I presume you are all familiar
with the story of Daniel being thrown in the lion's den, recorded
in the sixth chapter of Daniel. It's a very interesting story,
of course. It's taught in Sunday schools all over the world. And usually it's taught to show
forth the power of God over the lions and the great miracle of
Daniel being delivered from the lion's den. But there's much
more to the story than that. The history of the Old Testament,
of God's people in the Old Testament, the events and the miracles recorded
in Scripture are designed to teach us the gospel of Christ.
And if all we see in the stories are miraculous things, supernatural
things, you haven't seen anything in the stories. You recall what
happened, Daniel was the favored president in the land under Darius
the king. And Darius thought to make him
the most prominent man in the land next to him. And the other
presidents in the land got wind of it, and they said, let's catch
Daniel in some trouble. And they watched him, and they
could find no fault in him. And they said to themselves,
as they kept plotting against him, they said, if we're going
to find any way to accuse this man before the king, we're going
to have to find fault with him in his relationship to and worship
of his God. And they said, we've got a plan.
They went to Darius the king, and they said, oh, king, you're
a great man. You're a great man. Let's make a law. Let's make
a law and you sign it and seal it with the law of the Medes
and Persians that if any man is found calling on any god except
you, he'll be thrown to the lions. Man, that sounds good. That's
just what I want, somebody to lift me up. Let's do that. And the king wrote out the law
and he stamped it with his seal, the law of the Medes and the
Persians that cannot be changed, cannot be changed, can't be altered
under any circumstances. That's the law of the Medes and
Persians. So they knew what Daniel would do, and they went out and
watched him. And sure enough, Daniel, as he was accustomed,
when it came time to worship, he knelt in his house, opened
his windows, turned his face toward the throne of God in Jerusalem,
and prayed to his God. And they said, we got him now.
And they took him to Darius. Darius the king Heard the word
and he was terribly terribly disturbed because he loved Daniel,
but he had written a law a law that could not be changed a Law
that he would have to sacrifice his throne if he altered it even
one iota And the scripture tells us that he paced the floor All
night long trying to figure a way to save Daniel's life and not
break his own law and he couldn't do it So he called Daniel in,
and he told Daniel circumstances, and he said, I've got to throw
you in the dead with those raging lions, but your God is able to
deliver you. And so he threw him in the lion's
den, and Daniel spent the night in the lion's den, and the king
paced his floor, concerned about Daniel, worried about what he
had done. He knew Daniel to be a good man, faithful servant.
But the law could not be violated no matter how much he loved Daniel.
And he went out the next morning and Daniel was safe and sound
and the lions had done him no harm because he who is the God
of heaven rules even the lions, yes, even the lions of hell. And Daniel's enemies were then
cast into the lion's den with their wives and children and
were consumed before they hit the floor. Now what's the purpose
of all that story? It is just this. The Lord God
has made a law. And this is his law. The soul
that sinneth, it shall die. And it's not going to be changed.
Before it be changed, God has to abdicate his throne, and he's
not about to. He's not about to. Well, how
on this earth Can the Lord God deliver the objects of His love?
