If you've closed your Bibles,
would you open them again to Judges chapter 13? We're looking
this morning at verses 19 and 20. That's our text. But as I often do, we're going
to look at other verses as an introduction to that text. When
you've found our text, Judges chapter 13, verses 19 and 20,
keep your finger there. and turn please to Ephesians
1 verses 15 to 18. It's an amazing thing to me that so
many people have such a lack of true spiritual knowledge and
understanding of the glorious person of our Lord Jesus Christ. People seem to have such widely
differing views about the Bible doctrine of Christ. the doctrines
of Christ in the Bible. Their views are so widely, they
differ so much that I can't see how they could possibly have
all been taught by the same Holy Spirit. But there's only one. So it's interesting to me that
as Paul was writing to the church at Ephesus, after praising God
the Father for having chosen the church in Christ and accepting
the church in Christ from the foundation of the world that
the Holy Ghost then directs the Apostle to pray for the spirit
of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ. He prays
that the spirit of revelation and the knowledge of Christ would
be given to the church. Paul says in Ephesians 1 verses
15 to 18 that After I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus
and love unto all the saints, I'm going to add the word I,
cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in
my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father
of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation
in the knowledge of Him, in the knowledge of Christ. The eyes
of your understanding being enlightened, that you may know what is the
hope of his calling and what the riches of his glory of his
inheritance in the saints." They know of Christ. They profess
Christ. But Paul prayed that the Father
might give them the wisdom and the revelation in the knowledge
of Christ. Paul is writing to the church
at Ephesus. He's writing as though he considers them all to be born-again
believers who had a genuine God-given faith of Christ and yet he prayed
for them that they might be given the spirit of wisdom to know
Christ and the spirit of revelation to enjoy Christ. So that in the
knowledge of Christ they might live in Christ and for Christ,
walking with Christ so that they might know what was the hope
of his calling. failing to understand the person
of Christ can only result in misunderstanding, misunderstanding
of the complete and finished work of the salvation of Christ.
The Church of Christ, even some of those who it might have been
hoped would have understood better, is still very likely to confuse
regeneration, or the new birth, with the conversion of a sinner's
heart to Christ. Not understanding the person
of Christ, they might not understand that these two are very distinct
things. The new birth and knowledge of
Christ are two very different things. No man, until he has
been regenerated or until he has been born again by the power
of God, is able to discern things spiritually. Did you hear what
I said? You must be born again. In John 3, verse 3, Jesus said,
except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
But when by this sovereign act of God he is born again and made
alive to know the things that are freely given to us of God,
as it says in 1 Corinthians 2.12, then he is ready for divine instruction
in all things that pertain unto life and goodness, as it says
in 2 Peter 1.3. The new birth and learning of
Christ are two very different things. God the Holy Spirit,
who has quickened one who has before been dead in trespasses
and sins, giving him a new and a spiritual life in Christ, then
leads him into a state of conversion before God, and also in the knowledge
of Christ's person and in the understanding of eternal, underrived,
and self-existence of Christ's nature. The Holy Ghost shows
us, as a believer, the infinite greatness, the completeness of
salvation. And as it says in Colossians
2 verse 10, that the church is complete in Him, complete in
Christ, which is the head of all principality and power. And so, if the Holy Spirit is
the teacher, giving a spiritual understanding to the person of
our glorious Christ, then the work of Christ in redemption
will be known and felt and lived on and enjoyed. Nothing will
vary in the principle of faith, but the promise will be fulfilled
in the daily privilege of the child of God. As it says in Isaiah
