The Musts on the Lips of Our Lord — Ian Paisley

Matthew 24 and the Musts of Christ

We're turning in the scriptures to the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew's Gospel. Matthew's Gospel, chapter twenty-four. And we're going to read down this chapter, and we will finish our reading at verse twelve.

The twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew's Gospel. Reading it with me, taking your time from me. And Jesus went out and departed from the temple. And his disciples came to him for to show him the buildings of the temple.

And Jesus said unto them, be ye not, see ye not all these things? Verily I say unto you, there shall not be left here one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down. And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately saying, Tell us when shall these things be?

And what shall be the sign of thy coming and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive many.

And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that ye be not troubled. For all these things must come to pass. But the end is not yet. For nations shall rise against nations and kingdoms against kingdoms.

And there shall be famine and pestilences and earthquakes in divers places. All of these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted and shall kill you. And ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.

And then shall many be offended and shall betray one another and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

Ending our reading at verse 12. And God will bless His holy word to our hearts. I take the promised Holy Ghost, the blessed power of Pentecost, to fill me to the uttermost. I take. Thank God He undertakes for me.

And the people of God said, Amen. You may be seated. On Wednesday evening, I spoke upon one of the musts of our Lord Jesus Christ. And if you want a copy of that sermon, it is on tape. And you can get it after the service this morning.

Christ’s Life Governed by the Father’s Will

But I was pointing out that the word must was constantly upon the lips of our Lord Jesus Christ as He walked this earth. I was amazed at the many references in scripture that we have to this word being of the tongue of our Lord.

The great necessities which dominated Christ's life on earth as the incarnate God enthroned in man's humanity. And His urgency to fulfill the will of God is staggering indeed. Christ came to do the Father's will.

And He delighted to do it. And He did it with all His heart. And with all His soul. And with all His might. And with all His mind. The many times He used the word must indicates the immense urgency which dominated even the very smallest of our Lord's acts on earth.

Christ's personality, both of His deity and humanity were on the altar of total dedication and consecration to His Father. The will of God was His great aim. His objective and control were a wonder to His disciples.

He had enslaved Himself to do His Father's will. And we notice that the first time this word must was upon the lips of Christ. Was the must of Christ's career. And it's found in Luke's Gospel chapter 2 and verse 49.

Christ’s First Must: His Father’s Business

Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business. Those are the first recorded words of Christ in the Bible. That He must be about His Father's business. What was the last word He spoke before He died on the cross?

It is finished. What did He finish? He finished His Father's business. He finished His Father's business. So what He set out to do, He accomplished. And I developed that on Wednesday night. And I'm sure you would be blessed if you get a copy of that tape and study it.

It's very important. The first must of Christ. I must be about my Father's business. If you turn to the portion of Scripture that we read this morning, you'll get another must. It is interesting that the first word Christ spoke was in reference to the Scriptures.

Because that word, I must be about my Father's business, is reading a quotation from Psalm 40. When Christ said, I delight to do thy will. Oh my God. So the first word of the incarnate Word of God, the Lord Jesus, was from the inspired Word.

Christ’s Confidence in the Written Word

Now we turn to Matthew chapter 24 and verse 6. And He says to His disciples, And ye shall hear of wars, and rumors of wars. See that ye be not troubled. For all of these things must, mark the word must, must come to pass.

But the end is not yet. Christ having first quoted the written Word of God as His absolute authority, now gives us the must of His confidence in the Word of God. And He said, all of these things that I've been relating to you, they will all come to pass.

Nation and kingdom will be against kingdoms, and there shall be famine, and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. For all these things must come to pass.

Christ in the unshakable Word of God. In the immutability, the unchangeable nature, and the uncomparable power of the Word, the written Word of the everlasting and almighty God. Christ's faith was grounded in the Bible and on the Bible.

We live in a day that's not a Bible. We live in a day that is only the Word of God. We live in a day when the Word of God is treated with all the spleen of hell by man who follows Satan. You will remember that the first words that Christ spoke as a minister after His baptism, and He went into the wilderness to be subject to the temptation of the devil.

What did He say? It is written. It is written. It is written. He didn't enter into any argument or debate with the devil. He just stated, God has written His Word. It can't be altered. It can't be changed.

