Christ As He Describes Himself

Q: What does the Bible say about God's sovereignty and human responsibility?

The Bible teaches that human sin and disobedience lead to separation from God, placing responsibility on individuals rather than on God's sovereignty. Scripture affirms the absolute sovereignty of God, highlighting that while He controls all things, human sin is the cause of separation from Him. Isaiah 50 emphasizes that it is our iniquities that separate us from God, stating, 'Your iniquities have separated between you and your God' (Isaiah 59:2). We cannot shift the blame for our rebellion onto divine sovereignty; instead, we must acknowledge our own disobedience as the reason for our estrangement from our Creator. As Matthew Henry rightly pointed out, the perishing of the wicked is not an act of divine will but a consequence of their own sinful choices.

Q: How do we know that Christ is our Redeemer?

Christ is affirmed as our Redeemer in Scripture, revealing His ability to save and fulfill God's plan for His people. In Isaiah 50, the Lord describes Himself as our Redeemer, emphasizing His power and willingness to save. The text illustrates that salvation is a divine work, solely accomplished by Christ, who states, 'Is my hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem?' (Isaiah 50:2). Throughout the New Testament, Jesus' redemptive work is made clear, affirming His role as the one who bears our sins and brings us back to God. Moreover, His absolute sovereignty and omnipotent capacity as Savior guarantee that all who come to Him in faith will be saved, making Him the true Redeemer of His people.

Q: Why is understanding the role of Christ as a prophet important for Christians?

Understanding Christ's role as our prophet reveals His authority in teaching and guiding us toward knowledge of God. Christ, as described in Isaiah 50, serves as our divinely appointed prophet, possessing the tongue of the learned to speak words in season to the weary. This emphasizes His authority and ability to communicate God's will and character to us. Jesus said, 'He that heareth Me, heareth My Father' (John 14:24), showing that His teachings are a direct revelation of God's truth. Understanding this role is crucial for Christians because it affirms that Christ not only mediates our relationship with God but also instructs us in the ways we should live and believe. When we listen to Christ, we gain insight into God's nature and His intentions for our lives.

Q: What does it mean that Christ is Jehovah's servant?

Christ as Jehovah's servant signifies His humble obedience and commitment to fulfilling God's redemptive plan for humanity. In Isaiah 50, Christ describes Himself as Jehovah's servant, emphasizing His submission and obedience to God's will. This servant role is significant as it illustrates both His willingness to bear our burdens and His commitment to accomplish the work of salvation. Jesus exemplified perfect obedience, even unto death on the cross, fulfilling all righteousness required for our redemption (Philippians 2:8). By identifying as Jehovah's servant, Christ models the selflessness and dedication that believers are called to emulate. This servanthood underscores the grace of God in providing a Savior who not only redeems us but also serves as an example for how we should live our lives dedicated to God's will.

