We certainly had a good time
in Nashville this weekend. I thought the Lord blessed the
meeting. I'm awful glad being back with you. We're so happy
having Fred and Cheryl. Why am I forgetting your last
name? Evans. I said Savage. Well, Fred Savage
is a, that's a, that's that actor on, on. Okay. I said Fred Savage. He's pastor of Redeemer Baptist
Church, a dear friend, and we're glad to have you all here with
us. Fred Savage, I'll remember that. Fred Evans. Luke chapter 2. Would you believe I've actually
forgotten my own name before? It actually happened. I remember
I was in the car and I could not remember what my name was. That lets you all know how weird
I am, I reckon. That's true. I'm not exaggerating
that. I went 15 minutes just like trying to guess what it
might be. Who am I? There is silence shrouded around
the first 30 years of the life of our Lord. Thirty years he
lived, and we're just not given much information about it. What
would it have been like to have God, the God-man, growing up,
increasing in wisdom and stature in favor with God and men? And one of the things that I
think is very amazing about thinking about this is his brothers and
sisters grew up with him and they didn't get it. They could
not see who he was. They were critical of him, and
they thought he was crazy when he made these statements about
himself. That reminds me, every time we
desire for someone to see Christ in us, and we should desire for
people to see Christ in us, I want to remind you, they didn't see
Christ in Christ. They really didn't. They couldn't
see any glory in him. But the Lord did, in his mercy,
give us one event that took place when our Lord was twelve years
old. And we find the first recorded statement of our Lord in verse
forty-nine of Luke, chapter two. And he said unto them, How is
it that you sought me? Wist ye not that I must be about
my father's business? Now, the Lord says this to his
mother after they had searched for him for three days. And you
can imagine what anguish they were in. They thought they'd
lost him. They didn't know what had taken place. Three days they
were searching, searching for him sorrowfully. And they finally
found him and his reply. was almost a rebuke. Why did
you seek me? You know who I am. And they did. They knew he was the Son of God. Why did you seek me? Don't you
know that I must be about my Father's business? Martin Luther said regarding
this verse, the whole Bible is in it. And it is, isn't it? Don't you know that I must, it
is absolutely necessary that I be about my Father's business. Just what is His Father's business? Now, when our Lord came into
this world, For before he came into this world, the angels told
Mary and Joseph that his name shall be called Jesus, for he
shall save his people from their sins. Now there you have the
Father's business. The Lord came for this purpose,
to do His Father's business, to save His people from their
sins, and oh, how I want to be his people, and how I want to
be saved from my sins. We sang this morning in that,
I can't remember what the name of the hymn is, but I love that
line where sin and sense molest no more. I want to be saved from
my sins. I don't want to be molested by
my sins. anymore, and that's why we look
forward to glory, but that's what our Lord came for. He came
to save His people from their sins. Salvation is of the Lord. Did you know that salvation is
older than creation? Think about that. Christ is called
in Revelation chapter 13, verse 8, the Lamb slain from the foundation
of the world. Salvation is older than creation. God is altogether glorious. What is His glory? Do you remember
when Moses said, I beseech thee, show me thy glory? And he said,
I'll make all my goodness to pass before you. I'll proclaim
the name of the Lord before you, and I will be gracious to whom
I will be gracious. And I will show mercy on whom
I will show mercy. Now, remember who he's talking
about. He's talking about that bunch that had made a golden
calf shortly after the Lord had brought them out of Egypt and
bowed down and worshipped that golden calf and said, These be
thy gods, O Israel, that delivered thee from Egyptian bondage. His
glory is His capacity to save a bunch of people like that.
That's His glory. Now, God is altogether glorious. The divine being. Eternal. He never began to be. Immutable. He never changes. Sovereign. He's the first cause
and control of all things. He's all-powerful and has the
power to make sure His will always comes to pass. He's omniscient. He's never learned anything.
He knows all. All-wise. He's omnipresent. You can't go anywhere where He's
not. He's holy. He's just. Altogether just. Justice and judgment are the
habitation of Thy throne. He's gracious. He does what he
does for his own glory. And to act with any other motive
would be beneath the dignity and the excellency of his character.
Now, if I sought my own glory, it would be sin, wouldn't it?
