Our reading this morning is from
Matthew's Gospel, chapter 11. Matthew's Gospel, chapter 11.
And we're going to be reading from
verse one. Matthew's Gospel, chapter 11,
and verse one. And it came to pass when Jesus
had made an end of commanding his 12 disciples, he departed
thence to teach and to preach in their cities. Now when John
had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his
disciples and said unto him, are thou he that should come,
or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said unto
them, Go and show John again those things which ye do hear
and see. The blind receive their sight
and the lame walk. The lepers are cleansed and the
deaf hear. The dead are raised up and the
poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he whosoever
shall not be offended in me. And as they departed, Jesus began
to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the
wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they that wear soft clothing
are in kings' houses. But what went ye out for to see?
A prophet. Yea, I say unto you, and more
than a prophet. For this is he of whom it is
written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall
prepare thy way before thee. Verily I say unto you, among
them that are born of women, there hath not risen up, are
greater than John the Baptist. Notwithstanding, he that is least
in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. And from the days of
John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence,
and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the
law prophesied until John. And if he will receive it, this
is Elias, which was for to come. He that hath ears to hear, let
him hear. But whereunto shall I liken this
generation? It is like unto children sitting
in the markets and calling unto their fellows and saying, we
have piped unto you and ye have not danced. We have mourned unto
you and ye have not lamented. For John came neither eating
nor drinking, and they say, he hath a devil. The son of man
came eating and drinking, and they say, behold, a man gluttonous
and a wine-bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners, but wisdom
is justified of her children. Then began he to upbraid the
cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they
repented not. Woe unto thee, Chorazin! Woe
unto thee, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which
were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would
have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you,
it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of
judgment than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art
exalted unto heaven, shall be brought down to hell. For if
the mighty works which have been done in thee had been done in
Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto
you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the
day of judgment than for thee. At that time Jesus answered and
said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because
thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast
revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed
good in thy sight. All things are delivered unto
me of my Father. And no man knoweth the Son, but
the Father, neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son,
and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. Come unto me,
all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn
of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest
for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden
is light. Amen. May God bless to us this
reading from his word. It had not dawned on me until
recently that when John the Baptist was in prison, as we read here
in the opening few verses of this chapter 11 of Matthew, when
John the Baptist was in prison, some unknown person came to him
and preached the gospel to him. John was, of course, in himself,
a preacher of the gospel. But here in the second verse
of Matthew 11, we are explicitly told that someone went and declared
the works of Christ to the Lord's faithful servant. The works of
Christ are a declaration of who Christ is, what he has done,
and surely this is the gospel. Gospel preaching is telling forth
the words and the works of the Lord Jesus Christ. This tells
us that even in prison, John the Baptist heard of the works
of Christ. John the Baptist had the gospel
preached to him. And even gospel preachers are
blessed to hear the gospel declared to them. There is something noticeable
here in this second verse of Matthew chapter 11 that I want
to concentrate upon this morning. The verse reads, now when John
had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his
disciples. He heard when he was in prison
the works of Christ. He heard them related to him.
