My Creed

Q: What does the Bible say about the power of God revealed in Christ?

The Bible teaches that Christ is the power and wisdom of God, evidenced through the foolishness of preaching to save believers (1 Corinthians 1:21). Scripture makes it clear that the power of God is most fully revealed in Jesus Christ. In 1 Corinthians 1:21, Paul states that it pleased God to save those who believe through what the world sees as foolishness—the preaching of Christ crucified. This message, while dismissed by many, holds the key to understanding God's redemptive plan. Christ embodies both the power of God and the wisdom of God, as seen in His life, death, and resurrection. As Isaiah 53 illustrates, Christ bears the weight of our sorrows and intervenes as our substitute, demonstrating God's mighty power to redeem and transform those who believe.

Q: Why is the message of grace important for Christians?

The message of grace is vital as it assures believers of their salvation and God’s unmerited favor, emphasizing that no works are required for redemption. The message of grace is foundational to the Christian faith. Isaiah 53 portrays this grace as available to all sinners, offering hope without any requirement except faith. It’s through grace that we understand our helplessness and God's willingness to save us, even when we lack merit. This assurance encourages believers to rest in God's provision and to share this same grace with others. Grace is not merely a theological point; it is the essence of our relationship with God, encapsulating the overwhelming truth that our salvation is a result of God's benevolence, not our efforts, emphasizing the depth of His love and mercy.

Q: How do we know Christ’s substitutionary atonement is true?

We know Christ’s substitutionary atonement is true through Scripture, which declares that He bore our sins and the iniquities of all who believe (Isaiah 53:5-6). Christ’s substitutionary atonement is affirmed throughout Scripture, particularly in Isaiah 53, where it is prophesied that He would be wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. This doctrine is central to the faith as it highlights how Christ paid the penalty for sin on behalf of His people. The New Testament supports this with passages such as 1 Peter 2:24, which states that He bore our sins in His body on the tree. Thus, the certainty of His atoning work is founded on biblical revelation, teaching us that Jesus’ sacrificial death provides the necessary payment for our sin, guaranteeing that those who believe are justified and reconciled to God.

Q: Why is the concept of substitution important for Christians?

The concept of substitution is crucial as it illustrates how Christ uniquely bore the penalty for our sins, allowing us to receive forgiveness and eternal life. The doctrine of substitution is a cornerstone of Christian theology, emphasizing that Jesus Christ, as our substitute, took upon Himself the judgment and punishment we rightly deserve. This is vividly depicted in Isaiah 53, where it states that He was smitten for our transgressions and that the Lord laid upon Him the iniquity of us all. Understanding substitution reassures believers of the completeness of Christ’s sacrifice, affirming that our sins have been fully dealt with by His death. As a result, this doctrine significantly impacts our faith, instilling a sense of peace and security in our salvation, knowing that nothing can separate us from the love of God.

Q: How does Isaiah 53 describe Christ’s suffering?

Isaiah 53 describes Christ’s suffering as profound and vicarious, revealing that He was despised, rejected, and bore our griefs and sorrows. In Isaiah 53, the prophet vividly portrays the suffering servant, identifying the deep agony that Christ would endure for humanity’s sake. He is described as one who is despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows acquainted with grief. These portrayals emphasize the vicarious nature of His suffering—He did not suffer for His own sins, as He was sinless, but rather for the transgressions of others. Such depth of suffering demonstrates the love and grace of God, providing not only a means of atonement but also a model of enduring faithfulness amidst despair. For believers, this passage brings great comfort, as it assures us that our Savior can personally relate to our sufferings and provides hope through His redemption.

