Jeremiah chapter 30 and verse 21. And their nobles shall be of themselves, and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them. And I will cause him to draw near, And he shall approach unto me. For who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me, saith the Lord. Now this seems to me to be a statement of astonishment here. I look at this thing, and the more I look at it, the more There seems to be some astonishment from the Lord's part, as He makes this statement, that such a one would approach unto Him. You know, the Scripture says that God, in His infinite glory, dwells in such a light, such a brilliance, such a glory, that no man can approach unto Him. John said that no man can see God and live. And so I can understand why this would be so emphatic here. Who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me, saith the Lord? we might even ask it like this if it be emphatic if it be a statement out of astonishment my soul who is the who is the that approaches onto in mister spurgeon pointed out in his sermon on this that change of tone takes place right here in the middle of uh... chapter 30 of the book of Jeremiah the first 29 verses if you go back or 29 chapters you go back and read the first 29 chapters they're taken up with weeping and wailing and the prophet Gert in sackcloth standing before the people of Israel and bidding Israel TO LAMENT AND HOWL FOR THE FIERCE ANGER OF THE LORD, HE SAYS, IS NOT TURNED BACK FROM US. IN VERSE NUMBER SIX, IF YOU'LL FOLLOW THIS IDEA IN THIS PRESENT CHAPTER, HE REFERS TO THE SEVERITY OF GOD'S JUDGMENT BRINGING PAIN AND SORROW UPON ISRAEL. AND HE LIKENS THAT GRIEF OF MEN TO BE THAT OF A WOMAN while in the midst of the pains of childbearing. You see that there in verse 6, he says, for there shall be a day that the watchman upon, excuse me, I'm in chapter 31, in verse 6 of chapter 30, asking now and see whether a man doth travail with child. Wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned unto paleness. You don't think the judgment of God was severe on those people? God was dissatisfied with their rebellion, with their idolatry, with their going after other gods and making simply merchandise of the true religion of Jehovah and profaning the true worship of the true God he was dissatisfied with that and he he was pouring out his wrath his judgment upon Israel at that time and the grief in Israel was great then in verse number seven he speaks of that of that time being the time of Jacob's trouble all he was he was troubling Jacob or Israel at that time the nation Then in verse 15, he says that their sorrow is incurable for the multitude of their iniquity. But in verse 18, I want you to see the change. In verse 18, a promise of deliverance from captivity is brought forth. And in verse 19, the voice changes from weeping and howling and lamenting over their sins and the judgment upon their sins TO THAT OF THANKSGIVING AND THE VOICE OF MAKING MERRY UNTO THE LORD. YOU SEE THAT THERE? IT SAYS IN VERSE 19, SURELY AFTER THAT I WAS TURNED. I'M IN CHAPTER 31 AGAIN. CHAPTER 30 AND VERSE 19. And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving, and the voice of them that make merry. And I will multiply them, and they shall now be few. I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small." And I ask you a question this morning, if you'll follow that pattern there. Don't you think that this is the very pattern in the conversion of God to elect? What I mean by that, are they not first made to tremble in fear concerning their sin before they reach that place of rejoicing in the free grace of God? That's right. You know, so often my heart's disturbed and we call it coldness of heart because of the inconsistency. I look at you and see empty spaces where people Some of them are newcomers. Some of them are old. But they all seem to set the same pattern of inconsistency. And I so often am concerned and I attribute it sometimes to cold hearts. But done so often, I'm really thinking deeply and looking at the situation and wondering whether it's not unconverted hearts. Unconverted hearts. Oh, if men appreciate the grace of God, then you'll never have an appreciation of the grace of God until you are made aware of the bitterness of your offense toward God, your sins before God. And that's the pattern that God seems to give us in the Scriptures concerning the conversion of His people. First, they're made to tremble in fear on account of their sins, and then they are brought to rejoice in God's free grace toward them. Look at verse 12. Look back here at verse 12 in our present chapter. For thus saith the Lord, thy bruise is incurable, and thy wound is grievous. There is none to plead thy cause, and that thou mayest be bound up. Thou hast no healing medicine, Brother, these people are in a fix here. Now, modern religion, listen, they don't understand this language right here because they've got a quick fix for almost any problem that a man presents to them. That's right. They've got a religious medicine, a religious salve that they can rub on the sore spot of most, quote, sinners today. But these sinners are in a bind here. These sinners are up against Him. God says, Your bruise is incurable. Do you see that there? He says, Thy wound is grievous. There is none to plead thy cause. You wonder today just what men and women who are, quote, religious people are expecting to plead their cause before the God of heaven. He shuts them up to no one and to nothing to plead their cause. He says, He says, there is none to plead thy cause that thou mayest be bound up, thou hast no healing medicine. Look at this, all thy lovers have forgotten thee. Oh, this is a destitute situation. He says, they seek thee not, for I have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one. for the multitude of that