Behold: your sin, the Savior, the Sovereign — William Skates

Let's look to the Lord for his blessing on the meeting tonight. Shall we pray? Our Father we bow again humbly in thy presence in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and we Thank thee for him. Bless thee for the Savior that left the glories in heaven and came to this world Where he was disowned and rejected by men.

We remember that he was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Man gave him the cross and Father we thank thee it was all in the plan of God. He was willing to go through with all that that meant and bear our sins in his own body upon the tree.

We've been singing about the fact that he could have called twelve legions of angels to Come and destroy the world and set him free. But father we thank thee for one that was willing to die in our stead All the sins of our life to forgive and the way to the cross He was willing to tread that a soul so unworthy might live.

We thank thee for each one in the room tonight who have had that moment in life when we've had a look to Calvary and The language of our hearts has been. I seek no other argument. I want no other plea.

It is enough that Jesus died and rose again for me. We thank the Lord for a place to rest where we can know our sins forgiven and Have that assurance of heaven as our eternal home. We would pray for any with us tonight that do not yet know the Savior have never Trusted their souls to him for eternity.

Grant Lord that as the Word of God is read and spoken upon tonight their heart and conscience would be reached. That there might be turned in repentance and come in conviction to the Savior and to rest their all upon him.

And go on their way rejoicing in the knowledge of sins forgiven through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. We thank thee for a good conference and we would long Lord that Others to who come into these great blessings that we've been enjoying throughout the weekend and not only for this weekend But throughout all eternity to come we thank thee that we'll feast our souls upon Christ in those ages to come.

We look forward to seeing him and being with him and we pray Lord that each one in the room this evening Will not miss the great opportunity of salvation But will come on a run tonight to the Savior and trust them that they might be saved blessed in other places.

To our brethren that have gone elsewhere Brother Krauss and Dunkerton our brethren there in Cedar Falls McCandless and McLeod and we pray for our brother Larry that has gone over to Heightsville and wherever the gospel is being proclaimed throughout the state tonight and All the way to the west of us as the day rolls on we pray that thou will grant thy rich blessing and help in the preaching of thy word so undertake now for us as we leave the meeting before thee and Trust thee for the help that's needed in the worthy name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen. Now it's been good to be with you and stout again this weekend and we've certainly enjoyed the ministry of the Word of God. Let's come to the scriptures now in the gospel as we turn to the book of Numbers first of all chapter 32 numbers chapter 32 numbers chapter 32 and we'll read at verse 23.

Three Beholds: Sin, the Lamb, and the Bridegroom

But if you will not do so behold ye have sinned against the Lord and Be sure your sin Will find you out. Behold ye have sinned against the Lord and be sure your sin Will find you out. Come over to the New Testament to the gospel of John, please chapter 1.

John's gospel chapter 1. John chapter 1 we'll read at verse 29. The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him and says behold the Lamb of God Which taketh away? the sin of the world. Behold the Lamb of God Which taketh away the sin of the world?

Back to the gospel of Matthew, please chapter 25. Matthew 25. Matthew 25 verse 6 and at midnight There was a cry made behold the bridegroom cometh. Go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.

The foolish said unto the wise give us of your oil for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered saying not so lest there be not enough for us and you. But go ye rather to them that sell and buy for yourselves and while they went to buy The bridegroom came and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage and The door was shut.

The Lord will bless to us the reading from His word. I want you to Look tonight at this one word that has linked these scriptures together and others as well. In my mind for the meeting this evening. That's the word behold and As you all know it means to look intently.

Look like you mean it at what God is pointing out in his word. So we've read from numbers chapter 32 behold ye have sinned against the Lord. Take a look at your sin. We've read from John chapter 1 verse 29 the words of John the Baptist.

When he pointed him out as he walked and he said behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. Take a look at him The Savior and we've read from Matthew chapter 25 About a great event that could happen tonight, I'm referring to the rapture and Applying this parable that the Lord told to that event.

