Turn with me please in your Bibles
to Matthew's Gospel, Chapter 2. Matthew's Gospel, Chapter 2. I'm going to read from verse
1. Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days
of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to
Jerusalem, saying, where is he that is born king of the Jews?
For we have seen his star in the east and have come to worship
him. When Herod the king had heard
these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. But
when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of
the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be
born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem
of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou, Bethlehem,
in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of
Judah, for out of thee shall come a governor that shall rule
my people Israel. Then Herod, when he had privily
called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time
the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem
and said, Go and search diligently for the young child, and when
ye have found him, bring me word again that I may come and worship
him also. When they had heard the king,
they departed, and lo, the star which they saw in the east went
before them till it came and stood over where the young child
was. When they saw the star, they
rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come
into the house, they saw the young child with Mary, his mother,
and fell down and worshipped him. And when they had opened
their treasures, they presented unto him gifts, gold and frankincense
and myrrh. And being warned of God in a
dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into
their own country another way. And when they were departed,
behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream,
saying, Arise and take the young child and his mother, and flee
into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word, for
Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose,
he took the young child and his mother by night and departed
into Egypt. And was there until the death
of Herod that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord
by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son. Then Herod, when he saw that
he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wrath. and sent
forth and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem and in
all the coasts thereof from two years old and under, according
to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which
was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, In Ramah was there a
voice heard, lamentation and weeping and great mourning, Rachel
weeping for her children and would not be comforted because
they are not But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the
Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, Arise and take
the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel,
for they are dead which sought the young child's life. And he
arose and took the young child and his mother, and came into
the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archaelos
did reign in Judea, in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid
to go further. Notwithstanding being warned
of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parks of Galilee. And he came and dwelt in a city
called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken
by the prophets, he shall be called a Nazarene. Amen. May God bless to us this reading
from his word. Have you ever wondered why the
birth of the Lord Jesus Christ was marked by the appearance
of a star in the heavens? I mean, why? Why that sign? Most people would tell us that
it was to lead the wise men to Bethlehem. No, no, that's not
true. It was to lead the wise men to
Jerusalem. That was the reason why the star
appeared. It was to lead the wise men,
more particularly, to Herod. That was why the star appeared. And that's exactly what it did. It led these wise men, these
travellers from the East, directly to the court of Herod. And they
came, and we read together in the opening verses of Matthew
chapter 2, they came and said, where is he that is born King
of the Jews? For we have seen his star in
the east and have come to worship him. In fact, it wasn't the star
at all that led the wise men to Bethlehem. It was Herod. who led them there, or more particularly,
it was the chief priests who suggested Bethlehem is where
these men ought to look. And the star reappears to confirm
them on their way as they progress on their journey. This speaks
to us of the means by which our Lord God elicited the involvement
of Herod in the birth story of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is
how Herod got involved in the family affairs of Mary and Joseph
and the infant Jesus. Brutal Herod. He seeks to be
rid of a competitor, a competitor that God in bringing that star
to the attention of the wise men who traveled from the east
to Jerusalem, announced to Herod. He didn't send him angels as
he sent to those shepherds in the field. It was another means
of communication. But Herod's involvement was drawn
by the Lord God in this amazing, miraculous way. Herod sought
to be rid of the competitor that these wise men announced to him. Where is he that is born King
of the Jews? I'm King of the Jews. What are
you talking about? We've seen his star in the east
and we've come to worship him. Oh the ease with which men defy
God. What this man Herod did, he went
to his scribes, he went to the priests, he went to the religious
teachers and he said, where is that child to be born? And they told him, Bethlehem,
the land of Judah, that's where he will be born. That's what
the Old Testament scriptures have prophesied. So here is Herod. He is told that these men have
come from afar to worship this child that is born King of the
Jews. The very skies are declaring
that Jesus Christ is the King. He goes to his priests and he
says, tell me, what has God revealed in the Old Testament Scriptures?