Well, I hope you know how very
dear you are to Shelby and myself. I thank God that he's made you
part of our lives. And we always look forward to
our brief times together here, stopping off here in our pilgrimage
for a day or two now and then. This morning I spoke to Brother
Tom Sawyer, just briefly, and asked him how old he was. After a fellow gets a certain
age, you can look at him and ask those things, you know. A fellow
gets to be 80 years old, you're kind of proud of it. Tom said
he's 86 years old. And he said, every day I wake
up, I wake up thinking I'm one day closer to seeing my Redeemer. Eye to eye. I want you to be encouraged to
look forward to seeing Him. And along the way, I want you
to know Him. And you who do not know Him,
oh how I pray that God will be pleased now by His grace. to reveal His Son in you, for
your soul's everlasting joy and good. Turn back to Isaiah 50,
if you will, and hold your Bibles open to this passage. We're going
to look at these 11 verses together. In chapter 49, the Lord God tells
us that it is His purpose in everything To make all creation
to know, verse 26, I am, I the Lord am thy Savior and thy Redeemer,
the mighty one of Jacob. He's going to make everything
that has breath and being to know. that he is our Lord and
our Redeemer, the mighty one of Jacob. Then in chapter 50,
he who is our Lord, our Redeemer, the mighty one of Jacob, begins
to describe himself as our Redeemer. Now as we look at these 11 verses
together, I want to show you five things, and we'll begin
in verse 1. First, understand this. The cause of all woe, the
cause of any man's separation from God, the cause of judgment
and wrath, is all together in us. If you go to hell, it'll be your
fault. and nobody else's. And part of
hell's torment will be the fact you're going to know it. If you
go to hell, it'll be your fault. Isaiah 50, verse 1. Thus saith
the Lord, where is the bill of your mother's divorce, whom I
have put away? or which of my creditors is it
to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have
you sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is
your mother put away." In the Old Testament law, God permitted,
because of the hardness of a man's heart, if his wife was disfavorable
in his eyes, he could put her away. But in doing so, if he
did so legally, he was required to give her a piece of paper
stating that he had officially divorced her. Our Lord says,
I gave you no such piece of paper. I gave you no such bill of divorcement. I did not forsake you. when a man was so overwhelmed
with debt that he had nothing with which to pay his creditors.
He might even sell his children into bondage, into slavery, to
satisfy his debts. And God says, I don't owe anybody
anything. I have no creditors. I sold you
to no one. For your iniquities have you
sold yourselves. For your transgressions is your
mother put away. There are many who try to silence
the accusations of a guilty, accusing conscience by laying
the blame for their sins, the blame for their sorrows, the
blame for their rebellion and unbelief at the feet of divine
sovereignty. We're in the shape we're in because
God hasn't given us faith yet, because God hasn't saved us,
because this is God's sovereign will, so we'll just wait and
see what God does. When the Jews were in Babylon,
they said, the Lord has divorced us. He sold us into bondage. That they had, in fact, divorced
themselves from God and sold themselves into bondage. Our
troubles in this world, are the result of our own disobedience
and unbelief. Our sorrows are the children
of our own sins. Our undoing is the result of
our own rebellion and our own unbelief. Behold, the Lord's
hand is not shortened that it cannot save, neither is his ear
heavy that it cannot hear, but your iniquities have separated
between you and your God. And your sins have hid his face
from you. You're a fool if you seek to
charge God with that which is the result of your own depravity.
God didn't forsake Adam in the garden. Adam forsook God. God did not leave Israel. Israel left God. We recognize,
we rejoice in God's glorious, absolute sovereignty. He made
all things, He owns all things, He rules all things, and He disposes
of all things exactly as He will. But we dare not blame our sin
on God's sovereignty. And we dare not blame the damnation
of any man on God's sovereignty. So, well, I don't see how you
can preach predestination like you do and not preach that, because
I preach what this book says. And if that's not consistent
with your puny brain, I don't care. It's consistent with this
book. Matthew Henry was exactly right
when he wrote, all that are saved are saved by a prerogative of
grace. But those that perish are cut
off by an act of divine holiness and justice, not of absolute
sovereignty. You read through this book, you
read through this book, and you will find everywhere God's judgment
and justice is exercised against men in time and in eternity. It is the response of justice
