I want to bring you a message
this morning on this subject, a garment tailored for one man. And I'm turning to Acts chapter
10, verse 43, in which the Word of God says, to him give all
the prophets witness, to him give all the prophets witness
that through his name Whosoever believeth in him shall receive
remission of sins." Now, I have in my possession, and some of
you right now have possibly in your hands, a book called the
Holy Bible. I have in my possession, and
you have in your hands, a book called the Holy Bible. Now, this
is no ordinary book. It is called the Word of God.
The scripture says, about the scripture, says, all scripture
is God breathed, is God breathed or given by inspiration of God.
Holy men spake or wrote as they were moved, inspired, verbally
so, by the Holy Spirit. Now God used 40 men over a period
of 1,500 years to record His Word. It was started by Moses. 3,500 years ago. Started by Moses, who wrote the
book of Genesis, and it was completed by the Apostle John 2,000 years
ago on the Isle of Patmos. And this unusual book, this extraordinary
book, this supernatural book has spanned the barrier of time. You might ask this question,
where are the books of men, written by men, even 500 years old. A book written 500 years ago
is hard to find. They just have not come through
the years of time. They haven't overcome time. The Bible is 3,500 years old. It has spanned the barrier of
time. Not only that, but this book has spanned the barrier
of language. It has been translated into over
one thousand languages. The Bible is read, not only in
English, it's read in nearly every language in the world,
almost every tribe, every nation anyway. The Bible's been translated
into every language, over 1,000 languages. And then it has spanned
the barrier of age. The Bible's read by little children.
The Bible is read by old, gray-haired men. It's got the same message
for all. It's enjoyed by little tots.
It's enjoyed by people in teens, in youth, in middle age, and
in old age. It's read and appreciated by
every age. Where are the books of men that
are read by old men and children? You don't see children sitting
around reading books that you read, and you don't read children's
books except to read to your little ones. You don't read for
your own pleasure and enjoyment, but the Word of God is read by
all men of all ages. And then the Bible has spanned
the barrier of nationality. Now, where are the Chinese books
that we read here in America, or perhaps the Russian books,
or Burmese, or Indian books, and nor do they read our books?
But the Bible is read by Chinese, by Indian, by Russian, by American,
by African, by Australian, whomever. It has spanned the barrier of
nationality. Let me show you this. The Bible
has spanned the barrier of education and social standing. You'll see
a lawyer reading the Word of God, and a layman. You'll see
a teacher, a professor, or a farmer. The president or the king will
read God's Word, and so will a laborer. or even a Mexican
peon. This book is the Word of God. This is no ordinary book. This
is God's Word. Now then, there's no question.
That's no question. But this is the Word of God.
God has been pleased to reveal Himself in His Word. God reveals Himself in the heavens.
The heavens declare the glory of God. The firmament showeth
His handiwork. has revealed himself and is understood
by the things that are made." That's what Paul said in Romans,
so that all men are without excuse in nature and the things that
are made. David spoke of the human body and said, how wonderfully
I am made. And God has revealed himself
in the conscience of men. He's written his law on every
heart so that men are without excuse. But God cheaply reveals
himself through his Word. If a man would know God, he must
come to the Word of God. For in the Word of God, He reveals
His deity. In the Word of God, He reveals
His character and His purpose. In the Word of God, He reveals
His law. He reveals His love. He reveals
His grace and His justice. In the Word of God, He reveals
the story of creation, how things came to be. In the Word of God,
He reveals the rise and fall of man. In the Word of God, He
reveals His plan of salvation. But now get this. All those things
are found in the Word of God. The Word of God is a book of
love, a book of justice, a book of righteousness and holiness.
The Word of God is a book of creation and providence. The
Word of God is the history of men, and yet it's His story.
