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Todd Nibert

Really Knowing The Lord Jesus Christ

Exodus 26:1-14
Todd Nibert • April, 16 2008 • Audio
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What does the Bible say about knowing the Lord Jesus Christ?

The Bible teaches that knowing the Lord Jesus Christ is essential for eternal life.

In John 17:3, Jesus defines eternal life as knowing the only true God and Himself. This knowing is not merely intellectual but relational, where believers have a personal relationship with Christ as stated in Hebrews 8:11-12, where God promises that all His people will know Him. This deep desire to know God is evident in the lives of believers, echoing the sentiments of Paul, who yearned to know Christ more fully. The relationship is made possible through God's revelation of Himself in Scripture.

John 17:3, Hebrews 8:11-12

How do we know that Jesus is God?

We know Jesus is God because He embodies all the attributes of divinity, as revealed in Scripture.

The divinity of Christ is foundational to Christian belief. In Colossians 2:9, it is stated that in Christ dwells all the fullness of the Godhead in a body. This means that attributes such as omniscience, omnipotence, and sovereignty, which can only belong to God, are also present in Jesus. Additionally, Jesus Himself affirmed His divinity by saying, 'Before Abraham was, I am' (John 8:58), linking Himself to the divine name revealed in Exodus. The entire New Testament revolves around the understanding that Jesus is both fully God and fully man, fulfilling the necessary conditions for mediating between God and humanity.

Colossians 2:9, John 8:58

Why is the blood of Christ important for Christians?

The blood of Christ is crucial because it represents His sacrificial death for the atonement of sins.

The blood of Christ is central to the gospel and Christian faith. 1 Peter 1:18-19 emphasizes that believers were redeemed not with perishable things but with the precious blood of Christ. This blood signifies His willing sacrifice, as He took on the sins of His people, as articulated in 2 Corinthians 5:21, where Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin for us, so that we might be made righteous before God. Without His sacrificial death, there would be no forgiveness of sins, making His blood a cornerstone of salvation and a source of hope for believers.

1 Peter 1:18-19, 2 Corinthians 5:21

How does Jesus demonstrate His righteousness?

Jesus demonstrates His righteousness through His actions and character, embodying what it means to be Holy.

Jesus Christ is described in Scripture as the epitome of righteousness. First John 2:1 refers to Him as Jesus Christ the Righteous, implying that everything He does is just and pure. His actions throughout the Gospels reflect His adherence to God's law and His nature, which is devoid of sin or deceit. Paul discusses in Romans 1:17 that the Gospel reveals the righteousness of God, which is ultimately fulfilled in Christ. Through His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus showcases perfect obedience to the Father, proving that He is indeed righteous and the standard by which all righteousness is measured.

1 John 2:1, Romans 1:17

Why is it necessary to have a relationship with Jesus for salvation?

A relationship with Jesus is necessary for salvation as it is the means through which we receive forgiveness and righteousness.

Salvation is rooted in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. In John 14:6, Jesus states that He is the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Him. This underscores the necessity of faith in Jesus for salvation. Romans 10:9 elaborates that confessing Jesus as Lord and believing in His resurrection are key elements of receiving salvation. It is through this relationship that believers are not only forgiven their sins but also clothed in His righteousness, allowing them to stand justified before God. Therefore, having this personal relationship with Jesus is not only desirable but essential for true salvation.

