In verse 15 of Matthew chapter
three, the Lord said to John the Baptist,
for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Am I included in that us? Are you included in that us? You see, this verse of scripture
is essential to an understanding of the gospel of God's grace.
I've entitled this message, Who is Us? Was the Lord referring to us
when he, who is the Lord referring to as us when he answered John
the Baptist's hesitation to baptize him? Was he referring only to
John the Baptist? Thus it becometh us, me and you,
to fulfill all righteousness. And let me answer that question
by asking another question. Was John the Baptist a sinner
like me and you, or was he somehow different? The answer to that question really
is essential in understanding the gospel and what the Lord
meant by this statement. Was John the Baptist different
from me and you when he says, thus it becometh us to fulfill
all righteousness is he saying, we're to do this, John, me and
you in a collaborative effort to fulfill all righteousness. Was John the Baptist a sinner
like you and I are? It's hard to say he is, but he
is. He is. As blessed as this man was. He is the one who appeared to
the Lord with the Lord up with Moses on the Mount of Transfiguration.
He was filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother's womb. He was
foretold in Old Testament scriptures. The Lord said regarding this
man, I say unto you that among them born of women there hath
not risen a greater than John the Baptist. There's never been
a greater man born of woman than John the Baptist. That's how
special this man was. Was he included in there's none
righteous? No, not one. Was he included in that description?
When God saw the wickedness of man was great in the earth and
that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only
evil continually. Was John in that group? When
Jeremiah described the heart as desperately wicked, deceitful
above all things, would that describe John's heart naturally? Now I know he was filled with
the Holy Ghost from his mother's womb. But would he be included
in that group? Was he saying to John the Baptist,
you do your part and I'll do mine and thus we'll get it done. We'll fulfill all righteousness. Do not forget that where there
is an us, there is a them. Us and them. Listen to this scripture from
Luke chapter 16 verse 26. Let me say ahead of time, I am
going to quote, I bet 30 scriptures tonight. I'm not going to ask
you to turn to them. If you want to take a pencil and write them
down, you can do that, but I'm not going to ask you to turn
to them, but I'm going to quote a lot of scripture tonight with
regard to this message. Abraham said to the rich man
in hell in Luke chapter 16 verse 26, Between us and you, there
is a great gulf fixed. This great gulf will not be taken
away so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot. Neither can they pass to us which
would come from this. Us and them. Who is this us that the Lord
speaks of? Who's meant by the pronoun us
and what does he mean by thus it becometh us to fulfill all
righteousness? Well, I can answer that question
real easily. By us, the Lord meant all those
that are united to him. Now I do want you to turn to
this verse of scripture, John chapter 17. These are the people he was talking
about when he says, thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. In verse nine, he says, I pray
for them. I pray not for the world. But
for them which thou hast given me, for they are thine. Now look in verse 20. Neither pray I for these alone.
