SERMON #1064
Title: CHRIST
THE SERVANT
Text: Exodus
21:5-6
And
if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I
will not go out free: Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall
also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore
his ear through with an awl; and he shall serve him for ever. -- Exo 21:5-6
Scripture
Subject: The Law of the Bondservant a
Picture of Christ
Date:
Sunday Morning -
Introduction:
The Old Testament Scriptures are full of
Christ. "The Lamb is the Light thereof." Until you see Christ in the
Old Testament all is darkness and obscurity. But when Christ is revealed in the
heart and seen in the Scriptures, by the enlightening grace of God the Holy
Spirit, every type, sacrifice, prophecy and promise is full of him. he writings of Moses are delightful to the person who sees
Christ in them.
NOTE: I do not mean to suggest that we
twist the words of Moses and make them speak of Christ. I mean for you to
understand that it was the intent of God the Holy Spirit that we understand
Moses writings in the light of Christ crucified, and that there is no other way
to properly understand what Moses wrote.
Did not the Son of God declare that Moses
wrote of him? He said to the Pharisees, "For had ye believed Moses, ye
would have believed me: for he wrote of me." -- John
Each of the five books of Moses is radiant
with the glory of Christ.
Genesis begins with the creation, but
Christ is the Creator. It repeatedly speaks of and illustrates election, but
the election is in Christ. Exodus is a marvellous
story of redemption, but Christ is the only CHRIST THE SERVANT Page 2
Redeemer revealed. Leviticus sets before us
the worship of God by his redeemed people, with Christ as their Priest,
Sacrifice, Tabernacle, Altar, Mercy-Seat, Atonement, and All in all. Numbers
reminds us that we are pilgrims in this wilderness, warring and wandering
through the earth, but Christ is our Captain, our Guide, our Provider, and our
Protector. Deuteronomy is full of gracious, spiritual instruction. It has been
called "The Gospel According to Moses." It abounds with sovereign
grace and discriminating love. The meaning of the word Deuteronomy is Second
Law. Moses broke the two tables of the law which God first gave him on Sinai;
but God gave him the two tables again. This time he put them in the ark of the covenant, under the mercy-seat, and covered them
with blood! Deuteronomy is a recapitulation of
Today, I want us to look at Exodus 21:5-6.
"Here we have the law of God regarding a servant. And if the servant shall
plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out
free: Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him
to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through
with an awl; and he shall serve him for ever."
The Servant spoken of in this text of
Scripture, by type and picture, is the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior. My subject
is CHRIST THE SERVANT.
Proposition: The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son
of God, became the Servant of God that he might redeem and save sinners chosen
of God from the foundation of the world.
Divisions: I want to show you three things
from this text of Scripture. May God the Holy Spirit, who inspired Moses to
write these words, now write them upon our hearts.
1. Our Lord Jesus Christ is The Servant of
God.
2. The Son of God became the Servant of God
for Three Reasons.
3. As the Servant of God, Our Savior
Willingly, Voluntarily
Fulfilled All the Will of God.
I. First, our text speaks of the Servant. "If the Servant shall plainly say." OUR LORD JESUS
CHRIST IS THE SERVANT, THE SERVANT OF GOD, SPOKEN OF IN THIS TEXT.
CHRIST THE SERVANT Page 3
Yes, I know that the text is talking about
men who became the servants of men among the ancient Israelites. But, before I
am done, you will see clearly that this text looks beyond those men to the Man
Christ Jesus. How blessed it is to see and know Christ in this relationship!
The eye of faith sees the Servant and rejoices in all his work.
A. WE UNDERSTAND AND REJOICE TO KNOW THAT
THIS SERVANT IS HIMSELF GOD, ONE WITH THE FATHER IN BEING, GLORY AND GREATNESS,
IN ALL THINGS EQUAL WITH THE FATHER.
"With Paul we see Him equal with the
Father as touching His Godhead, but inferior to the Father as touching His
manhood." (Thomas Bradbury) "Who, being in the form of God, thought
it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and
took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And
being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto
death, even the death of the cross."
-- Phil 2:6-8
Those words are of unspeakable importance.
Much, very much indeed, depends on a right understanding of them. Here let it
be clearly understood that
1. The Son of God is and must be God, the
second Person of the blessed Trinity.
We are trinitarians.
