A week ago Sunday, the last time
we saw Brother Cecil Roundtree, he happened to be sitting right
where Oscar was that morning, right where Oscar is now. And
he turned around immediately after the closing prayer and
stuck out his hand and said to me, oh, wonderful. What a wonderful, wonderful Savior. Wonderful grace. And I want so much, every time
I stand in this place, for you to leave here with just that
thought on your mind. Wonderful, wonderful Savior. Wonderful, wonderful grace. Worshipping Him. Trusting Him. Rejoicing in Him. Seeking to
honor Him. Turn with me to Exodus chapter
21. Here the Lord begins to give
his judgments, that is, his civil statutes to Israel. And these laws that are given
here in Exodus chapters 20, 21, 22, and 23 are the basis of all
law in Western civilization and have been so far as I can tell
throughout history. But the law here given, these
civil statutes, were not given for that purpose. These civil
statutes by which God directed Israel to live as a nation typified
and portrayed redemption, grace, and salvation by Christ Jesus. Now the Lord willing, next week
we will look at the whole of the civil law given in these
three chapters at one time. Tonight I want to focus your
attention on the first civil statute, the very first law given
to Israel as a nation by which they were to be governed as a
civilized society under the rule of God. It is the law of the
bond servant. Here is the very first civil
statute given to the nation of Israel, and this statute It seems
to me is given as it is and placed as it is because this is the
basis upon which all other statutes are built. The civil statute
concerning the bond servant is that by which God gives us a
blessed, blessed picture of Christ, God's servant. And that's our
subject tonight. Now remember, the law of God
in these statutes Ceremonial rights, all the commandments
that God gave to Israel were messianic. These civil statutes
were messianic. I said a moment ago it was not,
they were not given for the purpose of being the standard of law
in other societies. It's perfectly alright that they
are used in that manner, but that was not their purpose. Their
purpose was messianic. They were to show us our need
of and point us to the Lord Jesus Christ. These civil statutes
were given to Israel alone. They were never given to any
Gentile nation, not by God anywhere in the Old Testament, and not
by God anywhere in the New Testament. They were given to Israel alone,
and they were civil statutes for the nation of Israel, showing
them of Him who is to come, our Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ.
All right, let's begin reading in verse 1. Now these are the
judgments which thou shalt set before them. If thou buy an Hebrew
servant, six years shall he serve, and in the seventh he shall go
out free for nothing. If he came in by himself, he
shall go out by himself. If he were married, then his
wife shall go out with him. If his master have given him
a wife, and she have borne him sons or daughters, the wife and
her children shall be her masters, and he shall go out by himself. And if the servant shall plainly
say, I love my master, my wife, and my children, I will not go
out free. Then his master shall bring him
unto the judges, and he shall also bring him to the door, or
unto the doorpost. And his master shall bore his
ear through with an awe, and he shall serve him for ever. Now the law describes here a
man who would voluntarily make himself a bond slave, a bond
servant to his master for life. And that man is the Lord Jesus
Christ, Jehovah's servant, our Redeemer. The Lord Jesus, the
Son of God, became the servant of God that he might redeem and
save sinners chosen of God from the foundation of the world.
He came not to be ministered unto, but to minister. That is,
he came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life
a ransom for many. how blessed it is to see and
know Christ in this relationship to God and to us. The eyes of
faith behold the Son of God as Jehovah's servant and rejoice
in all the work he performs as his servant. Now let me show
you five things that are clear in this picture, five things
about this type that are so blessedly instructive, and I trust they'll
be blessed of God to your heart. Number one, the Lord Jesus Christ
chose to be Jehovah's servant. We understand and rejoice to
know that this servant is himself God Almighty. He is one with
the Father in being, in glory, and in greatness, in all things
equal with the Father and the Spirit. In his eternal deity
as God the Son, our Savior is altogether God, equal with the
other persons of the Trinity. But he became a man. willingly
took into union with himself our nature. He became our surety. He became our mediator that he
might subject himself to and obey completely the will of God. Turn to Philippians chapter 2.
