Now, before we go back to this
text, you have there in your hands a Bible made up of the Old Testament,
39 books in the Old Testament. and a New Testament. Now we're not nearly, most people
aren't nearly as familiar with the Old Testament Scriptures
as they are with the New Testament Scriptures. There are not too
many people familiar at all with the New Testament, but they know
practically nothing about what we call the Old Testament. It's
even called by some people the Old Bible. All scripture is given by inspiration
of God. All scripture is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness
that the man of God might be mature, taught of God, believe
on Christ. But the Scriptures, this is what
the Old Testament is called the Scriptures. Almost every time
you see the word Scriptures in the Bible, it's talking about
the Old Testament. When you find the word Scriptures,
let me show you that. Turn to Luke 24, the Scriptures. The Old Testament is referred
to as the Scriptures. In Luke 24, when our Lord appeared
to the disciples on the road to Emmaus, He said in verse 25, Luke 24,
25, then He said, This is Christ our Lord speaking unto them,
O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets
have spoken. All that the prophets have spoken.
He said this before the New Testament was written. Ought not Christ
be Christ to have suffered these things, and to have entered into
glory? And beginning at Moses and all
the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the
things concerning himself. When our Lord talked taught those
disciples on that road what he'd teach them, the scriptures, the
Old Testament. Now look at verse 44. And he said to them, These are
the words which I spake unto you while I was yet with you,
that all things must be fulfilled which are written in the law
of Moses, in the prophets, in the Psalms, concerning me, Then
opened he their understanding that they might understand the
Scriptures." I might call this message this morning, Understanding
the Scriptures. Because I can, in one message, if God gives us ears to hear
and hearts to comprehend, I can actually give you the key to
the Scriptures. Our Lord did here in a few minutes
with these disciples, he opened to their understanding the Scriptures,
the Old Testament. No, we won't go verse by verse
from Genesis to Malachi, but I can give you a key that when
you're alone and studying by yourself, I'll give you the key
that'll open every chapter, every book in the Old Testament, Scriptures.
That's exactly right. The Old Testament. was spoken
by the prophets. That's what he said here. In
verse 44, all things must be fulfilled which are written in
the law of Moses, in the prophets, in the Psalms concerning me.
And that's the key to the Old Testament Scriptures. It's Christ. The Christ. The coming of the
Redeemer. He's called the Redeemer. He's
called the Christ. He's called the Messiah. That's
what the Old Testament is all about. Someone's coming. God's going to send a Redeemer,
a Messiah, a Christ. Now, it's true, get this, it's
true that this Redeemer, this Christ, this Messiah came through
a particular nation, a particular people, that He came through
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jesse, David. Mary and Joseph were of the house
and lineage of David. Jesse, tribal Judah. And I've
showed you that in Matthew and in Luke, the genealogies of Mary
and Joseph. Though they were poor, and though
Israel was a dry ground, And though Israel was under the heel
of the Roman Empire, and though Israel as a nation practically
didn't exist, the house and lineage and line
of David was intact, Mary and Joseph. He was indeed the king
of the Jews. And though he came through that
nation and down that line, and of the tribe of Judah, the root
of Jesse, and of David, and Abraham's seed, Isaac's seed, He's not
the Jewish Messiah only. He's not the Jewish Redeemer
only. He's the Redeemer of His people
from all nations. Let me show you that. Turn to
Isaiah. And this is back in the days of the Jewish nation with
its temple and sacrifices and priesthood and oracles of God
and prophets. Isaiah 42, listen, Behold my
servant, this is God speaking. Isaiah 42, Behold my servant
whom I uphold, mine elect. Now he's not, he's talking about
us because we're elect in Christ, but Christ is his elect. Christ
be my elect, he said, and then chose us in our head. Speaking
of Christ here, "...mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth, I
put my spirit upon him without measure." He'll bring forth judgment
to the Gentiles? Boy, Apostle Peter had trouble
with that, didn't he? Gentile? All of them had trouble
with it. They were Jews. "...he shall
not cry, he shall be a meek person, nor lift up, nor cause his voice
to be heard in the streets." He'll be a friend of sinners.
