Would you turn back to Mark 8? I've entitled the message for
this evening, The Imperatives of the Gospel. Notice in verse 31, and he began
to teach them that the son of man Must. It's necessary. It's imperative. The son of man must suffer many
things. He must be rejected of the scribes
and the chief priests and the elders. He must be killed. It's absolutely necessary that
he be killed. And he must, it's imperative
that he must rise from the dead. Now, the reason things are necessary
is because they are all a part of the divine decree. There's
one decree that God has made and it covers Everything. And that is why everything is
necessary. Whatever God has decreed in eternity
is necessary to take place in time. Now, I love that scripture
in Proverbs chapter 16, verse 33. The lot is cast into the
lap. Now, when we think of casting
of lots, we think of luck, we think of happenstance, we think
of chance, we think what's gonna happen. The lot is cast into
the lap, The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Whatever happened to you today,
there is necessity in it. It must take place because it's
all part of God's all wise decree. That's true with regard to everything
in providence. You know, if you say, well, God
doesn't care about this, you can't leave anything out. I've
heard people say, you think God cares who wins a ball game? I
don't know, but he's in control of it. He is in control of it. He's in something that unimportant. He's in control of everything.
Doesn't matter what it is. There is a necessity to it. Now, look what's said of the
Lord. In verse 31, He began to teach
them that the Son of Man must. It's absolutely necessary. It
is imperative. It cannot be anything but this.
The Son of Man must suffer many things. He must be rejected of
the elders and the scribes and the Pharisees. There's a necessity
to it. He must be killed. There's an absolute necessity
to it. It's imperative, and He must be He must rise from the
dead. Now, the only incident we have
of the childhood of the Lord Jesus Christ is when he said,
I must be about my father's business. The same word, it is necessary. It is imperative that I be about
my father's business. Early in his ministry, in John
chapter four, there's a scripture that says, he must needs go through
Samaria. It was absolutely necessary.
You see, one of his elect was there and it was purpose before
time began that that's where he would go to meet one of his
people. He must needs go through Samaria. He's going through Jericho. on
the way to Jerusalem to be crucified. And he looks up at that man in
the tree that was there to see him, Zacchaeus. He said, Zacchaeus,
make haste, for today I must. It's absolutely imperative. I must abide at thy house. I love the passage of scripture
in John chapter three, verse 14, where the Lord said, as Moses
lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, talking about his
crucifixion, that great type, as Moses lifted up the serpent
in the wilderness, even so must the son of man. It's absolutely
necessary. It's imperative that the son
of man be lifted up. He said in John chapter 10 verses
15 and 16, I lay down my life for the sheep. Other sheep I
have which are not of this fold and them also I must bring. Aren't you glad he must bring
his sheep? And there shall be one fold and
one shepherd. They shall hear my voice. Luke chapter 22 verse seven.
Before the last supper, then cometh, the scripture says, then
cometh the day of the unleavened bread where the Passover must
be killed. The Lord was killed on Passover
day and the Passover must be killed. When they came to arrest
Christ, Peter tried to protect him and he swung at the high
priest's servant. He ducked and he cut off his
ear. and the Lord picked up his ear and put it back on him and
healed him. And he made this statement. Thinkest thou not that I cannot
pray to my father and he will presently give me more than 12
legions of angels? Now, look at the damage one angel
can do. Remember when the angel judged
Israel, when David Numbered the people, just that one angel,
50 some thousand people killed, 12,000 angels. But then, how shall the scriptures
be fulfilled that thus it must be? It is absolutely necessary
that it be. In Luke chapter 22, verse 37,
shortly before his death, he said, for I say unto you that
that which is written must yet be accomplished in me. And he
quotes Isaiah 53. This is what must be accomplished.
