The Unspeakable Gift - Part 1 of 2

The Baptist Bible Hour now comes to you under the direction of Elder LeSaire Bradley Jr. Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing, my great Redeemer's praise, Thou forest of my God and King, Thou triumphs of His grace. This is LeSaire Bradley Jr. inviting you to stay tuned for another message of God's sovereign grace.

Worthy of praise is Christ our Redeemer, Worthy of glory, honor and power, Worthy of all our soul's adoration, Worthy of power, worthy of power, Worthy of riches, blessings and honor, Worthy of wisdom, glory and power, Worthy of birth and heaven's thanksgiving, Worthy of love, worthy of thou. Lord, may we come before Thee with singing, Filled with Thy Spirit, wisdom and power, May we ascribe Thee, glory and honor, Worthy of power, worthy of power, Worthy of riches, blessings and honor, Worthy of wisdom, glory and power, Worthy of birth and heaven's thanksgiving, Worthy of power, worthy of thou. I'm thankful to come your way once again with a message from God's Word, and if it is a blessing to you, we would appreciate hearing from you.

We do depend on our listeners for support and need help at this time. Our address is Baptist Bible Hour, Box 17037, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. Now we will hear an announcement from Timothy Guest, the Managing Editor of The Baptist Witness. We are excited to present this newest edition of The Baptist Witness. The theme is He is Coming Again, centered on the second coming of Christ. Dan Beecham's article is titled He Will Come to Deliver. The consummation of salvation will be ushered in with Christ's return. Dan notes that when Christ comes, we will be with Him, we will be like Him, and we will see Him as He is.

I wrote an article titled He Will Come to Judge. For those in Christ, this will be a glorious day, but for those who have rejected Christ, it will be a day of doom and destruction. Christ will be honored and magnified, not only in the salvation of His people, but also in righteous judgment.

And then finally, Lacer Bradley Jr.'s article is titled Longing for His Appearing. So in light of the truths of the first two articles, should we not long for that great day, as Scripture teaches us? This article notes how the second coming of Christ is to impact the daily Christian life in a practical way. It gives us calls for joy and for a pursuit of godliness. You can find this new edition of The Baptist Witness and past editions by going to our website, that's BaptistBibleHour.org, and clicking on the Baptist Witness tab in the upper right corner.

Again, that's BaptistBibleHour.org and the Baptist Witness tab in the upper right corner. There are a great many descriptions of Jesus Christ in the inspired Word of God. We learn about His coming to the world and the purpose of His work. We learn about His life. We learn about His death.

We learn about His resurrection. The Apostle Paul, who under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit described Him in marvelous terms, says in 2 Corinthians chapter 9 and the 15th verse, Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift. After all that was said, all that was written, all that was preached, Paul had to say, There are not enough words.

There's no way we can say it all. He is the unspeakable gift of God. In this chapter, 2 Corinthians chapter 9, Paul is admonishing the church at Corinth to give liberally for the poor saints at Jerusalem.

He concludes with these words, the words of our text. And certainly as we contemplate the great gift of God giving His Son for the salvation of His people, we see that there is motivation to give and to serve and to give thanks. So first of all, we want to consider the fact that Jesus Christ is unspeakable.

We'll consider Paul's view. In the book of Acts chapter 26, he describes his conversion. It says in verse 13, At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them that journeyed with me. When we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest.

Can you imagine what a startling experience this was? Saul of Tarsus was the chief enemy of the church. He thought that he did God a favor by putting Christians to death. And here the Lord speaks to him, calls him by name, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? He immediately recognized that the one who was speaking was Lord. So he asked the question, Who art thou, Lord?

The Lord says, I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest. His life was completely transformed. After having been the chief enemy of the church, he becomes the chief apostle.

God uses him to establish churches, to preach the gospel far and wide. He met with much opposition. He was sometimes imprisoned. He was sometimes beaten.

He sometimes had to flee for his life once they let him down over the wall in a basket. But none of these things deterred him. He was determined by the grace of God, by the power that was given him with the Holy Spirit to faithfully preach the gospel. Preaching it in many places, preaching it over an extended period of time. He says, Jesus Christ is the unspeakable gift of God.

Let's look at some of his writings, the marvelous things that he had to say about Jesus. Colossians chapter 1, looking at verse 12. Giving thanks unto the Father which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, who have delivered us from the power of darkness.

Oh, what a blessing of grace. By nature we're in the dark. We do not understand.

We cannot see. But he has delivered us from the power of darkness and has translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son. That clearly indicates that it wasn't good works, free will, or any effort on our part that got us into the kingdom of his dear Son. He has translated us in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins, who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature. For by him are all things created. He's describing Jesus as the creator. Oh, there are those that will say, I believe that Jesus was a good man, or I believe he was a great teacher, or he was a good example. Well, he was a perfect example, and he was the greatest teacher, and he was a unique man because he was God and man.

