How very easily we are turned
aside from commitments, responsibilities, pledged faithfulness. How easily friends are divided
from friends, those who were once friends for seemingly nothing. become bitter enemies. Fathers, without cause, except
their own lust, abandon their families, abandon their wives,
abandon responsibilities. Mothers, without cause, except
their own lust, forget their sucking child. How can you say that? That's
what it is to abandon your family. for it is. Abandoned responsibilities. Politicians, I don't doubt oftentimes, get
elected to public office and have good intentions, but soon
something else gets in the way and they're turned from the very
best of intentions, turned from the pledge and oath of office
to serve themselves. Preachers, pastors, Men who ought to be exemplary
pillars of steadfastness. Oh, how often, how often we see
them serving their own lust as greedy dogs. Compromise the gospel,
using men and women, using the word of God, the things of God
for their own gain. Ralph Barnett used to say, it's
a wonder God's church has survived all these years, when you think
about the pastors he's had. Church members, men and women,
confessed faith in Christ, buried with Him in baptism, pledged
their wisdom to walk with Him in the newness of life. Hard
to get dried off before something else more important comes along. And I keep wondering, is there
any such thing as a faithful man? Is there any such thing as somebody
totally sold out to the glory of God and the souls of men? Is there any such thing? as someone
who will not be turned aside from his pledged purpose and
commitment. And bless God, there he is. Listen
to this. The Lord God describes him, behold,
my servant, whom I uphold, mine elect, in whom my soul delights. I put my spirit upon him, and
he shall bring forth judgment, righteousness to the Gentiles.
He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard
in the street. A bruised reed shall he not shake,
and a smoking flap shall he not quench. He shall bring forth
judgment to truth. He shall not Now this is the one spoken of
in Isaiah chapter 42 and this is the one who is speaking or
is spoken of in our text here in Luke chapter 9 and verse 51. Luke 9 and verse 51. And it came to pass what God
purposed always comes to pass. And what comes to pass comes
to pass because God purposed it and God brought it to pass. Now see that you understand that. Oh God, write it on our hearts.
That which comes to pass is what God brings to pass. Not what
hell brings to pass, what God brings to pass. Hell is not in
charge of the world, the heavens do rule. And it came to pass
when the time, the time The time. The time. There is one specific
time spoken of throughout this book as the time. It is the time
for which all things were made. It is the time for which God
said let there be light in the beginning and there was light.
It is the time for which God created the angels in heaven
and created man upon the earth. It is the time for which all
history has existed, and to which all history moved until it was
accomplished, and the time from which all history flows since.
It came to pass when the time was come that he, the Lord Jesus
Christ, Jehovah's faithful servant, he who pledged himself from old
eternity to go up to Calvary to lay down his life for his
sheep, to redeem a people unto himself and purify unto himself
a peculiar people zealous of good works. The time has come
that he should be received. You remember he said, I'm going
to my father. Because righteousness has been
fulfilled. I'm going to my father because I finished the work he
gave me to do. I'm going to my father and you
can rest on this. I'm going to prepare a place
for you. I'm going to be received up to glory. And the Father puts
all things in my hands to give eternal life to as many as I've
given him. The times come now that he should
be received up. God's purpose from old eternity
was that he should be received up to glory, exalted and given
a place of dominion and authority and power above every name that
is named, so that every knee should bow, how things in the
earth and things under the earth, and every tongue confess that
he, Jehovah's servant, Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory
of God the Father. All right, the time now has come
that he should be received up. Look at it now. He steadfastly
set his face. He steadfastly set his face to
go to Jerusalem. His mind made up. No point in talking to him, his
mind made up. No point in reasoning with him,
his mind made up. No point in bringing anything
for him, his mind made up. He's going to Jerusalem. No matter
what the pain. No matter what the cost. How come? Because he said, Father,
you give him to me. You give him to me. Trust me
with your sheep. Trust me with the souls of your
people. You give them to me and I will
bear their sin away to the full satisfaction of justice at the
hands of wicked men and at the hands of a holy God. And now
the time's come. And he set his face to go yonder
to Calvary to die for me. What a word. Here's a faithful
man. Oh, thank God for one truly,
absolutely, at all times, consecrated, faithful, dependable one. And
this one's more than a man. This man is himself God Almighty