But cheaply, now you listen to me carefully. This is where I'm
building to. Cheaply, the theme of the Bible,
cheaply the theme of that book called the Word of God is the
story of the man. I didn't say a man, I said the
man. Chiefly, the Bible is the story
of the man. It's the story of one man. It's
the story of the man who was and who is and who ever shall
be. The Bible is the story of the
man who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The Bible
is the story of the man who was with God and was God. The Bible is the story of the
man who was made flesh and dwelt among us. The Bible is the story
of the man who lived and died and lived again. The Bible is
the story of the man who ascended to the right hand of God where
he reigns, where the Scripture says he must reign until he puts
every enemy under his feet, and the last enemy that shall be
destroyed is death, at which time he'll deliver the kingdom
up to the Father. One day Jesus Christ had been
beaten and mocked, cruelly treated by the soldiers. His hands were
bound. There was a cruel crown of thorns
on his brow. His back had been lacerated.
His beard had been plucked out. He'd been spat upon, mistreated. He stood before Pilate and a
throng, a huge throng of people. And Pilate addressed that throng
of people. And turning and pointing to Jesus
Christ, he uttered three words, Behold, Thee, Man. He didn't say, Behold, A man.
He said, Behold, Thee, Man. And I'm saying that Pilate, when
he made that statement, those three words, summed up the purpose
of the Word of God. Behold, Thee, Man. Behold, Thee,
Man. What's it all about? The chief
theme. of the Word of God is the story of Deman. And the men
whom God used to write the Bible had the same message that Pilate
spoke that day, Behold Deman. That's what I read to you from
Acts 10 a moment ago. The apostle wrote this, To him
gave all the prophets witness. To him. And then our Lord said,
Moses wrote of me. Moses wrote of me. If you don't
believe Moses, you don't believe me. I'm his theme. Moses wrote
of me. Isaiah, you know what's said
about Isaiah in John 12? When Isaiah saw his glory, he
spake of him. He spake of him. That's who Isaiah
is talking about when he says, the Lord himself shall give you
a sign, a virgin shall be with child. And unto us a child is
born. His name shall be called Wonderful
Counselor, the Mighty God. In Isaiah 53, the eunuch asked
Philip, said, of whom does this fellow speak? This fellow Isaiah. I've been reading Isaiah 53.
Of whom is he speaking? Philip began at that same scripture
and preached to him Jesus. Jesus Christ is the theme of
Isaiah, the theme of Moses. Abraham saw my day. He rejoiced
to see it and was glad. I'm saying this. I'm wrapping
this whole thing up in one statement. The men who wrote the Bible,
inspired by God, anointed by God, in a supernatural way, blessed
by God, the men who wrote the Bible with their words tailored
a garment for one man. They tailored a garment. Every
promise, every prophecy, every picture, every type, every symbol,
every ceremony, every ritual, everything in the Bible, it all
fits one man. One man. and only one, that's
the man. And my friend, if you have been
given by the grace of God eyes to behold Him, to see Him, if
you have been given by the grace of God ears with which to hear
Him and a heart with which to believe Him, then you have discovered,
you have found God's Redeemer. One of the apostles said to the
other, we have found Him of whom the prophets spake. We have found
Him. of whom the prophets spake. How
did they know it was him? The Word of God revealed him. Simeon found him. Simeon, when
he held Christ in his arms, he lifted his eyes to heaven, and
he said, Lord, now let thy servant depart in peace. Mine eyes have
seen what I have been waiting for. Mine eyes have beheld thy
salvation. Simeon found him. John the Baptist
found him. One day, standing by the River
Jordan, he pointed to this man, Jesus Christ, and he said, Behold,
the Lamb of God." There's the Lamb of God. That's the Lamb.