I think I read this to you either Sunday morning or Sunday night,
but I want you to look at it. Paul says, you know the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ? How that though he was rich,
yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty
might be made rich. Here in Philippians 2, Paul is
talking to us in another place about God's great mercy in the
condescension of our Lord Jesus Christ. Who being in the form
of God, that is, he who is God, thought it not something to be
sought after. Thought it not robbery to be equal with God?
This is not something he had to strive for. You and I must
be made equal to God. He is equal to God, for he is
himself God, but made himself of no reputation. The words literally
mean he emptied himself. He just poured out his being
and took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the
likeness of men. And being found in fashion as
a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even
the death of the cross. Now those words in Philippians
2 are of unspeakable importance. Very much depends on a right
understanding of them. Let it be understood clearly,
the Son of God is himself God, one with the Father. We are Trinitarians. There are three that bear record
in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. And these
three are what? The Son of God cannot possibly
in any way be inferior to His Father and still be God. That's just not a possibility.
If He is God, He is altogether equal with the Father. Augustus
Toplady put it in such a clear way and such a profound way and
yet very simply. He wrote, the uncreated and eternally
begotten Son of the Father Almighty is and must be as truly a divine
being as the Father who begat him. He must be altogether God
or he cannot be the Son of God. Therefore, when we read in the
scriptures of Christ being the servant of God, subjecting himself
to the will of God, obeying the commandment of God, it must be
understood that his servitude is by his own free, voluntary
consent. It is not something that he's
forced to do. It is not something he's compelled
to do. It is that which he voluntarily does. His service is not a forced
work, but rather a willing work. He gave himself for us, the scripture
says, that he might redeem us from all iniquity. He gave himself
for his church, we're told. Our Lord Jesus declares, as the
Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father, and I lay down
my life for the sheep. Turn to John chapter 10, verse
16. There was a perfect understanding
between the Father and the Son eternity. Let there be no misunderstanding
on our part. Christ became the servant of
Jehovah by his own will. Verse 16, John chapter 10, our
Savior speaks of the commandment he received from the Father as
our shepherd. Other sheep I have which are
not of this fold, them also I must bring. And they shall hear my
voice and there shall be one fold and one shepherd. Therefore
doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might
take it again. No man taketh it from me, but
I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down,
and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received
of my Father." Now, he speaks of a commandment that he received
from the Father. We just read it. The commandment
speaks of obedience and the Lord Jesus says, I lay down my life
of myself. That's his obedience to his father. And yet his obedience to the
father does not imply any subjection on his part as God, but rather
a subjection as God's servant. in this office capacity as our
mediator, as our surety, as our substitute, as the good shepherd.
The love of the Father to the Son is that here spoken of, which
is the result of his obedience. And that clearly is not because,
now speaking of him, saying the Father loves me as God the Son
because of my obedience, but the Father loves me as one who
has earned and merited his love by my obedience. So when we speak
of our Lord's servanthood, His being the surety, the servant
of Jehovah, it's talking about that which He voluntarily does,
as the one spoken of back in our text in Exodus 21. He says,
I will not go out. And He goes and gets His ear
bored through with it all. We read it the other day in Isaiah
chapter 50, where the Lord Jesus describes Himself in just that
manner. I am a voluntary bondservant to my God. Illustrated another
way. I normally am much stronger than
my wife. That's been the acceptance. It's
not been true the last few months, but normally I'm much more physically
strong than she is. But I, every now and then, will
give her a honeydew day. If you ever start doing it, there's
no end. Here's the clause. And what does
that mean? Well, whatever you say for me
to do today, I'll do. And so I'll run from one thing
to the next, to the next, to the next, doing it. And she will
tell you it's been a long time since I gave her one of those
days. But it'll serve for the illustration anyway. And I simply
subject myself to her will for the day, trying to assist her
in whatever it is she's got to do. That doesn't mean that I'm
weaker than her. It doesn't mean that I'm less
than her. It doesn't mean that I can't overpower her. It means I voluntarily subject
myself to her will for that time. Our Lord Jesus, from old eternity,
voluntarily. subjects himself to the Father
as our Savior and Jehovah's Servant to accomplish our redemption.