He'll be a friend of the weak. Because a bruised reed shall
he not break, and a smoking flax shall he not quench. And he shall
bring forth judgment unto truth. He's a victorious Lord, not only
meek and humble and friend of sinners, but he's victorious.
He shall not fail, nor be discouraged, till he set judgment in this
earth, and the hours shall wait for his law. Thus saith God the
Lord, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out, he that
spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it, he that
giveth bread unto the people upon it, and the Spirit to them
that walk therein. I the Lord have called him, the
Christ, thee in righteousness, and I'll hold your hand, and
I'll keep you, and I'll give you for a covenant of the people,
for a light of the Gentiles. Not just a Jew. He's not just
a Jewish Redeemer. A Jewish Messiah. I know they
wrote, this is Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews, and He is the
King of the Jews, but He's the King of the Gentiles too. He's
Lord of all the earth. King of kings and Lord of lords.
Listen to verse 7. To open the blind eyes, to bring
out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness,
out of the prison house. I'm the Lord, that's my name,
and my glory will I not give to another." Oh, yes. Let me tell you this. This whole
Old Testament talks about the Redeemer, the Messiah. Sets him
forth in promise, sets him forth in pattern and picture. Sets
him forth in type, sets him forth all the way through the Old Testament.
Not just to the Jews, but to the Gentiles. And one proof of
that is found in Job. Turn to Job 19. Job lived long
before Abraham. Job lived long before Moses.
We're told that Job is the oldest book in the Bible. And Job, he wasn't a Jew, he
wasn't a descendant of Abraham. He wasn't a son of Abraham in
that sense. And he said in Job 19 verse 23,
way back yonder, Oh that my words were now written, oh that they
were printed in a book. And they were, unknown to him,
printed in a book. that they were graven with an
iron pen and lead in the rock forever. Write them on my tombstone.
What do you want us to write, Job? Write this, for I know that
my Redeemer liveth, my Messiah, my Savior. I know He lives. He ever lives. He's the same
yesterday, today, and forever. Listen. And He's going to stand
at the latter day on this earth. My Redeemer, my God, my Savior
is going to stand. Here's a man that lived back
before a word was written in this book, before a preacher
ever preached this. God taught him. He's going to
stand on this earth. And though after my skin worms
destroy this body, I'm going to go the way of all flesh. Dost
thou art to dust, thou shalt thou return. And this body is
going to die and worms are going to eat it. But in my flesh, I'm
going to see God. My Redeemer is God. My Savior
is God. He's going to stand on this earth
and I'm going to see Him in my flesh, in redeemed flesh, in
resurrected flesh, in glorified flesh. Even though I die and
I'm buried and worms destroy this body, God's going to bring
me forth and because of my Redeemer, I'm going to see God. Now watch it, whom I shall see
for myself. I hear people talking, poor old Job, he didn't have
near the revelation we have. He didn't have near the scriptures
we have. He lived before Abraham and Moses
ever wrote of Christ. And I hear people today say,
well, will we know each other in heaven? Are we going to be
the same? Job knew that. He said, I'm going to see him
for myself. Job, I, me, myself, I'm going
to see Him. Listen. My eyes are going to
behold Him, not another. Myself. Though my reins be consumed within
me. I'm going to see God. That's
what this Old Testament is all about. I'm going to see Him. I know the Lord raised up Abraham,
the Lord called him, the Lord made him a great nation. Now
listen to me. Made him a great nation, a great nation from him,
and God gave that nation the prophets. They had to be somewhere. There had to be a nation. You
see that? There had to be a nation that would preserve the types,
the prophets, the patterns, the tabernacles. the oracles of God. There had to be a nation. They
were a nation of rebellious people, and backslidden people, and unbelieving
people. But all the way through that
nation, God had His Abrahams, and His Isaacs, and His Jacobs,
and His Jesses, and His Davids, and His Daniels, and His Elijahs,
and Elishas, and His Hoseas, and Amos and Micah. He always
had his people in that nation. Elijah one day sat over there
under the gourd of the juniper tree or somewhere and he said,
Lord, just kill me. I'm the only one left. Lord,
you're in a mess now. I'm the only one that believes
in you. I'm the only one you got left.
