to read a little article that I had on
the back of the bulletin this morning. There are some people who do
not know anything about the ministry of Charles Haddon Spurgeon. Charles Spurgeon was born about
1830 or 1835. And he was an unusual young man
being converted at the age of 16. He was the son, a grandson
of a Presbyterian minister. He was converted when he was
16 and began to preach and to pastor when he was about 17 or
18. And he's recognized as England's
greatest preacher, a nation which turned out many hundreds of great
preachers He's recognized as being the prince of preachers,
and he pastored the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London, England
for almost 30 years, preaching to countless thousands. His sermons
have been reprinted and reprinted and reprinted in nearly every
language on the earth, hundreds of millions of sermons from Charles
Spurgeon. And he wrote this little article
when he was only a young man, and this was the introduction
of a sermon he preached to his people in 1856 or 1857. And he said, this is the season
of the year when, whether we wish it or not, we are compelled
to think of the birth of Christ. He said, I hold it to be one
of the greatest absurdities under heaven to think there's any religion
in keeping Christmas Day. There's no religion, no spiritual
value, no spiritual significance in keeping any day. I don't care
what day it is, whether it's the seventh or first day or Christmas
Day or Easter Day or whatever day, there's no value in the
day whatsoever. It's not a day we worship, it's
a person. It's not a day that we worship,
it's the Lord of Glory. And he goes on, he says, there
are no probabilities whatever. And all the good historians and
outstanding theologians agree with this. There are no probabilities
whatsoever that the Lord Jesus Christ was born on this day 2,000
years ago. None whatsoever. This is not
the birthday of the Lord. There is not even a probability
that this is his birthday. The observance of this day is
purely of Catholic origin. It's Christ Mass. Christmas is
C-H-R-I-S-T-dash-M-A-S-S. Christ Mass and has been shortened
to Christmas. That's exactly what it is. And
he said, I can understand why Catholics hallow it because it
is a dogma. It is a a creed handed down by
their Pope who is infallible, just like the purity of Mary
and just like the bodily resurrection or bodily ascension of Mary.
They've declared all those things and they have to be accepted.
However, he goes on and says, however, I wish that there were
ten or a dozen Christmas days in the year. I want you to listen
to this. I think this is real good. For there is enough work
in the world and a little more rest would not hurt laboring
people. Christmas Day is really a boon
to us, particularly as it enables us to assemble round the family
hearth and meet our friends once more. Still, although we do not
fall exactly in the track of other people, I see no harm in
thinking of the incarnation and the birth of the Lord Jesus.
And I'll add this to what Mr. Spurgeon says. I'm glad that
we have Christmas. At least one time during the
year the world recognizes that a person called Jesus Christ
was born. There are 364 days of the year
when they don't even consider the fact that he came into this
world. I'm glad at least that one day of the year set aside
as a celebration of the coming of Jesus Christ into the world.
Whatever men think of him, whatever they believe about him, at least
the whole world recognizes that such a person did come. Now,
if we can start there, if we can start there, if we can start
with the fact that he came, we can talk about, as I'm going
to in a moment, where he came from, and where he came to, and
what he came to do. At least we can, if people talk
about Jesus, at least we can tell them who he is and why he
came and what he did and where he is now. At least we've got
a starting point. That's the thing about our missionaries
down in Mexico. When we go down there and visit
with them and go out and have services in what we call pagan
communities, there is a religious foundation on which to build.
Those people do know the name Jesus. They do know the name
Mary. They do know about the cross. They worship a dead Christ, but
at least they worship a Christ who died. Now, if we can start
there and tell them that He is not dead, He is risen, and He's
at the right hand of God, then we've got a starting place anywhere.
