I don't believe the David who
wrote that psalm ever sung it any better. Thank you, David. Jesus, oh, how sweet the name. Jesus, every day the same. Jesus, let all saints proclaim
its worthy praise forever. Jesus. Oh, how sweet the name. That's my subject this morning.
My text is Matthew chapter one and verse 21. Here the angel
of the Lord is speaking to Joseph concerning the incarnation, the
person and the work of the son of God. Matthew one and verse
21. And she shall bring forth the
son, and thou shalt call his name, Jesus. For he shall save
his people from their sins. Everywhere on earth, men and
women know the name, Jesus. People everywhere speak that
name for one reason or another. Multitudes swear by that name.
You hardly go out in public anywhere but you hear somebody take an
oath in Jesus' name. Many people sing that name, sing
about that name, and practice religion in that name, and folks
cuss in that name. Everybody knows the name Jesus. But very few people in this world,
I fear, know who Jesus is, why he came into this world, what
he did while he was here, where he is now and what he's doing. What a pity. How many unsuspecting
souls this day will breathe their last breath
and go out into eternity with the name of Jesus on their limbs. without any faith in Him because
they have no knowledge of Him. I want you to know Jesus Christ
the Lord. Oh, I want you to know Him, to
trust Him. May God the Holy Spirit come
upon us now Cause the glory of God in the face of Christ to
shine forth in our hearts. In the pages of Holy scripture,
make him know, Oh, spirit of God, make him known to chosen
centers. This hour, my mind is lost in
wonder and admiration. When I think about the fact of
our Lord's coming into this world, I hope you are astonished as
well and never get over the astonishment of this fact. The Son of God
condescended to become the Son of Man. He who created all things
became the woman seed. He who is Lord over all and Lord
of all took upon himself the form of a servant. and was made
in the likeness of sinful men that he might be despised and
rejected, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He came
here in our nature that in the fullness of time he might die
the painful, shameful, ignominious death of the cross upon the cursed
tree and be made sin for us in order that he might be punished
for our sins. God Almighty, in due time, sent
forth his son, made of a woman, made under the law, that he might
redeem us from the curse of the law. No wonder the Holy Spirit
inspired the Apostle Paul to write, great is the mystery of
godliness. God was manifest in the flesh. Great is the mystery of godliness. God unveiled himself in the flesh. God revealed himself in the flesh. God manifest and made himself
known in the flesh. The word was made flesh and dwelt
among us. Behold, the prophet said, a virgin
shall. And I say to you, behold this
mystery. Behold this wonder. A virgin
has conceived and brought forth a son. His name is called Emmanuel. God with us. God in our nature. God Almighty came down here. The holy, infinite, incomprehensible
God of glory came down here in human flesh. Is that not astonishing
to you? God stepped into humanity. God came into time. God became
one of us. Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable
gift. And yet my mind, indeed my very
heart, cries out, why? If God came into this world,
If God became a man, if God assumed our nature, if God himself steps
into time, there's got to be some specific reason, some mighty,
great, noble reason. Our text gives us the answer.
And it gives it to us in unmistakable terms, with utter simplicity
in one and two syllable words, words that no one can mistake,
except they be diluted by that which is false. Thou shalt call
his name, Jesus. Now here's the reason. He shall save his people from
their sins. The incarnate God is called Jesus
because he saves his people. And saving his people, he saves
them from their sins. He absolutely saves his people
and he absolutely saves his people from their sins. Skip, this is
what that means. There's somebody in this world
who belongs to him. He came down here to save them.
And when He saves them, He saves them from their sins. How far can you carry that? Just
as far as your mind can carry it and you haven't got close
yet. He saves all His people. He saves them from all their
sins in all aspects of those statements. Everybody who's his
shall be saved by him and shall be saved completely from their
sins. The purpose of our Savior's incarnation,
the mission on which he came into this world, the work he
came here to perform as Jehovah's righteous servant is saving his
people. He didn't come here to make salvation
possible. He didn't come here to make his
people savable. He didn't come here to make it
possible for somebody to be saved from their sins. He came down
here to save his people from their sins. And this is the teaching
of all the scripture. Not just here in Matthew 121.