What has God revealed to the prophets with regard to this
story that is being told to me of these men? Oh yes, it's going
to be in Bethlehem and Judea. The prophets have foretold writes
his herald, I'll slay every child in the region and that will ensure
that I have no competition for my throne. Men against God. The skies declared the birth
of Christ, the Old Testament prophets, the whole religion
of the Jews declared the birth of Christ. And this man stood
against God and he slew all the children in that region. Look
at verses 16 and verse 17. Then Herod, when he saw that
he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth. This is the blindness of anger. This is the shaking of the fist
in the face of God. This is man saying, we will have
it our way. I will retain my own right of
choice, my own ability to save myself. I will ensure the sanctity
of my own throne and I will put my son upon my throne and he
will reign in my stead. Jesus will have nothing to do
with him. This man Herod slew all the children
that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from
two years old and under. according to the time which he
had diligently inquired of the wise men. Oh, and look at verse
17. That then was fulfilled that
which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, In Ramah there
was a voice heard, lamentation and weeping and great mourning. Rachel weeping for her children
would not be comforted because they are not. What a terrible
devastation that man wreaked upon that region. He took those
children, you know what two-year-old children are like, and he slew
them with the sword. He sent in his soldiers. He didn't
do it personally, he wouldn't dirty his hands. He sent in his
soldiers, no doubt, and he took the lives of all of those infants. And Rachel wept. The mothers
of that region wept for their children, and they would not
be comforted. People say, why is there so much
suffering in the world? Why is there so much hardship? Why is there so much weeping
and sadness? Because men raise their fists
at God and they say, we will not have you to reign over us.
People blame religion, people blame God, people blame all manner
of things, but they don't look at their own hearts. That's the
gift of God, to look at our own hearts. But I want this evening, if I
may, just for a few minutes, to move our thoughts a little
bit on from this man and the circumstances of his brutal act. And I want to think about something
else that the star was involved in initiating, which has rarely
been mentioned, I think. I'm not sure that I've ever heard
anyone speaking upon this subject. The flight of Jesus' family into
Egypt. What was all that about? Joseph
was warned of an angel. He takes this young child and
his mother by night They get up in the darkness. Herod realizes
that he has been duped by these wise men. They make their way
by another route out of the country. There is now an urgency. The
angel of the Lord comes and speaks to Joseph. He says, get up, man,
and take your family into Egypt. Flee from Herod. This is what
is going to happen. And Joseph took them to Egypt. There's no mention of this journey
in any of the other gospel accounts. Only Matthew tells us this. Only
Matthew tells us that the Lord left as an infant his place of
birth and went into a foreign country. It was probably a journey
of around 200 miles. It was commenced in the darkness. It may well be that Joseph had
to keep off the main tracks, the main roads. It would be through
barren territory. And the Lord Jesus Christ may
well have been in Egypt for several years. It may just have been
a few months. It may have been as many as three
or four years. Why did Jesus go down into Egypt? What is this about? What is the
significance of his stay in Egypt? Well, it might sound a little
bit odd, a little bit strange. The reason why the Lord Jesus
Christ went down to Egypt was so that he could be called out
of Egypt. He was sent by the angel into
this foreign country in order that he could be called out of
Egypt back into Galilee, back into his own country of Israel. And we are told that in the 15th
verse of our chapter. And he was there until the death
of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord
by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son. The Lord Jesus Christ went into
Egypt in order that there might be a fulfilment of a prophecy
that had been given hundreds of years before by the prophet
Hosea. It's written in the 11th chapter
and the first verse. Here's what it says. When Israel
was a child, then I loved him and called my son out of Egypt."
