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good evening everyone just a reminder there's no Wednesday night Bible study this week and we will send a notification out for for when the Wednesday night Bible studies will reconvene well let's turn in our Bibles our call to worship this evening is going to be a reading from Isaiah chapter 44 Isaiah 44 beginning in verse 6 Isaiah 44 beginning in verse 6 this is the word of God thus says the Lord the king of Israel and his redeemer the lord of hosts I am the first and I am the last besides me there is no God and who can proclaim as I do then let him declare it and set it in order for me since I appointed the ancient people and the things that are coming and shall come let them show these to them do not fear nor be afraid have I not told you from that time and declared it you are my witnesses is there a god besides me indeed there is no other rock I know not one amen let's stand and sing hymn 89 together in the larger Trinity hymnals him 89 you you please be seated now let us pray our righteous and Heavenly Father we come to you now a second time on this lord's day with rejoicing that we can gather together as the people of Christ we can come into this place for worship that we can observe the Lord's Supper and we do just pray that you bless us this evening we pray Lord God that you would be here that the Lord Christ would be here amidst his lamp stand we do just pray that we would have that measure of the spirit lifting our souls to a right and proper worship of Father Son and Holy Spirit once again we rejoice in the fact that we have the freedom to so gather as we have we pray that you'd help us to howl your name to sing your praises that you would be worshiped and that the Lord Christ would once again be exalted upon the praises of this gathered assembly we just rejoice in the fact that we can come as the people of Christ and we pray that you would impress upon us again a fresh the joy of being found safely in Christ Jesus the Lord we thank you for the forgiveness of sins we thank you for everlasting life these things coming by virtue of the perfect and finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ and we do just pray that you would bless us tonight for having gathered together and that you would truly be praised and we would pray again for all those who are sick and unwell and those who are injured we do pray that you would just bless your your ailing Saints we do pray that you would strengthen each and every one that you attend to the bodies of those weak and afflicted and just cause them in the midst of physical suffering to rejoice in their God and to rejoice in our precious Christ we pray again for pastor Butler as he goes for surgery we do pray that you would strengthen him that the surgery would go well again guide the hands of those dealing with him we do pray that the surgery would be a success Lord and we do pray for a swift recovery we would ask Lord God that you'd be again with your down Saints those who are in those times are in a season where the rains have common that the clouds of a frowning Providence perhaps have rolled in we do just pray that you would lift up your people that you would strengthen them put them up again on those high places where the joy of the salvation has been returned to them and we do just pray that you would men to the the inner man tent to the inner man and knit together those those wounds of the Spirit and we do just pray Lord God that you would help us as a church here free grace baptist church to be unified around the things of the gospel and we pray for that spirit of unity that bond of peace we pray that we would as one man in one spirit strive for the faith of the gospel we thank you for this church and for this body and we do just pray that you would continue to grow us together in the truth of Jesus Christ and Lord God we thank you so much that you have given us this place and in this body of believers and we pray that we would always counted a high honor to come together as the people of Christ to build each other up in our most holy faith and and to have this opportunity tonight in a special way to remember the Lord's death till he comes and we just thank you so much for these things we would ask Lord that you would be with us as we worship we know once again the preacher pits pastor Butler comes up here to proclaim your word we know that he does not rest upon human understanding and strength the ministers of your gospel I do need help from Father Son and Holy Spirit and we do pray that you would give him help as he preaches we pray that as he opens his Bible and as he speaks the words of truth we would just pray that he would know the comfort of God and the strength your strength Lord God and that he would preach well the things of your Holy Scriptures we would ask once again having gathered tonight that your people would be instructed by the word that by spirit and word lord we would be well fed we pray that we would be well equipped as we go into our various places of influence this week we pray that you would help us to conduct ourselves after the manner of our calling by grace and we do pray that we would be able even to have opportunities to speak to others concerning the riches and the excellencies of Christ Jesus the Lord we pray father that tonight that the proclamation of the word that having gathered together for worship observing of such things as prayer the singing of hymns the reading of the scriptures and the preaching of your word we do pray Lord that those who entered in these two doors outside of Christ would would leave singing your praises we long to see in our own midst those sinners unbelievers saved by Amazing Grace and brought forth from darkness to light and we do pray for that tonight that the spirit would be active unto the unto the salvation of sinners and Lord God that you would just bring salvation to this church this night we would ask that you would then be with us now we along to every time we gather worship you are right worship you in spirit and in truth and we do pray for that this evening we pray that you would be among us and that you would lift us up too high in heavy thoughts of our Savior and Lord God once again that we would leave for your glory sake tonight and go into this week seeking to live for your glory be with us now in all that we do might you be honored and all that we do might Christ be rejoiced in and believed in and Lord God might all this tonight be done to the praise of your Most High name we pray in the name of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ amen our last him then before the preaching is him 32 let's stand together and sing hymn number 32 you you Oh you near Bibles to Genesis chapter 3 Genesis chapter 3 I taught this material a couple of months ago at a Wednesday night Bible study I mentioned that at a Tuesday night Bible study in South Surrey one of the dear brethren asked about Old Testament Saints and what they understood concerning the Lord Jesus Christ we often talk about the fact that he alone is the way of salvation both in the New Covenant and in the Old Covenant and we always impress or hopefully encourage us to consider that he is the alone Redeemer of God's elect but what did the Old Testament believers know concerning the Lord Jesus Christ so we're going to look at several lines of thought this evening we're going to first start in Genesis chapter 3 so I will read the chapter beginning in verse 1 now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made and he said to the woman has God indeed said you shall not eat of every tree of the garden and the woman said to the serpent we may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden God has said you shall not eat it nor shall you touch it lest you die then the serpent said to the woman you will not surely die for God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God knowing good and evil so when the woman saw that the tree