Just kill me too and just write her off. God said, Elijah, I
got 7,000 men. Think about that. Elijah didn't know a one-up. He didn't know a one-up. He actually
thought that the kingdom of God was reduced to him. I know some
fellas that think that too. Some sovereign grace preachers.
I'm the only one left. And somebody said this the other
day, that 7,000, that 7 is a perfect number. And it wasn't, why didn't
he say 6,999? It was 7,102. No, 7,000 is an
indefinite number, a definite number for an indefinite number.
It's a perfect number. They're in me. 7,000 of them. never bowed their knee. But that
nation, God gave that nation His prophets, His priests, His
tabernacle, His mercy seat, His law, His word, His holy days,
His promises, His picture, and sent through them His Messiah. You see, Romans 3, turn over
there just a moment, Romans chapter 3. Somebody says, well, the Lord
is going to save Gentiles too, pagan Gentiles who don't have
the law, who don't have the mercy seat, Gentiles. Then chapter 3 verse 1 says,
What advantage then hath the Jew? What profit is there in
being of the circumcision? Those people back through the
years, you know that from Abraham and Isaac and Jacob
and Moses and the Jewish people, the tabernacle, if God's going
to save some of these heathen, pagan Gentiles, then what profit
is there? What advantage is there? Ah,
he said in verse 2, much every way. much far cheaply because
under them were committed the oracles of God. That's what I'm
talking about this morning. The promises of the Messiah.
The pictures of the Messiah to them. And I know this, that God
has a people, not of this fold, but over there in Africa, where
Ken and Brother Bill are preaching this morning. Mexico, where Brother
Walter is preaching this morning. and over in France and Ireland
and other places, then what advantage is it for us to bring our children
up in the teaching of gospel and the grace of God, sovereign
mercy of God? Much every way. Much every way. To them is committed and entrusted
the precious truth of God. that a man's got to hear to be
saved. That's right, much everywhere. But all through the Scripture,
from Abraham to Simeon, Israel looked for the Christ. The Christ. That's what the Old Testament
Scriptures are all about. The Christ. The Covenant Christ.
The Incarnate Christ. The Crucified Christ. The Risen
Christ. The Victorious Christ. The Enthroned
Christ. The coming Christ. You know,
when John the Baptist came preaching, some of those people said to
him, are you the Christ? Are you the Christ? No, he said,
I'm not the Christ. There cometh one after me who
shoelaces. I'm not worthy to tie. Well,
are you that prophet? Moses talked about God will raise
up that prophet. No, he said, I'm not. I'm not
that prophet. I'm just a voice in the wilderness. But the Christ is coming. That
prophet's coming. The woman at the well, when our
Lord had disarmed her, taken away all of her fleshly resting
places, traditions, and things to hold to, and just shut her
up to a lostness, taken away her heritage and ancestry,
All of these things. She said, well, I know the history. Messiah's coming. It's going
to be all right when he comes. Messiah's coming. And when he
comes, he'll tell us all things. How did she know that? She didn't
have Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. She didn't have Romans
and 1 Corinthians. She had the scriptures. She had
the scriptures. And she said he's coming. Let
me tell you something else. Turn to Luke 2. Luke chapter
2. I just love this Scripture, Luke
chapter 2. And remember, while I'm giving
you this, remember that these New Testament Scriptures
weren't written when this happened. Old Simeon, white-haired, shoulders stooped, serving the Lord in the temple,
surrounded by the days and duties and deeds of religion, ceremonies
and sacrifices and twisted, perverted, warped worship. And it says here in Luke 2 verse
25, And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, the capital of
religion, whose name was Simeon. And that same man was a just
and devout man. He was waiting for the Messiah. He was waiting for the consolation,
the comfort, the Redeemer of Israel. The Holy Ghost was upon
Him. Here's one man waiting for the
fulfillment of that promise. He knew the Scriptures. He wasn't trying to figure out
how long the ten tribes and the two tribes were divided. He wasn't
trying to figure out times, times and a half a time, and three
and a half times of Daniel and Ezekiel. He wasn't trying to
figure out the wheel and the wheel that's burning on the outside
of the wheel. He's looking for the Messiah. He's waiting for the Messiah. Abraham saw my day, Christ said,
and he rejoiced. Moses wrote of me. And it was
revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost that he would not see death
before he had seen the Lord's Christ, Messiah. And he came
with his spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought
in this baby, this child Jesus, Mary and Joseph, came to the
temple. See, Christ was born under the
law. He was circumcised in his eight days according to the law.