When he says, I pray not for the world, but for them which
you've given me, he's telling us, I'm not just talking about
the 12. Neither pray I for these alone,
but for them also, which shall believe on me through their word. He's talking about me and you
tonight. that they all may be one as thou father art in me
and I in thee that they also may be one in us that the world
may believe that thou hast sent me and the glory which thou gavest
me I've given them every single one of them. that they may be
one, even as we are one. I in them, and thou in me, that
they may be made perfect in one, that the world may know that
thou hast sent me, and thou hast loved them as thou hast loved
me. Now these represent the us that
the Lord speaks of and he says with regard to this group us
the Lord has loved every one of them with the same love he's
loved his son with. Now that's the Lord saying that
I wouldn't believe that be afraid to say it if I wasn't in the
Bible. But it says, thou has loved them as thou has loved
me. Now the Bible gives us a clear
illustration of what this means when Christ fulfilled all righteousness,
all righteousness. Every believer fulfilled all
righteousness. when Jesus Christ fulfilled all
righteousness. Todd Nybert fulfilled all righteousness. If you're a believer, you put
your name there. This is you that fulfilled all
righteousness. Now in Genesis 14, we read the
story of Abraham delivering Lot. Lot was carried off. Abraham
took 318 armed servants and went and destroyed five kings to get
him back. Brings him back. And you'll remember the story,
the king of Sodom said, give me the people, you can keep the
goods. Abraham said, I won't take a shoelace from you, unless
you say I've made Abraham rich. I've lifted by hand the Lord
of heaven. But remember who met him at that
time? Melchizedek. Priest of the Most High God. And he blessed Abraham at that
time. And he brought him bread and
wine. And that's one of the reasons I have no doubt that Melchizedek
was the Lord Jesus Christ himself. We're gonna read about him in
just a moment. But it said that Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek. 10% of what he got was given
to Melchizedek. And this was before the giving
of the law. Now let's read the New Testament
commentary on this in Hebrews chapter seven. Verse one, for this Melchizedek,
king of Salem, priest, of the most high God who met Abraham
returning from the slaughter of the Kings and blessed him
to whom also Abraham gave a 10th part of all first being by interpretation,
the King of righteousness. And after that also King of Salem,
which is King of peace. I love the way it says his first
King of righteousness that must first be established. After that,
king of peace. If Christ is my righteousness,
he's the king of righteousness. He's my peace. He's the king
of peace. Now let's go on reading. Without father, without mother,
without descent, having neither beginning of days
nor end of life. but made like unto the Son of
God, abideth the priest continually." Melchizedek's still a priest.
He abides continually. Who else had no beginning of
days? No end of his life? That's the
Lord Jesus Christ. I've heard people say, well,
it says he's made like unto the Son of God. So evidently he wasn't
the Son of God. Well, Didn't Nebuchadnezzar say,
I see one like unto the son of God in the fire? Did he mean
he's not really the son of God, he's just like him? No, that's
the language of scripture. John said, I saw one like unto
the son of man, he saw the son of man. That's the language used
here, scriptural language. Without father, without mother,
without descent, having neither beginning of days nor end of
life, but made like unto the son of God, abideth the priest
continually. Now consider how great this man
was. I like the way the was is in italics. Now consider how
great this man is, was, is, and always will be. Consider the
greatness of this man Melchizedek, unto whom even the patriarch
Abraham gave the 10th of the spoils. And verily, they that
are of the sons of Levi, who received the office of the priesthood
have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the
law that is of their brethren, though they come out of the loins
of Abraham, but he whose descent is not counted from them." They
don't know where his descent came from yet. He received tithes of Abraham
and blessed him that had the promises and without all contradiction.
This is not controversial. The less is blessed of the better.
Oh, Melchizedek, the better. Blessed Abraham, the less. If I'm blessed, it's the Lord
Jesus Christ, the greater blessing me, the less. And that's the
way his blessing works. Now let's go on reading, verse
eight. And here men that die receives tithes, but there he
receiveth them, of whom is witness that he liveth." He still does
live, he never died. He died, but he was raised from
the dead and he lives, this Melchizedek. Verse nine, and as I may so say,
Levi also. Now, Levi was the great grandson
of Abraham. Levi had not yet been born. when
Abraham paid these tithes, but listen to the language of the
scripture and this will be the commentary on what the Lord meant
by, thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Verse 9, and
as I may so say, Levi also who received tithes paid tithes in
Abraham for he was yet in the loins of his father when Melchizedek
met him." Now notice it does not say it was as if he received
or as if he paid those tithes, it does not say paying tithes
was credited to his account, it doesn't say paying tithes
was imputed to him, it says he paid tithes. when Abraham did. When Jesus
Christ performed all righteousness, I literally performed all righteousness. Thus, it becometh us to fulfill
all righteousness. What Abraham did, he did All
that Christ did, those united to Him did when Christ fulfilled
all righteousness, they fulfilled all righteousness and that's
what baptism depicts. When Christ lived, I was in Him,
I lived. When He kept the law, I was in
Him, I kept the law. I personally did it just like
Levi personally paid those tithes before he was born because he
was in the loins of Abraham. I was in Christ. When Christ
kept the law, I kept the law. When Christ performed perfect
righteousness, I performed perfect righteousness. Who is the us? was the same us Paul talked about
when he said, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ who had blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly
places in Christ according as he has chosen us in him before
the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without
blame before him in love having predestinated us unto the adoption
of children by Jesus Christ Himself, according to the good pleasure
of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein
He hath made us accepted." Highly favored, highly graced in the
Beloved. Matthew 123, Thou shalt call
His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is God with us. The same us who fulfilled all
righteousness when Jesus Christ fulfilled all righteousness.