John 14:6, Romans 10:9

Sermon Transcript

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Would you turn with me to Exodus
chapter 26, I'd like to read these first 14 verses. Now, this is one of those passages
of scripture that. If somebody is reading through
the Bible, they'll try to get through this quick and wonder
what the significance of it is, but there's great significance
to this passage of scripture. There's great significance to
every passage of Scripture. Beginning in verse one, moreover.
Thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined
linen. And blue and purple and scarlet
with cherubims of cunning work shalt thou make them. The length
of one curtain shall be eight and twenty cubits and the breadth
of one curtain four cubits and every one of the curtains shall
have one measure. They're going to be the same. The five curtains
shall be coupled together one to another, and other five curtains
shall be coupled one to another. And thou shalt make the loops
of blue upon the edge of the one curtain from the selvage
in the coupling, and likewise shalt thou make in the uttermost
edge of another curtain in the coupling of the second. Fifty
loops shalt thou make in the one curtain, and fifty loops
shalt thou make in the edge of the curtain that's in the coupling
of the second, that the loops may take hold one of another. And thou shalt make fifty tashes
of gold, and couple the curtains together with the tashes, and
it shall be one tabernacle. And thou shalt make curtains
of goat's hair, to be a covering upon the tabernacle, eleven curtains
shalt thou make. The length of one curtain shall
be thirty cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits, and
the eleven curtains shall be of one measure. And thou shalt
couple five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves,
and thou shalt double the sixths certain in the forefront of the
tabernacle. And thou shalt make fifty loops on the edge of the
one curtain that is outmost in the coupling, and fifty loops
in the edge of the curtain which couple at the second. And thou
shalt make fifty tashes of brass, and put the tashes into the loops,
and couple the tent together, that it may be one. And the remnant
that remain of the curtains of the tent, The half curtain that
remaineth shall hang over the back side of the tabernacle,
and the cubit on the one side, and the cubit on the side of
that which remaineth, and the length of the curtain of the
tent, it shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle, on this
side and on that side, to cover it. And thou shalt make a covering
for the tent of ramskins, dyed red, and a covering above of
badgerskins. I've entitled this message, Really
Knowing the Lord Jesus Christ. Really Knowing the Lord Jesus
Christ. Now, if I have been saved by
the grace of God, I actually, really, literally know the Lord
Jesus Christ personally. I have a relationship with Him
where He knows me. And I know Him. And I say that
with awe to think that Christ knows my name. I think of what
David said, When I consider the heavens, the work of thy fingers,
the moon and the stars which thou hast ordained, what is man? that thou thinkest of him. And
what am I? That he, the God of glory, would
know me. That's awesome, isn't it? To
think that he knows me and I know him. Now, this is true of every
believer without exception. I just read that passage of Scripture
where Paul said, I know whom I have believed." This is what
is promised in the covenant of grace. We read in Hebrews chapter
8, verses 11 and 12, all shall know me. From the least to the greatest.
Every one of my people will know me. Now, when the Lord defined
eternal life, this is how he defines it. And this is life
eternal. This is John 17, 3. This is life eternal. You want
to know what eternal life is? Here it is. That they might know
thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. Now, this expresses the desire
and the yearning of every believer. Paul said, oh, that I might know
Him. I want to know the Lord, don't
you? Paul, don't you already know Him? Yes, but oh, that I
may know Him. This is the heart's cry, the
desire of every believer to know the Lord Jesus Christ. I don't
simply mean to know about it. No accurate data, but I mean
to know Him where I know Him and He knows me. Moses said in Exodus chapter
33 verse 13, if I found grace in thy sight, show me now thy
way that I might know thee. That's what Moses wanted. That's
what Paul wanted. That's what every believer wants
to know the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, while we do know him and
while we desire to know him, we certainly want to know him
more, don't we? If you know someone, you know what they're made of.
You know what they're like. You know what they love. You
know what they hate. You know how they react to certain