26 verse 3, Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind
is stayed on thee. Why? Because he trusteth in thee. But where the Holy Spirit is
not the teacher, if the Holy Spirit is not the teacher, there
will always be ignorance about Christ's person and ignorance
of the infinite merit and effect of Christ's salvation. The result
of not being taught by the Holy Spirit is that a great variety
of systems of faith and doctrine, which divide people into different
religious groups, even among those who profess to believe
in Christ, will always have these different
ideas and doctrines. God must be the teacher if anyone
is ever going to learn about the faiths of Christ. It is a
great blessing to see how many gracious ways which the Lord
Jesus has taken to show his love to the church. He shows his love
by vision and revelation and by a type and allegory in the
early stages of God's calling of his church. Until the time
came to make himself known to Israel or to the church by his
openly tabernacling among us, God shows his love in many ways. The prophets and the inspired
writers of Holy Scripture with one voice were in agreement as
they prepared the church for Christ's reception into this
world. Micah 5.2 says that his goings
forth had been from of old, from everlasting. And another prophet
in Habakkuk 3.13 said much the same thing about Christ. He said, Thou wentest forth for
the salvation of thy people, even for the salvation with thine
anointed. And the Lord Jesus Christ himself
using the very well-known name of wisdom in Proverbs 8.22 said
that the Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way before
his works of old and in agreement to these scriptures we find in
the Old Testament that the Lord revealed himself sometimes he
revealed himself in the form of a man sometimes as an angel
according to his sovereign will and pleasure he revealed himself
but the Lord did reveal himself Even from Adam and Eve, and all
through history, the Lord revealed himself. He revealed himself
in a general way, and he revealed himself in a more specific way
to his church. And it's also true that in the
Old Testament times, Christ is revealed in the ordinances and
in the sacrifices. So that by outward signs, the
church might see and learn the things of God, which God teaches
his church inwardly and spiritually. But that does not mean that they
understood the things of Christ, unless they were taught by the
Spirit of God. Three examples of that are the
Passover lamb, the rock that followed Israel through the wilderness,
and the manna which fed the camp of Israel. Some were taught of
these things by the Holy Spirit, but all of the people didn't
understand these things spiritually. They didn't understand that they
pointed to Christ, that they taught of Christ, who was yet
to come as a person. Everyone didn't learn of Christ
from these things because they weren't all taught by the Spirit
of God. And just as these things were
shadowed and pictured and revealed and had their substance in Christ,
so also the Holy Ghost in the later ages of the gospel church
explained all of them more clearly for the church's understanding.
As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10 verses 3-5 about Israel, it
says, And Israel did all eat the same spiritual meat, and
did all drink the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that
spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ. But with many of them God was
not well pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
So it is only by the teaching of the Holy Spirit that we can
know the person, the work, and the things of Christ. And without
that teaching, without the teaching of the Holy Spirit, even those
who profess to believe in Christ will fail to have a full understanding
of the things of Christ as our great High Priest. A very good
and a beautiful illustration of this truth that we must be
taught the things of Christ by the Holy Spirit is given to us
in the words of our text. In the days of the judges, which
was a period of about 300 years, it seems as though the Lord was
without a witness because there had been no open revelation of
Christ during that 300 years. Not that the Lord had actually
left himself without a witness, Because in all ages, as 2 Timothy
2.19 says, the Lord knows them that are His. And He reveals
Himself to them in ways that He doesn't reveal Himself to
the world. He teaches them by the power of the Holy Spirit.