And the prophet begins in this
way, who has believed our report, our creed, our confession, our
message, our testimony? Who has believed it? Our friends,
there's never lived a prophet or an apostle or a true preacher
who has not mourned and grieved over the fact that men in general
do not believe the gospel. what you were talking about tonight,
standing in the middle of my study, about someone very close
and dear to you, who attended church but who had no interest evidently in this gospel, in
this message. It breaks your heart. It breaks
my heart. I'm going to preach the gospel.
I must preach the gospel. Woe is under me if I preach not
the gospel. Necessity is laid upon me. I
must preach the gospel. I've got to declare all the counsel
of God. I cannot keep back anything profitable
unto men. I must tell the truth. If it's
humbling to the flesh, offensive to the flesh, I've got to tell
it. And if men do not have an interest
in it, I can't compromise it or trim it in order to gain their
interest. But I grieve over the fact that
they have no interest. But I tell you this, he was in
the world and the world knew him not. He came unto his own and his
own received him not. He said to them, I'm coming in
my Father's name. The works that I do bear witness
of me. But you believe me not, let another come in his own name,
preaching his own message, and him you will receive. And you
will not come to me that you might have life." Even our Lord
said that. Oh, Jerusalem, how awkward I've
gathered you, as a hen doth gather her brood, and you will not. That's what he's saying here.
hath believed our report." Our message is a message of grace.
God said, I will be gracious. Guilty people need grace. Sinners
need mercy. It's a message of free grace.
There's nothing required of you but to look. Nothing is required
of you but to believe. Oh, everyone that's thirsted,
come to the water. Buy wine and milk without money,
without price. The message of hope, it's the
only hope there is. There's no hope in me or the
church or the ordinances or the ceremonies or religion. There's
a good hope in Christ, a good hope through grace. But who believes
it? Who believes it? And look at
that next line, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
What's the arm of the Lord? What word would you put there
in place of honor? I'll tell you the word. Power.
To whom is the power of God? Now let me tell you something.
Our Lord condemned His heroes, the religious Pharisees of that
day, And he said, here's your problem, it's twofold. He said,
you don't know the scriptures, and you don't know the power
of God. The power of God. Do you know
the power of God? Has the power of God been revealed
to you? The power of God is a person.
Let me show you that. If you'll just hold Isaiah 53,
I'm going to ask you to turn to 1 Corinthians, chapter 1. This power of God. You know,
while you're turning, Colossians, Paul said this in Colossians,
that by him were all things created, that are created in heaven, earth,
and under the earth, and God had given him preeminence over
all things, power over all things. He's the head of the body of
the church. In him we live and move and have our being. And
here in 1 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 21, For after that, in the wisdom
of God, the world by wisdom knew not God. It pleased God by the
foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews
require a sign, and the Greeks seek out the wisdom, but we,
men of God, people of God, preach Christ crucified. Christ crucified
to the Jews is a stumbling block to the Greeks. foolishness or
nonsense, but unto them which are called by the power of God,
both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God. Christ is the wisdom of God.
You don't know the Scriptures, and you don't know the power
of God. Christ is the power of God, and Christ is the wisdom
of God. Christ is the Word of God. And that's what he's More
mourning over here, the prophet is saying, I've got a glorious
report, but who believes it? I've got a message of the power
of God. God's power and redemption. He's
able to save to the uttermost them that come to God by Christ.
Power of God. Wisdom of God. But to whom is
that power revealed? Now, verse 2. For he shall grow
up before him as a tender plant, as a root out of a dry ground. He has no form, no comeliness. When we see him, there's no beauty
we should desire in him. Who on earth is that talking
about? Talking about the arm of the Lord. Talking about the
power of God. Talking about the Lord Jesus
Christ. But Brother Pastor, is not Christ the eternal God? That
He is. He thought it not robbery to
be equal with God. He said, He that hath seen me