situations when you really know somebody. Now, the only way you
can really know somebody is if they make themselves known to
you. The only way you're really going
to know my heart, the only way you're really going to know me,
is if I bare my soul to you. And I let you know who I am.
And the only way we can know the Lord Jesus Christ is if He
makes Himself known. You can't figure Him out. Can't
thou by searching find out God? No, you can't. The only way that
you can know the Lord Jesus Christ, the only way I can know the living
God, is if He is pleased to make Himself known to me. If He is
pleased to reveal Himself to me. Now, this is what He does
in this book called the Bible. He makes Himself known. The only way we can know the
Lord Jesus Christ is through what he's revealed of himself
to us in this book. And I can't even understand this
book unless he's pleased to make it known. I can't figure it out.
I'm totally dependent. Everybody is totally dependent
upon revelation. Him removing the scales from
our eyes, as one of the brothers just prayed, and making Himself
known. That's what I need. I need a revelation from Him. I need Him to make Himself known
to me. Now, Christ gives us the most
detailed description of Himself in the tabernacle. We've been
in here for several weeks. As we see Him in the tabernacle,
we'll come to know Him better. And that most certainly is our
desire. And tonight we're going to consider
the curtains of the tabernacle. Now, remember, this tabernacle
was a tent. It could be moved around. It
had a superstructure of boards that they put up and moved back
and forth, and it had certain materials or cloths or coverings
that covered the tabernacle. It had four different materials
that covered it. First, there was the material
that we read of made of white linen, blue, scarlet. And what's the other one? Well, the first material is blue,
purple, scarlet and fine linen. And after that, that was a material,
one material made of those four different threads. After that,
there was goat skin. And after that, there was ram
skin dyed red. And after that, there was badger
skin. If you would have been standing
outside this tent, all you would see is the badger skin. I have
often thought about the Jebusites and the Hittites and the Amalekites
and all the different peoples of the nations when they would
when they would see the children of Israel. looking out over this,
there were, they say there's a couple million of them, they'd
be around this tabernacle, this great big canopy, and all they
could see when they saw this tabernacle was badger skin. It's debated as to what that
badger skin is, some say it was some kind of antelope, some say
it was a real badger, I don't know, but I know this, it was
brown, tan, unimpressive looking material, and they looked at
that thing and they thought, what is the attraction? What
do they see in that thing? It's certainly not impressive
to the flesh to just look at that badger skin. But you and
I know that that represents our Lord Jesus Christ in the flesh.
If you would have seen Jesus Christ in the flesh, you wouldn't
have been impressed. There wasn't anything about him.
As a man, as far as the way he looked, the way you wouldn't
have looked at him as anybody, any different than anybody else.
Turn with me for a moment to Isaiah chapter 53. Isaiah 53. Isaiah says, Who hath believed
our report? And to whom is the arm of the
Lord revealed? For he, the Lord Jesus Christ,
shall grow up before him as a tender plant and as a root out of dry
ground. He hath, and this is speaking
of our Redeemer, how he appeared in the flesh. He has no form
nor comeliness or beauty. And when we shall see him, there's
no beauty that we should desire. Have you ever seen somebody you're
just impressed with? You look at that person as far
as the way they look physically and you're impressed. If you
had looked at the Lord Jesus Christ, you wouldn't have been
impressed. Just an average man, an average Joe, nothing about
him as far as the way he looked physically said, this is the
God man. He looked just like any average doe. Verse 3, He's
despised, He's rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted
with grief, and we hid as it were our faces from Him. He was
despised and we esteemed Him not. Now, this represents exactly
what they saw when they saw that tabernacle. It was covered with
badger skin and there was nothing that would have impressed these
people. But oh, underneath. Underneath. what glory there
is in this person. And would to God that he would
be pleased to make himself known even now and show us who he is. Now who he is is revealed in
these different cloths. Now the first cloth that is mentioned
is fine twined linen. Look back in our text in Exodus
chapter 26. Now that is bleached linen, white. Moreover, thou shalt make the
tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen. Now this is one material with
four different threads, I guess. White linen. That was bleached
linen. That's what that fine twine means.
It means bleached white. and blue and purple and scarlet. Now, fine twined linen, bleached
white, white is the color of purity. White is the color of
holiness. White is the color of righteousness. Now, this is where we begin when
we begin with the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. We're going
to start from the inside and go from there. Rather than starting
with that badger skin, let's go from the inside, what's first
revealed. You know, you have to have faith to know this is
underneath, don't you? You'd look at him and you wouldn't
see this. But this is what's there. First is his righteousness,
his whiteness. Oh, the whiteness, the righteousness
of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is righteous. Now, this is who God is. He is
righteous. There's no unrighteousness in
Him. There's no sin in Him. There's no evil in Him. There's
no deceitfulness in Him. Because He is righteous, whatever
He does is righteous. He's righteous in His person.
And that means whatever He does, because who did it? He's altogether
righteous. Whatever he does is righteous.
Now, how many of us have gotten mad at him for things he does? Every one of us have. How many
times have you been upset that the Lord didn't do this for you,
or why has he allowed this to happen, or why did he allow this
to happen, or why didn't he save this person, or why did... Every
one of us have thought thoughts like that, but they're wrong!
Because whatever he does is righteous because he is righteous. He is
altogether holy and righteous, and this is how we trust him.
We couldn't trust him if he was sinful. We couldn't trust him
if he had any sin. He is altogether righteous. This is what that fine linen
represents, his absolute righteousness. Now, I love his name in First
John, chapter two, verse two, these things, right? First John,
chapter two, verse two, verse one, it says these things, right?
And he said not. But if any man sin, we have an
advocate. We have a lawyer with the father. Jesus Christ, the who? The righteous. He's no crooked lawyer. Everything
he does is altogether righteous. Now, he makes us plead guilty.
There's no doubt about that. But our lawyer makes it to we're
absolutely righteous before God. And he does it in a way that
honors his righteousness. That's what the gospel is all
about. He is Jesus Christ, the righteous. He's called in Acts
chapter 22, verse 14, that just one. Why, even the demon said, I know
Thee who Thou art, the Holy One of God. He's righteous. He's
just. He's holy. When the angels announced His
birth, they called Him that holy thing. I love the way even the
angels say, that holy thing. What is there to call Him? He's
altogether holy. He's altogether just. He's altogether
righteous. Actually, He is. This is where
we've got to begin when we begin with the Lord Jesus Christ. He's
altogether righteous. Whatever he does is right. Shall
not the judge of the earth do right? Yes, he shall. You know his gospel. What does
his gospel reveal? Paul said in Romans 1, 16 and
17, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. For it's the power
of God unto salvation to everyone that believes, to the Jew first
and also to the Greek. For therein, in the gospel, is
the righteousness of God revealed. Now this is the gospel. What
does it reveal? Yes, it reveals the love of God.
Yes, it reveals the mercy of God. Yes, it reveals the grace
of God. Yes, it reveals who God is. But what is the word the
Holy Spirit uses to describe what the gospel reveals? The
righteousness of God. You see this fine linen, this
fine twine linen. Turn with me to Revelation chapter
19. And this is going to tell us what this Lennon represents,
and this is who he is to us. Revelation chapter 19. Verse seven. Let us be glad and rejoice and
give honor to him For the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his
wife hath made herself ready. That's every believer. And to
her, every believer, the church, his wife, was granted, was freely
given, that she should be arrayed, clothed in fine linen, clean
and white, the same linen spoken of in our text. For that fine
linen is the righteousness of saints. Now the Gospel reveals, Jesus
Christ reveals the righteousness of the saints. What's this all
about? I'm sinful. How can I be righteous before
God? Because I'm sinful and in love
myself. Because my sin was placed upon Christ. That's why God killed
Him. My sin was placed upon Christ.
He put it away and His perfect righteousness is mine and I'm
righteous before God. Oh, this fine, White linen is
the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, the next color
that's mentioned in our text is blue. Blue, first white. I'd love to see what this material