He's a God that cannot lie. He's a God who cannot die. His Word will rule. So this second must of Christ is the must of Christ's confidence in the Bible. The powers of earth and hell and heaven around this sacred Word combine.

The providence through every age securely guards the book divine. Thee its great author, source of light. Thee its preserver we adore. And humbly ask array from Thee its hidden wonders to explore. Oh, the blessed Word of God.

We should love it. We should reverence it. We should read it. We should hide it in our hearts that we might not sin against God. It was the confidence of Christ throughout His stay on this earth. And it is the only confidence we can have as we walk in this sinful earth of ours.

The confidence of the Word of God. But let's move a little farther. Turn with me to the twenty-sixth chapter of Matthew. Matthew chapter twenty-six. And in that chapter, the Lord has something more.

Christ’s Conviction That Scripture Must Be Fulfilled

He utters another must. It is the must of His conviction. And what is the conviction of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? Matthew chapter twenty-six. And we will read from verse fifty-three to verse fifty-six.

Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and He shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But all them shall the Scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be. I could call, said Christ, twelve legions of angels.

Over twelve thousand angels to defend me. But I can't do that, because the Word of God must be fulfilled. All them shall the Scripture be fulfilled. And He told Peter to put up his sword. I could have angels fight for me, but I am not going to summon angels.

The Word of God is my conviction. I go from the bloody sweat of Gethsemane to the tortures of Pilate's judgment hall, where my bike will run red rivers of crimson as a lash tears the flesh off my shoulders.

I shall go to the cross, and there in the darkness, and in my nakedness and shame for sinners, I shall die and shed the last drop of my blood. Why? Because the Bible's Word cannot be proven. And Christ says here, He uses the word must, that thus it must be.

And everything in this book will be. There are uncomfortable things in the Bible. There are things that would terrorize the weakest heart or the strongest mind. But they will all come to pass. The book will never change.

It is the inalterable book of God. And Christ's must were like a great and wonderful barrier erected by Christ Himself, guarding the veracity and the impregnability and the immutability of God's precious Word.

It cannot and it will not be changed. I was reading a few words by old Robert Hawker. Who was he? He was one of the first early Methodist ministers, a minister of the Church of England. He was an evil, wicked man.

Knew nothing about God or grace or the Gospel. And one day the Lord changed him, and he became a great Gospel preacher. And he wrote these words, We bless thee, O thou great Amen. Jehovah's pledge to sinful men, confirming all His Word.

No promises are doubtful then, for all are yea and all Amen. In Jesus Christ our Lord. Secured in this, the church on high, and all below on ceasing cry, Amen, Amen, Amen. And Amen means, so let it be.

To thee, O Lord, all praise is given. The Lord responds of earth and heaven. All heal, thou great Amen. Sweet ordinance of God to bless. By Him, the Lord, our righteousness. By Him, I say again. This mighty hymn makes all things sure.

Through life and death and evermore. In Him, the great Amen. O faithful witness of our God. Who came by water and by blood. Proving the Holy One. Thy record must forever stand. Of life eternal from God's hand.

And all in thee, His Son. Secured is this, the church on high. And all below on ceasing cry, Amen, Amen, Amen. The Word of the Lord standeth forever. And this is the Word that by the Gospel is preached unto you.

The Gospel Must Reach All Nations

But let's come a little farther in our study. Let's turn to the second Gospel. The Gospel of Mark. And in the Gospel of Mark. We read these words. Thirteenth chapter of the Gospel according to Mark. And verse ten.

And the Gospel must. There is the next must. First be published among all nations. The Gospel must first be published among all nations. Christ is the same yesterday. He is the same today. And He is the same forever.

And His must is the must of yesterday. On yesterday the Gospel must be preached to all nations. The must of today. Today the Gospel must be preached to all nations. Thank God in our website we have the opportunity of preaching the Gospel to all nations.

The must of forever. You say the Gospel will be preached forever. It will. Because heaven will be filled with Gospel preaching. And we will be taught of the Holy Ghost. And led from fountain to fountain.

To know more and more of the mysteries of the everlasting Gospel of Christ. Christ's calendar does not alter. And Christ's calendar can never be changed. The fourth must is the must of Christ's calendar.