It's not like going into a place where they don't even know that
such a person existed. So like Spurgeon, I can say,
I don't see any harm in thinking of the incarnation and birth
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now watch this, and don't fall
into this track. We do not wish to be clashed
with those who with more care keep holiday or holy day the
wrong rather than the right way. Now the old Puritans, and this
is true, they made a parade of work on Christmas Day while everybody
else was out in church, and while everybody else was having their
Christmas cantatas and plays and celebrations, the old Puritans
went out and cut down trees and plowed ground and did whatever
they had to do, you know, built fences, just to show that they
protested against the observance of Christmas. But Spurgeon says,
I believe they entered that protest so completely that I am willing
as their descendants to take the good accidentally conferred
by this day and leave the superstitions to the superstitious. And I think
if our ministers had been faithful to their calling and to their
task and taken this day and taught their people rightly as I'm trying
to teach these boys and girls, then some of this paganism wouldn't
exist today. And some of this commercialization
wouldn't exist today. But right this day, in more than
half of the churches of Ashland, they're not having preaching
services tonight. And they didn't have them in
many of them this morning, and that's a failure of the minister
and the pulpit to properly instruct the people. If we're going to
celebrate the birth of Christ, then let's meet together and
talk about Christ, and not celebrate old Saint Nick or something else,
you know. But I want you to turn in your Bibles tonight to the
book of Micah. The book of Micah, that's over
in the Old Testament, one of the minor prophets, the book
of Micah, right near the end of the Old Testament, chapter
5, verse 2. Micah, chapter 5, verse 2. Now
this is the prophecy which the wise men were quoting to Herod.
When Herod heard about the birth of Jesus, and they said, He is
the Christ, King of the Jews, he called the wise men together
and he said, Find in your Old Testament scriptures, or find
in your scriptures, the prophecy concerning the Christ, the Messiah,
the ruler of Israel, for whom you people have been looking
all these years. Tell me where he's supposed to
be born. And these Pharisees, or Sadducees, or high priests,
or whoever they were, they said, why, the Christ is supposed to
be born in Bethlehem of Judea. He's supposed to be born in Bethlehem,
and here's the prophecy, here's the Scripture, Micah 5, verse
2, written hundreds of years before Christ was born in Bethlehem.
And this is written about the Messiah. This is written about
the Christ. This is written about the Savior.
And it says, But thou, Bethlehem, Ephrathah, though thou be little
among the thousands of Judas, small little community, little
small village or town, and one of the smallest, though thou
be the least, or little among the thousands of Judah, yet out
of thee, out of thee shall he come forth unto me, that is,
to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been from of
old, from everlasting." Now, first of all, the first question
that is answered in this scripture is, who sent Jesus Christ into
this world? who sent Jesus Christ into this
world. And here it says, "...yet out
of thee shall he come forth unto me." The Father sent him. The
Father sent him. Let our souls get hold of that
thought and let us hold tightly to it, and every thought that
we have of Jesus Christ must be connected with the purpose
and the plan. of the Eternal Father. Jesus
Christ was born in Bethlehem. He was sent of the Father. He came forth from the Father. Now let's go back through the
Bible a moment. Turn first of all to Genesis
3, verse 15. Every word of prophecy concerning
Jesus Christ or concerning the Messiah came from the Father. Jesus Christ the Lord came into
this world a gift from the Father. He is the unspeakable gift. He is the gift of God. And here
in Genesis 3.15, when Adam and Eve had fallen, sin, darkness
came upon the earth, death and disease entered their bodies.
They were cast out of the Garden of Eden. God spoke to them a
promise. And he said in Genesis 3.15,
and I will put enmity between the serpent, between Satan and
the woman, and between the Satan seed and her seed. Now who is this talking about,
the woman seed? It's talking about the virgin
son. Way back in the Garden of Eden,
way back here 4,000 or better years ago, when man first fell,
God came unto Adam and Eve and talking to the serpent. He said,
you've tempted these people, and they've willingly taken the
fruit, and they disobeyed, and they fell, and they've fallen
into sin and death and darkness. But I'm going to send, I'm going
to send a virgin-born son, the seed of woman, into this world.
