The title of my message tonight
is, might sound a little strange, it is In Wrath, Mercy Promised. Our text will be Habakkuk chapter
1 and verse 5. In Wrath, Mercy Promised. The book of Habakkuk is a prophecy
about judgment. The whole three chapters is taken
up with God's judgment, his sure judgment upon the nation of Israel,
the physical seed of Abraham, because of their relentless idolatry
and their relentless rebellion, iniquity, and sin. And yet, this
prophecy of judgment is filled with earnest prayer from God's
servant Habakkuk. And before we look at our text
here in verse five, I want to talk to you for just a couple
of minutes about prayer. I don't pretend by any means
to be an authority on prayer. Frankly, I know little about
prayer and I don't pretend otherwise. But prayer, true prayer is not
what most people imagine. It is not us just asking God
to give us what we want and expecting him to give it. Someone said
prayer is like a blank check drawn on the bank of heaven.
God has made out the check and you fill in the amount, whatever
you fill in, that's what you get. Not so, not so. Prayer, true prayer, according
to scripture, is praying in accordance with our Heavenly Father's will.
It is the response of the believer's heart to the revelation of God's
will. Prayer is the response of the
believer's heart to the revelation of God's will. When we pray and
Sometimes we use the words in Jesus' name. Sometimes we use
the words according to your will. Always let us pray in Christ's
name, that is, trusting him. He alone is our mediator, knowing
that our acceptance with God is totally in his blood and righteousness
in his person. and let us pray in submission
to God's will, subjecting everything to our Heavenly Father's will.
Prayer is not just asking God to fulfill our lust. Sometimes people like to have
public prayer meetings and everybody get together and pray some all
at one time or just in around everybody praying And I always
have difficulty with those things. I don't believe that is at all
what took place in the New Testament. I can't imagine people thinking
that we can gang up on God and get him to do what we want him
to do. I can't imagine people thinking we can twist God's arm
and get him to do what we want him to do. When the house of
God is called a house of prayer, it means a house of worship.
And prayer, like calling on the name of the Lord, is worship.
It's worship. It does involve petitions and
intercessions and praise, but it involves all of those things.
What we're doing right now is part of prayer, worshiping our
God. Prayer is not asking God to fulfill
our lust, but rather bowing to the will of God, asking the Lord
God to do what he's purposed to do. Our Lord Jesus in Gethsemane
said, Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless,
not my will, thy will be done. So that he pours out his heart's
desire. He cries out unto God in that
he feared, we're told in Hebrews chapter five. and was heard in
that he feared. But he submits his will to the
Father's will because he is the imminent example of faith, of
worship, and prayer. Prayer is not just asking God
to do what we want Him to do. Rather, it is seeking God's will
and bowing to His will. Hold your hands here in Habakkuk
and turn over to Matthew chapter 6. Matthew chapter 6. I want you to see that this is
exactly how our Lord Jesus taught us to pray. Here in Matthew 6,
this is often referred to as the Lord's Prayer. It is not
the Lord's Prayer. It is the Lord teaching us to
pray. He says, after this manner, therefore,
pray ye. Matthew chapter 6 verse 9. Has
the Lord God sworn to glorify himself? He made all things for
His own glory, yea, even the wicked for the day of judgment.
All things were created by Him and for Him, and for His glory
they are and were created, we're told in Revelation chapter 4.
Has God purposed to glorify Himself, to get glory to Himself in all
things? He certainly has. Therefore,
our Savior teaches us to pray, Our Father, which art in heaven,
hallowed be Thy name. God honor yourself. Chief, preeminently,
foremost, above everything, unless I am deceived, I want God's glory. You do too if you're his. We
want our God to glorify himself. Well, he said he's going to,
why should we pray for that? Because he said he's going to.