And so he says, Lo, I come to do thy will, O my God. Turn with me to that passage,
Hebrews chapter 10. And here's the second thing we
see about the law of the bondservant. Not only is Christ Jesus Jehovah's
Servant, He served. From the moment that he assumed
responsibility for us to this day, he served. From the time
that he was conceived in his mother's womb by the Holy Spirit
to the day that he ascended up into heaven, taking his seat
at the right hand of the majesty on high, he served. The service
began back in eternity, and the service continues to this day. When our Lord Jesus assumed all
responsibility for our souls, and the Father trusted Him as
our surety, He began serving for us, and His service continues. Look at verse 5 of Hebrews chapter
10. Wherefore, when He cometh into the world, He saith, Sacrifice
an offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared
Me. and burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin, thou hast had no pleasure."
Well, wait a minute, God commanded those things, yes, but they never
would satisfy. Then said I, In the fullness
of time, when these things had come to their end, when they
had served their purpose, then said I, lo, I come, in the volume
of the book it is written to me, in the book of God's prophets,
in the book of God's decrees, it is written to me, to do thy
will, O God. I come here, a man, to do the
will of God. Verse 8. above when he said sacrifice
and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest
not neither has pleasure therein which were offered by the law
then said he lo I come to do thy will O God he taketh away
the first that he may establish the second now watch verse 10
I come to do thy will O God by the which will we are sanctified
made holy through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ One
time, once for all, our Lord, while he walked on this earth,
said to his disciples, I am among you as he that serveth. Now listen carefully. Back in
Exodus 21. Exodus 21, verse 1. Or verse 2, rather. If thou buy a Hebrew servant,
six years shall he serve, and in the seventh He shall go out
free for nothing. A servant could only serve for
six years. This is established at the very
outset of the civil law of Israel. Why did God establish this law
of the bond servant and why six years? Why on the seventh year
must he go out free for nothing? The number six, and I'm not overly
given to significance of numbers in scripture, but there are some
numbers that are obvious. The number six is a number that
constantly represents man. Man was created on the sixth
day. Man's number, the mark of the beast is six, six, six. Six speaks of man and failure
and frustration. That's what we are, Bobby. Just
failure and frustration. Failure and frustration about
everything. The number six speaks of incompletion. The Lord Jesus came here to do
as Jehovah's servant what no man had ever been able to do
and no man could never do or any man could never do. But what
all men must do. He came here to make up for,
to make reconciliation for man, to make atonement for iniquity,
to make an end of sin, to make restitution for transgression,
and to bring in everlasting righteousness. If you take the time to read,
and I hope you will several times between now and next Tuesday,
chapters 21, 22, and 23 in Exodus at one setting, you'll see that
there's one thing continually repeated in these three chapters.
continually emphasize the whole basis of the law is found here
in this matter of restitution. Rightness. Justice. Righteousness. That which is
right. An eye for an eye. A tooth for
a tooth. A dollar for a dollar. A life
for a life. An ox for an ox. An ass for an
ass. You take responsibility for something,
you better be sure you're willing to take responsibility for it.
Because if somebody breaks in and steals it, you're still responsible
for it. Read the law. Larry Brown says, Don, I've got
$500 here in this bag. I've been saving these silver
dollars all my life. And Carol and I are going to
Florida for two weeks. Take care of that for me, will
you? Oh, I'll be glad to. And while he's gone, somebody
breaks in and steals it. Guess who's got to pay it back? Because
I'm responsible for it. Well, that's not right. It is
if God says it is. Read the law. Read the law. Your ox gets out and goes to
fellow to death. Kill the ox and pay for taking
care of his family. Well, that's not right. Why isn't it right, your ox?
And your ox go demand the death. Your ox gores another ox to death.