But then think of it. He was the creator. For by him all things are created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created by him and for him.

Oh, how Jesus Christ is here exalted. He's not one who is unable to fulfill the work upon which he embarked. He made it clear that he came down from heaven not to do his own will, but the will of the Father that sent him.

He said, I must be about my Father's business, and indeed he was. He's the creator, and he is above all things, and by him all things consist. That is, all things are held together. The very earth upon which we are living today is in its place and held together because it's held together by Jesus Christ. And he is the head of the body of the church who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, all things he might have the preeminence for it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell. Now can you think of any words that could possibly be added to that? Any way in which Jesus Christ could be extolled in a more marvelous, beautiful way?

Just recall the highlights of what we've just read. He's the image of the invisible God, all things created by him. He is before all things, and by him all things consist.

He's the head of the church. He has preeminence in all things, and in him all fullness dwells. All that we might never lose sight of such a description of the greatness and majesty and power of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And then one more, Philippians chapter 2 verse 9.

Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, his Father has exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name that is the name of Jesus every knee should bow and things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Sometimes living in this culture that is changing so dramatically and you hear words spoken by those who are adamantly opposed to Christianity and you see the falling away in many places. I've talked to two people recently, members of old line denominations in this city, members of churches that were once thriving, and they're down to just a few questioning how they can maintain the property. We're living in a time when there are great changes.

Oh yes, sometimes there are numbers that gather but in some instances it's like the gentleman who told me I just like to go to church and hear a little short sermon that will make me feel good and get me started for the week. Let me tell you, Jesus Christ and his gospel is the message that must not be compromised. We must preach Jesus Christ and him crucified. And is it not good to know that when you witness a falling away and are disturbed by it and you hear some of the slanderous comments that people make about Jesus Christ and Christianity as a religion to know the day is coming, every knee is going to bow and every tongue is going to confess Jesus Christ is Lord.

We can have confidence that there's a great day coming. And then further we think about the experience of the apostle as related in 2 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 4. How that he was caught up into paradise and heard unspeakable words which it is not lawful for a man to utter. Caught up into paradise in the presence of the Lord and heard things that he could not utter, he could not speak about them. You talk about a man with a unique experience being visited by Jesus Christ when he was on the road to Damascus, hearing his name called, being chosen for a special work in the ministry, used of God in a mighty way, and then caught up and heard things that he couldn't even relate. Oh, no wonder he says, thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. What a gift.

No words adequate to describe all that could be said about him. There's some wonderful references in the Old Testament as the prophets look forward to the day that Jesus would come. Isaiah chapter 7 the 14th verse says, Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel. That's a marvelous thing.

How could it be? A virgin is going to bring forth a son. And we learn at the time of the fulfillment of it that the messenger came to say that the Holy Spirit would abide upon Mary and that which is conceived in her would be of the Holy Ghost.

He is a man then born of a woman but born without sin, the only perfect man that has ever lived. And so it says he shall call his name Immanuel, God with us. God with us.

The children of Israel gathered at Mount Sinai when the law was to be given. The lightning flashed, the thunder rolled, it was a fearful sight. For them God was at a great distance. God could not be approached.

The law only revealed their sin, convicted them as to how far they fell short. But to think God with us, that God's going to come down and live on this earth, Immanuel, God with us. And then you go to chapter 9 and verse 6. For unto us a child is born and unto us a son is given, the government shall be upon his shoulder. This is no ordinary man. He's coming to occupy a place of authority. The government upon his shoulder, he is King of Kings and Lord of Lords and his name shall be called Wonderful. What an appropriate name for Jesus.

Must you not say today he is wonderful, that he has proven to be wonderful in your life? His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor. Where are you going to go for counsel?

There are advertisements all about where you can go and receive counsel from various sources and certainly nothing there to be the counsel that comes through Jesus Christ. But when you reach that place, you're in special need. I need guidance. I need help.

I need to know the way. Where are you going to find it? Jesus Christ is the great Counselor. And in his Word, there is information to direct us so that we are dependent upon him and following him as he leads us by the Holy Spirit.

Counselor, the mighty God, the God of power, God who is omnipotent, having all power, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. This world is full of turmoil and conflict. You just never cease to be amazed at the manifestation of human depravity when people become so full of anger and inflict pain upon others even to taking one's life.

I read in the news of a man who once held a prominent position here in Cincinnati, a successful man in many fields. And he was working at the computer with his wife and his wife got the sense that he didn't approve of the way she was working. And she got a gun and shot him in the head. You just think, how can there be so much violence? Now Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace and the peace he brings is in our hearts that we don't have to give way to the weaknesses of the flesh, the bitterness, the anger, that which causes people to reach such a peak of being willing to take another person's life. And then consider just a few of the references in the New Testament concerning our Savior. John chapter 1 verse 14 says, And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God. The Word was God but now the Word was made flesh. Jesus Christ, God was made flesh. He became a man. And no wonder the apostle says he is the unspeakable gift of God.