Listen to it. Behold the bridegroom cometh. Take a look at him the Sovereign. He's coming again He's coming to reign and He's coming for his people. Behold you have sinned against the Lord and be sure your sin Will find you out.

The Certainty and Seriousness of Sin

You know every one of us in the meeting tonight. This is true of us we act according to our nature a fallen nature a Nature that is infected by this horrible thing. The Bible calls sin a Nature that is hostile to God a nature that is rebellious against God a Nature that will not have the rule of God in our lives and We have acted according to our nature and behold ye have sinned against the Lord and be sure your sin Will find you out either it will find you out in time and you'll come in repentance Before God or it will find you out when it is too late if You die in your sins said the Lord Jesus where I am there.

You cannot come like the rich man. It will be hell and ultimately to stand before that great white throne to be found out for every single sin. They're judged according to their words. Behold you have sinned against the Lord.

Now it's one thing for you to sin against me and do something that Offends me that's that's one level or for a boy or a girl to disobey their parents. That is sin. That's it. That's at one level. Or if a person was to speak disrespectively.

Disrespectively to a police officer, for example. That could land you in jail overnight. Or if you disobey the laws of the state you could end up in state prison or if you disobey the federal government.

You could end up in the federal penitentiary. But listen the Word of God says behold ye have sinned against the Lord. The Sovereign Lord of all eternity the Sovereign Lord of the universe. The one who is from everlasting to everlasting and you have dared we have dared as sinners to stand with Hostility in our hearts before him and defy him with sin.

You have sinned against the Lord and be sure your sin will find you out. The sad fact of the matter is that every single sin is Extremely serious. Against the holiness of God. God is holy. God is holy.

God is holy and you he will not compromise his holiness. He is a pure arise and to look with tolerance upon sin. He will not tolerate it. He must deal with it his holiness is outraged against it. He must act in righteousness against it.

It calls for the justice of God for the judgment of God and that carries eternal consequences. It's a capital offense Against the majesty of God and it means eternal punishment. You stand in your sin before him.

So it's a solemn matter, isn't it? Take a look at it tonight behold ye have sinned against the Lord and be sure your sin Will find you out now, there's one of two attitudes that could be taken in regard to those facts.

That's what we're here to do tonight in the gospel present you with the facts of Scripture. God has given to us facts in his Word and we must face up the facts. One of two attitudes I think of Job a man that God spoke to and Job was very conscious.

That God was dealing with him and God reveals something of his own character his own majesty and his power in creation to Joe. You know what his response was? Behold, I Am vile. I am vile. That was his response.

You know what happened? God immediately acted on Job's behalf. It's a turning point in the book of Job and God blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning and Job came into blessings from the hand of God.

Why he took true ground before God and he says behold, I am vile. I want to ask you tonight What's your attitude to your sin? Are you being honest with God like Job? There's another attitude we find that in the book of Acts chapter 13 and There Paul is preaching in the synagogue in Antioch of Pisidia and He's presenting to the person of Christ The Lord Jesus this man.

Be it known unto you therefore men and brethren that through this man has preached unto you the forgiveness of sins. You have sins and they can be forgiven and it's found alone in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

But if you reject him. This is what he said quoting from the book of Isaiah. He said behold ye despisers and wonder and perish. There's another attitude to sin to hear about the reality of sin to hear about a Savior for sinners and To turn away from it is an attitude that is despising God.

That is rejecting his truth that is rejecting his word and the result is that that soul will perish. Eternally maybe You've heard the gospel often. And maybe you feel that that just is not an accurate description of your heart in terms of actually Despising the gospel you would like to be saved but up until this moment.

You're not saved. Up until this moment you're still in your sins and you would like To have your sins forgiven. That's good. That's real good. But you just can't see it and the more you turn it over in your mind and the more it just seems all dark and You're you're just wondering wondering.