We believe, according to the Scriptures, that there is one God, subsisting in
three eternal Persons, in all things equal to one another. "For there are
three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and
these three are one." -- 1 John
5:7
2. The Son of God cannot possibly be
inferior to the Father in his Divine Nature.
If Jesus Christ is God manifest in the
flesh, as the Scriptures declare, there cannot be, in anyway, an inequality
between the Father and the Son. "The uncreated and eternally begotten Son
of the Father Almighty is and must be as truly a divine being as the Father who
begat him". (Augustus Toplady)
3. Therefore, when we read in the
Scriptures of Christ being the Servant of God, subjecting himself to the will
of God, and obeying the commandment of God, we are assured that his servitude
is and must be by his own free and voluntary consent.
CHRIST THE SERVANT Page 4
He is indeed the Servant of God; but his
service was no forced work. "He gave himself for us, that he might redeem
us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of
good works." -- Titus 2:14
"Christ loved the church, and gave
himself for it." -- Eph
B. THE LORD JESUS IS CONSTANTLY SET BEFORE
US IN THE SCRIPTURES AS THE SERVANT OF GOD.
Particularly in the writings of Isaiah God
shows us the excellencies, faithfulness and success of
Christ as his servant. Listen to what he says.
Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine
elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my
spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. -- Isa 42:1
He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till
he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall
wait for his law. -- Isa 42:4
Who is blind, but my servant? or deaf, as my messenger that I sent? who
is blind as he that is perfect, and blind as the Lord's servant? -- Isa 42:19
The LORD is well pleased for his
righteousness' sake; he will magnify the law, and make it honourable. -- Isa 42:21
And now, saith
the LORD that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again
to him, Though
have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and
I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish
the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages; That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in
darkness, Show yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures
shall be in all high places. -- Isa 49:5-9
Who is among you that feareth
the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness,
and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the
LORD, and stay upon his God. -- Isa 50:10
Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he
shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. -- Isa 52:13
He shall see of the travail of his soul,
and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify
many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
-- Isa 53:11
C. OUR LORD JESUS DECLARED HIMSELF TO BE
THE SERVANT OF GOD WHEN HE WALKED UPON THE EARTH.
"And whosoever will be chief among
you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered
unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." -- Mat 20:27-28
It is as plain as the light of day that
Jesus Christ gave his whole life, from
"My meat is to do the will of him that
sent me, and to finish his work." -- John
The Father's will was the salvation of his
elect. The Son's work was to do his Father's will, and thus to glorify him.
These two things are forever united. The God cannot be glorified without the
salvation of his people; and we cannot be saved without God being glorified.
This is exactly what our Savior said.
"For I came down from heaven, not to
do mine own will, CHRIST THE SERVANT Page 6
but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will
which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing,
but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that
sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and
believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the
last day." -- John 6:38-40
D. ALL THAT IS REVEALED IN THE SCRIPTURES
CONCERNING A SERVANT IS PERFECTLY FULFILLED BY THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IN THE
SALVATION OF HIS PEOPLE.
1. A servant is one chosen by his master
for a specific work. So Christ was chosen by the Father for the work of
redemption and salvation.
My servant
whom I have chosen. -- Isa 43:10
Then thou spakest
in vision to thy holy one, and saidst, I have laid
help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people. -- Psa 89:19
2. A servant is one who has a trust committed
to him by his master for which he is accountable. Christ has been trusted with
all the glory of the triune God, all the riches of grace, and all the souls of
God's elect (Eph
Illustration:
The Shepherd is Responsible For The Sheep.
3. A faithful servant does not seek his own
will or his own glory, but the will and glory of his master.
-Christ
sought his Father's glory. "If any man will do his will, he shall know of
the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak
of myself. He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh
his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in
him." -- John 7:17-18
-Our
Savior always bowed to his Father's will, "Saying, Father
, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will,
but thine, be done." -- Luke 22:42
4. A faithful servant has a rightful claim
to his reward and expects it.
As Jacob said to Laban,
"Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled," so the Lord Jesus
Christ is seated upon CHRIST THE SERVANT Page 7
the throne of glory, having finished his work, expecting...
-The
Salvation of His People.
-The
Glorfying of His Name.
-The
Conquest of His Enemies.
5. It is the hope of his reward that sustains
and contents the servant in all his labor. So it was the hope of seeing his
people saved and his Father glorified that sustained our Savior in his great
agony and death as our Substitute.