It would be evil, if that's what I was doing. But it would be
wrong for him to not seek his own glory. It would be wrong
for me to seek my glory, but it would be wrong for him to
not seek his own glory. He is altogether glorious. Now, in eternity past, before
the creation of man, before the creation of angels, all there
was was God in the Trinity of his sacred persons, and he made
all things for his own glory. That was his purpose. Revelation
411 says, Thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure
and for thy glory they are and were created. He made all things
that others might enjoy His glory. I want you to think about that
statement. He does all things for His glory, and He made all
things that folks like me and you can enjoy His glory. Now, He made men. He made man. He made Adam. And
he permitted him to fall. Could he have prevented it? Of
course he could have. Did he? No. Why not? It was all a part of his plan. This was a part of the father's
business. He allowed Adam to fall. He said, in the day you eat thereof,
you shall surely die. He didn't say, if you eat, you'll
die. He said, when you do, You'll
die. He permitted Adam to fall. This was all a part of his divine
plan, all a part of the Father's business. But before the fall,
God said, I'll make man and he shall fall. He shall sin and
rebel against me. And my justice and my holiness
demands the punishment of his sin. And his sin will be punished. But I'm gracious and I'm merciful. And I will save him in a way
that both my justice, my love, and my grace will all be honored,
and I will choose a vast number out of Adam's fallen race, and
I will lay the entire responsibility of their salvation completely
on my son. This all happened before the
world began. This was the Father's business. I think of Genesis 43, verse
9, Judah saying as a surety for Benjamin, which is the same thing
that Christ said as the surety for his elect, I will be surety
for him of my hand. Will thou require him? If I bring
him not before thee, and set him before thee, let me bear
the blame forever." And that's what the Lord did as the surety
of His people. His business was to save the
people the Father gave Him. He was to keep the law for them,
pay for their sins on the cross, and make a way for God to be
just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Christ,
the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, came to do His
Father's business. His Father said, Whom shall I
send, and who shall go for us? And the Son said, Here am I,
send me. He came to do the Father's business. So man was created and fell according
to the divine plan. Who was the voice of God walking
in the cool of the evening that came to Adam? Who was that? That
was the Son doing the Father's business. Christ about His Father's
business. Who was the one who slew the
Lamb and provided them with the covering? That was Christ doing
His Father's business. Adam fell. Adam became dead in
sins, but we don't have to stop there. I'm so thankful. Now, the Lord Jesus, remember,
he said, I must be about my father's business. He made many pre-incarnate
appearances in the Old Testament. Pre-incarnate means that he came
before he became flesh. Now, do I understand that? No.
Somehow he appeared and there he was and he wasn't flesh yet.
But you could see him. Noah saw him. He appeared to
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He appeared to Moses in the burning
bush when he said, I am that I am. He appeared to Joshua as
the captain of the Lord of hosts. He made many pre-incarnate appearances. But around 2,000 years ago, he
became flesh for the first time, doing his father's business. He'd never been flesh before,
but he'll never be not flesh again, the God-man. Paul said in Galatians chapter
4 verse 5, But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth
his Son, he left heaven at this time, made of a woman, made under
the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might
receive the adoption of sons. You see, this was his father's
business. When he came into that womb as
a seed, he was doing the Father's business. When he was in that
womb for nine months, he was doing the Father's business. So for 30 years, he lived under
his Father's eye, keeping God's law perfectly in obscurity. Nobody
knew about him. In obscurity, doing the Father's
business perfectly. He never sinned. And at the end
of his 30 years, his public ministry began. And we just read the only
event we know of, of his first 30 years. But what must it have
been to see the child Jesus grow up? Can you imagine that? It's just dumbfounding to me
to think of Him grow increasing in wisdom and stature in favor
with God and men. Now would you turn with me to
Matthew chapter 3. This is when his public ministry
begins. Verse 13. Then cometh Jesus from Galilee
to Jordan unto John. to be baptized of him. But John
forbade him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest
out of me. Put yourself in John's place.
What if the Lord Jesus Christ came to you and said, I want
you to baptize me? You'd feel pretty awkward, wouldn't you?
Something doesn't look right here. But look at our Lord's
answer. Verse 15, And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be
so now, For thus it becometh us." Everything the Lord did when
he was doing his Father's business, he did as an us. He says to John
the Baptist, thus it becometh us, me and you, and all of my
elect, all who believe, thus it becometh us to fulfill all
righteousness. And that's precisely what he
did. And look what the father said.