How can this happen? How can I know how? And you're wondering behold ye despisers and Wonder and perish it's not enough to merely want to be saved you can perish in your sins. Wanting to be saved the reality of the fact is sins are still upon the sinner.

Until that moment when he receives the sinner Savior. And he understands that Christ died for my sins and at that moment Resting on him. That soul comes into the good of the forgiveness of sins because it's through this man that has preached on to you the forgiveness.

Of since why would you be without him tonight? I should take a look at it. You have sinned against the Lord and be sure your sin will find you out. Don't be like those that didn't receive the message in Paul's day despisers and wonder and perish.

But come to Christ tonight and trust him as your Savior and you'll be saved for time and eternity. We read as well in John chapter 1 those wonderful words from John the Baptist. As he looked upon the Lord Jesus that day and his heart is moved to utter these words.

Behold the Lamb of God and the Sin-Bearing Savior

Behold the Lamb of God Which take us away? The sin of the world is that what you want tonight your sins taken away. Come on, you've got sisters and their sins are taken away. Brothers friends perhaps in recent days have come into the great blessing of sins being taken away and You might even be interested tonight and having your sins taken away.

Well, here's the answer. Behold, God says take a look at him. Behold the Lamb of God Which taketh away the sin of the world? That's in chapter 1 of John. When we come to John chapter 19 we read about the crucifixion.

It's interesting to see that that word comes up again in chapter 19 pilot has had him scourged and Pilate brings him before the people and Pilate says behold the man. Behold the man take a look at him tonight.

Behold the man. What a man he is he's the son of man he's the one of whom the prophets have spoken Isaiah. Behold the Virgin shall conceive and bear a son and thou shall call his name Emmanuel. Which means God with us.

And I again later on in that same prophecy in chapter 40. He's spoken off again and the prophet this time says behold your God. That's the man in John 19. Behold the man Born of the Virgin without a trace of Adam's sin a man unique in origin all fair without all pure within our Blessed Lord a man who lived as a boy who grew into manhood who went out in public ministry and he never ever ever committed one sin and In order to prove his sinlessness God put him to the test as he embarks upon public ministry.

But before those tests took place and the Lord Jesus went into the into the wilderness before that happened God declared his absolute confidence in him. You know what? He said he opened heaven and he said this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased and Then he's tested and he proves his absolute holiness three times over.

He is holy. He is holy. He is holy in his humanity. He's a perfect man, but he's absolutely holy in his manhood and he could not sin. He did no sin. He knew no sin and in him there is no sin. He's different from us, isn't he?

Behold the man then Pilate said again as he brings him out to the people. He's trying to get him released At this point, but he brings him out again and he says to the people behold your King. Behold your King.

What a King he was. He's crowned with thorns. They have paid him homage. With a scourge. The whole band of soldiers have been gathered around and they buffeted him. That's an old-fashioned English word.

It means this they clenched their fists and they they punched them. They smote him. They mocked him. They bowed the knee before him as a king hill king of the Jews and they rise up and they spit in his face.

Behold your King. Behold the man. Behold your King. Wearing that crown of thorns. What will the response of the people be pilot is hoping. I believe I is hoping that there'll be some a sense of pity or some sense of Sympathy that's generated in their hearts that will want to release Jesus and he'll get off the hook with having to deal with Jesus.

But their human heart is revealed. What was their response? They cried together away with him away with him crucify him. What's your response tonight to the Lord Jesus? Do you stand in awe of the of the glory of his holiness his sinlessness the man?

Christ Jesus. Different from you and me as sinners. Are you rejecting him tonight like the crowd of old and cry away with him away with him? We will not have this to reign over us crucify him if you were standing there that day.

What would your attitude have been they cried? We have no King but Caesar. We don't want him. We want something else. What is it that's standing in your way of Coming to Christ. It's not Caesar. I know that but it could be something else of this world and you would rather have that.