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher
of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,
despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of
God. -- Heb 12:2
II. Secondly, our text shows us that THE
SON OF GOD BECAME THE SERVANT OF GOD FOR THREE REASONS.
"If the servant shall plainly say, I
love my master, my wife, and my children"...Let's see what we can learn
from these words. Picture in your mind the great covenant of grace. The Lord
Jesus, way back before the world was made, stood before God the Father, and
said...
A. "I LOVE MY MASTER."
Why did the Lord Jesus Christ come into
this world? The answer is found in these words. Christ came here because of his
great love for his Father, to glorify God the Father. The first Adam, who was
made for the glory of God, failed miserably. The last Adam gloriously
succeeded.
1. He was altogether competent for the work
he came to do, because this man is God, because this God-man was altogether
without sin.
-"In
him is no sin" (I John 3:5).
-"He
knew no sin" (II Cor
-"He
did no sin" (I Pet
-When
tempted of the devil, satan
found nothing in him by which to seduce him.
2. He had no work, no ambition, no will,
but to do his Father's will.
-When
he was just a boy, he corrected his mother on this subject, saying, "Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business"
(Luke
CHRIST THE SERVANT Page 8
from his work by the fleshly sorrows of his mother.
-When
he was a man, he said, "I do always those things that please him"
(John
-When
his labor was ended, when his work was done, when the faithful Servant gave an
account of the work he had done, he said, "I have glorified thee on the
earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me
to do" (John 17:4).
It is by the covenant Surety's
glorification of the Father that elect sinners are saved with an everlasting
salvation and eternally justified. The love of God for us and the love of
Christ for his Father is the source and cause of it
all.
B. Next, the Servant says, "I LOVE MY
WIFE."
You who are loved of Christ cannot fail to
see your Beloved here. Here we see something of the marvellous
love of Christ for his bride, the Church. What David said concerning Johnathan we say from the heart concerning our Redeemer:
"Thy love to me is wonderful!" (II Sam 1:26).
I pray for you, and for myself, as Paul did
for the Ephesians, that you might know the unknowable, - "That Christ may dwell in your
hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to
comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and
height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth
knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness
of God." -- Eph 3:17-19
"Husbands, love your wives, even as
Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify
and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it
to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing;
but that it should be holy and without blemish." -- Eph 5:25-27
Where can we find illustrations of Christ'
great love for his elect bride?
1. Jacob's Love for Rachel - And Jacob
loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years
for Rachel thy younger daughter. And Laban said, It is better that I CHRIST THE SERVANT Page 9
give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man: abide
with me. And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but
a few days, for the love he had to her.
-- Gen 29:18-20 Jacob's love was rewarded with deceit, but it did not
dampen his love. Our Savior's love for us caused him shame and suffering
unknown, but the more he endured the more his love was made manifest. His love
for us is stronger than death and as firm as the very life of the eternal God!
2. Adam's Love for Eve - Nowhere do we see
the love of Christ, the last Adam, for his bride more fully illustrated than in
the love of the first Adam for his wife Eve.
The Holy Spirit tells us plainly that Adam
was not deceived by the devil (I Tim
C. Next, the Servant says, "I LOVE MY
CHILDREN."
Even back then, in the covenant of grace,
before the world began, the predestinated children of God were given a family
relation with the Son of God. Is he the Son of God? So are we, by divine
adoption and special predestination, from eternity.
Thomas Bradbury wrote, "Through the
perfection of His righteousness - the preciousness of His blood - the power of
His resurrection - and the prevalency of His
intercession He brings forth the progeny of grace from the womb of the eternal
purpose, to serve, praise and adore the eternal Three in One to all
generations."
-In
us Christ sees the fruit and satisfaction of his soul's travail.
-In
him is all our salvation (I Cor
In him we were chosen to salvation. In him
we have been redeemed from all sin. In him we are begotten again unto a lively
hope by his resurrection. In him we have CHRIST THE SERVANT Page 10
been quickened into spiritual life by his Spirit. In him we have
been born again never to die. In him we are saved! He carries us in his bosom
of everlasting love. He washed us from every stain of sin in his own precious
blood. He has justified us with his spotless righteousness. He shall at last
present us faultless to the Father in perfect holiness (Heb
Why did Christ become the Servant of God?
Because...
1.