hath seen my Father. I and my Father are one. On his
shoulders is the government, and his name is Wonderful Counselor,
the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
God is one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He's very God
of very God. Jesus Christ is King of kings,
has an eternal kingdom. But for a season and for a time,
he who is equal with the Father and one with the Father must
become a frail man, a human being, subject to
all the trials and difficulties and sufferings of flesh. That's
right. This is talking about the Lord
Jesus Christ when He says, He shall grow up as a tender plant. Turn with me to Hebrews 2. Now
let's look at this, see if we can get some light on that verse
from Hebrews 2. Hebrews 2. In verse 8 of Hebrews 2, it says
this. This is talking about the Son. He says, verse 8, Thou, the Father,
hast put all things in subjection unto His feet. The Father loves
the Son, and has given all things into His hands. The kingdom is
His. For in that He put all in subjection
unto Him, He left nothing that is not put unto Him, unto Christ
Jesus. Lord of lords, but now we see
not yet all things put unto him. Doesn't appear that way now,
does it? Doesn't appear that way at all. Satan's still running
loose. Kingdom of darkness is still
prevalent. Wicked men are still running
loose, unpunished. So we don't see everything put
unto Christ yet, but here's what we see, verse 9, but we see Jesus. who was made a little lower than
the angels by the suffering of death. God can't die. So in order
for him to die for our sins, he's got to become a man. Paul
said, Let this mind be in you, which was in Christ Jesus, who
thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself
of no reputation, took on himself the form of a servant, was made
in the likeness of flesh, That's what he became. And that's
what he's saying here for the suffering of death. Crowned with
glory and honor that he by the grace of God should taste death
for every man. For it became him for whom are
all things and by whom all things in bringing many sons to glory
to make the captain of their salvation perfect through suffering. So Jesus Christ had to become
what I am. in order to do for me what is
required of me. The law requires obedience. Justice
requires my death for sins. So he became what I am. He became
a man. I can't explain that. It's a
mystery of godliness. Paul said that in 1 Timothy 3.
Great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh.
I can't explain that. I can't explain how God could
speak and create a world either. I can't explain how the sun,
the moon, the stars, the things which God has made, all are on
a perfect timetable. I can't explain that, how that
he contains and controls all things. I can't explain, I can't
explain the birth of a child, how little microscopic seed can
germinate with some kind of egg and produce an infant. Can you
explain that? In fact, there's very little
I can explain. But I sure can believe. And God became a man. He was born of a virgin. He was born. He wasn't begotten
by a human father. He's the Spirit of God begotten
him. Born the Heavenly Father. But he became a man of flesh,
and here's what, he'll grow up as a tender plant. You know,
when you plant your garden, there's a little stalk of corn. It's
just so inch high, and it's so tender, and it's so unnoticed. It springs out of the earth.
It's low in its beginning. It's slow in its growth. It's
liable to be crushed. That's what it's talking about
here. There Mary sits in that stable, holding that baby. Such
a, it's nothing as helpless as a baby. Nothing is helpless as
an infant. And here Jesus Christ, he's got
to be born low. He was born in a manger. He was
born surrounded by cattle. He was born the lowest of the
low in order that he might be identified with the low. See
that? That's why he said, why did God
let his son be born and laid on hay in a manger surrounded
by a bunch of cows? Because he's identified with
all of us, no matter how low our state. Christ is identified. Got to be. Took flesh. No way he can represent me and
not be what I am. He grows up as a tender plant,
as a baby. A root out of a dry ground. What's
that talking about? Well, I'll tell you what it's
talking about. Look at the once mighty house of David. What was
the greatest kingdom on this earth? The kingdom of David and
Solomon. David and Solomon. And when Jesus
Christ, who's the son of David, if you'll check Matthew and Luke,
you'll find Joseph's genealogy and Mary's genealogy. And you'll
find that Mary, his mother, goes right back to King David. She's
the great, great, great, great, great, great granddaughter of
