were you to see a soldier on
a battlefield who's severely wounded, it would be of little
comfort or benefit to him to be told there are a hospital
nearby and doctors who could bind up his wounds and give him
the medicine that would ease him of his pain that was wracking
his body. What that wounded warrior would
need is for someone to pick him up, take him to the hospital,
bind up his wounds, and pour in the medicine that's needed
to heal it. So it is with us. All the promises
of God and all the doctrine of the gospel are of no benefit
whatever to our souls. until God, by his own gracious
hand, effectually applies them to us. We're thirsty, but too
faint to crawl to the water hole. We must be carried to the water,
and too weak even to drink. Someone must put the water to
our mouths and gently, graciously pour it through our lips. And
that's what the Lord God does for His people by His Spirit.
God the Holy Ghost, the Blessed Spirit of Truth, takes the things
of Christ and graciously, effectually applies them to us. Don't ever
imagine that our blessed savior has placed his promises, his
blessings and his mercies on heavenly shells that we must
reach up somehow, climb up to heaven and reach up on the shelves
and take them for ourselves. That's not the case at all. Rather,
he comes to us and sheds his mercy, love and grace abroad
in our hearts by his spirit. Yes, he bids us come, come boldly
to the throne of grace, that we might obtain mercy and find
grace to help in time of need. But blessed be his name. He does much more than bid us
come. He who is God our Savior, the
Lord Jesus Christ, comes to our poor souls and pours in the oil
and wine of grace by which he renews us day by day. Oh, bless his name forever. Child
of God, if you are laboring under deep distress, God doesn't give
you a promise and then leave it to you to make the promise
good for yourself. As if you can somehow, like a
boy drawing water out of a well with buckets, getting the water
for himself. but rather the promise he has
written in his word, he graciously will write on your heart in the
experience of grace. He will manifest his love to
you by his spirit and thereby dispel the cares and the troubles
that keep pressing you down. It is God's prerogative and God's
work and only God's work to wipe the tears from the eyes of his
chosen. The good Samaritan not only gives
the sweet wine of the promise, but he holds the golden chalice
to your lips and holds up your head while he pours in the oil
and wine of his grace, while he pours in the lifeblood into
your soul. Poor, sick, way-worn pilgrim
is not merely strengthened to walk, but the scripture tells
us he is born on eagle's wings until he reaches the mount of
God above. Glorious gospel. Turn with me,
if you will, tonight to Exodus chapter 19. While we were in
New Jersey this past week, the Lord gave me several good days
of work. I was able to write five chapters
to the commentary on Exodus. And I came to this text in Exodus
chapter 19, where the Lord God speaks by his servant Moses,
after having brought Israel out of Egyptian bondage, where they'd
been for 400 years. He brought them through the Red
Sea. He brought them to the waters of Myra. He brought them to the
wilderness of temptation. And now they've come to the Mount
of God, and he's born them, he tells them, own eagles wings. God our Savior provides everything
for the helpless and he brings grace to us before ever we seek
grace. So the Lord God gets as much
glory to himself in the giving as he does in the gift. He gets
as much glory to himself in the giving as he does in the gift. That's precisely what God the
Holy Spirit tells us here by his servant Moses in Exodus chapter
19 verse four. Ye have seen what I did unto
the Egyptians and how I bear you on eagle's wings. Brought you unto myself. I Brought you here to the mount
of God back in Exodus chapter 3 when God met Moses He said
you're gonna bring my people here to this place and here in
this mount You're gonna worship me He said, that's what I promised
you. That's what I said now, I have
brought you by eagle's wings here to me in the mount of God. The first thing that strikes
me here is this, what a precious word this is to us as a picture
of God's tender mercy toward us in Christ, a picture of our
blessed Savior's wondrous work of redemption on our behalf. If you care to look at it later,
in the 11th chapter of the book of Leviticus, the eagle, by God's
law, was declared to be an unclean fowl. And yet the Lord delights
to use this unclean bird, this unclean fowl, this bird of prey,
He uses the eagle to represent Himself as our Savior. He says,
I bear you on eagle's wings and brought you to myself. Certainly,
this speaks of his protection of us. No question about that.