When Israel was a child, then I loved him and called my son
out of Egypt. This evening, I'm not going to
take up too much of your time, but I have seven reasons by the
Lord Jesus Christ had to be called out of Egypt. And we're going
to touch upon them. I don't think I go too far to
say that the whole of the Gospel is bound up in this one unique
event of the Lord Jesus Christ being called out of Egypt. Seven reasons why Christ went
to Egypt seven reasons why he was called out of it. We sometimes talk about the Old
Testament being revealed in the New Testament. The old is in
the new revealed. And Matthew's use of Isaiah Matthew's
use of this verse in the prophecy of Hosea. In this chapter, Matthew
is writing his gospel. He's writing the history of the
Lord Jesus Christ's earliest days. And he writes chapter 2. And when he comes to the 15th
verse, in his writings, he says, that the Lord Jesus Christ went
into Egypt so that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of
the Lord by the prophet saying, out of Egypt have I called my
son. When Israel was a child then
I loved him and called my son out of Egypt. Matthew is telling
us, the Holy Spirit is telling us, that it was the coming of
Jesus Christ out of Egypt with Joseph and Mary that was the
fulfilment of that prophecy. Now, that's not negotiable any
longer. Right? Whatever Hosea thought
he was writing, whatever the people who were with Hosea thought
they were hearing, whatever we read as far as Hosea is concerned,
it really doesn't matter what we conclude that reference must
mean. Matthew tells us what it does
mean. It means that Hosea was prophesying that the Lord Jesus
Christ would be taken into Egypt and he would be called from there. Now we, and probably Hosea's
listeners, would probably have interpreted this prophecy as
a reference to the exodus of Israel from Egypt. at the time of Joseph's death,
or afterwards, the time when the Lord sent Moses to bring
the children of Israel out of Egypt. We would probably have
thought that this was a reference to the fact that the people of
Israel, the people of God's promise, had been brought out of Egypt
into the Promised Land. Matthew says no, that's not right. Matthew says that it's a reference
not to something backward in the history of Israel, but to
something forward that was still to come. Hosea wrote that because
the Lord God was going to send the infant child into Egypt and
then call him out of Egypt. That was why Hosea wrote it.
And what this tells us is that this future prophecy had its
fulfilment in the Lord Jesus Christ. It wasn't just a picture
that was happening here before us. The fulfilment was Christ. So here's my first reason why
Christ went to Egypt. It was to show us that the Old
Testament people of Israel are a type of the salvation of God's
elect. That's the reason why the Lord
Jesus Christ was sent into Egypt. Because that which happened in
the past was the picture of what was going to happen in the future.
The true history of Israel is founded upon the experiences
of that people in those Old Testament scriptures. but it found a greater
fulfilment in the works and in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ
as the saviour of his people. Now I just want us to pause for
a moment and realise what I'm saying here, because what this
is telling us, what Matthew, in just a little phrase, Matthew's
little comment here has turned the whole of our perception of
what is happening in history on its head. Up until now we've seen the experience
of the history of the children of Israel flowing all the way
through the centuries. But what Matthew tells us is
that it's all just a picture of the coming of Jesus Christ
and of His salvation. It's all been for the purposes
of revealing Christ. And that means that the history,
the whole history of Israel is a type. The whole history of
Israel is a picture. The whole history of Israel is
an object lesson for us. to look at it and see the salvation
of Christ being prefigured in the way in which God dealt with
that people. That wasn't the reality, that
was the shadow. That wasn't the fulfilment, that
was the picture. The reality was still to come
and Matthew opens our eyes to see that by the simple reference
by telling us that this was the reality, this was the fulfilment,
out of Egypt have I called my son. It's all a picture of the
redemption of God's people by the Lord Jesus Christ. It is
all a picture, the whole history of Israel, and I dare say the
whole history of the world. is all prefiguring what it was
that Jesus Christ was about to accomplish. Joseph went into
Egypt, not Joseph the husband of Mary, but Joseph the patriarch. He went down into Egypt. Jacob
went down into Egypt. The children of Israel went down
into Egypt. Why did all that happen? The famines that came, the trouble
that there was, the wars that took place, the bondage, the
servitude into which they were all brought. What is that all
about? It all happened because in a
time to come, there would be a man called Herod. In a time
to come, there would be a child called Christ. In a time to come,
there would be a way of salvation wrought by the hand of God. And
it was all a picture of that which was to be accomplished
at the coming of Christ. Isaiah 43, verse 3 says this,
For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour. I gave Egypt for thy ransom,
Ethiopia and Sheba for thee, since thou wast precious in my
sight. Don't miss the point there. The
Lord is not saying, the Lord God is not saying that He gave
Egypt to Moses. He is saying that He gave Egypt to you and to me who are God's
people. He slew them, He slew them by
their thousands and their tens of thousands so that you would see how much
you are worth as His covenant people. God did that. God did that. I gave Egypt for
thy ransom. Ethiopia and Sheba for thee,
since thou was precious in my sight. Okay, now don't get this
wrong, because we've already had it emphasized that our salvation
is all about Christ. And I'm not detracting from that.
