Sermon
#1323 Miscellaneous Sermons
Title: The Breaker
Text: Micah 2:13
Subject: Micah’s
Prophecy of Christ as The Breaker
Date:
Tape #
Reading:
Introduction:
In
Micah 2:13 we read a prophecy of the Lord Jesus Christ, a prophecy in which he is called “THE BREAKER.” Has he
broken you? I will tell you this - You will never know him as the Savior until
you know him as the Breaker. Listen to Micah’s words.
"The breaker is come up before them: they have broken up, and have
passed through the gate, and are gone out by it: and their king shall pass
before them, and the LORD on the head of them." Now, let me tell you
what those words mean and how they apply to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Without
question, this text of Scripture has specific reference, historically, to the
nation of Israel. If you read chapters one and two, you will see that the Lord
threatened severe, but just punishment upon them because of their relentless
ungodliness, idolatry, and eagerness to follow false prophets rather than those
men sent of God who spoke the Word of God plainly.
Yet,
in wrath our God remembers mercy. He promised those disobedient Jews
deliverance, undeserved, merciful deliverance, miraculous deliverance,
deliverance which had the unmistakable stamp of divinity upon it.
The entire story is a clear picture of
God’s free grace in Christ to his elect, the true Israel of God.
1.
We
all, like the Jews of old turned aside from our God, his Word, his way, and his
worship, and went whoring after other gods, according to our own lusts.
2.
The
Lord God, in his Word, has threatened a severe, but just and everlasting
punishment to be executed upon us for our sin.
3.
Yet,
in wrath, our God remembers mercy. He has promised that he shjall save some of
Adam’s fallen race by his almighty, free grace in Christ.
4.
That
One who is our Savior and Deliverer, God’s dear Son, our all glorious Christ,
is here called “The Breaker”.
Proposition: Christ is the Breaker and all who are saved by him
are described as “the broken up”.
I
want to talk to you now about those two things: The
Breaker and They
Who Have Broken Up. May God the Holy Spirit be our Teacher.
I. THE BREAKER
This almighty Breaker is the
Lord Jesus Christ.
A.
He came up as the Breaker
from everlasting.
In the council of peace, the
divine decree was broken open and the Son of God stood forth as the Surety of
God’s elect. He it was who alone was found worthy to take the book of God’s
eternal purpose out of the hand of him that sat upon the throne. Christ alone,
as the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world, is worthy and able
to loose the seals of the book, break it open, and fulfill its decrees.
It was this same Holy One,
our Lord Jesus Christ, who, when he found it written of him in the volume of
his Father’s book (The Book of His Decrees and The Book of Inspiration) that he
should fulfill the law of the Lord for chosen sinners, cried out, “Lo, I come. I delight to do thy will, O
God.”
(Psalms 40:6-10)
"Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou
opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. {7} Then said I, Lo, I come: in the
volume of the book it is written of
me, {8} I delight to do thy will, O
my God: yea, thy law is within my
heart. {9} I have preached righteousness
in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O LORD, thou
knowest. {10} I have not hid thy
righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy
salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great
congregation."
B. In the fulness of time our all-glorious Christ came
up as a Breaker in this world.
He came into the world to
break down the wall of separation between God and his chosen, to put away sin
by the sacrifice of himself, and to open, by his precious shed blood, a new and
living way by which sinners might draw near to God with full assurance of
acceptance upon the basis of pardoned sin.
Our Lord Jesus, by his one
great sacrifice, forever put away all the sins of his people, forever silenced
the accusations of Satan, forever freed us from the curse and penalty of God’s
holy law, and forever justified and sanctified every sinner for whom he bled
and died. This great work he did by himself alone, when he who knew no sin was
made to be sin for us.
(Romans 8:1-4)
"There is therefore now
no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the
flesh, but after the Spirit. {2} For
the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of
sin and death. {3} For what the law
could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in
the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: {4} That the righteousness of the law
might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the
Spirit."
(Galatians 4:4-6)
"But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son,
made of a woman, made under the law, {5} To
redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of
sons. {6} And because ye are sons,
God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba,
Father."
(Hebrews 10:5-10)
"Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and
offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: {6} In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no
pleasure. {7} Then said I, Lo, I come
(in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. {8} Above when he said, Sacrifice and
offering and burnt offerings and offering
for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; {9} Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away
the first, that he may establish the second.
{10} By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body
of Jesus Christ once for all."
C. After he lay in the grave for three days, the
almighty Breaker came forth from the dead, bursting asunder the bars of death.
Triumphant over death, hell,
and the grave, he proved himself to be the Breaker spoken of by the prophet
Micah, passing through the gate before us as our great Head, Representative,
Lord, and King. “Their King shall pass before them, and the Lord on the head of them.”
It was not possible that
death could hold him. His holy soul must not and could not see corruption.
Therefore the almighty Breaker broke through all the obstacles before him as
our Representative, ascended up on high, led captivity captive, and entered
into heaven, having obtained eternal redemption for us! There he sat down upon
his throne, took possession of heaven as our Forerunner, and ever lives to make
intercession for us according to the will of God. Thank God for this almighty
Breaker, Christ Jesus!
(Hebrews 1:1-3)
"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past
unto the fathers by the prophets, {2} Hath
in these last days spoken unto us by his Son,
whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; {3} Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his
person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by
himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on
high;"
(Hebrews 6:19-20)
"Which hope we have as an
anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within
the veil; {20} Whither the forerunner
is for us entered, even Jesus, made
an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec."