because that's the ends were increased white price now for that affliction that's sorrow is injured for the multitude of that because that's the ends were increased and i have done these things all this is conviction This is a man being brought into the misery of his sins, being so convicted and convinced that he's a hopeless case that he has no one and nothing to turn to, nothing whatsoever. And I say that a man must first experience the extremity of sin's misery before he can reach God's opportunity of mercy. I say that the Spirit must make them aware of the experience which the language of verse 12 through 15 gives us here before they can reach the experience and the rejoicing which we read in verse 19 where he says and out of them shall proceed Thanksgiving and the voice of them that make me you know what a thankful man for the grace of God you know how you know how he portrays Thanksgiving appreciate you know what Thanksgiving is don't you Thanksgiving is an appreciation you know you give me something And I show my appreciation by coming up to you and telling you, thank you. Thank you, dear friend, for what you did for me. Thank you for that sacrifice you made for me. Well, listen to me. When a man experiences the free grace of God Almighty, and I emphasize on that, it's the free grace of God because God is not bound to give man anything. You understand? And when a man receives the free grace of God, in experience, Randy, he follows up with this attitude of thanksgiving. He appreciates the grace of God. He appreciates the grace of God so much that the love that he sees and the sacrifice that God made constrains him to do the will of God. He follows after Christ. He'll be at church on Sunday. He'll be here when the door is open, where God's people are meeting. He'll be here to hear the proclamation of the story of the gospel because that's the only thing that his soul rejoices in. Is that not so? It's not cold hearts that causes this inconsistency. It's just unconverted hearts. Unconverted soul. A converted man follows after God. He's like David, which expressed his desire for God. He says that his heart sought after the Lord as the heart did. He says it breathes after God. It pants after God as the heart. H-A-R-T, that's the little animal likened to the deer, as the heart. pants after the water brew. And his illustration there is taken from the hunted animal as the hunter is pursuing and stalking the animal and gives it no place of rest and no time of refreshment. And as he trods along in the misery of his fatigue, his nose is reaching toward the ground and he can smell the sweet veins of the water brooks, but he can't get to them because of the pursuer. But he has an ardent desire for them. And David said, My heart seeks after the Lord in such a way. Where the misery of sin abounds, my dear friend, the grace of God much more abounds. Now again, note the question here in verse 21. When we get to verse 21, he says, their nobles shall be of themselves. Their governor shall proceed from the midst of them. And I will cause him to draw near and he shall approach unto me. For who is this? Here's the question. Who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me? saith the Lord. Who is this? You know, one most definitely, if you understand the condition of the people over here, if you understand the condition of your own heart as a sinner, you would agree that one most definitely was needed. But who is this? Who dares approach the throne of consuming glory? Who is this? One was needed here to bridge the chasm between God and man. There was a great gulf fixed between sinful man, the sinful race of Adam, and a holy God, an impassable chasm. Now who's going to bridge that thing? Who's going to fill up the gap? Who can do it? Paradise was lost. But who in this world is going to regain it? What about you? You want to try? What about you? Do you want to go into the presence of God? I'm talking about into the presence of Him whose holiness is a consuming fire. I'm talking about His holiness is so glorious that a man cannot tolerate the brilliance of it. It'll kill him to walk into the presence of the Almighty God. You want to try it? Come on now. Do you want to go to court with God? Job tells us it's a losing battle. I don't want to go to court with God. I don't want to plead my cause. I don't want no other man to plead my cause. He's made that perfectly clear. No one's qualified. Pick out your best man. You want him to plead your cause for you? You want him to go to court for you with God? No, sir. No, sir. Someone's approaching God here in this Someone's engaged himself to go before God. God says, who is this? Who is this? I want us to take this question apart in the latter part of verse 21, and I want us to put it back together again. We'll take it first. Who is this? Who is this? I tell you, it must be some more glorious person. It must be to go into the presence of God. Ah, but we do need such a one, don't we? Such a one. I'm talking about who is able and willing to be our surety. We need someone. who is able and willing to be our surety. Look at our mess. Look at it. The bruise is incurable. The wound is grievous. We have no healing medicine. The sorrow is incurable for the multitude of our iniquities. Oh, we need and able, number one, and able, and number two, a willing surety to go into the presence of God and stand for us. Somebody said, what's a surety? That's a fellow to go to court with you and make sure that you get a good, fair representation. And he's such a fellow that his character is all that's needed to plead for you. And that's what you need before God. That's what you need before God. My soul, I tell you right now, Brother Don, we don't need a religious gimmick here. You look at this. You think that'll work? Huh? You think