We'll get to that in a minute. But it also is an allusion to
the fact that our Lord Jesus, he who is clean, altogether clean,
holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners. himself
unclean that he might suffer the wrath of God on our behalf. The Lord Jesus Christ suffered
under the wrath and justice of God justly as our substitute. Now understand this. Understand
this, I keep stressing it. I think we're so plagued in our
minds with things we hear all around us, things we've been
taught to believe all our lives that we can't hardly get the
truth of God firmly fixed in our minds and our hearts. God
Almighty only and always acts in justice. Justice and grace
are not contrary to one another. God's grace flows to sinners
through justice. God cannot be gracious except
to be just. He cannot be merciful except
to be just. When the Lord Jesus Christ suffered
the wrath of God in our stead, he suffered the wrath of God
because he who knew no sin was made sin. being made sin he cried
my guiltiness my iniquity is gone over my head and he confessed
it as his own owning it as his own because that is which was
ours became his. So explain that picture. I would
never make an effort even to attempt to explain that. It's
a mystery beyond imagination, let alone comprehension. But
God made him sin for us. that he might justly punish him
for sin. Christ hath redeemed us from
the curse of the law, not being made accursed for us, that's
not what the book says, but rather being made a curse for us. He was made a curse for us, for
it is written, cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree. Because
there was no other way by which we could receive the promise
of Abraham, the promise of the Spirit, God's blessing that he
spoke of to Abraham back in the book of Genesis. No other way
we could be born of God and be made the righteousness of God
in him, except first he be made sin for us. a curse for us, unclean
and justly suffering for our sins without the camp. Now, when
God rewards His elect for righteousness, at last in heaven's eternal glory,
and gives us the kingdom prepared for us before the world began,
He does so on the basis of perfect righteousness, justice, and truth. Because in Christ, our Redeemer,
we have fully obeyed Him and fully satisfied all the justice
of God's holy law. What unspeakable mercy is given
to us in our Redeemer, that one who is altogether clean, who
was made unclean for us, that we might be made the righteousness
of God in Him. Hold your hands here in Exodus
and turn over to Revelation chapter 12, Revelation 12. I'm going
to read this whole chapter. I won't even attempt to expound
it, but I want you to see this second thing. word from God in
Exodus 19 and verse 4 is used to describe the wondrous mystery
of God's providence here in Revelation chapter 12. This speaks of the
conflict between the woman and Satan, between Christ and the
devil, between light and darkness, a conflict that began before
the world was created and a conflict that will continue until at last
the Lord Jesus cast the dragon back into hell and seals him
up forever in the final day of judgment. Revelation 12 verse
1, there appeared a great wonder in heaven, a woman, that's God's
church. clothed with the sun and the
moon under her feet. And upon her head was a crown
of 12 stars. And she, being with child, cried,
travailing in birth and pain to be delivered. And there appeared
another wonder in heaven. And behold, a great dragon, great
red dragon, having seven heads and 10 horns and seven crowns
upon his head. And his tail drew the third part
of the stars of heaven and did cast them to the earth. And the
dragon stood before the woman, which was ready to be delivered
for to devour her child as soon as it was born. Speaking of the
church in the Old Testament, God bringing his son into this
world, the promised seed, through the line of Abraham and the line
of David, the serpent, the dragon, is ready to devour the incarnate
Savior as soon as he comes into the world. Verse 5, And she brought
forth the man-child, our Lord Jesus Christ, who was to rule
all nations with a rod of iron, And her child, having finished
his work, having accomplished redemption, was caught up unto
God and to his throne. God giving him power over all
flesh to give eternal life to those given to him. And the woman,
God's church, continuing now in this gospel age, since the
day that Christ ascended back to glory, the woman fled into
the wilderness. where she had the place prepared
of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred
and threescore days. And there was a war in heaven
Michael, the Lord Jesus and his angels fought against the dragon
and the dragon fought against his angels and prevailed not. Neither was their place found
anymore in heaven. And the dragon was cast out.