King David. And Joseph's lineage goes right
back through Nathan to David. They were the heirs to the throne
of David. And here they are, they don't even have room for
them in a motel. And that's how low, look at the mighty house
of David, nothing but dry ground and ashes. They talked about,
can any good thing come out of Nazareth? Can anything come out
of the Jewish nation in the state it's in, under the heel of the
Roman Empire? Well, that old root, that root
of Jesse sprung up out of that dry ground. And what's the next? And he has no form, no comeliness. What's that talking about? No
majesty. No majesty, no great earthly
honor, no influence. He didn't come from a castle,
he came from a stable. He didn't come from the lineage
of the Roman Empress, he came from a poor little Jewish maiden
whose engaged husband was a carpenter. He was born in the smallest of
the towns, Bethlehem. He has no form, no honor, no
majesty, no influence. Look at him. And when we shall
see him, this carpenter, this son of man, this... Why, they
said, we know this fella. We know his mother Mary. He's
a carpenter. He's born and raised. He raised
in Nazareth, born in Bethlehem, raised in Nazareth. Can anything
worthwhile come out of Nazareth? There's no beauty that we should
desire Him at no time in His life. Was there anything about
Jesus Christ that would attract the following? Nothing, never,
in His entire life. You say, a lot of people followed
Him. They followed Him for the loaves and dishes. They followed
Him because of the miracles. You know why they followed him?
He said that. He turned and said, I know why you followed me. You
followed me because you ate the loaves and were filled. I know
why you followed me, because of the miracles you saw. They
followed him for a while, but they soon left. On one occasion,
no one was left but his twelve disciples. He turned to them
and said, will you also go away? There's nothing about no beauty,
no human earthly glory, no majesty. Finally, Finally, even those
whose eyes got it open, when they arrested him, they arrested
him and took him down to Pilate's Hall and tried him, and there
he was bound, and his robe hanging off of those shoulders that were
beaten to a pulp with the scourging, and that crown of thorns pressed
on his head. Even the last eleven left. Isn't that right? They forsook
Him and fled. That's no beauty. No beauty that
we should desire Him. No beauty. Look at verse 3. He
despised Him. I hear people say, I wish I'd
lived in the days of Christ the Apostle. No, you don't. No, you
don't. Well, I'd have loved Jesus. I'd
be a friend of Jesus. Oh, I despise that song. No, everybody who was anybody
turned thumbs down on him, despised him. That's what it says here.
He's despised. My friends, he walked the winepress
of God's wrath alone. Not even a disciple stood with
him, not one. He's despised. He rejected of
men because of his lowly birth, because of his nation, Jew. And don't you think that you
don't have a little bigotry in you now? Come on. For anybody to acknowledge in
that day a Jew to be the Savior, can you imagine those Romans,
Centurions, and Gentiles acknowledging a Jew? His outward appearance, his lack
of education. One of the disciples, one of
the Pharisees said, This man has not learned. He doesn't have
letters. He didn't have a single identifying
credential. His followers, they were a bunch
of fishermen. His doctrine, you know what his
doctrine was? His doctrine of sovereign grace,
that's what it was. Sovereign mercy, that's what
his doctrine was. He said, no man can come to me
except my father draw him. He said, you believe not because
you're not of my sheep. I know we people today quote
all the scripture about Christ said, come unto me and I'll give
you rest. That's true. But I'll tell you who comes.
Those whom the father gave to him. That's what he said. He
said, all that my father has given me, they'll come to me.
And him that cometh out of no wise cast out. They despised him for his doctrine,
they despised him. His death offended. You talk
about offensive. Offensive, despised, and rejected
of men. Listen, he's a man of sorrows,
acquainted with grief. This was because of our sins
that were laid upon him. Christ was a man of sorrows.
He prayed in Gethsemane's garden. As the blood came from the pores
in his skin, my father, my soul is sorrowful unto death. Let
this cup pass from thee, if it be thy will." Sorrow, he said,
listen, let me read you something over here. You don't need to
turn to this, I can find it quickly. Listen to what Jeremiah quoting. Is it nothing to you, all ye
that pass by, behold and see, If there be any sorrow like my