He heard what the Lord Jesus Christ was doing. John heard
the works of Christ when a prisoner of Herod. He was imprisoned by
Herod for speaking the truth to that wicked man. Herod was a debauched, unjust
and corrupt infidel. John himself was soon to die. Herod would take his life at
a whim. For the sake of his own face
and prestige, he would take the life of God's faithful servant. Yet there in the darkness of
John's prison cell, in the solitude that he encountered, in the confines
of that small space in which he was incarcerated, He heard
about Jesus. He heard what Jesus was doing. And is that not a picture of
the state of every sinner bound in sin? Soon we all will die,
but the sinners that are bound in their sin and hear the works
of Jesus are blessed indeed. Those who are captive to Satan
and yet the light of the gospel shines into them are blessed
indeed. Those who are incapable of delivering
themselves and yet discover that they are freed and liberated
from that bondage of sin are blessed indeed. What a wonder
it is when a captive sinner hears about the works of Jesus, that
they enter into his soul and set the captive free. Of course,
John the Baptist knew who the Lord Jesus Christ was. His question
to the Lord, art thou he that should come, or do we look for
another, might suggest otherwise. but rather it is designed to
inform and to convince his disciples of the Lord Jesus' true identity. I don't think that John doubted
who the person of Christ was, and when he heard the works,
or of the works, that the Lord Jesus Christ was performing,
I'm sure it all confirmed to him the fact that this mission
that was given to him of declaring the Lord Jesus Christ, that ministry
that was his alone of preparing the way for the Lord's coming
had been thoroughly fulfilled and completely justified. John knew who the Lord Jesus
Christ was. He had known it from his mother's
womb. And even although this question
sounds as if, do we look for another? Speaks of a doubt in
John's mind. Yet, rather, I think John knew
the Lord's true identity. John's work was done. He knew
that the Lord Jesus Christ had come. He knew that that preparatory
work for the Lord's arrival was now over and he knew that glory
awaited him as a faithful servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. But while he knew these things,
His disciples would take the death of John hard. They would not find his passing,
his execution, to be an easy thing. And they might even blame
Jesus for it. Had John not declared that this
was the one of whom the prophets had spoken, Did John not say
to them that he, the Lord Jesus Christ, would set the captives
free? Why then was John still in prison? Why then had John not been set
free? And one could well imagine these
questions tormenting the minds of John's disciples when their
leader was taken from them. But John prepared the hearts
of his own followers. He taught them not simply to
listen to his words, but to go and see for themselves, to witness
for themselves the things that the Lord Jesus Christ did. And
I believe that this question that was asked that sometimes
raises doubts about John's own convictions was rather a lasting
testimony that John who preached to thousands concerning the coming
of Christ also cared for the individual well-being of his
friends and his followers. He ministered to their souls
individually. He was both a preacher of the
gospel and a pastor of men's souls. He pointed his friends
to the Lord Jesus Christ. This morning I want to take the
little phrase that we encounter in this second verse of Matthew
11. I want to take the little phrase,
John had heard in the prison the works of Christ. And I want to try to emulate
that friend of John who went to him in the prison and told
him the works of Christ. I want to be like that follower
of John who went to his master and said, Master, listen to what
Jesus Christ is doing. And I want this morning, if the
Lord will enable, to point you to the works of Christ. Not just
the works that the Saviour performed in these three years of his ministry,
not just the miracles that he performed, the Lord himself speaks
of them in Matthew 11. He says, the blind receive their
sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear,
the dead are raised up, the poor have the gospel preached to them. These indeed were the works of
Christ in his earthly ministry. But they are just one part of
the overarching works of Christ that he has performed for the
salvation and redemption of his people in the history of the
world. The work of the Lord Jesus Christ
is to save his people from their sin and the whole work of Christ
in its widest sense is going to be our subject this morning. These are the works of Christ
that assure the salvation of his people. And I have identified
seven headings this morning that I want briefly to address and
to show us the extent, the breadth, the depth of the work of Christ
in the deliverance and salvation and the redemption work of Christ that I want us
to think about is the work of representation. The work of representation. The first work of our Saviour
