I am honored to be here and am very grateful for this
opportunity. I hope the Lord will be pleased
to meet with us this morning as we've gathered in the name
of His Son. And I invite you to the 76th
Psalm. Psalm number 76. God willing, our container holding
our personal effects going to the islands will be picked up
Tuesday morning, and then the shipper will obtain
it, hopefully Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning. And if
the shipper can get my container, our container, to Jacksonville,
Florida by Thursday evening, it will be on the boat for St.
Croix Friday morning. And I intend to have my automobile
on the same boat driving to Jacksonville this week, this coming week,
and hopefully the container and the automobile will be on the
same boat and be in St. Croix by the middle of next week.
Your prayers are very much appreciated. I'm going to look at verse 10. And look at just the first half
of the verse. And my text is this. Surely the
wrath of man shall praise you. Man's wrath is his burning anger. The foremost object of man's
burning anger is Jehovah, including Jehovah, his people, his preachers,
and especially his son. Man directs his wrath, his burning
anger, against Jehovah in both his words and deeds. Man unwittingly compliments Jehovah
in all that he does against him. Sometimes the Lord restrains
the wrath of man. Man's condemnation therefore
is not compounded. At other times the Lord girds
himself with the wrath of man and wears it as a sword. and
comes against man with man's own wrath. And the wrath of man praises
Jehovah and results in man's utter destruction. Ask Pharaoh. If there is a man in all the
scripture who evidenced and manifested more wrath against Jehovah than
Pharaoh, who was it? This man despised God. Did everything
he could against God. Tried to destroy the Lord's children. Showed his wrath against the
Lord's prophet. And when Pharaoh had done all
he could do in his burning wrath, the Lord said, that's why I raised
you up, that I might show my power in your name. And all that
Pharaoh did in his burning wrath against God, all he did was praise
Jehovah. Jehovah also calls it the wrath
of the wicked against his people to redound to the praise of the
afflicted. For example, saints are oftentimes
unwillingly complimented by the derisive terms that are laid
against us. For example, someone may say, that heretic down at College
Grove Church, he believes salvation is all
of God's free and sovereign grace and is in no way attributable
to man's free will. Thank you. We appreciate that. You got it straight. The wrath
of man shall praise you. He believes God predestined all
things. That's right. In mocking me, you praise me. He believes God chose whom He
would to salvation before the foundation of the world and that
nothing would prevent God's elect from being saved. And they snarl
the lip when they say so and we say, Thank you again. We appreciate
the compliment. The wrath of man shall praise
you. He believes Christ has forgiven
him of all his sins. Not only those of the past and
also the present. He believes even his future sins
are forgiven. That's right. You got it right
again. He believes the grace of Christ
has set him free from any obligation to observe the law of Moses.
Now folks, they go on and on and on with these derisive terms. And unbeknownst to us, they unwittingly
compliment us the more they say against us. And the same is true
of the Lord's preachers. What do they say of the Lord's
preachers? All he does is preach the gospel. Son, I hope your ministry is
of such a sort that your enemies say that about you. All he does
is preach the gospel, and when they do, tell them this, put
it on my tombstone. All he did was preach the gospel. You think that hurts me? I am
complimented. Surely the wrath of man shall
praise me." If you've heard him once, you've
heard all he's got to say because all he does is preach Christ. If my enemies ever write an expose
of Moose Parks, I hope they title it, if you heard him once, you
heard all he had to say. All he did was preach Christ.
That's supposed to Make me feel small. I am mocked with that. God's preachers are mocked with
this. And we turn around and say, thank
you for the compliment. I wish I could live up to it.
And surely the wrath of man shall praise me. Their curses bless us. Had a
Campbellite preacher one time called and he said, You're a
heretic." To which I replied, I confess unto you that by the
way that men call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers,
believing everything written in the scriptures. Thank you
for the compliment. I want you to tell everybody
that according to what you believe, I'm the worst heretic there is.
