in Lamentations, which we read.
Lamentations chapter one. Lamentations chapter one. As I said, we looked at this
book last week. We had something of a overview
of the book, which is a very interesting book in the Hebrew
tongue. It is, which is lost in the English
translation. Much of it is written as an acrostic. There are 22 verses in chapter
1, 22 verses in chapter 2, 22 verses in chapter 4. Each of
which in the Hebrew begins with a letter from the Hebrew alphabet. So verse 1 begins with the first
letter, verse 2 with the second letter and so on. And it's arranged
around that order. Chapter 5 also is 22 verses. That isn't a cross stick, but
it follows the same number of verses. And chapter 3 actually
has 66 verses. So it actually is grouped three
verses under each letter. But with 66 verses, there's three
lots of 22 verses. So if you broke up the whole
book into 22 verses, you'd have seven repetitions of 22 verses,
which is an interesting arrangement because right in the middle of
chapter three, very much in the middle, 22 verses of chapter
three is probably the most hopeful part of the book. In many, many
ways, this is a rather dark seeming book. It speaks much of the turning
away of God's people from his ways, much how the people of
God wouldn't come to the meetings, the solemn feasts, few came. Zion mourned, Zion was basically
chastised for her sin and her turning away from the things
of God. Jeremiah himself mourns over the sins of his people and
over his own sins. He takes the sins of his people
in a personal sense and he moans over his own sins. He sees that
the Lord is justly chastising them and much of the book speaks
of this turning away from God and the chastisement that God
brings upon his people but in the middle in chapter three there
is much hope there are a number of verses which speak of the
lord's mercies It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed,
because his compassions fail not, they are new every morning.
Great is his faithfulness. The Lord is good unto them that
wait for him. It is good that a man should
both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. And
it says in verse 31, as we considered last week, for the Lord will
not cast off forever. So although the Lord is pleased
to bring his people into these dark paths to teach them their
sin, to teach them that they are nothing, to teach them that
they are nothing except he does a work of grace. And although
that time in their pathway might seem to go on for weeks, for
months, for years indeed, It is done for a purpose. God does
it for a purpose. He brings these things about
in his church and in his people for a purpose to bring them to
an end and to show them that he is a merciful God that will
not consume his people, all those whom he has chosen in his Son.
At the end, having brought them to an end of self, he brings
them to that point where he points them to his Son. And in the midst
of this book we see this light which rises up in the central
part of it. It's like the sun, the sun of
righteousness which rises up And the light spreads right across
the book, right through to chapter one, right through to chapter
five. The beams of light which rise from this hope in the center,
which really points us to Christ, behind what seems like a dark
book, there is great light in it. And the effect of Christ
and his gospel is seen right through into chapter one. So
I want to bring us back to chapter one, and to a very prophetical
part of chapter one, which is very much prophetical of the
person of Christ and his suffering upon the tree. Although Jeremiah
writes this, and although he writes it in a personal sense,
taking the sins of the nation at that time to be as it were
his, and he speaks of his sorrow for those sins, really he speaks
in prophecy of Christ. And he writes in verse one in
chapter 12, which is where I want you to turn for the text. Verse
one, chapter 12, he writes, Is it nothing to you or ye that
pass by? Behold and see if there be any
sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me. Wherewith the
Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger. From
above have he sent fire into my bones and it prevaileth against
them. He hath spread a net for my feet, he hath turned me back,
he hath made me desolate and faint all the days. Yes, although
Jeremiah writes these words, this is really the words of Christ.
Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? Behold and see,
if there be any sorrow, I come to my sorrow, which is done unto
me. Here are words which Christ,
as it were, uttered when he was offered up on Calvary's tree,
when he was offered up as sacrifice for sin for his people. And at
this point where his sorrows were at their greatest, as it
were cries out cries out through time cries out from the beginning
of this earth to the end of this earth is it nothing to you or
ye that pass by. Here we have a pointer in this
book to that event in history which is above all events the
death of Christ upon the tree. There is no event in this world
in history which is more important to this world People look at
history and they look at different events, they look at different
kings and conquests and different times and seasons. But there
is nothing that has more effect on history. Right back to the
beginning of this world and right through to the end of this world
and this point right in the middle. As we saw in Lamentations there
is, in this book as it were, right in the middle this rising
up of light. And in the history of time in
a dark world, in the centre of time, there is this rising up
of light. As at that point 2,000 years
ago when the Son of God, the Son of Righteousness was offered
up upon a tree, the light had come into this world and the
greatest event for the people of this world took place. The
Son of God offered up his life, a sacrifice for sinners. There
is nothing which affects every man upon this earth more than
that point in history. And yet the world, the papers,
the media, ourselves, every one of us, by nature, we think very,
very little of it. The world, the papers report
many events, but how often do they write of that time when
Christ died upon a tree? That's something in ancient history,
something indeed which is consigned to the churches, consigned to
those who are religious, consigned to those who have a need to think
about these things. But the world thinks nothing
of it. The media, the world, they hear of it, they take it
in. Oh, a good man was offered up. He came to do good, but his
cause ended in nothing, and they passed by. This news comes to
most people. The gospel has been sent forth
into all this world. There are few tribes or kindreds
where the sound of these things has not reached. We live in a
nation which has been greatly blessed with the proclamation
of the gospel, which has had the Bible in the English tongue
for many years. Although we live in a dark day
where children are raised and often know little of the Bible,
nevertheless the name of Jesus is known. Most people know who
he was. Most people know that he was
offered up on the cross. Most people hear and the sound of
it comes into their ears. the sound of these words will
come to them is it nothing to you or ye that pass by they hear
it has little to do with them and they pass by yet the events
that golgotha on that day two thousand years ago have more
impact upon them have more importance for them should mean more and
more to them than anything else that they consider yet it's nothing
to them God sends his gospel and the
spirit cries and Christ cries upon that cross and the spirit
takes these words throughout time as I have said and they
cry out to all men wherever they may be. Is it nothing to you
or ye that pass by? Behold and see if there be any
sorrow like unto my sorrow. How often do you consider? How
often do you consider child of God? How often what happened
upon that day. It happened in those hours when
the sorrow of Christ was at its height. You pass by,
you come week by week, you go to the meeting places, you go
to places where something of the Word of God is proclaimed.
Perhaps you go to a place where the Gospel is faithfully proclaimed. You hear of Christ and his sacrifice,
you come in, you sit down, You listen to the preacher, preach
something of him. You stand up, you go back to
the week. You go back to your work. You go back to your home. You go back to your school. You
go back to the chores of the week. And what you've heard passes
by and other things become more important. And these words come again. Is
it nothing to you? Or you that pass by? Do you come,
do you hear? Have you heard the gospel many
times? It comes in your thoughts, you think about it a bit, but
does it penetrate the heart? Is it vital to you, or is it
nothing? You come, you hear, and you pass
by. Consider whose words these are. Jeremiah writes them here, but
he speaks as I have said, prophecy of the Saviour. Who cries out,
is it nothing to you or ye that pass by? Who cries out, behold
and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow? Just who is this? These are not
the words of a mere man. These are the words of the Son
of God. The very Son of God cries out to all Is it nothing to you? Will ye that pass by? The Son
of God, the one that dwelt with his Father from all eternity,
the one who is his only begotten Son, the one who dwelt in riches
beyond all splendour, was brought to such sorrow that
we cannot even enter into. This man, this man of sorrows,
This man who in this world, when he was born a babe and grew to
this age of a fully grown man, at which point he was taken up
and nailed to a cross, this man was a man of sorrows. From cradle
to grave he was a man of sorrows. He suffered. Born in David's
city in Bethlehem, David's greatest son, this king, this king of
kings, born in David's city, The king of kings came, and yet
there was no room at the inn for this king, this son. There
was no son greater than this son, yet there was no room at
the inn. No room, and there's no room
in this earth for this man. Mankind has no room for him.
He comes and they say, not here. He comes and they say, not in
our hearing. There's no room. He's nothing to them. He's nothing
to us by nature. We pass by and we wish him to
pass by. We don't wish to be troubled.