sorrow, is there any sorrow like my sorrow
which is done unto me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in
the day of his fierce anger?" That's Christ speaking. Man of
sorrows. Sorrows from the cradle to the
cross. My Lord's entire life on this
earth was a life of sorrow. and suffering. And I'll tell
you this, you can imagine, suppose tonight, and I'll use myself,
suppose tonight that I was stripped of all my friends and all my
clothes and my home and family and taken to Beirut or Lebanon
and put in a dungeon with sackcloth on me Separated from everybody
in a surrounding that I despise, the surrounding contrary to everything
I believe, everything I love, everything I enjoy, contrary
to everything that's precious to me. And I put in that, I tell
you, the whole time I was there, it'd be a miserable, miserable,
miserable time. And I'm saying that Jesus Christ,
holiness itself, Glory itself, majesty itself, left that glory,
honor, majesty, and beauty, and came down to this stinking, rotten,
corrupt, filthy, depraved world, and became a man, and walked
on this earth, and all thirty-three and a half years was a, every
month and day and week was a month, week, and day of sorrow. That's
right. grief and sorrow. Imagine an
angel becoming a worm. What he is becoming a man was
more condensation, condensation than that. That's true. Man of sorrow. Listen, and we
hear, we hear as it were our faces from him. He's despised
and we esteem him not. The servant of God became an
object of horror. Look across the page at Isaiah
52, 14. Verse 13 tells you who he's talking
about, Christ. Isaiah 52, 13, Behold, my servant
shall deal prudently. He shall be exalted and extolled. He there has. Yes, he is. But as many were astounded, or
astonished, amazed at these, his visage, what is a visage? His face, his appearance, was
so marred, more than any man, and his form, more than the sons
of men. I tell you, I see all these pictures
of Christ hanging on the cross, you know, and the loincloth,
That's not it. That's not it. This verse tells
me the cross our Lord was taken to that already beaten, spit
upon, His beard plucked down, a crown of thorns on His head,
His back lacerated with thirty-nine stripes. He was taken to that
cross and nailed to that cross naked. There wasn't any loincloth.
He was hanging on that cross. It was a scene of horror It was
a scene of shame, a scene of humiliation. He was deserted
by men and deserted by God. I can't explain that either,
but that's what he said, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And on that cross you see hell
on display. That's what it is, it's hell
on display. And there is no beauty. And we,
you, I, and everybody else, with any compassion whatsoever, would
have hidden our faces from him. We hid, as it were, our faces
from him. But I tell you what is all this.
It's substitution. It's substitution. We esteemed
him not. Look at verse 4. But he's borne
our grief. Those aren't his grief, they're
our griefs. And our sorrows, that word is
translated in the New Testament, our sicknesses and diseases. And I know these modern preachers
trying to get another nickel or another dime out of poor,
sick people, or run around preaching healing in the atonement. Well,
I'll tell you this in a broad statement, everything I am, have,
ever hoped to be is through the atonement. Even God looking on
me is by the atonement. Even God even letting me breathe
is because of the atonement. But when the Bible talks about
our sicknesses and diseases, being born by Christ, He's not
talking about whooping cough and malaria. and polio and cancer,
he's talking about the stinking, rotten, corrupt human nature
with which we're born. The disease and leprosy that
flows in our hearts. That's what he's talking about.
That's what he's born with. If all the Lord Jesus Christ had
to bear on the cross was cancer, God wouldn't have turned his
back on him. Because God never turned his back on a cancer victim
he loved yet. Isn't that right, John? No, he
bore our sicknesses. He said the whole head is sick,
the whole heart is rotten. That's what he bore. That's what
made it such an awful scene. We did esteem him stricken, smitten
of God. Smitten of God. You see, when
a person is put to death for committing a crime, It's not
the fella that pulls the switch that put him to death. It's the
law that put him to death. That's right. It's the law that
put him to death. I hear people say, well, you
know, a man's... Like that fella that killed all
those young men and cut them up, burned their bodies and buried
them all. He deserves to die. He ought
to die. And so I couldn't pull the switch.
I hate to be too plain spoken to you, but I could. I could. And I'll tell you why. I wouldn't