Another one called up one time and he says, he won't debate
us. You want to know why? This word is settled in heaven,
so I don't need to debate it. When a man says he wants to debate
me, what he's saying is what he believes is debatable. I don't
believe in debatable things. So when you throw these derisive
terms at us, we say, thank you for the compliment. Surely the
wrath of man shall praise you. But in no instance did the wrath
of man ever praise the Lord than it did when they directed it
against His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. They derided Him. They followed
Him everywhere He went and mocked Him. They threw their slurs in
His teeth. They cast their aspersions against
Him. And yet, If you'll take what the enemies
of Christ said against him, as recorded in the scriptures, we
may have what we may call a fifth gospel of the Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ. And may we call it the gospel
according to Christ's enemies. I want to preach on that this
morning. This is my subject. The gospel according to Christ's
enemies. Hear what they said against Him
as they mocked Him and derided Him and cursed Him. Hear what they said and learn
this, what they said in their wrath against Him, redounded
in praise and glory and honor to Him. Let me give you one. Quickly, ten of them. Locate
John chapter 5. John chapter 5. Here is the gospel
according to the enemies of Christ. And here is the first point of
that gospel. In John chapter 5, our Lord is
preaching. They're trying to kill Him in
verse number 16. For this reason, The Jews persecuted
Jesus. They sought to kill Him. Look in verse 18. Therefore the
Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke
the Sabbath, but watch this, they said that He said God was His Father,
making Himself equal with God. The enemies of Christ have set
forth unto us the divine nature of Christ. He said God is his father. He
made himself equal with God. They mocked him with that. And
unbeknownst to them, they spoke the truth. A son bears the nature
of his father. From the day that lad was born,
he was my equal. in nature, like Father, like
Son. From the day He was born, He
was as much a human being as I am. He's equal with me in nature. And the Heavenly Father looks
down upon Jesus Christ and He said, That's my Son! And when the Father said that,
He's declaring to all, He is equal with me in nature. Therefore, Jesus Christ did not
consider it robbery to be equal with God. He is God's equal because
He's of the same nature. And these folks who sought to
deride Him with this aspersion saying, He said God is His Father,
making Himself equal with God. He thinks He's God's equal. Well,
yes He does. He knows it. And the enemies
of Christ admit it. So the first point we would look
at in this gospel according to the enemies of Christ is, they
declared His divine nature. Second, they set forth His indisputable
humanity. Locate Matthew chapter 13. His
indisputable humanity. God is His Father. He is equal
with God. But look at also His humanity. In the 13th chapter of the Gospel
according to Matthew, our Lord gives a parables in verse 53,
or down through 53. Then in verse 54, He came to
His own country. He taught them in their own synagogue. And in that instance, you can
read about it in Luke chapter 4, He takes the scroll of the
prophet Isaiah. And he reads that the Spirit
of the Lord is upon me because the Lord has anointed me to do
this, to declare liberty, to deliver the captives, to raise
up the fallen. He puts the scroll down and he
says, today, these words were fulfilled in your hearing. And they were marveling at what
he said. And then they said, wait a minute. He's one of us. He speaks as God. But He's one
of us. Look in verse number 54. Where
did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is this
not the carpenter's son? He's a hometown boy. How can
he speak this way? Where did he get this kind of
knowledge? Is not his mother called Mary? And his brothers,
their names were James and Joseph, Simon and Judas, and his sisters.
Are they not all with us? Where then did this man get all
these things?" They declared his humanity. They said of Christ,
He's as human as we are. And they said the truth. Because
inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood,
He, of the divine nature. Himself likewise shared in the
same and therefore in all things he had to be made like his brethren."
Look at him, folks. His enemies admitted, they declared
that he is equal with God and yet he's one of us. How can that
be? The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us as God manifested
in the flesh. How do I know? His enemies said
it. His enemies inventing their wrath
against Him. What have they done? Declared
the gospel of the humanity of Christ and His deity and of God
manifested in the flesh. Third, they declared the divine
power of Christ. Go to Luke chapter 5. The divine
power of Christ. His enemies have set it forth. Luke's Gospel chapter 5. Our Lord has a paralytic brought
before Him. Some men bring this man who is
paralyzed before Him. Look in verse 20. So when Christ
saw their faith of those who brought this paralytic to Him,
He said to the paralytic... Now they brought this man in
order for him to be healed of his paralysis. The Lord would do something else.
He says to the paralytic, Your sins are forgiven you." Took them all by surprise. They
were hoping to see a healer. Instead, they saw a forgiver.
Man, your sins are forgiven you. And the scribes and the Pharisees
began to reason, saying, Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Now watch, here's the gospel.
Who can forgive sins but God alone? That's the gospel. None can forgive sins but God
alone. If a policeman pulls you over
for speeding, and I'm following you, and I just pulled over too,
and I woke up and said, don't worry about what the policeman
says. I have forgiven you what you just did. The policeman is
going to say, you can't do that. He didn't break your law. He
broke my law. And none but the representative
of my law can forgive him of that. If you have violated the
trust of your spouse, I can't forgive you of that. Your sin
was not against me. No one can forgive your offense
except the one whose law you have broken or whose trust you
have violated. I can forgive you what you do
against me. But I cannot forgive you of your
sins, because they are done against God alone. Does not the honest sinner say,
against you and you only have I sinned? Therefore, none but
God can forgive sins. And here is a man who says, I
forgive you of your sins. And they say, none can forgive
sins but God alone. That's true. And that's God who
just did it. But he says this. Alright, I'll
tell you what. Which is harder to do? Or harder
to say? Your sins are forgiven? Or rise
up and walk? Which is harder to say? Oh, it's
harder to say rise up and walk because we can see that. He says,
alright, I will argue with you from the greater to the lesser.
