The Promised King #3

And so even on the mouths of those who crucified him were the words the affirmation, this is the king of Israel.

The charge against him, this is the king of Israel. Throughout Matthew's Gospel, throughout fulfilled prophecy, this is the king of Israel! Jesus is not just any king, he's the one and only promised king of Israel, prophesied hundreds of years before his actual coming. And today on the Truth Pulpit, Pastor Don Green will complete the portrait of our King and Savior as detailed by the Gospel writer Matthew.

Hello again, I'm Bill Wright, and previously we've seen the fact of Christ's kingship shown through his person, his youth, and his ministry. Today, Don will add a fourth point, Christ's death. Don, the crucifixion of our Lord is really the focal point of all history, isn't it?

Yes, Bill, it really is the pivot point. Scripture says that Christ is the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. In other words, God planned the cross and directed human history to make sure that it would happen. Friend, only in the crucified and resurrected Christ can you find forgiveness of your sins. And now, here today, God is silently directing all things for a final day of judgment for all men for all time. And only those in Christ will pass safely through.

Will you be one of them? Do you belong to Christ? Come to him and be saved.

Let's join Don now in the Truth Pulpit. We are in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, and we are in the presence of one of unspeakable majesty, unspeakable pedigree, and unspeakable condescension. Why did this king not simply destroy the rebels who were around him? Why did he not just destroy you and me in our sin and guilt?

It's not like we were looking for him. What kind of king lays down his life for his people? This is a reversal of order. The kings rule and the subjects obey. Here's a king going underneath his subjects as it were to serve them with his life.

I love him, don't you? He's the king and yet he came to serve. Came to serve in his first advent. Came to serve at the cross.

Came to pay a ransom for his people. There's not adequate words of gratitude, is there? There's not adequate words of worship that could exhaust the fullness of the majesty of what this gospel says about Jesus of Nazareth. You see, and when you recognize who Christ is, you begin to recognize that you owe him your life, and it's not out of a legal obligation that you would respond to him that way. You're so drawn to his majesty, so drawn to the grace, the unmerited favor that a king would show to you that all you can do is respond to him with love and an obedient spirit that says, Lord, having saved me, what would you have me do? Because, Lord, there is nothing too great that you could ask from me. The authority of this prophetic king, the condescension of this gracious Savior was unlimited toward us, and therefore in response as those who are now his people through faith in Christ, it's obvious. It's the desire of the redeemed heart that says, Lord, there would be no limits on what I would give to you in response. In response to your unlimited gift of your life, I just want to respond with an unlimited sacrifice of my self in return. No limits, no preconditions, just an abandonment of myself to follow after you for your inherent supreme worth. Now, Jesus's ministry.

This is the end of the third point. Jesus's entry into Jerusalem prior to his crucifixion fulfilled prophecy. Matthew 21, verse 1. When they approached Jerusalem and come to Bethphage at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples saying to them, go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there in a colt with her.

Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, the Lord has need of them, and immediately he will send them. Verse 4, here it is again. This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet. Say to the daughter of Zion, behold your king is coming to you, gentle and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden. His entry into Jerusalem fulfilled the prophet. The king had arrived, all in full perfect fulfillment of prophecy.

The divine timetable spoken into existence, let's say, centuries before in the Old Testament was now in full operation. The king had arrived, the Messiah was there, the anointed one was on the scene, this one of whom we have spoken today, the one of whose glory we have feebly tried to expound. He's there, and what did they do with him? They killed him!

They killed him! Point number four, the death of Christ. Even when those wicked men killed Christ out of the evil of their own hearts, their actions for which they were culpable, because they flowed from their own wicked sinful desires to silence the Messiah, even in that their actions fulfilled divine prophecy. Jesus quotes Zechariah at the Last Supper. Look at Matthew chapter 26. Matthew 26 verse 31. Matthew 26 verse 31. Jesus said to them, you will all fall away because of me this night, for it is written, I will strike down the shepherd and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered.

Why were they going to fall away? Because it had been ordained by divine prophecy. This is what God said would happen. This is what God predicted through the mouth of the prophet Zechariah, and so the fact that the disciples fled was a fulfillment of prophecy. The betrayal by Judas was a fulfillment of prophecy. Look back at verse 14 of chapter 26.

We're going to look at a couple of passages here real quickly to see this. Matthew 26 verse 14. Then one of the twelve named Judas Iscariot went to the chief priest and said, what are you willing to give me to betray him to you?