That's the Lamb of which the Passover Lamb is a type. That's
the Lamb of which Abel's Lamb is a picture. That's the Lamb,
right there, that every Old Testament sacrifice pictured. There's the Lamb of God. Peter
found Him. He said to him, ìWe believe and
are sure that thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.î Thomas
found him. Thomas fell at his feet and exclaimed, ìMy Lord
and my God!î The thief on the cross found him. He said, ìYouíre
not going to stay dead. Iím getting what I deserve. But
youíre coming into a kingdom. Lord, remember me when you come
into your kingdom.î Even that old Roman centurion. When Christ
died on that cross, he looked at him hanging on that tree and
he said, surely this man was the Son of God, the Son of God. So the message that I'm called
to proclaim, that I'm called of God to preach is this, is
that Jesus of Nazareth, who was born in Bethlehem, who grew up
in a carpenter's shop in Nazareth, who walked the streets of Jerusalem
and the shores of the Galilee, who died on the cross of Calvary,
is that man for whom this garment was tailored. He's that man of
whom the prophets speak. Jesus Christ is God in human
flesh. Jesus Christ is our Messiah and
God's Christ. The garment fits Him. Now, I'm
going to give you some scriptures. I wish you'd do this. I want
you to study this. I don't suppose you'll ever hear
a more important message. It may be a little more difficult
to listen to because I'm going to use a lot of scriptures. But
I'm saying this, the Bible is God's Word, and the Bible is
the story of the man. Its chief theme is the man. It
pictures the man whom God would send, the man who was, is, and
ever shall be. The same yesterday, today, and
forever. And if you can find that man whom this garment fits,
and to whom these prophecies refer, if you can find that man,
you've found the Christ. And you can trust Him and rest
in Him and believe in Him, and you'll have salvation. And I'm
saying Jesus Christ is that man. He's that man of whom Moses spake.
He's that man of whom Isaiah prophesied. He's that man of
whom David wrote. He is David's son. He's the heir
to the throne that God said would never pass away. And if you know
Him and trust Him and believe Him and rest in Him, you'll reign
with Him, with Christ. God only has one man, and that's
the man from heaven, the man Christ Jesus in redemption. Now,
first of all, his birth, the birth of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,
was according to the Scriptures. It fulfilled the Scripture. I
want you to watch the word fulfilled while I'm reading these Scriptures.
The Scripture says that he was to be a man, the seed of woman. That's what God said in Genesis
3, 15. The Messiah is going to be the seed of woman. Jesus Christ
was born of Mary. He was a virgin-born son. He
had no human father. He was conceived by the Holy
Spirit. He was the seed of woman. Also, he was to be the seed of
Abraham. He was to come through Abraham. God promised Abraham
a seed, and that seed was Christ. And Jesus Christ is the seed
of Abraham. He's of the tribe of Judah. Not
Levi, Judah. And he was the family of Jesse,
who was David's father. And he was going to be of the
house of David. Now watch this. In Luke chapter
2, when Mary was great with child, she was eight and a half or nine
months pregnant when she had to go to Bethlehem to be taxed. There was a heathen king sent
word that all the world was to be taxed, and everybody was to
go to his own city. Now, what in the world was Mary
and Joseph doing in Bethlehem when she should have been home
having her child? She had to go there to be taxed.
But that's not the chief reason. The chief reason in the book
of Micah in the Old Testament says that Christ will be born
in Bethlehem. When those wise men came through
town and asked Herod, where is he, this born King of the Jews?
Herod called in all the scripture, the scribes and the translators
of scripture, and he said, say, where is this King of the Jews?
Where is this Messiah? Where is this Christ supposed
to be born? And they said, in Bethlehem, in Bethlehem, Micah
5.2. And that's the reason these wise
men went to Bethlehem, and that's the reason Maron Joseph was there.
And Jesus Christ, first of all, was born in Bethlehem to fulfill
the Scripture, fulfill the Scripture. When the angel came to Joseph
and said, Call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people
from their sins, this was that the prophecy of Isaiah might
be fulfilled, which is said, Emmanuel, God with us. Listen
to Matthew 2. And Joseph was forced to flee
to Egypt. When Herod found out where Christ
was born, when Herod found out where the king of the Jews was
born, he was going to kill him. So Joseph fled to Egypt. And
it said, when he fled to Egypt with the child, it was so the
Scripture might be fulfilled which was spoken in Hosea 11.1,
out of Egypt have I called my son, Jesus Christ. First of all,
he was born in the house of David. He was born of a descendant of
David's throne, Mary. He was born in Bethlehem. He
left Bethlehem, was taken by Joseph down to Egypt, because
that's what the Scripture said he would do in Hosea 11. Not
only that, but then Herod sent word for all the children under
two years of age to be killed, hoping he'd kill this king. And
Herod, it says in Matthew 2.16, fulfilled that which was written
by the prophet Jeremiah. talking about the whale going
up from Israel because of the death of the children. Herod
fulfilled the Scriptures, trying to kill Jesus of Nazareth. Then
in Matthew 2, 19, Joseph came and dwelt, after he left Egypt,
he came and dwelt in Nazareth. Why did he go to Nazareth? Listen,
that it might be fulfilled, Matthew 2, 19 through 23, that which
was spoken by the prophets, he'll be called a Nazarene. Now let
me tell you something. The Messiah has to be a man born
of a virgin, has to be the seed of Abraham, the tribe of Judah,
the family of Jesse, the house of David, born in Bethlehem.