was good for food that it was pleasant to the eyes and the tree desirable to make one wise she took of its fruit and ate she also gave to her husband with her and he ate then the eyes of both of them were opened and they knew that they were naked and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings and they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden then the Lord God called the Adam and said to him are you so he said I heard your voice in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself and he said who told you that you were naked have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat then the man said the woman whom you gave to be with me she gave me of the tree and I ate and the Lord God said to the woman what is this you have done the woman said the serpent deceived me and I ate so the Lord God said to the serpent because you have done this you are cursed more than all cattle and more than every beast of the field on your belly you shall go and you shall eat dust all the days of your life and I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed he shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel to the woman he said I will greatly multiply your sorrow in your conception in pain you shall bring forth children your desire shall be for your husband and he shall rule over you then to Adam he said because you have heated the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you saying you shall not eat of it curse it is the ground for your sake in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth to for you and you shall eat the herb of the field and the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground for out of it you were taken for dust you are and to dust you shall return and Adam called his wife's name Eve because she was the mother of all living also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin and clothes clothes then then the Lord God said Behold the man has become like one of us to know good and evil and now lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat and live forever therefore the Lord God sent him out of the Garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken so he drove out the man and he placed cherubim at the east of the Garden of Eden and a flaming sword which turned every way to guard the way to the Tree of Life amen let us pray our Father in Heaven we thank you for this Sabbath day we thank you for the supper that you provide to us you are the householder you are the sovereign in this place and we give praise to you that you refresh us weary pilgrims with this covenantal feast we pray God that you would bless and encourage our hearts and strengthen us and cause our faith to grow even more so in that blessed one who came to live and to die and to rise again for his people that one promised here in Genesis 3 15 that one promise throughout the Old Testament that one who comes in the fullness of the times born of a woman and born under the law to redeem those under the law how we praise you for so great a salvation how we thank you that we have redemption through his blood even the forgiveness of sins we thank you as well for that righteousness that you have clothed us with even as you did with Adam and Eve you took this animal you killed it before them and you you clothed them you made a covering for them in this we greatly rejoice Most High God we pray that your Holy Spirit would guide us now that he indeed would shine the light and our hearts that we may appreciate and see the glory of Jesus Christ specifically as revealed in the Old Testament we pray that you would forgive us for all of our sins and all of our transgressions watch over your Saints here save sinners and be glorified in this place and we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord amen well I believe this is a good question and one that does deserve an an answer to see what the Old Testament Saints new concerning our Lord Jesus Christ and our confession of faith I think has won a most excellent section dealing with what's called covenant theology and in Chapter seven in paragraph three they write it says specifically this covenant speaking of the covenant of grace is revealed in the gospel first of all to Adam in the promise of salvation by the seed of the woman and afterwards by far their steps until the full discovery thereof was completed in the New Testament so the first promise of the guy spool is found here in Genesis chapter 3 you'll remember the scene of course god made man upright he put him in a garden paradise a temple really where God would commune with his creatures and instead of being obedient instead of pursuing righteousness and doing what God commands they'd rather rebel against him and as a result they plunged themselves and their posterity into sin so when the Lord God is aware of this and the text reads that way it doesn't actually mean that he's become aware when he asks the questions it's not for his benefit it rather is to expose Adam in his transgression it's akin to seeing your child covered with chocolate and you know that he has taken cookies out of the cookie jar when you say to him have you been into the cookie jar you're not asking for your benefit you're asking for his benefit this is your opportunity to come clean this is your opportunity to renounce to repent and then you know deal with me in righteousness so God comes and addresses Adam and Eve and the serpent and in the first place he addresses the serpent we find that in verses 14 to 15 so the Lord God said to the serpent because you have done this you are cursed more than all cattle and more than every beast of the field on your belly you shall go and you shall eat dust all the days of your life and here's the specific promise and I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed he shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel this is the first promise of the redeemer the first promise of the deliverer a promise that is alluded to in the New Testament Scriptures it is foundational it is something that we ought to be well aware of and I want to draw out for observations specifically here from Genesis 3 15 and then we'll move on to consider what Old Testament believers new concerning Christ in the first place this text tells us that the Redeemer would be a man born of a woman and I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and hersey in other words the deliverer the Redeemer the one to come to save his people from their sins would not be an angelic being he would be a man born of a woman this jives with what we find in Galatians 4 I just cited it in prayer in the fullness of the time God sent forth his son born of a woman and born under a born of a woman and born under the law and some have observed that simply are the reference simply to the woman at leafs at least gives a hint or an indication of the virgin birth he doesn't say and between your seed and her seed it's a her specifically that doesn't negate the reality that Joseph was used instrumentally and bringing up the Lord Jesus but there is at least a shadow or a hint that the the deliverer would be born of a woman and this at least makes a hat tip towards the virgin birth a second observation is the Redeemer would accomplish victory through suffering notice at the end of verse 15 he shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel so when the Redeemer who is a man is born of a woman and comes into this world we expect that he will know suffering and the prophets everywhere testify concerning this Isaiah 53 he was a man of sorrows he was acquainted with brief he would accomplish victory through suffering as we move on however we ought to notice thirdly that the Redeemer would accomplish victory through death it's not just suffering that's in view in 315 but most likely most probably there is a reference to the death of our Lord Jesus Christ notice he shall bruise your head this is the soul crushing seed of the skull-crushing seed