Kill your ox and restore the ox the man lost. It's your responsibility. And if it's proved that you knew
beforehand, kill the man too. Everything restitution, everything
reconciliation, everything made right, that's the purpose of
the bond servant. Jesus Christ the Lord came into
this world to make right everything we messed up. To make everything
right. To put everything back in line
with God concerning his people. He became Jehovah's servant to
make restitution for the people. There is therefore now no condemnation. to them that are in Christ Jesus,
who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. For the
law of the spirit of life in Christ hath made me free from
the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do,
in that it was weak through the flesh, man could not make restitution
with God. That's the meaning. That means
we couldn't obey the law. That's exactly right. You can't
make up to God. I can't make up to God. That's not within the realm of
possibility. God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful
flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh, that righteousness
of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the
flesh but after the Spirit. Jehovah's servant fulfilled the
law perfectly. bringing in everlasting righteousness
by his obedience. Recently, I have been reading
things that are disturbing. It's so sad when preachers and
theologians, or men who think they're theologians, start to
try to make the book of God fit their system rather than scrapping
their system of theology and make it fit the book of God. demeaning the obedience of Christ
in his life, as though what our Lord did for us by his obedience
in life is of insignificance. By his obedience to God as a
man, from the time he came into this world and said, Lord, I
come to do thy will, O my God. Darwin, he was working out righteousness
for you and me. And that righteousness is a spotless
robe God puts on us and a nature God puts in us by his grace.
And then when he came to die at Calvary, by his sacrifice,
he put away sin. He brought in an everlasting
righteousness, and he made an end of sin by the sacrifice of
himself. He finished the transgression.
And our blessed Lord taught us by example how to serve God. I can't... I can't do anything for God.
Did you know that? David said, my righteousness
extendeth not unto thee, O God. I can't, with anything I do,
reach out and touch God. I can't do it. But I can do this. Would you like a drink of water? I can serve His people. And that's
serving Him. Our Master said, I've shown you
how to do it. I took this bowl of water and I washed your feet. And I took this towel and knelt
down at your dirty feet and wiped your feet clean with this towel.
And now what I've done to you, you go do to one another. Do
you understand what I'm teaching you? This is how we serve God. We serve God by loving and serving
one another. forgiving and forbearing, ministering
to and caring for, helping and assisting, loving one another. All right? That's the first two
things. Christ chose to become a servant.
He actually served. And thirdly, the servant, according
to the law, had an option. Had he chosen to do so, he could
have gone out free. after six years service. Our blessed Savior could have
gone out free. It was his choice. It was the servant's decision,
back here in Exodus 21, whether he remained a servant or went
out free. So it was with the Son of God,
even after he came into this world. What about God's decree? What about God's purpose? I'm
just telling you what this book says. I gave up a long time ago
trying to explain it or defend it. I'll just declare it and
let you do what you will with it. Living here as a man, the
Lord Jesus had perfectly honored and pleased his Father. so that
the father says both at the beginning of his ministry and at the close
of his ministry, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. And yet even when he was in Gethsemane's
garden, the Lord Jesus told Peter he was under no constraint except
the constraint of his own voluntary love for his people to die in
our stead at Calvary. He said, Peter, Thinkest thou
that I cannot now pray to my Father, and He shall presently
give me more than twelve legions of angels? I'm not under any
constraint here. He prayed, Father, if it be possible,
let this cup pass from me. But He knew full well He was
under no constraint except His own voluntary love for us. The
Father didn't force Him to become our substitute. The Father didn't
force him to become our surety. He did so because he would. But
there was a condition to this option. Had he gone out free,
he had to go out by himself. So here's the fourth thing. He
refused. He refused the freedom. Oh, son of God, thank you. Our Lord would not go out by
himself alone. Look at verse 5, Exodus 21. If the servant shall plainly
say, I love my master, my wife, and my children, I will not go
out for him. Let me give you a New Testament
commentary on that. John chapter 12, the Lord Jesus
is praying. Now, is my soul troubled? But what shall I say? Father,
save me from this hour, but for this cause came I unto this hour. No, I will not go out free. Father, glorify thy name. If the servant shall plainly
say, I love my master, my wife, and my children, I will not go
out free. Oh, thank God our Savior would
not go out free. What does this mean? I love my
master, for the glory of God He set His face like a flint
steadfastly to go up to Jerusalem and die for us. Three times we're
told in Ephesians chapter 1, verses 1 through 14, that our
Lord in all His purpose of grace has done all that He has done,
is doing all that He is doing, and shall do all that He shall
do for the saving of His people, for the praise of the glory of
God, everything, for the praise of the glory of His grace. Our
Lord Jesus was altogether competent for the work he came here to
do. The first Adam was made for the glory of God and failed miserably. The last Adam succeeded gloriously. He restored that which he took
not away. In him, God is glorified. He had no work, no ambition,
no will. but to do his father's will.