That old serpent called the devil and Satan, which deceiveth the
whole earth. He was cast out into the earth
and his angels were cast out with him. One third of the heavenly
host. Our savior said, now is the prince
of this world cast out. And I heard a voice, a loud voice,
verse 10, saying in heaven, now, since the dragon is cast out,
since redemption's accomplished, now is come salvation and strength
and the kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ. For
the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them
before God day and night. And they overcame him by the
blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony. And
they loved not their lives unto death. Therefore rejoice, ye
heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabitants
of the earth and to the sea! For the devil is come down unto
you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a
short time. And when the dragon saw that
he was cast into the earth, or onto the earth, he persecuted
the woman, which brought forth the man-child. The persecution
has never ceased and never will until God Almighty wraps this
whole thing called time and creation up with a new creation of the
new heavens and a new earth in resurrection glory. And to the
woman were given two wings of a great eagle. that she might
fly into the wilderness, watch this, into her place where she
is nourished. Throughout history, throughout
history, all the past and today and all the tomorrows that may
come, God has prepared a place for his people and he protects
his people and it is good, wise, and gracious providence in every
circumstance as Satan rages against his elect, the Lord God uses
the very things by which Satan would destroy the woman only
to nourish the woman. And as he breathes out his fire,
the earth opens up and swallows up the fire, that which he intended
to use against us, his devices God turns for us. What a marvelous
picture of God's providence as wings of the eagle by which we
fly through this wilderness all the days of our pilgrimage here.
Now, here's the third thing. Turn over to Deuteronomy 32.
Deuteronomy 32. Exodus chapter 19 shows us the
beginning of Moses' ministry to the children of Israel as
they entered into the wilderness. Here in Deuteronomy 32, we come
to the end of this sojourn. As Moses gives his final word
of instruction, inspired by God, he uses the same emblem of Israel
being carried on eagles' wings to describe our pilgrimage through
this world. As the children of Israel were
pilgrims in the wilderness, so God's saints are pilgrims in
this world. God teach me to live like that. Pilgrims aren't much interested
in the place where they're moving. They're interested in the place
to which they're moving. Pilgrims aren't much disturbed
by anything in the place through which they're passing. Pilgrims
care little for the place through which they're passing. The last
few nights Shelby and I been staying in motel rooms and they're
comfortable rooms, but Shelby pays more attention to it than
I do. She's a woman, you know. The first thing she does when
we check into a room, she pulls the covers back and makes sure
they put clean sheets on the bed. Lots of times they don't.
And she discovers it. I don't have that much sense.
I just pull the covers back and get in the bed. But if a picture's
hanging crooked on the wall, I've never straightened one up
yet. Never tried to. How come? I'm just spending the
night. It doesn't matter to me. It just doesn't matter to me
as long as it's clean and comfortable. I've got air conditioning. I
get along without the heat in the wintertime, but I've got
to have air conditioning in the summertime. Other than that, I'm just fine.
I'm just fine. How come? I'm just passing through. Oh,
God, so teach me to look upon this world. This is just a land
through which I am briefly passing as a pilgrim to another land. And the pilgrims, who are gods,