But it seems as though the Lord was without a witness. Because
we don't read much about Christ being revealed in a general way,
as He was in Exodus, for instance. So here in the book of Judges,
the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ, which he was graciously
pleased to make to Manoah and his wife, is recorded here in
a way that is veiled. Craig was teaching us about this
veil in Sunday school this morning. But it is revealed in a veiled
way. Christ is revealed in such a
way that only by the revelation of God, only by the teaching
of the Holy Spirit, Could Christ be understood by Manoah and his
wife? Now we're ready to look at Judges
13, please, if you've got your Bible open there. Our Lord first
appeared to Manoah's wife in the form of an angel. He appeared
to her when she was alone, and he gave her some very gracious
promises. And then afterwards, when Manoah
prays that this man would come back, this angel of God does
come back, and he's seen again. This time the angel of the Lord
appeared to Manoah and his wife together. And he gave them both
a further confirmation of the promises which he had early given
privately only to Manoah's wife. And then notice the reaction
of Manoah to that which was revealed to him. In Judges 13 verse 15
we're told, And Manoah said unto the angel of the Lord, I pray
thee, let us detain me. Let us detain thee until we shall
have made ready a kid for thee." A kid is a young goat. Manoah
wants to make a sacrifice to the Lord. In verse 19 it says, Manoah took
a kid with a burnt offering and offered it upon a rock unto the
Lord, and the angel did wondrously. And Manoah and his wife looked
on. They didn't do anything. They
just looked on. They just saw it and absorbed
it. They're being taught by the Holy Spirit. But I'm interested
in this terminology here, and the angel did a wondrous thing
as Manoah and his wife looked on. Because as verse 20 says,
It came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off
the altar, that the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame
of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked
on it, and they fell on their faces to the ground. It was the
Holy Spirit who had given them an understanding. The Holy Spirit
who had given them knowledge of Christ. And the result was
they fell on their faces to the ground. Every word of these verses
are very important. Turn please to Genesis 32 in
verse 29. Manoah wanted to know the angel's name. So when the birth of the child
that the angel had promised would be born, when that happened,
when it came to pass, Manoah and his wife could do honor to
the angel. Isn't it interesting that the
angel wouldn't say his name? He said it was a secret name,
that his name was a secret. Everybody couldn't know it. It's
a secret. the Lord had said as much to
Jacob in an earlier time in Genesis 32 verse 29 after Jacob had wrestled
all night with a man it was that man who changed Jacob's name
to Israel when the Lord had wrestled all night with that man when
Jacob had wrestled all night with that man Jacob asked him
and he said tell me I pray thee thy name and he said that man
said Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? Why do you ask my name? And he
blessed him there. Jacob learned that God was wonderful.
And that was a great blessing. Now turn to Isaiah 9, verse 6. Because in the passing of time,
the mystery, the mystery of this man's name is revealed to Israel.
It's revealed to us. The prophet of God, speaking
about this same man, in Isaiah 9 verse 6 says, For unto us a
child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government
shall be upon his shoulder, as his name shall be called Wonderful,
Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince
of Peace. And when the time was come for
the Lord to become flesh, When the time was come for the Lord
to tabernacle among us, then the name of Jesus was revealed.
The angel said in Matthew 1 verse 21, And she shall bring forth
a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save
his people from their sins. But only those who are taught
by God understand in the deepest of their hearts that Jesus Christ
is truly wonderful. They may know him by name, the
name Jesus, but only those who are taught by God, by the Holy
Spirit, will know him as wonderful. Truly the name of Jesus is wonderful,
because as we look back at what Judges chapter 13 tells us, it
seems that the angel did everything, and Manoah and his wife just
looked on. They did nothing at all. which
is a beautiful picture of God's redemption, which is all of Christ,
and in Christ, and not of our works at all. And to a sinner,
a sinner who is unable to save himself, that is truly wonderful,
that God would do it all, that God would save him from his sin. As our Savior said himself by
the prophet in Isaiah 63 verse 3, I have trodden the winepress
alone, and of the people there was none with me. For I will
tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury, and
their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will
stain all my raiment." Then verse 5 of Isaiah 63 says, And I looked,
and there was none to help, and I wondered that there was none
to uphold. Therefore, mine own arm brought
salvation unto me, and my fury it upheld me." I pray that each
of you were taught by the Holy Spirit. Oh, I know that you profess
Christ, but I pray that Jesus Christ is wonderful to you, that
you're taught the wonder of Jesus Christ, a wonder of what I've
just read. You can only learn it, I think, by the teaching
of the Holy Spirit. And so, Menoah, and his wife
were the representatives of the whole Church of God, because
it is said that they looked on. Yes, they couldn't do anything