Verse 16, "'And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway
out of the water. And, lo, the heavens were opened
unto him. And he saw the Spirit of God
descending like a dove, and lighting upon him. And, lo, a voice from
heaven saying regarding this one who was doing his father's
business, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.'"
He looked at His Son, everything His Son did, and He said, I'm
well pleased. And if you want to know where
the Father is well pleased, I can tell you right now. It's in His
Son. Now remember, in Him coming to
do the Father's business, He came to die. He said, My meat
and drink is to do the will of Him that sent Me. And to finish
his work. And what was the will of him
that said he came to save his people from their sins? He came
to die. He's called the Lamb slain from the foundation of
the world. He came to die. Now, during the middle of his
public ministry, would you turn with me to Matthew chapter 16? Verse 21. From that time forth
began Jesus to show unto his disciples how that he must go
unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders, and chief
priests, and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the
third day. These things must come to pass,
because I have come here to do my Father's business. Now look
at Peter's response. Then Peter took him, and began
to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord. Pity yourself,
Lord. This shall not be to thee. You
don't want to do this. Be it far from thee. Like, we
don't want you to come here to die. This is wrong. He rebuked
the Son of God. But he turned and said unto Peter, This is the same one who he earlier
said, Peter, thou art Peter, and upon this rock, this confession
you've made of me, I'll build my church, and the gates of hell
shall not prevail against it. He said that to Peter just a
few minutes before. But now he looks at this same
man that he commended so highly, and he says, get thee behind
me, Satan. Thou art an offense unto me. For thou savourest not the things
that be of God. Now that word, the things that
be, that's the same word, business. You savour not the business of
God, but you savour the business of men. No savour for the things
of God. Verse 24, Then said Jesus unto
his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself. take up his cross, and follow
me. For whosoever will save his life
shall lose it, and whosoever will lose his life for my sake
shall find it." Now, as he entered Gethsemane's
garden, he was doing his father's business. Everything he was doing
his father's business. Now, he could have come here
and kept the law and returned to the father without ever dying
on the cross. He could have, but he wouldn't
have been doing the father's business. But his father's business
must be done, and if he didn't do his father's business, me
and you wouldn't be saved. We just wouldn't be. But he said,
I came down from heaven not to do my known will. But the will
of Him that sent me, and this is the Father's will which has
sent me, that of all which He has given me, I should lose nothing,
but raise it up again at the last day. This was the Father's
business. Now, turn to Luke chapter 22.
Luke chapter 22, verse 39. And he went out. This is before
he was arrested. And he came out and went as he
was wont to the Mount of Olives. And his disciples also followed
him. And when he was at the place,
he said unto them, Pray that you enter not into temptation.
And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast. And he
kneeled down and prayed, saying, Father, If thou be willing, remove this cup from me." Now, this is when our Lord began to
be made sin. And you and I can't possibly
understand this, because sin really doesn't much bother us. Not like it does him. He was
made at this time, this cup, he was made to bear in his own
body the sins of his people. All the shame, all the humiliation,
all the uncleanness, all the degradation. You see, he became
guilty. Now, we know that he never sinned
in his person. But all that sin is, he was made
to experience with the exception of the commission of it. And
this cup to him, knowing he was going to be forsaken by his father.
I mean, he had had nothing but his father's smile and delight
all this time. But now he knew he felt nothing
but his father's awful frown and hatred and indignation against
sin. And oh, the thought of what he
was getting ready to bear made him say, if it be possible, if
you're willing, let this cup pass from me. Now, I don't understand
that. He knew it wasn't possible. He's the lamb slain from the
foundation of the world. But he was overcome in his human
body with the thought of suffering hell and being totally forsaken
by his father, having no communion with his father, being cut off.
But remember, He's doing his father's business. If you'd be willing, remove this
cup from me, nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done. What kept him going? His father's
business was being done. Remember, he said, I must. It's
absolutely necessary that I be about my father's business. Now, after Gethsemane, they came
to arrest him. And I love the way when the soldiers
came and he said, Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth.
And he said, I am. And they fell backwards. You
know why they fell backwards? He's letting them know I'm no
victim here. I'm doing my father's business.
That's what's going on at this time. My father's business. And they arrest him. They put him through a mock trial.
They condemn him to death by crucifixion, and they bring him
to a place called Golgotha, the place of the skull, and they
nail him to a cross, doing his father's business. Him being
delivered by the determinate counsel and poor knowledge of
God, you have taken and with wicked hands have crucified and
slain. He was doing his father's business. I love to think of the words
he spoke from the cross. He said, Father, forgive me. They don't know what they do.
