SPEAKER_00 0:00

Without trying to say too much about myself, because it's not about me at all. But unless I'm greatly mistaken, which I don't think I am, I think the Lord has already been with us in the midst of this congregation. If I said nothing at this point, if Brother Chris said nothing, the other brother Chris said nothing. Which, by the way, will I try to not give you Chris overload this morning. I'm going to try to step out of the way as quickly as I can without doing damage to the thought that I have on my mind. But I do want to mention that even if we were both shut up by the Lord Himself, which by the way is to his glory. If a man does not speak, it is to the same glory of God as a man speaking, because it proves it is by God's deliverance, it is not by man that man preaches. But whether we speak or not, we have been with the Lord. And there is no greater blessing on earth than what we have sought today that the Lord has already given. Yet still continue to pray. Continue to pray that the furtherance of his word go forward today, whether it be by me, by uh the other brother, Chris, brother Krause, or anyone else in this congregation that may be called upon to speak. Now, what I have on my mind are the bones of Christ. Now, uh, this is something that's been on my mind, and I will quite frankly tell you, I am afraid right now and speaking. Not in fear of what anyone can do to me here. Uh I have an unhealthy lack of fear in my life. I am not afraid of confrontation. I am not afraid of combativeness that Catherine has suffered with that, with my lack of concern of what goes on around me. Uh, but I am afraid with doing damage to the word of God and not feeding the sheep, because that is the call, uh, as Brother Chris just we briefly talked about this aspect, is that uh that is the call of the preacher, is to feed the sheep of God. Now, what I have on my mind concerning the bones of Christ uh comes to the point in John um I was just there reading it. Uh John chapter. I want to say it is 19. I don't believe it's 20. Yes, it's chapter 19. In 19, we find this occasion where uh the um the um the point has come that the Lord says it is finished, he cries with a loud voice, and gives up the ghost. And then something happens after that point. Now that by the way, I don't want to bury the lead. That is the most important part of the uh of what I would probably read to you right now is the fact that the work of Christ is done at this point. And uh now Christ still has some things that he's doing, Christ still has a work that he's going to do. But uh as we uh sang a song, what he came to do, it is finished. It is done at this point. And what he came to do was to redeem his people. What he came to do was to be the blood sacrifice for sin, to be the Passover lamb, to be that one that uh would uh uh uh take away sin from his people. That is done. Uh now uh on the promise of this moment, on the promise of this work, on the on the on the uh uh on uh the the the knowledge uh that the work of Christ uh was to be complete. And this is the best way my uh finite mind could comprehend. Uh on this promise, every child of God up to this point has been born by the same power of this same blood. I don't know how that works, but it did. Uh that that same blood that had yet to be shed uh was the power of redemption for Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and every other child of God found in the Old Testament. But there's something that has now taken place that we get to be the beneficiaries of, and that is the declaration of the finished work of God. The declaration that uh that not only will he redeem his people, he has redeemed his people. The contract has been signed by the very blood of Christ. There is no more condemnation. Not that there ever uh not that Abraham faced uh condemnation uh by that power of the same blood, but we know there is no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus. Now, uh now, knowing this, uh something takes place on the cross. Uh the Lord has already given up the ghost. However, the other two are not yet dead. And there's an event that's about to take place called the Sabbath day. But this Sabbath day was a high Sabbath day. And so the Jews went to Pilate and said, we can't let these men, and these are my own words, you can read it here in this account, we can't let these men just hang on the cross. Our law does not uh permit us to be handling dead bodies on the Passover or on the Sabbath day. Uh so we we need to hasten their death. And so they uh they ask that their bones be broken, that their legs be broken. And they go to do this. And in John chapter 19, then came the soldiers, verse 32, and break the legs of the first and the other, which was crucified with him. Now, this is not pleasant to talk about, but the reason is is so that they when they broke their legs, they lose all ability to support themselves on the cross at all. So not only do they suffer from the affliction and pain of the breaking of the legs, their final painful moment, but they no longer can even lift themselves up for a breath and they suffocate. Now remember, these two themes were mentioned in other occasions in the scripture. One of them, no doubt, sees this as the last indignity thrust upon him. He he was he went to this moment cursing both the Lord and his circumstance, and probably saw this as