was the work of representing his people and the Lord Jesus
Christ represented his people in the covenant of peace. We learn much in scripture about
the name of the Lord that identifies him as the eternal word. And that is because the Lord
Jesus Christ, in the first way in which we ever know of him,
is as that representative who stood up in the council of peace
and spoke on behalf of his people. The Lord Jesus Christ spoke as
our representative. As the everlasting word, he spoke
as our representative and our surety. It is David, the psalmist, who
writes, but it is Christ who speaks in Psalm 40, verse 7. Then said I, Lo, I come in the
volume of the book it is written of me. I delight to do thy will,
O my God. Again, it is the prophet Isaiah
who writes these words, but it is Christ who speaks. In Isaiah
6, verse 8, When it is written there, also I heard the voice
of the Lord saying, whom shall I send and whom and who will
go for us? Then said I, here am I, send
me. It is Judah, the son of Jacob,
who spoke of Benjamin, his younger brother. but it is Christ and
the Church that is in view in Genesis chapter 43, verse 9,
where Judah declares, I will be surety for him. Of my hand
shalt thou require him. If I bring him not unto thee
and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever. David and Isaiah and Judah Have
these words penned of them and by them? But these are prophetic
words, typical words, words that speak to us of a role undertaken
by the Lord Jesus Christ in a representative capacity in the eternal covenant
of peace. The Lord Jesus Christ undertook
to be the surety for his people. The Lord Jesus Christ declared
his willingness and voluntarily said to the question that was
asked, who shall go for us? Here am I, send me. I delight to do thy will, O my
God. It is our ever-blessed Saviour
who speaks in Psalm 69 and verse 4. They that hate me without
a cause are more than the hairs of mine head. They that would
destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty. Then I restored that which I
took not away. And here is the first work of
Christ, our great representative. Yes, John the Baptist heard the
works of Christ when he was in prison, and what a blessing it
is that we, as his people, are enabled to hear the works of
Christ as we go through this experience of life here upon
earth, with all of its constraints, with all of its difficulties,
with all of its hardships, Yet the works of Christ have been
revealed to us by the prophets of old, by the apostles of the
New Testament, and by the Lord Jesus Christ himself. It is declared
of him. I restored that which I took
not away. The Lord Jesus Christ has restored
his people. He has stood in the councils
of peace as the great representative of his loved ones and he has
bestowed upon us all of the blessings of grace and mercy. So the work
of representation is the first heading that I wanted to draw
your attention to. And let us think of another work
of Christ, for not only did he represent us in eternity, but
also the Lord Jesus Christ is the one of whom it is said he
created all things. the Lord Jesus Christ as the
living word, spoke the universe into existence. The earth, the
stars, the black holes, the dark matter, everything that exists
in this world that has been discovered, has been thought about, has been
searched for by man in his scientific skills, speaks of the glory of
the creative power of Jesus Christ. John chapter 1 verse 1 to 3 says,
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God. The same was in the beginning
with God. All things were made by him,
and without him was not anything made that was made. Let us not doubt the power or
the purpose of our Saviour. He created the universe as a
stage on which to fellowship with man and fulfil his redemptive
purpose. He created all that we see in
order that he might accomplish that great aim, that great undertaking,
that great representative work that he entered voluntarily into. in the council of peace, the
everlasting council of God's grace towards us. He created
the universe, and the apostles and the early church testified
of the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ is this one who created
all things. In Acts chapter four, verse 24,
we read, Lord, thou art God which has made heaven and earth and
the sea and all that in them is. The Lord Jesus Christ takes
upon himself that great work of representation and he accomplished
the work of creation and we also discover that he sustains and
upholds all things. And this is our third heading. The Lord Jesus Christ both created
and sustains the universe. He is the first cause but he
also actively maintains and upholds all things. In Hebrews chapter
one, verse three, we read, he upholds all things by the word
of his power. All things, all things. We read that in Matthew chapter
11. We read, even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy
sight. All things are delivered unto
me of my Father. All things are committed into
the hands of Christ. All things are His, and He upholds
all things by the word of His power. Such is the Saviour that
we worship today. This is the Lord Jesus Christ.