of the woman who brings his his foot to bear on the Serpent's head and crushes him but notice and you shall bruise his heel now head and he'll here is probably not just comparative I used to believe that's what was in view when Christ comes and christ suffers on the cross he will indeed destroy the works of the devil he will crush the head of the serpent and in so doing he will receive he will be hurt he will receive that that pain and it's comparatively smaller than what the serpent himself suffers it's a heal wound rather than a head wound but Michael Riedel Nick in his very excellent book called the Messianic hope indicates that what's in view with this heal being bruised is most likely a reference to the death of Christ you think about it where is a serpent most likely to bite you most likely a serpent is not going to rise up and bite you in the neck it is most appropriate to consider that a serpent would bite the heel of a particular individual now riedel nick says that since in the context the tempter has taken the form of a serpent it is likely that the tempters blow would be equated with a serpent's bite I think we can all agree that that's a legitimate implication he says and in the case of this animal the Hebrew generally uses it to speak of a venomous and a lethal snake most likely therefore the text is speaking of to comparable death blows it's not comparative but rather it is comparable the future Redeemer will strike the head of the tempter and thereby kill it and at the same time the tempter will strike the heel of the Redeemer and kill him now ultimately the God of heaven and earth is sovereign it pleased the Lord to bruise him putting him to grief but the illusion here or the reference here is not just victory through suffering but victory through death and then we ought to appreciate in the fourth place that the Redeemer would indeed accomplish total victory that's what's indicated here in the Skull Crushing seed of the woman the rest of the Bible evidences or manifest that this is indeed the case Colossians 1 verse 13 just a few passage that indicate that what Jesus accomplishes at the cross is decisive it's a total victory over the forces of darkness Colossians 113 he has delivered us from the power of darkness he has conveyed us into the kingdom of the son of his love in we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins Colossians 2 15 having disarmed principalities and powers he made a public spectacle of them triumphing over them in it Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 14 in as much then as the children have partake in a flesh and blood he himself likewise shared in the same that through death he might destroy him who had the power of death that is the devil and released those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage and then first John chapter 3 one of those very specific declarative statements concerning the mission and the work of our Lord Jesus Christ first John 38 well verse 7 says little children let no one deceive you he who practices righteousness is righteous just as he is righteous he who sins is of the devil for the devil has sinned from the beginning for this purpose the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil when does Jesus destroy the works of the devil he destroys the works of the devil in his death he does it at the cross he brings total victory to the people of God through his suffering and through his death and ultimately through his resurrection on the third day so this being the first promise let's look secondly at the first instance of blood atonement if you're not in Genesis 3 you can go back to Genesis chapter 3 we know in the book of Hebrews were told that without the shedding of blood there is no remission and the first instance of blood atonement is found here in Genesis chapter 3 very specifically at verse 21 also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin and clothed them a very intriguing study Genesis chapter 3 I mean probably you could spend the rest of your life each and every day meditating and contemplating on Genesis 3 and find new things each and every time I mean it really is a glorious chapter of Scripture in terms of its theological import remember that when Adam and Eve sinned they run from God they hide from God they hide in the trees that the Lord God had made mean it's really kind of sad to watch them at this particular juncture I mean they sin against the sovereign omnipotent being and they think they can run and hide from him they make fig leaves to cover themselves they are attempting what man always attends apart from the grace of God trying to deal with their own sin trying to find self atonement trying to find escape trying to find a hiding place trying to cover through their own work so through their own efforts or through their own ideas trying very feverishly to escape the ramifications of having sinned against a thrice holy God they feel this keenly and they try and undertake on their behalf but when God comes to deal with them we notice in verse 21 also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin and clothed them that means he killed an animal right before their eyes that means he caused an animal to stop breathing it's hard to cease from beating and then God took the skin from the animal and clothed them with it John Gill says concerning this but of creatures slain not merely for this purpose God brought a skin over them nor for food but for sacrifice as a type of the woman's seed so you see already God's promise the skull-crushing seed of the woman is going to come and deliver his people through suffering and death and already on the heels of that God is pointing them to that skull-crushing seed of the woman dil continues who's heel was to be bruised or who was to suffer death for the sins of men and therefore to keep up and direct the faith of our first parents to the slain lamb of God from the foundation of the world and of all believers in all ages until the Messiah should come and die and become a sacrifice for sin the sacrifices of slain beasts were appointed see see this isn't just to cover them from the cold or the elements this isn't just I'm symbolic ritual or write it typifies and points forward to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and we see Genesis chapter 4 they passed this information on they taught their sons what it was to sacrifice they taught Cain and Abel how they were to approach oh holy God in other words you don't just wander into the presence of holy God you must come with sacrifice the same is true today brethren we don't just wander into this place like we wander into walmart we don't wander into this place like we wander into our own homes this is the house of God most high and that God most high is holy holy holy the whole earth is filled with his glory that's why the Apostle Paul dictates and commands the conduct we are to have in the house of God Almighty very intriguing in the instructions concerning the building of the tabernacle god never tells Moses in your own house Moses have a couch here have a chair here have a bathroom here God does not regulate the personal private property of Moses the prophet of God but when it comes to the tabernacle which will become the temple which will ultimately point to the church God does regulate God does command God gives very clear specifications on how we are to approach him why because he's holy he's righteous he's glorious he's majestic we don't wander into him the way we wander into walmart we come before a holy God they passed this information down and notice in Genesis 44 able also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat and the Lord respected Abel and his offering but he did not respect Cain and his offering and Cain was very angry in his countenance fell it just back up for a moment verse 1 now Adam knew his wife or Eva's wife and she conceived and bore Cain and said I have acquired a man from the Lord then she bore again this