But I'm going to turn that on its head. It's all about you. It's all been for you, because
you are precious in His sight. The whole history of the world
has been about you. The whole rise and fall of nations
has been about you, because you are precious in His sight. He
has done wondrous things for His people, and we need to understand
that. The Lord Jesus Christ went down
into Egypt to show us that that all was a picture, was all a
type of what the Lord God was doing for us. Christ went to
Egypt because he must be called from there. A fact that had long
been prefigured in the history of Israel. The whole fact that
the people went down and were brought up showed that the Lord
Jesus Christ would go down and would be brought up. And that's
what Hosea tells us, and that's what Matthew opens our eyes to
understand. He must be called from there. Okay, that was my first point. That's the first reason. But
why must the Lord Jesus Christ be called from there? Okay, here's
the second one. He must be called from there
to reveal God's everlasting love for his elect. He must be called. Christ had
to be called out of Egypt in order that the everlasting love
of God for his elect might be manifested. Hosea's comment was
this, when Israel was a child, then I loved him. When was that? The time of Joseph? The time
of Jacob? Jacob got his name changed into
Israel? Those early days of the Patriarchs? No, that's not what it's talking
about. What this is saying is that when Israel was a child,
then I loved him. Notice the tenses there. When
he was a child, I already loved him. When Israel was a child,
then I loved him. God is telling us here that there
has always been an affection, a compassion, a love on God's
part. for His people. It is speaking
of the everlasting, the eternal love of God. And it is speaking
of it as being unilateral. Now, that's the point of the
child. You see, the parent doesn't love
the child because of how good the child is to the parent. It's not a, thank you very much
for being such a good child, I love you. It's a love for that
child when that child stamps its foot, when that child sticks
its tongue out, when that child is disobedient, when that child
is a naughty, sinful, disobedient child. The parent's love for
that child doesn't change. Tell me I'm wrong, any of you
parents. You've seen your children living,
growing up, doing all manner of things, but do you love them
any less? This is what the Lord is telling
us here. This is what Hosea is saying. When he was a child,
I loved him. That love was always there. It
didn't have a beginning because God doesn't have a beginning.
It's an eternal, everlasting love. And even that child, even
that disobedient child, even that wayward, willful, undisciplined
child, God loved. He already loved it. There is
that immutability, that eternal love that God has for His people. It is an everlasting love that
is without change. And He has that for His people. There's nothing lovable. Not
in the child, not in his deeds, not in his actions, not in his...
I know the amount of work that there is in children. See it. The Lord loves his people. As the father loves his son,
as the mother loves her children, Rachel wept for her children
and she would not be comforted because they were not. But the
love of God for His people is spoken of in the fact that the
Lord Jesus Christ went down into Egypt and was called up from
Egypt according to the testimony of Hosea. Just turn with me in
your Bibles if you will to Proverbs chapter 8. I want to show you
something. Proverbs chapter 8. Look at verse 22. Now, what we're talking about here
is the Father and the Son. Okay? God the Father and God
the Son. There is God the Son who is speaking. he speaks of his father as the
Lord. And he says, the Lord possessed
me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. I was set up from everlasting,
from the beginning, wherever the earth was. When there were
no deaths, I was brought forth when there were gnome fountains
abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled,
before the hills was I brought forth. While as yet he had not
made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust
of the world, When He prepared the heavens, I was there. When
He set a compass upon the face of the depth. When He established
the clouds above. When He strengthened the fountains
of the deep. When He gave to the sea His decree
that the water should not pass His commandment. Then He appointed
the foundations of the earth. Then I was by him, as one brought
up with him, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always
before him, rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth,
and my delights were with the sons of men. That is speaking
about the pre-incarnate God-man, the Lord Jesus Christ. And what
he says there is that he delighted in the sons of men, way before
the earth was ever created, way before the world was ever founded. the Lord Jesus Christ delighted
in his people, the people that were committed by the Father
into his care and keeping. In 1 John chapter 4 verse 19
we read, We love him because he first loved us. And the love
of the Lord Jesus Christ to his people is an everlasting love. Revelation chapter 1 verse 5,
we read, unto him that loved us. and washed us from our sins
in His own blood. The atoning blood of the Lord
Jesus Christ was shed because of the everlasting love that
He had for us. The Lord Jesus Christ went to