Can you understand that? Can you adequately explain the truth of the Trinity that there is one God but there is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit? And Jesus said, I and the Father are one. That he was totally God. He was absolutely man. He dwelt among us and we beheld his glory and the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

That's wonderful to consider, isn't it? That when Jesus Christ came, he didn't come in the thundering tones of Sinai. He came with a message for sinners. He came full of grace. We soon run out of words when we try to describe the miracle of his incarnation. We can say yes he was born of a virgin. We can say yes that he was the God-man. We can say all these things but what a remarkable event that the one who is the creator would now become a baby in his mother's arms.

It's beyond our ability to fully grasp it but we embrace it by faith because it's the declaration of what we find in the Word of God. Matthew chapter 1 in the 21st verse says that thou shall call his name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins. Jesus is the appropriate name because he is the Savior. Although somebody may say, well I admire him as a teacher and indeed he was the greatest teacher but his name is Jesus because he came to save his people from their sins. And he was no failure.

He was not disappointed. He accomplished that which was given him of the Father to do. And then John the Baptist saw him coming one day and in John chapter 1 in the 36th verse he says, Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. Referring to him as the Lamb reminds us of the Lamb that was slain the night of the Passover and the blood was sprinkled on the doorposts so that when the deaf angel passed through he passed over.

There was no death meted out in those homes where the blood had been applied. Death came in those Egyptian homes. You can imagine some of the cries that went out at midnight when the firstborn died. But where there was blood on the doorposts where the Lamb had been slain said I will pass over you.

Now he is that Lamb. Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us. He was the spotless Lamb of God qualified to be the Savior going to the cross willingly laying down his life dying, pouring out his blood. That sinners might be washed and be made clean. And then we see Jesus going to the synagogue on the Sabbath. Picks up the scripture to read and he reads from the book of Isaiah a prophecy concerning himself and here is what he read. To preach the gospel to the poor, to heal broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, recover the sight of the blind and set at liberty them that are bruised. What a marvelous ministry. He came bringing the gospel to the poor, those who are poor in spirit, those who know I am in great need.

I cannot deliver myself. He preaches deliverance to the captives. And then in John 6 48 he says I am the bread of life. He is the one upon which his people feed, he sustains us, he is the life giver, he is the bread of life. In John 7 37 he says if any man thirsts let him come unto me and drink.

Now you see in all of these descriptive phrases we find it's painting a marvelous picture for us to see the magnificence, the beauty, the greatness of our Savior Jesus Christ. And then Jesus says in Matthew 11 verse 28 all ye that labor and are heavy laden come unto me and I will give you rest. In John chapter 10 verse 14 he says I am the good shepherd. My sheep know my voice and they follow me and I lay down my life for the sheep.

See not one picture was enough. He had to be represented as the shepherd who cares for the sheep and as the lamb who dies in order to redeem his people. In the 15th chapter of the Gospel of Luke we read several lessons concerning our Lord's interest in finding that which is lost and he speaks of one lost sheep. The 99 are safely in the fold but there is one that is missing and the shepherd leaves the 99 safely there and goes out across the hills and through the valleys and through the rain or whatever it may be till he finds that one lost sheep. He picks it up, he lays it on his shoulder and brings it safely home. Aren't you glad to believe in a shepherd like that? He doesn't say one little sheep is not that significant.

He goes after that one till he finds it and brings it to the fold. We read of him healing the sick, opening the eyes of the blind, cleansing the lepers, casting out devils and raising the dead. What an amazing life he lived.

What remarkable works, what miracles were performed. Can you imagine what it would have been to have been present when he delivered one of his discourses? If you heard that some well-known preacher was coming to town and maybe you had benefited by reading some of his materials but you say I'm going to have the opportunity to hear him.

I want to make an effort. I want to go hear that man in person but to think of hearing Jesus preach. Everything about his messages were perfect. The tone of his voice, the words that he used, the power with which he delivered them.

Everything was just like it should have been. Jesus speaking, delivering, blessing. As we look back over the life of our Savior Jesus Christ, reviewing his miracles, seeing a display of his greatness and power even in raising the dead and thinking about what it would have been to have heard him preach in person.

Now that's not possible. We are blessed to have his messages on record in his Word and can pray that as we read them they will be applied to our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Surely we can say with the Apostle Paul, thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. I encourage you to write to us and until next week at the same time may the Lord richly bless you all. The best help of God was he.

Full atonement can it be. Hallelujah, what a Savior. The Baptist Bible Hour has come to you under the direction of Elder LeSaire Bradley Jr. Address all mail to The Baptist Bible Hour Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. That's The Baptist Bible Hour Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. Now in heaven exalted high, Hallelujah, what a Savior. When he comes our glorious King, all is ransomed home to bring.