He was reckoned among the transgressors. That must be. I must be reckoned
among the transgressors. After his resurrection, John
chapter 20 verse nine, after his resurrection, the disciples
didn't understand what was going on. They should have, but they
didn't. And John 29 says, for as yet they knew not the scriptures
that he must rise from the dead. It was imperative. It was absolutely
necessary. that he rise from the dead. And this is a quotation from
Psalm 16 that's used both by Peter on the day of Pentecost
and Paul and his message on Acts chapter 13. For thou will not
leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thy holy one
to see corruption. Would you turn with me for a
moment to Luke chapter 24? I'd like you to look at these. Verse six, this is the angel
speaking. He's not here, but is risen. Remember how he spake unto you
when he was yet in Galilee saying, the son of man must. There it
is. The son of man must be delivered
into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and the third
day rise again. Look in verse 25 of the same
chapter. Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to
believe all that the prophets have spoken. Ought not, and there
is the same word that's been translated must, same exact word. Is there not necessity? Is it
not imperative? Ought not Christ to have suffered
these things? Was there not a necessity to
it? And to enter into his glory. Look in verse 44. And he said unto them, this is
after the resurrection. And he said unto them, these
are the words which I spake unto you while I was yet with you,
that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law
of Moses and in the prophets and in the Psalms concerning
me. And then in verse 46, and he said unto them, thus it's
written, and thus it behooved Christ. And that word is the
same word must, or necessary, It's imperative, thus it behooved. It was absolutely necessary for
Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day,
that repentance and remission of sin should be preached in
his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. Now, when Peter
stood before the Sanhedrin, when they said, what name are you
doing this in? What gives you the right to do
this? What name, in what name was this man healed? And he was
speaking concerning the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And
he said, neither is there salvation in any other for there is none
other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be
saved. It is absolutely necessary. It is imperative that everybody
he died for must be saved. Now in Paul's preaching, We read
in Acts chapter 17 verse two that this was the manner of his
preaching. This was what he was always preaching. Here's the
manner of his preaching. Opening and alleging that Christ
must needs have suffered and risen again from the dead and
the Jesus whom I preach unto you is Christ. I love this, in
1 Corinthians 15, we have the, I suppose, the most formal definition
of the gospel in all the word of God. It begins with, moreover,
brethren, I declare unto you the gospel, and it ends with
these words. He must reign. It's absolutely necessary. It's imperative. He must reign. Now let's go back to our text
in Mark chapter eight. And he began to teach them that
the Son of Man must suffer many things. He must be rejected of
the elders and the chief priests and the scribes. He must be killed. After three days, he must rise
again. And he spake that saying openly. Now he'd said it before, but
I don't think the disciples caught on. As a matter of fact, you'll
read where he told them what was gonna happen and they questioned
what the resurrection of the dead should mean. But at this
time, Peter heard something. He heard something very clearly
about what the Lord was saying, about how he was going to suffer,
that he was going to be rejected, that he was going to be killed.
And the third day, he was going to rise from the dead. And in
Matthew's account, Peter said, be it far from thee, O Lord. Lord, this shall not be unto
thee. And my marginal reading says,
pity yourself. Don't put yourself through this.
Why in the world would you do this? And then we have the Lord saying
this to Peter, and it was a stronger rebuke than he gave to anybody
else, including the scribes and the Pharisees. He looked at the
disciples to make sure they were listening, and he looked at Peter,
and he rebuked him, and he said, get thee behind me, Satan. For thou savorest not the things
that be of God, but the things that be of men. Now that is the
strongest rebuke in the scriptures. Peter, you're wanting to stop
the cross? God's purpose for all things? The reason he created the universe?
The reason he decreed the fall of Adam, the way he's going to
make himself known, God's revelation of himself, his full disclosure
of himself, is seen in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's
God's eternal purpose. And you want to stop it? Get
thee behind me, Satan. You have a savor for the things
of men, but you have no savor, you have no mind, You have no
heart for the things of God. Remember, that which is highly
esteemed among men, what's the Lord say? It's an abomination
in the sight of God. Now in this verse of scripture,
he gives four imperatives, four absolute necessities that must
take place Four binding musts that must take place if you and
I are to be saved. He must suffer many things. He
must be rejected of the elders and the chief priests and scribes.