time his brother Abel now Abel was a keeper of eight but Cain was a tiller of the ground and in the process of time this is beautiful it's actually and at the end of days not at the end of all days not the judgement day but at the end of the day's most likely of the week you see it was already early instituted based on God's creation oleth Ock's Sabbath thing that the people of God would then Sabbath likewise at the end of days the worshippers brought sacrifice to God Sabbath isn't something made for Israel Sabbath was made for man Genesis chapters 2 and 3 applied already here in Genesis chapter 4 it is given to Israel at Sinai to be sure it takes on the positive elephant element of a Saturday observance but it doesn't go away because of Jesus Christ Jesus Christ comes and and restores it to its luster into its beauty and its excellence tracked in Hebrews 49 we're told therefore there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God certainly up in the future in terms of the the eschaton but right now there are Sabbath rests every Lord's Day that served to keep us pointed toward that eternal Sabbath rest that we have in price very intriguing that we see early worship here in Genesis 4 at the end of days they bring sacrifice able brings blood this is what we observe as well the Levitical sacrificial system the Levitical sacrificial system what we find there the same sort of thing they bring blood as Michael Morales says the way to God for Israel sins must be dealt with expiated only a cleansed humanity may belong to Yahweh the way to God then is through a bloody knife into burning altar well that was instituted officially in the Levitical sacrificial system but it's predated here God Himself kills these animals clothes Adam and Eve and then able goes and offers blood to the Lord most high so we have the first promise Genesis 3 15 we have the first instance of blood atonement 321 and then thirdly we have the emphasis on substitution the emphasis on substitution in Genesis 22 you can turn their Genesis 22 an emphasis on substitution notice the particular scene God tells Abraham to take his son his only son the son whom he loves take him up and sacrifice him I mean language is just so conspicuous it points us so much to what the father does with his son is that the son of his love his his only son the one whom he he favors the one who me adore or it just rejoices it this is what Abraham is told to do intriguingly he's to take him up on Mount Moriah Mount Moriah is the place where the temple would ultimately be built second chronicles informs us and tells us that that's where the threshing floor of arana is in second samuel where david offers sacrifice to God in order to stop the plagues upon Israel for David's having numbered the children of Israel so mariah is just filled with biblical symbolism and typology at any rate Abraham is told to take Isaac up and to sacrifice him notice specifically in verse 6 so Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son and he took the fire in his hand and a knife and the two of them went together but Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said my father and he said Here I am my son then he said look the fire and the boat would but where is the lamb for a burnt offering Isaac knew what was going on not in terms of the fact that he was going to be the sacrifice but he knew what they were going to do they were going to sacrifice and he rightly observes we've got fire we've got all the implementation but there is no lamb for a burnt offering note Abraham's response in verse 8 and Abraham said my son God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering so the two of them went together to text you can hang your soul on right there that's a tax that affords great comfort to the people of god that's attacks that that holds out to us the reality of Calvary I don't think there's any accident whatsoever in John 129 when the Baptist lays eyes upon the Lord Christ and he says behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world nobody asks what are you talking about they may have a problem with the person he's identifying but not with the concept Israel was taught that the deliverer would be a man the deliverer would accomplish a redemption through suffering and through death the delivery would do so decisively it would probably involve blood atonement and substitution and all those things that they had been tutored on in the Old Covenant Scriptures now note again Genesis 22 specifically at verse hola let's go to verse 9 then they came to the place of which God had told him in Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar upon the wood and Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay a son pretty much convinced this is one of those passages we don't stop and read and ponder this is heavy right imagine if this were you thank you if God said take your son your only son the one we love take him up tomorrow a tie them up on that wooden altar and slay him now we're told at the outset that this is done because God is testing Abraham let's go to remember Abraham didn't have Genesis 22 1 he didn't know that God was testing him at this particular juncture as far as Abraham knew this was God's marching order for Abraham and he's obedient that he does it so Abraham stretches out his hand and took the knife to slay us on verse 11 but the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said Abraham Abraham so he said Here I am and he said do not lay your hand on the lad or do anything to him for now I know that you fear god since you have not withheld your son your only son from me and this is tip illogical it points us forward to the cross but in that particular instance there was no angel to stay the hand of Yahweh the Lord was pleased to bruise him putting him to Reef Isaac here was able to get up off of that altar and go back down Mount Moriah with his father not so our Lord Jesus Christ this points us to him and it is conspicuous but just to finish the observation concerning substitution Abraham's already said God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering notice specifically in verses 13 and 14 then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its thorns a horns so Abraham went and took the RAM and offered it up for a burnt offering look at the language of substitution instead of his son it's not what happens when Christ is lifted up it's instead of us he who knew no sin was made sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him he was made a curse Paul says in Galatians 3 13 this tax points us to the reality that substitution is in God's plan in terms of the redemption of his people have already mentioned the Levitical system of sacrifice when the worshiper brought his animal to the priest at the tabernacle he laid his hand upon it he pushed upon it probably the idea of transference is there not magically but symbolically we certainly know that substitution is present when we get to the Day of Atonement in Leviticus chapter 16 there were two goats on that day 14 blood that the high priest would take the blood into the Holy of Holies and he would sprinkle it upon the mercy seat there was another goat we refer to that goat as the scapegoat and what the high priest would do with that one would be to lay his hands upon that goat and would confess he would confess the sins of Israel he wouldn't confess the sins of the Hittites and they have i'ts and the you know the jebusites it was a particular Redemption it was a limited atonement to be sure and so that high priest would confess the sins of Israel placing his hands upon that scapegoat and then what would happen they would drive that goat out into the wilderness what a beautiful picture of X deasia the removal of sin this substitute bears our iniquity and he runs out into the wilderness its glorious concept it's a wonderful thing that our Lord Jesus Christ fulfills so we see the first promise in Genesis 3 15 excuse me the first instance of