And it teaches us to desire what he has purposed. He teaches us
to will what he has willed. Did our Savior tell us that he
would with certainty build his kingdom, that he would indeed
save his elect? He said, upon this rock, I will
build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against
it. Therefore, he teaches us to pray,
thy kingdom come. Lord, save your people. Save
your people. Save your sheep. Call out your
elect. Gather your people from the four
corners of the earth. Thy kingdom come. Does the Lord
God assure us that he is God who does all his pleasure and
all his will all the time in all places? He certainly does. I do all my pleasure, he declares. Therefore, our Savior taught
us to pray, Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Lord, hear my groans and cries. Hear my petitions. I spread before
you the burden of my heart. But in all these things, this
is what I want. God, I want your glory. I want
you to save your people. I want you to do your will. with me and mine in all circumstances,
with me and mine and with all things and all people. Does the
Lord God promise to feed us with sufficient bread day by day as
your days may demand? So shall your strength be. He
promises that he will feed us and care for us. Your father
knows you have need of these things. You don't have to be
concerned about this. Therefore, we are taught to pray, give us
this day our daily bread. Does the triune God assure us,
I, even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine
own sake and will not remember thy sins? Blessed be his name,
he does indeed. Therefore, we are taught by our
Savior to pray and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. Prayer is seeking from God what
God promised to give. Prayer is seeking God's will. Prayer is bowing to God's will. It is the response of the believing
heart to the revealed will of God Almighty. Has God promised
us that with every temptation He'll make a way of escape that
we may be able to bear it? That's what the Spirit of God
tells us in 1 Corinthians. So our Savior teaches us to pray
like this and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from
evil. For thine is the kingdom and
the power and the glory forever. Amen. Do you remember what James
said about our prayers? About why we don't have what
we seek. Do you remember what he said?
Ye ask and receive not because you ask amiss that you may consume
it upon your lust. You ask and you have not because
you ask amiss that you may consume it upon your lust. A couple of times in my life,
I think maybe the Lord has allowed me to pray. Maybe some that I
Remember, one I remember distinctly. I was very sick and lots of friends
praying that the Lord would restore me just as you have in times
of sickness. But I was sick with cancer in
the middle of taking Cobalt treatments, chemotherapy. I think Cobalt
was over. I was taking chemotherapy at the time. But in all those
months, I couldn't ask God to heal me. I just couldn't do it. My wife did. I couldn't. I couldn't
because I didn't know what God's will in the matter was. All I
could do is pour out my complaint. I'm weak. I'm helpless. Lord, I don't know what you're
doing and I don't know why. Until one day, I read in the
Psalms, thou shalt not die but live and declare the wondrous
works of God. And immediately I said, Lord,
heal me of this illness. And I never brought the subject
up again. Never again. I was confident the Lord had
spoken by his word and taught me his will so I could ask with
confidence that he would do it. That, I believe, is getting close
to what prayer is. Seeking God's will. James said,
you ask and receive not, because you ask amiss. You just seek
the things you want. You know that so, and I know
it so. We pray, and we pray with great
earnestness for our children. When I say our children, I'm
talking about your sons and daughters and mine. Your grandchildren
and mine, I pray for them. They're our children, the children
of this congregation. Isn't it sad we always pray for
our children? Rather than someone else's. It
is sad that we always seek things concerning ourselves rather than
others. Occasionally we seek those other
things, but most of my praying Oh God, forgive me, is taken
up with me and mine. And Larry, that's just wrong.
That's just wrong. I don't mean we shouldn't pray
for our own. I mean, we shouldn't neglect
others. I don't mean we shouldn't bring our burdens to the Lord.
Bring them to him. We're taught to seek his mercy
and grace. Come boldly to the throne of
grace that you may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time
of need. But I do mean we ought to seek to know God's will and
bow to it. Let's unburden our hearts before
God. Tell him our complaints just
as a backup does back here in our text. Tell him what we face,
the things that grieve us, the things that hurt us, the things
that give us pain. But praying is the cry of the
believing heart for God to supply mercy and grace for which he's
created a need. Seeking the very thing that God
himself has sworn that he will do. Turn back to 2 Samuel chapter
7. 2 Samuel chapter 7. Let me give you an example of what
I'm talking about. I don't know whether I'm making myself clear
or not. I hope so. Prayer is born in the heart.