He must leave Bethlehem and go to Egypt. He must leave Egypt
and go to Nazareth that the Scriptures might be fulfilled. And I'm saying
that this is Old Testament Scriptures. I'm saying that every event surrounding
the birth and coming into the world of Jesus Christ is according
to the Scriptures. He is the Christ. This garment
fits him in his birth, and it only fits him. It fits no one
else. Now, secondly, his life on earth was according to the
Scriptures. In Matthew 4.14, it says, He left Nazareth then,
and dwelt at Capernaum, that it might be fulfilled which was
spoken by the prophet Isaiah. That's Matthew 4.14. You keep
on following Jesus of Nazareth. And he left Nazareth and went
to Capernaum, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by
the prophet Isaiah." Fulfilled. Notice that word all the way.
Matthew 13, 34 says, as he was preaching to the people, all
these things spake Jesus in parables. He spoke to the people in parables.
You know that. You read his messages. They were
in parables. Why? "...that it might be fulfilled
which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth,
in parables. One day he sent his disciples
to get a donkey and to bring for him to ride into the city.
Why would Jesus of Nazareth ride into the city on a donkey? Well,
let's read in the Word of God. He rode into the city on an ass,
that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, Behold,
my king cometh, sitting on an ass. Everything he did in life. John 12, 37. Though he did many
miracles before them, they didn't believe. They didn't believe
on him that the saying might be fulfilled written by Isaiah,
O Lord, who hath believed our report, and to whom is the arm
of the Lord revealed. And then in John 15, 23, they
hated him, they despised him, they turned thumbs down on him.
Why? That it might be fulfilled written
in their law, they hated me without a cause. In his birth, our Lord
Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, fulfilled every prophecy, every
picture, every promise concerning the Messiah. The garment fit
him perfectly. And in his life, everything from
his move from Nazareth to Capernaum, through his riding into the city
on a donkey, through preaching in parables, healing the sick
that it might be fulfilled. He took our diseases, our sicknesses
and our diseases, and the hatred of the people was fulfilling
the Scripture. Every step he took, every word
he spoke, everything he did was according to the Scriptures.
Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ. Well, I'm not through. I'm convinced
personally, but I'm not through. His death. was according to the
scriptures. 1 Corinthians 15, 1 through 4,
Paul said this, and I preached from this last week. Moreover,
brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto
you, and so forth. But he said, And this gospel
I delivered unto you is how that Christ died for our sins according
to the scriptures, and that he was buried and rose again. Everything
in his death was according to the scriptures. Let me show you
a few. sitting at the Lord's table.
Now, through his life, he fulfilled the Scriptures. And here he came
with his disciples to observe the Passover when he instituted
the Lord's table. And sitting around that table
with his twelve disciples, he said, he had spoken about them,
he said, I speak not of you all. This is in John 13, 18. I speak
not of you all. I know whom I have chosen, but
that the Scriptures might be fulfilled. He that eateth bread
with me hath lifted up his heel against me." There had to be
a Judas. The Scriptures must be fulfilled. In Mark 14, 46,
they came to the garden. Our Lord was in the garden praying
with the disciples. They came there, the men and
officers from the high priest. They came to arrest him in the
garden, to forcefully take him. He said, I was with you every
day out there on the street and in the temple. You never touched
me. Why? Mark 14, 49. They took him in
this manner that the Scriptures might be fulfilled. Read on. Mark 15. He was crucified between
two thieves. Was there a reason for this?