Egypt because of God's eternal unchangeable love upon His elect
people. And it was from there that His
people would be called. Okay, stay with me. The third
reason why the Lord Jesus Christ went to Egypt was to demonstrate
His complete identification with His people. I was delighted to
hear Angus's thoughts this evening with regard to baptism and probably
much of what I had in my thoughts here has been already touched
upon. We have a union with Christ. And it is that complete union,
that complete identification of the Lord Jesus Christ with
His people that is again prefigured here in the Lord's going down
into Egypt and being brought back from it. Christ's people
and Christ are one. He is the head, we are the body. The head and the body are one. We have been united to him. We
are united to him in the eternal counsels of God. We are united
to him in the fact that he took upon himself that body that was
prepared for him and laid hold upon human flesh. We are united
to him because we have been bound together with him in his death,
in his Burial in His resurrection and in His ascension. The writer
to the Ephesians, Paul, tells us that we are, even now, in
Christ, seated in heavenly places with Him. Here we are in Nauru,
seated together here. But spiritually, that union is
so emphatic that we are seated in heavenly places in Christ.
That's the extent of the representative work. You said substitutionary
work. That's it. That's the nature
of this business. It's not a kid-on thing. It's
not an as-if thing. It's real. It's union. It's communion together. We are
in Him. You speak of Christ, you speak
of His people. You speak of His people, you
speak of Him. And we are bound together with
Him. Listen to this amazing verse
in Isaiah 49. Lord God is speaking again. He said unto me, Thou art my
servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified. Now you look at
the context of that passage and you will see that who the Father
is speaking to is the God-man. He's speaking to his Son, Jesus
Christ. What does he call him? Listen
again. Thou art my servant, O Israel. He calls the Lord Jesus Christ
Israel. He's the servant, we know that.
I'm not taking away from the divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ
by anything I say here. He is the eternal Son of God. But he was a servant. Into his
hand was committed obligations, duties, responsibilities, work.
I've come to do the work of my father. He knew that when he
was 12 years of age. And here we are told that the
Lord Jesus Christ is identified as Israel. And as Israel, he is representing
the people of God's choice and the people whom God has elected
from eternity. Ephesians chapter 3, verse 14,
the Apostle Paul says this, For this cause I bow my knees unto
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Of whom? That is the
Lord Jesus Christ. Of whom? The whole family, that
is the whole family of the elect of God, of whom the whole family
in heaven and earth is named. That speaks about the adoption
that we have into Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ is our
head. He is our elder brother. He is
our father. But we have been adopted into
the family of God because of Christ and we bear his name.
We're Christians. We are Christ's people. We bear
His name because, call His name Jesus, for He shall save His
people from their sin. We are the saved people, adopted
into the family of God. We carry His name. Do you see
what's happened here? Isaiah says that He carries our
name. Thou art my servant, O Israel.
And Paul says that we carry His name because it is after the
Lord Jesus Christ that the whole family in heaven and in earth
is named. Isaiah 43 verse 1 says, But now
thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed
thee, O Israel, fear not, for I have redeemed thee, I have
called thee by thy name, thou art mine. Here's the fourth reason
why the Lord Jesus Christ went to Egypt. God would have us see
that as the church is loved in union with the Lord Jesus Christ,
so every individual member of that church is ever loved by
him. All the elect of God, though
born in sin, That's where we've come from. Not one person here
can put their hand on their heart and fail to accept, acknowledge
and confess that they are a sinner before God. But though we are sinners, Though
we have that original nature in our experience, born in sin,
carnal in our nature, corrupt in our soul and in our being,
even before we were born, having done neither good nor evil, we
are loved in the Lord Jesus Christ. It was Christ the child that
was brought out of Egypt. He was just, what, an infant. I don't know what age he was
here. It is likely that the incident with the wise men took place
several years after the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. This
was not on the day after he was born in the manger. Okay, there's probably some duration. And it is equally the case that
there was some time spent in Egypt. We know very little about
the Lord's early days. We know very little about what
happened to him as a child. But we know these things. And
it was the child that was brought up out of Egypt. He was just
maybe five or six or seven or eight years of age when this
happened. And he was brought up out of
Egypt. He was just a child. What did he have? What potential was there in this
child? What was the importance of this
child above all those that had been slain in Rama? What was special about this one?