feel any obligation or any responsibility because I didn't put him to death.
The law put him to death. Judgment and justice put him
to death. He died because he was a criminal. And I know that
wicked men, they all crashed to the cross, and they did what
they wanted to do, but I'll tell you who put him to death. Almighty God put him to death. Now I'm telling you something
you need to remember this. He says he was stricken and smitten
of God. Why would God smite him and strike
him? He bore our sicknesses and diseases,
and that's what they deserve. And when the man shut down the
electric chair and the fellow pushed the switch, that's what
he deserved. That's right. Our sins deserve death. They
deserve judgment. They deserve wrath. And God used
the hand of men to put to death our substitute. That's right. literally became sin for us.
He bore our sins in His body. He bore our griefs and sorrows.
We did esteem Him, smitten of God. And afflicted on that cross,
you see the holiness of God. God will punish sin. At that
cross, you see the evil of sin. It ought to be punished. At that
cross, you see what sin deserves. At that cross, you see substitution. One dying for another. That's
what it says. Listen, verse 5. He was wounded.
Wounded by whom? By God. Why? For our transgressions. He was
bruised. Bruised for our iniquities. He was chastened. Why? So we
could have peace and well-being. And with his stripes, we heal. He got the job done. How can one man bear the sin
of so many because of who that man is? That's the God man. I
couldn't do it. You couldn't do it to begin with.
We're not without sin to start with. If we died, it'd have to
be for our own judgment. He didn't have any sin. It says
in verse 6, All are God's elect, all we like sheep have gone astray,
wandering lost sheep, gone astray from the foe, never to return
of ourselves. We've turned everyone to his
own way, not to the way of God. We've turned away from God. We've turned to the way of sin.
But the Lord God, against whom we've sinned, whose law we have
broken, whose law must be honored, whose justice must be satisfied,
but God, the Lord, was pleased. It was in his purpose, as according
to his will, to lay on Christ the iniquity and transgressions
of every one of us. He literally laid them on Christ. That's what it says. Isn't that
what it says? Isn't that what it says? And verse 7 said, He
was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth.
He brought as a lamb to the slaughter as a sheep before her shearers
is dumb. He opened not His mouth. Now Christ is the sent Savior.
What a marvelous, mysterious transaction. God became a man. Our substitute became flesh,
was made senior, died poor. And in all of these accusations
and false witnesses and trials and brought before the Sanhedrin,
before the high priest, before Pilate, before the soldiers,
and finally nailed to a cross, he never said a word. never opened
his mouth. He was oppressed, he was afflicted,
he was lied about, he opened not his mouth. He didn't open
his mouth against his enemies. Pilate said, answerest thou not
me? I don't understand you. I find
no fault in you. Answerest thou not me? I have
the power to crucify you or let you go. He did answer him on
that one Let the record show, he said, you don't have any power
over me, except it be given you from above. He answered that
one. But he didn't speak against his enemies. He didn't speak
against his people. He said, I'm not guilty. I'm
bearing their sin. He was guilty, because he was
bearing our sin. He was numbered with the transgressors.
He opened not his mouth against the Father. He opened not his
mouth against the justice of God. Why did he open his mouth?
pay this execution. Two reasons. He loved his people
and was willing to die for them and came to fulfill the purpose
of his Father. This was the hour appointed before
the world began. But second reason, he didn't
open his mouth because he was guilty. Is that right, Tom? That's right. He didn't open
his mouth because he was guilty. He did no sin I know he didn't,
but I did, and he was with me in this thing. He's bearing my
sin, and he couldn't, he couldn't say he wasn't guilty because
he was. That's right, he was. Verse 8, he was taken from prison
and from judgment, he was wrongly judged, he was wrongly accused,
he was wrongly put to death. He suffered violence and no one
declared his innocence. Who shall declare his generation?
There was no one to declare his innocence. He was condemned at
a mock trial. He was cut off out of the land
of the living. For the transgressions of my
people was he smitten and stricken. The just one died for the unjust