look like, these four different threads. But the next color mentioned
is blue. Now, what is what does blue represent?
Heavenly. Heavenly. The Lord Jesus Christ
is altogether heavenly, he is other. He is not from the earth. He is utterly unique. He is heavenly. He's not like anybody else. There's
nobody on this planet that we can compare him to. There's nobody
that can be compared to him. He's altogether heavenly. He's other. He is the God from
heaven. Turn with me to John chapter
8. Hold your finger down on the text and turn to John chapter
8. Verse 23, and He said unto them, You are
from beneath, I am from above. You are of this world. I am not of this world. Because He's altogether heavenly.
I said therefore unto you that you shall die in your sins, for
if you believe not that I am Notice that he is in italics.
He's not saying so much I am he, if you believe not that I
am. Who's I am? Remember when Moses said, what's
your name? What am I going to tell the children
of Israel when you tell me to go to them? What's your name?
What am I telling them? He said, tell them I am that I am. I am hath sent thee. So when
we're talking about this blue, or when the Bible's talking about
this blueness, it's talking about the I am-ness, the deity, the
heavenliness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, listen real carefully.
I couldn't say anything any more important than this. Jesus Christ
is God. You believe that? You know what? I think it's neat. It doesn't
matter whether you do or not. He's still God. That's who He is. Jesus Christ is altogether heavenly. He is God. All that God is, He
is. Is God all-powerful? Jesus Christ
is all-powerful. He said, All power is given unto
me. Is God sovereign? Is He in control
of everything? Well, of course He is. He's God.
Jesus Christ is sovereign. Is God all-wise? Omniscient? Yes, He is. All that you say
of God is found in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. He's
blue. He's altogether heavenly. We read in Colossians chapter
2 verse 9, In Him, in the Lord Jesus Christ dwelleth all the
fullness of the Godhead in a body. He's to be worshipped, isn't
He? He's to be bowed down to. He's altogether blue. He's heavenly. And what is the next color that's
mentioned in Exodus 26? First, we read of the white linen,
fine twine linen, blue and purple. Purple is the color of royalty. He is the king of kings. He is King Jesus, the one who
absolutely rules and reigns. He's the king of kings, according
to the scripture, and the Lord of lords. A king has a throne.
The scripture says regarding his throne, this king who sits
on a throne, and that's how you see the Lord Jesus Christ that
you see, sitting on a throne, ruling and reigning. We read
in the Psalms that justice and judgment are the habitation of
his throne. Absolute justice. But not only is this a just throne,
it's a throne of grace. I love that verse of scripture,
let us come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain
mercy and find grace to help in time of need. He's a king
who sits on a throne. He's a king who has subjects.
All of his people are his willing subjects. I'm one of them right
now. I'm a subject of King Jesus. He's my king. He's my Lord. A king rules and reigns. The
Lord Jesus Christ rules and reigns. I hate it the way people present
him as if, you know, he's got a right to rule and reign. It's
such a shame we kicked him out of the schools. It's such a shame
we kicked him out. He reigns. Nobody kicked him out of anything.
He's in control. He always has been, always will be. That's
the way it is. He's the king of kings and the
lord of lords. You know, what, how did they,
under what office did people crucify him? What was it they
hated him for? Did they hate him for healing
the sick? Did they hate Him for being merciful to people? No.
What was written over the cross? Remember? This is Jesus of Nazareth,
the King of the Jews. The cry of humanity is we will
not have this man to reign over us. But it doesn't matter. He
reigns. Because He is the King of kings
and the Lord of lords. God said to Him, Thy throne,
O God, is forever. God the Father said to him, yet
have I set my king on my holy hill of Zion. He is the king. I love the color purple. And
then we read of the color scarlet. That or red that has to do with
his precious blood. Now, Peter said you were not
redeemed with corruptible things. such as silver and gold from
your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers,
but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish
and without spot. Now, understand this. Jesus Christ
cannot be known apart from his precious blood. Do you ever get tired of hearing
of the blood of Christ? Now, His blood represents His
death. It's not just the physical blood. If His physical blood touched
you, it wouldn't do you any good. It's what His blood represents.