This is the one who cries, behold and see if there'll be any sorrow. Consider those that passed by
at that time. We may hear of these events today,
2000 years later. The message may come and we may
pass by. But there were those at the time
that passed by. We read of them in Matthew. In
the different Gospels we read of the accounts of those when
Christ was raised up. Matthew's Gospel chapter 27.
There were those that passed by in the light and Christ was
nailed upon a tree. And Pilate nailed him up, had
him nailed to a tree and had this Inscription written above
him, this is Jesus the king of the Jews. A true inscription. He was the
king of the Jews. He is the king of the Jews. The
king of his people. They nailed the king to a cross
and there were two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand
and another on the left. And there were those that passed
by, and they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads and
saying, thou that destroyest the temple and buildest it in
three days, save thyself. If thou be the son of God, come
down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests
mocking him with the scribes and elders said, he saved others. Himself he cannot save. If he
be the king of Israel, let him now come down from the cross
and we will believe him if he trusted in God let him deliver
him now if he will have him for he said I am the son of God the
thieves also which were crucified with him cast the same in his
teeth yeah there were those that passed
by in the light they'd seen this man they'd seen him throughout
his earthly life they'd heard him come into their nation into
their city, they'd heard what he taught. They were there, we
read the accounts but they were there, they saw this man, they
heard the words that some said of him, never man spake like
this man. They saw the multitudes gather
around him and how captivated they were by this great teacher.
They saw the great miracles and wonders and works which he performed
in their nation, they couldn't refute it. lame were made to
walk, the deaf were made to hear, the blind were made to see. They'd
seen these things happen, they'd heard the testimony of those
who were healed and yet they despised him. What
they saw was a man, what they saw was a man who with their
own ears they had heard claimed to be the son of God and their
own scriptures which they had read and looked into through
many years, testified to him and they could not see that it
was him. They had the scriptures telling them that a messiah would
come, that messiah would come to them to deliver the people
and here he was and he was nothing to them. He was nothing to them. They handed him over to the heathen
nation which had come in. Here they were in a time like
the time of lamentations The people of God were taken over,
the enemy had come in like a flood. They were ruled by the Romans,
Gentiles. And they were willing to hand
over their own Messiah to a Gentile nation and said we don't want
this man, away with him, crucify him. The ones who should have received
him. What did they see? Was it nothing to them? Did they
not know who they did this to? They saw him there. They saw
him lifted up. They saw him crucified. They
called for his crucifixion. They looked upon him and what
was it? They passed by and they reviled him. They wagged their
heads. They mocked him. They laughed
in his teeth. They scorned him. They were religious. They should
have known. They were blind to who it was in their midst. so
are we so are we we can hear someone can bring this book we
can study it inside out we can hear it opened up someone can
bring the new testament to say this who was prophesied this
is jesus this is jesus who was crucified this is the son of
god all the scriptures point to it it's proven this is the
son of god and we hear and the words enter our heads and we
go away and by our deeds and our actions they're nothing to
us. We might confess and say well yes he was but we get on
with our week and whatever our words utter our hearts are far
from him and wherever he's on our lips with our deeds we have
reviled him we go our way. It says this reaction to these
people in the light but what do they see in the light they
just see a man a great man perhaps a worker of miracles but a man
They see a man called Jesus, but he's just external. He has
no effect upon their hearts. They remain sinners. They observe
what can be seen with sight. There's no faith. They see nothing
right. They see nothing right. Unless
we have faith, everything's just external. There are many, many
in this day that speak of a Jesus. And they'll turn to these passages,
and they'll turn to the passages They'll come at certain times
of year and preach on this passage and they'll say that Jesus was
crucified but that Jesus is external. There's no effect upon their
hearts. And they pass by. But now from the sixth hour there
was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about
the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice saying, Eli, Eli,
Lama Sabbath Fani, that is to say, my God, my God, why hast
thou forsaken me? Yea, there were those that passed
by in the light and saw nothing. But from the sixth hour until
