His People

His People And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Matthew 1: 21 Matthew's gospel is the gospel of the King. Like a herald he begins a noble line, echoing the names of some of the greatest of kings, David, Hezekiah, Solomon, Jehoshaphat, Josiah, Uzziah, and Rehoboam, all men of great fame and renown, who had fought battles, conquered enemies, waged wars, and subdued armies. He begins then from these past annals a new and noble tale, with these words, Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows, commencing a new narrative of a mighty and most glorious King, Jesus Christ our Lord. It is amidst this narrative tale that Matthew mentions heavens herald, the angel sent to name the coming King of a most holy and noble birth, proclaiming from on high, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins. Matthew is the gospel of the King and it begins with this royal proclamation; His name is Jesus and He shall save His people from their sins. Observe then from this proclamation what is here declared, we have: 1. The herald of a Savior. Salvation implies need and peril. Christ comes the anointed King to save His people from their sins. Those of His are a people of bondage and subjugation. They are rebels scattered to and far, sons of Adam, children of wrath, shackled by sin and ordained to death, without God and without hope in the world. Like the Israelites in Egypt before, enslaved and without hope in the world, His people sat in misery and darkness awaiting the herald from on high. And, like mighty Samson or ruddy David before Him, Jesus is to be a Savior of His own. This is the herald of a Savior. Further, the proclamation is: 2. The herald of a Conqueror. He comes to save His people from their sins, and to do so He must conquer their adversary and overcome their foe. To save them from their sins He must subdue their enemy. He must overcome their adversary. He must relinquish their debt. He must overcome sin's impediments. Like mighty Joshua before Him He must tear down the walls of our iniquity. This is the herald of a Conqueror, Next, the proclamation is: 3. The herald of a Sovereign. He is born a King. He that is a King has a kingdom. He that is a King has subjects. He that is a King has dominion. He that is a King has a throne. Here we see with the King coming, The kingdom of heaven is at hand! Christ was born to conquer, to subdue, to rescue, and to deliver, from heaven to earth, from earth to the cross, from the cross to the grave, from the grave to the sky, to a throne far and above. Christ was born to rule. He was born to bring forth a kingdom over which He must rule Last, the proclamation is: 4. The herald of a promise. This is no new thing, but it is He that was promised so long again. First to Adam, later to Noah, made plain to Abraham, and typified at Sinai, it was further made sure to David, this was the promised covenant. It is the herald of what was anticipated, the Lord's Anointed, Immanuel, He that was hoped for, as prophesied by Jacob, The scepter shall n ot depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and the obedience of his people is his. Simeon would testify, Mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. This was the Messiah, the Lord, the King, of whom it is taught by the herald, the promise is in Him found. We are then taught by heaven's herald: Doctrines. Christ comes of promise, to conquer, to rule, and to save, He is born a Savior of His people. Who then are His people? It is vital to our understanding of the gospel that we be clear on who are the people of God. This is fundamental and essential to the clarity and purity of the gospel. So, to answer this question, we shall answer the question in two ways. The people of this King, who they are, we can answer it in two ways; the negative and the positive. I. First, they are not a people of the flesh. 1. Those born from His. Natural generation has never laid claim upon the promise or election of God. The earliest heresy in the church was the Galatian heresy and it continues to our day, revived by the likes of Darby and Scofield, which lay claim to salvation on account of physical descent. This hideous heresy has confused multitudes, maligned the truth, and corrupted God's word. Israel of the flesh is not, and never has been, the people of God. Yet, scripture is and always has been clear, the people of God are not the Lord's people by natural descent, just as Abraham's descendants were never of the covenant simply because they were Abraham's descendants. The Israelites and the Jews were never God's people of the promise simply because they were Jacob's children according to the flesh. Examples abound of this and are put forth by the apostle Paul in Romans 9, where he demonstrates that Ishmael was never a child of the promise; even though he was born of Abraham (he was Abraham's son) and was circumcised in the flesh, he never was a child of the promise. Neither was Esau the Lord's; he was but a wild man of the earth, born of the same womb and parents as Jacob. Equally, the Jews, just because they were born Jews, were never the children of the promise. As Paul told the Galatians: For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. Gal. 3.22ff And as he told the Romans For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. Rom. 2.29ff Israel of the flesh, the Jews of the flesh, were and are