to man's sin, always. If you're saved, it's God's work
alone. If you're lost, it's your work
alone. As I live, saith the Lord, I
have no pleasure in the death of the wicked. But that the wicked
turn from his way and live. God says, turn ye. from your
evil ways. For why will you die, O house
of Israel? If we are blessed with God's
presence and God's power and God's goodness, it's His work. If we don't have them, it's our
own mischief. We read of Capernaum that our
Savior did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief. If we are used of God, you and
I who believe, this church, us pastors, if we are used of God
for the salvation of sinners, it's His grace and His work in
us and through us. If we are not so used, it's because
of our unbelief. The disciples once came to the
Savior and said, Could we not cast out this devil? And Jesus
said, because of your unbelief. Oh God, forgive me for my God
dishonoring unbelief. If we are blessed with the revelation
and knowledge of God's glory, It's because God reveals Himself
to us and in us. If we don't see the glory of
God manifest to us and in us, it's because of our unbelief. If ye would believe, you would
see the glory of God. Hold your hands in Isaiah 50
and turn to chapter 48. The cause of man's separation
from God is to be found all together in his own heart, not in the
heart of him of whom the prophet said, he delighteth in mercy. Isaiah chapter 48, verse 17. Thus saith the Lord. This is not what Don Fortner
says, this is what God says. the Holy One of Israel. I am
the Lord thy God, which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth
thee by the way that thou shouldest go." Now watch this. What a plaintive cry for God
our Redeemer to speak. Oh, that thou hast hearkened
to my commandment. You fathers know exactly what
he's saying, don't you? You look at your sons and daughters
in great trouble and you say, oh, I wish you'd listened. Oh,
I wish you'd listened. I wish you'd listened. Our God
says, oh, I wish you'd listened. Oh, that thou hast hearkened
to my commandments, Then had thy peace been as a river." If
you would have just believed me, oh, what peace you would
have had. If you would have just walked
before me, confident in me, oh, your peace would have been as
a river, and your righteousness as the waves of the sea. And
thy seed, thy seed also had been as the sand and the offspring
of thy bowels like the gravel thereof." When Zion travailed, she brought
forth her children. And she doesn't bring forth children
because she doesn't travail. That's all. That's all. We're in the mess we're in whether
we're talking about us who believe our God or whether we're talking
about you who yet did not and do not know our God. We're in
the mess we're in because of our unbelief. For your iniquities
have you sold yourselves and for your transgressions. All
the responsibility of man's ruin and spiritual death and slavery
and bankruptcy lies at his own door. The Lord God stretched
out His hand and no man regarded. Sinners are not to be pitied
but blamed. Unbelief is the willful, deliberate
turning your back on God Almighty and declaring He's not fit to
be trusted. That's what John said, isn't
it? We make him a liar when we believe him not. Now look at
verses 2 and 3. We're in the mess we're in because
of our unbelief. But our great Redeemer here describes
Himself in spite of that. as a God able to save. Rejoice, O my heart! Though I have sold myself into
ruin and can do nothing to help myself out of the mess that I
have made, the Lord Jesus Christ is God able to save, able to
save to the uttermost all who come to God by Him. First, our
Savior tells us plainly That salvation is His work, and His
work alone. When I came, there was no man. When I called, there was none
to answer. Now hear me, hear me, God help
you to hear me. Salvation is of the Lord. When we talk about the salvation
of a man's soul, God snatching you from the pit of the damned,
as a brand from the burning, giving you life and light and
faith in Jesus Christ. That's God's work. Or whether
we're talking about the trouble and trial and difficulties in
which we often find ourselves as believers. salvations of the
Lord. He and He alone is able to deliver
thee. Look at these two verses, verse
two. Wherefore, when I came, was there
no man? When I called, was there none
to answer? Is my hand shortened at all that
it cannot redeem? Or have I no power to deliver?
Behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea. I make the rivers a
wilderness. Their fish stink because there's
no water, and die for thirst. I clothe the heavens with blackness,
and I make sackcloth their covering. He came unto his own, and his
own received him not. He called them to himself, but
there was none that answered. He would have gathered Jerusalem's
children as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, but
they would not. They knew not because they would