He must be killed, and after three days, he must be raised
from the dead. Now, I suppose Peter meant well
when he's telling him, don't do this, Lord, pity yourself.
You don't wanna go through this. I mean, you're the son of God,
you're the Christ. You can have men treating you
like this as if it wasn't all under his sovereign control.
I'm sure Peter meant well, but there has never been a rebuke
like this rebuke to Peter. Now, the first thing is he must
suffer many things. Turn with me for a moment to
Psalm 88. Now remember, the only way to
read the Psalms first is to read them as the words of our Lord
Jesus Christ. And he is describing his own
experience. And look what he says in Psalm
88. He says in verse 15, I am afflicted
and ready to die from my youth up. While I suffer thy terrors,
I'm distracted. Thy fierce wrath goes over me.
Thy terrors cut me off. Now, as soon as I don't know
how this works, how the Lord, when he was born, what kind of
consciousness he had. I don't know any of that. I don't know who does. But I
do know this. As soon as he understood what
was taking place, which maybe he always did, I don't know.
But he said, I've been afflicted from my youth. Every day he had
the cross pressing upon him. Every day he had the knowledge
that his father was going to forsake him and that he was going
to be made sin. Every day that was before him,
he's truly the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He
had that pressing on him every day. Now you think of the sorrows
that he experienced I think of him saying, if it be possible,
in Gethsemane's garden, if it be possible. He knew it wasn't. How does he say something like
that? I don't know, but he does. If it be possible, let this cup
pass from me. the thought of drinking in the
sins of His people, the thought of being made sin, the thought
of being forsaken by His Father, at that time He sweat great drops
of blood and said, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Was it possible? No. Nevertheless, not my will, but
Thine be done. I think of the suffering of his
betrayal. Psalm 2018, the son of man shall
be betrayed. Have you ever been betrayed? Oh, the pain of betrayal. Judas, betrayest thou the son
of man with a kiss? This was prophesied in Psalm
41, 9. Yea, mine own familiar friend,
whom I trusted, Now, somebody says, how could that be if the
Lord knew all along that he was going to be the traitor? I don't
know. I don't understand this. But
I know it says, my own familiar friend whom I trusted, which
did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel. Listen to this psalm,
Psalm 55, verse 12. For it was not an enemy that
reproached me, then I could have borne it. Neither was it he that
hated me that did magnify himself against me, then I would have
hid myself from him. But it was thou, a man mine equal,
my guide and mine acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together
and walked into the house of God in company. What pain that
betrayal caused and created. You think of the suffering of
mocking and ridicule that he experienced even while he's nailed
to the cross. People are making fun of him.
People are making wisecracks about him, even while he's hanging
on the cross. I can't even imagine the physical
pain of being nailed to a cross and all the things that he went
through, the suffering involved there. But here was his suffering. My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me? He was really and truly forsaken
by the Father. And let me say this, there's
one reason why me and you aren't forsaken, because he was. And he experienced, there's no
way I could even begin to understand what he experienced when he was
forsaken. But oh, the sufferings of the
Savior. He must suffer many things. It's absolutely necessary that
he suffer many things. And then secondly, he said he
must be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes. You see, one of the things that
the gospel does is it exposes the wickedness of man's religion. It exposes the wickedness of
works religion. Works religion turned their thumbs
down on him and rejected him. Turn with me to Matthew 21. Matthew
21. Verse 33, hear another parable. There's a certain householder
which planted a vineyard and hedged it around about and dig
the wine press in it and built a tower and let it out the husband
and went into a far country. And when the time of the fruit
drew near, he sent his servants to the husband that they might
receive the fruits of it. And the husband took his servants
and beat one and killed another and stoned another. And again,
what patience, what long-suffering. No one would be like this but
him. He sent other servants, more than the first, and they
did unto them likewise. But last of all, he sent to them
his sons, saying, they'll reverence my son. But when the husbandmen
saw the son, they said among themselves, this is the heir,
come, let us kill him, let us seize on his inheritance. And
they caught him and cast him out of the vineyard and slew
him. When the Lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what
will he do to those husbands? They said, he'll miserably destroy
those wicked husbands. He'll let his vineyard out into
other husbands, which shall render their fruits and their seasons.