(Hebrews 7:25)
"Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come
unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them."
(Hebrews 9:12)
"Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he
entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us."
(Hebrews 10:11-14)
"And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering
oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: {12} But this man, after he had offered
one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; {13} From henceforth expecting till his
enemies be made his footstool. {14} For
by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified."
D. At the appointed time, in the day of his great,
saving power, Christ the Breaker, our almighty Savior and King, breaks into the
hearts of chosen, redeemed sinners and establishes his kingdom in his people,
making them his willing subjects.
(Psalms 65:4)
"Blessed is the man whom thou
choosest, and causest to approach unto
thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the
goodness of thy house, even of thy
holy temple."
(Psalms 110:3)
"Thy people shall be willing
in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the
morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth."
At
the appointed time, in “the time of love”
appointed by God the Father for the regeneration, effectual calling, and
conversion of our souls, the Lord Jesus, by his sovereign Holy Spirit, came as
the almighty Breaker, in all the glorious force and power of his irresistible
grace into our hearts.
He did not stand outside our
hearts’ doors and meekly knock, hoping and pleading that we might, by the mere
exercise of our wills, let him in. Had he done so, we would yet be without life
before God. This almighty, saving, gracious, effectual Breaker, broke into our
hearts and took possession of our souls.
When he came in, he brought
his welcome with him, causing us to cry, “Come in! Come in Lord Jesus! Come,
reign in me forever.” Oh, may this great saving Breaker break into your soul
this day by his all-saving power and grace!
II. “THEY WHO HAVE BROKEN UP”
According
to our text (Micah 2:13), the Lord Jesus Christ is the Breaker and all who are
saved by his grace are “broken up.” How
I pray that God will be pleased this day to send his Word to your heart with
such power and grace that you will be altogether “broken
up” by his dear Son.
Look at Micah 2:13 again. It
describes both Christ and his people. Our dear Savior is the Breaker who has
come. Then the prophet speaks of God’s elect, saying, “They have broken up, and have passed through the gate, and are gone
out by it: and their king shall pass before them, and the Lord on the head of
them.”
The Lord Jesus has, for
those sinners saved by his grace, broken down the strongholds of sin and Satan
in which we were bound all the days of our lives. He has broken down that wall
of hatred and enmity in our hearts against the Lord God and against his Christ
with which we were born. In that horrid state of hatred and enmity against God
we would have died and perished forever, but for the sovereign grace and
goodness of God in sending the Lord Jesus to us as the almighty Breaker who
burst open the prison of darkness where we were held as willing captives by
Satan. He broke the chains that held us. He brought us out!
These
things being wrought in us and accomplished for us by his almighty grace, we
are described as a people who, in his strength, “have broken up, and have passed through the gate” of Satan’s
dominion, “and are gone out by it” into
the glorious liberty of the sons of God. Paul describes exactly the same thing
in Colossians 2.
(Colossians 2:8-17)
"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit,
after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after
Christ. {9} For in him dwelleth all
the fulness of the Godhead bodily. {10} And
ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: {11} In whom also ye are circumcised
with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins
of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
{12} Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation
of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
{13} And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh,
hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; {14} Blotting out the handwriting of
ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of
the way, nailing it to his cross; {15}
And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them
openly, triumphing over them in it. {16} Let
no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday,
or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
{17} Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ."
A.
Is that your experience? Do
you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your almighty Breaker?
This Breaker is known by
these sweet tokens of his saving power and grace. Those who are the objects of
his love experience the transforming power of his grace. It is foolish to talk
about believing him, knowing him, and worshipping him, until we have experienced
the power of his grace. Has your King and Lord thus passed before you? Has he
thus passed before me? If he has, let us ever be on the look out for renewed
visits of grace from him. Oh, let this almighty, gracious Breaker come often to
break us.
B. God only uses broken things; and none can break us
but Christ, the Breaker.
(Zechariah 12:10)
"And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants
of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look
upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth
for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in
bitterness for his firstborn."
The law may terrify; but it
cannot break. Religion may tame us; but it cannot break us. We certainly
cannot, even as believers, break ourselves. Only Christ can break us! Let him,
therefore, come often in his capacity as the Breaker to break down those remaining
obstacles of doubt, and fear, and unbelief that constantly rise up in our
hearts. Come, O Mighty Breaker! Break down all that remains of indwelling
corruption and sin within me, by which these doubts and fears of unbelief get
such a strong hold upon me.
Soon,
our glorious Christ shall finally come in all his fulness as the Breaker. He
will break through the clouds to judgment. He will break down every remaining
evil in creation that keeps us from the perfect and everlasting enjoyment of
him. When he comes again, our mighty Samson will carry away the gates of our
prison, the grave, and set all his ransomed prisoners free, free forever!
Hasten the day, blessed Savior!
(1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) "But I would not have you to be
ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even
as others which have no hope. {14} For
if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in
Jesus will God bring with him. {15} For
this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord
shall not prevent them which are asleep.
{16} For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the
voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall
rise first: {17} Then we which are
alive and remain shall be caught up
together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we
ever be with the Lord. {18} Wherefore
comfort one another with these words."
Come quickly with a glory infinitely surpassing all
conception. Come, show yourself, in the full display of your sovereignty,
power, and grace, as the almighty Breaker!
AMEN.