When God causes his child to desire the very thing he's purposed
and promised, then when we seek what God's purposed, We pray
according to His will. And this is exactly what our
Lord tells us. This is the confidence we have
in Him that if we ask anything according to His will. You ask what I'm willing to do,
you've got it. You ask what I've purposed, and
you've got it. You ask what I've revealed, and
you've got it. We have confidence if we ask
anything according to his will, he heareth us. Here in 2 Samuel
chapter 7, the Lord God's making a covenant promise to David.
He promises David that he will not lack a son to sit on his
throne forever. Now he's not talking, obviously,
he's not talking about sitting on the throne, the physical throne
of Israel. There hasn't been anybody on
that throne in a long time. But he promised David he wouldn't
lack a son to sit on his throne forever. Solomon was the picture
of that. He promised him that he would
build his house and establish it and dwell with him forever.
That wasn't the temple in Jerusalem. He's talking about the throne
on which Christ Jesus sits. And he's talking about the church,
which is the temple of God, building that house. And he's talking
about you and I, who are David's house, Abraham's seed, the Israel
of God. Now look at verse 25. Listen to how David responds
to this. And now, O Lord God, the word that thou hast spoken
concerning thy servant and concerning his house, establish it forever. Now watch this. I love it. Do
as thou hast said. Do as thou hast said. And let
thy name be magnified forever. saying, the Lord of hosts is
the God over Israel. Let the house of thy servant
David be established before thee. Verse 27, for thou, O Lord of
hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will
build thee an house. Now watch this. Therefore, because
you revealed this to your servant, therefore hath thy servant found
in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee. True prayer, Bob,
is born in your heart by God's Spirit. When we pray, we pray
in the Spirit, for that which God has put there by His Spirit. Read on, verse 28. And now, O
Lord God, thou art that God, and thy words be true, and thou
hast promised this goodness unto thy servant. Therefore, therefore,
Since you're God, since your words are true, since you made
this promise, therefore, therefore, now let it please thee to bless
the house of thy servant, that it may continue forever before
thee. For thou, O Lord, God has spoken
it. And with thy blessing, let the
house of thy servant be blessed forever. Listen to God's word
to his people. Put me in remembrance. and let us plead together that
thou mayest be justified. David, he calls for you and me
to remind him of what he said. He calls for us to remind him
of his promises. Not instructing him, he doesn't
need that. Not demanding of him, he won't
have that. But reminding him of what he's
promised for his glory and asking of him to do as thou hast said. That has something to do with
prayer. In essence, prayer is worship.
It is bowing at the throne of our great, glorious, sovereign
God and Savior, seeking his will and seeking his glory. Now let's
look at our text. Habakkuk chapter 1. As I said,
this is a prophecy of judgment. Yet it is a prophecy of judgment
filled with earnest prayer. The Lord God threatened No, he
promised that he would bring judgment upon the nation of Israel
for her relentless iniquity and for her relentless idolatry. He promised that he would destroy
them by the hand of the Chaldeans. When he did, Habakkuk made a
prayer. Hold your hands here and look
at one more text here in Habakkuk chapter 3. Right in the midst of this
prophecy of judgment, a prayer of a backup, the prophet upon
Shuganoth. Oh Lord, I have heard thy speech
and was afraid. Oh Lord, revive thy work in the
midst of the years. In the midst of the years, make
known in wrath, remember mercy. Oh Lord God in wrath, remember
mercy. But what's the basis of his prayer?