Now read on. And it's going to bruise our
heads. Satan, evil, principalities, powers, Christ, the seed of woman,
the virgin son, is going to come into this world and destroy the
power of evil. And he says, Thou shalt bruise
his heel, that's the lowest part, that's his humanity, that's his
human nature, that's his human body, will suffer and die, but
in dying he's going to destroy Thy power. Now that's the first
prophecy spoken upon this earth by the Father concerning the
son of Mary. the Lord Jesus Christ. Every
person here tonight is of the seed of man. We're not woman's
seed. Woman has no seed. But Jesus Christ is of the seed
of woman. He's not of the seed of man.
He's the virgin son. Now, in Isaiah chapter 7, here
is the Father speaking again. What I'm saying is that every
prophecy in the Old Testament concerning the Messiah, concerning
the Christ, concerning this man born in Bethlehem is from the
Father. And he says in Isaiah 7, 14,
the Lord himself shall give you a sign. This is the divine sign. This is the sign that God's going
to give. This is the way you'll recognize
who the Messiah really is. God himself will give you a sign. Behold, here's the sign. A virgin
shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. which is interpreted, God with
us. Now then, the angel of the Lord
came to Mary, and he said, you're going to have a son. She said,
I can't have a son, I know not a man. I don't have a husband.
She was engaged to be married to Joseph, but they were not
married. She said, I can't have a son, because I don't have a
husband. And the angel said unto her,
that that holy one which shall be conceived in your womb shall
be conceived by the Holy Ghost. For the power of God shall come
upon you, the power of the highest shall overshadow you, and that
which is born to you shall be the Son of God. And thou shalt
call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sin."
Now turn to John chapter 1, the forerunner. Now when the old
kings used to travel, a forerunner went before them to prepare the
way. And the Lord Jesus Christ, when he was sent into this world,
first of all, God the Father sent before him a forerunner. And that forerunner was John,
who was sent to prepare the way of the Lord. And here in John
chapter 1, verse 6, there was a man sent from God. Jesus Christ is not like Buddha,
a religious leader who was born and brought up and became religious.
Jesus Christ is not like Mohammed. Jesus Christ is not like Confucius. Jesus Christ is not like Gandhi. And you cannot group Him with
them in any kind of statement or in any kind of declaration.
Jesus Christ was sent of the Father. These other men were
born into the world and, compared with men, possibly were good
men, though they deceived multitudes. And these were so-called moral
men, but Jesus Christ is sent of God. He came from the Father. And there was a man sent from
God whose name was John, verse 7, the same came for a witness
to bear witness of the Light, capital L-I-G-H-T. He was sent to bear witness of
the Light that all men through him might believe. John was not
that, capital L, Light. but was sent to bear witness
of that light. Jesus Christ was the true light
that lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was
in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew
Him not. He came unto His own, and His
own received Him not, but as many as received Him. For who
He is, and for what He is, and for what it is, to them gave
He power to become the sons of God. And then turn to Luke chapter
3. Who sent him? The Father sent
him. He was no ordinary man. He was a man, every bit a man. From the sole of his feet to
the top of his head, he was a man. But he was the God-man, and he
was sent of the Father. In Luke chapter 3, when he came
down to the waters of Jordan to be baptized of John, the Scripture
says, verse 21, Luke 3, When all the people were baptized,
it came to pass that Jesus, also being baptized and praying, the
heaven was opened, and the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape
like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven." Whose voice?
The voice of the Father, and said, "'This is my beloved Son,'
or, "'Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.'"
Jesus Christ was no martyr. Jesus Christ was no example.
Jesus Christ was no religious leader. Jesus Christ was no phenomenal
religious teacher. Jesus Christ was the Son of God. And then turn to Acts chapter