the ninth hour there was darkness. And what happened in that darkness
to the Son of God had a mighty effect upon this
world. It was more important to understand and to know what
could not be seen with a natural eye. Nobody could see what was
happening in the dark. They couldn't even see the outward
person. Everything was dark. But what happened in the dark
mattered. What happened in the dark mattered to them and it
matters to us. There were those that passed
by in the light and they saw nothing. There are those that
pass by today in the light with the sight, with the natural sight
and they see things with the sight but they see nothing. They
say much about Jesus, but they see nothing. They say much about
the gospel, but they see nothing. Is that our gospel? Is it in the letter? Is it outward? Do we see nothing? Is it nothing
to us? But during those hours of darkness, there was a mighty
transaction. What happened there is what we
must see. And there were those that stood
by, there were those that looked on. For though they could not
see, they heard the cries of this suffering saviour. This
man upon the tree, they heard his cries. And they saw the earthquake. At the end, when Jesus cried
out, when he cried again with a loud voice, he yielded up the
ghost. And behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain
from the top to the bottom. And the earth did quake and the
rocks rent. And the graves were opened and
many bodies of the saints which slept arose and came out of the
graves after his resurrection and went into the holy city and
appeared unto many. And now when the centurion and
they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake and
those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying,
Truly this was the Son of God. And many women were there beholding
afar off which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto
him. And these women saw. They saw. The centurion saw. He saw. His eyes were opened. He could
not see in the dark. But he saw what happened. He
heard the cries And God brought the cries of that son into his
ears. He heard as it were, is it nothing
to you all ye that pass by? Behold and see if there be any
sorrow like unto my sorrow. And that centurion looked and
he saw, and he saw that man that had said, I am the son of God.
And he saw the derision poured upon him by the Jews and those
that should have known. And he saw in the darkness and
he heard the cries. And he saw the sorrow. He saw
the physical sorrow. He saw the suffering unto death
of that one upon a tree. But he saw more than that. He
saw more than that. God opened his eyes. And he gave
him faith. And he opened his eyes of this,
this Gentile, this heathen. This one who the Jews would cast
out as a dog. This one who would probably order
the crucifixion and watched over his soldiers as they nailed the
nails into the hands of the one whom they would lift up. This
centurion saw. He saw the one whom they had
pierced. And he saw that here was one
a man like unto no man. And he saw in that darkness sorrow
like unto no man's sorrow. That centurion would have known
sorrow. We know sorrow. We all know sorrow. We're all
brought to sorrow in our life. We all know what it is like to
have trials. We all know what it is like to
suffer. We all know what it is like to lose loved ones. We all
know what it is like to have everything come crashing down
upon us. We all know what it is like to grieve. But behold
and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow. Oh what
are our sorrows like unto this sorrow. This centurion he'd of
known suffering. He lived in a hard day. Being
a soldier was a hard time to be a soldier. He knew sorrow. But he looked at this man, this
one whom he came to see and know was truly the son of God. And he saw sorrow like no sorrow. His eyes were opened to know
what had happened in the dark. Wherewith the Lord hath afflicted
that man upon the tree in the day of his fear's anguish. he
knew something of what was done in the dark. And the women that
looked on and the disciples knew something of what was done in
the dark. They saw what happened and they understood why. Whose
sorrow is likened to his sorrow? Truly whose sorrow is likened
to his sorrow? Oh the rejection, the being cast
out, the spite, the derision. Christ came unto his own and
his own received him not. He came unto those that should
have known who he was. Those who should have longed
for his coming. Those who should have loved him
and received him. Surely he should have expected a welcome from
the Jews, his people whom he had done so much for. Created
this earth. Created his people. Brought his
people out of bondage in Egypt. Gave them a priesthood. Gave
them the sacrifices. gave them every pointer unto
him. He said unto them, by the prophets of old I come. He said
unto them, by the prophets of old, behold there is a Redeemer
who will come, a Messiah. And at the appointed time he
came and should not have he expected a grand welcome. But they despised
him. He went up into Judah, he went
up into Galilee, he went up into Jerusalem. And they despised him. He had
to go into Galilee. He had to preach unto the nothings,
unto the base. He had to preach unto the lepers.