Look at our text, verse 5. God says, behold ye, behold ye
among the heathen, and regard highly value, highly esteem,
prize, and wonder marvelously. For I will work a work in your
days, which ye will not believe, though it be told you. Now at
first glance, that just looks out of place. For one thing,
judgment is God's strange work. Mercy is his wondrous work. He's here speaks of that. He's
talking about judgment, but right in the middle of it, he speaks
of mercy, something wondrous. Habakkuk had complained to God
in verses one through four of his grief. Beholding violence and injustice
and unrighteousness rebellion against God oppression and persecution
on every hand and he cries out to God for these things he said
why do you show me iniquity when you will not save and Then in
verses 6 through 11 the Prophet hears God speak about judgment
But before he speaks the word of judgment The Lord God promises
him that he will do a wondrous work. A work at which we would
be called to wonder marvelously. And the work of which he's speaking
is the work of redemption. I'm certain that's the case.
Turn to the book of Acts. We're going to look at several
scriptures tonight. Acts chapter 15. The only New Testament reference
to this passage, in fact, the only reference to this passage
in scripture, is found here in Acts 15. Paul is preaching to
the folks at Antioch in verse 15, I'm sorry, Acts 13, verse
15. Acts chapter 13, verse 15. After the reading of the law
and the prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them,
saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation
for the people, say all. Here Paul is in a synagogue amongst
a bunch of Jews, and they said, if you've got something you'd
like to say, just stand up and preach to us. I'll jump at that. I'll jump at that. And Paul stood
up and beckoning with his hand said, men of Israel, and ye that
fear God, give audience. For the God of this people of
Israel chose our fathers and exalted the people when they
dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt. And with an high arm
brought he them out of it. And about the time of 40 years
suffered he their manners in the wilderness. That is, he put
up with them for 40 years. And when he had destroyed seven
nations in the land of Canaan, he divided their land to them
by lot. And after that, he gave unto
them judges, that is, saviors, deliverers, about the space of
450 years. For 450 years, he raised up one
deliverer after another to deliver his people Israel until Samuel,
the prophet. And afterward, they desired a
king. And God gave unto them Saul,
the son of Sis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space
of 40 years. And when God had removed Saul,
he raised up unto them David to be their king, to whom also
he gave testimony and said, I have found David, the son of Jesse,
a man after mine own heart. Now watch this. Here's a clue
to what Paul's talking about, which shall fulfill all my will. I think he's talking about another
David. I think he's talking about another son of David, of Jesse.
He's talking about David's great son, the Lord Jesus. You'll see
this as we go on. When John, I'm sorry, of this
man's seed hath God, according to this promise, raised unto
Israel a Savior, Jesus. Verse 24. When John had first
preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all
the people of Israel, and as John fulfilled his course, he
said, whom think ye that I am. I'm not he, I'm not the Messiah,
I'm not the Christ. But behold, there cometh one
after me, whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to loose. Men and brethren, children of
the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you
is this word of salvation sent. I reckon it's sent to you. This word of salvation is sent
to you. Well, what is it? For they that dwell at Jerusalem,
and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices
of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath day, they have
fulfilled them in condemning him. They fulfilled the prophets,
not knowing what they were doing, in condemning the Lord of glory.
And though they found no cause of death in him, that is, they
couldn't find one single thing which they could lay to his charge
as a cause of death. Though they found no cause of
death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain.