are carried through their pilgrimage on eagles' wings. Moses gives
this last word of instruction to the children of Israel in
their pilgrimage. As he does, he begins his instruction with
a song of praise to the Lord God who had led Israel through
the wilderness, caring for, providing for, and protecting them for
40 years. According to God's wise and good
purpose, he calls them to walk in a straight way. I keep reminding
you of this because I keep asking God to remind me of this. He
calls them to walk in a straight way. They took an 11-day journey
in 40 years. That's a straight way. They went
this way, and that way, and that way, and that way, back down
this way, and over that way, and that way, and that way. Everything
looked crooked and messed up. Nobody would ever have planned
to make the journey that way except God. How come? Because this was best for His
people and best for His glory. So it is with you and I in our
pilgrimage. Look at Deuteronomy 32, verse
1. Moses' purpose here is obvious.
He wants to exalt and extol the Lord God who redeemed and brought
his people out of the land of bondage. Give ear, O ye heavens,
and I will speak. And hear, O earth, the words
of my mouth. My doctrine shall drop as the
rain. My speech shall distill as the
dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers
upon the grass, because I will publish the name of the Lord. Ascribe ye greatness unto our
God. Moses has come to publish the
name of the Lord. You remember how the Lord appeared
to Moses and he said, Lord, I beseech you, show me your glory. Show me your glory. And the Lord
put Moses in the cleft of the rock and passed by him and declared
his name, showing himself sovereign and gracious. sovereign and merciful,
never forgiving iniquity, transgression, or sin, and yet freely forgiving
iniquity, transgression, and sin through the sacrifice of
his Son. And Moses says, I want to declare
God's name to you. He says, children of God, always
declare God's name to those around you. He who is our rock, our
shepherd, our salvation, declare his name, his name being all
his attributes, all his character, all his holy being, and thereby
ascribe ye greatness unto our God. Our Lord God Almighty is
great indeed, and we ought to make known his greatness by declaring
his name. And then Moses' object here in
Deuteronomy 32 is to remind us of God's greatness and his goodness,
to inspire our hearts with gratitude and love and devotion, inscribing
upon our minds the memory of his gracious works for us. God's
faithful servant begins by reminding us that we're corrupt, a sinful
people, altogether undeserving and unfit for the least of his
mercies. Look at verse five. They have
corrupted themselves. Their spot is not the spot of
his children. They're perverse and crooked
generations. Do you thus requite the Lord,
O foolish people and unwise? O God, let me not return perversity
for your goodness, corruption for your grace, ungodliness for
your mercy. Hath, is not he thy father that
bought thee? Hath he not made thee and established
thee? And then Moses says, now remember,
remember the days of old. Look at verse eight. When the
Most High divided the nations, their inheritance, when he separated
the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according
to the number of the children of Israel. Why did God divide
the nations like he did? Why does he still divide the
nations like he does? Why does God distinguish people
in different races, with different cultures, with different backgrounds,
with different governments, with different ways of life? He does
it according to the number of his elect scattered to the four
corners of the earth according to his purpose by which he will
gather them to himself. Look at verse nine. You belong to God. You're his
portion, the lot of his inheritance. The Lord's portion is his people. Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. And remember where you were and
what you were when God called you by his grace. He found him
in a desert land, in a waste, howling wilderness. He led him
about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his
eye. Don't ever forget the rock from
which you're hewn and the hole of the pit from which you've
been dug by God's grace. The words Moses uses here in
Deuteronomy 32 give us a brief biographical sketch of every
believer. And then Moses speaks of God's
good, wise, gracious providence. He says, he hath made him, Israel,
to ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat
the increase of the fields. And he made him to suck honey
out of the rock and oil out of the flinty rock. Tell me, you
who know God, Could you not speak those words
for yourself? Butter of kind and milk of sheep,
with fat of lambs and rams of the breed of basin, and goats
with the fat of kidneys of wheat, and thou didst drink the pure
blood of the grape. In all our experience of God's
providence and his grace in his providence, God only gives His
people good, the best, the absolute best, only good. Only, always good, never evil. But pastor, I've got so much
pain. I've got so much sickness. I've
got so much bereavement. I've got family troubles. I've
got financial troubles. I have this, that. Only good. Lindsay, God Almighty has never
done you anything but good and never will. And the bitterest
thing you taste He will make sweet in its time and cause you
to drink honey out of the most bitter rock. That's His promise. He works all things together
for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according
to His purpose. And then Moses inspires our faith in Christ.
He does this by giving us a graphic picture of God's gracious oversight
of his people. Look at verse 11. As an eagle
stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad
her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings, so the Lord
alone did lead him, and there was no strange God with him."
As an eagle, as an eagle. Like other creatures of God,
the eagle not only appears to show affection for her young. Forgive me if I sound archaic
and brutish, but I'm not about to speak of animals loving anything. They don't have the ability.
Your dog doesn't love you, and your cat sure doesn't. And the
parakeet whose mess you cleaned up doesn't love you. You may
show great care for that bird or that dog or that cat, but
they don't have the ability to love you. But they appear to. And the eagle appears to show
great affection for her young. But she manifests tremendous
superiority over other fowls of the air in taking care of
her brood. She provides for them and protects
them as other birds of the air do, but she trains her young. She trains them. She teaches
them how to fly. And she shelters them from danger
far more than other fowls. Lord, God seems to have created
this bird with this excellence, specifically that she might be
illustrative of his affection, his tender care, and his protection
of his people. John Gill says concerning the
eagle, of all animals, the eagle is most affectionate to its young
and most studiously careful of them. When it sees anyone coming
to them, it will not suffer them to go away unpunished, but will
beat them with its wings and tear them with its nails. Look
at the next word. She stirreth up her nest. The
chicks, the eaglets, naturally might be inclined to be lethargic. They might naturally be disinclined
to be stirred from the nest, but the eagle will not allow
it. She stirs her nest, calling them to life and excitement.
She fluttereth over them with her wings. She doesn't come rushing
suddenly to her nest, but rather she comes to the nest and beats
on the branches of the trees so that the eaglets know she's
there. And then they awake and receive her gladly. She spreadeth
abroad her wings and taketh them and beareth them on her wings. This way she teaches them to
fly and protects them. Other birds carry their young
in their talons. The eagle carries hers on her
wings. Now I know Folks object to that,
say there's an obvious inconsistency in scripture, eagles don't carry
their birds on their wings. I think that's readily disputed. But even if they don't literally
do so, that matters not. Moses was inspired of God to
give us a metaphor picturing the Lord's care for his own.