blood atonement in Genesis 3 21 we see an emphasis on substitution in Genesis 22 and then fourthly the covenantal identification again we're seeking to answer the question what would the Old Testament believers believe concerning this one who was calm who is going to come from the woman well the Messiah would come from Israel excuse me the Messiah would come from Israel we learned that from the Abrahamic covenant don't wait it's not just a man Genesis 3 15 but it's an Israelite man Genesis 22 Galatians chapter 3 tells us that Christ is the seed of Abraham so you see the old covenant believer even at this particular point newly would be a man knew he would accomplish victory through suffering and death knew that he would complex that would be decisive in nature crushing the sea or the skull of the serpent himself it would be affected by blood atonement it would be affected through substitution area tone meant and it would come from the line of Israel or he would come from the line of Israel the Mosaic Covenant or the Covenant the Old Covenant the Messiah would fulfill what Israel fail you need to appreciate that reality especially in Matthew's Gospel when Jesus is going about obeying the father he is the Israel of God he is doing what Israel failed to do Israel passed through the waters of the Red Sea they then wandered in the wilderness instead of depending upon God and learning well the lesson that man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God they sinned against God they grumble against God they they murmur against God well Jesus passes through the waters of baptism he goes out in the wilderness led there by the holy spirit in a place of severe test in temptation and trial and he passes he fulfills it he does what he's supposed to do so he's not only going to come from Israel he's going to obey what Israel failed to do and then we get to the covenant with David and we learned that from the nation of Israel it would be focused upon the tribe of Judah specifically the lineage of the family of David CeeCee brethren it's not just some undefined reality well we know there's a guy that's coming and he's going to deliver us no no no there's a whole lot of information that an Old Covenant believers had so I in John chapter 8 the Lord Christ can say Abraham rejoiced to see my day he saw it and he was glad my day Christ says we understand that Jesus says in john 5 39 you search the Scriptures friend and you think you have eternal life but these are they which testify of me Genesis 3 15 blood atonement substitution nation of Israel fulfillment of of the the Covenant made with Israel as well the Davidic line all of this information was available it was conspicuous it wasn't undefined the fifth place we have the psalmist portrait of who the Messiah would be now we could literally spend a lot of time here but just a few thoughts Psalm 2 tells us he's the eternally begotten Son he's the eternally begotten Son I will declare the decree the Lord has said to me you are my son today I have begotten you ask of me and I will give you the nation's for your inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession you shall break them with a rod of iron you shall dash them to pieces like a Potter's vessel they knew it would be God's Son this is what the tax specifies the Lord Lord God Almighty has set you me you are my son so this reality is told us in the Book of Psalms notice as well he would be the crucified Savior Psalm 22 it's a psalm of the Cross brethren I mean there's no more conspicuous teaching on the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ then Psalm 22 it's just incredible notice in verse 16 for dogs have surrounded me the congregation of the wicked has enclosed me they pierced my hands and my feet I can count all my bones they look and stare at me they divided my garments among them and for my clothing they cast lots of course the texture that song begins with my God my God why have you forsaken me this is specifically what our Lord Jesus cries from the cross at Calvary so the psalmist sets forth him as the eternally begotten saw as the crucified Savior notice as the god-man in Psalm 45 Psalm 45 verses 6 and 7 your throne O God is for ever and ever a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom it quoted in Hebrews chapter one concerning our Lord Jesus Christ remember a radio show many many years ago was a band by the name of Dennis Prager I probably told you this before Dennis Prager is actually still out there and he's still doing whatever he does but he's a Jewish man the radio program in Los Angeles and one time he had three religious figures on there was a Jewish rabbi a Roman Catholic priests and a Protestant I know it sounds like the lead up to a joke these Protestant rabba rabbi and the priest and the the pastor went into you know this radio show he asked these particular man about what is the bottom line that someone has to believe in order to be accepted in your faith and it was quite an interesting discussion dr. Bahnson was the Protestant pastor and he did an extraordinary job I mean it was just splendid just fabulous you can find it Isaac find it and send it out to everybody because it's really good see him writing it writing up there he's going to search the archives and find it that's good because it should be heard but it bouncing got most of the air time I think even Prager recognized that he had gold with Bahnson but with reference to the Jewish man he denied that the Old Covenant Scriptures taught that Messiah would be divine Bahnson says I realized that theologically you are not committed to the reality that Jesus is the Messiah I realize that you reject concept that Jesus is the Messiah but from a literary standpoint if we asked the text of Scripture what does the text of Scripture describe concerning the Messiah you can't not escape the reality that it ascribes divinity to the Messiah and this is one of those texts your throne O God is for ever and ever a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom you love righteousness and hate wickedness now notice therefore God your God has anointed you that's his humanity the two nature's in the one person what we call the hypostatic union according to his deity you your throne O God is for ever and ever according to his humanity therefore God your God has anointed you so why Jesus post-resurrection talks to to marian says I go to your God and my god it's truly a beautiful description Psalm 72 sets forth Messiah as a universal King yes it's a song of solomon but it certainly points beyond solomon and then the king priest of psalm 110 psalm 110 you can turn their very specifically excuse me verse 1 the Lord said to my lord sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool you know I believe brethren there's an allusion to Genesis 3 15 right there it's a text we cite often because a new testament sites it often the most quoted or alluded to text in all of the New Testament is Psalm 110 verse 1 y'all way said to my lord sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool what does it mean it means the skull-crushing seed of the woman is going to destroy the serpent himself the whole concept of Christ raining and lowering his foot and making his enemies his footstool has in the background the promise of Genesis 3 15 he will crush the head of the serpent it's truly amazing and truly glorious and truly beautiful notice in verse for the Lord is sworn and will not relent you are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek it starts off with a statement concerning his kingdom he always said to my lord sit at my right hand doesn't that bespeak of his kingly office Christ raining at the right hand of the Father and yet this King is also priest according to the order of Melchizedek brethren the Old Testament Saints didn't have some mystical subjective nebulus foggy notion of what to expect it was very concrete it was very objective and it was very solidified in the minds of the