He went to those who were cast out. Those who were derided. Went to the Gentiles, Samaritans. Went to the woman at the well.
Went to sinners. And he spoke to them. He spoke
to those who knew sorrow. He spoke to those who were cast
out. He came as one who was cast out unto others who were cast
out. The rich, the righteous, the
strong had no room for him. They had no room in their inn.
They had no room in their tabernacles. They had no room in their temple.
They had no room in their meetings. They had no room. for this man,
for this man that said he was the son of God. Yeah, he was
cast out, he was rejected. From the cradle to the grave,
he knew sorrow. He looked upon the people of
God and the worshipping people of God and the temple and religion
of that day as Jeremiah looked upon in his day. And he could
say with Jeremiah, how doth the city sit solitary that was full
of people? How is she become as a widow?
Oh, Jeremiah's heart was moved. He weeped sore in the night for
his people. That people weeped sore, and
that people, her tears were on her cheeks, for she had no comfort. And Jeremiah looked upon this
people, and he saw what she had become. She saw how she had rebelled
and turned aside from Oh God, the ways of Zion do mourn because
none come to the solemn feasts. All the gates are desolate. Oh,
and Christ came unto such a people and he could weep that those
whom he had shown so much favour thought nothing of his ways,
thought nothing of the truth of God. They'd taken everything
and made it an outward form. And they saw nothing of the truth
in the spirit, in the heart that these things pointed to. And
he was rejected. Here is a man of size. But yet
greater sorrow awaited him as he set his face like a flint
to Jerusalem. As he walked with that burden
in front of him through his lifetime. He walked through a people that
mocked him and scorned him and derided him. A people that took
up stones to stone him. People laughed at him. He called
out disciples who so often doubted, so often grumbled. He showed
them such mercy. He showed them so many aspects
of the truth which were hid from others. Oh, those 12 who were
with him. Oh, to be with him in those days. To have been called and to walk
through his lifetime and yet, even they, How they doubted,
how they worried, how they looked to self. How concerned they were
about themselves when he told them that one of them would reject
him. One of those would betray him.
Were they sorry for their saviour? Did they mourn for the Lord that
one would do this to him? Or were they sorry for themselves?
Did they wonder and worry? Oh is it me Lord? Is it I Lord?
Their immediate thought was that they didn't want to be the one.
They looked at self. But they didn't look in sorrow
that any should do this to him. Yet one would. One who would
walk with him, one who would express such love for him would
betray him. And he knew this awaited him and he knew that
the hour was coming. The hour upon which all depended. The hour which is so vital to
the history of this world. the judgement of this world.
He set his face like a flint to Jerusalem. He did not flinch
from coming to do that which he came to do. Yes, his people rejected him.
When he was given up into, by the hands of the Jews, when he
was given up to the authorities, when he was given up to the hands
of the Romans, when they cried out, crucify him, crucify him. When they brought him before
a mock trial, brought accusations against him which could not be
proven, when they accused him of things which were only true
and said he was guilty of death because of saying what was only
true, when they found every which way to find a reason to judge
him, when this people rejected him,
those whom he might have looked to for comfort, those whom he
might have looked to to support him, The twelve, those whom he
had been with so long, could he have not had some comfort
from them? Yet in the garden of Gethsemane,
as he awaited this awful night, when he knew what cup was set
before him to drink, they couldn't even stay awake. Their earthly
frame brought such heaviness of sleep upon them. And whilst
he suffered and anguished in prayer, as he was left alone
with his father with this awful destiny in front of him they
slept and when he was offered up when he was handed over into
the authorities hands and they took him away where were his
disciples then? or even they rejected him at
the end oh they didn't want to they didn't want to And they
wouldn't be left in such a state, but when he needed them, they
weren't there. What sorrow is likened to his
sorrow? What sorrow is likened to that
sorrow where he suffered upon the tree? When at the end, even his father forsook him. Even his father
turned his back and took his hand and beat him. His people had turned against
him. The disciples had turned against him. They'd all turned
aside. There was none to comfort. Surely