Jesus saith unto them, did you never read in the scriptures,
the stone which the builders The scribes, the Pharisees, the
chief priests, the elders, the stones which the builders rejected,
the same has become the head of the corner. This is the Lord's
doing and it's marvelous in our eyes. Turn to 1 Peter chapter
two. 1 Peter chapter two, beginning
in verse four. To whom coming. That's a description of the life
of the believer. To whom coming. As unto a living stone, disallowed,
rejected, indeed of men, but chosen of God. and precious. You also, as living stones are
built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual
sacrifices acceptable unto God by Jesus Christ, wherefore also
it's contained in the scripture, behold, I lay in Zion, a chief
cornerstone, elect, precious, and he that believeth on him
shall not be confounded, unto you therefore which believe.
He is precious. But unto them which be disobedient,
the stone which the builders disallowed, rejected upon examination,
they said, we don't want this. The same is made the head of
the corner, and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, even to
them which stumble at the word, being disobedient. whereunto
also they were appointed. Somebody says, what in the world
does that mean? Exactly what it says. And he
must be rejected by the scribes and the Pharisees and so on. Now to fail to believe the gospel
is to be a participant in the rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ. But this is all part of his eternal
purpose. Now here's the third thing that is so amazing to think
about this. And it's so, well, he must be
killed. He must suffer many things. He
must be rejected by human religion. And he must be It's absolutely
necessary, it's imperative that he be killed. Now, the first thing that comes
to my mind as to why he must be killed is because that's exactly
what I deserve. That's what would happen to me.
had he not taken my place. But he must be killed first of
all, because it's the eternal purpose of God. Revelation chapter
13, verse eight. You know, I hope I won't be ashamed,
it won't bother me if I quote this verse of scripture every
time I preach. Christ is the lamb slain, the
lamb having been slain, from the foundation of the world. This is God's eternal purpose,
for him to be slain. Now, I was listening to somebody
preach recently, and he made this statement. He talked about
those who put an undue emphasis on an obscure scripture, and
he quoted Revelation 13.8, and he talked about people teaching
that Salvation was accomplished before the foundation of the
world, and he got that from an obscure scripture in the book
of Revelation. Well, I'll tell you what, wouldn't
you like to be counted guilty of being one of those people?
That's glorious. He must be killed. It's God's purpose. As the lamb
slain from the foundation of the world, he must be killed.
I love what Peter said. He looked at the murders of Christ,
And he said, him being delivered by the determinate counsel and
foreknowledge of God. The only reason you got him and
killed him because he was delivered by the determinate counsel and
foreknowledge of God and you have taken. and with wicked hands
have crucified and slain. God was absolutely sovereign,
is absolutely sovereign, and you're absolutely responsible
for your actions. But I love the way he begins
that sermon. You know, the Jews said to Pilate
in John chapter 19, verse 7, we have a law, and by our law,
he ought to die. It's necessary that he die. It's
imperative that he die. because he made himself the son
of God. And when Pilate heard that, the
scripture says he was the more afraid. He must be killed. He must be killed. And get this,
he must be killed because he was guilty. He really was guilty. You know
the reason he opened not his mouth when he was before Pilate?