people of God those who had believed and then in the sixth place the prophets description one of the prophets say concerning this coming one well in the first place he would be one born of a virgin Isaiah 714 and he would bought be born in Bethlehem Micah chapter five verse to Bethlehem was a you know less than you know glorious place right Bethlehem wasn't you know the capital it wasn't the biggest and the best but it is intriguing that's where David hailed from as well and so does David's greater son believe it's ma Bruce Walt key says that it's from a gray cradle in Bethlehem that the world is affected for good both under the reign of David and under the reign of David's greater son but we have one born of a virgin and one born in Bethlehem secondly the one who is a child born and who is mighty God Isaiah 96 most famous passage around December to be sure but it's certainly a passage that ought to thrill and encourage and strengthen our hearts throughout the year for unto us a child is born unto us a son is given and the government will be upon his shoulder and his name will be called wonderful counselor mighty God everlasting father Prince of Peace just so you can see the nature of his kingdom look at verse 7 of the increase of his government and peace there will be no add upon the throne of David and over his kingdom to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward even forever the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this but back in verse 6 they were expecting a child to be born they were expecting a son to be given I hear an echo john three sixteen of this particular text as well unto us a son is given since the point of john three sixteen god so loved the world that he did what he gave his only begotten Son you see all the Bible classes it coheres there's an internal consistency it testifies concerning the one Christ who is the one Savior for all sinners who God has chosen to be saved it's a blasted unity a consent of all the parts it gives glory to God through the redemptive work of our Lord Jesus but notice what we find he is wonderful counselor mighty God everlasting father Prince of Peace we recently went out and spoke to some Jehovah's Witnesses over there on the on Yale road and they always go to this well he's mighty God but he's not Almighty God okay so you've got to God's your plural pluralist your polytheist oh no no no no I don't know how you can avoid the implication if you have an Almighty God and a mighty god you are a polytheist you believe in a at least a by a theistic system but just look at what this text says i love what Owen comments concerning this he's a child born a son given and he's mighty God Owen says that the same person should be the mighty God and a child born is neither conceivable or possible nor can be true but by the union of the divine and human nature's in the same person you see that's a beautiful expression of what's called the hypostatic union in the third place Isaiah the prophet sets forth Christ as the suffering servant Isaiah 52 and 53 the fourth servant song of Isaiah the prophet now the servant of course is the Lord Jesus Christ if there's any doubt whatsoever take Philip as a wonderful example are of biblical hermeneutics and acts eight the Ethiopian eunuch is reading Isaiah the prophet chapter 53 and he asks Philip of whom does the Prophet speed is he speaking about himself is he speaking about Israel and what does the text say and Philip from this passage preached Jesus to him so Isaiah 53 is a wonderful statement concerning substitution area tonin blood atonement the reality that the Lord God most high sent his son into this world sinners to save note the language of substitution specifically in verses 4 to 6 surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows yet we esteemed him stricken smitten by God nuh flicked it but he was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement for our peace was upon him and by His stripes we are healed all we like sheep have gone astray we have turned every one to his own way and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all note verse 10 he yet it pleased your way to bruise him he has put him to grief when you make his soul an offering for sin he shall see his seed he shall prolong his days and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand he shall see the labor of his soul and be satisfied by his knowledge my righteous servant shall justify many for he shall bear their iniquities and then verse 12 at the end and he bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressions Isaiah 53 doesn't come in a vacuum it's not the only piece of data they ever received they had Genesis 3 15 they had Genesis chapter 22 they had Genesis chapter 22 with reference to the Abrahamic a Genesis 17 rather than 15 and 22 with reference to the Abrahamic covenant they had the old testament scriptures that informed their faith so that they were looking specifically to this one described in the Psalms described in the prophets he would be according to the Prophet Jeremiah 23 five and six the Lord our righteousness I quite like this particular title of our Lord Jenna's Jeremiah 23 verse 5 behold the days are coming says the Lord that I will raise to David a branch of righteousness a king shall reign and prosper and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth in his days Judah will be saved in Israel will dwell safely now this is his name by which he will be called the Lord our righteousness that a most beautiful term of endearment for the st. to address his Savior wet he is the Lord our righteousness by virtue of his finished work on our behalf that we have a righteousness that avails with God Almighty the prophet Daniel tells us that he would be the one with sends a rather he he comes to the Ancient of Days and receives a kingdom the prophet Daniel in Daniel 9 24 to 27 tells us he would be the messiah who would be cut off to accomplish Redemption and then the branch of zechariah chapter 6 that branch that would build the temple the very house of God Zechariah 6 12 then speak to him saying thus says the Lord of hosts saying behold the man whose name is the branch from his place he shall branch out and he shall build the temple of the Lord yes he shall build the temple of the Lord he shall bear the glory and shall sit and rule on his throne so he shall be a priest on his throne and the council of peace shall be between them both he builds the temple of Lord so you see just with these few references not to spend a lot of time on this but you see what they saw you see what they believed and you see what they had they didn't have some sort of nebulous concept of a possible Redeemer to come it was clearly defined and it fed the faith of the faithful at the time that the prophets would come and right when we come to the New Testament we see them everywhere affirming those Old Testament descriptions to our Lord Jesus you have the Evangelist Matthew Mark Luke and John let's just look specifically specifically at the Lord Christ's affirmation notice in Luke 24 two passages that get a lot of play in our pulpit and in our confession study as well they should Luke 24 specifically verses 25 to 27 then jesus said to them oh foo wish ones and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken notice that they're not their failure to recognize what was going on brought upon them the the indictment of being foolish the data was there the material was available the Old Testament was written it was written to be understood he says o foolish ones and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken ought not the Christ who have suffered these things and to enter into his glory Jesus says the Old Testament Scriptures in and of themselves are sufficient to inform someone that the Christ ought to suffer and enter into his glory and then in verse 27 beginning at Moses that's Genesis Exodus Leviticus numbers and Deuteronomy beginning at Moses and all the prophets he