Verse 29. And when they had fulfilled all
that was written of him, David's great son, the Lord Jesus, they
took him down from the tree and laid him in a sepulcher. But
God raised him from the dead and he was seen. of many days
of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who
are his witnesses unto the people. And we declare unto you, glad
tidings. We declare unto you the gospel,
how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath
fulfilled the same unto us, their children, in that he hath raised
up Jesus again, as it is also written in the second psalm,
Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee. And as concerning
that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to
corruption, he said on this wise, I will give unto you the sure
mercies of David. Wherefore he saith also in another
psalm, thou shalt not suffer thine holy one to see corruption. Now watch this. For David, after
he served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep
and was laid unto his fathers and saw corruption. But he whom
God raised again saw no corruption. This one who's David's son, this
one of whom David spoke in that second Psalm, or in that 16th
Psalm, he saw no corruption. But be it known unto you, therefore,
men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you
the forgiveness of sins, and by him all that believe are justified
from all things from which they could not be justified by the
law of Moses. Now remember, he's talking to
us about all that the prophets spoke. Look at verse 40. Beware,
therefore, lest that come upon you which is spoken in the prophets. Spoken not in the prophet, but
in the prophets. Spoken through this book. Spoken
through this book. Behold, ye despisers, and wonder
and perish. For I work a work in your days,
a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare
it unto you. And he's quoting from Habakkuk
chapter 1 verse 5, telling us that Habakkuk's prophecy is God's
word to this generation, dealing with this gospel day, and God's
word to men and women in this gospel day, a word that we preach
to all men. A wondrous thing the Gentiles
had the gospel preached unto them. Paul called this part of
the great mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh,
justified in the spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the
Gentiles, preached to the Gentiles, this wondrous thing. But you
won't believe it. You won't believe it, and you'll
perish in your unbelief. Though a man preach it to you,
though a man declare it to you, unless God the Holy Spirit gives
you life and faith in His Son. And then that which is impossible
is accomplished. For with God, all things are
possible, and lost sinners such as we are, are made to live before
God in faith. Faith in Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. All this is marvelous. The whole work of redemption
and grace, the whole business of our salvation in Christ Jesus
is marvelous. From the first experience of
grace and with every experience of grace along the way, from
the beginning, from the from the dawning of light in our souls
to the day that God takes us out of this world, it's marvelous,
a wondrous thing, and it shall be through the endless ages of
eternity, a marvelous, wondrous thing for us to consider, for
us to regard. And it's such to us because God
has given us life and faith in Jesus Christ. John Newton, when
he was an old man, he said, I'm getting old and I can't remember
much, but I can remember these two things. I remember that I'm
a great sinner and Jesus Christ is a great savior. He never got
over the wonder of God's grace, the wonder of redemption, the
old slave trader he called himself. Newton made his livelihood trading
in human life. When he was just a boy, his mother
taught him and prayed for him. and he never forgot the things
she taught him, things he heard his mother pray to God on his
behalf. But his mother died when he was
just a boy. By the time he was 12 years old,
he was a seaman and spent his life trading slaves. Was at last himself captured
by a black woman in Africa and was made to be her slave. She staked him outside like a
dog. And he finally escaped and God was pleased to snatch him
from the pits of corruption and revealed in his heart what he
heard his mother teach him when he was a baby. And called him by his marvelous
grace. No wonder he could write such
a hymn. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch
like me. I once was lost, but now am found,
was blind, but now I see. It was grace that taught my heart
to fear, and grace my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear
the hour I first believed. Our Savior's name is wonderful.
and all the works of redemption and grace he performed by which
we are saved are things we regard as most precious and that which
we wonder marvelously. Turn, if you will, to Isaiah
chapter 53. Let's go back to Isaiah 29 first. Isaiah 29. I called your attention to the
fact that Paul said this prophecy was written in the prophets,
not just in Habakkuk. This prophecy in Isaiah 29 is
very similar to what Habakkuk said. Right in the middle of
a prophecy of judgment, God swears to perform judgment against Abraham's
natural seed. Yet, right in the middle of this,
the Lord God promises mercy, grace, and salvation to Abraham's
spiritual seed. Isaiah 29, verse 13. Wherefore,
the Lord said, for as much as this people draw near me with
their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed
their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught
by the precept of men. Therefore, don't you love God's
reasons for mercy? Therefore, because you wretches
don't deserve it, because you've earned my wrath, because you