that he might bring us to God. Verse 9, he made his grave with
the wicked. He died between two thieves. Looks like they showed him a
little honor and let him die alone, but no, they put him up
there with two thieves. And with the rich in his death,
that is, he was buried in the tomb, borrowed from a rich man,
Joseph of Arimathea. The word because is not because,
it's though. Though he had done no violence,
neither was any deceit in his mouth yet. Hang on now. It pleased the Lord." It what? It pleased Him. This is my beloved son. My son
born of a woman, a man of sorrows acquainted with grief. My son
abused, harassed, persecuted, hated, rejected, despised, esteemed
not. nailed to a tree in whom I'm
well pleased." Let me tell you something. That awful death on
the cross was not only purposed by God, they did what God determined
before to be done. It was not only predestined by
God, it was not only permitted by the Father, but my friends,
it pleased Him. That's right. It pleased the
Father to bruise him. You see, redemption is God's
greatest glory. I know what's going on today
in religion. You know, they do all these things
and they whoop it up over somebody threw a crutch away, you know,
and all this sort of thing. But Moses, Moses saw the Red
Sea divided and walked through on dirt. and looked back and
saw a whole army drowned in that same sea. Moses saw the death
of the firstborn. Moses saw bread fall from heaven,
rocks give forth water. He saw all these most unusual
things. And one day he prayed to God. He said, Lord, now if I found
grace in your sight, show me your glory. Moses? Are you weak up here? Every preacher I know would rejoice
to see all those things you've seen. And probably write their
life story about all that they've seen. And here you're talking
about you want to see God's glory. He knew he hadn't seen the greater
glory of God. It's no problem for God to create
a world. It's no problem for God to make
water come out of a rock. That's no more problem for me
to turn that switch and that valve in there and make water
come out. Nobody's going to stand around and marvel at me turning
that faucet on in there. But it's ten times easier for
God to make water come out of a rock than it is for me to turn
that faucet on. Is that true? Well, that's how we've got God.
But Moses wanted to see his glory. And God said, all right, Moses,
Exodus 33, 19, I'll make my glory, my goodness, passed before
you. I'm going to show you my name
and my glory. I will be gracious to whom I
will be gracious. I will be merciful to whom I
will be merciful." That's God's glory. You want to see God's
glory? Go to Calvary, where God, by the death of His Son, redeemed
a people out of every tribe, kindred, nation, tongue under
heaven. And I know people just You know, just kind of throw
that off while they talk about their miracles and crowds and
all these things. And they ought to talk an hour
about Christ and five minutes about their crowds. Talk about
the cross. That's where God's glory is seen.
That's where the glory of God is. It pleased God to bruise
him. Watch it. He bruised him. Listen.
It pleased God to put him to grief. Verse 10, now just follow
this. It pleased the Lord to bruise him. He put him to grief. when thou shalt make his soul
an offering for sin. And let me tell you something,
the physical sufferings of Jesus Christ were nothing, nothing
compared to his soul agony. And people talk about hell with
its fire and all that stuff. That's not the essence of hell.
The essence of hell is the agony of soul. That's right. That's right, that's what his
soul, thou hast made his soul an offering for sin. Listen.
He shall see his seed. What's his seed? His offspring. For he shall prolong, the Father
shall prolong his days. The Father is going to raise
him from the dead. He has an everlasting kingdom. And the
pleasure of the Lord will prosper in his hand. Jesus Christ The
moment he left glory, but he never left the bosom of the Father.
But the moment he came to this earth and became a man, he undertook
to accomplish the purpose and the pleasure of this Father.
He said, I come to do thy will. Lo, I come to do thy will. I
came not to do my will, but the will of him that sent me. Even
the words he spoke were the words of the Father. The works that
he did were the works of the Father. The death he died, It
was the purpose of the Father. And let me tell you something.
I know there are a lot of preachers who think that Jesus Christ died
on that cross for every human being, every son of Adam, multitudes,
millions of whom will perish in hell. I don't believe that
for a minute. Not for a minute. I believe that