Bird carrying its young beneath it. Any prey or any bird of prey
might come and snatch the young. Anything shot from below might
kill the young. The Lord God our Savior carries
us on his mighty wings, not beneath them, so that nothing can touch
us that doesn't first touch him. Nothing can pierce us that doesn't
first pierce him. Nothing can harm us until first
he is slain, and that can never be. Our Lord Jesus carries us
upon his omnipotent wings of mercy. Now, as this is a picture
used to show our redemption by Christ and the mystery of God's
providence and the way the Lord teaches us through our pilgrimage,
it also gives us a vivid picture of God's wondrous operations
of grace. So the Lord alone did lead them. With those words, Moses portrayed
the grace and power of our God in our experience of his great
salvation. He who was made sin for us is
our omnipotent Savior. His wings, like the eagles, are
broad enough and strong enough to carry His own. He who is the
God of all grace, by the irresistible power of His Holy Spirit, stirs
up His nest. He will not allow his elect,
his chosen, his redeemed to remain as they are born in this world,
dead in trespasses and in sin, but rather he comes and awakes
us from the sleep of spiritual death. We were at ease. We had no desire to be awakened.
no inclination to be awakened. We would never stir ourselves
from our slumber. We were totally unaware of it.
But the Lord God, our Savior, because of his great love for
us, awakened us, stirred us up, and brought us out by sending
a gospel preacher in the power of his spirit to arouse us. He
writes his law deep in the heart and causes you to know your guilt. He comes in his grace by his
spirit, revealing Christ in you by the power of the gospel and
makes you to be convinced of sin, of righteousness, and of
judgment by the revelation of Christ. By the exerting of omnipotent
power and grace, he plucked us as brands from the burning and
taking us up on his omnipotent wings of mercy, taught us to
fly with heart aspirations after him, seeking the Lord with all
our hearts, setting our hearts upon Christ and things above.
And this mighty work of grace, he does by sending a gospel preacher
to declare the gospel to you. but the Lindsay just read the
13th chapter of Hebrews, where three times the apostle is inspired
to speak of God's preachers as those that had the rule over
you, urging you to obey them, to follow them who preach the
gospel of God's grace to you, because they are men who are
portrayed in Revelation 4 as flying eagles. They're as flying eagles coming
to bring you the bread of life by which God Almighty stirs up
your soul and brings you to his savior. He's led us and fed us
all the days of our lives. He has, as it were, hovered over
us, though we knew it not from our mother's wombs. And even
now, he causes us to mount up with wings as eagles. to soar
aloft sometimes in faith, in hope and love, entering into
that within the veil, into the holiest of all by the blood of
the Lord Jesus Christ. And now gives us grace, trust
in Christ and live in the confident, blessed hope and expectation
of the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Oh, Spirit of God, so stir my
soul that I may live continually on the tiptoe of faith, looking
for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Expecting
it. Expecting it. That's the hope. It's the expectation of eternal
life in Christ. And yet we're ever inclined to
be lethargic and indifferent to Him. Do you not often find yourself
so? I do. But blessed be his name
as an eagle. Stirreth up her nest, fluttereth
over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth
them on her wings. So the Lord stirs and awakens
our souls, spreads abroad his mighty wings of grace, bears
us up upon them, and revives our languishing spirits, revives
our sleeping hearts with grace and mercy. Turn to the 103rd
Psalm, Psalm 103, Psalm 103. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and
all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord,
O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. What are they,
pastor? Who forgiveth all thine iniquities,
who healeth all thy diseases, who redeemeth thy life from destruction,
who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies, who satisfieth
thy mouth with good things, so that thy youth is renewed like
the eagle. Isn't it wonderful how the Lord
Jesus graciously pours out His Spirit upon us when we find ourselves
empty, lethargic, weak, just a steely deadness comes over
us and He renews our strength and renews faith and causes our
hearts to soar to heaven. Look at Isaiah chapter 40, Isaiah
40. Verse 29, this marvelous promise
of grace and salvation by Christ Jesus. Look at verse 29. He giveth
power to the faint. To them that have no might, he
increases strength. Verse 30. Even the youth shall
faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall. But they
that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings
as eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. Mount up with wings as eagles
soaring to the heavens. And as they do, they will run