you're gonna get in on a hot dog and bozo the clown? No, that won't get you in, will it? That won't stand for you. You don't need a religious gimmick here, no siree. You need something far, far, far better than that. Who is this? Well, he must be a man. We'd ask a good man, wouldn't you agree? Yes, and wait, a perfect man. Yes, he must be a man, a good man, a perfect man. Yeah, and he must be even more than that. Huh? He must be God. He must be God. Why do you say that, pastor? I say that because of what sin has done against infinity. You see, because of what sin has done against infinity. Ed, you see, it's like we're trying to express in your Bible study here on Sunday morning. We're talking about God and the attributes of God. God is not a man. I wish we could wash this out of the minds of this religious people today, don't you? God is not a man. He's not your old gray-haired, gray-beard granddaddy sitting up there in heaven. God is God. You understand that? I mean, He's God. God is infinity. And when Adam sinned against God, his crime was of an infinite offense against God. And I'm going to tell you right now, It'll take infinity to make satisfaction, won't it? It'll take infinity to make satisfaction. See, you understand why I say, you gotta be man, good man, a perfect man, but you gotta be more, you gotta be God. Gotta be God. This one that goes into the presence of God to plead our cause, who is he? Well, he must be man, I say, because he must be one of us. Why do I say that? I say that because each order of being, Tommy, must be represented by its own kind. See, we're not dealing here in the matter of angels and men. The angels that are in heaven didn't sin. There's no charge against them. God has his charge against the sons of Adam. So we can't go into heaven and pick out a good angel, the best angel. Gabriel won't do, Michael won't do, no sir. We can't pick out the best angel in heaven and send them in to represent us because they're not our kind. We've got to have one of our own kind, a man. going in. Listen, a kinsman redeemer is required here. A kinsman redeemer. Got to be kin to us. Got to be one of us. What does that mean? Well, it means one with us. It means one with us free from debt. It means one with us free from debt and one willing and able to pay the price required. Go there and read the story of Ruth and Boaz, and you'll get a good picture of what's required in a kinsman redeemer. There was another fellow that could have redeemed Ruth, but he wasn't with her. I think he had the price, didn't he, but he wasn't with her. So all this is required. in the context of our redemption i'm saying that our kinsman redeemer must be a man taken from among us free from sin himself willing and able to pay the price that is he must have the redemption money and what is the redemption money required here is blood it's blood not mere human blood it's blood spotless human blood, pure, untainted human blood. But wait, wait a minute. I said it must not be mere sinless human blood. The atonement required here that we're talking about must be of infinite merit. And mere spotless human blood would not make an infinite atonement, would it? You're getting out of infinity again. No, sir. No, sir. So this one, this one we're talking about here must be true man and true God. You see, the church must be, this is what Paul is driving home in that it was, the church must be purchased with God's own blood. God's blood must buy the church. That's the price required. But wait yet. He must not only have merit, He's got to have something else not only merits required here but power And I use that in in the light of strength Power or strength and then I use this authority So tell me he's got to have merit and yet. He's got to have the strength and the authority and to suffer. So who is this? Who is this? In other words, I'm saying that he must, Don, he must be a prince and a priest. Understand that? Out of necessity, God requires that he be a prince and a priest. Well, somebody raises the objection. You're talking about something out of the ordinary Can't be anybody back over here in the economy of Israel because those two offices according to the requirement of God must be kept separate. That's right. I don't care how great the prince is in Israel, he cannot take it upon himself to intrude the office of the priest and to make sacrifice for himself, can he? I don't care who he is. He can be a Solomon. He can be a David. He can be any of those stately men. And yet, it's against God's law for them to intrude the office of the priest and make sacrifice. Didn't Saul get in trouble for that? He was of the tribe of Benjamin. His impatience caused him grief when he would offer sacrifice to God. So we are talking about something that's not ordinary here. We are talking about an extraordinary thing. Who is this? You see, our Redeemer is not to be an ordinary being. He's an extraordinary one. Our Redeemer is to fill all three offices. He's to be prophet, priest, and king. Who is this? Who is this? Look at the text again. It says in verse 21, and their governor, you see that in that second sentence there, that second line, and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them. And then he says, and I will cause him to draw near. You see it was necessary that he who should draw near to God should be chosen to that office by God himself and be qualified for it by divine authority. The governor, their governor shall proceed from the midst of the so who is the i declare into you must be cracked it must be crashed it must be crashed along you see i say it must be crashed because in him alone do we find infinite merit to make at all I say that because Christ is not only true man, Christ is true God. That brings infinity into the matter and qualifies Him to make