merit my displeasure, because you merit judgment. Therefore,
behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people,
even a marvelous work and a wonder for the wisdom of their wise
men shall perish and the understanding of their prudent men shall be
hid. Verse 18. And in that day, shall
the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind
shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness. The meek also
shall increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor among men
shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. Look at verse 24. They also that erred in spirit
shall come, they shall come to understanding, and they that
murmured shall learn doctrine. Now, obviously, the first thing
that comes to mind when you think of God's wondrous works is the
work of redemption. Let's take another brief look
at Isaiah 53, will you? Isaiah 53, starting in verse
13 of chapter 52. Oh, God help us as we read these
words to wonder marvelously. Behold, my servant, shall deal
prudently. He shall be exalted and extolled
and be very high, as many were astonied at thee. The modern
translations use the word astonished, which is a proper translation. But this word gives a little
bit more emphasis, men looking at him were so astonished they
were as men turned to stone. His visage was so marred more
than any man, his form more than the sons of men." These silly,
idolatrous pictures that are supposed to be pictures of Christ
never portray him as he's described here. They portray a pretty boy. Somebody that you really don't
want to be around. They portray something less than
manhood, an effeminate picture of their effeminate Jesus. His
form is more marred than the sons of men. So that is by his
being bruised. by our iniquities made his, our
transgressions made his, our sins made his, and him bearing
the wrath of God as he hung upon the tree, beat to a bloody pulp
with fever pulsing in his veins, marred so that nobody wants to
look at him. No, if you could see him as he
hung on the cross, you wouldn't want it hanging over your dining
room table. You wouldn't want to see it anywhere. So as a result
of this, he shall sprinkle many nations. That is, he'll apply
his merit to people among many nations. The king shall shut
their mouths at him, for that which had not been told them
shall they see. And that which they had not heard
shall they consider. Read on. Who hath believed our
report? You shall not believe it, though
a man tell it to you. Who hath believed our report?
Who's going to believe this message tonight? Who's going to believe? Who's
going to walk out of here trusting the Son of God? I know exactly
who. To whom is the arm of the Lord
revealed? Oh, if you believe on the Son
of God, it is because God has revealed His arm, His mighty
Savior to you, Jesus Christ the Lord. Read on. For he shall grow
up before him as a tender plant, as a root out of dry ground.
Now watch this. He hath no form nor comeliness.
And when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire
him. Nothing striking about his appearance.
Nothing that stands out about his appearance. One of the men,
I forgot who it was, asked me about this Sunday evening back
in the office. Comeliness, his beauty, his attractiveness. Nothing
about him, nothing about him to attract anyone. Nothing. He was just an ordinary man.
The only thing that you know for certain about his physical
features is that when he wasn't yet 30 years old, folks thought
he was 50. He had no form nor comeliness
that anyone should desire him. He is despised and rejected of
men. A man of sorrows and acquainted
with grief all his life long. And we hid, as it were, our faces
from him. He was despised. And that's just
exactly how we wanted it. We esteemed him not. Verse four.
Surely. Surely. You read this, if you
can, if you can, if you can put your name where
you have our surely he had born Don Fortner's griefs. and carried
Don Fortner's sorrows. Yet Don Fortner did esteem him
stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. We despised him like
all other men and considered that's just what he deserved.
But he was wounded. for Don Fortner's transgressions.
He was bruised for Don Fortner's iniquities. The chastisement
of Don Fortner's peace, that is the chastisement by which
peace was earned and won was upon him. And with his stripes,
I am healed. Oh, wonderfully, oh my soul,
all we like sheep have gone astray. We turned everyone to his own
way, and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He
was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth.
He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before
her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from
prison and from judgment, and who shall declare his generation? For he was cut off out of the
land of the living. For the transgression of my people
was he stricken. And he made his grave with the
wicked. And with the rich in his death, he was numbered with
the transgressors. Because he had done no violence,
neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord
to bruise him. He had done no violence, there
was no deceit in his mouth, no cause of death in him. But God
was pleased to bruise him. Pleased. The word means satisfied,
Rex. This is the one thing that satisfies
God, his sod. The one thing that satisfies
justice is the death of his sod. It pleased the Lord to bruise
him. He hath put him to grief when thou shalt make his soul
an offering for sin. The word is when thou shalt make
his soul sin. Every place you see sin offering
in the Old Testament, quite literally the word is sin. Every single
place. There is no Hebrew word or Greek word for sin offering.