his father, surely he would bear him through. But at that point, to do what he
had come to do, to save those whom he came to save, bring a
people who were in darkness into everlasting life, to take the
sins of his people away. The only way it could be done
was for the father to bruise his own son. And this man of
sorrows, such sorrow, would have this final sorrow, that not only
would he be judged, not only would he drink a cup of wrath
against sin, he would take it at the hands of his father and
the him him who might have been some comfort to his suffering
son beat him and forsook him and as we've read if there be any sorrow like unto
my sorrow which is done unto me How was it done? Wherewith the Lord hath afflicted
me in the day of his fierce anger. His fierce anger. Eli, Eli, lama
sabbath fani. His son cried, why hast thou
forsaken me? Was it nothing to the son? Is
it nothing to you or you that passed by? Do you think it was
nothing to the son? Was it nothing to the son? What
of the father? What of this father that took
his son? This son whom he loved? This son whom he had loved from
all eternity? This precious son, this only
begotten son, this son who was faithful son? This son that never
did no wrong. This son that never turned to
his father in anger or frustration. This son that never grumbled
or complained as our sons do. We have children and we love
them. We love them with a love which cannot be described unless
you know what it is like to have the love of a father to a son
or a son to a father and our sons love us. But we love those
who grumble against us. We love those who complain. We
love those who don't do as they're told. Yeah, here was a son who
was faithful in all things. Here's my son in whom I am well
pleased. He, him. The father was well
pleased in his son. Pleased in his son. such a union
between the father and the son. The son dwelt in the father and
the father dwelt in him all through his lifetime. He lived in this
world of sorrow because he walked as a man of faith communing with
his father. He walked in perfect union with
his father. Every day he prayed with this
inner life of prayer. Every day he walked though the
world around him swarmed and shook their fists and cast insults
and anger in his teeth. How did he survive this? Because
he walked as a son with his father. And he walked in the spirit,
walking with his father and he was one with his father. And
there was such love and such a binding between the father
and the son. And yet at that hour when the
earth was made dark, when it was made dark, his father, the
very one in whom his son was wrapped up in love and union,
his father turned his back. and his father took up a sword
and his father lifted up his son and put him upon an altar
and took up a sword and lifted it up and like Abraham when he
was commanded to take his promised son his promised son in whom
the seed was the seed in whom all the promises pertained this
son of his love Abraham was promised was instructed to take his son
and to offer him up and he went as he was instructed and he made
an altar and he laid his son upon that altar and he took that
knife and he was ready to offer him up knowing that he who had
promised could raise him from the dead. Well here the father
took his son and he took him up to a mount as Abraham took
Isaac up to the mount and he laid him upon an altar And he held him up for the gaze
of the world in the light. And he held him up for the testimony
of time and for history. That here is my son, here is
my only begotten. Here he is, the son of God, the
king of the Jews. Look at him, see him. Is it nothing
to you all ye that pass by? And having lifted him up for
three hours in the light, the father did unto the son what
he must do. And he darkened the earth, for he made that sun to
be set. And he laid upon him the sins
of all his people. And the light went out, because the light in
the Son of God went out. Because he was made dark, that
we might be made light. And being made dark and being
made sin, and bearing those sins in his own body on the tree,
being made in God's sight despicable, vile, the chief of sinners, bearing
those sins of a countless number, or the election of grace. He
took all their sins from womb to grave, the multitude of sins
which each and every person whom he chose in Christ had committed.
If you're his, your sins that you've ever done, never will
done, sins you know about, sins you don't know about, sins you've
committed, sins you've omitted, He took those sins, and he laid
them upon the Son. And it was darkness. And the Father took his own Son,
and he took a sword of justice, and he lifted it up, and he plunged
it with the vengeance of divine justice, in fierce anger, and
he spared not his own Son, but offered him up as sacrifice for
sin. This one whom he loved, He bruised,
he forsook, and yet he loved. Gave him up to die, and yet he
loved. Was it nothing to the father?