His blood represents His death. This one I'm talking about who
is altogether righteous, who's King of kings and Lord of lords,
who's altogether heavenly. What did He do? He died. They nailed Him to a cross and
He died. Now, why? That's the question
that has to be answered. Why did He die? I mean, He's
God. He never sinned. Why did He die? Well, the Scripture
tells us. In 2 Corinthians 5, verse 21,
we read, For He hath made Him. God the Father made the Lord
Jesus Christ to be sin, who knew no sin, he never sinned, that
we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Why did he die? There's only one reason for death,
sin. There are no other reasons for
death, sin. The wages of sin is death. The
sins of God's elect became his, so that he cried, my sins, are
more than the hairs of my head. Psalm 40 read back there or up
here. I don't remember. But somebody
read Psalm 40. And in that psalm... Turn with
me. I want you to see this. Psalm
40. Verse 6. Sacrifice and offerings
I didst not desire. Psalm 40, verse 6. Nine ears
has thou opened, burnt offering, and for sin offering thou is
not required. Then said I, Lo, I come in the
volume of the book. It's a written of me. I delight
to do thy will, O God. Yea, thy law is within my heart.
Now, we know from Hebrews chapter 10, these are the words of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, David wrote this, but who's the primary
speaker? the Lord Jesus Christ. And look
what he says in verse 11. This is still Christ speaking.
He says, withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Lord,
lest thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.
For innumerable evils have compassed me about, my iniquities have
taken hold upon me. So that I'm not able to look
up. They're more than the hairs of
my head. Therefore, my heart fails me. Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver
me. O Lord, make haste to help me. Have you ever prayed that?
Oh, mine iniquities have taken hold upon me. They're a heavy
burden that are too heavy for me. I'm not even able to look
up. I know exactly what David felt, but this is the words of
the Lord Jesus Christ. My sin actually became his, to
where he cried out, my iniquities are too heavy for me. Now that's
why he died. Now what did he accomplish by
that death? Oh, I love to think of him raped. His last words,
it is finished. He died. He's in that tomb for
three days. God raises him from the dead
because he did whatever it was the Father gave him to do. He
put away the sins of everybody he died for. He was raised from
the dead and everybody he died for, they're justified. They're
perfect in God's sight. And you can't really know him
apart from his blood. His blood reveals who he is.
It reveals the whole character of God. So this first covering,
isn't this a beautiful covering? Made of white, blue, purple and
scarlet. And these, I think there were
10 curtains coupled together. They had those blue loops. He
said what what holds him together is all together heavenly. It
was made of that blue material that represents this. This is
of God. This is God's gospel. So that's the first covering
this made of four different materials. And the second covering was made
of goat hair. Well, let me let me back back. There were cherubims embroidered
in this first covering. Cherubim. Now, what are cherubims?
I don't know. Were they angels? I don't think
they were what we generally call angels. I don't know much about
this, but I know that they were described in Isaiah 6, Ezekiel
and Revelation, Chapter 4. They had, according to Revelation
4, the face of a man that has something to do with intelligence,
an ox, strength, a lion, courage, an eagle, swiftness to obey. Some think they represent aspects
of the Godhead. I don't know. But I know they
were also over the mercy seat. They were living creatures, according
to the scripture. Are there cherubim? Yeah. What
they look like, I don't know, but I know they look for the
mercy seat and their purpose has something to do with the
work of Christ in the mercy seat. And that's that's what we so
in this first. Covering this first curtain,
we had these cherubims and that tells us that God is using all
of these to be subservient to this end of the Lord Jesus Christ.
So that's the first covering. The second covering was made
of goat's hair. Goat's hair. Now, goat's hair
is what we know as cashmere. Soft and comfortable. Anybody have any cashmere sweaters?
I believe that cashmere is about the softest, most comfortable
material that I've ever experienced. I love to feel a cashmere sweater. I had a cashmere sweater for
the first time this year. Lynn got me some. Man, I can't
go back to wool. I like cashmere. It's so comfortable. And the goat hair is the underbelly
of a goat hair. It's what cashmere is made of.