Everywhere you see it, it's sin. The Lord hath made his soul sin. He who knew no sin were made
sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. He shall see his seed. My people,
his elect, the people the father has given him, those who are
born of his spirit, he shall see his seed. You'll see him
everyone justified and sanctified and glorified. He shall prolong
his days. That is, he will rise from the
dead and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
God gives him power over all flesh to give eternal life to
as many as the father has given him. And he shall see of the
travail of his soul and shall be satisfied. By his knowledge. Knowing who he is and what he's
accomplished and for whom he did it, shall my righteous servant
justified many for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore,
here's his reward. I will divide him a portion with
the great. He shall divide the spoil with
the strong. because he had poured out his soul unto death. He was
numbered with the transgressors and he bare the sin of many and
made intercession for the transgressors. The wonder of redemption is the sufferings of Christ and
the glory that should follow. Peter tells us that the prophets
desired to look into this thing. Ancient men in old times Desire
to understand the sufferings of Christ and the glory that
must follow his sufferings the sufferings by which he as our
God man mediator Merited the glory he now has being the possessor
of all things having all things put in his hands all things put
under his feet ruling all flesh to give life to whom he will
What mind can comprehend? What tongue can describe the
sufferings of our Lord Jesus? The sufferings of his body. You can make too much of that
and you can make too little of it. He suffered in his body because
we sin in these bodies. The sufferings of his heart.
His heart broke. because our hearts are the source
of all evil and he is made sin for us and the suffering of his
soul. When he bear in his body our
iniquities, our transgressions, our sins, not bear upon his body,
but bear in his body. Don't ever imagine that this
was just something supposed to be, something that as though
it had been. Oh, no. The son of God, our mediator,
the God man, our savior, was made sin for us. I can't describe it, but he describes
it this way. His suffering. Is it nothing
to you? all ye that pass by behold and
see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow which is done
unto me wherewith the Lord Jehovah hath afflicted me in the day
of his fierce anger from above hath he sent fire into my bones
and it prevaileth against them he hath spread out a net for
my feet he hath turned me back he hath made me desolate and
faint all the day The yoke of my transgressions is bound by
his hand. They are wreathed and come upon
my neck. He hath made my strength to fall. The Lord hath delivered me into
their hands, from whom I am not able to rise up. The hymn writer
expressed it well. Much we talk of Jesus' blood,
but how little is understood of His suffering so intense,
angels have no perfect sense. Who can rightly comprehend their
beginning or their end? It is to God and God alone that
their weight is fully known. See the suffering, Son of God,
panting, groaning, sweating blood, boundless depths of love divine. Jesus, what a love was thine. And this is that work which we
now are made to regard with high esteem, which we now wonder at
marvelously. The wonder of redemption is the
means God has chosen by which he communicates this grace to
his elect. A man shall tell it to you. It
pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that
believe. The wonder of redemption is the wonder of God's providence.
All of God's providence are described, all the acts of his providence,
are described, Larry, as thy chariots of salvation. Thy chariots of salvation. Zechariah
chapter 6 describes them as coming between the mountains of brass.
These are the chariots of God. What's God doing in judgment?
Raising and tearing down our nations. Building families and
destroying families. What's God doing in all of His
acts in this world? He's saving a people for the
glory of His own great name. And when He's done, all men will
look at this and wonder marvelously. The wonder of redemption in Zechariah
3 verse 8 is the people who are redeemed by His grace. Zechariah said, Bobby, there
will be men wondered at. If you had to choose, you're
looking at the last man on this earth you'd have chosen to save.
The last man on this earth you would have chosen to call to
preach the gospel of God's grace. But God does things the way he
does them. that no flesh should glory in
his presence, but rather we just adore and wonder marvelously. Let's stand together and pray.