And they weighed out thirty pieces of silver to him. From then on he began looking for a good opportunity to betray him. Now turn to Matthew chapter 27 verse 3. Judas had done his deed. He led the soldiers to the secret place, and they had carried Jesus off for a mock trial, a sham of a trial. Now in Matthew 27 verse 3, it picks up the story with Judas after that fact. Verse 3, when Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that he had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, I have sinned by betraying innocent blood. But they said, what is that to us?

See to that yourself. And he threw the pieces of silver into the temple sanctuary and departed, and he went away and hanged himself. The chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, it's not lawful to put them into the temple treasury since it is the price of blood.

And they conferred together, and with the money bought the potter's field as a burial place for strangers. Now obviously these men had no desire to fulfill prophecy. They had just betrayed the Messiah over to executioners. And so these men were not biblical men. They were not godly men.

They were the height of ungodliness. And yet what does Scripture say about their actions? Verse 8, for this reason that field has been called the field of blood to this day. Verse 9, then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled.

And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one whose price had been set by the sons of Israel, and they gave them for the potter's field as the Lord directed me. Even the betrayal was a fulfillment of prophecy. Even the use of the money that was the price of betrayal was a fulfillment of prophecy. In the death of Christ, when he seemed to be at his weakest, most subject to the authority of wicked men, it was all on God's timetable. Prophecy was being fulfilled.

Nothing happened here that was outside the design of God. The prophecies were so certain and necessary in fulfillment that Jesus could say this. Matthew 26, Matthew 26 in verse 55. At that time, Matthew 26 verse 55, at that time Jesus said to the crowds, have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as you would against a robber? Every day I used to sit in the temple teaching and you did not seize me.

Why now then, Lord Jesus? Verse 56, but all this has taken place to fulfill the scriptures of the prophets. Then all the disciples left him and fled. You see, from his very person, from his genealogical lineage, his childhood, his ministry, his death, the life of Christ unfolded by a prophetic blueprint that was certain in its fulfillment. Even those who crucified him unknowingly, unconsciously were fulfilling divine prophecy because God works even through the actions of sinful men to accomplish his holy purposes. And even those who crucified him unwittingly testified that he was the promised king. Look at verse 37 of Matthew 27. He's the king, he's the king, he's the king, that's the message of Matthew. And God so perfectly overrides the wicked intentions of men to accomplish his own purposes that even those who crucified gave testimony to the fact that Jesus was the king of the Jews. Verse 37, as he was crucified above his head, they put the charge against him which read, this is Jesus, the king of the Jews. Now go to verse 41, just a few verses down the page there. In the same way, the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking him and saying, he saved others, he cannot save himself. They're mocking him.

And yet look at what comes out of their mouth. He is the king of Israel. And so even on the mouths of those who crucified him were the words, the affirmation, this is the king of Israel. The charge against him, this is the king of Israel. Throughout Matthew's Gospel, throughout fulfilled prophecy, this is the king of Israel. And they set up a false challenge saying, let him come down from the cross and we'll believe on him.

He's the king of Israel, let him come down from the cross. That'd prove it. Well, Jesus didn't prove it by coming down from the cross, did he? He proved it by something infinitely greater.

When? He didn't come down from a cross, he came out from a grave. No one does that. No one rises from the dead on their own power. Jesus did. The Messiah, is he set apart?

Beloved, there is no king like this. Look at Matthew 28. Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave. And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. And his appearance was like lightning and his clothing as white as snow.

And the guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for he has risen just as he said.

Come see the place where he was lying. Go quickly and tell the disciples that he has risen from the dead. And behold, he's going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.

Behold, I have told you. He not only fulfilled prophecy in those various points of his life, the divine attestation of this Jesus of Nazareth as being the promised King, the only Lord, the only Savior, is found in the empty tomb. What God has laid out for us in his word here is a reality of unquestioned, unparalleled authority that rests in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Matthew's Gospel demonstrates conclusively that he is the one of prophecy. And now, my friends, Christ comes and asserts his authority over us here today. He's a living King.

He's not dead. He may not be physically present, but he is alive and he speaks through his word and continues his claim, established through all of eternity, that he is the King. Now, the question is, what is your response and mine to that? Because there are two responses that are embedded in the narrative after this statement of his resurrection. Question number one, are you one who will respond in faith and trust and obedience and worship like the disciples did?

Look at verse 8, they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to his disciples and behold Jesus met them and greeted them and they came up and took hold of his feet and worshipped him. That's the only way that you respond to this King. You fall down and you worship him. You bow before the matchless authority of Christ and worship unconditionally.

And if you're here today, you young people, and you don't know Christ, what is laid out before you here today is the way that you respond to Christ. You turn from the sin for which he died and you receive him unconditionally as your king. That's the only way that you respond to a king. You bow before him.