It is the teaching of the whole Word of God. Turn back to John
chapter 6. Turn over to John chapter 6,
verse 37. This is the will of the Father
our Savior came here to perform. We read it earlier in Hebrews
chapter 10. I come to do thy will, oh my
God. The son of God from old eternity
said, I come to do thy will. Oh my God. We read it in Psalm
40. The apostle Paul writing by inspiration quotes that 40th
Psalm and says that as he was coming into this world, as he
broke his mother's womb, that infant child breaking his mother's
womb is God the son who lifts his hand to heaven and says,
lo, I come to do thy will. Oh my God. Now I'm interested
in knowing what that will is. Here in John chapter 6 we're
told, look at verse 37. All that the Father giveth me,
all whom the Father gives to the Son in time, shall come to
me. And him that cometh to me, I
will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven,
not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all
which he hath given me." Now he changes tenses. These whom
the Father gives to him in time are those whom the Father hath
given to him, all of them at one time in old eternity. He gives us to the Son when He
gives us life and faith in Him. When He brings us by omnipotent
mercy to faith in the Son of God, He gives us to the Son of
God one by one. But the Father gave all who shall
be given to Him. He gave them to Him in old eternity
at one time. All which He hath given me, I
should lose nothing. It's the will of God, Darwin.
that the son of God lose none that the father gave him, but
raise him up or raise it up again at the last day. And this is
the will of him that sent me. That everyone would see if the
son and believe it on him may have everlasting life. And I
will raise him up at the last day. God almighty in his eternal
decree. Made it possible for sinners
to be saved. Made it certain that some sinners
would be saved. Giving them to his son. And here
we're told that any sinner who comes to his son shall be saved
and raised up again at the last day. Turn to Isaiah chapter 49. Isaiah the 49th chapter. We're saved. This is the covenant
our Savior came to fulfill. God's will is revealed to us
in numerous ways in the scriptures. His will to save His people.
It is spoken of as His will. His good pleasure. His determination. His predestination. It is spoken
of as His testament. It's spoken of as His covenant.
And why is it spoken of in all these ways? Because the Lord
God would have us to understand He has a purpose toward His people. Isaiah 49 verse 8. Here's Isaiah's
prophecy concerning our Lord Jesus Christ. Thus saith the
Lord, in an acceptable time have I heard thee, in the day of salvation
have I helped thee, and I will preserve thee and give thee,
watch this, for a covenant of the people. I'll give you for
a covenant, not just in a covenant, not just by a covenant. Christ
is the sum and the essence of the covenant to establish the
earth and to cause to inherit the desolate places. Turn to
John chapter 10. John chapter 10. Hold your hands
here in Isaiah. We'll come right back. John chapter 10. Verse
15. He shall save his people from
their sins. This is God's will. This is God's
covenant. And this is the commandment the
father gives to the savior. John 10 verse 15. As the father
knoweth me, even so know I the father, and I lay down my life
for the sheep. And other sheep I have. They're
already mine. Other sheep I have. Them also
I must break. And they shall hear my voice.
And there shall be one fold and one shepherd. Verse 17. Therefore doth my father love
me. Do you mean, Lord? that the father
didn't love you beforehand? Of course not. The father loved
the son as the son from eternity and loved the son by virtue of
his union with him, one with him. But here our Savior is speaking
of His obedience as Jehovah's servant, as our shepherd, as
the Savior of our souls. And He who pledged Himself to
redeem and save His people now declares that He has earned His
Father's love by His obedience. Therefore doth my Father love
me because I laid down my life that I might take it again. No
man taketh it from me. But I lay it down in myself.
I have the power to lay it down and I have the power to take
it again. Now watch this. This commandment have I received
of my father. The father commands the son. Oh yes. When the son becomes
the father's servant. and the son is Jehovah's servant. Do you remember the law concerning
the bond slave in Exodus chapter 21, I believe it is? The bond
slave, the man who was brought into slavery by whatever circumstance,
and he had lost all rights and property and power. He was brought
into slavery, and if he was a son of Israel, he could only be held
in slavery for six years. On the seventh year, he must
be set free. But if he chose to abide with
his master, because his master had given him a wife and he had
children, and he chose not to forsake his wife and children,
then he would come publicly before the elders of Israel and have
his ear bored through with an awl. His ear would be pierced,
not so that he could put a silly looking effeminate earring in
it, but pierced a hole gouged in his ear so everybody would
know He is a bond slave to somebody The Lord Jesus is that bond slave
He said thou hast opened mine ear And I didn't turn away my
back He's Jehovah's voluntary bond slave because He loves his
master And he loves his wife. And he loves his children. And
he chooses, Rod, not to go out free. He chooses never to be
set free from his duty and his commandment and his delight which
is the saving of his people. Let's see that back here in Isaiah
chapter 42. Isaiah 42. The father doesn't command the
son in his character as the son but he does command him in his
character as Jehovah's voluntary servant Isaiah 42 verse 1 the
Lord God says behold my servant whom I uphold mine elect in whom
my soul delighted I have put my spirit upon him and he shall
bring forth judgment justice righteousness to the Gentiles
he shall not cry nor lift up nor calls his voice to be heard
in the streets. You're not going to see him begging
for anything. You're not going to hear him crying to be relieved.