more than just to look on. In all ages, in the Old and the
New Testament times, all that the Church can do is just look
on, because we're all receivers of God's grace, and we cannot
do anything in God's great work of salvation. not in our own
power, not in our own ability. All we can do is to look on at
the things of Christ as we're taught them. But that how wonderful
Jesus Christ is. But maybe the most interesting
part of this revelation of Christ, as wonderful as it is in Judges
13, is in verse 20. It says, For it came to pass,
when the flame went up toward heaven from off of the altar,
that the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar. What could be more revealing,
what could be more wonderful, to understand Christ ascending
in that flame. The Lord ascended in the flame
of the altar, showing us that Christ not only became a sacrifice
for His people, ascending from the altar, He's ascending from
that sacrifice. But Christ ascended in the flame,
going up to God, with His atoning blood. His atoning blood is a
full propitiation for sin. Christ ascended in the flame
of the sacrifice. Turn to Revelations 8, verses
3 and 4, please. The Holy Ghost, in a later age
of the church, set forth this doctrine even more clearly. John
in the vision saw this mighty angel standing at the altar holding
a golden censer and he tells the church in Revelations 8 verses
3 and 4 that another angel came and stood at the altar having
a golden censer and there was given unto him much incense that
he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden
altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense
which came with the prayers of the saints ascended up before
God out of the angel's hand." Now turn to Hebrews 9 verses
11 and 12 please. I don't know how the picture
could be much clearer except that God makes it clear to us
But God puts it in plainer words in Hebrews 9, verses 11 and 12,
what I'm trying to say to you. When the Holy Spirit inspires
Paul to describe it this way, Paul says in Hebrews 9, verses
11 and 12, But Christ, being come a high priest of good things
to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made
with hands, that is to say, not of this building, Neither by
the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered
in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption
for us." Can you see something wonderful about that? I hope
you can. If you can, it means you've been
taught by the Holy Spirit. Manoah and his wife, representing
the whole Church of God, could only look on. All of God's acceptance
of the Church is in Christ. All of the offerings for our
salvation from sin can only be made in and by Jesus Christ. All the Church can do is to just
look on. And the effects on Manoah and
his wife, then, as they are now on every redeemed, born-again,
regenerated child of God, a child of God who is taught by the Spirit
of God, the effects must always be the same. At the last phrase
of Judges 13.20 it says, And Manoah and his wife looked on
it, and fell on their faces to the ground. They fell on their
faces to the ground because they saw the wonders of Christ. Turn to Revelations 4.10. Never
will the redeemed of the Lord lie any lower lower in themselves
and in their view that they have of their nothingness and their
depravity than when they are lifted up by the ascension of
Christ. When the Holy Spirit teaches
you about the meaning of death and ascension of Christ, you
will always fall on your face to the ground because of the
wonder of it, I think. The whole Church of God, by the
election of God's grace then, Will, as Revelation 4, verse
10 and 11 says, the whole church of God will fall down before
him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth forever
and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou
art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power. For
Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are
and were created. The reaction of God's born-again
people. is always going to be the same,
because the teacher is always the same teacher. The teacher
is the Holy Spirit of God, who teaches us of the wonder of Jesus
Christ our Savior. And as Revelation 5 verses 9
and 10 says, And they sang a new song, saying, Thou art worthy
to take the book, and to open the seals thereof, for thou was
slain, and hath redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every
kindred and tongue and people and nation, and hath made us
unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth."
Now I pray that the Lord would enable me to give you a short
scriptural picture of Jesus Christ, the almighty person of Christ
who is spoken about in the text by the Holy Spirit. Look at it
again, please. Look at Judges 13, particularly
verses 19 and 20. It says, Manoah took a kid with
a meat offering and offered it upon a rock unto the Lord. And
the angel did wondrously, and Manoah and his wife looked on.
For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from
off the altar, that the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame
of the altar, And Mo and his wife looked on it and fell on
their faces to the ground. I do pray that you understand
those verses a little bit better, but I want to give you a picture
of the person of Jesus Christ that's in these verses. Jesus
Christ appears in the form of an angel. And he is said to have
done wondrously. And we have a good description
of the church of God and the characters of Manoah and his
wife. because they were representatives of the whole body of the church
of God. They are said to have looked
on, doing nothing, until they were overwhelmed by the conviction
of what they saw, and then they fell on their faces to the ground.