And let me tell you this, everybody he prayed for was forgiven because
he was doing his father's business. This wasn't any generic prayer.
Everybody he prayed for. If the Son of God mentions your
name before the Father, are you alright? Are you safe? Are you secure? He was doing
the Father's business. He said, Woman, behold thy son. And he said to John, behold thy
mother. He was doing his Father's business. He said, I thirst. And who knows what all that means?
Yes, he was physically thirsty. But oh, how he thirsted being
cut off by his father. No communion from his father.
No smile from his father. Nothing but his father's awful
frown bearing hail. And he said, I thirst. Doing his father's business. He said, my God, my God, why
has thou forsaken me? You know, he couldn't even call God
his father at this time. Not when he's been forsaken.
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Well, he was doing
his father's business as the savior of sinners. I think what
he said to the thief while he was hanging on the cross, now
that thief was right by him in agony and pain, just like the
Lord was. And he looks at the Lord and he says, Lord, if this
one is hanging on a cross, everybody's forsaken him, seemingly without
a friend in the world, weak in the flesh, getting ready to die,
seemingly crushed and destroyed, and he calls him Lord. Somebody
once said that's the greatest instance of faith in all the
Word of God. Lord. Remember me when you come
into your kingdom. And in sovereign majesty, he
replied today, thou shalt be with me in paradise doing his
father's business. He bowed his head and said, It is finished. I must be about my father's business. My father's business is finished. Accomplished. And he said, Father,
into thy hands I commend my spirit. And he bowed his head. And he
gave up the ghost doing his father's business. He came to die. That's
why he came. He's the only one who ever came
for the purpose of dying. He died. And the moment he died. I love thinking about this. What
happens when me or you die? Well, we start decaying. We start
rotting. We go through the process of
decay in death. But you know what the scripture
says about him? It says he didn't seek corruption. He didn't go
through the process of decay like you and I do. You know why? Because he did his father's business.
Because complete satisfaction was made for all sin, because
sin was put away, He did His Father's business. Thou shalt
call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins. He did it. He did His Father's
business. They lay Him in a tomb, dead. Now that's something, there's
one of the other things, one of the many things I just couldn't
get a hold of. How did God die? I don't know, but He did. The
God-man died. Somebody says that's impossible.
I know it is, but He did. The God-man died. Can you explain,
can you understand that? I don't understand that, but
He did. He did. And He lays there in the tomb.
Three days. I love thinking about this. He's
laying there dead, and all of a sudden, He opens His eyes. And he removes the grave clothes. And he walks out of that tomb. Doing his father's business. And after spending 40 days with
his disciples. Who knows what all was said during
that time, I mean, we were given some instruction regarding, but
he spent 40 days in his glorified body doing his father's business,
giving them instruction. And then He ascends back to His
Father. Lift up your heads, O ye gates,
and lift them up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of glory
shall come in. Who is the King of glory? The
Lord of hosts. He is the King of glory. And you know, when He Ascended
back as the Lord of hosts, he brought hosts with him. You know,
he said to that thief, today you'll be with me in paradise,
but you know who else is with him in paradise? Me. Every believer. He ascended back up with hosts,
all of the company of God's elect in him. He ascended back doing
the father's business. And when he entered glory and
sat down at the right hand of the Father, having purged our
sins, he did the Father's business. And you know what he's doing
right now as we're speaking? He's doing the Father's business. These things write unto you,
John says, that you sin not. Don't ever commit a sin again. When you do. And I don't have to explain that,
do I? There's never an excuse for sin in any way. It really
isn't. When you do, not if, but when. When you do, we have an advocate
with the Father. He's doing His Father's business,
representing His people. When you do, we have an advocate
with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He's going to come back one
day, doing His Father's business. And at that time, the dead will
be raised. And judgment will begin. And
every believer will be justified. At that time, at that time, when
my name is called, I'm going to be judged according to my
works. I'm going to be judged according
to my personal works. And they're all going to be good.
Because his life is my life before God. And when every believer
stands accepted, it's because he did his father's business. Turn to first Corinthians 15. Verse 23, But every man in his
own order, Christ the firstfruits, afterward they that are Christ's
that is coming, then cometh the end when he shall have delivered
up the kingdom to God, even the Father. Remember, he did his
father's business. when he shall put down all rule
and all authority and power, for he must reign till he hath
put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be
destroyed is death, for he hath put all things under his feet.