Is it nothing to you? Is it nothing to the son? Is it nothing to the father? Hold and see if there be any
sorrow like unto his sorrow. Oh, why such a death? Why such
a one? He didn't deserve it. Why did God do that to his own
son? Why didn't he just cast us off the day that Adam turned? Why didn't he just cast us off?
Why hasn't he struck us down yesterday? Why didn't he strike
us down this morning when we woke up and we sinned like we
sinned every day? Why won't he strike us down this
afternoon or tomorrow when we fall into sin again? Why won't
he strike us down this week when we soon forget the message we
hear and it becomes nothing to us and we become consumed with
our own sorrows and our own trials and we forget the one whose sorrows
eclipsed all sorrows? Why doesn't he strike us down?
Why did he strike his own son? there was no other way. This
God of love, this God of light, in whom there is no darkness
at all, might save a people. This God, this just God, purpose
to save When he made this world, he did not make it and see it
fall into ruin and cast it to one side. He made it knowing
what would happen because he made it for a purpose. And when
he made this world in six days and put man upon the earth, it
wasn't Adam that he was making. It wasn't Adam that was in his
thoughts, it was the second Adam, the last Adam, the second man.
When he made this world, he made it for Christ. He made it looking
unto that new world and that new heavens and that new earth
which he would bring in. His thoughts were not for this earth,
his thoughts were for the earth to come. And his thoughts were
for his son and that people he chose in his son whom he would
save. And his thoughts looked beyond
time and sense. It looked through all the rebellion
and the darkness in this world, in its religion, in mankind. He looked past the darkness which
we read in Lamentations in all these chapters. He looked at
that light which rose up in it. he looked at the son of God and
he looked and he said in him will I save a people in him will
I bring a vast company unto eternal life in him I am well pleased
and because of that people who were in him before ever he laid
the first foundation stones of this world before ever he cried
out let there be light in the darkness before ever he divided
the light from the darkness before ever he put the sun and the moon
and the stars in the heavens before ever he created the earth
and brought and divided the seas from the land and brought forth
living things upon this earth and brought forth man male and
female upon this earth before ever he looked upon that creation
as it was and said it is good before ever he looked upon that
creation and looked upon the man and the woman as they were
deceived as they shook their fist against him and as sin entered
before ever these things happened and before ever that creation
fell into ruin and sin multiplied upon the face of the earth before
ever he rose up in anger against the wickedness in the days of
Noah and sent a flood upon the earth to destroy mankind from
off the earth and brought eight people through before ever these
things he looked through time and he looked to that time when
he would send his son because he looked to that people in that
sun And he looked in mercy upon such a people, such a multitude,
such a seed in the Savior. And he loved that people. And
he loved those ones whom he would save. And he purposed to save
this people. And so he sent his son. He sent
that man of sorrows. He sent them to this world. And
he was willing that that son should suffer. He was willing
that he should be cast out. He was willing that he should
be offered up into the hands of the Romans. taken to calvary's
cross and knelt upon the tree he was willing that the people
should laugh at him in delight and he was willing that for the
sake of his peoples he should take their sin he should make
that perfect man that perfect son of god that perfect man he
should make him to be sin for them that they should be made
the righteousness of god in him and he wished to bring a people
out of darkness into light, and he wished to magnify his grace
in saving the people, not because of what they had done, not because
of what they had willed, not because of what they were, but
because of what he would make them to be in his Son for all
eternity. Yea, though the creation had
turned its back upon its maker, though Adam had turned aside,
though all in Adam should die, Yet all in Jesus Christ should
live. All in his son should live. And
the only way that they should live would be for justice to
be upheld. For God would be just and the
justifier of the ungodly. Why did Christ come? Why did
he die? Because the only way that God
could save that people would be if he offered up his son.