expounded to them and all the Scriptures the things what concerning himself no I nag you often with reference to the Old Testament don't neglect it please don't neglect your Old Testaments please do not not read your Old Testament be in the scriptures brethren because they testify of Christ notice in 44 then he said to them these are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms concerning me it's the threefold division of the Hebrew canon they don't call it the Old Testament remember they don't receive the New Testament they call it the tanakh the Torah the Nava em and the catch even the tnk that's the threefold division in the Hebrew canon and this is precisely how christ addresses it these things were written in the law of Moses Torah the prophets never Eve and the songs the KATU vain the Psalms are are in that body called the writing so the law the prophets and the writings notice in verse 45 and he opened their understanding that they might comprehend the scriptures then he said to them thus it is written and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name to all nations beginning at Jerusalem and you are witnesses of these things behold I send the promise of my father upon you but Terry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high and of course we could turn to the preaching Philip I already alluded to that in acts 8 35 the preaching of Peter in acts 10 43 we really should at least look at that one quickly 1043 Peter preaching to the household of Cornelius he makes this statement concerning the Blessed Lord verse 43 to him all the prophets witness that through his name whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins CC they not only have the concept that he would be a man born of a woman not only had the concept that he would accomplish victory through suffering and death not only had the concept that his victory would be total and decisive not only had the concept of blood atonement and substitution area totalement not only had the concept from the Psalms and the prophets but they also knew that faith in him was the way of salvation was faith in Christ that meant salvation it was faith in the Messiah how our Old Testament believers saved it was through faith brethren they weren't saved by virtue of the Old Covenant the Old Covenant said do this and live the New Covenant says Christ has done this believe and live right it was not in virtue of or by virtue of obedience to the Old Covenant but rather it was what Christ accomplished that had retrospective benefit for those Old Covenant Saints and then just one final passage we could scurry the the letters of the Apostle Paul to see these or scurry I don't know survey these these themes and see him totally flash out that the Old Testament spoke of Christ there's a wonderful testimony in acts 28 20 will begin reading in verse 17 this is Paul he's been arrested and he's in Rome and some Jews want to hear what he has to say 28-17 and it came Pass after three days that Paul called the leaders of the Jews together so when they had come together he said to them men and brethren though I have done nothing against against our people or the customs of Our Fathers yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans who when they had examined me wanted to let me go because there was no cause for putting me to death but when the Jews spoke against it remember I said this morning that the first primary persecutor of the church of jesus christ were the Jews that's what he's saying the Romans wanted to let me go early on in Christianity Rome looked at Christianity as a subset of Judaism they didn't mess with Judaism they wouldn't mess with the subset later on is Christianity emerges as something that's obviously not a subset of Judaism and becomes a perceived threat to the Empire well then the Empire turns up the heat of persecution against the Christians but the first persecution was unbelieving Israel but when the Jews spoke against it I was compelled to appeal to Caesar not that I had anything of which to accuse my nation for this reason therefore I have called for you to see you and speak with you why because for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain it's the hope of Israel it's always been this way we've always looked forward to this Genesis 3 15 man we've always looked forward to blood atonement we've always looked forward to substitution we've always known that the Lord God would provide we've always known that he would be eternally begotten of the father that he would be this king-priests that he would be this mighty God that he would be this Prince of Peace we've always known that he would be the temple builder we've known these things he is indeed the hope of Israel and what Paul says to these Jews is beautiful it's not him that's messed up with reference to the interpretation of the Old Testament it's them they have rejected the messianic reading they have rejected the Messiah himself they have bought into the idea that it would be carnal that it would be earthly that Jesus or the Messiah woke up and subjugate the Roman government and make it wonderful for Jews in the first century no it was a spiritual rain a spiritual Kingdom a gracious influence of the power of Christ through the Holy Spirit it was the hope of Israel that brought Paul to this particular place and it's the hope of Israel that brings us to the table tonight this one told in Genesis 3 15 this one fleshed out throughout the Old Covenant Scriptures come to full realization and fulfillment in the New Covenant scriptures it's because of what Christ has done that we take and that we eat well let us pray our Father we thank you for your word and we thank you for the Lord Jesus Christ we see he is the one in whom all the scriptures cohere he is the one as the universe consists so does the Bible itself he is the scope and we praise you for him and we praise you for the redemption that we have in him and we would pray tonight but as we eat this bread and as we drink this cup we would proclaim his death we would remember with great joy his resurrection and that our hearts would be warmed at the thought of his coming again and glory we thank you our Father for so great a salvation and we pray that you would continue with us as a church cause us to use these means that you have provided it's a blessed thing that you have done for us and I pray that we would obey you in this ordinance and we ask through Christ our Lord amen as we observe the Lord's Supper you can turn in your Bibles to Matthew 26 Matthew chapter 26 we have Matthews record of the institution of the Lord's Supper on the night in which our Lord Jesus Christ was betrayed we'll pick up reading in Matthew 26 at verse 17 and finish at 25 and just make some comments as we always do is we seek to observe the Lord's Supper in a manner befitting its institution Matthew 26 verse 17 now on the first day of the feast of the unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus saying to him where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover and he said go into the city to a certain man and say to him the teacher says my time is at hand I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples so the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and they prepared the Passover when evening had come he sat down with the twelve now as they were eating he said assuredly I say to you one of you will betray me and they were exceedingly sorrowful and each of them began to say to him Lord is it I he answered and said he who dipped his hand with me in the dish will betray me the son of man indeed goes just as it is written of him but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed it would have been good for that man if he had not been born then Judas who was betraying him answered and said rabbi is a tie he said to him you have said it Amen was we've noted in the past and this goes well with pastor Butler's preaching this evening it isn't just a happy