The Gospel must first be published among all nations. It is eternally decreed by His unshakable, unbreakable must. It cannot be altered or amended. It stands forever sure. The blessed truth that the Gospel will be preached.

All things work together for good. To them who love God. To them who are called according to His purpose. Christ's calendar is eternal. His dating is truthful and unalterable. And His Gospel will be preached.

All that Christ ever said. All that Christ ever decreed. Will happen exactly as Christ said it. And at the very time that Christ prophesied of it. Not a minute or second before God's time. Or a minute or second after God's time.

God is always on time. You never read about Christ rubbing when He was on earth. Why? He didn't need to run. God doesn't run. God walks to do His business. And He's always on time. Hear the Redeemer's welcome voice.

Spreads heavenly peace around. And life and everlasting joys attend the blissful sound. Let Revelation's glory shine. And spread from sea to sea. Till reason stoops to faith divine. And owns her sovereign's way.

All shall be done exactly as Christ said. But if you turn with me to Luke's Gospel now. You will find another verse with the must of Christ in it. Luke's Gospel chapter 4. Jesus Christ is speaking to His disciples here.

Christ’s Must to Preach the Kingdom

In this fourth chapter of Luke's Gospel. And He said unto them. Verse 43. I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also. For therefore am I sent. I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also.

For therefore am I sent. And He preached in the synagogues of Galilee. Here we have the must of Christ's great commission. How wonderful is the commission of our Saviour. I thank God for that little word in that text.

That little word also. I am sure you are glad when you remember that Christ preached the Gospel through a faithful servant of Him the night you were saved. Because also was in this text. He did not say I must preach the Gospel.

But He says I must preach the Gospel to other cities also. Thank God for that word also. It brought me in. And it brings every man and every woman that ever comes in. That Christ does not stop His Gospel preaching.

He goes everywhere ministering His Word. Even in the synagogues of Galilee where He was heated. He preached the Word. He sent His apostles to preach to the whole world. He said go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel.

Christ’s Outreach to the Nations

But notice when He was on earth. He preached to the world that He could reach. And from Judea He went to Samaria. And from Samaria He went to Galilee. And from Galilee He went to Samaria. And from Samaria He went back to Judea.

And He was always traveling because He was always on the outreach. His task was preaching. Proclaiming Himself as the Gospel incarnate. The other cities were not left out. They were included. Only once did He leave.

For another country. And that was Tyre and Sidon. He crossed over the border once. Why? Because there was a woman with a terrible burden. A woman that was broken. And it seemed when He talked to that woman He was very rough on her.

And He talked about not casting the child's bread to the dogs. But what happened? That woman still insisted. And she said the dogs eat of the crumb. Oh Jesus give me but a crumb of the Gospel. Give her the whole loaf of the Gospel.

He was testing her. And He said how great is thy faith. That's the only time He passed from the territory of Israel to another country. Why? I must preach the Gospel also. There are 18 musts on the lips of Christ.

Following Christ’s Must in Gospel Ministry

You will come again to this portion of Scripture. But perhaps this week when you are reading the New Testament and especially the Gospels. You would look at the days that Christ mentions. Christ mentions a lot of days.

You will be staggered by the number of days He mentions. And do something more. Mark the third day. That's the day of resurrection but it's more than that. And the Lord makes special reference to the third day.

And if you look at it you will see the depth of the wonder of Christ who had the must. If Christ had this must on His lips. We too must go and follow Him. We must too obey His word. For obey is better than sacrifice and to hearken than the fight of rams.

And we too must have thee also in our ministry. To reach as many as we can. With the glory of Christ who saves to the very uttermost all that come unto God by Him. Let us pray. Heavenly Father we thank Thee for Thy Son our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

And we pray this day that we may have this must in our heart. That we may know what it is to be forced by the love of Christ. And by the acknowledgement of the truth of Christ. To go out and serve God.

Because we must do it. O God Thou didst give Thy Son. We must give ourselves. O Christ Thou didst give Thy body and Thy blood. We must give our body and our blood. O Spirit of God Thou didst give Thy divine strength.

Give that divine strength to us all. That we may follow in the footsteps of the Son of God. And spread Thy covering wings around. Till all our wanderings cease. And at our Father's blessed abode. We'll all arrive in peace.

And the people of God sent. Amen.