But when he saith, All things are put under his feet, it is
manifest that he is accepted, which did put all things under
him, speaking of the Father, and when all things shall be
subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject
unto him that Put all things under him that God may be all
in all. He did his father's business. John 4. Verse 1, when therefore the Lord
knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized
more disciples than John. And that's always going to be
an issue among Pharisees. Who has the most baptisms? Who
has the most success? Who has the numbers? What's the
Lord do when he hears something like that? He leaves. He leaves. He ain't going to have anything
to do with that. When the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard
that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, though
Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples, he left Judaea
and departed again into Galilee. And he must needs go through
Samaria. Now, why must needs he go through
Samaria? Because he must need to do his
father's business. You see, there's a woman in Samaria
And this woman is what the world would call a complete loser. She'd been married five times.
Now, under any circumstances, somebody who's been married five
times has issues, don't they? I mean, there just ain't no doubt
about that. This woman had issues. And she was an immoral woman.
She was living in sexual sin, cohabiting with someone who wasn't
her husband. Now, all that being said, She
was one of the elect. And he must need to go through
Samaria. Now, there's only one reason
why he must need to do anything. He must do his father's business.
And one of his elect is there. And he's going after her. Verse 5, Then cometh he to a
city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of
ground, that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was
there. Jesus, therefore, being wearied
with his journey. You ever been weary? He was, too. How many times have you been
weary, so weary, difficult to come to here? He was weary. Now, Jacob's well was there.
Jesus, therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on
the well, and it was about the six hour, about noon. Then cometh a woman of Samaria
to draw water. Now, why would she have been
coming at noon? Because you draw water early in the morning. She
came at noon because she knew nobody would be there. I'm sure
that she was the subject of ridicule and gossip and whispering. There she is. She'd had enough
of that. So she came when she could be
by herself. She had no idea who she was getting
ready to meet. The one who must be about his
father's business. Verse seven, then cometh a woman
of Samaria to draw water. Jesus saith unto her, give me
to drink. For his disciples were gone away
into the city to buy meat. Then said the woman of Samaria
unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of
me, which am a woman of Samaria? For the Jews have no dealings
with the Samaritans. Jesus answered and said unto
her, If you knew the gift the free
gift of God. And who it is that saith to thee,
give me to drink, you would have asked of him. And he would have
given thee living water. Now, if you knew the gift of
God, and if you knew who this is, You'd ask, and he'd give. Verse 11, this woman didn't have
any idea what he was talking about. The woman saith unto him,
Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with in the wells deep, and whence
then hast thou this living water? All she could see was the world. Art thou greater than our father
Jacob? She had no idea who she was talking to, did she? Art
thou greater than our father Jacob? Yes, yes, infinitely so. which gave us the well and drank
thereof himself and his children and his cattle, Jesus answered
and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall
thirst again. You know, you get satisfied with
this world. You will thirst again. But whosoever
drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst.
But the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of
water springing up in everlasting life. The woman said unto him,
Sir, give me this water that I thirst not, neither come hither
to draw. Jesus saith unto her, Go and call thy husband, and
come hither. I bet the woman was feeling kind
of uncomfortable at this time. Well, how am I going to get out
of this? The woman answered and said,
I have no husband. She was telling the truth. Jesus
said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband, for
thou hast had five husbands. And he to whom thou now hast
is not thy husband, in that saidst thou truly. The woman saith unto him, Sir,
I perceive that thou art a prophet. Then she starts talking religious. Our Father is worshipped in this
mountain, and you say that in Jerusalem is the place where
men ought to worship? Jesus saith unto her woman, Believe me, the
hour cometh when you shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem
worship the Father you worship. You know not what, for we know
what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour
cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship
the Father in spirit and in truth. For the Father seeketh such to
worship Him. I want to be one of those people,
don't you? God is spirit, and they that worship him must worship
him in spirit and in truth. And I can almost see the defeat
in this or hear the defeat in this woman's voice. She didn't
know what else to say. The woman saith unto him, I know
the Messiah is cometh, which is called Christ. When he is
come, he'll tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee. And he. This is him doing his father's
business. And this poor woman was saved
by the grace of God. Because he was about his father's
business. Now, the one thing I'd leave
you with, I leave myself with. May this be our life, being about
our Father's business. Amen. Let's pray.