everything God the Father gave Him to do, He did. I believe
every soul that was committed to His hand to redeem, He redeemed. I believe every sin that was
laid on him was paid for. I believe everything that Jesus
Christ was given to do in the everlasting covenant as the surety
of his people, as a mediator, intercessor, he did. The pleasure
of the Lord shall prosper. It shall not fail. It cannot
fail. Who is a God who fails? What
kind of God fails? What kind of God wills to do
something and can't do it? What kind of God is that? It's
an impotent God, and an impotent God can't be God. He can be an
idol, but he can't be God. The pleasure of the Lord, see
that man on the cross? Everything the Father gave him
to do, he did. The pleasure of the Lord shall
prosper in him. Now listen, he'll see the travail
of his soul. You know what travail is? The
word is birth pains. You women know something about
travailing and birth? The pain? And when you see that
little fella, that little girl that you've given birth to, it
makes up for all the suffering. Remember? Well, he's going to
see the travail of his soul and be what? Satisfied. You know, Christ Jesus is not
pacing up and down in heaven hoping somebody will let him
have his way. The scripture says he's seated. He's seated. He's seated. He's satisfied. Everything's on schedule. And
by His knowledge, what says His knowledge? His knowledge of God's
covenant, His knowledge of the Father, His knowledge of His
will, His knowledge of His people, and their knowledge of Him. And
all of that knowledge is included, and by that knowledge shall my
righteous servant, and that's the only one who can do it, a
righteous servant, a holy servant, He'll justify freely. We are, you know, somebody said
one time, in Christ, we are as if we had never sinned. No, it's
better than that. Because you know, Adam never
had sinned, but finally he did. We're better than that. We are
those who have sinned and have been so totally forgiven and
pardoned. and paid for it, that we can't
ever sin again, and can't ever fall again. That's better as
if I'd never sinned. I'm a brand plucked from the
burning. For He, how's He gonna justify
me? He gonna bear their iniquities.
Here we keep coming back to this. By the blood, by the death, by
the cross. Therefore, God said, therefore,
Will I divide him a portion with the great? What's this saying?
The Father is saying, because I'm going to divide him a portion
with the great, he's going to be exalted above
all exaltation, King of kings, Lord of lords, at his throne
every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that he's
Lord. And he'll divide the spoil, change that word with, to of
the strong. I believe that's what that is.
Let me show you why I believe that. Turn to Colossians 2. Colossians
2. I believe that's what this is
saying. But we won't quarrel over it. Colossians 2, verse
15. See, that's what this is saying.
And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of
them openly, triumphing over them in it. You know, when an
old general or king went into a country and won the battle,
he came back with all the spoils. And Satan has been defeated,
conquered, crushed, his power broken, and our Lord wears the
victory wreath. He made a show of it openly.
And all of this because he poured out his soul unto death, Secondly,
he was numbered with the transgressors. That's us identified with it.
He bear the sin of many and Right now he's making intercession
for us

My Creed

What does the Bible say about the power of God revealed in Christ?

Why is the message of grace important for Christians?

How do we know Christ’s substitutionary atonement is true?

Why is the concept of substitution important for Christians?

How does Isaiah 53 describe Christ’s suffering?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

Joshua

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Music

Recent Comments

About

Legal

Subscribe

Account

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Recent Comments

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Collections

Music

About

Legal

Subscribe

My Creed

What does the Bible say about the power of God revealed in Christ?

Why is the message of grace important for Christians?

How do we know Christ’s substitutionary atonement is true?

Why is the concept of substitution important for Christians?

How does Isaiah 53 describe Christ’s suffering?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

More from Henry Mahan

Related Sermons

Same Scripture

Articles by Henry Mahan

Books by Henry Mahan

Joshua

Where this book stands in the tradition

Plato

Augustine

The Western Christian Tradition

This Book