not know the things that belong to their happiness, peace and
salvation. When God calls men to happiness
and peace, and they will not answer, like Jerusalem, they
are justly left to ruin. But let no one ever imagine that
men and women are lost for want of power, and ability with God
our Savior to save. He is the omnipotent God. He
said, my hand is not shortened. I have power to deliver. There is in Him no lack of ability. The children of Israel are in bondage in Egypt. And
Pharaoh, who told Moses, I don't care who you say God is, I ain't
going to serve him. And I ain't going to let these
people go. But as I told you last night,
all men serve him. Do you know who it was that rose
up in the middle of the night and said, get out of here? And then he changed his mind.
The children of Israel are standing at the brink of the Red Sea.
And Pharaoh's breathing down their necks. And God Almighty built a wall out of water. And
paved the depths of the sea. And His people walked across
and didn't even get any mud on their feet. And then God sent the water to
drown the Egyptians. He caused water to run like a
river out of the rock Christ Jesus smitten for us that followed
them through the wilderness. He made the Jordan River to be
as a wilderness so that He would perform and accomplish His promise
to His people. He clothed the heaven with blackness. Do you remember He told Moses,
He said, stretch out your rod and watch the sun go dark. Israel
is coming out of this place. And the Lord God is He who made
sackcloth to cover the sun. Now, He says this because He
would have us to understand that He who is sovereign over the
elements of nature has power enough to redeem and save His
people. It is He who clothed the heavens
with blackness and makes sackcloth, a covering for the sun, and with
Him all things are possible. If that fellow can't be saved,
the disciples said to him, if that rich, good man who came
seeking you and asked what he must do to inherit eternal life,
that fellow who has been good all his life, if he can't be
saved, who can be saved? Well, if it's up to him or you,
it's impossible. But with God, all things are possible. He can
even save you. He can even save me. Let us be filled with deep gratitude
and heart-rending awe before our Redeemer and our God. He who drowned Pharaoh in the
sea was himself drowned in the sea of our sins. And he who covers
the heavens with blackness was himself plunged into darkness
and darkness, thick darkness of soul. under the wrath of God
for us, how we ought to trust Him. He who is Lord of sea and
sky, of heaven and hell, darkness and gloom, He is God our Savior. Preachers today like to make
men a whole lot more than they are. I don't know whether you've
seen them or not. I haven't seen one in a while.
Once in a while I see signs on church, you know, they... Our preachers, they... You talk
about shallowing the gene pool. They put signs up to reveal their
stupidity and their idolatry. Drive by the church and got a
sign on the front that says, we can't spell church without you. You're so important. God was
spelling church a long time before you got here. He doesn't need
you. You're nothing. I wish I could
stress that in such a way that it would shake you in your very
soul. You're nothing but sin. Nothing but corruption. This
book has nothing good to say about you. Nothing. Nothing. And preachers
fall over top of themselves Trying their best to make you feel important,
not you just got to take it. We've got to have you. Just got
to have you. God Almighty doesn't need you
or me or anything else. This book knows nothing about
a puny, pygmy, peanut God who waits on you for anything. He
knows nothing about a helpless Savior who wants to save, but
can't unless you let Him, unless you cooperate with Him. This
book declares God Almighty, glorious in holiness and mighty in mercy,
mighty to save. Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, is
a mighty, effectual, powerful Savior, omnipotent and gracious. And He says, I will have mercy
on whom I will have mercy. Now, look at this third thing. Verse 4. Our Savior describes himself
here as our divinely taught prophet. The Lord God hath given me the
tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season
to him that is weary. He wakeneth morning by morning,
he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned. We might well
ask of this passage what the eunuch did of Isaiah 53, of whom
speaketh the man these things, himself or some other man. Without
question, these words might be applied to Isaiah himself, or
applied to any faithful, gifted gospel preacher called and sent
of God to preach the gospel. It is our business and our responsibility
to deal with and speak to weary souls. God commands us to speak
comfortably to the heart of His people. They can do so only as
we are taught by God the Holy Spirit and given the tongue of
the learned, that we may, every time we stand to speak, feed