2. His crucifixion was no accident. His crucifixion was no defeat.
His crucifixion was foreordained. predestinated and decreed by
the Father from the foundation of the world." The Scripture
says Jesus Christ is the Lamb slain before the foundation of
the world. He didn't come into this world
hoping that people would receive Him. He knew they wouldn't. While
long before He came, Isaiah said, He's a man of sorrows and acquainted
with grief. He was despised and rejected
of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. When God
told Noah to build the ark, God had no hope and no purpose and
no possibility of this world turning to righteousness. Noah
was a preacher of righteousness, but when God told Noah to build
the ark, the ark was designed for eight souls. That's the way
God designed it. And when Jesus Christ came to
this earth, he came to die. He came to suffer. He came to
be a sacrifice for sin. He came as the Lamb slain when
He came to this earth. And here in Acts 2, verse 22,
when Peter was preaching to that group of people there, after
Christ had been crucified, buried, and rose again, he said, You
men of Israel, you listen to these words. Jesus of Nazareth,
approved of God, sent of God, appointed of God, ordained of
God, among you by miracles and wonders and signs which God did
by him." Christ said, the words that I speak, they're my Father's
words. The works that I do, they're the works of Him that sent me.
In the midst of you, as you yourselves know, Him being delivered by
the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God. You say, Judas delivered
Him into the hands of the enemy. Judas was only God's instrument. Judas was only a second call.
Judas was only a human instrument. The Heavenly Father delivered
Christ into the hands of the enemies by His determinate counsel
and His foreknowledge. But you, with wicked hands, have
crucified the Lord of glory." Now turn to Acts 4. In the fourth
chapter of Acts, verse 26, the kings of this earth, Herod and
Pilate, stood up and the rulers were gathered together against
the Lord and against his Christ, for of a truth against thy holy
child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod Pontius Pilate, the
Gentiles, the people of Israel, were all gathered together to
do what? To do what they wanted to do.
They hated him. The religious leaders saw in him an enemy.
The soldiers saw in him a weakling, a defeated weakling. The people
saw in him a good man, but they feared the Jews and wouldn't
lift their hands against them." They gathered together, but something
else they gathered together to do, not only what they wanted
to do, but look at verse 28, "...to do whatsoever God's hand
and God's counsel determined before to be done." I want you to look at the angels
of the Father in reference to the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. Turn, first of all, to Luke,
chapter 2. Now, what I'm saying is that Jesus Christ came sent
of the Father. He was not just an instrument
that God used. He was an instrument God prepared.
He was not just the man whom God entered. and used on this
earth, Jesus Christ is God's beloved, only begotten Son, co-equal
with the Father, who thought it not taking something that
didn't belong to him to be equal with the Father, but made himself
of no reputation, and took upon himself the likeness of sinful
flesh, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the
cross." But look at Luke 2, verse 8. And there were in the same
country shepherds abiding in the fields, keeping watch over
their flock by night. And the angel of the Lord came
upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them,
and they were afraid. And the angels said, Fear not,
for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy." Good tidings
from whom? From the Father. From the Father. The angels didn't bring the good
tidings from the earth. The good tidings came from heaven.
from the Father. I bring you good tidings of great
joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day
in the city of David a Savior." And that Savior is the poor little
defeated Jesus. No, sir. And that Savior is the
poor little frustrated, disappointed, confused Jesus who did His best
to get folks to believe on Him. They wouldn't do it. Poor little
superstar as he lay his head in the lap of the harlot Mary,
and let her rub his brow, and cried and said, I tried, but
I failed." No, sir, that's not who he is. This one born in the
city of David is Christ the Lord! The Lord. That's who he is. Christ the Lord. God incarnate,
God in the flesh. God in the form of a man. God
came to the earth. Turn to Matthew 4. The angel
of the Lord, the angels of the Father followed Him around everywhere
He went. They ministered unto Him. Look
at Matthew 4, verse 11. When our Lord was up on that
mount being tempted of Satan, because He must be tempted as
we are tempted. He must be tempted in all points
like we are tempted yet without sin. And when Christ was going
through that period of fasting and that period of suffering
and that period of temptation, after it was over, the Scripture
says in Matthew 4.11, the devil left him, and behold, the angels
came and ministered to his body. And then in Matthew 26, Look
at this in Matthew 26, verse 51. It says here in Matthew 26,
verse 51, and behold, this is in the Garden of Gethsemane.