You're not going to see any indication that he's walking contrary to
that which he desires. You're not going to see any indication
that he's frustrated, that he's helpless, or that he needs somebody's
help. He'll not cry nor lift up his voice in the streets.
matter of fact when he's going to the cross carrying his cross
on his lacerated back and he saw women weeping for him he
said he said weep not for me weep for yourselves you'll not
cry verse three a bruised reed shall he not break and the smoking
flax shall he not quench he shall bring forth judgment to truth
By mercy and by truth, iniquity is purged. Now watch this next
word. He shall not fail. Oh, glorious redeemer. He shall not fail. Now back here in our text. Thou
shalt call his name Jesus. For he shall save His people
from their sins. Here are three things the angel
said to Joseph. Three things about this man who
is God, this God who is man, this one who came into this world
at Bethlehem more than 2,000 years ago. First, this word Jesus
speaks of his person. Who is this one called Jesus?
That may appear to be a strange question to some, especially
to you who've heard about him all your lives. But the fact
is, as I said earlier, few people know him. Few people know who
he is. Few people have any idea who
he is because they have been deluded with an imitation, with
a fake Turn to Matthew 23 and hear our Lord's warning. Matthew
24, rather, verse 23. I'll wait for you to get there. Verse 23, Matthew 24. Then if any man shall say to
you, lo, here is Christ, or there, believe it not. Now, let me be as candid as I
can be. Sometimes we are duped into thinking prophecies mean
anything but what they mean. There have been numerous men
throughout history who came and convinced some fools that they
were the Christ. Now, I'm sorry, but if you know
somebody who thought David Koresh was Christ, You knew a fella
who needed to be locked away in a loony bin. If you know somebody who thinks
that sung young moon is Christ, you know somebody who needs to
put in a nut house. The only reason anybody would
follow someone like that and imagine they're the Christ is
because they're trying to escape from something awful bad. There's
not any indication that such creatures, such self-appointed
saviors are those of whom our Savior speaks in this passage.
No, he's talking about something that's slick, something that's
a strong delusion. He says, if any man say to you,
lo, here is Christ or there, believe it not. For there shall
arise false Christ. False prophets now watch this
and shall show great signs and wonders Read 2nd Thessalonians
chapter 2 and you'll discover something this generation has
ignored. I'm talking about this religious
generation The days of our Lord and his apostles were marked
by signs and wonders in heaven given to specific men, identifying
them as the messengers of the Christ. Since the days of the
apostles, those apostolic gifts all ceased. They were specifically
for the apostles. And when the last apostle died,
the gifts died with him. No one could communicate those
gifts except apostles. You remember when Philip was
down in Samaria and God poured out his spirit, multitudes were
converted. Philip had to wait for the apostles to come down
to lay hands on them, that they might receive the gifts of the
apostles. Philip had those gifts, but he wasn't an apostle. He
couldn't confer those gifts on anybody. The gifts died with
the apostles. But Brother Don, there are lots
of folks who have these gifts now, speak in tongues and slap
folks on the head and say healed and folks are healed and they
have all kinds of signs and wonders. They'll get folks to send them
a hundred dollars and they'll send them a prayer cloth and lay it on
a sore ear and so it'll get better. No, no, nobody has those gifts
except by satanic power. And those signs and gifts today,
I don't care who the man is or what he preaches. Those signs
and gifts today are a definite declaration that this man is
Antichrist. Read the book, read the book.