in human flesh. Now, this text here in Luke chapter
9 and verse 51, I had no question at all that Luke had in his mind,
and if perhaps Luke didn't have it in his mind, I'm certain that
the Holy Spirit had in his mind a text found back in Isaiah chapter
50. Hold your hands here in Luke
9 and turn to Isaiah 50. Let me show it to you. Verse 5. The whole chapter, of
course, is a prophecy concerning our Lord Jesus Christ and his
great work of redemption as Jehovah's servant. You'll remember back
in Exodus chapter 21, the very first of the civic laws in Israel,
the very first of the laws given to that nation by which the nation
was to be governed, was a law concerning the bond slave. The
bond slave is one who would be sold into slavery, bought by
another because of some terrible calamity that's come upon him,
and he would serve his master for six years. And if he had
come in without a wife, and his master gave him a wife and he
had children, then when the bond slave would go out, he would
go out alone, without his wife and without his children. But
if he would plainly say, I love my master, I love my wife and
I love my children, I will not go out free. Then the master
would say, all right, let's go out here in the public place
and get your ear up against the doorpost. We're going to put
something on you. We're going to drill a hole in
your ear and everybody's going to know you have said, I love
my master. I love my wife. I love my children. I'll be your slave forever. I'll
do your bidding. I'll do your will. I'll fulfill
your purpose. I'll engage in your cause. I'll
serve the honor of your name and the good of your house forever.
That bond slave was a picture of the one true bond slave. Jesus Christ, our God and main
Savior. And this is how it's described
here in Isaiah 50, verse 5. The Lord God hath opened mine
ear. God did it, but I wanted him
to. You see that? I wasn't rebellious. I wasn't rebellious. You see,
a bond slave is not one who is captured. A bond slave is not
one who is brought from an enemy territory and subdued without
his will. Oh, no, no, no, no. A bond slave
is one who wants to be a slave. He wants to be totally owned
and totally controlled by somebody he admires and loves and honors. The Lord Jesus said, I wasn't
a rebel. Neither turned away back. This is what I wanted.
And here's the result. I gave my back to the smiters. The Lord Jesus did not die at
Calvary. He was not delivered up to Pilate,
nor to the soldiers, nor by the Jews. Was he delivered up by
the hands of wicked men? The wicked men did it. But rather
he died and suffered all things leading up to his death according
to his own sovereign will. He said, I gave my back to the
smiters. I gave my cheeks to them that
plucked off the hair. I hid not my face from shame
and spitting. Now look at verse 7. For the
Lord God will help me. Therefore shall I not be confounded. Therefore have I set my face
like a flame. And I know that I shall not be
ashamed. Luke tells us again, it came
to pass when the time was come that he should be received up,
he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem. Now, this is
what I want you to understand. From old eternity, the Son of
God, our Redeemer, determined to save his people. by the sacrifice
of himself. And nothing, nothing could keep
him from his purpose. Nothing. Oh, what an example. Oh, what an example. Now in this
message, I want to show you two things. I'll spend the bulk of
my time on the most important part. And if you get ahold of
that, it'll take care of the second part. First, our Savior's
consecration. Our Savior's utter commitment. Our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
was utterly, completely, totally, at all times, consumed with his
commitment to our souls. Bobby Estes, from old eternity,
he set his heart on you, and he wouldn't go back. For
the glory of God. From old eternity, he set his
heart on me and he wouldn't go back for the glory of God. There was a time before all time,
if I can use language like that. I don't know how to talk about
eternity except put it in phrases that help us to get hold of something.
But before any time began, God the Father, God the Son, God
the Holy Spirit in covenant mercy, agreed upon terms of redemption,
agreed upon conditions whereby a holy God could in justice justify
guilty sinners. And the Lord Jesus Christ said,
I'll meet the conditions. I'll satisfy your terms. I'll
fulfill righteousness and I'll satisfy justice for my people.
I'll assume their nature and I will die in their stead and
raise again. And I will send my spirit and
he will call them to life and faith and bring them at last
into heavenly glory. And he was set up from old eternity
as Jehovah's servant, as our surety. And when the father and
the son struck hands in covenant mercy, this is what the apostle
says. God has saved us and called us within holy calling, not according
to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which
was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. He purposed
to save us. But then our father Adam sinned
and we sinned in him. And we were born in this world,
a race of rebels. We came forth from the womb speaking
lies. We went forth from the womb with
our fist in God's face, our hearts by nature enmity against God.