And what the reference to is this is the comfort of the gospel. Now, we are said to wear the Lord
Jesus Christ, put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ. Put ye on that.
You put him on like clothes. And I, you know, we read of that to the bride was granted that
she should have this wedding garment, fine linen, clean and
white. Turn with me to Matthew chapter
22 for a moment. You know, Christ is called a garment of salvation. Matthew chapter 22. Verse 1, And Jesus answered and
spake unto them again by parables, and said, The kingdom of heaven
is like unto a certain king which made a marriage for his son. You want to understand the kingdom
of heaven? Listen up. He sent forth his servants to
call them that were bidden to the wedding, and they would not
come. And again he sent forth other servants. Tell them what
you're bidding. Behold, I've prepared my dinner. My oxen and
my fatlings are killed. All things are now ready. Come
unto the marriage. But they made light of it. And
went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise. And
the remandment took his servants, and treated them spitefully,
and slew them. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth.
And he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers,
and burned up their cities. Then saith he to his servants,
The wedding is ready, but they which are bidden were not worthy.
Go ye therefore into the highways, as many as you shall find, bid
to the marriage. So those servants went out into
the highways and gathered together all as many as they found, both
bad and good. And the wedding was furnished
with guests. And when the king came in to see the guests, he
saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment." Now, evidently,
in those weddings, and this is true, you were supplied a wedding
garment. You didn't come in with your
own clothes. There was a wedding garment given to you when you
walked into the door. And this fella who comes in without
a wedding garment, evidently he, maybe he made one that he
thought was just as good. And he thought, this is just
as good. I can get in with this wedding garment. And he somehow
bypassed the wedding garment, the only thing that would make
him acceptable into this wedding feast. Now let's go on reading. And when the king came in to
see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding
garment. And he said unto him, friend,
How came a Salian hitter not having a wedding garment? I mean,
it was provided if you would have taken one. I mean, there's
a way you can't come in without one. What are you doing in here
without a wedding garment? And this fellow was speechless.
Then said the king to the servants, bind him hand and foot and take
him away and cast him into outer darkness. There shall be weeping
and gnashing of teeth for many are called, but few are chosen.
Now, for me to come into this great banquet, I have to have
a wedding garment. Now what is this wedding garment?
What is it that one wears that will bring him into this great
feast? How can I come into the very
presence of God with this wedding garment? Well, what is this wedding
garment? It's the righteousness of the
Lord Jesus Christ. It's His merit. We've already
read Revelation 19. this fine linen, clean and white,
this is the righteousness of the saints. Now, the way I can
come into God's presence and be accepted is because I'm clothed
in the very righteousness, the obedience, the law-keeping of
Jesus Christ. And when God sees me, all He
sees is righteousness. Now, this righteousness we're
speaking of is not a cover-up, and I'm still unclean underneath
it all. No, my sin was put away by the
Lord Jesus Christ. And His righteousness is not
just an outer garment. I'm righteous through and through,
outside and inside, through the work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And I come in to God's presence in His obedience, in His righteousness. And I tell you what, this is
so comfortable. You ever heard the term, the clothes make the
man? You always thought that was a stupid thing. No, they
don't. I mean, you are what you are, whatever kind of clothes
you got on. But here's the one time that this statement is true.
The clothes make the man. The clothing I wear is what makes
me the righteousness and the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Oh, that's so good. Soft, comfortable, comforting. And I think this is interesting.
As you read in this passage of scripture, if you'll remember
that first material, It had a gold pin that went through the tashes
that kept it all together. It had a gold pin, deity, blue
loops, a gold pin, deity. That's what held it all together.
But when we talk about this comfortable covering, it was a brass tash
that held it together. Not gold, brass. Why is that? Well, brass is an alloy made
of tin and copper. It represents the Two natures