Mary came to the temple to do what the law commanded her to
do when her womb was opened by a male child. Certain days they
would do all these things. And I might say, if we go back
under the law, we better read up on some of these things so
we can get them done. You don't just require to keep
the Sabbath day and pay your tithe, you're required to do
all things written in the law, if you're going to go that route. That's why she was here, to do,
listen, for him after the custom of the law. You say, well, man, why don't
you teach us those things? You don't need to know them. Because you're not required to
do them. And we're not going to get bogged down in trying
to find out all about them either. We're just going to say they
were done to point us to Christ, to shut us up to Christ, to be
a schoolmaster until we came to Christ. Then took he him up
in his arms. He picked up that baby and blessed
God and praised God and thanked God. And he said, Lord, now let
us, thou servant, depart in peace according to your word. For mine
eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before
the face of all people, a light to lighten the Gentiles, and
the glory of thy people is What had this man been reading? The
Old Testament. And when he stood and held that
child, he held Abraham's sight, he held Moses' subject, he held
Abel's sacrifice, he held Jehovah Sidkenu, Jehovah Rapha, Jehovah
Jireh, Jehovah our banner, Jehovah my shepherd. And he knew it.
He held in his arms a seed of woman. The priest forever after
the order of Melchizedek, the root of Jesse, the son of David. He said, I've seen all I need
to see. That's all I need to see. That's all. I see the whole scriptures
right here in this, in your salvation. I see your salvation, your scriptures,
your promises, your glory, your wisdom, your justice, your mercy. I see it all. Let's just leave
here now. That's all I know. I've seen
everything I need to see. I know everything I need to know.
Like I said to you a few weeks ago, everything I need to know
I learned in kindergarten. That's right. When I saw him. I'm just learning more about
him. More about him. That was Peter's message at Pentecost.
Let me show you something else. Turn to 1 John. 1 John, chapter
4. This is the chief mark of everybody
who's born of God. They've seen the Christ. They've
acknowledged the Christ. They've recognized the Christ.
They've fallen in love with the Christ. They're satisfied with
the Christ. That's the chief mark of everybody
born of God. Look at 1st John 4, 1st John
4, 1. 1st John 3, 1. Now I beg your pardon, it's 1st
John 5, 1. I'm sorry, 1st John 5, 1. Here it is, now listen,
1st John 5, 1. Whosoever, get it here now, whosoever believeth
that Jesus is the Christ, is born of God. That's it. That's the reason it's so important
what I read a while ago when our Lord said, I'm the bread
of life. The Father sent me. And these
people began to leave. And the disciples stood there
and he said, will you go away? And Peter said, Lord, to whom
shall we go? Thou hast the words of life.
And we believe and assure that thou art the Christ. You're Simeon's Savior. You're
Abraham's seed. You're David's son. You're the
Savior. You're the Messiah. We believe
and assure. We're sure. We don't know all
that you're going to do. We don't know all that you're
going to say. We don't know all that you're going to accomplish
and how you're going to do it, but we do know this. You're the
Christ. That's what I told my Sunday
school class this morning. This is where you start. God
hasn't promised us all the answers, insight into all the mysteries,
but it's one thing I believe, and of which I'm sure, Jesus
of Nazareth is the Christ, the Son of God. I believe that. That's what Abraham believed.