And when they came after Christ, these soldiers of the emperor,
Peter drew his sword. He was going to do battle. And
one of them, which was with Jesus, stretched out his hand and drew
his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest and cut off
his ear. And Jesus said unto him, Put
up again thy sword into his place, for all that take, they that
take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that
I cannot now pray to my Father, and He will send me more than
twelve legions of angels? I don't need your little piece
of steel. I don't need your arm to defend
me. Don't you know that I could call
on my Father?" They said, if you're the Son of God, come down
from the cross. It would have been easy. It would
have been simple. And that's what Christ said to
his disciples. I'm not here to fight. I'm here
to lay down my life for my sheep. For this cause came after this
hour. They said, don't go to the cross.
He said, that's why I came into the world, to go to the cross.
He was born crucified. in Matthew 28, when our Lord
arose from the grave. And the women came there to the
tomb to visit the grave of Christ. And the angel of the Lord said
to the women in Matthew 28, verse 5, Fear not ye, I know that ye
seek Jesus which was crucified. He is not here. He is not here. For he is risen, as he said,
come see the place where the Lord lay, and then go tell his
disciples that he is risen from the dead. And then when he stood
on top of that mountain about to ascend back to the Father,
the angels of God stood and said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand
ye gazing into heaven? This same Jesus which is taken
up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye
have seen him go. So this babe born in Bethlehem
was sent of the Father. Now let me say this. Over here
in Matthew 21, now watch this. In Matthew 21, 33, he gave a
parable, but this parable has reference to his coming into
this world as God's messenger of the covenant, and he's God's
last messenger. Now God the Father sent Moses,
and he sent Abraham, and he sent the prophets, and he sent the
priests, he sent Aaron and Levi, and the sons of Levi, and he
sent the tithes, and he sent all of these things. God, who
at sundry times hath spoken to our fathers by the prophets,
hath in these last days, the last days, the last messenger,
the last visitation, has spoken to us by his Son. This is the
last message. You hear him or you don't hear
God. Now look at this parable, Matthew
21, 33. Here another parable, Christ speaking. There was a
certain householder which planted a vineyard, that's God made the
world, and hedged it round about and digged a winepress in it,
built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen. He let people
live there, and he went off to a far country. God made this
earth and put us on it. and let us live here." When the
time drew near, the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to
the husbandman that they might receive the fruits of it. He
sent his servants down there to that vineyard that he owned
where he let those people live that he might receive that which
belonged to him out of it. Well, what did they do? They
took his servants and beat them, and they killed them, and they
stoned O ye that stoneth the prophets sent unto you, Christ
said, O Jerusalem, thou that stonest the prophets that are
sent unto thee, and killeth the prophets of God." That's what
he's talking about here. They wouldn't listen to these
servants. So he sent other servants, more than the first, and that's
the way they treated them. And then the owner of the territory
said, last of all, he sent unto them his son. and he said, They will reverence
my son. But when the husbandmen saw the
son, they said among themselves, This is the heir. Come, let us
kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught
him and cast him out of the vineyard. They took him outside the city
walls of Jerusalem, and they nailed him to a cross. Now then,
when this Lord of the vineyard cometh What's he going to do
to those husbandmen? Why are they saying to him, he
will miserably destroy those wicked men, and let his vineyard
out unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in
their season? This is my beloved son. God sent
prophet after prophet after prophet, and finally He sent His Son,
all in His divine plan, all in His divine purpose. And they
nailed him to the cross. Now let's look back at the text
a moment. Micah, chapter 5. And I'll be quick. Where did
he come to? Well, it says he was born in
Bethlehem. Bethlehem, Ephrathah. Now then,
Christ was born in Bethlehem, I believe, for three reasons.
First of all, Bethlehem's history. Bethlehem was precious to every
Israelite, and I'll give you this briefly. We won't look up
the Scripture. Time is slipping away. But did you know what all
happened in Bethlehem? First of all, the first mention
of Bethlehem, it is there that Rachel died, Jacob's beloved
wife, who was the mother of Joseph and the mother of Benjamin. But you've got to look at this.