Are you saying, Brother Don, that all the Pentecostals and
Charismatics and folks who believe in that nonsense today are Antichrist? No, no, no. I'm not saying that. God said that. Read the book
of God. Read the book of God. Well, folks
won't like that. I don't like what they're doing.
So great is the delusion of Antichrist that if it were possible, they
would deceive the very elect. Take warning. Who is this Jesus
who was born of the Virgin Mary? Who is the Christ of the Bible?
There are so many who set me forth by so many different creeds
and different churches and different religions. Some years ago, a
fellow wrote a book, Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up. I
got the book because the title interested me. It was less appealing
than the title. But open this book and he'll
stand up for you. Read this book and he'll stand
out clearly. I know this. You and I must know
and worship and trust the Jesus of whom the angel spoke to Joseph. That one who was born at Bethlehem
2,000 years ago, we must know, worship, and trust him, or we're
going to hell. This is what our Lord said. This
is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God
and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. If I trust a false Christ,
no matter how sincere I am, no matter how devoted I may be,
I am lost and under the wrath of God. Years ago, I was preaching in a meeting down
at Crossville, Tennessee, and several fellows came over who
seemed to have some interest in things. They kept wanting
to press this issue, trying to tell me you're being too hard
on these free willers, you're being too hard on these Armenians,
these folks who claim that Christ tries to save but can't, wants
to save but can't, because man by his will won't let him. He
died to save some and they go to hell anyway because his blood's
not sufficient without their permission. And I declared to
them that such a Christ is a false Christ. And they kept saying,
oh no, I know godly people. They're so godly. Godly is not
a show, Godly is truth. Godly is not something men see,
Godly is something God does. And I use the illustration, it
happened to be a mallard sitting on the table right in front of
me, one of the wooden mallards. And I picked it up and I said,
now, if I can convince you, if I can convince you that that
duck, I truly believe it is Jesus Christ. And I sacrifice my life
to promote the name of that duck. And I pray to that duck three
times a day. And I give everything I've got
to promote the honor of that duck. And my faith in that duck
causes me to quit smoking, chewing, cussing, and run with folks who
do. When I get done, do you know what that duck is? It's still
a dead, useless, wooden duck. and all my sincerity and all
my religion and all my religiosity doesn't change the fact that
Duck is not the Son of God. This book does describe Christ
to us and describes him to us in such a way that he stands
up clearly and distinctly. Who is this one we must know
and trust? He is God the Eternal Son. Now I know everybody in the religious
world, in what's called Christianity, believes that Jesus is God. Let's
see if they do. Let's see. Let's see if your
mama and daddy believes that Jesus is God. Let's see if your
sons and daughters believe that Jesus is God. Let's see if you
believe that Jesus is God. God is omnipotent. Is that too presumptuous? Is God in any way limited, constrained
or controlled? Is God in any way helpless, defeated
or thwarted? Is God in any way a failure? Jesus Christ is God Almighty. To suggest, to imply or to preach
that he tries to save somebody who is not saved is to deny his
deity. It is to deny that he is God. That's what I'm talking about.
I'm not just, I'm not interested in defending doctrine. Folks
want to get folks to be Calvinist. I don't care whether you're Calvinist
or Armenian or Buddhist. It doesn't matter. All of them
go to hell. I want you to know Jesus Christ, the eternal God. the eternal God. Jesus Christ
is the Word and the Word was God. Jesus Christ is He in whom
God is embodied in all His being and those who speak otherwise
speak blasphemy. None but God could satisfy the
wrath and justice of God for us and make atonement for our
sins. Jesus Christ is that one of whom
the prophet spoke like this Unto us a child is born Unto us a
son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder and
upon and his name shall be called wonderful counselor the mighty
God He on whom I rest my soul is himself the mighty God my
Redeemer and my Savior. This One who is the eternal Son
of God is the everlasting substitute of His people. Now the key to
understanding this book is substitution. Substitution. That's a big word for these children
to grasp. You have a substitute teacher
at school once in a while? Not too big to get hold of then,
is it? I was mistaken. Substitute teacher. Does that
mean the real teacher's not there? That's what it means, isn't it?