well. This is just this is just figures. This is how this is how it is. The other, I think we have some confidence. That he's about to go to be with heaven. But when they get to the Lord, he's already gone. And so they don't break his legs. And John says this. But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side. But when they came to Jesus and they saw that he was dead already, they break not his legs. But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side and forthwith came out thereout blood and water. And I believe we could talk, read about that testimony in other places. I don't want to dwell on that testimony, but the the apostle Paul or John says, and he that saw it bear record, and his record is true, and he knoweth that what he saith is true, that ye might believe. Believe what? Believe that the death of the Lord had occurred, to believe that the work was finished, to believe that the Passover lamb had been slain, to believe that all that the law and the prophets said had been fulfilled to this point, including this one passage. For these things were done that the scripture should be fulfilled, a bone of him shall not be broken. Why does that matter? Why does it matter? One, it matters because it fulfills prophecy, it fulfills the scripture. It matters, that matters. That's not the only reason. It's not just because there's some checkbox that the Lord needed to fill out, which by the way, I don't believe that's how prophecy fulfills works out at all. But if we go back, uh I want to turn first to the the um occasion in uh Exodus where the Passover is instituted. And uh, by the way, if there you if you have any doubt that Jesus Christ is our Passover, there are plenty of other scriptures that we can turn to uh to prove that out. But this is one aspect that kind of ties these two aspects, the the proof together that yes, indeed, Jesus Christ is the Passover for the children of God. Now, if you remember what the Passover is, and I don't want to take up too much time in history, but if you remember what the Passover is, it's that occasion where the Lord visited Israel, or visited uh Egypt while the children of Israel are in bondage in Egypt, and he this is the last of those ten plagues where he says, every firstborn of every man and every beast will die, except for those who have the blood of this of the Passover lamb upon the mantle, and when the Lord sees that blood, he passes over. Judgment does not come because of that Passover lamb. Now, in uh in uh Exodus chapter 12, the Lord said unto Moses and Aaron, this is verse 43, if you're following along, this is the ordinance of the Passover. There shall no stranger eat thereof. This is not permitted to be observed by those that are not Israelites, because it's not for non-Israelites. I believe this is a key element in the types of pictures of where Israel stands in as a picture for all of the children of God. The Passover lamb is for his children. It is not for those that are not his children. There is no stranger, there shall no stranger eat thereof. But every man's servant that is bought for money, in other words, if you're among the company, if you if you are in Israel, when thou hast circumcised him, then he shall eat thereof. A foreigner and a hired servant shall not eat thereof. In one house there shall be eaten, thou shalt not carry forth aught of the flesh abroad out of the house, neither shall ye break a bone thereof. That was that was important. That was as important as making sure you got a spotless lamb to do to be the Passover. Is that when you made that preparation, when you made that offering, you don't break a single bone of that lamb. Now, this lamb, uh uh, if you also read, it was not to be wasted. There was not to be a bit of it left over. In fact, if the lamb was big enough that you could not consume it among all that were in there. In fact, you were you were divide family and friends over if you had a lamb big enough to consume. Uh that that lamb was to be consumed utterly. In other words, uh the work of this lamb was done and done completely in this night and in the work of the Passover. There was nothing left over, and everything it was to do was to be done in that night. So when Christ says it is finished, uh it is finished. There is no leftover work to be done. There is no cut there is no part of that lamb carried forward in the work of this Passover. The work of the Passover is done in this night, done completely. But that bone, those bones are not to be broken. I believe there's a point we're gonna get to here in just a minute, but I want to go to one other passage that brings these two together. In Psalm 24 34. For some reason my fingers are not finding the psalmist. Psalm 34. We find the psalmist David, who often, by the by the inspiration of the Spirit, uh writes in the words of the Lord. Now, there are times that David does not write in the perspective of Christ. Though the Lord inspired his writings, he's not writing as a type or picture or a figure or stand-in for Christ. Uh but uh there are often times he does. And I believe in this aspect, there's an aspect, uh, there is a portion of this that that speaks to this. I'm gonna I'm gonna contrast this with one I think is not David speaking as Christ necessarily. Uh and it's it's a it's almost a direct contrast to the words we find here. But in Psalm 34, he sees, we