infinite atonement for His people's sins. So it must be Christ. But Mary won't do, will she? She's not a fit mediator. She can't make the qualified sacrifice. So men can't get to God through Mary. 700 million people think that they probably can, but that's not so. They're living under a false notion. And they're being led to hell and droves by misrepresentation. Huh? No sir, in Him alone do we find infinite merit to make atonement for sin. In Him alone do we find that sinless quality to make satisfaction to divine justice for our many offenses. For Christ alone is holy. and harmless, and undefiled, and separate from sinners. I say to you, it must be Christ, for in Him alone do we find that princely authority to make a reconciling atonement to God for sins. He said this, didn't to those unbelieving Jews, those Christ rejecters, who went about to destroy him, did not he say, no man taketh my life from me? No man taketh my life. He spoke as a king there. One with authority. He said, no man taketh my life from me. He said, I have power to lay it down. And I have power to take it up again. he said this command but have i received uh... that's princely language that's speaking in the key who is this assets crashed for there's none of the name under heaven given among me We must be saved, Tony. It's Christ alone. For there's one God, and there's one Mediator between... Listen, one Mediator. Not two or three, not a half a dozen. One Mediator. There's one... Now, what the Scripture said, there is one God, and there is one Mediator between God and men. Who is it? Somebody tell me. The man Christ Jesus. Now what Paul said, that's who he is. That's who he is. Who alone gave himself a ransom for us all to be testified in due time. Well, I meant to spend that much time on that first thought, but I'm not finished. because the text enlarges here. The second thing I want you to look at, and it'll be briefer, the second thing I want you to look at is this, in the question here, who is this? And then he goes on, that engaged himself, or his heart, I think it is, isn't it, his heart, And someone in the study notes that I was reading, either Spurgeon or Brother Griswold, had run a reference on this word here and said in the Hebrew, this could have been translated life, who engaged his life, his life, to approach unto me. here speaks of his most wonderful and blessed work. You see, the first part of the message has been talking about that glorious and wonderful person of Jesus Christ. And you know, that's what the gospel is all about, isn't it? It's the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, out here there's a great emphasis, distorted as it may be, but the emphasis is on the work of Christ. And there's a lightheartedness as to the person of Jesus Christ. But both are equally important in the proclamation of the gospel. We've got to understand His person, know who He is, and who it is we're talking about when we preach the gospel. The glorious person of Jesus Christ must be lifted up to sinners and before sinners. But also his wonderful work, his marvelous and glorious work must be proclaimed in this thing. And that's what this is speaking to here. Who is this? It's talking about the person, what he did, what he did. that engaged his life to approach unto me. That's what he did. He became, you know what he's saying here? This one, this one that comes into the holy presence of God Almighty in behalf of his sinning people, he comes into the presence of God as substitute listen to me, as substitute and mediator of the Godhead. In other words, justice must be satisfied. Therefore, this one actually approached the offended majesty by becoming a curse for us. My soul, isn't that something? You see, look, what we have here engaged his heart or engaged his life. You was talking about the covenant this morning. This is covenant language here. This is covenant language in this text. Engaged his heart. And of course, when we're talking about this covenant, this is the everlasting covenant. This was that agreement in the Godhead concerning what God, out of the pure pleasure of His own heart, the good pleasure of His will, to glorify His grace. There was no coercion here. There was no compelling here. He did it because He was pleased to do it. But in that covenant, in that agreement, in that Godhead covenant, it was agreed upon for certain things. And this one engaged his life or engaged his heart to approach unto God as a sin-cursed victim in behalf of his people. I say justice must be satisfied, therefore he actually approached the offended majesty by becoming a curse for us. he engaged his heart. I say that's covenant agreement. In covenant agreement, he engaged his life. Agreeing to this, and this is scripture, isn't it? Agreeing to this, to be the lamb slain before the foundation of the world. You see, that agreement was made before man was ever created and before man ever sinned. Christ made it with the Father. You see, I was sliding down into hell. That's right. In life, in experience, Randy, we both were one. We were sliding right into the pit of hell. And you know what happened? From all eternity, God In regards to the covenant that he made with his son, Don, from all eternity as I was sliding down into hell, God shouted and said, ìDeliver him from going down into the pit.î Why? ìBecause I have found a ransom.