These are the works of the Lord Jesus Christ. The laws of nature,
the science of the universe, all energy, all matter, all life,
all human and animal existence is sustained by the word of Christ. And providence, we speak about
providence often. Providence is the Lord's management
of His created world. Providence is the Lord's doing
in the world, in the circumstances and in the events of the world. Men think of these things as
random and accidental and circumstantial. but it is the Lord's purposeful
unfolding of history that we are observing in our days and
in our times. And as the Lord has accomplished
his purposes throughout history, from the creation all the way
through to the conclusion of all things. The will of God and
the purpose of God is being worked out by the upholding providential
work and word of Christ. He is managing his affairs and
all that was committed to him as a representative is being
dealt with according to his will and the will of his father. He
provides for all. He controls everything. He orders all things and directs
them to accomplish his glorious purpose. So our representative
head created and sustains all things. And that leads us on
to our fourth thought this morning, that the Lord Jesus Christ is
obedient in all his ways. The work of obedience speaks
also of the Lord our Saviour. He, the God-Man, undertook this
role, this mediatorial role of subjecting himself to his father
and to his father's will. He came and made himself a little
lower than the angels. He brought himself into that
state of lowliness and humiliation. and he subjected himself, the
creator and sustainer of all things, subjected himself to
the confines of a human body. And in that role, as the God-man
mediator, he was obedient in all his ways to the will of his
father. out of the love that he had for
his Father, he was always obedient to him. He was perfect in all
his ways, sinless, the sinless Son of God, obedient in the eternal
counsels, obedient in time, obedient in all the days of his flesh,
obedient to the law, obedient to the will of the Father, He
was in all ways holy, just, and good. In Hebrews chapter 10 and
verse 7, we see a picture of that obedience where the writer
there tells us, putting words into the mouth of Christ, lo,
I come to do thy will, O God. That was the reason for the coming
of Christ into the world. That was the reason for the taking
of this body. That was the reason why he undertook
all of the sufferings that he endured in order that he might
do the will of God. And in John chapter 14 and verse
31, we read there also, as the Father gave me commandment, even
so I do. The works of Christ were works
of obedience. Now every obedient act that the
Lord Jesus Christ performed was consistent with his will and
his nature. Everything, because the Lord
Jesus Christ was perfect, is perfect, is holy, the work of
obedience, the work of doing his Father's will were all consistent
with his desire and his perfect holy nature. But one work differs, and that
is the work of his death upon the cross. We've mentioned this before,
but does not the hymn writer say, "'Tis mystery all, the immortal
dies, who can explain his strange design?' It was contrary to the
nature of Christ that he became sin. It was against all that
he was as the living one, as the eternal one, as the one in
whom life has all its source and all its power and all its
energy, that he should die. And so in a very real and special
sense, in a very unique way, the death of the Lord Jesus Christ
on the cross, him being made sin, him being properly, justly,
legitimately condemned for sin, was contrary to all Christ is
and all he deserved. And that, in a sense, is the
great act of obedience, that the Lord Jesus Christ willingly,
voluntarily, laid down his life for his friends. In Philippians
chapter 2 verse 8 we read these words, And being found in fashion
as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross. Yes, the Lord Jesus Christ was
obedient to the law. Yes, the Lord Jesus Christ was
obedient to the ways and the will of the Father. Yes, there
was nothing that could be legitimately laid against him as an accusation
or a charge, and yet his obedience is surely manifested and glorified
in the death that he suffered more than any other act. the Lord Jesus Christ became
obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. And therefore
it is that this work of obedience leads us to think about the fifth
head this morning, the fifth example of the works of Christ. Because here is the work of redemption. The Lord Jesus Christ was our
representative. He created and sustains the world. He was obedient to his father
in all ways. But then he went to the cross. The work of redemption was the
Lord Jesus Christ laying down his life in payment for sin. Laying down his life to propitiate
God's righteous anger and to atone for the lives of his sheep,
his people. by Christ's work of redemption. He secured a purchased possession. He bought, he redeemed that possession
which had been lost, that people which had fallen in Adam. And he delivered an enslaved
people. He redeemed that which had been
taken into captivity. He bought them out of their bonds. and he won for himself a bride
for evermore. The cost of that purchase was
his own precious blood. The Lord Jesus Christ gave us
the price, not silver or gold, not the trinkets of men's valuations,
not the diamonds and the rubies and the pearls which so inflame
the lusts of men, but the precious life's blood of the God-man mediator
was the price demanded by a holy God for the redemption of his
people. Luke chapter 1 verse 68 gives
us the words of Zacharias who was of course the father of John
the Baptist. So this testimony, this testimony