When Luke introduces the gospel of Luke, he tells us that he's
setting forth in order a declaration of those things which are most
surely believed among us. Every one of these us's surely
believes this declaration. All of the us believe these things.
Paul used the pronoun so extensively and he's using the us the same
way the Lord used it in our text. God commended his love toward
us in the while we were yet sinners. Christ died for us. For what the law could not do,
and that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own
Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned
sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled
in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Now, does that mean that by the
Spirit, I'm enabled personally to keep the law? Well, you know
it doesn't mean that. Those who walk after the Spirit
are those included in that us who look to Christ only as their
righteousness before God. That's what it is to walk in
the Spirit. It's to look to Christ only. Romans 8, 26, for we know not
what we should pray for as we ought. You ever been there? Don't
even know what to pray for. But listen to this. But the Spirit
himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot
be uttered. God understands the language.
Romans 8, 31, if God be for us. Who can be against us? He that spared not his own son
for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us
all things? Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It's God that justifieth. Who
is he that can condemn? It's Christ that died, yea, that's
rather that's risen again, who's even at the right hand of God,
who also maketh intercession for us. This is the us that he
speaks of. 1 Corinthians 1.18, the preaching
of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but unto
us which are saved. It is the power. of God, the preaching of the
cross, the doctrine of the cross, the word of the cross, Jesus
Christ nailed to a cross, glorifying his father, making known every
attribute of God, completely saving his people to us. That's
the power of God unto salvation to every us. That's you see,
all the us have all things in common with regard to the gospel. First Corinthians 130, of him are you in Christ Jesus,
who of God is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification,
and redemption. Now, do you hear what that is
saying? Jesus Christ is made to every individual of this group
called us wisdom. I sure don't feel very wise.
But God counts me to have the wisdom to have fellowship and
communion with Him. He's made unto me righteousness.
He is my personal righteousness before God. He's made unto me
sanctification. He is my holiness. He is my,
I'm holy in Him. He is my redemption. He is my
full deliverance. He's made unto us wisdom. righteousness, sanctification,
redemption. First Corinthians 2, 12 says,
now we've received not the spirit of the world, but the spirit,
which is of God, that we might know the things freely given
us of God. 1 Corinthians 15, 57, now thanks
be unto God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus
Christ. I hate it when I hear somebody
refer to somebody living a defeated Christian life. There's no such
thing. He giveth us the victory through
our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 2, 14, Thanks be
unto God, which always causes us to triumph in Christ. Always. I don't care how, well,
you just sang about it. If I got trouble, I have peace,
because I always triumph in the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians
5, 21, for he hath made him sin for us. who knew no sin, that
we might be made the righteousness of God in him." That's what the
Lord meant when he said, thus it becometh us to fulfill all
righteousness. Galatians 3.13, Christ hath redeemed
us. from the curse of the law being made a curse for us, for
it's written, cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree. I was
hanging on the tree with him, so was every other us. Paul said,
I'm crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live, yet not
I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life that I now live in the
flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me
and gave himself for me. Ephesians 1 9 having made known
to us the mystery of his will Now I love this. I I love how
everything that God reveals is mystery It's not something I
figure out and I can grasp. Can you grasp the Trinity that
we love, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit?
That's mystery. What a mystery is, is something
we would have never known had not God made it known in His
Word. And how we bow before the mystery
of the scripture. I'm so glad it's mysterious.