î It is. in his son, Jesus Christ. My soul. Let me raise a question here. Let me raise a question. Why? Why would he engage himself for us? I'm talking about for us. That's described over here in verse 12 as being a people whose bruise is incurable. A people whose wound is grievous. A people whose sorrow is incurable for the multitude of thine iniquity. You know what folk I honestly think today, and preachers have got them thinking this way. Not really, they have. Preachers have led people to think this, Tommy. That to be a sinner, you've got to do something really bad. I mean, you know. I mean, you've got to rob a big bank or kill somebody that's important before you're guilty of sin. They've got them thinking that. That's the mentality of this world, and the pulpit has led people to think that. My, my, my. You're looking at one sinner up here that's committed enough sin to send 10,000 worlds I mean just one right here. He calls our iniquity a multitude of iniquity. Did you see that? So I raise this question, why would He, this infinite, holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinner, true God, true man, why would this person, engage himself for us. One answer. Given to you in one word. Love. Love. That's right. And I'm putting love in its right context. It's love. Listen. First, He is love for the Father's will. For the Father's pleasure. motivated Him to engage His life for us. Isn't that what He said? He was always about doing the will of His Father. That was the purpose of coming into this world, He said, for He must finish the work that the Father gave Him. He loved His Father's will so much. that he engaged his heart. And I tell you something else, he loved his father's covenant people so much that he engaged his heart on their behalf. That's right. Love for the father's will, love for his father's covenant people. For it was his father's good pleasure and holy will to give his grace to his people. And he could not grace his people until justice was satisfied. Is that not right? Look here. Here's a text right close to you here. Jeremiah 31 verse 3. Here it is right here. That's what I'm talking about right here. The prophet said, The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love. See, that was that love come shouting down into time when I was slipping into the pit and said, Deliver him. He's mine. Deliver him from going down into the pit. I've found a ransom. So love, love, L-O-V-E, in the context of divine love. All right, I'm through. This is it. I'll say this and I'm done. The result of this blessed engagement to approach unto God, what is it? What is it? Well, by it, that is, by His approach, by this engagement, by it, we who are in Him, in Christ, are enabled, ourselves, to approach unto God. The only way we can. Look at verse 22. And ye shall be my people. Why? Because one drew near. One that God calls to draw near. One chosen out of the people, their governor, their prince, their priest. This one that we've been talking about, one that engaged his life to approach unto God. Because of this, he says, ye shall be my people. There again, it's covenant language. I will and ye shall. You know what he said here? Ye shall be my people and I will be your God. That's the covenant from everlasting. What we call the everlasting, the eternal covenant made by God with God into Godhead in regards of a people. What is that's a unilateral cup coveted one-sided that right one side? See when you study the covenant some of those covenants are bilateral and one is unilateral One is unilateral that's the everlasting covenant And this is covenant language Here's what covenant language says the utterly and ruined and cast out are now the people of God. That's what it said in verse 17. You see it there? For I will restore health unto thee. I will heal thee. See these I wills here? I like to study the I wills of God. Sure does do away with a lot of these so-called free wills of men. I will, I will. God says I will, I will, I will. I will. He doesn't say, I'll try. He says, I will. I will. Look at this in verse 17. And I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord, because they called thee an outcast. Isn't that what they called us? That's what they said about me. He's an outcast. Huh. He claims relationship with God. Why? I'm as good as he is. He's an outcast. Yeah. Because they call thee an outcast, saying, This is Zion whom no man seeketh after. God says, I will. I'll take them. They're mine. They're mine. You know, they say that Christ died only to make salvation possible. You know what they say out there? No, no. Here's the result. Here it is right here in this message, in this text, in this context. Here it is. Christ died to leave his people certain and immutable access to God. Because he engaged his life to approach unto God. I have assurance that I have access by Him unto God. Isn't that so? That's what He died for, Gene. He died to leave His people certain and immutable access to God. He died not to make a general atonement, Donald, but to make full and complete redemption for His people. That's what He died for. Oh yes, my salvation is a full salvation. You can go on and read it here. Verse 24, the fierce anger of the Lord shall not return until he hath done it, until he hath performed the intents of his heart. In the latter days he shall consider it. I mean, God separates His people, sanctifies them by the Spirit in the Gospel to Jesus Christ the Son, and He guarantees them that His fierce anger will not turn upon them ever again. They're delivered. They're delivered. His salvation was a full salvation for them. verse one of chapter thirty one says at that time or at the same time set the Lord will I be the God of all the families of Israel and they should be my people somebody people Israel the true Israel of God is Paul expresses the Israel of God verse thirty one he says he says this behold the days come set the Lord that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Jacob That new covenant is the old covenant made in eternity in the Godhead agreed upon by the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost in regards to a covenant people. You like that? I do too. All right. Let's stand together. Let's sing a hymn. Let's sing a hymn.