His people with knowledge and with understanding. Oh, how I
pray for grace to be such a preacher. I pray that God will awaken my
heart and my soul every morning with my body, awaken my ear to
hear as to learn, as one taught of God, that I may have a word
in season for weary souls. But these words are more than
the words of a man. The context will not allow us
to say this is talking about Isaiah, or this is talking about
another preacher, or another prophet. It is Christ himself
who speaks here. And the one he is describing
is himself. Now listen again how he describes
himself. The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned.
that I should know how to speak a word in Susan to him that is
weary. He wakeneth morning by morning,
he wakeneth my ear to hear as the learned. Our Lord Jesus is our King, a
King like David, like Solomon. He is our mediator, our priest,
a priest after the order of Melchizedek. And he is that one of whom Moses
spoke in Deuteronomy 18 when God said, I will raise up a prophet
from among the people like yourself, and he will declare me to them. He is our prophet. As our prophet,
our Lord Jesus Christ is that one who takes God and shows him
to us. He teaches us who God is, what
God does. He shows us the will and the
word and the work and the character of God Almighty in Himself. God the Father speaks from heaven
and says, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear ye Him. Pay attention to
Him. Our Savior said, He that heareth
Me, heareth My Father. He said, The words that I speak
unto you, I speak not of Myself. But the Father that dwelleth
in me, he doeth the works. What on earth does that mean?
Now wait a minute. I thought Jesus the man and God
the Son are one with the Father and equal in all things to the
Father. You thought right. It's exactly right. God the Son,
God the Holy Spirit, God the Father are one holy God. But
our Lord Jesus Christ from eternity, as our brother just told us,
stood before God as our mediator and surety and assumed total
responsibility for our souls as Jehovah's Servant to fulfill
all the will of God. And back in that covenant grace,
when He still came with the Father, He said, Lo, I come in the volume
of the book it is written to me. I delight to do thy will,
O my God. And he came into this world to
do the Father's will, by the which will we are sanctified
through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
And here he speaks as that one who comes as Jehovah's servant
to say what the Master told him to say. The words I speak, that's
the Father's word. I don't stand here as a man speaking
on his own authority. I stand here as Jehovah's righteous
servant, the representative and revelation of God Almighty in
all His fullness. And what I'm telling you is God. He's God's servant. And God's
servant is our prophet. While he walked on this earth,
you remember the Jews when they heard him preach? They said,
boy, this guy doesn't preach like other folks do. He spake as never a man spake. For he spake as one having authority. Now the long and short of that
is this. They said, we've heard a lot of preachers. We've heard
a lot of preachers. Never heard one in my life who
believed what he said. But here's one who believes what
he says. He speaks with authority as a
man who actually believes God. He speaks with authority as a
man who is actually convinced of what he's saying. Oh, you
find a fellow who preaches like that, you better listen to him.
But this man spoke as no other man. For this man, you see, believed
God. He believed God perfectly. And he spoke as he did because
God the Spirit was upon him without measure, because he was anointed
to preach the glad tidings to the poor, to speak a word in
season to him that is weary. Now, I've been leading up to
this because I want you to get it. I've got something for you.
Oh, God speak it to you. Blessed be his name, though now
he is exalted in heaven, seated upon the throne of glory, having
obtained eternal redemption for us. This man, who is God our
Savior, still possesses the tongue of the Lord, and he is able to
speak a word in season. to your weary soul. He's able to speak to weary,
heavy laden sinners a word in Caesar. He's able to speak to
weary, sin sick souls a word in Caesar. He's able to speak
to weary, heavy hearted saints a word in Caesar. He's able to
speak to his weary, afflicted and tried people a word in Caesar. The word weary Really, it would
be better translated thirsty. And nothing makes you much more
weary than real thirst, does it? Thirsty. Oh, our great prophet
knows how to speak a word in season to thirsty, weary souls. Thirsting for forgiveness. Thirsting
for peace with God. Thirsting for righteousness.
Thirsting for completion. Thirsting for Himself. He speaks a word in season. And
He's the only one who can. He's the only one who can. I
frequently have folks come, and any other preacher does, have
struggles and want us to tell them they're saved. I can't do that. I won't even