That's what Moses believed. That's what all of the prophets
believed. To Him give all the prophets
witness. Is that, whoso, look at that
again, 1 John 5, verse 1. Whosoever believeth that Jesus
is the Christ, is born of God, and every one that loveth Him
that begat, he loveth Him that's begotten of Him. He'll love the
Lord Jesus. He'll love the Father and the
only begotten Son. And He'll love the other people
who are begotten of Him. Look at 1 John 2. 23 this is
my friends. This is so vital what I'm saying
what I'm teaching from the word First John 2 verse 22 Who is
a liar? Give me the definition of a pulpit
liar a false prophet a Man that's lying on God Not telling the
truth to his congregation. Give me a definition. That's
what it is. Who is alive? I tell you who a liar is, it's
he that denies that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ. Now you
can just take that little rule of thumb, that's what they say,
rule of thumb, you just take that little rule of thumb and
put it up on anybody preaching or teaching. If they deny that
Jesus, Mary's son of Nazareth, I'll call my son out of Egypt,
out of Galilee, Anybody who denies that he's the Christ, that he's
the sent one, the Redeemer, the Messiah, the God-man, Israel's
Redeemer, our Redeemer, he's an antichrist. Read it. He's
an antichrist. He denies the Father and the
Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the
same hath not the Father. But they're doing such great
work. Well, that's what they're saying to judgment. We did many
wonderful works in your name. And he said, I never knew you. But they're such lovable people. You know, that's the thing they've
got going about this homosexuality. They say, but they're... They're
famous stars. This swimmer, he's a great star.
He had a tough life. He grew up tough. I grew up tough,
too. But that don't make sin legal. But they help children. And I
tell you, their lifestyle is doing a lot of damage to children,
too. They're hurting children. Children
make them their idols. You don't justify error and evil
because somebody's kind and lovable and famous and rich. That just
makes them more accountable. That just makes it more evil.
And you get a man in a pulpit and he has degrees and credentials
and charisma and kindness feed the children, take care of the
orphans, give home to the homeless. But if he denies that Jesus of
Nazareth is the Christ, he's a liar. He's an antichrist. He's a troublemaker. He's an
evil influence. I'm telling you the truth. Who is a liar? But he that denieth that Jesus
of Nazareth is the Christ, the Savior, the only Savior, there's
not more than one Savior, there's one. You see what I'm saying? I'm trying to be kind. I'm trying to say hard things
in a kind way. It's hard to say. That's Peter's
whole message at Pentecost, the Christ. Turn over there just a minute.
Peter's message in Acts chapter 2, Peter's message at Pentecost
was not an idle plea for them to accept Jesus as their personal
Savior. It was a command for them to
bow to and receive and believe on Jesus who is Lord and Christ,
the Christ, the Messiah, the High Priest, the Anointed One. He said in Acts 2 verse 22, and
I'll read this and close. Ye men of Israel, hear my words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man, a man
approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs,
you saw what he did, you heard what he said, which God did by
him. You even said no man could do
these things except God be with him. In the mystery as you yourselves
know, Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge
of God, covenant Savior, promised Savior, Messiah, you have taken,
and by your wicked hands have crucified and slain, whom God
raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it's
not possible that He should be holden of death, David, your
hero, David, your king, David spoke concerning him. All your
writers wrote about him. David said, I foresaw the Lord
always before my face, for He is on my right hand, that I should
not be moved. He is talking about the Lord
said to my Lord, sit thou on my right hand. Therefore did
my heart rejoice, David said. My tongue was glad, moreover
also my flesh, and shall rest in hope of the Redeemer, the
Messiah. Because thou wilt not leave my
soul in hell, my body in the grave, or abandon my soul, neither
will thou suffer thy Holy One to seek corruption. Christ lay
in the tomb, but he didn't. Body didn't rot like Lazarus.
He never saw corruption. God raised him. Now listen, Peter
said, Christ is still speaking here.