And yet he was not in the least deterred, but all the more resolved. We lived all the days of our
life in utter rebellion against him. And until the time came
in the Old Testament being fulfilled, our Lord Jesus as the angel of
the covenant often appeared in those days of Old Testament revelation. in anticipation of the day when
he would come. It was the Lord Jesus himself
who met Adam and Eve in the garden, and slew an animal, and clothed
them with the skins of the animal, and said to them, this is how
I, the seed of the woman, will come. And I, being the Lamb of
God, will be slain in your stead, and my righteousness shall be
yours. He sent an ark, built an ark for the saving of Noah
and his house. And that ark is Christ Jesus
the Lord, by which he says, I will bear the wrath of God for you.
The time came when Israel was in bondage in Egypt, and he provided
a Passover lamb. And he said, that's me. And he
said, when I see the blood, I'll pass over you my blood. He sent
a deliverer of Moses, and Moses brought them out by a mighty
hand, out of Egypt, across the Red Sea, driving Pharaoh and
his armies behind them, time and time and time again. He sent
one message after another, declaring, this is me. He sent a mercy seat
in the tabernacle and in the temple. And he said, that's me
right there where God meets me in between the cherubim on the
mercy seat where the blood atonement is. That's me, the Lamb of God,
the propitiation for sins. And at last, at the appointed
time, turn to Romans 5 for a moment. At the appointed time, the Lord
Jesus Christ, the Son of God came in human flesh. He assumed
our nature. that he might die in our stead
upon the cursed tree. The Lord Jesus did not, hear
me now, he did not come here to be a little peanut king in
a little peanut place called Palestine. He did not come here
to sit on an earthly throne. My soul, what kind of nonsense
is that? He sits from eternity on the
throne of the universe. He didn't come here to sit on
a throne over in Palestine. Oh no, no. A thousand times no.
He came here to establish his kingdom in the hearts of men
and to rule in the hearts of men from his lofty throne in
heaven as a man now sitting on David's throne, on the throne
of universal monarchy. And look here in Romans chapter
5. The means by which he would arrive at his throne. is this
death which he came to die. For when we were yet without
strength, verse 6, in due time, in due time. What's that talking about? The
appointed time. Now, mine hour has not yet come. Mine hour has not yet come. Mine
hour has not yet come. And suddenly he said, my hour
has come. The appointed time. But it's more than that. In the
time when all things had demonstrated clearly the utter helplessness
of man, for 4,000 years now, man had been running from God.
God gave them his law 2,000 years earlier. They said, well, we'll
handle that. Just tell us what you want us to do. That's a piece
of cake. We can do that. And for 2,000 years, Man with
all his religious ceremonies, in all his religious punctuality,
in all his religious deeds, in all his religious refinement,
took the very word of God and the laws of God, and turned them
after his own lust, so that the very oracles of God became to
man instruments of idolatry. How then can man be saved? Not
by his hands. Not by the works of the law,
not by religious ceremonies, not by religious sacrifices.
How can a man be saved? In due time, Christ died for
the ungodly. Oh, that means there's hope for
me. That means there's hope for me. For whom did Christ die? For
whom did Christ die? Don't argue about election and
predestination with anybody. I'm dead serious. Quit arguing
with about anybody. That doesn't make any difference
as far as lost men are concerned. For whom did he die? Find me
an ungodly, ungodly, ungodly man. One who knows himself ungodly. I'm telling you, if there's anybody
here with nothing to commend yourself to God. I mean not a
thought. I mean nothing in you but filthy
rags. Nothing done by you but that
which is obnoxious to God. No thought in your heart but
sin. Is there anybody here who's ungodly?
Christ died for you. Christ died for you. Christ died
for sinners. And if he died for you, everything's
alright. Because he redeemed you. He put
away your sin. Oh yes, we believe all the glorious
gospel doctrines of election, predestination, particular redemption. But the issue, as far as you're
concerned, is your character. You cannot claim any promise
in this book unless you meet the character of the one to whom
the promise is made. To whom is the promise of redemption
given? The ungodly. To sinners. For scarcely for
a righteous man will one die, yet peradventure for a good man
would some even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward
us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. The Lord Jesus resolved to do
it. He said, I have a baptism to
be baptized with. He said, I have a cup to drink.