try. I won't try. The only one who can speak a
word in season to your soul is this prophet of God, who is God
our Savior. He's the only one who can speak
a word in season to you. For this purpose, He was wakened
every morning throughout the ages of time Waken with the ear
of the learned. Yes, our Redeemer is the Son. He's described this way in Hebrews
chapter 5 and verse 9, as a son learning to be obedient by the
faith that he suffered. We have a saying, experience
is the best teacher. I'll modify that. Experience
is the only teacher. You don't learn anything except
you experience it. It doesn't happen. Somebody asked
Ralph Barnum one time, he said, you believe the whole Bible?
He said, I don't know, I haven't experienced it all yet. You don't learn anything except
by experience. Our Lord Jesus learned obedience. as a weary man. And now, he who
learned obedience by the things he suffered, is able to speak
to suffering men and women. Well, what did he experience?
He learned while he walked on this earth, what it is to wrestle
with Satan, in temptation, in assaults, in accusations. He learned what it is to endure
malicious slander from men who knew him better. He learned what
it is to stand by the grave of one that he loves and weep in
bereavement. He learned what it is to be betrayed
by a friend. He learned what it is to be sin before God when He was made sin. He did no sin. He knew no sin. Oh my God! He was made sin for
us. And He learned what it is to
stand before God as sin. He learned what it is to have
a broken heart he learned what it is to be utterly forsaken
of God he learned what it is to suffer and die in pain and he learned what it is to
rise from the dead What does all that mean, brother
Don? He's able to make intercession for us, and He's able to speak
a word in season to us, because He has the tongue of the learned. Brother Norman's touch always
touched with the feeling of our infirmities. Look at verse 5. 5 through 9. Our Lord Jesus describes
himself here now as Jehovah's servant. He is God able to save. He is a prophet. able to teach,
and he is Jehovah's servant, his voluntary servant. He says,
the Lord God hath opened mine ear. You remember back in Exodus
21, God gave a strange law, a law concerning slavery, a bond slave.
And in that law, if a man was brought into bondage After he
had served his master for six years, fulfilled the time of
his indentured debt, the law required the master to let him
go. But if the slave had gotten a wife, and God had given him
children while he was there, if he went out free, he had to
leave his wife and children in bondage. What on earth is that
talking about? This right here. The bond slave
is Jesus Christ our Redeemer. Now, the slave could do something
else. He could say, uh, I don't want to go free. I'm not going
to go free. And he'd say to his master, he'd
say, let's go down to the door of the temple and you take y'all and drill a hole right here.
Publicly! So that everybody will know,
I am your willing slave forever. And here's the reason. Three
of them. Because I love my master. Because
I love my wife. Because I love my children. I
will not go out free. Before the world began, the Son
of God said, Father, bore my ear. I'll be your servant forever. I will never go out free. Because
I love you. And I love my wife. And I love
my children. The Lord God has opened my ear.
Look at it. This voluntary servant is God's
consecrated, perfectly obedient servant. I was not rebellious. His consecration and His obedience
is to fulfill all righteousness. And it was symbolically demonstrated
at His baptism when He came to John. And John said, I can't
baptize you. This is the Lamb of God. And
the Lord Jesus said, now John, you don't know what you're talking
about right now. Suffer it to be so, for so it becometh us
to fulfill all righteousness. Well, you've got to be baptized
to fulfill righteousness? No. You'll be baptized and many
times every tadpole in the creek knows you by your first name.
And it won't make you righteous. But baptism is a picture of the
fulfillment of righteousness by the obedience of the Son of
God unto death and His resurrection because of justification accomplished.
At no point did our Savior refuse or even shrink from the Father's
will. Not even in Gethsemane. He is
Jehovah's persevering faithful servant. Neither turned away
back, he said. He never once relinquished His
commission, or turned His back from the work He had undertaken.
He came to save His people from their sins, and He steps upon
the throne still to save His people from their sins, and must
reign till all things are put under His feet, and all His people
are saved from their sins. And then, as Jehovah's righteous
servant, the last glorious act, when time shall be no more, He
will present the kingdom unto the Father. Lo, I am the children
which thou hast given me, that God may be all in all." Jehovah's
servant, what an example He is. He was obedient unto death for