How can He save the objects of His mercy and grace? How can
He save His chosen ones if the soul that sinneth must die? He's
got to find a way. He's got to find a way. And I
use those words with the greatest of reference. When I say God's
got to do something, I'm talking about God's got to do something
only because His character demands it. He's under no constraint
except the constraint of His character. But if God would save
a sinner, he's got to find a way to kill him and still save him. Got to find a way. And the Lord
Jesus Christ is that way. The Lord God took his darling
son, made him to be a substitute for sinners, threw him in the
lion's den of his wrath, and yet brought him out safe on the
other side. He was consumed in the den of
God's wrath, consumed under the curse of God's law. And yet when
sin was expunged, when justice was satisfied, when the law could
demand no more, he brought him out of the grave, brought him
out of the lion's den and set him up on high, the king of glory,
having accomplished our redemption. You see, when Christ died, we
died in him. When he suffered the wrath of
God, God's elect suffered the wrath of God in him. When he
paid our debt, we paid our debt in full in him. And now the law
of God that cannot be changed demands that we go free. just like Daniel, who spent the
night in the lion's den, got to come out now. He's got to
come out. Justice demands the salvation
of God's elect because the law has been satisfied in totality. Now, our Lord Jesus Christ, in
everything he did, acted according to the law. When he came into
the world, he said, lo, I come to do thy will, O my God, and
he did it. The Lord Jesus Christ, when he
came into this world to save his people from their sins, willingly
put himself under the law. He willingly, voluntarily became
subject to the law in all things as a man. He did so because God
cannot justify the guilty except upon the grounds of strict justice. Righteousness must be maintained. Justice must be satisfied in
order for God to exercise his mercy, love, and grace to such
a thing as you and me. Must be. This is what our God
says about himself. He who is our God declares, I
am a just God and a Savior. He will not be a savior at the
expense of his justice. He will not sacrifice his honor. He will not sacrifice his holiness. He will not sacrifice his law,
even to be gracious. He says, I am a just God and
a savior. The wise man Solomon, understanding
this, writes these words, by mercy and truth. Iniquity is
purged. It can't be purged any other
way. Now then, for that reason, these
are the words of the Apostle Paul, writing by inspiration.
When the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his Son,
made of a woman, made under the law, made under the law, made
subject to the law, made obedient to the law, made under the law. How come? to redeem them that
were under the law, that we, those who were under the law
of God, though chosen by him, though loved of him, though predestined
to eternal life, that we now, upon the grounds of justice satisfied,
might receive the adoption of sons. Listen to this word from
the prophet Isaiah concerning our Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord
is well pleased for his righteousness sake. He will magnify the law
and make it honorable. And he did for you and me. Though the yoke of the law was
a heavy yoke and only a shadow of good things to come, if we
would have those good things, Christ must bear the law's heavy
yoke for us. He did it as our willing substitute
and voluntary surety. Though the carnal ordinances
of the law were only what the Holy Spirit calls weak and beggarly
elements, and that they were indeed weak and beggarly elements,
rudiments of the world, he calls them, because these carnal ordinances
were but pictures and prefaces and preludes and types of Jesus
Christ and the fulfilling of the law by him. Our Lord Jesus
willingly submitted himself to all those ordinances and institutions
of the law as a man that he might fulfill the law for us and bring
it to an honorable end. And he has. Now this is what
I want you to see this evening. Our Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled
the law for us from the beginning of his manhood to the end of
his manhood. That he by his obedience unto
death might bring in everlasting righteousness for us and put
away our sins forever. And that he might do so in a
way that honors God. In our text this evening, in
Luke chapter two, we see our savior, our mediator, and our
surety. He who is God-man, our substitute,
beginning to fulfill the law even as a baby. In the room instead
of his people, the Lord Jesus Christ comes to be presented
in the temple. Let's read beginning at verse
21. And when eight days were accomplished
for the circumcising of the child, His name was called Jesus, which
was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb. And when the days of her purification,
look at it now, according to the law, when the days of her
purification, according to the law of Moses were accomplished,
they brought him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. as
it is written in the law of the Lord. You see how careful the
Spirit of God is to give us this language? Every male that openeth
the womb shall be called holy unto the Lord, and to offer a
sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord,
a pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons. Now let me show
you what this text teaches us. First, when our Lord Jesus was
just a baby, He was circumcised as our covenant surety. In Genesis
chapter 18, God instituted this law of circumcision to the children
of Israel, to Abraham and to his seed. It was a law that was
instituted to identify and to distinguish the Jews from all
other people. But circumcision was instituted
under the law as a symbol of the new birth. It was the cutting
away of the filth of the flesh, symbolically. It showed the necessity
of God's elect being purified by the operation of His grace.