You say, you say, it is harder to say, rise up and walk, because
then you can have proof. Therefore, if I can make this
man walk, will you believe he was forgiven of his sins? Yep.
The man got up and walked. And he did. Why? That's God speaking. None can forgive sins but God
alone. His enemies say so. They admit
it. This is the gospel according
to his enemies. This divine power of Christ. Fourth, in Mark chapter 3, observe the
absolute sovereignty of Christ. Mark chapter 3. Our Lord has attracted an audience
in verse 20. Some folks have said He's out
of His mind in verse 21. Look in verse 22, And the scribes
who came down from Jerusalem said two things, and both times
they declared the gospel. First they said, He has Beelzebub. That's true. He has Beelzebub. That's the ruler of the demons.
That's Satan. Then they said, by the ruler
of the demons, he casts out demons. That's true. That's the gospel. Now they meant to mock him with
it. But he does have Beelzebub. And it is by the power of the
ruler of the demons that he casts out demons. How do we know? Listen
to his explanation. So He called them to Him and
said to them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan? It
can't be done. Then verse 27, He says these
words, No one can enter a strong man's house, and Satan is the
strong man, and plunder his goods, that is, rule his demons, until
first he binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his
house. You know what Jesus Christ has just said? You say I have
Beelzebub? I do. I got him on a leash. He's mine. I own him. He does what I tell him to do.
He goes right. He jerks back when I pull him back. I have
Beelzebub. I own him. He's mine. By the
power of the ruler of demons, I cast out demons? That's true.
Lord, are you Satan? He's the ruler of the demons.
No. Satan is the immediate ruler of the demons, and I am the immediate
ruler of Satan. He moves at my command. And demons
know it. When the Lord walked up to them
on one occasion, they said, Oh, thou Son of God, have you come
to torment us before the time? We know who you are. They do. Demons tremble in the presence
of Christ because He is their ruler. And his enemies admitted this
absolute sovereignty of Christ. Number five, look at the vicarious
death of Christ in John chapter 11. The 11th chapter of John. You're about to hear a false
preacher declare the truth regarding vicarious atonement and substitution. John chapter 11. There's a plot beginning in verse
45. There's a plot that begins to
arise to kill Jesus. In verse 47, there was a council
gathered. What shall we do? For this man
works many signs. And if we let him alone like
this, everyone will believe in him and the Romans will come
and take away both our place and nation. And one of them,
Caiaphas, Being high priest that year said to them, you know nothing
at all. Now watch this, he's about to
declare the gospel. Listen. Nor do you consider that
it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people
and not that the whole nation should perish. That is substitution. That is a vicarious death. That is setting forth one whole
people deserving to die and one man dying in their place and
they're going free. He declared the gospel. He didn't
mean to. How do we know? Read the next verse. Now this he did not say on his
own authority. God spoke through this man. You
mean God can speak through a false prophet? I think I heard him
the one time he spoke through a donkey. Did he not? And did he not tell the donkey's
owner, you go tell them what I tell you to tell them. He can speak through rocks if
he wants to. And this Caiaphas did not say
that of his own authority. God opened his mouth. to declare
the gospel of substitution. But being high priest that year,
he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation. And not for
that nation only, that is the Jews of the Israel of God, but
also that he would gather together in one all the people of God
scattered abroad. Vicarious death of Christ, they
spoke it in derision, they declared the truth, Number six, kingly
lordship of Christ. Go to Mark chapter 15. Mark's
gospel chapter 15. They declared the kingly lordship
of Christ. Verse 16, then the soldiers led
him away into the hall called Praetorium. That is the governor's
headquarters. And they called together the
whole garrison and they clothed Him with purple in mocking Him. They twisted the crown of thorns
in mocking Him. They put it on His head in crowning
Him in mockery. And they began to salute Him
saying, Hail, King of the Jews! They were mocking Him. Hail,
King of the Jews! They declared the gospel when
they said that. He is King of the Jews. He is
King of every nation by virtue of being King of Kings and Lord
of Lords. But He is acknowledged as King
of the Jews by those who are true Jews, who is one inwardly
and not outwardly, whose circumcision is of the heart and not of the
foreskin, and of those whom God says, He's mine. He's mine. I'm one of those. And you know
what? He's my King. Hail, King of the Jew!" This
Jew acknowledges Him. These folks said it in derision. In so doing, they declared the
Gospel. Number 7, locate Matthew chapter 27. 27th chapter of Matthew's
Gospel. Here's something else they're
going to say in mocking Him. In verse number 43, Watch this now. These are His
enemies. In mocking Him, they said, He
trusted in God. That's the gospel truth. And
you know what? If Christ trusted in God, I think
I should. I think I should. And unbeknownst
to them, they are quoting a prophecy from the Old Testament And the
rest of the prophecy declares these words. Christ says, but
you are He who took me out of the womb. You made me trust while
on my mother's breast. I was cast upon you from birth
and from my mother's womb you have been my God. He came out
of his mother's womb trusting in God. Because he spent nine
months in his mother's womb trusting in God. and nursed upon her breasts,
trusting in God, and believing everything regarding God. And
therefore, when the enemies of Christ said, He trusted in God,
they meant to mock Him. What they did was, they declared
the gospel. That's the truth. They declared
the truth. Number eight. Here's another one that they
said of Him. In fact, just keep your same
place in Matthew 27. Look in verse 42. He saved others,
himself he cannot save. That's the gospel. That's the truth. He could not save himself. Why? Because he would not save himself
and would not take advantage of the opportunity to do so.