The perfect man, the just man, or the unjust? Why him? Oh, why him? Why the perfect, righteous son
of God? Why him? Why the innocent? Oh, why him? Or who else? Who else could? Who else could? Who else could come and die in
the place of sinners? A man couldn't. An ordinary man
couldn't. All men have sinned. All men
have sinned. There is none righteous, no,
not one. There is none that understandeth. There is none that seeketh after
God. God gave a priesthood to the children of Israel and their
priests performed many acts which God had commanded to show this
people that they were sinners. to show their people that atonement
must be made for their sins. And the priest would go in and
they would offer up blood for the people. But the priest was
a sinner. The book of Hebrews teaches us
they could come week by week and truly they would never make
atonement for sin, it was just a figure. And they offered up
atonement for the people but they were sinners themselves.
Well who else then? Who could offer up atonement? only one
who was perfect, only one who was righteous, only one who was
equal to the task. How could God be just and justify
sinners? He couldn't turn a blind eye
to their sins. If there was any sin left in them, he would have
to cast them into outer darkness. Then how could they be justified? How could he redeem them? How could he lose them from the
power of sins? How could he purchase them? How
could he ransom them? How could he? Except there'd
be an offering that was suitable. And the only offering that was
suitable was his own son. For his son was the son of God.
And his son was without sin. And his son was able to take
upon him human nature. A divine person could be made
a man, could take upon him human flesh, and could walk as a man,
able to suffer in the place of man. But a man who had no sin. A man who could be made sin and
bear sins and yet have no sin of his own so that he could take
away the sins of others and yet have no sin of his own to take
away. So that having borne them away there would be no sin left
in him for he was righteous. A man who could justify through
righteousness. For to justify a people God must
be righteous. He can't show mercy without upholding
his law. God is a just God. He sent a
law which must be upheld and that law must be answered and
the only way it could be answered would be for the sins of that
people to be justly punished in a substitute. Why was this
son offered up? Because he was offered up because
he and his father and the spirit loved that people and God gave
to that son. And God would not destroy that
Though they deserve it, though we deserve it, he would not destroy
them, but he would save them, and he would save them for eternity.
And he saved them by the offering up of that man of sorrows, that
one who cries out, who cried out then, who cries out through
time by the Spirit, who cries out by his gospel. Is it nothing
to you, O ye that pass by? Is it nothing to you? Do you
just pass by? Or will you this day? Have you?
Will you? Will God be pleased to bring
you to that point to stop and to pause and to sit down and
to wonder and to come to the foot of that cross to look to
consider to adore that man that man of sorrows which was lifted
up who could cry out, is there any sorrow like unto my sorrow
which is done unto me wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in
the day of his fierce anger. We'll see nothing and we'll hear
nothing except God the Spirit come and except he take these
words and except he bring them into our hearing Oh, it was more
than nothing, my friends, to the son when he was offered up.
It was more than nothing to the father when he took the sword
of justice to his own son and beat him and slew him and thrust
that sword through his own son's heart for his people. And I tell
you, it is more than nothing to the spirit of God. It is more
than nothing to the spirit in this day and age when he sends
forth the gospel he goes as God's messenger and he goes to the
furthest corner of this earth and he goes to where his sheep
may be found and he seeks out one who is lost when he leaves
that flock of 99 and he goes to the furthest corner and he
comes into the darkest of dark places and he comes into a small
gathering and he comes into a place in all its where'er it may be,
here, wherever. And he comes into a dark corner,
where a few poor people gather. It's more than nothing when he
comes, and he comes with the Gospel. For he must come with
that Gospel, and he must come with that Gospel. And when he
comes with that message, which is more than nothing, which is
everything to him, and everything to the Son, and everything to
the Father, and he causes a people to hear, he causes the people
to see and he causes the people to bow down and he comes with
that message with which he is sent for he is sent not to testify
of himself but to testify of that son that one of whom he
has come to bring a message of comfort to a people who are in
darkness and who need comfort. People who are brought to an
end of themselves and who cry out for comfort. You know they're
vile. You cry to the Lord and say,
I'm vile. And yet the Lord brings them
by the spirit. And he comes this day in the gospel, and by the
spirit he will say, behold, and see if there be any sorrow like
unto my sorrow. And he points to that one who
cries out for all time. whom i would my friends point
you to this day oh may the spirit give us eyes and ears to hear
him cry is it nothing to you or ye that pass by lord bless his word amen