I'm so glad for the mystery of the Bible. You know, if I could
Grasp it, there just wouldn't be much to it. I love the mystery
of scripture. 2nd Timothy 1 9, listen to this,
He saved us and He called us with a 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. Hebrews 6.19 says, the forerunner
is for us entered. And that's talking about him
entering within the veil. We have him as an anchor of the
soul entering within the veil. The forerunner is entered for
us. Even Jesus made a high priest
forever after the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 9.24, for Christ is not
entered into the holy place made with hands, which are figures
of the true, but into heaven itself now. Right now, while
I'm talking to you, right now, He's in heaven itself to appear
in the presence of God for us. I repeat, this is the same us
the Lord referred to in our text. 2 Peter 1.3. His divine power
hath given us all things which pertain to life and godliness. Listen to me. You got it. Whatever
it is that pertains to life and godliness, you have it. You're complete in Him. There's
nothing you're without. You have it in Christ Jesus.
He's given to us exceeding great and precious promises. The Lord is not slack concerning
His promise, as some men count slackness but as longsuffering
to who? usward, not willing that any
should perish, but that all should come to repentance, to this complete
change of mind concerning who he is, who we are, and how he's
saved by Christ Jesus alone. He's not willing for any of us
to perish. Therefore, we will not perish.
He's willing that all come to repentance. Therefore, we will
all come to repentance. Verse John 3.1, Behold, what
manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should
be called the children of God. Therefore the world knoweth us
not. They don't get it. I don't expect
them to. I want to preach the gospel to
every creature. I want to be a fisher of men.
I want us all to be fishers of men, to seek to preach the gospel
to everybody, everybody that has breath, the breath of life.
But I understand this, nobody's going to get it unless they're
one of the us. And if they're an us, they will understand. First John chapter three, verse
23. And this is His commandment, that we should believe on the
name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another as He gave
us commandment. You see, all of these us, He's
given a commandment to. And what is this commandment
He's given them to? To believe on the name of His Son. I do
that. I believe I'm the name of His
Son. I'm going to be brought into heaven because of the name
of His Son. He is my salvation. And I love
everyone who loves Him. I do. He commanded me to, He
commanded all of us to, and all of us does this. First John 4, 9 and 10, and this
was manifested, the love of God toward us. that God sent his
only begotten son into the world that we might live through him.
Herein is love, not that we love God, but that he loved us and
sent his son to be the propitiation for our sin. First John 4, verse 19, we love
Him because He first loved us. You see, His love is not going
to go unreciprocated. Everybody He loves, they're going
to love Him in return, and they're going to love Him for who He
is. We love Him because we know this,
so Truly, we love Him because He first loved us. Revelation chapter 1 verse 5
says, Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in
His own blood, and made us kings and priests to God, to Him be
glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Thus it becometh
us." Think of the statement and remember you were included in
that. Think about that. Meditate on it. You were included
in that. You see everybody that's included
in that us, they fulfilled all righteousness. I have already
fulfilled all righteousness. Now, who is the us? Collectively, The elect. Amen. The elect. That's who fulfilled
all righteousness. That's the us. Individually,
the us is all of those individuals who see the only way they could
fulfill all righteousness is if they were in him when he fulfilled
all righteousness. Do you see that about yourself?
The only way you could fulfill all righteousness is if you fulfilled
all righteousness the same way old Levi paid tithes. When Levi paid those tithes,
he wasn't even born yet. Yet, when his great-grandfather
Abraham paid those tithes, he paid those tithes. When Christ
fulfilled all righteousness, every believer fulfilled completely
All righteousness and all of the us stand before God as having
already fulfilled all righteousness. You are complete in Him. If you look to Christ only as
your personal righteousness, you are in the us. That's the place I want to be.
Let's pray. Lord, how we thank you for the
mystery of the gospel. How we thank you that when your
son fulfilled all righteousness, everyone in him fulfilled all
righteousness. Lord, teach us by your spirit. to rest in Him as our righteousness
before you and to have the joy and peace of knowing that we're
complete in Him. Lord, bless this message for
your glory and our good. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.