Not through works of righteousness, which we have done, but according
to His mercy, He saved us with the washing of the Word through
the regenerating work of God the Holy Spirit. Well, why then
was our Lord Jesus circumcised? He had no sin. He had no potential
for sin. There was no filth of his flesh
to be cut away. The only answer can be found
is this. Christ was circumcised as our
surety. Now you need to understand this.
Whenever you read this book, whenever you read the gospel
narratives, whenever you read the history of the life of our
Lord in this world, everything he did, he did in the room instead
of his people as a substitute. He didn't do anything for himself.
He didn't come here for himself. He didn't breathe for himself.
He didn't walk for himself. He did not submit to the law
for himself. He was not baptized for himself.
He was not crucified for himself. He didn't rise for himself. He
did it all as our substitute and as our surety. Circumcision
was that act by which our Lord identified himself with Abraham's
seed whom he had come to save. Turn to Hebrews chapter 2. Now, people get all upset when
you talk to them about election. They say, well, that's not fair.
That's not fair. I don't see how you could talk about that. The election is just not fair.
Well, I don't try to answer their questions. I just tell them take
it up with God on Judgment Day if you dare. But those same people,
when you talk to them about God passing by the angels, you read
Revelation 12, you read the angels reserved in the chains of darkness
under the judgment of the great day. No mercy for angels. No
opportunity, as they say, for the angels. No chance for the
angels. I've never heard anybody gripe
about it. I've never heard one person gripe. Never heard one
person raise an objection. How come? Because it doesn't
concern them. They don't mind the angels being
subject to God's will just long as they're not subject to God's
will. Listen to what our Lord tells us here in Hebrews chapter
2. For verily, he took not on him
the nature of angels. Fallen angels, he just passed
them by. But he took on him the seed of
Adam. Does anybody have a Bible that
reads like that? That's not what it says, is it? He passed by
the seed of Adam too. He didn't take hold of the seed
of Adam. He didn't lay hold of Adam's seed. What'd he do? He
took hold of, took on him the seed of Abraham. Abraham, the
father of them that believe. Abraham, the example of God's
election. Abraham, the father of Israel
by example. He took hold of him Abraham's
seed. All right, now look at this.
Wherefore, since he came here to save Abraham's seed, It behooved
him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a
merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God,
to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. He came here
to save God's Israel. He came here to save Abraham's
seed. And so when he came into the
world, in eight days, he identified himself with Abraham's seed in
this ordinance of circumcision. Circumcision required the shedding
of blood. Here our Lord Jesus shed a few
drops of blood by a painful act, an act done to him by order of
God's law. The law said every male child
shall be circumcised or he can't be accepted of God. And so by
order of law, his blood was shed when he was just eight days old
as a forerunner, as a foretaste, as a prelude to the fact that
by order of God's holy law, his blood must be poured out unto
death for the redemption of our souls by submitting to this ordinance
of the law. Our blessed Savior voluntarily
made himself to be what he could never be made to be by any other
means. He made himself to be a debtor
to the whole law. Let's see if we find the book
for that. Galatians chapter 5. Galatians 5. Folks, folks want to go back
to the law. We're like those Bugs and flies
that fly around at night. We've got one of those ultraviolet
lights hanging out there. Man, they just fly right into
that thing. Just fly right into it. It's going to kill them.
But they don't have sense enough to realize it. They're attracted
to death. Now, men and women who are attracted to the law
are attracted to damnation. They're attracted to death. They're
drawn to that which is going to kill them. If you attempt
to be saved, you attempt to be sanctified, you attempt to find
acceptance with God on the basis of something you do, you've made
yourself a debtor to live in absolute perfection. Look what
he says, Galatians 5 verse 3. I testify again to every man
that is circumcised. Well, that's not much. That's
not much. Now, he's not talking about carnal
circumcision. That's not it. Though that certainly
is included. You may take your male children
to the doctor and have them circumcised for health reasons, whatever
you want to. But if you do something, do something by which you hope
to distinguish yourself from men and make yourself appealing
to God, that's what he's talking about. That's what he's talking
about. He's a debtor to the whole law.