to Christ and his work was well known not only by John but by
John's father. There Zechariah says in those
early verses of Luke's Gospel, And the Lord Jesus Christ was
that visitation of God. The Lord Jesus Christ came into
the world to save sinners. That was his end, that was his
purpose, that was the great work for which he came. That was the
fulfilment of his representative role. That was the reason for
the creation and sustaining of the world. That was why in his
obedience he proved himself to be an able sacrifice, one in
whom there was no spot or blemish. And he went to the cross and
there he laid down his life for his sheep. Well might the church
sing praises to Christ evermore. Well might they address him personally
in the words of Revelation chapter 5 verse 9. For thou wast slain
and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred
and tongue and people. and nation. This is particular
redemption, this is limited atonement, this is his glorious work. The Lord Jesus Christ came and
he saved his people, not a universal redemption, not a shedding of
his blood, for all men everywhere in some sort of inconsequential
way that then left the role of salvation up to the individual's
free will. But he paid the price, he delivered
the captive, he released his people, he bought their salvation. he has brought that great atonement
to fruition. For the Lord Jesus Christ has
made us at one with his Father. He has reconciled us to the Holy
One and he has brought us people, cleansed by his precious
blood into the very presence of his Father as he promised
to do in his representative role. Ephesians chapter 1 verse 7 says,
In whom, that is in Christ, is We have redemption through his
blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his
grace. We have redemption through his
blood. the forgiveness of sins. The work of redemption was the
great work of the Lord Jesus Christ alone. He was the only
one who could fulfil this task, and he fulfilled it completely,
and he fulfilled it perfectly. The works of the Lord Jesus Christ,
however, do not stop with his redemptive work. Truly he declared
upon the cross it is finished and the work of redemption is
a completed work. But the Lord Jesus Christ now
continues to intercede for his people in glory. And this is
the sixth of the seven headings that I have this morning. That
work of intercession is truly a work of the Lord Jesus Christ
also. We read of the Holy Spirit interceding
between God and men, but this role is exclusively Christ's. He intercedes in heaven for his
people, and it is a genuine work. The Lord Jesus Christ is interceding
right now for his people, for you and for me who trust in him. He is interceding before his
Father's face. And yet we ought not to think
of our saviour labouring in heaven. He is not working in the sense
that he is actively pleading for his people. No, rather, it
is not the asking on our behalf, but rather his very presence
in heaven that is a constant witness of his representative work and
his atoning mediatorial sacrifice in glory. It is as if the Lord
Jesus Christ, with his very presence in heaven, with his hands that
were pierced, with his crown that bled, with his side that
was pierced, speaks of the lamb that was slain and testifies
to the work of redemption and atonement. The Lord Jesus Christ
carries the names of those that he represented, their on his
hands. He carries their person in his
heart. He speaks from his very passion
and love of the desire that he has for their peace and their
well-being. And in that heavenly intercession,
the Lord Jesus Christ represents us before his Father. Hebrews chapter 7 verse 25 we
read, Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost
that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession
for them. It is as Christ lives eternally
in heaven that we are interceded for before the Father. And he
saves his people because he brings them before the Father as that
people who are united to him, that people who are cleansed
by him, and that people whose sin has been taken away, never
to be remembered against them anymore by the sacrifice that
he performed. In Romans 8, verse 34, we read,
Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea,
rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand
of God, who also maketh intercession for us. The Lord Jesus Christ
is variously called in Scripture the mediator of the new covenant
and the mediator of the New Testament. He is the mediator of a better
covenant which was established upon better promises. These testify to this role that
the Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled as the mediator between God and
man. 1 Timothy 2 verse 5, there is
one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. In heaven, our Lord continues
his mediatorial intercessory work. but only insofar as he
is a witness to the satisfied demands of God. His death, his
resurrection, his ascension into glory all testify of a completed,
successful work, and the Lord Jesus Christ intercedes for his
people. What a saviour we have. He is
our representative. He is the creator and sustainer
of all things. He is the one who was obedient
in all of his ways. The Lord Jesus Christ came into
this world and he did all that his father desired. The Lord
Jesus Christ went to the cross and he atoned there with his
precious blood for the sins of his people. And now he intercedes
for us in his father's presence by his witness there in glory. The final work that we have before
us this morning is simply this. that the Lord Jesus Christ is
coming again. He will gather in his people
and he will establish a righteous judgment. The Lord Jesus Christ
is coming back. He is coming back to judge this