us. Copy Him. Rejoice in Him. Oh, thanks be unto God for His
unspeakable gift. Give thanks to Him who for the
joy that was set before Him endured the cross for us, despising not
the shame. Our Lord Jesus, then in verse
6, describes Himself as Jehovah's servant, as one who is willing
to suffer all the shame due to us for sin. I gave my back to
the spiders, my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair, I
hid not my face from shame and spitting." His suffering was
a matter of submission to his Father. His submission was entire. He gave it back to the spiders,
his cheeks, to those who jerked up the hair, and he gave his
face to shame and spitting. Now knowing that our suffering
Savior who spoke these words is himself God, our Redeemer,
our blessed substitute. I am utterly amazed. Here is
amazing commission. For you know the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ, how that though He was rich, yet for your sakes
He became poor, that you, through His poverty,
might be made rich. He was obedient unto death, even
the death of the cross. Oh, I stand amazed in the presence
of Jesus the Nazarene, and wonder how He could love me, a sinner
condemned unclean, but bless God He does. I'm amazed, utterly amazed, when
I think of the ability and efficacy wrapped up in his sufferings.
This one who suffers all the wrath of God, because he is a
man, he is able to suffer. And because he is God in human
flesh, All that he suffers is of infinite worth and value and
efficacy, which means that those for whom he suffers shall never
suffer. Never. And I am amazed as I look
in verses 7, 8, and 9 of how he describes himself being justified
by God. For the Lord God will help me. Therefore shall I not be confounded.
Therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that
I shall not be ashamed. He is near that justifies me. Who will contend with me? Let
us stand together. Who is mine adversary? Let him
come near to me. Behold, the Lord God will help
me. Who is he that shall condemn
me? Lo, they all shall wax old as a garment, the moth shall
eat the moth. All the suffering our Savior
endured, He endured as our substitute, and yet it was all by the deliberate
choice of His love. Our Lord Jesus Christ, as a man,
lived by faith in God, trusting God to help him. That's just more than I can get
said. I can't begin to think about
explaining that. But our Lord Jesus lived in this
world in perfect faith, trusting the Almighty God. And He did
so as our representative. The Son of God was resolute in
His determination to suffer and die as our substitute. He said,
I set my face like a flint. I won't be turned back from this.
And though He died under the penalty of sin, three days later
in His resurrection, He was publicly justified in the Spirit. And
we were justified in Him. Our great substitute went to
the cross. Now listen. As Brother Norm said the other
night, I can't and will not try to enter into the mystery of
what transpired in Gethsemane, but I know this. Our Lord Jesus
set His face like a flint to go up to Jerusalem, to suffer
and die under the wrath of God in due time as our substitute. And He never flinched. Never. He gave his back to the smiters,
his face to them that plucked off the hair, those who spit
upon him. And as he goes up to that horrid
place of execution, he goes fully confident of triumph
and victory. Look what he says. Behold, the
Lord God will help me. Who is He that is going to condemn
me? These fellows who are nailing me to the cursed tree, these
will cry, Crucify Him! Crucify Him! Let His blood be
on us! They shall wax old as a garment,
and the moth will eat them up. Now, if He went to the cross,
bearing our sins in His own body on the tree, With confidence
of triumph and victory and acceptance with God Almighty, you and I
sure ought to come away from it with the same thing. Who shall
lay the thing to the charge of God's election? Who is He that
condemns? It's Christ that died, yea, rather
that's risen again, who's even at the right hand of God, who
also maketh intercession for us. In verses 10 and 11, our Lord
describes for us two classes of people in this world. There
are two classes sitting right here today. First, in verse 10,
we see something real strange at first glance. He speaks of
children of light walking in darkness. Who is among you that
feareth the Lord? that obeyeth the voice of his
servant, who obeys my voice, that walketh in darkness, and
hath no light. Now I know folks who love theological
precision and like to get God fixed up in their box, they'll
try to figure some way to make this say something else. But
my experience has been, most of my days, I walk in darkness,
and I can't see my nose in front of me. God fixes it that way, so that
we are forced to walk by faith and not by sight. How often you
ask yourself, or perhaps someone calls and asks you, Please explain to me what's going
on. We sit and weep with broken-hearted