Turn to 1 John, the first letter of John, chapter 2 and verse
20. As we begin to look a little
closer at our text, let's pause, and if you would pray with me,
and ask for God's grace. We need God's grace. I need God's
grace that we all might be brought under the teaching and the anointing
of the Holy One by whose divine teaching alone it is said in
1 John 2 verse 20 that we can know all things, all things of
Christ that we need to know. O glorious Father, your apostle
has said that we have an unction or an anointing from the Holy
One, and that we can know all things. And so, dear Lord, I
pray that you might show us clearly the wondrous things of Christ,
those things that you have promised us, Lord, in Isaiah 54, 13, that
all thy children shall be taught of the Lord, and great shall
be the peace of thy children. And so, dear Father, we pray
that you might give us that peace in Christ as you teach us the
wondrous things of Christ in whose name we come to you. Amen. Turn please to 1 Corinthians
1 verse 21. For by God's regeneration the
Lord's people are born again. They are made capable of receiving
spiritual instruction. And so they find that all human
abilities and all attainments that they have are nothing at
all that's going to help them. It will not help them in their
divine life in Christ. Not their own abilities, not
their own attainments. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians
1.21, For after that, in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom
knew not God. It pleased God by the foolishness
of preaching to save them that believe. So it seems clear to
me that the Holy Spirit must apply the Word of God to our
hearts, the Holy Spirit must teach us of the things of Christ
to save them that believe. It's a great and a wondrous blessing
to understand that it is God who is your teacher. But it may
be an even greater blessing to someone who knows that they are
nothing but a sinner to have the assurance of Scripture that
just as human learning can't give us the least bit of help
in our spiritual understanding, So also that all that we are
taught about God comes from God. It's a wonderful thing to a helpless
sinner to know that God is his teacher and his help in troubled
times. Because that means that we are
God's children and born again in Christ are all taught the
same spiritual truths from the same spirit of knowledge, the
same Holy Spirit. were all taught all things which
pertain to life and godliness in Christ by the Holy Spirit.
The baby in Christ and the mature adult in Christ and everybody
in between are both taught in the same school and they both
learn from the same master. It is God who is their teacher
of the things of Christ. But there is still another wondrous
blessing that comes from the understanding that it is God
who is your teacher. Little ones like us or greatly
blessed ones like maybe Paul. Paul was a man of weak faith
or a man of strong faith. Weak faith and strong faith were
all both equally justified in Christ. It doesn't depend upon
our faith, how much faith, we're equally justified in Christ.
For by the grace of God we're born again and given the new
life in Christ Jesus our Savior. Because it's not the strength
of our faith that's important, but that our faith is the faith
of Christ. It isn't what we feel, but what
Christ is to us that's wondrous. It isn't what we know, but who
we know that saves us, and that we see the wonder of Christ's
person. All of God's children, like Manoah
and his wife, they all fall on their face to the ground before
God, and they do nothing. They do nothing when they are
given the spiritual understanding that they are sinners. And then
as they look to Christ as their Savior, they see the angel of
the covenant becoming the whole of their salvation and doing
wondrously. May the Lord refresh our souls
with the spiritual contemplation of these wonderful things of
Christ our Savior. There isn't time to look at each
verse, but it's clear from Scripture that all of the manifestations,
all of the revealing which the Lord was pleased to make of himself
in the times of the Old Testament were for the purpose of preparing
the minds of his people for the coming of Christ in the New Testament
times. It was Jesus Christ as the one
of the Holy Trinity who in the fullness of time would become
the visible Jehovah. So in whatever form Christ appeared,
the personality of his character was preserved for our learning.
And he who appeared in the shape of an angel, or as a man, was
the same holy one who in his divine nature was in the form
of God and thought it not robbery to be equal with God, as Philippians
2.6 says. That's clear from all of the
scriptures. But turn please to Malachi 3 and verse 1, and I'm
going to use just one scripture. to show this point to you that
I'm trying to make. In this prophecy of God which
was given through Malachi, the Holy Ghost gives to the Church
of God a wonderful message. He looks towards the day of the
Gospel and he proclaims that John the Baptist is to be the
herald of Christ. The Lord says in Malachi 3 verse
1, Behold, I will send my messenger Remember now, the word angel
and messenger is the same word. But Malachi says, I will send
my messenger, God says through Malachi, I will send my messenger,
and he shall prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom
ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger,
or the angel as the word messenger means, even the messenger of
the covenant whom ye delight in, behold, he shall come, saith
the Lord of hosts. As you look at Malachi 3.1, do
you see the one who is called the messenger of the covenant?