I'm straight until it's accomplished. He told his disciples, he said,
when he sat with them at the last Passover, he said, with
desire have I desired to eat this supper with you. I came
here to do this. I came here to fulfill what's
represented here. I came here with great desire. This is what I've been waiting
for. I began calling you out three years ago, but this is
what I've been waiting for, to eat this supper with you, to
tell you what's represented in this bread and in this wine.
And now his hour has come. Now in due time, when the fullness
of time was come, it came to pass. When he should be received
up, he steadfastly set his face to go up to Jerusalem. That is
to say, he set his face upon the accomplishment of the great
work he had undertaken for us in covenant mercy. But his commitment was tested. And proved. Always is. Always is. Commitment is always
tested. Our Lord said, I'll go. I'll
assume their nature. I'll live for them. I'll die
in their stead. I'll redeem them. I'll suffer
all the wrath of God for the glory of God and the good of
their souls. But our Savior had many offers
of worldly advantage. You see, for a time, his miracles
made him famous. Turn to John chapter six for
a moment. Verse 15, when the Jews therefore
perceived that he would come, when Jesus therefore perceived
that they would come and take him by force to make him a king.
Isn't that amazing? Folks tell you he came here to
be a king of the Jews, and the Jews wanted to make him a king.
He said no. That's because that wasn't what he came for. He didn't
come to be a political king. They would have taken him by
force to make him a king, and he departed again into the mountains
himself alone. Our Lord, in his triumphal entry
into Jerusalem, It was demonstrated clearly that the masses were
ready to follow him. Follow him, however, only on
their terms. Oh, they wanted him to take over
the business of ruling Jerusalem. They wanted him to overthrow
Caesar. They wanted him to set up a kingdom then. In this wilderness
of temptation, you'll remember Satan offering the kingdoms of
this world. And Merle, The scripture tells
us it was a temptation to him. He was tempted. He was tempted. You see, our Lord is a real man
and he endured all the temptations we endure. And of all the temptations
a man has to endure, I think none is more dangerous than the
Bible of worldly advantage. But our Lord wasn't turned aside
by it. His closest friends, I'm sure.
Well, I don't have to guess about it. You'll remember in John 11,
our Lord was determined to go up to Jerusalem and the disciples
said, but Lord, the Jews are trying to kill you. And when
they realized that he would not be deterred, Thomas, old brother
Thomas, folks called him Doubting Thomas, just because he had doubt
doesn't mean he was Doubting Thomas. Thomas said, let's go
die with him. Let's go die with him. They knew
what would happen. When our Lord told Peter how
he must be crucified by the hands of wicked men, Peter said to
him, this shall not be. Oh no, don't let that happen.
And the Lord said, get behind me, Satan. You don't know what
you're talking about. Poor Peter. Certainly his family
would have chosen other things. Now listen to me, you listen
to me, young and old, husbands and wives. If you would do the will of God,
don't ever consult with flesh and blood. Don't ever do it. Flesh and blood
will talk you out of doing what you know God told you to do.
Paul said, when it pleased God who separated me from my mother's
womb and called me by his grace immediately, I conferred not
with flesh and blood. Certainly, if anything might
have kept our Savior from his agony at Calvary, the unworthiness
of those for whom he was determined to die would have done it. Peter cussed and denied it. All the disciples forsook him.
Some of those for whom he died were those whose hands dripped
with his blood. Hereby perceive we the love of
God, because he laid down his life for us. For whom did he
die? The Lord Jesus Christ died for
a people who wanted him dead. He died for a people from whom
he would get nothing in return. No love, no gratitude, no thankfulness,
no reciprocal love at all, except he created in them. He died for
people who could never be worthy of his love. Here's the great
wonder of his death. The Son of God loved me and gave
himself for me. He would not be deterred, even
when in Gethsemane he cried, My God, my God, if it be possible,
let this cup pass from me. And yet he resolutely set his
face. He said, Now is my soul exceeding
sorrowful even unto death. What shall I say? Father, save
me from this hour. Oh no. For this cause came I
unto this hour. Father, glorify your name. Certainly. The ease with which
he might have escaped. You ever think about this? He
could at any time, Rex, have gone out free. He's a voluntary
bond slave. All he's got to do is say no.