He was the anointed of God. and God watched over him every
day of his life. He was the one that was going
to forge the way of salvation. He was the one who was going
to be the worthy representative of the chosen people. He was
the one whose arms would be outstretched, who would be pierced. for the
salvation of the elect. The Lord Jesus Christ was protected
as a child by the hosts of heaven, by the angels who made sure that
Joseph was warned to go and that he was kept there in security
and brought back safely at the time of Herod's death. And the
watchful providence of God, the ministry of the angels was concerned
with the preservation of the infant Jesus all of the days
that he was there in Egypt. It was this child that God protected. that speaks of the same preserving
goodness of God in every elect child. As he did for his son,
so he does for us. He provides, he protects, he
cares for all his people. And that watchful providence,
the ministry of God, the preservation was Christ's, but it was every
elect child of God's also. We've got angels watching over
us now. They're standing at the door. They're with us constantly. They
were looking after you, elect child of God, long before you
ever heard the gospel. Right? When you were running
the streets with your bloodied knees and your snotty nose, the
angels were there with you, protecting, looking after you. Because there
had to come a time when you would be called out of Egypt. Just
as there had to be a time when Christ was called out of Egypt.
The protecting hand of God was there from the very start. We
would do well to pause and to look back and to reflect on the
preserving love of God in our lives and use that occasion to
see how he protected, provided, cared when we had no thought
of him all those days when we thought we were self-determining,
When we thought we were looking after ourselves, we were making
it in the world, we were doing okay. Or maybe we were trying
to get out of trouble. But the Lord was with His people
all the time. Let's thank Him for the way in
which He has brought us to this knowledge of Him. The fifth reason
why Christ went into Egypt. Because the elect are called
out of Egypt. the elector called from this
world of bondage. That was what was prefigured
in the history of Israel. It was the chains, it was the
servitude, it was the idolatry of Egypt. That's what was there
in the experience of the people and how important that is. The whole experience of Israel
in Egypt is to testify what each individual sinner saved by grace
experiences spiritually in their own conversion process. That
was what it was all about. When we hear the call of the
Gospel, when we hear that life-giving call by the power of the Holy
Spirit, that is the experience of Israel in days gone by. It's
Moses standing at the burning bush, take off your shoes from
off your feet, you're on holy ground. holy ground. Sinner, you're on holy ground. God demands your attention and
he gets your attention. And the way in which Pharaoh
and the people of Egypt saw the glory of God manifested was occasioned
by plague after plague after plague. It would have been so
much easier if Pharaoh had just let them go after the first one.
So much easier if we believe the first time we heard the Gospel.
Sometimes it takes a whole catalogue of troubles and problems to come
upon us before the Lord breaks us, before He brings us down
to that place where we encounter His saving grace and understand
what He has done for us. We are called from a world of
bondage. We are called from the idolatry
of our own waywardness and willfulness. Romans 5, verse 6 says, for when
we were yet without strength, was that not the experience of
Israel in Egypt? That Pharaoh had so pillaged
them as to take all of their children, as to take all of their
strength, And then, even when they were in servitude, he said,
yet there is more. Make them collect their own straw
and make them press their own mud bricks. Just like the prodigal
son, eh? Sitting in that pigsty. and all
around is muck and all around is dirt. And we've brought to
that place of seeing just how low we really are. And that's
what the Lord did with Israel, a picture of what he does with
his elect. While we were yet without strength,
in due time, Christ died for the ungodly. Luke 19, for the
Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. A lost people, a lost individual,
redeemed by the grace of God, Jesus Christ, coming to seek
and to save his people. We are called in the eternal
decrees of God into a covenant blessing with God. We are called
in His purposes to know Him as our God and as our Saviour. It is not accidental that our
life has been as it has been. God has been bringing us to this
place for years and years and years. And He will have His glory. He will have His praise. Moreover, whom he did predestinate,
then he also called, and whom he called, then he also justified,
and whom he justified, then he also glorified. In time he calls
his people through the preaching of the gospel, breaking them
perhaps as necessary, but bringing them to that place where they
acknowledge that there are blessings in my Father's home and here
am I starving to death. I will return. I will go to Him. I will confess my sin. And I
will ask him if I could just be a hired hand in his home. But what does the father do?