You would rather have him or her and the Christ of God is your Savior, but behold the Lamb of God. The taker away of the sin of the world. They didn't end at the mocking and discouraging they let him outside the wall of Jerusalem and There outside that wall likely on the north end of the city outside the the wall.

They laid that cross upon the ground and they kneeled his living body to it. Then they lifted it up and they dropped it. Into that hole in the ground there he hangs and God appeals to your heart tonight in this meeting.

He says behold the Lamb of God. Take a look at him. Why is he there? What's the purpose behind all of this how could the God of heaven allow this to happen. The hymn writer answers the question so accurately and he says it was because our sin on him.

By God was led he who himself had never sinned for sinners. Who's that? My god, that's me tonight. Is it you for sinners? Sin was made. God made him to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him and God deals with him as God would deal with sin on him almighty.

Vengeance fell enough to sink a world to hell. But he bore it for a ruined race and thus becomes my hiding place. The Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world and on that cross before they took him down.

He cried it is finished. That work was complete the work of taking away sin. It's complete. The Lord Jesus enters into death and pays in full the capital punishment for sin. Christ died for our sins. Take it in tonight.

It was for me. Yes all for me. Oh Love of God so great so free. Oh wondrous love. I'll shout and sing he died for me. He really did my lord the king take a look at him tonight. Behold the Lamb of God.

Which taketh away the sin of the world. He's worthy of your trust. He has done a work that satisfies the very God of heaven. Let it satisfy your heart tonight and enter into the good of it. And appreciate for the first time the Savior who died on the cross for sinners.

He died for me my lord the king. Behold the Lamb of God. But we read from Matthew 23 about an event that is yet future and When it occurs the rapture of the church it could happen at any moment the principles of this parable apply.

The Coming of the Bridegroom and the Rapture

It will be at an hour that is unexpected. It was at midnight in the parable. You don't expect to go to a wedding at midnight, but that's just when he came. So we lift the principle. It'll be at a moment.

Whenever men are not expecting him to come. He'll come. Behold the bridegroom cometh. He is coming. It's the last promise in the Bible and in the last chapter of the Bible it's given three times over behold.

There's the word again behold behold. Behold I come quickly when he comes there's going to be no warning. He's going to come swiftly. He's going to come and It's for this purpose to take his people home those that have trusted him as their Savior those whose sins have been taken away those who are resting where God rests and Understand that that work on the cross Has satisfied God's justice.

He's coming to take him home the Lord Jesus will have his prayer answered. John chapter 17. He expresses his very heart to his God and this is what he says to his father. He says that they may behold my glory and The Lord Jesus has a desire tonight that his people will be with him looking upon him.

Seeing him in all his glory and all his beauty and he's coming to make that happen if he comes tonight and he could. And the way things are happening in the world it can't it can't be. Long at all say are you ready for his coming?

Are you ready? When the cry as it were goes out behold the bridegroom cometh go ye out to meet him. Have you got oil in your vessel? Are you trusting the Lord Jesus as your Savior as the Spirit of God within your heart?

And when he comes will you rise to meet him and go in? To that heavenly banquet or will you be left for judgment? Because judgment is coming following his the rapture of the church. There is that tribulation period and that will culminate whenever the heavens are opened and we get the word again behold a white horse.

And him that sat upon it. His name is faithful and true and in righteousness. He does judge and make war. He has on his thigh a name written. His name is the King of Kings. He's the Lord of Lords. He's coming to put every enemy under his feet.

The Sovereign King’s Final Judgment

Behold, he comes with clouds and every eye shall see him. You're going to see him my friend either you look by faith tonight to the cross. Or you'll see him coming in his glory. The scene of judgment you'll perish forever if you're found in your sins.

So may God help you tonight. Take a look at him. Think of these behold behold you have sinned against the Lord. Be sure your sin will find you out. But behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world and trust him as your Savior and you'll be ready.

When the word goes out behold the bridegroom cometh may God bless his word.