Then I said, ‘Here I am, it is written about Me in the scroll: I have come to do Your will, O God.’”Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come (in the scroll of the book it is written of me) to do your will, O God.’”Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.Then said I, Lo, I am come (In the roll of the book it is written of me) To do thy will, O God.
6 sermons cite this verse
Christ and Him Crucified! If He is lifted up, He will draw all men unto Him—and He must be lifted up, or else the preaching is a mere sham, a joy to devils, but to no one else! David next very expressively says of the sun, "which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber," and is not this a true picture of Christ as He is revealed in the Scriptures? He compared Himself to a bridegroom during His earthly ministry and this is His relationship to His Church, which is "the bride, the Lamb's wife." He is here said to be "coming out of His chamber," as He came out of the council chamber of the Divine decree, saying, "Lo, I come: in the volume of the Book it is written of Me. I delight to do Your will, O My God: yes, Your Law is within My heart"—coming out of the chamber of the Divine and invisible, and dressing Himself in the humble robes of our humanity! Coming to a life of sorrow and suffering, yet coming to it with joyous steps because He delighted to do the will of God and was charmed to redeem His spouse from death and Hell! Then later, coming out of the chamber in which He had concealed the glories of His Deity during the 33 years of His sojourn among men. And now, coming out of His chamber continually as His Gospel is faithfully proclaimed in the power of the Holy Spirit! Verily, this is a true picture of Christ as He is revealed in the Scriptures, "as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber." …
does not reveal a Divine Savior is no Gospel at all—it is like a ship without a rudder—the first contrary wind that blows shall drive it to destruction and woe be to the souls that are trusting to it! No shoulders but those almighty ones which bear the earth's huge pillars can ever carry the enormous weight of human guilt and human need. We preach to you Christ, the Son of Mary, once sleeping in His mother's arms, yet the Infinite even while He was an Infant! Christ the reputed Son of Joseph, toiling in the carpenter's shop, yet being all the while the God who made the heavens and the earth! Christ, who had nowhere to lay His head, the despised and rejected of men, who is, nevertheless, "over all, God forever." Christ nailed to the accursed tree, bleeding at every pore and dying on the Cross, yet, living forevermore. Christ suffering agonies that are indescribable, yet being at the same time the God at whose right hand there are pleasures forevermore. If Christ had not been Man, He could not have sympathized with you and me, nor could He have suffered in our place. How could He have been the Covenant Head of the sons and daughters of Adam if He had not been made in all points like them, except that He was without sin? With that one exception, He was just as we are—bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh—yet He was as truly God as He was Man, the One of whom Isaiah was Inspired to prophesy, "His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." So, in preaching Christ crucified, we preach the Glory of Heaven conjoined with the beauty of earth—the perfection of humanity united with the Glory and dignity of Deity! …
But then here another inquiry may arise, viz. What is implied in Christ’s praying that God’s will might be done in what related to his sufferings? To this I answer, 1. This implies a request that he might be strengthened and supported, and enabled to do God’s will, by going through with these sufferings. The same as when he says, “Lo, I come, in the volume of the book it is written of me, to do thy will, O God.” It was the preceptive will of God that he should lake that cup and drink it: it was the Father’s command to him. The Father had given him the cup, and as it were set it down before him with the. command that he should drink it. This was the greatest act of obedience that Christ «as to perform. He prays for strength and help, that his poor feeble human nature might be supported, that he might not fail in this great trial, that he might not sink and be swallowed up, and his strength so overcome that he should not hold out, and finish the appointed obedience. This was the thing that he feared, of which the apostle speaks in the 5th of Hebrews., when he says, “he was heard in that he feared.” When he had such an extraordinary sense of the dreadful-ness of his sufferings impressed on his mind, the fearful-ness of it amazed him. He was afraid lest his poor feeble strength should be overcome, and that he should fail in so great a trial, that he should be swallowed up by that death that he was to die, and so should not be saved from death; and therefore he offered up strong crying and tears unto him that was able to strengthen him, and support, and save him from death, that the death he was to suffer might not overcome his love and obedience, but that he might overcome death, and so be saved from it. If Christ’s courage had failed in the trial, and he had not held out under his dying sufferings, he never would have been saved from death, but he would have sunk in the deep mire; he never would have risen from the dead, for his rising from the dead was a reward of his victory. If his courage had failed, and he had given up, he would have remained from under the power of death, and so we should all have perished, we should have remained vet in our sins. If he lad failed, all would have failed. If he had not overcome in that sore conflict, neither he nor we could have been freed from death, we all must have perished together. Therefore this was the saving from death that the apostle speaks of, that Christ feared and prayed for with strong crying and tears. His being overcome of death was the thing that he feared, and so he was heard in that he feared. This Christ prayed, that the will of God might be done in his sufferings, even that he might not foil of obeying God’s will in his sufferings; and therefore it follows in the next verse in that passage of Hebrews,” Though he were a Son, vet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.” That it was in this respect that Christ in his agony so earnestly prayed that the will of God might be done, viz. that he might have strength to do his will, and might not sink and fail in such great sufferings; is confirmed from the scriptures of the Old Testament, as particularly from the 69th Psalm. The psalmist represents Christ in that psalm, as is evident from the feet that the words of that psalm are represented as Christ’s words in many places of the New Testament. That psalm is represented as Christ’s prayer to God when his soul was overwhelmed with sorrow and amazement, as it was in his agony; as you may see in the 1st and 2nd verses., “Save me, O God, for the waters are come in unto my soul: I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.” But then the thing that is represented as being the thing that he feared, was failing, and being overwhelmed, in this great trial: verses 14 and 15. “Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink: let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters. Let not the water-flood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me.” So again in the 22d Psalm., which is also represented as the prayer of Christ under his dreadful sorrow and sufferings, verses 19, 20, 21. “But be not thou far from me, O Lord; O my Strength, haste thee to help me. Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog. Save me from die lion’s mouth.” It was meet and suitable that Christ, when about to engage in that terrible conflict, should thus earnestly seek help from God to enable him to do his will; for he needed God’s help the strength of his human nature, without divine help, was not sufficient to carry him through. This was, without doubt, that in which the first Adam foiled in his first trial, that when the trial came he was not sensible of his own weakness and dependence. If he had been, and had leaned on God, and cried to him for his assistance and strength against the temptation, in all likelihood we should have remained innocent and happy creatures to this day. …
2d. This spiritual priesthood offers to God the sacrifice of praise. Many of their sacrifices under the law were sacrifices of peace-offerings, which were mostly for thanksgiving and praise. But the spiritual sacrifice of the hearty and sincere praises of a saint, are more acceptable to God than all the bulls, and rams, and he-goats that they offered. The heartfelt praises of one true Christian, are of more account with God than all those two and twenty thousand oxen, and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep, which Solomon offered to God at the dedication of the temple, as a sacrifice of peace-offerings. Praise is called a sacrifice. Heb. xiii. 15. “By him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name.” Ps. l. 13, 14. “Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? Offer unto God thanksgiving, and pay thy vows unto the Most High;” ver. 23. “Whoso offereth praise, glorifieth me; and to him that ordereth his conversation aright, will I show the salvation of God;” Ps. lxix. 30, 31. “I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs.” Praises are therefore in Hosea called calves of our lips, because they are like calves offered in sacrifice; Hosea xiv. 2. “Take with you words, and turn to the Lord: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously; so will we render the calves of our lips.” Only true Christians offer those sacrifices. However hypocrites pretend to praise God, and to offer thanksgiving to him, yet they, being insincere, offer not sacrifices with which God is well pleased; they offer not spiritual sacrifices, and therefore they are not of the spiritual priesthood. In heaven especially are the saints a holy priesthood upon this account; whose work it is for ever to offer these sacrifices to God, who cease not day nor night to praise God and sing forth their ardent joyful hallelujahs. They sing a new song, a song that never will end, and never will grow old. …
CHRIST AND SHED AGAIN FROM HIS LIPS. First, let us regard our Savior as the eternal Surety of the Covenant and we shall see that Grace was poured into His lips. When God the Father originally made the Covenant, it stood somewhat in this form, "My Son, You desire, and I also agree with You, to save a multitude that no man can number, whom I have elected in You. But, in order to their salvation, that I may be just, and yet the Justifier of them that believe, it is necessary that someone should be their Representative, to stand responsible for their obedience to My Laws, and their Substitute to suffer whatever penalties they incur. If You, My Son, will agree to bear their punishment and endure the penalty of their crimes, I on My part will agree that You shall see Your seed, shall prolong Your days, and that the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in Your hands. If You are prepared to promise that You will bear the punishment of all the people whom You would save, I on my part am prepared to swear by Myself, because I can swear by no greater, that all for whom You shall atone shall Infallibly be delivered from death and Hell, and that all for whom You bear the punishment shall hence go free, nor shall My wrath rise against them, however great may be their sins." Jesus spoke the word and He said, "My Father! Lo, I come: in the volume of the Book it is written of Me, I delight to do Your will, O My God." …
Moreover, God, in choosing Christ to suffer in our place has been pleased to lay help upon One that is mighty, upon One that is mighty to save. O my Soul, delight in the thought that Christ was my Substitute! If I had been told that an angel had done his best to save me, I would feel unsafe. If I had been told that all the holy men in all the world had striven to save me, I would have felt insecure. But if the very Christ of God, Himself, the Eternal One, has deigned to bear my iniquities, why, then, should I fear? The mighty Savior, the Almighty Savior, can surely put away my sins! There is help laid upon One that is mighty! The Lord also laid our sins upon Christ because it was Christ's desire that it should be so. Do you remember how He said, "I have a baptism to be baptized with"? It was the baptism of His sufferings! "And how am I straitened till it is accomplished!" And long before that He had said, "Lo, I come; in the volume of the Book it is written of Me, I delight to do Your will, O God, yes, Your Law is in My heart." And then He adds, "Sacrifice and offering You would not, but a body have You prepared Me." And He longed to come, and in that body, bear His people's sins! And in that body prove that He had a love for them which many waters could not quench, and floods could not drown, for down into the deeps He would go with His beloved Church and never come up again until He could bring her up with Him, as He has done, to the praise of the Glory of His Grace! Therefore, you see, God is honored, His Grace is honored, we, ourselves, are comforted by have a mighty Savior, and Christ's own longings are contented by having sin laid upon Him. …