That one is also called the Lord of his temple. Now it seems to
me that's a clear testimony of Christ's own eternal power in
Godhead. Without Christ being the almighty person of God, he
couldn't have worked the almighty works of God which he accomplished.
So it is said in Judges 3.13, he did wondrously. And there
were in Christ Jesus those characteristics which could never be the characteristics
of any other man. All of the attributes of God
were centered in Christ, as it says in Colossians 2.29. For in Him, in Christ, dwelleth
all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And in Isaiah 53, verse
6, it says of Christ, And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity
of us all. That could never be true of anyone
else but Christ. The Lord laid on Him the iniquity
of us all. Christ the God-man, that's the
only one that that could be true of. So well might it be said
of Christ, the angel did wondrously. But look at this, which I think
is pretty interesting too. All of the divine teaching which
was done in the presence of Manoah and his wife related to the thing
that was being taught by the Holy Spirit. Everything that
we see in Judges 13 verses 19 and 20 was related to God's mighty
work of salvation in Christ and to the wonder of it. Because
the angel of the Lord not only performed every act that was
done in the sacrificial offering, and he would in due time be one
offering of himself, once offered, would perfect forever them that
are justified, sanctified. but he himself would also present
that offering to God. So Christ must be a priest in
heaven as well as a priest here on earth to both make the offering
and then to present it to God in heaven. He must be a priest
to not only finish transgression and make an end of sin, but to
also plead the everlasting effect of the offering as the basis
for the acceptance of his people for whom the offering was made.
Christ's resurrection was more than just a verification of who
he was. Christ sits at the right hand
of God as our great high priest, pleading for the effectual results
of the sacrifice that he had made. And God will hear those
prayers, and God will save his people from their sin that Christ
died for. So the flame went up toward heaven
from off the altar. It says that he himself ascended
in the flame. So in confirmation of the fact
that our Savior's redemption work is finished, God has sent
down all of those ascension gifts for which, as Acts 5.31 says,
He is exalted as a Prince and Savior for to give repentance
to Israel and forgiveness of sins. Isn't that wondrous? So blessedly complete in His
own almighty person and in His own finished work of salvation,
is our most glorious and gracious Lord Jesus, that you can see
why Manoah and his wife just looked on and did nothing. There
was nothing left for him to do. Once you see the wonder of Christ's
salvation, all you can do is fall on your face to the ground.
There's nothing left for you to do. Salvation is finished. And well might all of those who
belong to Christ look on Christ in doing nothing themselves,
because nothing can be added to or taken away from the Lord's
finished work of redemption. As Isaiah 45 verse 22 says, Look
unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I
am God, and there is none else. And as Peter would later say
in Acts 4 verse 12, when God the Holy Ghost had taught him
the mighty truth and written it on Peter's heart, Neither
is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name
under heaven given among men, whereby ye must be saved." But
now let's look at the description of the church. Manoah and his
wife are a picture of the church. They're seen here as represented
as the whole body of God's church. And when they looked on and did
nothing, but they fell on their face to the ground. Turn to Isaiah
54 and verse 17. The total inability of any man
to contribute a single thing towards his own salvation is
such a wonderfully plain truth that it shines through every
part of Scripture. It shines like a bright ray of
light all the way through Scripture. And yet, I feel certain of this,
not a single person of the fallen race of man ever did or ever
can believe it, until by God's regeneration they are made spiritually
alive so that they see the leprosy of their sin and they cry out
for cleansing. Cleansing by the blood of Christ.