without weariness and they will walk in peace and not faint because
the Lord graciously renews our strength. back to our text in
Deuteronomy, I'm sorry, Exodus 19. The eagle also portrays God's
sweet, blessed election of some to salvation in Christ. The eagle
I read today usually will lay three eggs at one time, but normally,
normally, not always, but normally she only hatches and rears one
of the eaglets. She devotes everything to one
she has chosen. She devotes everything to one
she has chosen. And so the Lord our God, in great
mercy and grace, who created all men. Folks like to say God's
father of us all. In a sense, yes, he's the creator
of all. Folks, I'd say we're all God's children. In no sense
is that true. In no sense is that true. We're
all God's creatures. But He has chosen many of Adam's
fallen race and said, I will be their God and they shall be
my people. The others He leaves in their
fallen, depraved, natural state. But these he gives life to them,
and he carries them on eagle's wings. The eagle stirreth up
her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings,
taketh them up, beareth them on her wings. So the Lord alone
did lead Israel. Then we're told this is God's
work alone. Look at this 19th chapter of
Exodus again. I want you to see this. It was the Lord alone who
did all of this for his people of old. And it is the Lord alone
who does all his work of grace for us. He chose us. He separated us from the sons
of Adam in an eternal election. He distinguished us by special
redemption. He set us apart by special calling. He chose us as his portion. He
found us by His grace. He has led us about, instructed
us by His Spirit, and kept us as the apple of His eye. He alone
spreads abroad the omnipotent wings, takes us up, and carries
us to His own eternal glory, to the mountain of God in heaven's
glory. Now, in the book of God, When
you read the Word of God and you see ifs, which seem to imply
a condition. Don't ever read them that way.
God's ifs are not conditional terms, but rather promises of
grace. Read Exodus 19 verse 4. Ye have
seen what I did unto the Egyptians, how I bear you on eagles' wings,
brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey
my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a
peculiar treasure unto me above all people, for all the earth
is mine. Let me give you Young's literal
translation of verse 5. Now therefore, listening, listening,
you shall hear my Not you might, you shall hear my voice. And
you will keep my covenant. And you will be a peculiar treasure
unto me. My peculiar people above all
people, for all the earth is mine. And you shall be unto me
a kingdom of priests. A kingdom of priests. Oh, priests,
they were specially chosen people. The family of Levi had the blessed
privilege of living constantly in, around, and upon the tabernacle,
and later the temple. So that everything brought to
the tabernacle and temple to God was for them. It was brought
to God, and God received the sacrifice, but the priest ate
the sacrifice. and they fed upon the offerings,
and they were clothed by the hands of God's people in God's
place. So it is with every believer. We have no earthly priest. Christ
is our only priest. But every child of God is a priest. Men and women who are kingdom
of priest, men and women who always live in the holy place,
upon God's sacrifice by God's decree, feeding upon Jesus Christ,
always doing business in the sanctuary, and we are made of
him an holy nation. God's Israel, God's Israel is
God's holy nation. God's New Jerusalem, God's heavenly
Jerusalem, God's eternal city. folks who've been exposed to
dispensational nonsense, and it is dispensational nonsense.
You've seen pictures supposed to be, I remember when I was
in Bible college, they had Clarence Larkin's charts all around the
theology classroom. I mean, you talk about a horrible
comic book, it was just charts everywhere. It had a picture
of the New Jerusalem, a city coming down and kind of hovering
between heaven and earth. But that city, as it's described
in Revelation, comes down from God as a bride adorned for her
husband. It's not talking about a literal
physical city at all. It's talking about the New Jerusalem,
the people of God's promise, of God's covenant, the people
to whom God is married in the person of His Son. You are God's
peculiar people. You are God's kingdom of priests. You are God's holy nation because
of His work of grace and His alone because He promised it
and He performed it and now we enjoy it and shall forever. Commenting on this portion of
scripture, Robert Hawker made this supplication to God. Blessed are those whose hearts
can echo his prayer. Oh Lord, give me grace rightly
to enjoy and use such marvelous blessings. Since to the wisdom
and strength of the eagle, thou hast now added the tenderness
and solitude of the hen. Do thou, Lord, gather me under
thy wings and nourish me with thy love and favor that I may
be thine forever. and live here by faith, as hereafter
I hope to live with thee in glory. On eagles' wings he has borne
us all the days of our lives. On eagles' wings he bears us
now. On eagles' wings he shall bear
us to glory. Amen.