You see that? Our Lord Jesus was circumcised
because it was a legally required pledge of every Israelite that
he now makes himself debtor to the whole law, but he was just
a child. But God required every man to bring his male sons to
the law and be circumcised. And thereby, as he begins his
life in the world, he is made to be a debtor to the law because
the law says, you've got to obey me. The Lord Jesus Christ being
circumcised, wrote the Puritan Thomas Goodwin, did as it were
set his hand to it to be made sin for us. The ceremonial law
consisted with much sacrifices. Christ hereby obliged himself
to offer not the blood of bulls and of goats, but his own blood
for the redemption of our souls. The Lord Jesus comes as one who
has voluntarily subjected himself to be a debtor to the law. Now,
in order to fulfill the law, this is what he's got to do.
He's got to live perfectly. And then he's got to pay a debt.
You've got to pay a debt. If you would fulfill the law,
if you would be accepted of God on the basis of what you do,
you've got to walk before God perfectly without so much as
a wink of an evil thought. Perfectly. From the first breath
to the last. And you haven't done it. And
you don't have the ability to do it. Well, we ought to do the
best we can. Yeah, do the best you can, but
your best is your sin. Your best is just corruption.
Your best is just vileness. Your best is just living with
your fist in God's face saying, I'm good enough for you. Take
me like I am. That's all your best is. And
then if you should live perfectly, you still got to pay for your
past sin. Still got to make atonement. The Lord Jesus, being circumcised,
lifted his hand to God Almighty and said, I, as the surety of
my people now, have assumed their debt, and I'll pay to the full
all that the law demands. When he was circumcised, the
incarnate God, our Savior, was named our Savior. Look at this. His name was called Jesus. which was so named of the angel
before he was conceived in the womb. Brother Paul Mahan the other
night preaching at Dingle's was telling about one of the children
at Ashland during Bible school, one of the five or six year old
kids, I can't remember which it was, just in one of the ladies'
classes, kind of like the kids you teach downstairs. And one
of the teachers said, what's a redeemer? Boy, that sounds so profound.
Folks write books of theology about it. I mean, oh, we've got
to investigate this. Look up the words. Look up the
Hebrew and the Greek. That little five or six year
old boy, he's the one who redeems. That's exactly what he is. What's
a savior? What is a savior? One who wants
to save? He's as useless as spit. One
who tries to save? One who's done everything he
can to save. One who's making his best attempt
to save. One who has done everything he
can, now he waits for you to let him save. Don't give me such
a one. What's a savior? He's one who
saves. Thou shalt call his name, what?
Jesus. How come? For he shall. But what if they're not willing?
That's no trouble to him. But what if they're in the remote
corners of New Guinea? That's no trouble to Him. But
what if they have been raised in a horrible environment? That's
no problem to Him. But what if they've been vile,
wretched? They are, they are. That's no
trouble to Him. He shall save His people, every
one of them, from their sins. And do it He will. He does it
by redemption. He does it by regeneration. He
does it by resurrection. And at last, he presents them
faultless before the Father's presence in his glory, unblameable
and unreprovable in God's sight. Now, you can do what you want to with
your free will, but I'm telling you, there's no savior. You can
do what you want to with your religious works. I'm telling
you, it's just an abomination. Only Christ can save you. only
Christ. How sweet the name of Jesus sounds
in a believer's ear. It soothes his sorrows, heals
his wounds, and drives away his fear. It makes the wounded spirit
whole and calms the troubled breast. It is manner to the hungry
soul and gives the weary rest. Dear name, the rock on which
I build my shield and hiding place, my never failing treasury
field with boundless stores of grace. The psalmist said his
name shall endure forever. His name shall be continued as
long as the sun and men shall be blessed in him. All nations
shall call him blessed. Indeed, they do. All right, here's
something else. Our Lord Jesus Christ was presented
in the temple at Jerusalem, presented as the firstborn according to
the law. This is what the law of God required.