Not by their own words, but cleansing by the blood of Christ. By nature,
they are blind to their own spiritual condition and defense of Christ. By nature, they are blind. They
cannot hear the gospel. They are totally blind. They
can't receive it until they are born again and they are taught
by the Holy Spirit. So all of the heavy burden of
trying to reform themselves, which sinners do, they do that
by setting up their own self-righteous programs, their self-righteous
ideas of their own, and trying to obtain favors from God. but
it all accomplishes absolutely nothing. Never until God performs
an act of sovereign grace, never until God blesses them with a
new birth can any man learn what God says in Isaiah 54, 17. Look at it please. In Isaiah
54, 17 God says to those who are born again and saved in Christ,
no weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper, And every
tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment, thou shalt
condemn. This is the heritage of the servants
of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, says the Lord." To
believe that, you have to be taught it. To believe that, you
have to be taught that by the Holy Spirit. You have to be shown
the wonders of Christ by the Holy Spirit of God in order to
believe these things of Christ. Well, I pray that you can see
them. Because unless you're born again by God's grace, you can't
see them. But if you can, that ought to
tell you something. If you can believe these things, if you
know these things, if these kinds of things rule over your life,
guide your understanding of Scripture. It's because you've been taught
by the Holy Spirit of God. It's because you're a child of
God who's been taught by the Holy Spirit. You know, there's
absolutely no difference at all between the professor of Christ
and those who reject Christ. Both of them, until one or both
of them are born again in Christ, are equally dead in trespasses
and sin. Professing Christ is a work that
you do. It may be true. But it's a work
you do. You must be taught by the Holy
Spirit. Both the professor and those
who reject Christ are incapable of offering any sacrifice at
all to God from themselves. An effectual sacrifice must come
by Christ, our great high priest. As Jesus said to a Jewish rabbi
named Nicodemus in John 3, verses 6 and 7, that which is born of
the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit
is spirit. Marvel not that I say unto thee,
ye must be born again." In all of those situations where God
has caused a work of grace to be done in a sinner's heart,
a new life begins in Christ in which the regenerated soul loses
all of its self-confidence. Because 2 Corinthians 5 verse
17 says, Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. All things are passed away, and
behold, all things are become new. And then, by the teaching
of the Holy Spirit, it is discovered that neither our tears or our
prayers, neither our works or our offerings have anything about
them to recommend a sinner to God. The Lord Jesus Christ is
the sinner's complete salvation. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
sinner's only hope. Like Manoah and his wife, when
the wonder of the Almighty Person of Christ and His sacrifice is
seen, we look on and we do nothing. Because we see by the teaching
of the Holy Spirit that all of our salvation is finished. All
of our salvation is complete in Christ and the sinner sees
himself. as helpless and hopeless so that he looks only to the
Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior. There's a beautiful picture of
this. It's in John 3 verses 14 and 15. Jesus said, And as Moses
lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the
Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him should
not perish, but have eternal life. And our most glorious Lord
still today is doing wondrously. He's doing wondrously as he gives
grace to his people, enabling them to look to him by faith,
trusting Christ and not what they've done. By the work of
the Holy Spirit, we're made able to see Christ as the full and
complete sacrificial offering for our sin. And then we're shown
Christ ascending in the flame from off the altar of his own
divine nature, having obtained eternal redemption for his church
and people. So what's the result of all of
this? Let me ask you, do you today see the wonder of Christ? Do you see our most glorious
Savior dying for your sin? Do you see his sacrifice complete
and finished so that your salvation is all of Christ and that your
only confidence is in Christ and not in anything that you've
done? Has the Holy Spirit taught you these wondrous things of
Christ? Can you see and believe, as Paul prayed for in Ephesians
1, verses 17 to 21, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom
and revelation in the knowledge of him? The eyes of your understanding
being enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his
calling, and what the riches of his glory, his inheritance
in the saints. And what is the exceeding greatness
of his power to usward, who believe, according to the working of his
mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him
from the dead, and sent him in his own right hand in heavenly
places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion,
and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also
in that which is to come." Do you believe these things? Is
that your prayer? I pray that it is. Pray with
me please.