This king, you bow before in utter worship of heart, soul, and mind and receive him. That's the response of faith. But as if to warn us, as if to caution us, there's another portion of the narrative that shows how the rebels respond. Verse 11, Now while they were on their way, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened. And when they had assembled together with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers and said, You are to say his disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.

And if this should come to the governor's ear, we will win him over and keep you out of trouble. And they took the money and did as they had been instructed. And this story was widely spread among the Jews and is to this day. For those of you that are rejecting Christ today, you are doing the exact same thing as those wicked chief priests did. In the face of overwhelming conclusive final evidence of the glory and certainty of Christ, you make up silly excuses, manufacture silly questions to evade the issue. When people are in unbelief, like some of you, it's not a question of intellectual comprehension. You can't deny the fullness of what Scripture says. You can't deny the testimony of the Spirit of God continually bearing witness to Christ through the proclaimed word. You can't deny it. And so your unbelief is not a problem of your intellectual comprehension. It's a problem of your rebel volition.

It's the fact that you don't want to bow down before him. It is a moral problem. What these chief priests did was foolish, a foolish story. They bribed off soldiers to tell an obviously false story.

How would they even know if they were asleep what happened while they were asleep? That doesn't make any sense. It's laughable. It makes no sense whatsoever.

You know what? Your refusal to bow to Christ, your rejection of the gospel is of equal foolishness and contrived excuses that don't bear the closest scrutiny of truth. Your rejection of Christ is morally culpable. It only adds to your guilt to mock him in that way. It grieves me. It grieves me. You see, after this message, there is no middle ground for any of us. You and I will either walk out that door as a committed believing disciple of Jesus Christ rejoicing in the fact that he is the promised King and God by his Spirit has brought him to us and we'll go out grounded and rejoicing because of the reality of the truth settled in our hearts that Christ is King and we have not believed in him in vain and we'll go out triumphant and rejoicing which is what I'm gonna do or because there is no middle ground you will go out as a dishonest man woman or child filled with sin sinning against God and sinning against your own soul because of your irrational selfish sinful rejection of the proclamation of King Jesus there's no other ground there's no other way there's no other exit you either go out belonging to Christ or you go out having been made known to you of your inexcusable guilt and eternity is coming quickly and yet this gracious King offers himself to you one more time one more time Christ comes to you and says I'll still receive you you haven't sinned yourself beyond my grace confess your sin receive him as king and he'll forgive all of your sins your sinful past will be forgotten in the courts of God erased by the cleansing blood of Christ and you can be fully reconciled to God through faith in this promised King the certainty of fulfillment is there look at the closing verses Matthew 28 verse 18 Jesus came up and spoke to them saying all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth he's a king all right king of heaven king of earth go therefore and make disciples of all the nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit teaching them to observe all that I commanded you and lo I'm with you always even to the end of the age are you walking out today as a rejoicing disciple fully redeemed by the blood of Christ are you walking out with inexcusable guilt on your soul that's the question you don't have to walk out that way Christ will receive you Christ will forgive you even now you just come to him by faith let's bow together in prayer father you have certified Christ to us in such an unmistakable way Lord Jesus you have laid down your life for us in such an unmistakable way we thank you for the gospel and I pray father that those who belong to Christ would walk out rejoicing knowing that they stand on an unshakable foundation of truth and may the glory of their Savior rejoice their heart today I pray for those who have been rejecting him now Lord I ask you for a work of your spirit in their heart that you would bring them by that same resurrection power that raised you from the dead by that same power that overturned the grave Oh God would you overturn the stony rebellious hearts that are in our midst that they might willingly gladly humbly receive Christ for their salvation we pray in his name amen today on the truth pulpit pastor Don Green has concluded the first leg of a four gospel journey looking at portraits of Christ next time we move to the book of Mark so plan now to be with us well Don fulfilled prophecy is indeed a powerful argument in support of the Bible's authenticity but as you pointed out today for skeptics it's not a question of evidence but of sinful volition are we helpless then when we speak to them well yes and no I would say we're helpless in our own strength because we do not have the power to save anyone ourselves but Christian friend you're not helpless when you remember that salvation is of the Lord and he is pleased to save men by his power when we faithfully testify to Christ remember always that we speak as ambassadors of Christ and then as you speak humbly pray for God to use his word in the lives of those that you speak to with men salvation is impossible but with God all things are possible in Christ thanks Don and friend we invite you to visit the truth pulpit calm for resources that will help you in your interactions with others as well as help in reinforcing your own faith that's the truth pulpit calm I'm Bill Wright inviting you back next time when Don Green presents more from the truth pulpit