That the Scriptures might be fulfilled. Which are written,
he was numbered with the transgressors. And then in John 19, the soldiers
had nailed him to the tree and they were down there around the
the foot of the cross, and they parted his garments and divided
them, but he came to his robe, and they didn't divide it. They
cast lots for it. Why? That the Scriptures might
be fulfilled, which said, They parted my garments among them,
and for my vesture, robe, did they cast lots. John 19, 28,
After these things Jesus, knowing that all things were fulfilled,
cried, I thirst. Why? That the Scriptures might
be fulfilled. John 19, 32, the soldiers came
to him, break the legs of the first thief, break the legs of
the other thief, did not break the legs of Christ, they pierced
his side. Why? That the scriptures might
be fulfilled, which said, not a bone of him shall be broken.
And I'm saying to you, my friend, that even those who betrayed
him and even those who despised him fulfilled the scriptures.
Listen to Acts 3, 18. Those things which God before
had showed by the mouth of the prophets, that the Lord Jesus
Christ should suffer, even so he fulfilled." Now watch this,
"...and Paul said, Men and brethren, to you is the word of salvation
sent. For they at Jerusalem and their
rulers, because they didn't recognize him, because they knew him not,
nor yet the voice of the prophets, which were read every Sabbath
day in their synagogue, they fulfilled the Scriptures in condemning
him." His betrayal, His denial, the disciples selling Him, they
pierced my hands and feet, they spat upon Him, they plucked out
His beard. All of these things fulfill the
Scripture. I ask you a personal question
today. What think ye of Christ? Most
important question with which you can be confronted. The Messiah
you believe in and trust, does He fulfill these Scriptures?
Can He wear this garment? Jesus of Nazareth can wear it.
He can wear it because it was tailored for Him. He's the man.
What think ye of Christ? That is the test, to try both
your state and your scheme. You cannot be right in the rest
unless you think rightly of Him. As Jesus Christ appears in your
view, as He is beloved or not, so God is disposed unto you. and mercy or wrath is your lot. Some take him, a creature to
be, a man, or an angel at most. Such people have not feelings
like me, nor do they know themselves to be lost. So guilty, so helpless
am I, I cannot trust in his blood, nor on his protection rely, unless
I am sure that he is God, that he is the Messiah, that he is
the one who wears this robe which was tailored for Him by the prophets. Are you sure? If you ask me what
of Jesus I think, though still my best thoughts are very poor,
I say He is my meat, my drink, my life, my strength, and my
store. He's my shepherd, my husband,
my friend. He's my Savior from sin and its
sting. He's my hope from beginning to
end. He's my portion. He's my Lord. He's my King. I've not found
it. I wasn't looking for it. I found
him of whom the prophets spake. All the way from Genesis 3, 15.
Genesis, he's the seed of woman. Exodus, he's the Passover lamb. Leviticus, he's the atonement. Deuteronomy, he's the rock, he's
the brazen serpent lifted up. And you can go right on through
the Word. And there's a garment that's been tailored by the prophets
of old, supernaturally inspired by God Almighty, and Jesus of
Nazareth, whom I preach to you, is the Messiah who wears that
garment. One day he was walking with two
of his disciples on the road to Emmaus, and they went into
a place and sat down. And it says, Our Lord took the
Old Testament Scriptures, Moses, the prophets, Major and Minor,
and the Psalms, and he opened the Scriptures, that they might
understand the Scriptures and taught them the things concerning
himself. There's a garment tailored for
one man, the man, and that man is Jesus Christ. Now this message,
along with the message that I brought last week on when is the gospel
the gospel, two messages on one tape, and I think they're important
messages. I think you need to hear them again and share them
with others. If you want these two messages, they're on one
tape. front and back of the tape. Send two dollars. That's what
it cost us to make them, send them to you. And we'll mail them
to you by return mail. Until next week, may the Lord
bless you, everyone.