He's already on the roads. He is running to meet that boy.
And that is what the Lord has done. He has called us out of
Egypt. And he has united us with his
Son. Galatians 1 verse 6 says, Him
that called you into the grace of Christ. The sixth reason,
we're nearly finished. The sixth reason why the Lord
Jesus Christ went into Egypt was that He had to do the will
of His Father. It was for the love of God that
the Lord Jesus Christ came to do His Father's will. The God-man
loved His Father. And he came in order to serve
his father. He served as a prophet. He served
as a priest. He served as a king. But he served. He served by bringing his people
to salvation. God so loved the world. that He sent His only begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but
have everlasting life. That was the eternal love of
God. He sent His Son to die on the cross that those who would
be called in time through the preaching of the Gospel would
believe in Him and be brought into a knowledge of everlasting
life. This is the mediator. This is
the teacher of the doctrines of the Gospel of God. This is
the way to God. This is Christ the substitute
by His sufferings, by His death, serving His Father, doing His
will, accomplishing His purpose, procuring the pardon for all
sin. He is the captain of His people.
He is the shepherd of the flock. He is the guide to the wanderer. He is the ruler and governor.
But this is Christ who does the will of His Father. He was sent
into the world to do His Father's will. To this end was I born,
He said. For this cause came I into the
world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. The seventh reason
why the Lord Jesus Christ came and went to Egypt was to demonstrate
that God owns His elect. He owns His elect while they
are still in this world and that they are sons and heirs together
with Christ. He calls and He saves us out
of Egypt. Do you think that you're too
bad for salvation? Do you think that there's no
salvation for you? Do you think that grace has passed
over you? This is a faithful saying and
it is worthy of all acceptation. Christ Jesus came into the world
to save sinners, of whom I am chief. Our God owns us in this
world. Do you think the gospel is not
for you? whosoever believeth in him shall
not be ashamed." I tell you this, if you will trust the Lord Jesus
Christ, if you will go to Him, if you will see Him as that One
who has come into this world to do His Father's will, to save
that people that His Father has loved and cherished for all eternity. If you will see in Him that substitute,
if you will see in Him that One who has identified so much with
sinners like you, that He has become one with us. and that
our salvation is so intricately bound up together with His life
and resurrection and glorification, that I tell you, if you will
go to Him, it is because God the Spirit has shined into your
life and has revealed the truth of the true identity of this
one Christ Jesus. Whosoever believeth in him shall
not be ashamed, for there is no difference between the Jew
or the Greek. For the same Lord over all is
rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call
upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. The Lord Jesus Christ
came into this world and he went to Egypt. and he was called from
Egypt. And as such, he gives us a picture
of every sinner who was called by grace out of this Egypt of
bondage and servitude into the experience of the everlasting
love and grace of God. May it be our experience tonight
and in the days and years that lie ahead. Amen. Let's have a word of prayer.
Heavenly Father, we thank Thee for Thy graciousness and goodness
to such a sinful wayward people as we are. We thank Thee for
Thy choice in eternity of a people to salvation. We thank Thee for
the plan of salvation, the plan that found a worthy substitute
in Thine own dear Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. for that plan that
brought the Lord into this world and for all that he endured and
all that he suffered and all that he encountered for the sake
of his obedience to his Father. We thank thee that the way of
salvation has been opened up by the Lord Jesus Christ and
we who are in servitude and bondage and idolatry and willful disobedience
in this world are called by the gospel of the grace of God into
a knowledge and personal union with Jesus Christ as our Saviour. It is a blessed condition and
position to be in and we thank thee for it and we pray that
thou wilt be pleased to receive that thanks and our worship as
thy people who seek to honour and glorify thy name and live
for thee day by day as thou art pleased to lead and guide and
direct us. Amen.