of the Lord Jesus Christ. He's God. He's man. And that's what comforts me.
That's why this is so comfortable. As God, He's able to save me.
As God, His righteousness... It's the very righteousness of
God. But it's a man who saves me. It's a man who put away my
sins. It's a man who's touched with
the feeling of my infirmities. It is a man who represents me
in glory. It's the man Christ Jesus. God
and man. And that's where the comfort
comes from. You see, it wouldn't give me any comfort if all Jesus
Christ was God, because that wouldn't do me any good if that's
all it was. But He's man. My sin became His. He died. Only man could die. God can't
die. Man can't satisfy. The God-man did both. That's
what the Lord Jesus Christ did. That's what He did on the cross.
And that's my comfort. Oh, this goat's cashmere hair,
whatever it is, oh, it's so comfortable. This is the righteousness that
every believer appears before God in. And I have such confidence
because I don't stand in my own righteousness. I stand in the
righteousness of Jesus Christ, the goat's hair. Now, the third
covering that's mentioned is found in verse 14 of our text,
back in Exodus 26. First, you had this white, blue,
purple and scarlet material with the cherubims embroidered in
it, then over that you had a goatskin covering. And verse 14, and thou
shalt make a covering for the tent of ramskins dyed red. And we've talked about the glory
of the Lord Jesus Christ in. In the first covering his his
person and then the comfort of it in the second covering, but
you can't talk about the Lord Jesus Christ without talking
about the blood of the lamb, the ramskin, that's a male lamb,
the ramskins dyed red. I have no doubt. that this is
the covering that God covered Adam with in the garden. Remember
how after he fell, all of a sudden he knew he was naked. And he
made an apron of fig leaves to cover himself. And that's what
every natural man does. They try to come up with a covering
that they think can cover them before God. A covering of their
works. Fig leaves. But the Lord, in His mercy, the
first blood shedding, He slew a lamb. And He covered Adam with
that lamb. which represents the death of
Christ and your sins being covered by him, being covered by his
righteousness. You can't see the Lord Jesus
Christ apart from his work. There's no understanding of him
apart from what he did on Calvary's tree. I love to think of the
blood of the Lord Jesus. I love to think about my covering.
I have a perfect covering before God. Now, when you saw The tenth,
though, what did you see? You saw badger skins. You didn't see all this stuff
underneath it. All you saw was badger skins. All you saw was
a man. And if somebody saw the Lord
Jesus Christ, all they saw was a man. A man. An unimpressive man. You know,
people didn't get it. He grew up with brothers and
sisters. And they didn't get it. God was
in their house. And they didn't know. They thought
He was a kid just like them. You think about the youth of
the Lord Jesus Christ, Him growing up. People didn't get it. I want people to see Christ in
me, don't you? I do. But they didn't see Christ
in Christ, did they? They really didn't. All they
saw was badger skin. Very plain. Very ordinary. Nothing that would be appealing
to the flesh. And, you know, that's a very
important point. You know, in our gospel, there's
nothing that's appealing to the flesh. If our gospel was appealing
to the flesh, everybody would enjoy it. All of Lexington would
be here. But there's nothing in our gospel
that's appealing to the flesh. It gives all the glory to Jesus
Christ, the Lord, and none to man. And there's just nothing
appealing to the flesh. But I tell you what, it's appealing
to the believer, isn't it? Can't you see the beauty of the
Lord Jesus Christ in this glorious picture of who He is? Now, I
know Him. I'm describing somebody that
I personally know. And I know Him from His Word.
I've never heard His voice audibly. I've never heard Him say anything
to me audibly. I've never seen Him physically.
But I've seen Him in His Word. And I know Him. And how I've
described Him, that's the one I know. He's altogether righteous. He's altogether heavenly. He's
the King of kings. And all his precious blood. He's
cashmere. Oh, it's so comfortable to wear
him. He ran skins dyed red. That's his bloody death on the
cross and what it accomplished. But it takes faith to see all
that you have to know that from the word of God or you never
know it. Like I said, the Amalekites, the Hittites, that bunch, they'd
look at what is the attraction? They didn't know that within
that tent. was the very Shekinah glory of God. And that is our
Lord Jesus Christ. Isn't He a glorious Savior? Let's
pray together.
Todd Nibert
About Todd Nibert
Todd Nibert is pastor of Todd's Road Grace Church in Lexington, Kentucky.

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