Thou hast made known to me the ways of life. Thou shalt make
me full of joy with thy countenance. Now men and brethren, let me
freely speak unto you of the patriarch David. David's not
talking here about himself because he's both dead and buried. His
grave's with us. When David said, I will not leave
my soul in hell, abandon my soul or my body in the grave, and
suffer thy holy one to seek corruption, he wasn't talking about himself.
He was talking about the Messiah. Therefore, verse 30, being a
prophet and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him
that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would
raise up Christ, the Christ, to sit on the throne. David,
seeing this before, spake of the resurrection of Christ, that
his soul was not left in hell, that his flesh did not see corruption. And this Jesus, which you crucified,
hath God raised up, whereof we are all witnesses, therefore
being by the right hand of God exalted. And having received
of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed
forth this, that you now see and hear. David is not ascended
to the heavens, He said himself, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit
thou on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God
hath made that same Jesus whom you crucified, both Lord and
Christ. Brethren, that's the subject
of this Old Testament, the Christ, the Redeemer. The Savior, the
Messiah. And that's the message of these
men in the New Testament. Behold the Lamb of God. Believe
on Him. Trust Him. And I hear preachers
just appeal to people and put pressure on people to make a
walk down an aisle, do these things, accept Jesus as your
personal Savior and this sort of thing. And folks don't know
what they're talking about. But you know what I'm talking
about this morning. We're sinners. We need a Savior.
We need a Redeemer. We need a Messiah. We need someone
to give sight to the blind and lead life to the dead, freedom
to the prisoners. And He came. He's the Messiah. He's the Christ. He's the Savior. He's my Redeemer. I believe Him. Whatever God's pleased to teach
me from that point, it'll be learning about Christ. Learning
of Christ. Growing in grace and the knowledge
of Christ, the Redeemer. Our Father, grant the wisdom
and understanding of the Word to every one of us
here this morning. and enable us to stand with Simon
Peter and be able to say honestly,
truthfully, from our hearts, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou
hast the promises, the words of eternal life. And Lord, before
your throne, before your people, Honestly, publicly, sincerely,
I believe, and I'm sure, that He's the Christ, the Son of the
living God. Lord, I believe. Help Thou mine
unbelief. And enable us to know more of
Him, to grow in grace in the knowledge of Christ, that we
may win Christ and be found in Him, that we may know Christ
and the power of His resurrected life. and the fellowship of his
sufferings, that we may be married to him, committed to him, love
him, and never leave him. I pray in his name that the glory
might be his. Amen. You know, the more I think about
that scripture that I read for our text, And our Lord talked about being
the bread from heaven, and his flesh which he gives for the
life of the world, and eating his flesh and drinking his blood.
And no man can come unto me except my Father draw him, and the glory
which shall be his and upon him and through him in eternity. And these people said, understand
these things. These are hard things to understand. Who can hear it? Who can understand
it? And they left. And then he turned to the disciples
and said, will you go away too? And they didn't say this, but
I know they thought it. We don't understand all that
either. I don't understand and how He
opened for us the new and living way through His flesh. I don't understand the great
hidden secrets of God in Jesus Christ and substitution and satisfaction
and justification and how a sinner like me can be perfect and holy
in the eyes of God, accepted in the Beloved. And I know Peter
thought, I'm like those folks, I don't understand it. But to
whom shall I go? Where am I going to go? There's
nothing in religion. There's nothing in experience.
There's nothing in the church. There's nothing in these holy
days. Where am I going? You've got the words of life.
At least you're talking about life, eternal life. And you've got the words, and
I believe this, and I'm sure of this, you're the Christ. So
I'm staying with you. I'm going to look to you. I'm
going to believe on you. Now, you do with me what you
will, but I'm on your hands, Barnard used to say. I'm on your
hands. It's like these precious children,
you parents, and they say, Dad, I'm on your hands, treat me right.
I believe in you. I'm committed to you. I'm yours. I'm your son. And I believe you'll
treat me right. And that's what Peter's saying.
I do know this. You're the Christ. You're the
son of the living God. And I'm on your hands. I'm yours. And that's it, boys and girls.
That's it. That's where you start. I believe
that Jesus is the Christ. and believing, I have life.