read this. Uh the I'm gonna pick up in verse uh I'll pick up in verse 17. The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth out of him out of them all. Now I want you to notice, there was just a a switch made there. He talked about them and there in 17 and 18, in verse 19, he says, Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. Now you could say that's just a a way, a different way of saying that we're talking about a group, and he talks about each individual. However, the very next verse says, He keepeth all his bones, not one of them is broken. Now, the reason I think this is talking about Christ is I believe John thought this was talking about Christ. That's what he's quoting when he says, uh, not a bone of him shall be broken. He's he's taking both the aspect of this uh messianic prophecy uh by uh uh by David through uh uh Psalm 34, and also the knowledge that Jesus Christ is the Passover Lamb, and brings those two together and says, Jesus Christ is the Passover Lamb of God, of which not one bone shall be broken of his body. Uh and uh and as important as it is to know that Jesus Christ is the Passover Lamb, and that the work of the Passover Lamb was done when Jesus Christ said is finished. And I'm not talking about the type and picture of the Old Testament Passover lamb, or not even that lamb that they partook of that very 24-hour period uh before he was betrayed, uh, in which they observed the very last official Passover observance of the Old Testament. But the work of the Passover, of the blood of Christ being the Passover for all of the children of God, that has been done, and the bones not being broken, is a sign. It is a picture of that this Passover was the Passover, and that and that was successfully accomplished as the scripture was uh was has prescribed. But why the bones? What is so significant about that? Now, there are a lot in bones in the scripture talking about your health and your core and your strength. In fact, that contrast I was talking about, if you turn to Psalm 51, you're gonna find David in a state of repentance for his sin against Uriah and Bathsheba. And he says, uh, heal the bones that thou hast broken. Now, I don't think that's David speaking as Christ. I think that's David speaking as David. That is David speaking as as he felt like the very core of his being has been broken down because of what his sin against Uriah and Bathsheba, uh Uriah and Bathsheba meant. Is that it wasn't just his his his indifference to Uriah to have him killed. It wasn't just his uh his arrogance and his pride and his lust toward Bathsheba, it was his sin against God, because that comm starts off uh against thee and thee only have I sinned. Is that is that literally the case? Uh in this case, uh I could say every sin against every child of God is a sin against God. Uh because that's who is truly offended. Uh I don't want to dwell too much on that aspect. But when David says uh uh heal the bones that have been broken, I don't believe he's speaking against Christ at all because I believe Christ is a very picture of one whose core, whose foundation inside him uh stood sure and steadfast because I believe there's another aspect we find in the scripture concerning bones, and it goes all the way back to Genesis. Uh that goes back to the moment uh in which a David, or excuse me, uh God uh brought uh uh brought Adam uh out uh uh out first of all he breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. I believe that 100%, by the way. He was a lump of clay until the Lord did his work, and then he was a living, breathing soul. But he was a singular man. At first, now if you read the scripture, according to what happened that whole day, he male and female created he them. But he didn't just do this all at once. He first created Adam, and then he did something. And this was not to educate, this was not to, uh, this was not so that Adam would figure out which was the let me put it this way. He brought every creature before Adam. Not only just so that Adam could figure out what it was and to name it, but in doing so, it did not just simply bring Adam to the conclusion that there was someone that could be fit for him, but that it wasn't among the animals. But it was to bring home how it happened. You see, God could have just as easily done what he did before he even woke up Adam, before he even breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. But he was teaching a lesson here to you and me and Adam about someone else. He was teaching about Christ from the beginning, from the beginning of creation. Well, we find that Christ is there at the beginning of creation because he's the one that spoke creation to do existence. By him was all things created. But uh, understand, when when Adam was being taught that there is no one on earth for him, it wasn't just that God says, Okay, now I'll make a woman. He says, I'm gonna make a woman out of you. And what did he do to do it? Take it, he took a rib from Adam, he took a bone. Such that Adam said, Flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone. Now that, and then we we find that that's that's the institution of marriage, by the way. God honoring, God defined marriage, one man, one woman. I've been on record on this before. I don't have to uh belabor this point, but that's what God defines marriage. And we find that even patriarchs kind of