world. Be not deceived, men and women
of this world, your sins will be charged against you. Men and
women who know not Christ, you will be held accountable for
your rebellion and your wickedness. Those who know not Christ as
their saviour will find him to be an unbending judge. In 2 Timothy 4 verse 1, the Apostle
Paul writes to the young preacher and he says, I charge thee therefore
before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the quick
and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom. The Lord Jesus
Christ is coming back and he is coming back as a judge to
judge the living and the dead. And in 2 Corinthians chapter
5 verse 10 we read, For we must all appear before the judgment
seat of Christ, that every one may receive the things done in
his body according to that he hath done, whether it be good
or bad. What a terrible experience it
will be to be called before the bar of God's justice. and there
to discover Christ as judge and not as lover and friend, not
as redeemer and deliverer, but as the judge who will separate
himself from you and you from him for all time and eternity. But as well as coming in judgment,
and of this we are much comforted. We are assured in scripture that
the Lord Jesus Christ is coming for each of his saints. He is
coming for those who in this world must pass into death, must
pass into eternity through death. The Lord's people don't really
die. We use that phrase but we simply
let go of this flesh. We simply leave this body behind. It is as we go to sleep and we
open our eyes in the presence of our Saviour. We enter into
His embrace. John chapter 14 verse 3 says,
if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive
you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also. The Lord Jesus Christ is coming
back for his people and he comes for us one by one and he takes
us through the medium of death. and he brings us to himself and
he embraces us as his own. Or he will come in that last
day when that trumpet is sounded and he will gather his church. He is gathering us now as the
gospel is preached and he gathers us in our death and we will be
eternally vindicated by the efficacy of his blood. Christ will descend
for his church and he will take us home to glory. In 1 Thessalonians
chapter 4 and verse 13, there is there the beginning of a few
verses which are a comfort and an encouragement to all of God's
people. Let me just read them to you
in conclusion. Paul writes, But I would not
have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep,
that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we
believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which
sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto
you, by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain
unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout, and the voice of the archangel, and
with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. then we which are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the
Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore, comfort one another
with these words. What a beautiful testimony that
is. What a careful apostle the Apostle
Paul was. What a loving pastor he was to
his perceived needs of the people of God. He comforts us and he
calls us to comfort one another with these glorious promises
of the Lord's coming again for his church and for his people. Let us not weep as others do. Let us not sorrow as others do,
which have no hope. at the passing of our friends.
Let us not commit our loved ones into the hands of the Lord Jesus
Christ and then mourn for them as those who have no hope, but
let us comfort one another in the sure knowledge that we will
meet again and we will be with them again and we will all be
together in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ and it is but
for a little while here on earth. that we must be without their
company and their presence. But soon we will be reunited
with them, and we will be that glorious Bride of Christ, that
church in eternity, and we will be together, that congregation,
that choir of those who sing his praises evermore. Are these
words not comforting to us? Do they not bless our hearts?
These, then, are the works of Christ. These are the great works
of our Saviour. And while John the Baptist perhaps
focused upon the miracles that our Saviour performed in the
days of his flesh, we rejoice to see the broad sweep of our
Saviour's achievements and all of his accomplishments. These
are the works of Christ. And if we, like John, have to
wait in the prisons of these bodies of flesh for a little
while yet, let us do so in the hearing of the works of Christ. Because surely it is in thinking
of these things which the Lord Jesus Christ has accomplished. Surely it is in meditating upon
the glorious works of our Saviour. Surely it is in dwelling on them
that our souls have good done for them. And these works of
Christ prepare us in our attitudes, in our minds, in our spirits,
in our motivations, for whatever pathway we are called upon to
travel in this world. The Lord Jesus Christ is our
trailblazer. The Lord Jesus Christ has walked
this way before. He has shown us in his representative
work. He has shown us in his creative
work. He has shown us in his sustaining
work and in his providential goodness and in all of his obedience
and in all of his redemptive, atoning sacrifice. He has shown us that these things
are ours. Now he intercedes for us. Soon
he is coming to gather us to himself. Let us dwell on these
great truths. Let them comfort our hearts and
our souls. And may the Lord Jesus Christ
be praised in time as he will be by his church in all eternity. Amen.