I'm not going to do this, even while he's in this world." But
our master loved his master, his wife, and his children. He
said, I will not go out free. He said to Pilate, he said, don't
you know you have no power over me? You can't do anything with
me. Who do you think you are? He
said in Gethsemane when the soldiers came, he said, Whom speak ye?
Don't you know who I am? I'll show you Judeo. He told
Peter in the garden. He said, Don't you understand
that I could right now pray to my father and he'd send twelve
legions of angels. I'm not here because I have to
be. I'm here because I want to be. I'm here because I love you. I'm here because I'm determined
to redeem you. I'm here because I'm determined to do you good.
I'm here to save your soul. I'm here for the glory of God.
Our Lord was not compelled to go to Calvary by any lack of
ability, but only by his love for us. His love which is as
strong as death. And certainly if anything might
have deterred him. It was the anticipation of what
he must be made to be to redeem us. My heart breaks to think of him
being made sin. But I want to tell you the truth.
I don't have any idea what it was. I don't have any idea. Sin's so much a part of what
I am. It's so much what I am that I can't imagine what sin
must be to him. I can't imagine. Here's the only man who ever
lived who sees sin, Ron, as God sees it, because he's God. And
he's about to be made sin. He hath made him to be sin for
us who knew no sin. That we might be made the righteousness
of God in him. And when he knew full well that
the time would soon come when his holy father must turn back
on him and forsake him till he cries, my God, my God, why hast
thou forsaken me? Yet he set his face steadfastly
to go up to Jerusalem. What sustained him? What sustained
him? The glory of God. There was something more important
to him than what he personally wanted. Something more important
to him than his personal pleasure. Something more important to him
than his personal comfort. Something more important to him
than his personal gain. And that something, Lindsay Campbell,
was the glory of God. What sustained him? His love for us. The scripture says that the Lord
Jesus, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross. Counting the shame to be nothing. What joy! What joy! He shall see of the travail of
his soul and shall be satisfied. The Father promised me a people. I'm going to have a people. Holy,
perfect, righteous, blameless, without spot, without blemish,
redeemed from all sin, by my own hand, by my own blood, to
show forth my praise forever, in whom I shall show forth my
love and my glory forever. I want to have a bride chaste
and pure. I love it. And I'll go serve
the will of God, like I'll give to Jacob to serve Laban for Rachel. And though he's tricked and deceived,
yet he counts his love for her for seven years to be just a
few days. So I will serve for my own, and
I will endure the wrath of God for them. And for the joy set
before me, I'll despise. even the agony I suffer." What was it that sustained him? He said, I will not fail. I'm going to have my people.
All that the Father giveth me shall come to me. Him that cometh
to me, I will let no wise cast out. This is the will of Him
that sent me, that of all which He has given me, I'll raise Him
up at the last day. I will not fail. I'll have my
people with me in all the perfection of my own beauty. All right now. One last thing. I challenge. I'm calling for you. and me,
to consecrate ourselves to God Almighty in Jesus Christ. I'm calling for you who are yet
rebels against God, who've never yet come to Christ, who've never
yet bowed to Him, who've never yet given yourself to Him, who've
never yet surrendered the rule of your life to Him, come to
Christ. Faith in Christ is nothing less
than the willing bond servant. Saying, take me. Oh God, if you
will have me, take me. I'll serve you forever. I count
not my life dear to myself, I give it to you. So I'm gonna, I'm gonna rule
my life. I'm gonna do what I want to.
You can till you go to hell if you want to. Or you can surrender
to Him. Or come, devote yourself to Him. Bow to Him. Believe Him. Give
over to Him the rule of your worthless life. Blessed surrender. Blessed slavery. Blessed servitude. So preacher,
I do, I give myself to him. Come confess him. Bury him. Mess with him. Walk with him. My brother and
my sister, God give us grace every day. To consecrate ourselves to Christ. To His glory. To His will. Do you need any motivation at
all? Do you need any motivation at
all? Let me give you just a little. You're not your own. He chose you. He chose you. He washed you. He sanctified
you. He called you. You're not your
own. You're bought with a price. What a price. Therefore, glorify God. in your
body and in your spirit with your God's. Amen.