coincidence that the Lord Jesus Christ is instituting the Lord's Supper in the midst of observing the Passover it's very interesting and beautiful and deliberate of course because God's universe is one of purpose and plan and perfection of execution the one to whom the Passover pointed the the one to whom that typical observation pointed is calling them to put these things in place on the Passover the very one who is our Passover Christ the the Passover was sacrificed for us is instituting the Lord's Supper that will be a remembrance of him in the context of a meal that pointed forward to him the Bible is glorious the the Bible is brilliant of course because it is God's revelation to men but the very Passover the sacrificial lamb of God is is here instituting the supper that is a remembrance of his death that will be a remembrance of his death in the very context of the meal that pointed forward to him we tonight observed the meal that he instituted the Passover was brought to an end by virtue of the Lord Jesus Christ coming in the fullness of the times being born of a woman born under the law and redeeming the sons of men the Passover is now it's now fulfilled in Christ in Christ Institute's this blessed meal that we now observe the bread and the wine will get to a reading of course of the words of institution in a in a few moments but some observations this is a memorial meal but it is also a meal where in it we have a means of grace where the risen Christ feeds us he feeds us these physical elements which symbolize which point to his body broken for us in his blood shed for us he feeds us spiritually as real and as true as the physical elements are to our bodies so too are the benefits of his redemption to our souls by virtue of his gracious giftings we have this memorial meal and we must recognize again as we always do that nothing nothing magical nothing mystical is going on here with regards to the elements of the bread and the wine the bread remains bread the wine remains what why the there is no transubstantiation as the as the Roman Catholics blasphemously teach the bread is bread the wine is wine when we consecrate these things and we do we set them aside from a common to a holy use there is no change though there is no sacrifice made for the quick and the dead but only a remembrance of that one for all sacrifice that Christ wrought upon Calvary's tree this is a blessed meal we are doing this in remembrance of the Savior and in so doing we are engaging in an ordinance that is for Christians only we're going to read in a moment with regards to the cup of wine that this is the new covenant Christ says in my blood which is shed for many and because of that it is only for those who are covered by the blood of the Savior this is a an ordinance for Christians alone so if you are not a Christian here tonight you are not to partake of the bread and you are not to partake of the wine if you are living in unrepentant sin you're a Christian you should be taking the supper but you're harboring unrepentant sin you are not to take if we were to read first Corinthians 11 we would we would see that there there were those partaking in an ungodly manner and some were doing so to even unto their own death because they were partaking it in an ungodly manner if you are living in unrepentant sin you are to examine yourself and you are not to take of the bread or to take of the wine if you are so living but remember what the answer is the answer isn't to engage in some prolonged season of self-deprecation and self-flagellation the answer is to immediately fly to the forgiveness that you have in Christ Jesus the Lord the answer isn't to you know to go off on a journey of prolonged contemplation of self-hatred and you know three months later come back after having examined yourself for three months repent your Christian repent of your sin you know that you have forgiveness in Jesus Christ so repent find the mercy of God freshly and of course available to you and take of the bread and take of the wine well let's have the brothers come out at when they get to the wine a reminder that the juice is in the outer ring will remind you again in a few moments but the juice is in the outer ring when the line does come around but the brothers can come up and pass out the bread you can remain seating a seated and we're going to sing the first him 186 you can stay seated and turn in your hymn books will sing 186 Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh you 226 at verse 26 we read these words and as they were eating Jesus took bread blessed and broke it and gave it to the disciples and said take eat this is my body amen let us pray Heavenly Father we rejoice that we can observe now the Lord's Supper we thank you Lord God that we can remember our Lord's death till he comes again and we do pray that you would help us as we partake of this bread we would recognize that the glorious symbol we have that our Lord Jesus Christ upon the cross gave his body in his own body he bore our sins upon that tree and that we having died to sin might live for righteousness by His stripes we are healed we thank you for his saving work and for the giving of himself upon a prong upon that cross we do pray that you'd help us now to remember with great joy solemnly to be sure but as well with great joy the saving perfection of our redeeming king the Lord Jesus Christ and it's in his name that we pray amen let's take together well remaining seated again you can turn in your hymn books to him number 188 if the brothers can come up and pass out the line a reminder that the juice is in the outer ring him number 188 let's remain seated and sing together Oh in verse 27 of Matthew 26 we read then he took the cup and gave thanks and gave it to them saying drink from it all of you for this is my blood of the new covenant which is shed for many for the remission of sins but I say to you I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my father's Kingdom and when they had sung a hymn they went out to the Mount of Olives amen let us pray Heavenly Father we thank you now that we can take of this wine and we rejoice in what it represents the shedding of the blood of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ as we know that without the shedding of blood there is no remission but with the shedding of the blood of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ we do have that remission the forgiveness of sins and we rejoice in this and we do pray that you would impress upon our souls now the glory the shed blood of Christ that in that we have the forgiveness of sins and we have everlasting life by virtue of the perfect work of our Savior we do pray that you would help us now as we partake to glory in the king of kings and in the Lord of lords and it's in the name of Christ we pray amen let's take together well let's all stand together as a church as we sing that wonderful hymn 175 Man of Sorrows what a name for the son Oh now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead that great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant make you complete in every good work to do his will working in you what is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be glory forever and ever amen Heavenly Father we do pray that you would now go with us we rejoice having gathered for your worship we rejoice having gathered to observe the Lord's Supper remembering our saviors death till he comes again we pray that you would go with us having fed us well by spirit and word might we go into this week seeking to live for your glory say we do pray that you would go with us and in all that we do that we would bring honor to you and we look forward to the next lord's day when we might come together and do the same that we might rejoice in you Father Son and Holy Spirit we pray in the name of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ amen we'll have a brief time of prayer and when that piano is finished you're dismissed you