,
the best that they can come up with is a Christmas nativity
scene in which there is an infant doll in a manger, and the children
pretending to be shepherds, et cetera, and you know, don't worry,
I'm not saying anything about what the children do in that
situation, but the myth of false religion is that that is the
Christ of Scripture. That's wrong. The Christ of Scripture
is glorified. The Christ of Scripture is the
glorified Son of God who has accomplished everything that
the Father gave Him to do. If you're in a church, which
has an Antichrist masquerading as the true Jesus. You know what
the Scriptures say to us? Revelation 18 says this, I heard
another voice from heaven saying, come out of her, this false religion,
my people. Revelation 18, four and five.
that ye be not partakers of her sins, that ye receive not of
her plagues, for her sins have reached unto heaven, and God
hath remembered her iniquities. Come out of her. This is the
true Christ, not Antichrist. This is the true Christ. God
keeps his people in wilderness isolation from that false religion.
The days are difficult, the days may get more difficult. But this
is the call of God to his people, come out of her, that false religion,
and worship God, the true God in Christ. Amen.