not God's children of promise just because they are born Jews or of Israel. Paul could not have been clearer when he said, For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel. Dispensationalism is an error of notable danger. It is a bewitching as perilous as the Galatian heresy, of which Paul called it another gospel. Be not deceived, Israel of the flesh are not God's chosen people, but those of the promise are the true Israel of God, as Paul said, Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. Gal 3.7ff So then, the people of God are not His by natural birth. Next, the people of God are not, 2. Those that have earned the right to be called his. His people are not righteous and have not merited His favor. He did not come to save the righteous, but the unrighteous, as was said in Luke 5, Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Not the righteous, but the unrighteous; Jesus came to save sinners, lost and vile sinners, those dead in sins. Like Abram the Chaldean, the idolator and godless sinner, whom God called forth to life, so the people of God are not the righteous. Further, the people of God are not, 3. Those that have chosen Him. How could they chose Him, if He chose them? Scripture is clear that there are none that seek after God, no not one. John says it as plain as possible, saying that it is not by the will of man that we are given the right to be called the children of God. Like Jesus told His disciples, If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you (Jn. 15.16). Like God said of Moses, For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth (Dt. 7.6). Just as Peter says of us, But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. Away with free will! The error of man's pride! The vile boast of Pelagius and Arminius that has deceived so many! II. Next, they are the people of the promise. 1. An eternal promise. They are elect, predestined in Him. He hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world. 2. An endearing promise. They are foreknown. According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love. To them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 3. A covenant promise. They are His. 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. 4. An effectual promise. They will come. 5. An imbuing promise. They will be sealed by the Spirit in faith. 6. A national promise. They are called Israel, who have struggled with God and prevailed. 7. A regal promise. Those of His kingdom. 8. A persevering promise. Those of His saving. Uses 1. For our anticipation consider Jesus the King of Kings. We have heard the herald of His birth. We have considered who He is, a Savior, a Lord, the King of Kings. The One that was once prophesied with these words of Jeremiah,"Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. Here he is! He is greater than David! He is greater than all other Kings. Like Samson, of whom it was heralded to his parents, For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no rasor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines. And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him. And the Spirit of the LORD began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol. Ah, but He is greater than Samson, for in death we read of Samson, And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life. In Hebrews it says: And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions. This is no common King, no ordinary Savior, but One like unto Joshua. It was Joshua that charged Israel: Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. The LORD your God hath given you rest, and hath given you this land. Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle, shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side Jordan; but ye shall pass before your brethren armed, all the mighty men of valour, and help them; Until the LORD have given your brethren rest. Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. As Jesus would soon take up the message of the Baptist, saying, Repent! The kingdom of heaven is at hand! So here we stand, poised to behold the King, consider you this day whom you will serve. And in our consideration, let us count the cost. For: 2. Let us denote who are then the true people of God. They are not those of divide heart. We shall find that those He came to save, those He saves, He saves to the uttermost, and those He saves: 1) They do not love another. The Lord is clear, He said it plain, the people of God For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. 2) They love Him. His love Him. If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. When Peter had betrayed Him, he could but offer this proof of faith, Lord, you know that I love you. The true mark of abiding faith is love, a love that cannot be quenched for our Savior. 3) They follow but Him. It is often asked if one that denies the Trinity or one that embraces the doctrine of Arminius can be saved, and the answer is not complex, Jesus said, The sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. The elect shall not be deceived. Those of Christ cannot be deceived. 4) Those that do not obey another. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. As we study Matthew, prepare yourself. Ready yourself. Put your house in order. Here comes the King of Kings, let Him not pass by without your consideration and admiration. Here is the King.