This is very precious. Turn to Genesis 35. In Genesis
35, it was in Bethlehem that Rachel died in childbirth. In
Genesis 35, verse 16, And they journeyed to Bethel, and there
was but a little way to come to Ephraim. And Rachel travailed,
and she had hard labor. Verse 17, And it came to pass,
when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said to her, Fear
not, thou shalt have this son also. This is Benjamin being
born. And it came to pass as she was
dying, as her soul was in departing, for she died, she called his
name Ben-o-ni, but his father called him Benjamin. She called
him what? Does your Bible have a marginal
reference? She called him the son of my
sorrow. the son of my sorrow. As Rachel
was dying, giving birth to this beloved son, Benjamin, she called
him, Benoni, the son of my sorrow. When Mary came after giving birth
to Jesus Christ in Bethlehem, when she came to the temple to
bring her offering to turtledoves because they were so poor, Simeon
said to her, Mary, this will be a son of sorrow to for a sword
shall pierce thy heart also, the son of my sorrow." And then,
did you know it was at Bethlehem that Ruth, the whole book of
Ruth, just about all of it took place in Bethlehem? It was in
Bethlehem that she gleaned in the fields of Boaz. It was in
Bethlehem that she was married to Boaz. It was in Bethlehem
that she brought forth her son, Obed, who was the father of Jesse,
who was the father of David. And did you know also that Bethlehem
was where David was born? It's the city of David, Bethlehem. That's the reason over here in
Micah he said, Bethlehem thou art little among the thousands
of Judah, but out of thee not only shall come, but hath come
the mighty warriors of God. And then secondly, Christ was
born at Bethlehem because of Bethlehem's name. You know what
it means? The house of bread. For starving people, Bethlehem's
the house of bread. For hungry people, Bethlehem's
the house of bread. Christ said, I am the bread of
heaven sent by God. And then because of Bethlehem's
position, it is said to be the least. among the thousands of
Judah." Why was Christ born not in Jerusalem, but down in a little
old village called Bethlehem? Not among the powerful people,
but down here among the simple people. Why is this? Because
the Lord Jesus always goes among the little ones. Proud hearts
receive Him not. It's the humble spirit in which
Christ dwells. Turn to Isaiah 66. I want you
to look at this scripture and then mark it in your Bible. In
Isaiah 66, verse 1, thus saith the Lord, Isaiah 66, verse 1,
The heaven is my throne, the earth is my footstool. Where
is the house that you build unto me? Where is the place of my
rest? For all those things hath my own hand made. and those things
have been, saith the Lord." But watch this, to this man will
I look. To this man or this woman will
I look, God said. Here will be my birthplace, here
will be my dwelling place, even to him that is poor and of a
contrite spirit and trembles at my word. That's the man in
whom I dwell. He that's and of a contrite spirit,
and it trembles at my word." Now, one other question. What did Christ come for? In
Micah, chapter 5, it says, "...thou house of bread, Bethlehem, though
thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall
he come forth unto me." That is to be the ruler in Israel. the ruler in Israel. This religious world in which
we're living has presented another Jesus to the people of this world. They have presented a pitiful
and a powerless and a defeated Jesus. I'm here to tell you tonight
that the one who was born in Bethlehem, I want you to turn
to Matthew chapter 2, the one who was born in Bethlehem was
born king. It says in Matthew 2 verse 2,
which I read a while ago, where is he that is born king? Now then, there's not one instance
instance in history where a man was born king. A man may become
king when his father dies, or he may become king if he is a
part of a nation that conquers another nation, or he may become
king if a new group takes over. But that one who was born in
Bethlehem was no pitiful, powerless, religious leader He's the King
of kings and the Lord of lords. And if I were you, now, I rejoice. Turn to Isaiah chapter 9. I rejoice
in the poverty of Christ. But he made himself of no reputation. He did that deliberately. It
wasn't that he didn't have the wealth of the world. He laid
it aside. He who was rich for our sake
became poor. He who thought it not robbery
to be equal with God made himself of no reputation. Jesus Christ,
even as a babe, was King of kings and Lord of lords and ruler and
owner of all things. He said, The cattle on a thousand
hills are mine, the silver and gold is mine. In Isaiah 9, verse
6, listen, unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given,
the government shall be on his shoulders. His name shall be
called Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father,
and the Prince of Peace." Don't you waste your time feeling
sorry for Jesus Christ. If you've got any pity to shed
abroad or to share, you shed it abroad on your sons and daughters
and share it with your poor hell-bound neighbors. Don't waste it on
Christ. He doesn't need your pity. He
said, I came not to be minister unto, but to minister and to
give my life a ransom for many. That's what he said to the disciples.