He says, do you not know that I could call for legions of angels
and take me away from you right now if I wanted to? But he would
not because he could not save himself. And could not save himself
because he would not save himself. He saved others. Why did he do
that? For the same reason he would
not save himself. He did not want to save himself.
Why did he save others? Because he wanted to. He had prophesied in Zechariah
chapter 8. Thus says Jehovah of Hosts, Behold,
I will save my people, they shall be my people, and I will be their
God in truth and righteousness. He saved others. Why? He wanted
to, and that's the gospel, and his enemies admitted it. Number
nine, go to Matthew chapter 27 again. 27th chapter. And I think I've put down a wrong
reference here, so I'll just quote it to you because you all
know what it is. They said, let his blood be on us and on
our children. They mocked him. They ridiculed
him. Let his blood be on us and on
our children. And when they said it, they said
the truth. Because His blood is on every one of you. It's
on every one of us. It is either on your hands to
condemn you if you have not believed the gospel. Our hands killed
Him. His blood is on our hands. And you can't wash it off. Or
else, His blood is on you to cleanse and forgive you of all
your sins. Blessed is He who has washed
us in His own blood and made us clean. Oh Lord, cover me in
Your blood. Let His blood be on me. Let His
blood in cleansing and forgiveness be on my son, my daughter-in-law,
my daughter, my wife, my grandchildren. Let His blood be on us. to forgive
us of our transgressions. His enemies have said it. Let
His blood be on us and on our children. That's the gospel because
it's on you in one of two ways. In guilt to condemn you. In cleansing
to save you. And then one last thing. Go to the 15th chapter of the
book of Luke. Oh, I want to close with this
one. This is the gospel. Fifteenth chapter of the book
of Luke. Then all the tax collectors,
the publicans, and the sinners drew near to him to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes
murmured. You can hear them murmur under
their lips. This man receives sinners and
eats with them. And that's the gospel. They mocked him with it. And the wrath of man praises
him. He's walking through a city one
day and there's a man he wants to see just out of curiosity.
A wicked sinner, tax collector. Worked for the infernal Reverend
of service. Robbing people that had his own
pockets. He was despised. He was the lowest
kind of sinner there was. Along with harlots. And Alec Urosky's climbed up
into a tree because he's too short. He can't see the Lord.
Besides him, other folks don't want him around anyway. He climbs
into a sycamore tree. The Lord walks by looking for
a sinner. He finally found one up a tree. Hey, you come down. And Zacchaeus drew near to Christ
to hear Him. Why? Because he was drawn to
draw near to hear Him. Came down from the tree. The
Lord looked at him. Did you come near to me to hear
me? Yes, sir, I did. I've got something to say to
you. Let's go to your house and eat.
Because this man receives sinners and eats with them. And the Lord
goes to the house of Zacchaeus and eats with the sinner. What
a terrible thing to do! Unless you're this man. He eats
with sinners. And then He says to Zacchaeus,
I've enjoyed eating with you. Now I'm going to go and prepare
a house for you and then bring you home to eat with me." And
He does. He eats with sinners. How do
I know? Does He eat with that sinner?
Yes, He does. Why? Because that's what Christ
does. He eats with sinners. How about
that sinner? How about that sinner? He eats
with this sinner. He's the chief of them all. And
I know from the mouths of Christ's enemies, they declared it. This
man receives sinners and eats with them. Now is there a sinner
here? Oh sinner, I want you to know,
draw near to Him to hear Him. He'll lead with you. He'll be
your friend. And how do we know? His enemies
said so. And surely the wrath of man shall
praise Him. O God our Father, what a marvelous God You are
that You take even the worst things done against You and cause
them to redound to Your praise and glory and honor We thank
you that the wrath of man praises you, and we thank you for the gospel
having set forth by even your enemies. Bless your word, we pray to the
glory of King Jesus. Amen.