When he was just a boy, he corrected his mother on this subject. He
said, wish you not that I must be about my father's business.
There was never a son in history more obedient, more loving, more
faithful to his mother than this son. But there was one whose
honor was more important than her honor, whose will more important
than her will, whose relationship more important than her relationship.
And that was his father. When he was a man, he said, I
do always those things that please him. And when his labor was ended,
when his work was done, when the faithful servant gave account
of the work he had done, he said, I have glorified thee on the
earth. I have finished the work thou
gavest me to do. Next, the servant says, I love
my wife, the wife of his choice. his bride,
you and me. He said, I love my wife. Thy love to me is wonderful,
David said to Jonathan, how much more his love to us. Oh, that
we might be filled with all the knowledge of his love, the love
of Christ, that passes understanding. How can it be exemplified? Jacob loved Rachel and served
for her for seven years. And at the end of seven years,
he got Leah. And he served for Rachel another
seven years and said it's just like a day. because of the love he had for
her. Adam's love for Eve gives us another picture. Nowhere do
we see the love of Christ, the last Adam for his bride, more
fully and clearly illustrated than in the love of Adam for
Eve in the garden. The Holy Spirit tells us plainly
that when Adam sinned against God, he was not deceived. Eve was deceived. Adam was not.
He saw Eve take that forbidden fruit. And though nothing, as
far as is recorded in Scripture, happened with Eve. Didn't see
anything. Nothing happened until Adam ate
the fruit, did it? Her eyes weren't opened. She
didn't see she was naked. Nothing happened. But Adam knew
what she had done. He knew that Eve now must die. And rather than lose her, he
plunged himself into sin and death and condemnation and separation
from God because of his love for her. Need any explanation? That's
what our Savior did for his bride. Knowing full well what it would
cost him, he gave himself for us. Plunged himself into sin
and darkness and death and condemnation and shame before God. Thomas Bradbury wrote this, through
the perfection of his righteousness, the preciousness of his blood,
the power of his resurrection, and the prevalency of his intercession. He brings forth the progeny of
grace, his seed, a seed to serve him from the womb of the eternal
purpose to serve, praise, and adore the three in one to all
generations. I love my children. I will not
go out free. Now, there's one more thing.
Turn back to our text again. Look at the very last line of
verse 6. He shall serve forever. Our Lord Jesus shall serve forever. That's just about more than I
can grasp. Yonder, seated on the throne
of infinite grace, is a man. A real man. With a real human heart. A real
human mind. Touched with the feeling of our
infirmities. A man whose hands are scarred as one laboring for
his people. A man whose heart has been broken
for the people he loves. A man whose feet wearied as he
traversed the earth in the work of redemption. A man who cares
for his own. And that man makes intercession
for us according to the will of God. That man who brought
in everlasting righteousness, who obtained eternal redemption,
is Jehovah's servant. And he who is Jehovah's servant
serves us to this day, making all things work together for
our good and the glory of our God. And he will serve Jehovah,
serving us forever. Turn with me, if you will, to
the book of Luke. Luke chapter 12. Time will not terminate his service
of love. In the ages to come, God will
show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward
us through Christ Jesus. And when time shall be no more,
the lamb in the midst of the throne will feed us and lead
us to fountains of living water. He will bless us with eternal
joy in his presence, and he'll do so forever. Three times when
he was alive, Brother Hubert Montgomery read single verses
back in the office. and looked at me and said, I
sure would like to know what that means. This is one of them. Luke chapter
12, verse 31, or verse 37. Speaking of our Lord coming in
the day of the wedding, blessed are those servants whom the Lord,
when he cometh, shall find watching. Verily I say unto you, he shall gird himself and make them sit down to feast and shall come forth and serve them I read that again a little while
ago and I just Take my feet back now. Oh, wonderful, wonderful, wonderful
Savior. He shall serve them.