Put up your sword. I've got twelve legions of angels
waiting at my beckon or my call. That's what Satan said to him.
Why are you hungry? Don't you know you can turn these
stones into bread? And when he came into a little
village there, a town there, the people said, Hosanna! Hallelujah! And somebody tried to quiet them
down. And he said, Let them shout. He said, that I can make the
stones to cry out if they don't. I can make of these stones children
to Abraham. I know of and rejoice in the
poverty of our Lord for our sake. And I believe in and trust his
atonement." But he said, "'No man takes my life from me.'"
Somebody said, "'Poor Jesus, they nailed him to a cross.'"
You know what he said to Pilate? He was standing there in front
of Pilate with that crown of thorns pressed into his brow,
and his hands, I'm sure, tied behind his back, and the blood
running from the wounds in his back, and where they'd plucked
out his beard, just gaping holes in his face, and his eyes black,
and his nose broken from where, or nose smashed, where they'd
hit him with their fists. And Pilate said, Are you the
King of the Jews? And he didn't answer. And Pilate
said, Answerest thou not me? He stood there in his robes of
royalty with his little tin crown on his head and the scepter of
his small kingdom in his hand, and he said, Don't you know I
have the power to crucify you or let you go? Christ looked at him and said,
You couldn't have any power over me at all except it were given
you from above. Don't you ever forget it either.
If you're breathing tonight, Christ gave you breath. If you're
seeing tonight, Christ gave you sight. If you're hearing tonight,
Christ gave you the ears with which to hear. And when he was
on his way to the cross bearing, or to Calvary, bearing that old
rugged cross, biting into his shoulders, staggering under that
horrible load, the blood dripping upon the sands of that pathway
up Golgotha's hill, it says the women back behind him began to
weep and to cry and lament him. And he turned and said, Don't
you weep for me. Don't you weep for me. That's what Christ said. You
weep for yourselves, and you weep for your children. That's
who you'd better cry over. Jesus Christ was always in absolute
control and command of the whole situation. He came down here
into this world. Look at Micah chapter 5 again,
describing him. It says, out of Bethlehem shall
he come forth unto me, that is, to be the ruler. in Israel, watch
this next line, whose goings forth have been from everlasting. Who is this Jesus? Why, he is
the one who stood as our surety and our representative before
the foundation of the world in the everlasting covenant. From
everlasting to everlasting, he is the same. Who is this Jesus? He is the one who created the
world. It says, "...by him were all
things made, and without him was not anything made that was
made." Who is this Jesus? He is the one who appeared to
Abraham yonder in the tents when he said to Abraham, you're going
to have a son. A hundred years old, but you're
going to have a son. And Saba, back there in the back
of the tent, began to laugh. And the Lord of glory, who is
Jesus Christ, said, why don't Saba laugh? Is anything too hard
for God? He is the one who appeared to
Jacob with whom Jacob wrestled, and Jacob named that place where
I saw the Lord face to face. He is the one who appeared to
Joshua in Joshua chapter 5 with a sword in his hand, and he said,
I am captain of the Lord's host. And Joshua fell down and worshiped
him. If that had been only an angel,
Joshua never would have worshiped him, and the angel would have
said, I am a creature like yourself. Don't worship me. Who is this
Jesus Christ? He is the one who came down to
this earth to be our substitute and to be our Savior and to accomplish
a task given him from the foundations of this world in the covenant
of grace to be fulfilled. And when he died on that cross,
he cried, the conquering Savior. Not the pitiful mass of flesh
that people like to talk about, but the conquering king. I've
finished my work. It is finished. It is finished. It is finished.