wink, you know, they they they didn't follow this pattern very closely at times. We heard of one that did, Brother Isaac. He followed this to the point. One man, one man, one woman united together for their lives. Why is that the picture of marriage? Because that is the picture of Christ and his church. That is the picture of who he adores. When we go to uh Ephesians, I think this is where this is uh brought up in Ephesians chapter 5. The apostle Paul, in speaking about marriage, now he's talking about, he starts the conversation about the normal relationships of marriage. And by the way, uh I don't want to go stepping on toes, I gotta be careful here. But there's a lot that even among what the so-called Bible-believing world interjects about the relationship of marriage. I want to I want to underscore one thing. If a man wants to be treated as the head of a household, he also needs to treat the wife the way Christ treats the church. Those have to go together. One does not happen without the other. You cannot demand respect without also giving yourself completely over. And that's what the apostle Paul is commanding the husbands concerning their wives, as well as the wives concerning the husbands. Is he says, listen, we have a picture to follow here. We have a guide, and the guide is Christ and the church. And even as Christ was willing to give him all for his bride, for his flesh, and for his bone, uh, for those, for his, for the for the the his people. As he was willing to do that, that's how that's that's the pattern. If you fall short of that, you fall short of the pattern of Christ. Now, uh does anyone follow the pattern of Christ perfectly in any regard? No. But guess what? We're given the pattern to follow. It's it's it's not In order for us to optional, well, I can't I can't follow that pattern, so I won't even follow it. That's not what the that's not what the apostle Paul says. He says, here's the pattern, follow it, follow it the best you can. And when you don't follow it, ask for forgiveness, and then pick back up following it in whatever aspect it is. Now here the apostle Paul says this for no man, this is uh chapter 5, verse 29. Let me back up verse 28. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. Now he's talking about marriage, he's talking to the Ephesians, and you almost don't even catch this transition. But uh he doesn't just uh talk about uh the the institution of marriage as far as the uh the Ephesians are concerned, he uh it's not a rabbit trail, but he he he focuses on Christ, and it sounds like he's still focusing on the just the daily marriage relationship. For no man yet ever hated his own flesh, but nurse of the church says, even as the Lord the church, for we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his blood. Now there's there we could go to that aspect in the in Genesis and see that account playing out in this very relationship that we are from in him. In fact, the apostle Paul says, according as we were chosen in him before the foundation of the world. Have you uh uh I want to just uh take a thought here. Have you ever thought about how deeply you are in the Lord? Or are are you just within the surface of his skin? Now there we there's scriptures talking about he were graven in the palm of his hand. Now that's not just on the surface, you're in the hand of the Lord. You're not just in the grip of the Lord, you're in his hand. So you're obviously in his grip, but you're deeper than that. Uh but when you consider the fact that the bones of your body are the very depth of you. There is no deeper. Uh you can't go deeper. In fact, we say cutting to the bone to mean uh going as deep as you can get uh through the flesh. Uh once you get to the bone, uh you you go start going through the other side. Uh uh that's the reality. Uh, you are as in Christ as you possibly can be. You were placed in covenant. I believe that if if I if I forget to mention it this way, uh I want to understand. I believe the very picture of the bones of Christ uh set forth in the scripture is the very picture of the covenant of grace in uh in election and predestination, uh, of foreknowledge, of calling, uh, uh, uh, of uh the glorification of the people of God, that that covenant of what's placed in Christ, uh, that you in that covenant love were placed in Christ, in the very depth of Christ. And that that that is how you are brought out as his bride, is because you were put in Christ. When you see Adam and Eve, and you see Eve being brought forth out of Adam, you should see the very the very uh the very bride of Christ being brought forward out of the very covenant love of God in Christ Himself. And that and there's an that's why it is so important that not a bone was broken. It's that there was gonna be no breaking of the covenant of the grace of God, uh, that the Passover lamb was gonna be sufficient and complete in all of his work, that his bride that he loved with an everlasting love before the world was, uh that were that was placed in him in covenant grace, that he regarded her completely from beginning to end. Now I know there are aspects of the bride in the sense of the visible church, and I don't want to uh confuse that issue. Uh, but when the apostle Paul talking about uh uh the love of God and the love of Christ toward his bride, uh I can't help but think of that regarding the entire