When you had a substitute, the other teacher's not there, is
she? There you go. There you go. That's not too
complicated, is it? Jesus Christ the substitute stands
in my stead. He stands in the stead of his
people always. He stood in our room and in our
stead before the world was in the council chambers of eternity
as the land slain from the foundation of the world. In him we were
chosen. In him we were blessed. In him
we were accepted from eternity. He came into this world as our
substitute. And while he walked on this earth,
For 33 years, in the full age of a man, he lived here in our
stand. And we lived in him. He said,
Lo, I come to do thy will, O my God. And Don Fortner lifted his
hand to heaven and said, Lo, I come to do thy will, O my God. And for 33 years, he did the
Father's will perfectly. without sin, establishing an
everlasting righteousness, which He brought in for us. And for
thirty-three and a half years, I walked on this earth, the full
age of a man, in complete union with the Son of God, in perfect
righteousness. In perfect righteousness. You
mean, Brother Don, You perfectly obey God? Absolutely have. Absolutely have in a representative
man in my substitute. And when he went up to Mount
Calvary, he bare our sin in his own body
on the tree. And this is what the book says. He died for us. He laid down His life for us. He sacrificed Himself for us. Well, that means, Brother John,
that He did that so that He could have us. Yes, it does. And it
means He did that in the place of us. And this is the explanation
the Spirit of God gives by the Apostle Paul. was crucified with Him. I lived in Him. I obeyed God
in Him. And I died in Him. And he that
is dead is freed from sin. He was made sin for us that we
might be made the righteousness of God in Him. Christ died for
us in our room, in our place and in our stand. And when he
died, Burl Hart, you died dead to the law, freed from sin,
fully satisfied the justice of God. so that with one tremendous
draft of love he drank damnation dry. He took the sword of justice
and shoved it into his own holy being until he swallowed up the
sword and divine holiness says fury is not in me. Fury is gone because Christ died
and you hath he quickened. who were dead in trespasses at
Dead Sands. What does that mean? He raised
us up. What does the book say? Together
with Him. Now, wait a minute. Wait a minute.
Now, Paul's talking about the new birth, regeneration. God,
the Holy Spirit, come and give His sinner's life in Him. Oh
yeah, oh yeah, he's talking about that. But the new birth that
we experience in time is the fruit and the result of a resurrection
back at Calvary. When Christ rose from the dead,
we rose in Him. When He took His seat at the
right hand of the Father, we took our seat in Him. And there
He abides still as our substitute. continually making intercession
for us according to the will of God. My little children, John
said, these things write I unto you, that you sin not. Don't
sin. Don't sin. And if any man sin, nothing changes. Nothing changes. You can hold
that bomb. Nothing changes. That can't take
place in any other relationship in the universe, except this
relationship of grace. I offend you. Something happens
to our relationship. It may or may not be mended.
You offend me. Something happens to our relationship,
it may or may not be amended. We're so magnanimous, so full,
so free, so complete is our acceptance with God in Christ. If any man
said nothing changes. Oh, blessed is the man unto whom
the Lord will not impute sin. Nothing changes because we have
an advocate with the Father. Jesus Christ the righteous and
He is the propitiation of our sins. Who is this Jesus? He is the effectual Savior of
poor needy sinners. One of these days We're going
to meet God in judgment. There'll be a resurrection of
the just and of the unjust. And Jesus Christ will be my substitute
then. He'll still stand in our stand.
I love that story Roland Hill told of a dream he had. I've
told it to you many times. He said, I dreamt that the end
had come. God had made all things new.
And there was a resurrection of the dead, the just and the
unjust. And I saw in my dream a great
white throne. And all the nations of the world
were gathered before that throne. And I heard one called after
another and sentences passed. Depart from me, you cursed. I
never knew you. And commandment is given to the
angel standing by, take him, bind him hand and foot and test
him into outer darkness. Get him away from me. And as
I heard names called one after the other in judgment passed
against one after another, one after another being cast out
into hell, I trembled with fear and suddenly I heard a voice
like the sound of thunder of great waters ringing through
the heavens. Roll and heal. And I crouched
in fear. And again, roll and heal. And
I trembled as I crouched before the throne of judgment. And a
third time, roll and heal. And as I was about to rise, Trembling
before the great judge, there was another who stood, a great
one in my stand, and said, Roland Hill is here. And he stretched
forth his hand. And I heard the judge say, come
ye blessed, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation
of the world. Christ Jesus is our substitute. Everything hinges on Him. Everything hangs on Him. Oh God help you now to hang your
helpless soul.