He Loved His Father.
2.
He Loved His Wife.
3.
He Loved His Children.
III. Thirdly, AS THE SERVANT OF GOD, OUR
SAVIOR WILLINGLY, VOLUNTARILY FULFILLED ALL THE WILL OF GOD
Listen to our text one more time. "And
if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I
will not go out free: Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall
also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore
his ear through with an awl; and he shall serve him for ever." -- Exo 21:5-6
How delightful and blessed it is to our
hearts to see the willingness, the delight of Christ to bow, to humble himself,
to become obedient to the Father's will, to suffer and die for us. Oh, how he
loved us!
He
said, "I will not go out free!"
He
had his ear bored, he solemnly declared himself to be Jehovah's Servant
forever, and never had a second thought.
A. A HUMAN BODY WAS PREPARED FOR THE SON OF
GOD AND HE CAME INTO THIS WORLD.
What a glorious sight for the comfort of
every believing heart - The Son of God wears and forever dwells in a human
body!
A REAL HUMAN HEART to feel the sorrows and
sufferings of his loved ones in this world.
REAL HUMAN EYES to watch over his people,
to weep with those that weep, to weep for those who cannot weep for themselves.
REAL HUMAN EARS ever attentive to the cries
of his beloved.
CHRIST THE SERVANT Page 11
REAL HUMAN HANDS to minister to the
necessities of his family.
REAL HUMAN FEET frequently weary in errands
of mercy for his beloved.
REAL HUMAN LIPS ever filled with grace,
ever flowing with words of love and life for his chosen.
A REAL HUMAN SOUL which was troubled and
sorrowful, even unto death, that his sinful, sorrowing people might be sinless
and joyful to all eternity.
Blessed be God, yonder in heaven's highest
glory is a man, a real man, Jesus Christ, Jehovah's Servant, my Savior!
B. ONCE MORE PAUSE TO CONSIDER WHAT THIS
DIVINE SERVANT, THE GOD-MAN HAS DONE FOR SINNERS.
1. He brought in everlasting righteousness
by his obedience to God as our Representative.
2. He put away sin by the sacrifice of
himself.
3. He lives in heaven, to make intercession
for transgressors, according to the will of God.
4. He sends his Spirit to regenerate and
save his redeemed ones, in the time of love.
Illustration: David to Ziba,
"Fetch Him!"
5. He keeps and preserves his believing
people secure unto eternal glory.
6. He rules the world for the good of his
redeemed ones.
7. He is coming again to gather his elect
up to glory.
Then cometh the end, when he shall have
delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down
all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till
he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be
destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his
feet. But when he saith all things are put
under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which
did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him,
then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all. -- 1 Cor
All praise to Christ, THE SERVANT! " Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins
in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his CHRIST
THE SERVANT Page 12
Father; to him be glory and dominion for
ever and ever. Amen." -- Rev
1:5-6
Whatever our need may be, it is supplied
from the unfailing stores of our heavenly Bridegroom. The time of our
destitution and helplessness gave him opportunity to exercise his love and
care. When we were lost and loathsome, he came to us in love. When we were
naked, he clothed us with the garments of salvation.
"I will greatly rejoice in the LORD,
my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of
salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels." -- Isa 61:10
When hungry, he feeds us. When fainting, he
restores us. When helpless, he upholds us. Do we long for glory? He will bring
us in!
Now, look at the last two words of our text
- "For Ever!" Time will not terminate his service of love. In the
ages to come God will show the exceeding riches of his grace toward us through
Christ Jesus. When time shall be no more, the Lamb in the midst of the throne
will feed us, lead us to fountains of living water, and bless us with eternal
joy in his presence!
Application:
1. Would you be partaker of these rich
blessings of grace and life? Come to Christ!
2. Forever adore, love and trust Christ,
who stooped so low to lift us so high.
3. If Christ our Savior is the Servant of
God, let us imitate him as we endeavor to serve our God and one another.
"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." -- Phil 2:5
"NOW UNTO HIM THAT IS ABLE TO DO
EXCEEDING ABUNDANTLY ABOVE ALL THAT WE ASK OR THINK, ACCORDING TO THE POWER
THAT WORKETH IN US, UNTO HIM BE GLORY IN THE CHURCH BY CHRIST JESUS THROUGHOUT
ALL AGES, WORLD WITHOUT END. AMEN."