Look in verse 22. When the days of Mary's purification
according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought
him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. As it is written
in the law of the Lord, every male that openeth the womb shall
be called holy to the Lord. Now, Mary came 40 days after
the Savior's birth, exactly as the law in Leviticus 12 required,
to offer, according to the law, for her ceremonial purification.
There was no cleansing to be had, even ceremonially, except
by blood atonement. And there is no cleansing for
your soul, no cleansing of any kind, except through the blood
of Jesus Christ. They'll say, well, the blood
of Christ is what justifies us, but we're sanctified by what
we do. We're sanctified by his blood.
There is no holiness apart from his blood, no cleansing from
sin apart from his blood, judicially in justification and experimentally
as the blood is applied to our hearts in sanctification and
regeneration. The Lord Jesus then came into
his temple when Mary came to be purified according to the
law. And he came to fulfill the prophecy given by Malachi. This
is what Malachi said. The Lord whom you seek shall
suddenly come to his temple. Even the messenger of the covenant
whom you delight in, behold, he shall come, saith the Lord
of hosts. And here he is in his temple.
This is the first entrance he makes into the temple. Our Savior,
the God-man, came to the temple according to the law of God as
the firstborn, as God's firstborn. That one who is sanctified and
holy before God. Turn to Exodus chapter 13. Exodus
13. When God destroyed the firstborn
in Egypt and saved alive all the firstborn in Israel, he did
it to portray Christ, our Redeemer, sanctified to the Lord. And he
made a law. The law is repeated in Numbers
chapter 3, but here it's given first in Exodus 13, verse 2. Sanctify unto me, that is, set
apart for me all the firstborn. Whatsoever openeth the womb among
the children of Israel, both of man and of beast, it is mine. It is mine. Now then, the Lord
Jesus Christ is repeatedly called the firstborn. The firstborn,
how come? Because the firstborn is the
heir of all, because the firstborn is the preeminent son according
to law. The firstborn is the one who has all the rule of the
family in his hands when he reaches maturity. The firstborn is that
one who's exalted above all. Among many brethren, Christ is
the firstborn. He is the firstborn of every
creature, the beginning of the creation of God. That is, all
creation flows from him, the governor of the universe. He's
the firstborn from the dead, the first one to rise from the
grave by virtue of his own merit and his own power. And being
the firstborn, he's the pledge of all the others. The firstborn
is mine, that means they're all mine. They're all mine, the firstborn. Bring the firstfruits, the firstfruits
to God. How come? To declare that all
the fruits are mine. Now then, in order to bring us
into the unsearchable riches of his grace and his glorious
kingdom, the Son of God was made to be the poorest of men. Mary
came to offer according to the law. But the law required that
in order for her to come and offer a sacrifice for purification,
she must offer a lamb of the first year for a burnt-off rib,
and a pigeon or a turtle dove for a sin-off rib. You can read
it in the book of Leviticus. But there was an allowance made
for the poor, for the very poor. If you couldn't afford to buy
a lamb, then God said, bring me two turtle doves or two pigeons.
Here our Lord Jesus comes into the temple with his mother and
the scripture tells us That she came to offer a pair of turtle
doves unto the Lord The Lord Jesus Christ Though
he was rich Who can describe the riches of his glory Yet for
our sakes became poor the poorest of men. So poor as to be made
the object of God's just wrath when he was made to be sin. How
come that we through his deep poverty might be made rich as
the sons of God. Now Christ has fulfilled the
law That means he's brought it to its end, and he is to everyone
who believes the end of the law for righteousness. Let us never,
never, never entertain the thoughts of going back to the weak and
beggarly elements of works religion. If you do, you're going to hell. It's just that simple. If you
be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. Our Lord
Jesus Christ, by his example, has given us a great example
to follow. He voluntarily emptied himself
for us. Oh, let us now, with his mind,
voluntarily, continually empty ourselves, give of ourselves
for one another, for the glory of God. Amen. Menzie, let's sing
205, free from the law, O happy condition. And we'll have the
deacons come and serve the Lord's table for us.