Guilty as charged. He wasn't making excuses for
himself. He really was guilty. He was guilty of the commission
of those sins. Somebody says, are you saying
he sinned? He knew no sin. Even when he was made sin, he
didn't sin as far as the committing a sin. People have accused us
of saying that, nothing can be further than the truth. He never
sinned, but he was guilty of the commission of sin. If he
wasn't, God would have not been just in killing him. He was guilty,
and he was getting exactly what he deserved. You see, he was
made sin. For he hath made him sin, who
knew no sin. that we might be made the righteousness
of God in him. Now, I've already quoted this
scripture once, but remember the scripture says that it must
be fulfilled that he was numbered with the transgressors. Who did
the numbering? God did. God numbered him as
the transgressors, and that's why he must be killed. The wages of sin is death, and
when he was made sin, The justice of God demanded his death. You see, the Passover must be
killed. I love that hymn. We don't have
this verse in our hymn book. But tis mystery all. This is
for man, can it be? "'Tis mystery all, the immortal
dies. "'Who can explain his strange
design? "'In vain the firstborn seraph
tries "'to sound the depths of love divine. "'Tis mercy all,
let earth adore. "'Let angel minds inquire no
more.'" It is finished. He bowed his head. He gave up
the ghost because he must be killed. But here's my favorite
point. Back to our text, Mark 8. After three days, he must rise
again. He must rise from the dead. Why? Well, I can give you some real
good reasons. First, because scriptures must
be fulfilled. Scripture said this is exactly what's gonna
take place. The scriptures must be fulfilled. There is never
a scripture that goes unfulfilled. God wrote it. He purposed it.
The Lord said, the sign of Jonah, three days in, three days out. He must rise from the dead. on the third day. He must be
raised from the dead because sin was put away. My sin, oh, the bliss of this
glorious thought. My sin, not in part, but the
whole, has been nailed to the cross. He bore our sins in his
own body on the tree, and beloved, he put them away. There's no sin to condemn me
for. There's no sin for Him to stay dead for. Because He made
it not to be. Now that sin that you feel heavy
over, it's not. It's not. If He died for you,
you have no sin. You have no guilt. He must be
raised because God's law demands it. Justice demands it. He must be raised because full
satisfaction was made. There's no reason for Him to
stay dead. God is satisfied with what He did. His Father is satisfied
with what He did. He is satisfied with what He
did. It says, he shall see the travail
of his soul and be satisfied. God the Holy Spirit is satisfied
with what he did. He's satisfied to take the gospel
and give life because of the satisfaction of the Lord Jesus
Christ. I'm satisfied with what he did. I'm not looking for anything
else complete in the Lord Jesus Christ. He shall see the travail
of his soul and be satisfied. He must be raised because not
only was he the lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
You reckon he stayed dead before time began and just lay there
dead? Well, you know that's foolishness, isn't it? He's also the lamb
raised from the very foundation of the world. It is literally
the lamb having been slain. But he's not slain anymore. He's
raised. Therefore, he must be raised
from the dead. He must be raised from the dead
to make intercession for his people. Who is he that condemneth? It's Christ that died, yea, rather
that's risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who
also maketh intercession for us. I have prayed for you. Father, forgive them. And everybody he prayed for was
forgiven. Hebrews 7.25 says, wherefore
he is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God
by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. He must be raised because he
must reign. You see, a dead Christ can't
reign, can he? He must be raised to reign over all as he's seated
at the right hand of the Father. And he must be raised because
he is coming again as a mighty, victorious conqueror. He must be raised. And everybody he died for must
be saved. It's imperative. It's absolutely
necessary that everybody he died for must be saved. I love saying this. Ain't gonna
be anybody in hell that he died for. No, sir. He accomplished
their salvation. And now, I'm so thankful for
the imperatives of the gospel. No condemnation. Now I dread,
I am my Lord's and he is mine. Alive in him, my living head,
and clothed in righteousness divine. Let's pray. Lord, how we give thanks for
the musts of thy glorious gospel. Lord, how we praise you for the
musts of your glorious gospel. And Lord, how we rest in the
musts of your glorious gospel. Lord, take this message and bless
it for your glory and for our good. In Christ's name we pray,
amen. Mac, could you come lead us in
the closing hymn?