elect family of God. Uh that that there is that aspect in which uh Christ regarded us completely. In fact, I think I have the exact scripture that that pinpoints this because while on that cross, while he was being regarded uh as the uh the the vessel uh that that that uh sin was placed upon. I don't believe sin ever corrupted him. I don't believe there was ever a spot uh in his skin that there I don't believe there was uh in metaphor uh or or in uh or in the or in literal sense uh actually uh but I don't believe there was ever a a uh a blemish that could be found in the Lamb of God. There was no unrighteousness in him, and yet uh on him was heaped and placed all of the sin and all of the transgression of the children of God. But it wasn't just, uh I've even said this in this congregation before, I believe. It was it was not just this this heap of massless, faceless sin placed upon Jesus Christ. He says, okay, uh just uh just lay it all on me and I'll just take it up all at once. Now he did take it all at once, but there's a scripture that we can read in uh Psalm 22, in fact. If we read this, I believe this this is. If you ever want to read a passage or a portion of scripture that regards uh the uh the the passage of time on the cross and and and regard the mindset of Christ Himself on the cross, here it is. Uh in fact, I I'm convinced it's exactly why the Lord said uh from the cross, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? It's not just because that time had come, it's also because it it brings to this to mind this passage, this scripture that was that was given uh uh moved by the uh as David was moved by the Holy Ghost to write out of what would happen on that cross. We see uh then the mindset of Christ. And you know what? His work you know where his mindset was. His mindset was on you, his mindset was on his work, his mindset was on uh uh uh putting away sin for his people. And there's one aspect here. Uh verse um I'll I'll pick up in verse uh verse 14. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. Not broken, not broken. But he is suffering on the cross. My heart is like wax, it is melted in the midst of my mouth. My strength is dried up like a pot shirt, and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws, and thou hast brought me into the dust. For God have compassion. The assembly of the wicked have enclosed me, a pierce my hand and my feet. I make hell You can read that. I don't believe that's an important thing. Why does the word on the cross? I know you're a sinner. He was on the cross. He was not just saying, okay, just take Brother Chris's and brother Bill's sins and just put it on my bill. God addressed every sin. Every sin had to be addressed. One sin is enough to put us away from God. That means each and every individual sin of each and every individual child of God had to be addressed. He was taking account of every single one he was telling all of his own. This one. Brother Bill, there was a moment that Christ said, okay, I will answer from the first lie that we tell from birth to that last transgression, and answer for each and every one. And you know what? When it was said and done, that bone was not broken. Because he answered for it, he told for it, he addressed it, and that bone stayed secure. Because the Passover lamb was sufficient for the need. The blood was sufficient. You see, for the bone to have been broken meant that the sin had uh was not addressed in the work. It meant that the wrath of God had to be addressed in some way, and it would require the breaking of that bone. But not one bone of Christ was broken physically, because not one bone of Christ was broken spiritually. Not one of his children was uh was uh addressed for. And Christ did not say, Oh, Lord, I really wish I could address Brother Chris's sin. I really wish uh that that I had enough to pay for this one, uh, but this one I can't account for. That did not happen on the cross. He accounted, he told all of his bones, and when it was said and done uh that the scripture might be fulfilled, that not a bone of him was broken. What John is showing us is that the entire elect family of God is intact in the person of Christ from beginning to end. And when uh when there is that moment in which he descends with a shout and the voice of the archangel and he calls our bodies together from the grave, which, by the way, we will be body, uh we will be flesh and bone again, regardless of what the circumstances are uh in this life. Uh He knows where we are, he knows how to recollect us. Uh, he if he knows how to make Adam, he knows how to remake Adam. And so knowing uh knowing that that day is coming, uh, there's the there's that blessed anticipation. I don't know exactly what it's gonna be like, but I know we have a portion of scripture that says, Behold, I and the children which God hath given me. I can't help but think about that moment in the garden where uh Adam and Eve first met. And there's that moment in which Adam said, Flesh and my flesh, and bone of my bone. I can't help but think that there's gonna be a similar moment in which the true Adam, the greater Adam, the last Adam, when he sees his pride, he's gonna say, Flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone. Not one bone is broken, and my pride is intact, whole and complete, and righteous and fit to be before my father forevermore.