mothers and fathers, broken-hearted men and women, and we acknowledge, I'm as confused
as you are. I don't know why God has done
what He's done or even what He's doing right now. But I know what
the whole picture is. And I know what the end's going
to be. And therefore He says, who is among you that worships
God and obeys my voice and walks in darkness and has no light?
What do you do? Let him trust in the name of
the Lord. And watch now, stay on his God. It's called faith. Our Lord Jesus,
our Redeemer, endured great, indescribable darkness for us. Who could imagine the darkness
that engulfed His soul? when God poured out all His holy
fury upon His darling Son, who was made to be sin for us. But
you know what He did? You know what He did? When He
was made to be sin, He trusted in His God and leaned, stayed
Himself upon His God, listening to His cry, Why hast thou forsaken me? Lean all the weight of your soul
on Him. Just fall flat down on Him. Trust Him. And soon the darkness
will disappear. And then our Lord describes Himself
As that one who being upheld by the Father, he says he is
near that justifieth name. I've been looking at that a good
bit lately. I'm so glad he put it in the present tense. Justifieth. What does that mean that he's
continually accomplishing justification? Nonsense. And yet three times
in the book it's put in the present tense. Justify. It is God that
justifies. Why? Just as God justified His
Son as He walked in this world. Men accused Him of being a drunkard,
a glutton, a wine-bibber, friend of publicans and sinners, one
who frequented the harlot's house. They accused Him of everything
under the sun. His own kinsmen accused Him of being an insane
man, said He's lost His mind, He's popped the cork. We don't
know what's wrong with Him. And all the while, you know what
our Savior did? You know how he responded? He
didn't. He didn't. How come? I don't need to. He is near who justifies me. He will eat you up like a moth. You're nothing. And while we
live in this world, And we have to deal with men who accuse,
slander, ignore them. Lean on God. He'll justify you.
He'll justify you. When your own conscience accuses
you, He's there that justifies me. You see, justification doesn't
need to be accomplished again. It's finished. But oh, how I
need to hear Him point to the blood and say, Thy sins are forgiven
me. He is near that justifies me.
That word justified in Romans chapter 6 and verse 7 is translated
this way. He that is dead is freed from
sin. Justified means freed. Freed. Do you know what religion does?
All religion. I don't care what you call it.
Baptist, Presbyterian, Catholic, Islam, Hindu, all religion. All
religion. When it gets hold of a fella,
it starts binding him. No, this is what you've got to
do. This is what you've got to do. Brother, what's required
of us here? This is what you've got to do.
Do, do, do. Do, do, do. Do, do, do. Free grace sets men free. Our Savior says, loose him and
let him go. Freed! He is near who constantly
sets me free. Alright, now look at this, verse
11. Here are children of darkness walking in light. There are those who will not
come to Christ, but rather depend on their own works and their
own righteousness And they know everything. They know everything. If you don't think they do, just
ask them. They'll tell you. Behold, all ye that kindle a
fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks, walk in the light of your fire. Children of darkness walking
in light, but hang on. It is the damning light of their
own fire. This shall you have of my hand,
and you shall lie down forever in sorrow. Because they receive not the
love of the truth, God sends them a strong delusion that they
should believe a lie. And they'll lie down in sorrow. Now I have one question for you. I'll send you home and pray that
God Almighty will give you no rest until He causes your soul
to rest in His dear Son. Will you or will you not trust
Jehovah's servant? who fulfilled all righteousness
and all the will of God for needy sinners. Will you have His obedience
to give you acceptance with God? Or are you going to continue
to hang on to your own goodness and go to hell? May God the Holy
Spirit graciously force you into the yoke of His darling Son.
Amen.

Christ As He Describes Himself

What does the Bible say about God's sovereignty and human responsibility?

How do we know that Christ is our Redeemer?

Why is understanding the role of Christ as a prophet important for Christians?

What does it mean that Christ is Jehovah's servant?

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Christ As He Describes Himself

What does the Bible say about God's sovereignty and human responsibility?

How do we know that Christ is our Redeemer?

Why is understanding the role of Christ as a prophet important for Christians?

What does it mean that Christ is Jehovah's servant?

Sermon Transcript

About Don Fortner

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